The Edinburgh Reporter August 2026

Shared focus

Full steam

Palm paradise

Baby’s Back

Pedal Power

Photography clubs capture Rosslyn Chapel in the frame

Campaigners push for council purchase of old railway line

Book your ticket to visit the renovated Palm Houses

Ron Mueck’s giant sculpture on show again at Modern One

Youth Race Team in top gear with over 30 wins

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EDINBURGH’S FREE LOCAL NEWSPAPER...A CAPITAL READ FROM START TO FINISH

August 2026

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

PHOTO Colin Hattersley

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IT IS TIME for Edinburgh to come alive for the summer festivals – and for the unitiated there are many of them - from the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) under the guidance of Nicola Benedetti, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (and yes that is the correct name – no variation allowed), the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Edinburgh Internaitonal Film Festival and the Edinburgh Art Festival.

The EIF features 147 performances with artists from 44 countries. All will be brought together under the theme All Rise, also the title of the symphony composed by Wynton Marsalis the founding director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra who will perform his work in the opening concert with around 200 performers on stage.

The free community led event in Princes Street Gardens inspired by the same theme is bound to be unmissable.

The Fringe programme alone has 3,649 shows in 258 venues, totalling 53,884 performances, with themes tackling some of the most topical issues including artificial intelligence, cults, the manosphere, identity crisis, social class, Y2K nostalgia, the state of the world and resilience and hope.

One Man Poe will be performed by actor and Poe enthusiast, Stephen Smith, (photographed left). He says that performing Poe in Edinburgh is “almost a homecoming”. He added: “So much great literature would not exist without Poe’s writing. And Poe’s writing would not have happened without Scotland.

“Scotland was the source of so many of the ideas, settings, stories and relationships that shaped him. Performing Poe’s work in Edinburgh feels like coming to the wellspring.”

Smith believes that Scotland, and Poe’s Scottish family influences, had a profound effect on his identity, life and writing. All are performed in the atmospheric surroundings of Greenside’s 16th-century Riddles Court complex just off Lawnmarket.

And for the indecisive, just stand as Smith did for this photo on the Royal Mile and wait to be “flyered” by an enthusiastic performer.

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EDITORIAL AND NEWS

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Planning News

Scottish Water site demolition due to ‘severe structural risks’

The Granton Waterfront project will eventually deliver thousands of homes in the area

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COLINTON/FAIRMILEHEAD

Scottish Water has requested planning permission in principle for the demolition of all existing buildings at the Fairmilehead Water Treatment Works at 55 Buckstone Terrace. The redevelopment of the site will involve the erection of a residential (Class 9/ Sui-Generis) development and other

Ferry Fair procession

Bluesky

We are on Bluesky

The organ and ceiling viewed from the altar

Image: Martin Lunden

The Tilson Window framed by an arch from the Lady Chapel

CITY CENTRE

The Palace of Holyrood House has submitted an application for the replacement of three existing ticket office windows, with new double-glazed timber windows incorporating integrated communication systems, and installation of three retractable awnings.

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The lovers turn away from the devil towards the light

The Lady Chapel

Image: Steven Beard

WE PRINT 6,000 copies of The Edinburgh Reporter which are then distributed through a network of city businesses and public buildings including some local libraries. The digital version of our newspaper is also widely published and we estimate our total readership of this paper is in the region of around 25,000 people.

You will find copies at all branches of Farmer Autocare, at Summerhall, the EICC, LifeCare, Coffee Angels, The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and Western General Hospital. You will no longer find papers on the Prom at Portobello as three dispensers there have been destroyed by persons unknown at a cost of around £300 a time. We do not propose to replace the dispenser, but are looking for local stockists. If you can help please get in touch. If you would llke to subscribe please use the QR code below. ter.ooo/subscribe

www.edinburghcollected. org

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associated works and infrastructure including car parking, servicing, access arrangements and landscaping. 26/02900/PPP

Image: Mikael Örbratt

This photo of a procession with spectators watching along South Queensferry High Street is from1952.

It is undoubtedly from the Ferry Fair which takes place in August each year.

In 2026 it will be the 90th occasion of the community event which includes the historic Burry Man encased head-to-toe in sticky burrs, and the crowning of the Ferry Fair Queen. The week runs from 2 to 9 August.

This image was shared by the Living Memory Association on Edinburgh Collected which is an online resource of photos and memories.

Early morning view of Rosslyn Chapel

Image: Steven Beard

FORTH

A second PAN on the site of the school has requested permission for the development of a a residential development. With up to 275 new homes of mixed tenure with both council homes and private for sale, the site will make up the wider Granton Waterfront Development Framework. The application states the residential development will also

have landscaping, open space, access, drainage and servicing and other external works. 26/02827/PAN

Image: Jan Arell

IT IS TRICKY to be local when our capital city is about to become an international playground, but we do try to include news of what is happening in Edinburgh that you may have missed. The Powderhall Link is gathering a head of steam and our article on page 5 explains why.

In the last month, a fire has caused considerable damage to the former Debenhams store on Princes Street. The disruption to our bus and tram services is also widespread (yes all the trams were tucked up in bed at one end of the line when the fire broke out). The Council Leader has written an article for us explaining why the street remains closed for the foreseeable future.

Read more on page 6.

There are some beautiful photos of Rosslyn Chapel on Page 3 produced by photographers from Musselburgh Camera Club, and just beside this column the photo from Edinburgh Collected features the Ferry Fair. This is one of the galas and fair days in Scotland involving many children and young people – and this year takes place in South Queensferry from 1 to 8 August. The Crowning Ceremony is on 8 August with many events including sports, quizzes and music in the week leading up to the big day.

If you have missed any of our stories, then head over to our website where you can meander through our original journalism to your heart’s content. Our articles online are all free to access, and we rely on advertising and sponsorship to survive. I am very grateful to those who subscribe to receive their own copy of this newspaper each month – and if you can then there is a QR code below.

We cover a range of news of Fringe shows to help you choose from the thousands on offer in the Fringe programme, but the man of the political moment, new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham is keeping us hanging on to see if he is really coming to The Stand this August. (and yes it is already sold out).

We really have little room on these pages for any news about the two by-elections being held on 3 September in Southside/ Newington and Craigmillar/Portobello, but we will have interviews with the candidates online. Nominees will be confirmed on 31 July just after 4pm. If you are a candidate then please get in touch.

I hope you enjoy yourself in Edinburgh this August.

Phyllis Stephen, Editor

By ROSS CHALMERS

Image: Jan Carlsson

Editorial

Image: © City of Edinburgh Council

FORTH

A proposal of application notice (PAN) has been submitted for a new two-stream primary school and nursery, at Granton Waterfront, alongside an outline strategy to accommodate future expansion to a three-stream school. An Enhanced Support Base will also be built to support pupils with additional needs. The proposals are part of the wider Granton Waterfront Development Framework, which the council states have been “developed in close coordination with the Phase 1 masterplan to ensure the school is successfully integrated within the emerging urban context.”

The official plans for the school follow a consultation in 2024, with its expected opening date set for August 2029. Its location will be the site 250 metres east of 11 West Shore Road. 26/02763/PAN

Double exposure and shared vision of Rosslyn Chapel by photography clubs

By RYAN NIXON

PHOTOGRAPHERS from Musselburgh Camera Club have joined forces with contemporaries from the Mölnlycke Fotoklubb in Gothenburg, Sweden, to produce rare out-of-hours photos of the historic Rosslyn Chapel.

The project, which launched on the Rosslyn Chapel website in July, features 16 exclusive images taken inside the 15th-century building.

The private shoot was secured through an

alliance between the two camera clubs, which began when Swedish photographers Helen and Martin Lundén joined the Musselburgh group while living and working in Edinburgh.

After returning to Gothenburg, they maintained the relationship, which led to a reciprocal visit this year where eight Swedish snappers travelled to Scotland.

Rosslyn Chapel, which rose to fame after featuring in Dan Brown’s bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code, was at the top of the group’s

travel wish list.

Steven Beard, of Musselburgh Camera Club, said the after-hours access provided an unforgettable highlight for the visiting photographers.

Steven said: “I learned that Rosslyn Chapel was top of their wish list of places to visit and, keen to give them a special highlight, I was delighted when Rosslyn Chapel staff agreed to let them photograph the inside of the Chapel out of hours.

“This exhibition is the result of that visit.”

Plans have been officially lodged for the demolition and redevelopment of the Scottish Water offices in south Edinburgh.

The move has been forced by “severe structural risks, particularly RAAC” - reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete - which planners say have made the building unsalvageable.

At this stage, only a planning permission in principle (PPiP) has been submitted, but repair costs are considered prohibitive, and planners assert “demolition and redevelopment are therefore the only practical and policy‑aligned options”.

The statutory corporation has laid out plans for the redevelopment of the site into a residential development, and they are expected to look for a developer once they have moved into their new offices at the council’s Waverley Court and Fairmilehead has exhausted its operational use.

Scottish Water chiefs also said that, because of changing work patterns and the increasing number of staff working from home, Fairmilehead has gone underutilised.

Plans for what the site may look like as a residential area are in their early stages with no firm schematics laid out.

Instead, planning documents have focused on establishing the principles of the development for a future buyer, and offering justification for the demolition.

Avison Young, who submitted planning documents on behalf of Scottish Water, said: “The structures are no longer viable for retention owing to severe structural risks, particularly RAAC, façade non-compliance, and high future capital expenditure requirements.

“We consider that demolition and redevelopment are therefore the only practical and policy‑aligned options.”

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “The move follows a review of our office estate and changing working patterns. Since Covid, Fairmilehead has been significantly underutilised and is relatively difficult to access by public transport.

“Waverley Court will provide a more modern, accessible and sustainable workplace that better supports how we work today, while maintaining a significant Scottish Water presence in Edinburgh.

“We have submitted a planning permission in principle application for the future redevelopment of the Fairmilehead site.

“Community consultation is currently under way and will help inform future plans for the site.”

They added: “Our move to Waverley Court is expected to be completed during 2026.

Customer services will not be affected.”

It is expected that Scottish Water will look to sell the site when it is no longer needed for “operational purposes”.

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NEWS

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SHERIFF COURT NEWS

By ALEXANDER LAWRIE A SCOTS oil worker who supplied prostitutes with drugs in exchange for sex sessions in the back of his van can finally be unmasked – after he was caught with child abuse images.

Douglas Dunbar was jailed for more than three years last month after he admitted plying the sex workers with cocaine and heroin after picking them up in a van with a bed and mattress.

One woman overdosed in the back of the vehicle and sadly died and another told police she believed 65-year-old Dunbar “would kill her” after he began choking her.

Dunbar was jailed for 40 months and 12 days and will be supervised for 12 months on release after a sheriff said he did not accept he had shown “any sincere remorse or shame”.

A jury found him guilty of possessing more than 17,000 indecent images and videos of children. The jury heard the horrific material was discovered on three hard drives and a laptop belonging to Dunbar when police raided his former home in Newington 2024.

Dunbar denied having any knowledge of the child abuse images and claimed the files had been held on a hard drive he was given while working as a health and safety manager in Chad in Africa.

But following the evidence the jury failed to believe Dunbar’s lies and returned unanimous guilty verdicts to charges of making or taking, and to possessing indecent images of children.

The offences took place at his former family home at the city’s Dalkeith Road between November 23, 2016 and March 16, 2024.

A GANGLAND hood who targeted the home of a rival’s grandmother was caught after he dropped a tissue at the front door.

Marcus Laidley-Sobers turned up at the property with his face masked and carrying a weapon and attempted to enter the home at the Ravelston area of Edinburgh.

The 29-year-old repeatedly rattled the front door handle but was forced to flee the area when his bungled attempts to gain entry were caught on Ring doorbell footage.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told Laidley-Sobers was later identified by his DNA after he had dropped a tissue at the front door as he left the area on 20 March last year.

He pleaded guilty to an

amended charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner while armed with a weapon when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.

An allegation of him holding an object that had the appearance of a firearm was amended to him being in possession of a weapon before the guilty plea was accepted.

Prosecutor Eildih Grant said despite initial reports to the police Laidley-Sobers had been in possession of a gun the Crown had “no evidence there was a firearm” involved.

Laidley-Sobers returned to the dock for sentencing where Sheriff Alison Stirling jailed him for 21 months and imposed a supervised release order for a further 10 months and three weeks on his release from custody.

Sheriff Stirling also said 223 days will be taken into account on the sentence due to the accused having previously spent 445 days on an electronic monitoring order.

Defence agent Chris Fehilly said his client had committed an offence that was “breathtaking in its stupidity” but asked for leniency after he had adhered to all his bail conditions.

Previously the court was told the occupant of the home was the grandmother of a man who police have assessed as being “a member of a serious organised crime group” as part of Operation Portaledge.

The woman was home alone and her partner at work when she heard her front door handle being tried at 11.06pm on March 20 last year.

Her Ring doorbell was activated and she “observed a male with his face covered at the door” who was “repeatedly trying the handle while holding something in his right hand”.

The doorbell footage was also sent to the phone of the woman’s partner and he “believed the man was in possession of a firearm” and reported the incident to the police.

Ms Grant said: “Analysis of the Ring doorbell footage showed the accused had dropped a white tissue which fell to the ground by the door.

“An investigation of that was carried out and that was how the accused was identified.”

Police later raided LaidleySobers flat at the city’s Gracemount area and the court was told no evidence was found to him possessing a firearm.

Following sentencing, Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry,

of Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division, said: “LaidleySobers will now face the consequences of his actions.

“Bringing another individual to justice is testament to the continued hard work and dedication by detectives, specialist officers and partners across the country.

“Police Scotland remains committed to the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce and its national strategy.”

Operation Portaledge is the ongoing investigation into violent incidents which took place in the east and west of Scotland.

TWO Scots football hooligan groups have been pictured battling each other in a violent pre-arranged fight.

The young ultras representing Scottish Premiership clubs Hibernian and Falkirk were snapped as they dished out punches and kicks at each other in the organised four-a-side scrap.

The violent clash saw the Hibernian Forest Fighters and 76 Hooligans thugs line up and run at each other while displaying club colours and wearing black MMA-style gloves.

Pictures of the violence were posted on the Hooligans.cz social media pages with the Hibs ultras being declared the winners.

Fans from both clubs have commented on the clash on social media pages.

One supporter said: “Personally don’t see anything wrong with this. They all want to be there and no innocents get caught up in the fighting.”

A second posted: “Good to see the ultras scene in Scotland is alive and thriving. Well done lads - very game.”

A third added: “The last thing these idiots need is publicity.

What happens if one of them gets seriously injured, or even worse.”

Ultras groups meeting up at secluded areas to engage in large scale violence has been sweeping the continent in the past few years and is now becoming more prominent in Scotland. Hibs and St Mirren teenage ultras were pictured on the same website fighting out a bloody 50 second five on five battle at an unknown wooded area earlier this year.

Older ultras belonging to Hibs and Rangers fought out a bloody 30 second scrap in May. Hooligans. cz is a website and media platform based in the Czech Republic that focuses on the international ultras and hooligan scene.

Community council calls for volunteers in ‘last-ditch effort’ to avoid disbanding

By ROSS CHALMERS A COMMUNITY Council in Edinburgh has sounded the alarm on its future as it struggles to find the required number of members to operate.

The Corstorphine & Gyle Community Council (CGCC), which represents a small constituency in the west of the city and was only formed last year, has been hit by a spate of resignations and now only has two members.

This is well short of the six they require to effectively operate and engage with city council chiefs and police.

They have put together a “last-ditch effort” to encourage volunteers, highlight the opportunities that community councils offer, and save the community council from winding up.

Tommy McLean, one of the CGCC’s only remaining members, and a fixture in local community organisations, says it would be “a great loss” to the area if the community council disbands.

He said: “What we would lose is one of the direct avenues of communication between the community and the [City of Edinburgh] Council.

“The council has the legal responsibility to keep community councils informed of local developments and local planning applications, and is required to put these to the community council for consideration.”

The CGCC was formed after a restructuring of Edinburgh’s community council scheme.

It was decided that the Corstorphine area required a boundary shakeup because of population and demographic shifts, so three new community councils were split off from the large Corstorphine CC and the defunct Drum Brae CC. While the Corstorphine & Clermiston and Corstorphine East & West Craigs CCs have had a smoother time finding their feet, Corstorphine & Gyle has struggled to establish itself.

Mr McLean explained: “The Gyle CC is the smallest of the three, with a population of around 7,000, which

is pretty small within an urban community.

“We started with that number and reached the minimum number of elected councillors at last year’s elections.

“It has been a bit of a struggle all along, because we really needed more people involved.”

Mr McLean added that the previous committee had been “working very hard on a number of issues”, but due to “a variety of reasons” some had resigned.

Mr McLean and the Corstorphine & Gyle CC have put out a call for volunteers to take up office and retain the crucial link to the local authorities.

Attendees at the CGCC’s information session will have the opportunity to learn what the community council can do for the area and how they may be able to help provide local representation.

Mr McLean’s warnings if the requisite number of members is not reached were stark: “All positions are available. We need a chair, a secretary, and we need office bearers as well.

“If we don’t get enough people, we will be disbanded.

“This is our last-ditch effort to raise awareness of the local community council, there’s a need for more people to become members, otherwise the community council will close.”

Community councils are a crucial link between local communities and city authorities and are statutory consultees on planning applications.

If the community council is wound up, the area may lose this influence and struggle to have its voice heard on planning.

There has, however, been extensive criticism of the funding model for community councils, and calls for The City of Edinburgh Council to grant community councils more powers and funding to encourage people to get involved and empower local communities.

Early last year, seven community councils across the city were forced to shut down after receiving insufficient nominations for members.

Campaigners push for ‘missing link’ line conversion

By ROSS CHALMERS

THE CITY of Edinburgh Council is locked in negotiations with Network Rail over the purchase of the former MeadowbankPowderhall railway line, with the SNP Government pledged to support the project.

Campaigners are pushing for the council to buy part of the line, which runs from Lochend Park in Leith to St Mark’s Park in the north of the city, and convert it into a flagship new walking and cycling path.

The line has been described as the “missing link” between East Edinburgh and the North Edinburgh Path Network – a complex of almost 12 miles of paths around Newhaven, Granton and Inverleith.

Although there have been concerted efforts for years to purchase the route and begin the conversion, the process has stalled around the “number and condition of the structures along the route”, despite the line sitting vacant.

This is according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by campaigner Andy Arthur last month, and a statement from Network Rail, confirming that negotiations with the council are ongoing.

Complicating the sale is a long-term lease understood to be held by a German cargo company on part of the line, despite a willingness from Network Rail to sell.

DB Cargo used to run trains on the line to deliver waste to the old Powderhall Waste Transfer Station for the council, but it exhausted its commercial usefulness with the closure of the transfer station in 2016.

Ten years after the line’s closure, the SNP made

support for the conversion a manifesto pledge during this year’s Holyrood election, and political momentum has gathered behind the project.

The issue came up at a meeting of the full City of Edinburgh Council last June, where Greens Councillor Chas Booth passed a cross-party motion with Lib Dem Jack Caldwell to bring the issue back up the agenda.

The council will now write to the Scottish Government after the approval of the motion to ask them to come up with the cash to fund part of the project and assist in negotiations.

Councillor Caldwell said: “A green corridor between Powderhall and Abbeyhill is essential both for our communities and improving walking, wheeling, and cycling connections across North East Edinburgh – a missing link in the network.

“The near-decade of delays has been frustrating, especially compared to how easily the rest of the North Edinburgh Path Network was transferred to the Council and opened to the public in the 1980s.

“The Lib Dems have consistently pushed for safety improvements and biodiversity protection on the current path network, so that’s something I’d be keen to see embedded into any new plans from the start here.

“But there has been real grassroots and cross-party support to get this moving so I’m hopeful SNP, Labour, Green, Lib Dems, and Conservatives can continue to work constructively and pursue this for the city.”

The cost listed at the council for the project, based on a Jacobs feasibility study from 2023, is £4.7m. Although it is thought that the full amount could be significantly higher because

Disused railway line could become part of the path network

of inflation and the cost of landscaping and placemaking, which are not included in this total.

The SNP, in their manifesto, pledged to “support efforts to bring the former Powderhall railway line into use as a new walking and cycling route in the capital”.

This pledge is thought to have significantly bumped the project, which – according to one source – is not high on the council’s list of priorities, up the agenda.

SNP MSP for Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith, Ben Macpherson, has thrown his backing behind the proposed path.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson,

however, was cagier about the assistance they could offer: “We recognise the potential benefits that the former Powderhall railway line could bring to active travel connectivity in Edinburgh.

“We welcome the ongoing discussions between the City of Edinburgh Council and Network Rail and will continue to engage with relevant partners and stakeholders where and when appropriate to support the development of active travel projects.”

The drive to convert the railway line has been reinvigorated by active travel campaigners Andy Arthur and Chris Hill, who picked up the mantle from previous cycle path proponents.

The pair set up the Powderhall.Link website to “encourage a future for the former railway line to Powderhall”, and timed the FOI disclosure and the renewal of the campaign to mark the 40th anniversary of the completion of a section of the North Edinburgh Paths at Pilton The Pilton Path was reclaimed from the trackbed of an old railway by a grassroots “slightly anarchic” team of volunteers in under a week.

Mr Arthur’s FOI request confirmed that DB Cargo retains a depot lease on part of the line, and that no trains are expected to run in the near future. They also confirmed that it is “anticipated that the full branch would be sold.”

More than 58,000 fake football shirts seized during World Cup

By RYAN NIXON More than 58,000 counterfeit football shirts were seized in Edinburgh alone during the World Cup. The City of Edinburgh Council’s Trading Standards Team intercepted the fake jerseys, which weigh over nine tonnes and hold an estimated genuine retail value of £5.5m.

The intelligence-led operation was carried out with assistance from Police Scotland and the National Trading Standards Intellectual Property team.

Brand protection experts confirmed the interception is one of the largest ever seizures of its kind in the UK.

A spokesperson for Back Four Brand Protection said: “We’ve never seen a seizure of this scale in the UK. A huge proportion of the total were England and Scotland shirts, as well as other counties such as Spain, Portugal and France.

“We estimate that this seizure represents an estimated £5.5m in genuine product.”

The Scottish Football Association warned that the sale of fake tournament merchandise severely impacts revenues that are typically reinvested into grassroots football, charities, and community clubs across the country.

The 58,000 seized shirts will be securely recycled after brand holders confirmed they were

counterfeit.

Edinburgh Council regulatory convener, Councillor Neil Ross, said: “Our Trading Standards team have secured a tremendous result in intercepting these shirts.

“This is not a victimless crime.

Counterfeiters undermine legitimate businesses, rip off supporters and sell products with no guarantee for how or where they were made or whether they meet basic safety standards.

“The investigations into the supply routes involved in this discovery continue but we know that this is part of an international trade in counterfeit goods and represents a significant dent to their illegitimate trade.”

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NEWS

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City still open for business after fire

By CLLR JANE MEAGHER I’m sure you were as shocked as I was to see such a beautiful old building consumed by flames in the heart of the city.

The fact that nobody was hurt in the major fire in the former Debenhams store last month, was a great relief and I’m incredibly grateful to the emergency services, whose swift response and bravery helped to stop this terrible fire spreading and putting others in danger.

Whilst the building itself has clearly suffered significant damage, I was comforted by the news that the original Victorian staircase and the stained-glass memorial to former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli have both survived unscathed.

The ongoing work to preserve the B-listed structure is a painstaking process that will take time, but we’re clear on our duty to preserve as many of its historic features as we possibly can.

Major disruption was sadly inevitable following such an incident and, as I write, continues to have a major impact on the city centre and beyond. I am however, pleased that progress continues to be made – both in terms

of preserving and making the building safe and reducing delays for the travelling public as far as possible.

This has involved a huge response from Council teams and a whole range of partners, including Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams, and I’d like to thank all those involved for their hard work in the weeks since the incident.

We’re in regular contact with festivals and event organisers with a view to limiting disruption to our events calendar, and I’m delighted that we were able to find an alternative route for the Edinburgh Festival Carnival on 19 July. And what a wonderful spectacle it was!

I’m also acutely aware of the effect that this has had on businesses – both in the city centre and elsewhere – and our teams offer one-toone advice and support to those affected. At the time of writing, I have written to the First Minister about what additional support he and the Scottish Government could provide – as he did following the Union Street fire in Glasgow.

We’re letting everyone know that the city centre is very much still open for business and

Plans lodged for school and housing as part of Granton Waterfront regeneration project

By ROSS CHALMERS A NEW phase of housing has been lined up by the City of Edinburgh Council as part of its Granton Waterfront Masterplan, which aims to regenerate the area.

Early proposals for 275 new homes, as well as a primary school have been submitted.

At this stage, however, only Proposals of Application Notice (PANs) – which announce intent to apply for permission for a major development - have been submitted, and it is understood that phase two of the project is in the very early stages.

This comes as works on phase one – which will see more than 847 homes built – progress, with the business case complete, planning permission secured, and construction expected to commence this year.

The Granton Regeneration Project is an initiative to deliver 3,500 new

homes, spaces for leisure, and Scotland’s largest coastal park on a brownfield site in Edinburgh’s underutilised northern coastal area.

The project will cost upwards of £1.3bn over 10-15 years, and is thought to be Scotland’s largest brownfield regeneration project.

Because of the scale of the regeneration, and the number of new people the development would attract, a new school had always been planned.

The preliminary proposals show the school slotting in alongside phase one housing blocks on Caroline Park Avenue.

The plan is for the school to function as two-stream, with capacity for 60 pupils – split into two classes of 30 – per year group, with future plans to add a third stream as the area expands.

Architects Holmes Miller described the project as follows: “The proposals form an integral part of the wider Granton Waterfront

Register now for your visit to the Palm Houses this autumn

Council Leader Jane Meagher

encouraging people to check our website - www.edinburgh.gov.uk/princesstreetupdates - for the latest travel advice and information on visiting the area.

I want to repeat my thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding and look forward to another fantastic summer festival season here in Edinburgh this August.

Granton waterfront

FOR ANYONE who lives in, or visits, Edinburgh, The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a favourite space, and the huge A-listed Palm Houses have always been central to the attraction.

Later this year, the Palm Houses will open to the public once again, having been closed for five years while a major £58 million project to renovate the structures has been going on. One is almost 200 years old having been built in 1834 and the other newer structure is the tallest traditional Palm House in the world. Now they are one continuous space as the central partition has been removed.

The cost of the project was paid for by The Scottish Government , philanthropic fundraising and a public appeal with gifts received from thousands of individual donors.

Visitors will be able to book an allocated time from 2 October onwards to wander through the ferns and palms in all their refurbished glory.

RBGE undertook the “once in a generation” restoration of the Palm Houses as part of the Edinburgh Biomes project which is “the most significant project in the Garden’s history”. The new Palm Houses are just one part with redeveloped educational and research facilities also planned.

This latest refurbishment project was a massive undertaking, and RBGE’s major concern was to protect the plants in its Living Collection The Horticulture team removed all 800 plants

from the Palm Houses before restoration work could begin. Over time, around 600 specimens will be replanted, giving them space to grow and breathe.

Over time the ironwork on the display houses in particular had corroded and the glass had aged. Around 600 square metres of ironwork has been restored or replaced. Some of it was renovated in place, while parts which could be moved - such as the spiral staircases were completely dismantled and taken to Shepley Engineers in Sheffield.

As part of the ironwork repairs, around 12 to 14 layers of paint first had to be removed, before new paint could be applied to the restored iron features.

It is estimated that more than 9,100 litres of paint were used in this latest restoration project.

All 5,750 panes of glass are new and created from bespoke templates.

As part of the renovations there is now one continuous space in the Palm Houses

The glass within the domes is laminated, while those on the verticals are toughened: both will be better able to resist breakage during storm conditions.

About 500 square metres of repairs were needed to the stone walls, with some replacement stones weighing around quarter of a tonne.

Professor Julia Knights, Regius Keeper at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “I am thrilled to be reopening the world’s tallest traditional Palm House after five years of painstaking restoration with the support of the Scottish Government and our generous donors. As we fight to tackle

climate change and nature loss, the reopening of the Palm Houses is a globally significant moment for Scotland and the world. As well as celebrating our Living Collection of plants – including those endangered in the wild – this moment also reflects our work as Scotland’s global scientific centre of excellence in plant science, horticulture, education and conservation”.

Pre-registration is now open on the Botanics website, and tickets may then be booked 48 hours ahead of general admission. www.rbge.org.uk

Health and wellbeing with

Development Framework and have been developed in close coordination with the Phase 1 masterplan to ensure the school is successfully integrated within the emerging urban context.”

Alongside the school plans, another PAN has been submitted for additional housing to the west of the proposed school and phase one

housing.

In planning documents, StallanBrand Architects, who submitted the application on behalf of the council, said: “The proposals are for a residential development of up to 275 new homes of mixed tenure with both council homes and private for sale, along with associated site development, landscaping, open

space, access, drainage and servicing and other external works.”

This is similar in composition, but more modest in scope than phase one, which promises 213 of the 847 new homes will be social rent.

The council does not comment on active planning applications, but a source stressed that these plans are in very early stages.

AUGUST IS INTERNATIONAL HAPPINESS MONTH. A fantastic way to improve our overall happiness is to ensure we are getting enough physical activity!

Most of us live in the pursuit of happiness – one of our basic human rights and something we can create for ourselves and others.

Summer is a great time to think about how we can integrate physical activity into our daily lives, and to plan how we can maintain our activity levels as we move into the autumn months.

Increasing our movement both inside and outdoors can have manifold benefits. When we move our bodies, we release the feel-good chemicals endorphins.

We also increase our natural levels of dopamine and serotonin. These are essential to maintain our happiness. Getting outside as often as possible increases our absorption of vitamin D and fresh

air is good for the soul. Spending time in nature engages all the senses and can have a profoundly positive impact on overall wellbeing.

Exercise can aid in weight loss and most importantly can ensure muscle gain. This is particularly important if you are following a weight loss regime (including weight loss injections) as a significant proportion of weight loss is muscle mass. This is called sarcopenia and is serious if not addressed properly. It is therefore essential to ensure that when we are losing weight, we are balancing our losses with increase in muscle mass. Weight training provides great muscle building opportunities. Core strength is important for supporting mobility and balance – key things that can deteriorate with age, increasing falls risk and slowing recover time.

Activity that puts weight through our long bones – for example,

walking, dancing and running, help to improve and actually increase our bone density – a win win!

Here at YourGP, we offer health assessments to gauge your current health status and provide pointers to get you on your way to even better health. With longevity medicine gaining in popularity, we tap into this by collaborating with you to help understand your current health status, how to improve it, and how to reduce or mitigate any risks that may be in front of you. We can also refer you for and a range of investigations that can look at the status of your health, including blood tests and a DEXA bone scan to check your bone health.

Book with one of our health experts: www.your-gp.com.

Available 7 days. Here for you.

YourGP.7 days. Here for you.

YourGP.

8

FRINGE

FLAVOUR OF THE FRINGE LIFELONG 5-17 AUG 12:00 ASSEMBLY GEORGE SQUARE STUDIOS

ELVIS IN CHAOS 7-15 AUG 17:15 GREENSIDE@GEORGESTREET Buckle up and get ready for the ride of a lifetime through the fabulously weird and curiously wonderful universe of Michael Anderson.

Elvis in Chaos is a critically acclaimed one-of-its-kind alternative comedy show at this year’s Fringe.

Fast-paced, funny and image-driven, it’s a fresh and vibrant romp that unties the shoelaces of reality then tangles them back together using multiple Elvis-based timelines, quantum physics, the Multiverse and a whole heap of random anomalies.

Michael says: “I believe this is unique at the Fringe. I want you to be visually stimulated as I challenge you on everything from Chaos Theory, Elvis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, through the quantum lottery and romance in the Multiverse, to how Bagpipes caused the Black Death.”

Like a TED Talk on acid, Elvis in Chaos is a quick-fire monologue powered by razorsharp observations and great visuals, at the intersection of spoken word, comedy, science and history.

This show is the creation of a man with a multi-faceted life.

Anderson is a US trade union lawyer who devotes his free time to using the arts to fight for social justice.

A gifted storyteller, his show makes maximum use of the forensic skills developed over decades in US courtrooms defending the interests of American working people.

Anderson uses those skills to dissect eternally important questions: • Was the top god of all time a punk rocker?

• Is Orion Modern Art? • What are the politics of the Oreo cookie?

In his opening hallucinatory rave in Elvis in Chaos, Anderson considers the implications of Chaos Theory on Elvis, JFK and the choice of the line-up of the Monkees ... and whether his own mother had a role in it all.

This kicks off a charge through his anarchic take on the world.

Anderson is a two-time winner of the Festival of Bad Ad Hoc Hypotheses, performing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Imperial College London.

Looking forward his Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut he says: “I hope Fringe audiences are ready to have their minds rumpled and senses overloaded with some serious humour.

“It’s a privilege to be performing at Greenside @George Street, the home of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s national academy of science and letters.

“It is a space renowned for exploration and debate on key contemporary issues, I hope I can add to that conversation as I meditate on intellectual problems in my manic visual-driven style.”

Anderson’s professional background has led him to organise high profile protests against the mass deportations by ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Proceeds from his Edinburgh shows – where tickets are Pay What You Can – will go to support immigrant defence networks in Boston, Massachusetts.

Humans have always hungered for eternal life and unending youth – science could soon begin to make it a reality.

Leading Scottish playwright Lynda Radley’s world premiere Edinburgh Fringe production Lifelong looks at the price tag.

The show promises to be a powerful production that digs deep into some of the most alarming issues being raised by advances in medical science and AI. It’s the second collaboration between Radley and Pepperdine Scotland, a highly rated project run by California’s Pepperdine University that enables the cream of its theatre students to collaborate with Scottish creatives and present a play at the Fringe.

Their previous joint work, The Interference, garnered a host of accolades including a Fringe First.

Lifelong is set in a luxurious facility where scientific advances have been harnessed to give the residents centuries-long and youthful lives.

The daily regimen is dictated by AIs to ensure their wellbeing.

So, what happens when an outsider arrives to disrupt the routine, and what is the true cost of a long, sheltered life?

Time, it seems, is ticking after all and much is at stake.

While it’s very much a work of speculative fiction, it is very much about what happens when current research bears fruit.

Indeed, Presidents Putin and Xi were caught on a hot mic in Beijing discussing their own interest in transplants and other advances that could enable 150-year – or even unlimited – lifespans.

Radley says: “There is a great deal of research taking place and the dictators of the world are avid fans of longevity treatments.

“The gap between rich and poor has grown beyond belief and the billionaires are doing all they can to consolidate their power and influence over us.

“Imagine if they have power over life itself and massively extend it for themselves.

“The same people who are making all the terrible decisions over society, the environment and the economy today could be in power for centuries, with them and their families becoming ever more powerful.”

Lifelong is being directed by Hollace Starr, associate professor of theater at Pepperdine University.

She said: “Rapid scientific advances and the yearning for eternal life may soon see new scientific breakthroughs combine with the power of AI to vastly extend human lifespans.

“But who will benefit – the many or the few and at what price?

“The wonderful thing about Pepperdine Scotland is the opportunity it gives our up-and-coming actors to work with powerfully creative and intellectually provocative playwrights to create compelling work addressing major issues.

“Coming to the Edinburgh to be part of the world’s greatest performing arts festival is always thrilling. So too is the chance to renew our collaboration with Lynda, whose play The Interference was a highpoint in the history of our company.”

9

EDINBURGH DEAF FESTIVAL 7-16 AUGUST Bigger, brighter and bolder than ever – the Edinburgh Deaf Festival is back for its fifth edition.

Running from 7-16 August, and featuring more than 80 scheduled events, the festival is run in collaboration with the Edinburgh Fringe and showcases some of the best of Deaf culture.

One of the main attractions will be A Night in Sign – which will see acclaimed deaf actor and theatre maker Nadeem Islam host an evening of quality cabaret by deaf and hard of hearing performers featuring comedy, music, poetry. Among those taking part will be: Glaswegian Bea Webster’s drag alter-ego Mimi King with a performance that follows a chaotic, genderless deaf alien attempting to understand human behaviour.

Chris Fonseca, award-winning dancer whose dynamic performances make him one of the UK’s most visible deaf artists.

Amy Murray, from Glasgow, brings her trademark wit and warmth to the stage with a playful, highly visual performance.

William Grint - The Deaf Bard explores Shakespeare.

The festival is designed to appeal to all ages and for deaf, hard of hearing and hearing audiences. This year it welcomes:

Pray For Me: Written and performed by Sarah Adedeji - a powerful new drama exploring faith, deafness and identity.

Sign Slam: From Brazil, a highly visual, fast-paced interactive performance blending improv, comedy and audience participation through sign language.

John Smith: The award-winning deaf comedian returns with a brand-new show

Planes, Trains & Misunderstandings about travelling the world as a deaf performer.

Michael Woods: A presentation by the 36-year-old who, this May, became the first deaf British person to climb Everest.

The Librarians: Playful family theatre where the eccentric Miss Book and Mr Page are in a magical library where stories leap from the page.

Lights & Lanterns: Spectroscope offers a beautiful immersive visual storytelling experience – some using a 130-year-old magic lantern.

There will also be Deaf Karaoke – a popular and, to many, unexpected EDF event – which attracts deaf and hearing audiences.

Nadia Nadarajah, festival director, said: “The fifth Edinburgh Deaf Festival is bigger, brighter and bolder than ever, bringing together an exciting mix of deaf talent from Scotland, across the UK and overseas. But what makes the festival truly special is the sense of home and belonging it creates.

“For 10 days each August, people come together to celebrate deaf culture, share experiences and feel part of something bigger.”

There will also be a National Museum of Scotland Deaf Families Takeover Day, BSL tours of the Botanics and a Sonic Patterns Workshop.

PRAY FOR ME 14-16 AUGUST @DEAF ACTION 49 ALBANY STREET “Being Deaf is a beautiful thing” – says writer and performer Sarah Adedeji whose powerful new work Pray for Me is a centrepiece of Edinburgh Deaf Festival.

Written and performed by Sarah Adedeji, it is a raw, intimate and visually striking solo performance

by Sarah Adedeji, exploring Christianity through the eyes of a Black deaf woman navigating faith, culture and identity.

Sarah uses her place on the stage to confront ideas of “cure”, belief and belonging through poetry, movement and live music

by ISRA3L. The show interrogates the

painful and complex experience of being perceived as “in need of healing” within church spaces.

Through personal storytelling and embodied expression, Sarah examines how deafness is framed within Christian belief, and how Nigerian heritage, British culture and faith intersect, clash and coexist.

Sarah recently gave her own perspective in an interview with #LWHL where she encouraged other deaf people to see themselves positively.

She said: “Being Deaf is a beautiful thing. It gives you such a unique perspective on things that

hearing people won’t ever gain. So, use that to your strength.

“Use your deafness as a talent.

Don’t see it as a hindrance. That’s where you’ll start to lose confidence and sight of your ambitions.”

Pray For Me has been developed under Fuse Theatre’s Lighting the Fuse initiative, which champions bold new deaf-led work.

Directed by Harry Jardine, with movement direction by Chris Fonseca, the piece centres on the deaf experience not as something to be fixed, but as something powerful, political and deeply human.

At once confronting and cathartic, Pray For Me asks urgent questions about access, belief and self-worth - and ultimately reclaims space for deaf voices within stories of faith.

KEVIN QUANTUM: INVISIBLE FORCE 6-30 AUG 18:45 BALLROOM AT ASSEMBLY ROOMS Even more than most magicians I love making reality misbehave.

That comes from my background as a physicist when everything was about understanding the immutable laws that govern our universe.

But since I hung up the lab coat and headed for the stage 21 years ago I’ve reveled in the opposite, making the seemingly impossible possible, and doing it right in front of your nose.

I particularly love doing all this at the Edinburgh Fringe, as a local boy it’s home territory, but as the world’s biggest performing arts festival it challenges you to flex your creative muscles.

And this year I’m taking it to the limits with Invisible Force – which blends cutting-edge illusion, psychology, audience participation and stories from the frontiers of science.

We’ll be playing with giant forces that have been with us since the Big Bang and the beginning of time – such as gravity or the electromagnetism which drives modern society.

But there are other “forces” at play in our world – ones that underpin our human existence love, desire, hope, fear, jealousy, curiosity and belief.

So, the show will be exploring the strange truth that our emotions may be every bit as

powerful as the physical forces that govern the cosmos.

The idea is to leave you questioning where science ends, where magic begins, and

whether there is really any difference between the two.

It will be huge fun and full of wonder. Join us. Even better, come up on stage and join in.

SHAKESPEARE SHOWDOWN The Wild West was about so much more than cowboys and gunfights – there was the widespread love of Shakespeare.

A new Fringe play, The Great Shakespeare Showdown, by Dennis Elkins delights in diving into this lesser-known aspect of America’s past.

Set in the opulent Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, in 1882, it’s a joy-filled cacophony of poetry, words and barbs, mined from the Bard of Avon, that pits two Shakespearean actors against each other in a duel of words to determine which is the better actor.

Sir Charles Goodknight from England takes on Harriet Twelvetrees, “The Glittering Gold Star of the American West” as they spar their way through scenes and speeches from Richard III, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet and many more.

Leadville was the real-life location of one of the richest silver strikes of the era, and the duel is the brainchild of Billy D. Holcombe, silver miner and Shakespeare aficionado extraordinaire, our host for the event.

The Wild West was a place where settler wagons arrived with copies of the complete works which ultimately found their way into the hands of miners, trappers and farmers.

One result was a plethora of mines named after Shakespearean plays and characters.

Favourite plays were Richard III and Othello, and correcting actors who flubbed Shakespeare’s lines was a popular pastime.

The audience, or rather the good citizens of Leadville, are invited to assume the roles of distinguished residents or the rabble-rousing miners, led by the miner, T. J. (played by a different guest artist each performance) and urged to cheer, hiss, and boo their favourite performer, to shout out the names of the plays the actors quoting or simply enjoy the wordplay and shenanigans.

Who will emerge as the Bard of the Wild West, 1882? Join us and cast your vote, will the Brit or the Yank prevail?

Tickets: www.edfringe.com

10

NEWS

THE OLD EDINBURGH CLUB Looking back in history with the local history society

1 August

14 August

In 1821, Sir James Gowans, architect and builder, who lived the major portion of his life in Edinburgh, was born.

In 1827, the foundation stone of George IV Bridge was laid; it was not completed until 1836 due to lack of funds. And in 1902, Lillian Mary Pickford, FRS, FRSE, a pioneering British neuroendocrinologist was born; she was the first woman to be appointed to a medical professorship at the University of Edinburgh.

2 August In 1922, Edinburgh-born Alexander Graham Bell died at his estate in Nova Scotia, Canada.

3 August In 1769, the side walls of the new North Bridge suddenly gave way, causing a partial collapse of the structure and tragically claiming the lives of five people.

Original North Bridge

8 August In 1503, King James IV married Margaret Tudor at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.

12 August In 1929, The Playhouse opened as a cinema.

13 August In 1907, Sir Basil Spence, architect, who was educated and spent most of his adult life working in Edinburgh, was born in India.

4 August In 1870, entertainer Sir Harry Lauder was born in Portobello. And in 1940, five unexploded bombs fell on Portobello.

15 August In 1771, author and poet Sir Walter Scott was born at College Wynd, Edinburgh

In 1930, the New Victoria cinema (later the Odeon) opened on Clerk Street and Sean Connery was born in Fountainbridge.

27 August In James Tytler, editor of the second edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, made the first balloon ascent in Britain from Holyrood Park to Restalrig. In 1788, the trial of Deacon William Brodie, a skilled and trusted cabinetmaker, councillor, and deacon of a trades guild, began in Edinburgh.

29 August In 1623, the town council fixed the prices the undertakers and grave diggers were allowed to charge for their services.

6 August In 1678, the first Glasgow/Edinburgh coach service began from White Horse Inn, Edinburgh. And in 1729, the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh opened. Also in 1796, painter David Allan died. He was responsible for works to illustrate the work Robbie Burns. Finally in 1941, four 500 pound bombs fell near Craigentinny.

25 August

30 August In 2017, the Queensferry crossing opened.

31 August Craigentinny after the bombs hit

In 1385, Richard II of England began an invasion of Scotland during which the English burned Holyrood and Edinburgh.

Compiled by Jerry Ozaniec, Membership Secretary the Old Edinburgh Club membership@oldedinburghclub.org.uk

Office rentals hit record highs

By RYAN NIXON

EDINBURGH has become the tightestsupplied commercial office market in the UK, pushing prime city centre rents to a record peak of £48 per sq. ft.

The UK Regions Office Market Report 2026 shows that available office stock in Edinburgh has plunged to a critical low.

The shortage has driven a 6.7% year-on-year surge in prime city centre rents, forcing local and international businesses to compete for premium workspaces.

The findings, compiled by property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton and Edinburgh-based firm Ryden, reveal that capital take-up jumped 40% quarter-on-quarter to 118,760 sq. ft.

Peter I’Anson, agency partner at Ryden, said

the mismatch between demand and supply will continue to drive rents higher.

Global advisory firm EY completed the city’s largest letting in over a year by subleasing 36,209 sq. ft at Haymarket Square.

However, developer activity has completely stalled due to rising interest rates and construction costs.

There are currently no new-build commercial offices under construction in Edinburgh, with schemes at Haymarket frozen until developers can secure substantial pre-let contracts.

Mr I’Anson said that while businesses are prioritising modern, central, and sustainable workspaces, the capital lacks the stock to accommodate them.

He explained: “Edinburgh remains one of the most tightly supplied office markets in the UK. That imbalance is driving rental growth and

Peter I’Anson

reinforcing the value proposition of quality office space.

“The challenge is viability. Until funding conditions improve or rents move further, refurbishment projects are likely to play a critical role in meeting occupier requirements and supporting future growth.”

Clean single-source energy on site for all residents of Edmonstone Village

By RYAN NIXON ALL RESIDENTS of the Edmonstone Village development built by Avant Homes in south-east Edinburgh will be connected to a single clean energy centre on site.

The 709 homes will not have a gas boiler but will be provided with a single dedicated energy centre, potentially cutting hundreds of tonnes of carbon a year.

This centre is a purpose-built facility that generates heat using industrial-sized air source heat pumps and pipes it directly to each home.

The heat is generated locally, and residents are less exposed to the volatility associated with conventional gas-linked heating.

Vital Community Energi will own and run the system, which operates as a sort of boiler for the whole village.

Residents won’t have a gas bill and will instead pay for heat as a tariff reviewed annually against UK energy indices.

The scheme is also expected to save 294 tonnes of carbon annually compared with a conventionally heated development of equivalent size.

Additionally, if the main heat pumps go offline, backup boilers take over automatically.

“We know energy bills are one of the biggest anxieties for anyone buying or moving into a home right now,” said Kieran Walsh at Vital Energi.

“This scheme is designed to give residents something they simply don’t get from a conventional gas heating arrangement - a managed, stable supply with no boiler to worry about, no individual maintenance costs, and pricing that isn’t hostage to what’s happening in global gas markets.

“We are responsible for this energy centre for the long term and that accountability is crucial.”

The permanent energy centre is expected to be operational by next May. Construction of the wider development is already underway, with 19 of the Avant Homes properties currently being supplied by a temporary energy centre on site.

7 - 16 August 2026

Featured shows at this year’s festival

A Night in Sign

Pray for Me

John Smith: Planes, Trains & Misunderstandings

The Librarians

Everyone is welcome Experience a festival like no other, with deaf-led theatre, comedy, storytelling, workshops, tours, social events and more.

Scan the QR code and explore the full programme

12

THE EDINBURGH REPORTER RECOMMENDS

BLOODY MARY(S)

Who wouldn’t love the chance to talk fashion with Mary Quant, politics with Mary Robinson or childcare with Mary Poppins? The past is packed with remarkable Marys from biblical times to the present day.

7-22 Aug (not 16) Greenside Riddles Court. Lawnmarket, Venue 16 and also on 27-30 August The Speakeasy at The Royal Scots Club Abercromby Place, Venue 241a

13

WOODCUTTER

Returning from the US to clear out his childhood home in Glasgow, John Anthony Gorman finds the rooms aren’t just packed with their possessions – they overflow with memories. His dad John, and mum Ann were strong characters, well-kent in Motherwell where they ran The Woodcutter pub for half a century. Based on Gorman’s real-life experience, it’s packed with laughter and sadness show, and The Woodcutter is the result. 7-29 Aug 16:05 Studio at the Space Triplex

COLLABORATOR BY OCKHAM’S RAZOR

MYTHOS: RAGNARÖK

An intimate duet from Ockham’s Razor’s Artistic Directors. For 22 years Alex and Charlotte have lived and made circus together. Collaborator is an irreverent, highly physical and heartfelt dive into navigating a relationship and the negotiation involved in making stuff. Two people, a suspended frame and a stage: it’s a show about creation and compromise. 6-22 Aug (not 12 or 19) 17:00 EICC Pentland Venue 150

The only show of its kind in the world, this genre-defying experience fuses high-energy comic theatre with Norse mythology and professional wrestling to create an iconic adrenaline-fuelled spectacle. Physicality takes on new proportions as ancient prophecy collides with the excitement of live combat. This is not a show you watch; this is a myth you witness. Now an international phenomenon enjoyed by audiences of all ages. 6-29 Aug 21:25 Assembly Rooms Music Hall Age 12+

THE LISTIES

JESSE NORTH IS BROKEN

Written and performed by Martha Godber and produced by The John Godber Company, Jesse North is Broken is a funny, fierce and deeply moving new play. Jesse is 25, from Hull, and hanging on by a thread. Working long hours as a carer on minimum wage, she spends her days supporting others while struggling to keep her own life together.

16-20 August 11.50 Upstairs at Pleasance Courtyard Venue 33

Award-winning company Kook Ensemble presents Sand. This show is part of the Lowry x Edinburgh season.

Through visually striking, emotionally resonant performances, the company brings the experiences of people living with dementia to life, offering audiences a deeply moving experience. A must watch!

Sand will be performed at Summerhall, Main Hall, from 6–17 August (excluding 12 August) at 1.30pm.

SAND

HEART BEATS STRONG

ONE MAN POE

LET’S TWIST AGAIN

OVERTONE

THANK YOU, F*CK YOU, AND I’M SORRY

High-energy comedy disaster movie about the most perilous mission of all: leaving the house on time.

Rich wants to do the impossible.

Matt has other ideas - and a snack emergency.

This show has a poop-load of puns, slapstick and also the Snot Ness Monster.

5-16 August (not 13)13:00 Assembly (Studio One) George Square

Stephen Smith returns with a solo celebration of Edgar Allan Poe. Following sell-out Fringe runs and major awards in 24 and 25, the show includes six stories, performed in three separate productions.

From The Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven to two rarely staged additions, The Business Man and The Case of M. Valdemar, this is a unique opportunity to experience nearly 19,000 words of Poe performed live from memory.

Riddles Court - times for each show vary.

TELL ME

Two timelines collide in this bold fusion of dance and circus with a fresh perspective on HIV. When Grace gets a diagnosis, she is transported back to the 80s, with Michael, a gay man navigating a very different reality. Their journeys unfold with striking choreography, Chinese pole and aerial artistry. Sadiq Ali Companyreturn to the Fringe with their new show Tell Me. 6-31 August (ex Mon & Tues) 7pm Summerhall (Venue 26)

PARKIES

A Misfit Medley of US Parkies taking on the Corporate Beasts. All is not as it seems in the National Park. A colourful crew of summer workers gather as they sign up as “Parkies”, welcoming the guests to the park. A porn star wannabe, an accountant who has taken a vow of silence, a Croatian gap year student, a gambling evangelist and a drag queen-in-training pit their wits against big business and reveal its unsavoury ways. 11:45 7-29 August (not 16 and 23) TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53)

Fringe favourites the Black Blues Brothers are back with a jaw-dropping show, after wowing more than 65,000 members of the Fringe audience.

A train station fills with breathtaking acrobatics, human pyramids and amazing somersaults over an unforgettable twist and rock’n’roll soundtrack. Get ready to go wild.

5-31 August (not 18)

HOUSE OF OZ

Returning with its most ambitious season yet – an extraordinary celebration of Australian creativity spanning circus, theatre, dance, comedy, music, immersive experiences and First Nations storytelling. Now in its fifth year at Edinburgh, House of Oz has become one of the festival’s essential destinations, championing Australian artists. Eight productions. 260 performances. One extraordinary season.

Various venues

KEVIN QUANTUM INVISIBLE FORCE

Award-winning magician and former physicist Edinburgh’s own Kevin Quantum returns with a brand new show. Science, psychology and astonishing magic collide. World-first illusions, impossible demonstrations, audience participation and plenty of laughs as he explores the hidden forces that shape our world - from gravity and electromagnetism to curiosity, belief and wonder. 6-30 August 2026 18:45 Ballroom at Assembly Rooms Venue 20

When two teenagers meet after choir practice, they begin the most important relationship of their lives. From Fringe First award-winning theatre-maker Tom Brennan (The Wardrobe Ensemble) this is an intimate, funny and unflinching new play about love getting older – the adventures we were promised, the choices we think we made, and the cost of finally being honest. Starring Claire Dargo and Scott Fletcher (River City).

5-30 Aug 2.40pm Pleasance Dome Tickets: Overtone | Pleasance Theatre Trust

AN A TO Z GUIDE TO DATING

A hilarious one-woman musical based on an unapologetic dating advice book that writer-performer Grace O’Keefe’s own mother wrote. Publishers said it would set feminism back 20 years. 40 years later, let’s find out! The theatrical equivalent of a little girl struggling in her mother’s heels, this musical explores relationships, romance and the performance of womanhood.

5-30 Aug 17:15 at Buttercup Venue 300

After five sold-out London previews the side-splitting, groundbreaking new ‘play with dance’ follows the coming-of-age stories of three boys from childhood to their eighteenth birthdays. Based on the performers own teenage diary entries, exploring those personal truths that you would never think to say out loud. ‘An antidote to the crisis of masculinity in our culture’, this powerhouse of a production is not one to miss. 5-31 Aug 12:20 Pleasance Courtyard Bunker Two

Part ritual, part requiem - an intensely intimate solo musical performance in which song entwines with VHS tape to conjure a grief portal, both personal and universal; for ghosts, tears, and unfinished love to co-mingle. The work traces diagnosis, decline, death and aftermath, but also makes space for humour, tenderness and moments of unexpected joy.

5-16 Aug 19:50 C AURORA

DYSTOPIA 26: THE ROCK OPERA

Fresh from a sell-out Scottish tour and West End debut, this two-part immersive political gig-theatre spectacular summons Dystopians to inRockTrination; the audience’s votes shape events. Martial law, elections and a happiness cult collide with massive songs, fantastic projections, monstrous masks and biting satire confronting greed, corruption, power and propaganda. Auditorium at Bedlam Theatre (v.49), 11b Bristo Place EH1 1EZ 7-29 Aug (not 10, 17, 24), 17.15.

14

PROPERTY NEWS WITH NEILSONS

15

It's A Girl!

Finding your forever home for your family As the school summer holidays begin to wind down and families start preparing for the return to the classroom in August, many people turn their attention to another important milestone, buying their ‘forever’ family home.

For those hoping to be settled before Christmas, late summer in to early Autumn is traditionally one of the busiest times of year in the Edinburgh property market. It is also an important window for parents looking to secure a home before school application deadlines in November, making it the perfect time to start planning a move.

Buying your forever family home is about much more than purchasing a larger property.

It is one of the biggest investments most people will ever make, but it is not just a financial one, it’s also an investment in your family's future lifestyle and wellbeing. Taking the time to think carefully about what you need now, and what you are likely to need in years to come, can make all the difference.

Location is one of the biggest decisions.

While moving further from Edinburgh city centre may stretch your budget and allow you

to buy a larger home, it is worth asking whether extra space is worth a longer daily commute or more time spent travelling to see friends and family. A home should make life easier, not more complicated, and the right balance between space and convenience is different for every household.

It is equally important to think ahead. The home that perfectly suits your family today may look very different in ten years' time. Young children become teenagers, spare bedrooms become home offices and changing circumstances can bring new priorities. Choosing a property with enough flexibility to adapt alongside your family can help avoid the need to move again sooner than you had planned.

For families with children, schooling is often high on the list of priorities. Catchment areas remain an important consideration across Edinburgh and can have a significant influence on where people choose to buy. Knowing your options before you begin house hunting can help narrow your search and avoid disappointment later.

A large garden can be a wonderful asset,

PROPERTY OF THE MONTH

59 Hillview Road, Corstorphine EH12 8QH Offers Over: £595,000

Viewing: By appointment, contact Neilsons 0131 625 2222 EPC Rating: C Council Tax Band: G A family home with room to grow A superb family home in the heart of sought-after Corstorphine, this beautifully

presented detached bungalow offers flexible four-bedroom accommodation, generous living space and wonderful gardens for family life. The stylish openplan kitchen/dining room opens onto the rear garden, while planning permission for a substantial extension provides exciting scope to create a larger forever home.

Complete with driveway, garage and a peaceful setting, it perfectly combines immediate comfort with room to grow.

By OLIVIA THOMAS

offering room for children or pets to play, summer entertaining or simply somewhere to relax. However, it is worth being honest about whether you have the time, enthusiasm or budget needed to keep it looking its best.

Looking beyond the property itself is just as important. Researching the local area can reveal plans for future development, improvements to transport links or new amenities that could shape the neighbourhood over the coming years. These factors can influence not only your day to day

enjoyment of living there but also the long term value of your investment.

Good transport connections are important.

Reliable bus, tram and rail services become increasingly valuable as children grow older and gain more independence.

Neilsons experienced and award winning team support you from the very start of the process. We do not charge for noting interest or for unsuccessful offers, giving buyers added confidence as they navigate Edinburgh's competitive property market.

Move or improve? What a Property Expert wants you to know about extensions

Moving remains the right choice for many, while others stay put and invest in the home they already love.

There are costs and taxes involved in moving. So extending a home can be an attractive alternative to relocating. Before you start planning, here are five things every homeowner should keep in mind.

1. Solve a problem, don't just add space The best extensions aren't always the biggest. Ask yourself what isn't working in your home. Is your kitchen too small? Do you need a home office? Would more natural light transform the way you use the space?

2. Budget for more than the build. Many homeowners focus on the contractor's

quote, but that's only part of the overall cost. Professional fees, planning permission, building warrants, structural engineering, kitchens, landscaping and a sensible contingency should all be factored into your budget.

3. Spend time getting the design right Changing a drawing costs very little, changing a building once construction has started can be very expensive. Think about how the new space connects with the rest of your home, where the natural light comes from, how you'll furnish it and whether it will still work in ten or twenty years' time.

4. Think about future buyers as well as yourself Your home should suit your

lifestyle, but it's also worth considering its future marketability. Extensions that create bright, flexible living spaces and improve the overall flow of a property tend to have broader appeal when the time eventually comes to sell. Avoid overdeveloping or sacrificing too much of the garden.

5. Choose quality over the cheapest quote.

A successful extension relies on a good professional team. Ask for recommendations, check previous work and make sure quotations cover the same specification and the VAT before comparing prices. The cheapest option isn't always the best value if it leads to delays, additional costs or poor workmanship.

Read the latest news from Neilsons on theedinburghreporter.co.uk

A giant sculpture of a newborn baby by artist Ron Mueck is on display at National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) Modern One on Belford Road.

Measuring more than five metres in length, this surprising work, A Girl, captures a newly delivered baby taking her first glimpse of the world around her.

The exhibit is free to visit, and is one of more than 50 works from the nation’s collection of modern and contemporary art now on show. It is fourteen years since A Girl was last exhibited in the capital, having since travelled around Europe to Denmark, Germany, France and the Netherlands.

Last seen at Modern One in 2012, when many visitors went to see the striking fibre-glass sculpture, it will amaze audiences once again with its extraordinary scale and Mueck’s hyper-realistic, painstakingly detailed rendering of a newborn.

Australian artist Mueck, born in 1958, uses scale as an expressive device to bring both the trauma and the miracle of birth to the fore, deliberately stirring emotion and encouraging viewers to see the human body in new ways.

Families visiting Modern One can book a free basket full of art goodies to stimulate their own creativity.

This year’s Family Art Baskets draw inspiration from A Girl and other works in the modern and contemporary collection, each packed with materials, ideas and sensory art prompts to help families explore the galleries and grounds in playful new ways.

The baskets are available every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the Scottish school holidays, with free advance booking online and collection on the day between 2pm and 3pm.

Craigmillar Tapestry at the Scottish Storytelling Centre

Threads on show

A Girl, Ron Mueck, 2006.

National Galleries of Scotland

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

Anne Lyden, Director General at the National Galleries of Scotland said: “We are thrilled to have Ron Mueck’s A Girl back at Modern One, it is always such a hit with visitors, and we love seeing their reaction to the scale and intricate details of the sculpture. It’s really quite spectacular! There is something for everyone at Modern One this summer, whether enjoying the grounds in the sun or discovering and

re-discovering Scotland’s magnificent collection of Modern and Contemporary art!

Families can also get stuck in with trails, Family Art Baskets and artist weekends. We want the galleries to be a welcoming environment that everyone feels comfortable in, whether coming with young children, teenagers, friends, family or on your own, this is your collection to discover!”

The Craigmillar Tapestry was created by more than 500 people living in Craigmillar and Niddrie, and the work will have pride of place at The Scottish Storytelling Centre on The Royal Mile this summer.

The Centre is celebrating its 20th anniversary as the purpose-built home for live storytelling with 33 shows during the Fringe.

Each panel was designed by Andrew Crummy, MBE, an artist who grew up in Craigmillar, and these have been stitched by local makers who have woven elements of their own culture into the work. Traditional Syrian stitching and names of local landmarks and activists are incorporated in the tapestry.

One of those activists was Andrew Crummy’s mother, Helen Crummy, OBE, who is remembered in a statue at Craigmillar Library. She was the leader of the pioneering Craigmillar Festival Society.

Andrew has also worked on others including the Great Tapestry of Scotland.

The tapestry will now go on tour to Portobello, Craigmilla, Newcraighall and The Inch.

A PERSONAL GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON AND FILMS AT FILMHOUSE THIS MONTH

By ROD WHITE THERE IS A DAY IN AUGUST, the last Friday of the month, that has become known amongst many film industry types as the Almodóvar date - so named because for a long while it seemed that every film from the Spanish auteur was released on this date. I’m not sure how many times this actually happened, but it was enough for the name to stick. It will have all started by one Almodóvar title being successfully released on this date and the distributor for his next film trying to repeat it. (This industry never lets something happen successfully without then trying to repeat it!) Similarly, for many, many years the second Friday in January was known as The King’s Speech date, though I think that name might now be lost in the mists of time.

The release of an Almodóvar title on the Almodóvar date would always herald the end of the summer (rarely

a peak box office time for cinemas such as this one) and the start of a more lucrative time. We’re not expecting a quiet summer this year (what with Christopher Nolan’s Box-Office-Event-of-The-Year The Odyssey opening, as I write, next week!) but the other marvellous news is that this year there’s an Almodóvar film coming on Almodóvar Day! Unseasonally titled Bitter Christmas, it’s fantastic to have him back... exactly where he belongs!

There’s a marvellous festival takes place at the Watershed in Bristol every July called Cinema Rediscovered, which screens all the latest and best restorations of the cinema of yesteryear, from all across the globe. They very kindly let us pick a small selection for screening in Edinburgh, and if I can recommend just one we’re playing - which was a real discovery for me - it would be Pastor Hall (1940), a World War II British propaganda piece that tells the (based on a true) story of the eponymous cleric

and his resistance to the Nazis in a German village in the mid-1930s.

Seriously worth a look.

And if you don’t like films that concern themselves with either teenagers, sex or death, then perhaps the meta-cinematic, allegoric, queer, psychosexual slasher Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma isn’t for you, but all I can say is I don’t think I’ve had as much fun in a cinema all year!

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Bitter Christmas

Odyssey

FOOD AND DRINK

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PLATE EXPECTATIONS

TO FESTIVAL OR NOT TO FESTIVAL

CROSSWORD

By Ailidh Forlan

8 ACROSS is an author who was born in Edinburgh.

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Edinburgh in August, on your own terms

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Chick + Pea

Kebbabar

Fruitmarket

LEANING IN

The Fruitmarket Gallery, Market Street The Fruitmarket Gallery Café opened its Lost Shore Surf Resort

Coop

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kitchen in the wake of Covid, and yet I’ve only just discovered its calibre of cooking. This isn’t your average soup and sandwich situation they even brine their own beef and hams in house, and it shows. And twice in August - on the 7th and the 28th - something else entirely happens. “After Hours” transforms the space: the lights shift pink, spritz arrives (bergamot and lemon with Holyrood Distillery’s firstmake spirit, if you’re asking) and the head chef, Martin Collins (ex Bon Vivant) produces a short, fiercely precise menu of small plates at prices that feel forgiving in this economy.

Standouts include gooey burrata with golden beetroot and salsa verde - those salty, crispy toasts doing a lot of heavy lifting - and a sea bream ceviche so fresh it practically introduces itself. This meal blew my mind; with two evenings only in August, the wisest thing you’ll do all festival season is secure a table at one of them.

On My Fringe Itinerary If laughter is the best medicine, eating whilst doing it is surely the cure for everything. Two Edinburgh institutions - The Stand Comedy Club and the Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy - have joined forces to produce what may be the Fringe’s most enjoyable offspring: a live studio kitchen, Fringe guests competing to make something edible, a qualified chef quietly despairing beside them, and audience tastings to settle the score. That’s every Saturday at 2pm throughout August. And In Pour Taste - the comedy wine tasting experience that’s been recommended to me year on year and has sold out two consecutive Fringe seasons - has returned fresh from a Las Vegas residency. Five wines and the promise of five jokes minimum, whilst answering the wine world’s hardest-hitting questions. This is the year I’m finally going.

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Garden view deck

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George Square Gardens My go-to spot to soak up the festival energy even when I’m not seeing a show is George Square Gardens with atmosphere in abundance, a good mix of locals and visitors, and a genuinely exciting food offering. Coop by Tomás Gormley is back - queue confidently for that fried chicken, enhanced by lashings of fermented peach hot sauce, or opt for smoked lobster on brioche with Phantassie herb salad.

Street food doesn’t get much posher than that.

Jamie Brown, owner of Jarvis Pickle, is back with their award-winning buttery shortcrust pastry pies alongside a new venture, SPF - a wholesome salad, pastry and focaccia concept filling a genuine healthy gap in Edinburgh’s street food scene. And completing the picture, Chick + Pea who’ve been slinging freshly fried falafel into pillowy warm pittas at this festival since 2016. Cheese fiends will adore those halloumi fries topped with a dollop of garlicky yoghurt and don’t miss those whopping gyros from its brother business Kebabbar either.

Loaded with herby marinated chicken and fries, they require two hands to hold and will likely Fruitmarket ruin your top, but it’s worth it.

Lost Shore Surf Resort, Newbridge I never thought this column would double as a surf lesson recommendation - but after a beginners’ session in July, consider me converted. Just twenty minutes from the city centre - and feeling about as far from the Royal Mile as it’s possible to get without leaving Scotland - Lost Shore takes its kitchen as seriously as its waves. Lost Flock, one of three on-site kitchens, specialises in all things chicken and the portion sizes are exactly what’s required after an hour of being humbled by a surfboard. The Katsu Sando - crispy chicken breast, white cabbage slaw and tonkatsu sauce - is the one to order, though even the paired-

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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Inverleith Row The Botanics has always been Edinburgh’s most civilised escape - free to enter and blissfully removed from the festival circus. This summer the newly refreshed Garden View Deck & Bar, in partnership with Maison Pommery, has added a compelling reason to head up to the deck and linger. Enter via the West Gate entrance, find a spot on the deck and admire sweeping views over the treetops as the light softens. Stone-baked pizzas, sharing plates and a glass of champagne await - with an Aperol Spritz coming in at just a tenner. Not bad for that setting and postcode.

It’s open Fridays and Saturdays until 8pm and Sundays until 5pm.

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TAPPING OUT

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The Palmerston’s Sunday Dinner Series James Snowdon and Lloyd Morse are among Edinburgh’s most respected operators - the kind of people whose culinary judgment you simply trust. This August they’re handing over their kitchen to three chefs they vouch for, each celebrating bold Asian flavours through the lens of Scotland’s larder. On 16th, Ghar’s Yash Rajpal brings the bustling streets of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk to the table. On 23rd, sisters Fariya and Sahar Sharif of Parveen’s cook their Pakistani heritage through Scottish seasons. And on 30th, Moo Noi’s Tida Bradshaw rounds things off with Northern Thai heat, herbs and plenty of fire.

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Culinary capers in the capital with Kerry Teakle 44

August in Edinburgh is unlike anywhere else on earth. The city doubles in population overnight, every pub, lecture hall and church converts into a festival venue, the streets become a theatre, flyers are thrust into your hand out of nowhere and somehow you’ll find yourself watching a one-man Hamlet in a pub basement at 11pm on a Tuesday wondering how you got there. Four festivals descend simultaneously - the Fringe, the International Festival, the Art Festival and the Book Festival - and the city hums with a kind of glorious, sleep-deprived electricity that nowhere else can quite replicate.

I’ll confess it’s the Book Festival (15–30 August) where my loyalties increasingly lie. Must be a maturity thing. This year I’m even involved chairing a Table Talk with Sophie Macfie on the 20th of August at Elliott’s Studio, where the social media sensation behind Soph’s Plant Kitchen will be cooking live from her new book. Elsewhere, discerning foodies and prolific scrollers will want to have lunch with Ben Lippett on the 15th of August - the man behind the million-strong @ dinnerbyben who’s turned ‘cheffy’ home cooking into a cultural phenomenon. And MalaysianScottish chef Julie Lin, fresh from launching her new kitchen Tacos Lah at Bonnie & Wild, brings her debut cookbook Sama Sama to life on the 19th of August.

But not everyone wants to lean in, and nobody would blame them. August is a long, loud, relentless month, and respite - when you find it - feels disproportionately wonderful. So here are my top picks for both camps: those leaning into everything the city has to offer this month, and those quietly, unapologetically tapping out.

By Aldhelm

ACROSS

DOWN

8 HANK ENRAGE THEM (anagram) (7, 7)

1 Ten-year period (6)

9 Group of tents (4)

3 Direct (8)

10 Unusually (10) 11 Needlework (6) 13 But (8) 15 Heavy, serious (7) 17 Copy, mimic (7) 19 Upright (8) 22 Haphazard (6) 24 Very emotional (10) 26 Accompanied by (4) 27 Deliberation, care (14)

2 Break in two (4) 4 Things to be discussed (6) 5 Orange root vegetable (6) 6 Festival (4) 7 Stop indicator (3, 5) 12 Block of metal (5) 14 Frequently (5) 16 Poise, grace (8) 18 Killer (8) 20 Spring flower (6) 21 Collaborate (6) 23 Choice (6) 25 Type, kind (4) 26 Unit of power (4)

SOLUTION ACROSS: 8 Kenneth Grahame, 9 Camp, 10 Abnormally, 11 Sewing, 13 Although, 15 Weighty, 17 Imitate, 19 Vertical, 22 Random, 24 Passionate, 26 With, 27 Circumspection. DOWN: 1 Decade, 2 Snap, 3 Straight, 4 Agenda, 5 Carrot, 6 Gala, 7 Red light, 12 Ingot, 14 Often, 16 Elegance, 18 Murderer, 20 Crocus, 21 Liaise, 23 Option, 25 Sort, 26 Watt.

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back roast chicken breast with gravy and chips quietly hits the spot. Go for the waves, stay for the food… you too, the sixty-year-olds in the back. The grandmas and grandads in my class were absolutely crushing it.

Teuchters Landing, 1c Dock Place, Leith With the Princes Street fire knocking out the tram services to Leith, the Shore will likely see less footfall than usual this August - which

makes now the perfect time to show up and support one of Edinburgh’s most loved spots.

Teuchters Landing is up there with our best beer gardens, and the locals would rather keep it a secret. Elevated pub grub - think a mug of kedgeree - meets pints of Lonkero, the Finnish long drink that tastes like grapefruit, all on a pontoon terrace with complimentary suncream at the bar. The August chaos doesn’t reach this far and it’s heaven. Not a festival flyer in sight.

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THEATRE

19 Scottish drag queen and star of La Cage Aux Folles and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie makes her Fringe debut, with a show packed full of live singing and comedy.

2. Tom Read Wilson: A-Z of Me Gilded Balloon @ The Museum, 5-16 August

Edinburgh’s Mr Entertainment picks his Hot Tickets to see in the Capital and beyond

Join the I’m A Celebrity favourite for an irreverent, whistle-stop tour of the alphabet through songs and sonnets, stories and smut.

3. Camelton Gilded Balloon Teviot, 5-31 August

Theatre writer Stephen Cole tells his hilarious story of writing a musical for the Emir of Qatar.

Expect a Qatari movie star, flying carpets, Croatian acrobats, Russian ballet dancers, an Italian director and a lot of camels.

TOP 3 MUST SEE CHILDREN’S SHOWS @ EDINBURGH FRINGE 1. The Mystery of Pleasance Two Pleasance Courtyard, 5-16 August

Calling all trainee detectives! Your skills are needed to solve a thrilling murder mystery.

Team up with super sleuth Danyah Miller to examine the evidence, inspect video footage and interrogate suspects to crack the case.

Hail Mary

Image: Pamela Raith Photography

Last year’s Fringe hit returns; the riveting true story of Cadel Evans, the only Australian to win the Tour de France as told by Connor Delves in a powerhouse performance, pedalling live on the actual bike Evans rode to victory.

Disenchanted

Liam Rudden’s 20 Must See Shows at Edinburgh’s 79th Festival and Fringe

An all star stand-up cast, including Joe Pasquale, making his Fringe debut, spoof 12 Angry Men. Can 11½ very angry comedians agree on the fate of a boy accused of heinous murder in 1950s NYC?

of growing up in the then, and still, notorious Banana Flats. It’s running at Leith Arches from 11-15 August and it would be great to see you there. Say hello if you do get along.

Anyway, do have a great Fringe and remember to join me over at MustSeeTheatre. com for more highlights from the world’s greatest arts festival.

Happy Fringe going, Liam

TOP 3 MUST SEE THEATRE AT EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 1. Angels in America King’s Theatre, 15-20 August

Jump at this opportunity to experience Tony Kushner’s gripping, hilarious epoch-defining work accompanied by a David Bowie soundtrack and set at the height of the AIDS crisis in it’s entirety, played over five hours with a 45 minute interval.

TOP 5 MUST SEE THEATRE AT THE FRINGE 1. Clive Assembly Rooms, 6-30 August

Thomas loves his job and working from home.

All the while talking to his best friend - a cactus called Clive. A funny, moving study of isolation and technology in modern life by Olivier Award-winner Michael Wynne starring two time Olivier nominee Paul Keating.

2. Cathy The Traverse, 7-30 August

Two Doors Down favourite Elaine C Smith stars in Cathy, a new Scottish comedy about a woman handling grief in her own unique way after the loss of her husband.

Starring Fringe favourite Mike McShane, this comic deconstruction of theatre and a profound look at human connection in the 21st century, goes beyond the stage, inviting you to think, laugh and reconnect with what matters most.

5. Eleven and a half Angry Men Pleasance at EICC, 5-22 August

Clive 1 Paul Keating

Image: Ikin Yum.

A WEEK LATER than in recent years, the Edinburgh Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe run from 7-31 August. 2026 marks the 79th edition of both and has become tradition over the last twenty-odd years, I’ve put together a list of recommendations across various strands of this year’s arts extravaganzas.

This month also marks my own 44th consecutive Fringe, an event that has changed so much in that time; when I started you were lucky if there were 300 shows, this year it is 3,649 productions across 258 venues, rather than the 30 or so there were back in the day.

One thing that never changes, however, is the annual trawl through the programme in an attempt to find the hidden gems. Let me save you some time by highlighting the ones that have already caught my eye.

Before I go, I better give a shout out to one play in particular, Ships, by Mark Forrest. It’s a piece close to my heart as Mark is childhood friend and he has asked me to direct it for him - hence the mention, neither he nor my very talented four-strong cast would forgive me.

Ships is a dark love story set in Leith in the late 80s/early 90s and is based on Mark’s experience

4. The Event Pleasance Courtyard, 5-31 August

shooting the breeze, sharing the great loves and bitter blues of their interrupted lives…

The directorial debut of Pulitzer Prize finalist Zora Howard, Hang Time is a gut-wrenching, subversive perspective on the legacy of racialised violence in America.

TOP 3 MUST SEE MUSICALS @ EDINBURGH FRINGE 1. Disenchanted! The Hit Musical Pleasance EICC, 5-30 August Forget happily ever after! Cinderella’s done cleaning, Sleeping Beauty’s wide awake and Snow White’s calling the shots now. A side-splitting, cheeky, musical mash-up of all your favourite fairy tales that you didn’t know you desperately needed.

2. Disney’s Frozen The Musical Broughton High School, 4-8 August

The always hilarious funny-woman takes a stroll through Edinburgh’s hilariously skanky past from flying jobbies to dangerous ladies and bonking bankers. This is not the history they taught you at school, it’s funnier.

TOP 3 MUST SEE CABARET/VARIETY @ EDINBURGH FRINGE 1. Mary Mac - Hail Mary: The Tartan Songstress Assembly George Square, 5-30 August

It’s 1972 and one bug band is about to change music forever. Five funky bug musicians are coming to you live with the true story of the greatest band you’ve never heard of… expect an hour of funk, soul and heart for old bugs and kids alike.

3. Amazing Bubble Man Underbelly George Square, 6-31 August Louis Pearl has been thrilling audiences worldwide for more than 30 years with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles. Having sold out at the Fringe for the last 14 years, be sure to book early.

For all Edinburgh International Festival tickets visit eif.co.uk For all Edinburgh Festival Fringe tickets visit edfringe.com

3. Warriors: A Scottish Musical C Venues Aquila, 5-30 August

Written by veterans and set in modern-day Scotland this 2023 sell-out musical returns to follow four soldiers from their infantry training, through to their second tour in Afghanistan. A heartrending story of love, loss, courage and family.

TOP 3 MUST SEE COMEDY @ EDINBURGH FRINGE 1. Larry Dean - Hellbent Pleasance Courtyard, 5-30 August

3. Hang Time The Lyceum, 20-23 August

2. How Far Away Are They? An Afternoon with the Cast of Phoenix Nights Just The Tonic Nucleus, 8-16 August

Three Black men hang from an old, wide tree,

David Benson in My Life

With Kenneth 3. Susan Morrison: Swearing, Sh*tWilliams and Shagging - Scotland’s Filthy History The Stand Comedy Club, 21-30 August

2. Cricket & The Freebugs Assembly Rooms, 6-20 August

Award-winning Forth Children’s Theatre are back and ready to Let It Go with a powerful tale of sisterhood, acceptance and finding the real meaning of true love.

2. A Trial - After An Enemy of the People The Lyceum, 7-10 August

Visionary Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy returns to the Festival with a radical sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, featuring Golden Globe-winning actor Wagner Moura (Narcos, The Secret Agent).

stories, memories and behind the scenes moments from one of Britain’s most beloved comedies.

The funniest man on the Fringe, recently married yet emotionally feral, Larry returns with a riotous show about refusing to grow up.

Join the cast of Phoenix Nights as they share

CADEL Production

Image: Adam Kenna

3. Cadel: Lungs on Legs Gilded Balloon @ The Museum, 6-30 August

COFFEE AND SPORT

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By Charlie Ellis

Alan Brown, past president of the Bass Rock Shore Angling League, with one of the fish he caught during Round Eight of the club’s Summer Series.

Tight lines

By NIGEL DUNCAN

New café built on solid city foundations A FAMILIAR FACE IN A NEW SETTING

One pleasing aspect of Edinburgh’s specialty coffee scene is the way certain characters reappear in different guises. Lae, the man behind Bedrock at the Grassmarket end of West Port, is one such figure.

Originally from Luang Prabang in Laos, he polished his craft at Peter’s Yard and Söderberg, before deepening his understanding of coffee at Williams and Johnson in Leith. I last saw Lae enjoying the afternoon sunshine after his final shift at Longshot, the Pitt’s excellent coffee bar he had set up and managed.

Now he has moved on, working alongside Todd Johnson, one of the founders of Williams and Johnson in Leith, to create the highly promising Bedrock, which opened in May.

WE DID EVERYTHING APART FROM THE ELECTRICS

The two spent over three weeks preparing the space themselves.

“We did everything apart from the electrics; that’s not something an amateur should do!” Lae explains.

They have done a good job of it.

The interior is warm and inviting, with yellows, terracotta and natural wood giving the place a settled, comfortable feel. Bits of artwork add a splash of colour and intrigue. On a sunny afternoon it was pleasantly quiet, as I looked across the road to The West Port and Geddes Garden. “A garden in a city centre!” was Lae’s surprised reaction to this ‘green oasis of mixed woodland, herbaceous beds, vegetable boxes and wild area’.

Then a rush of customers changed the mood entirely.

Bedrock is primarily a takeaway, but a handful of seats line the edges, enough to rest for a few minutes with

a good cup. Given how close it sits to the Grassmarket and a cluster of Fringe venues, it will see very high custom as August approaches. Lae is already prepared, with a team of three capable baristas well settled in and the coffee machine well calibrated.

The early starts at the Pitt, particularly on cold winter mornings, had started to wear on him. Now he can walk to work along the Cowgate, away from the sharp coastal winds that blow in off the Forth.

NICE COFFEE MACHINE!

One of the most noticed features of Bedrock is the coffee machine. It’s a retro-style La Marzocco with long lever handles that catch the eye from the street. While I was chatting to Lae, a passing enthusiast put his head around the door purely to say “nice coffee machine!” It is not just decorative. The machine produces high pressure, up to 12 bar, and excellent consistency.

The espresso I was served flowed out of the portafilter in a satisfying way.

The coffee was Faustin Ribarimana, a Rwandan single origin from Williams and Johnson, with tasting notes of cherry, red liquorice and almond.

Also on offer was a Peanut Butter and Jelly espresso. One customer, accustomed to high standards in Australia, remarked on the “Melbourne quality” of what he was served, admitting that Australians tend to be fairly particular about their coffee.

LOYAL TO LOCAL ROASTERS

Lae plans to rotate the coffees, drawing mainly from Williams and Johnson’s range, proudly roasted in Leith, but also from other Edinburgh-based roasters. These include the highly regarded

Obadiah in Abbeyhill and Carter, a newcomer based in Bonnington.

Carter coffee is starting to appear around the city, and is clearly making a mark. “I am sticking to local roasters,” Lae says, “places I have a personal connection with, and can visit.” The whisky-flavoured coffee is also selling well.

For visitors, a tin of whisky coffee beans makes a fine gift. Alongside espresso-based drinks, Lae is among the growing number of baristas who promote batch brew as one of the better ways to get at the deeper subtleties of coffee. He had just run out when I arrived, which speaks to a growing demand for that style. As high summer approaches, the food offering is growing too, with grilled sandwiches and Asian variants now on the menu.

PART OF A COMMUNITY, NOT A COMPETITION

On that sunny afternoon, a couple served just after me left the shop with their cups. One turned to the other as they headed towards the Vennel: “Oh, that’s excellent.” As well as tourists, Bedrock has quickly built up a group of regulars. Office workers from nearby businesses come in regularly, and a couple of workers from a nearby hotel are apparently not satisfied with the coffee on offer where they work!

When I suggest that this part of the city is becoming fairly competitive, with the Source, Hawker and Lovecrumbs all close by, Lae sees things differently. He views them not as rivals but as part of the same community.

Several of these neighbouring places helped him out in practical ways during his early weeks, and he feels there is plenty of custom to go

Alan Brown won Round Eight of the Bass Rock Shore Angling League’s summer league fished on a weedy Belhaven Beach where the surf was around 2ft.

The West Barns-based angler, who recently retired from working at Torness Power Station, and is a past president of the club, hooked into two fish for 63cm to win comfortably from David Fairbairn (Haddington) who also landed two fish for 46cm.

Third was Stewart Fairbairn (Haddington) with two fish and he was only seven centimetres less than David. They are understood not to be related.

Stewart’s ten-year-old son, Callum, was fourth with one flounder for 29cm and he won the longest fish of the night award. It was only his third match with the group and his teenage brother, Liam, also fished on the night.

Teenager, Niko Millar (North Berwick), was firth with one fish measuring 28cm.

Several anglers blanked and others packed up early because of the weed. Others went down to one hook and James Ogilvie, club secretary, said that those who persevered were among the prize-winners.

Round Nine will be on Wednesday, August 5, and non-members are always welcome to come on down. The venue and times will be confirmed soon.

Elsewhere, East Lothian-based angler, Keith Bathgate, had to battle against a really big swell to top the podium in the annual East Fife Open with boundaries from Elie to St Andrews.

He beat off a strong challenge from around. The different places also serve different styles. The Source is well known for its forward-thinking approach and its “super funky” coffees, which are not always what every customer wants.

Bedrock sits in a different place: approachable and easy-going, but with a genuine seriousness about the coffee it serves. That seriousness

Tayside-based Kevin Lewis, team manager for the Scottish Ladies Shore Fishing team, to take the top prize.

Lewis also won the heaviest fish prize with a cod of over 3lb.

Third was Yorkshire-based angler, Simon Barker, and Mike Horn, the Kirkcaldy-based president of the Scottish Federation for Sea Anglers (SFSA), said the swell affected the fishing and made a lot of marks difficult.

Some local trout fisheries have kept their gates shut. At Allandale Tarn near West Calder the popular fishery has remained closed.

Nearby, Morton Fishings has also been closed. Owner, Sandy Mabon, said the gates have been shut to allow the fish to go deep and he added: “Catch and release can be a bad thing in hot weather.”

In East Lothian, Newlands Tweeddale was also closed due to the heatwave and further afield, bosses at the Lake of Menteith, imposed a limit of 12 fish per angler on catch and release.

Linlithgow Loch remained open, and 67 fish were hooked in the last week with 48 kept and 19 released.

The total weight of kept fish was over 400lb.

Bright sunshine with a northeast wind greeted anglers and the best tactics were floating, midgetip, sink -tip, intermediate and Di3 lines and the most effective flies included Ally McCoist, buzzer, cormorant, Muskins, FAB and various nymphs.

John Convoy and partner kept two fish for 7 lbs and returned one, but they missed a number of trout who were not taking positively.

Ian Dobbie released five fish and Gavin Dunn with Jimmy Russell returned five fish. Ian Dobbie, released eight fish. sets it apart from the many tourist-oriented places nearby, which generally lack a true commitment to coffee.

Bedrock Coffee, at the Grassmarket end of West Port, already has solid foundations.

Bedrock Coffee, 13 West Port, Edinburgh, EH1 2JA

Gray’s ambition for the new season

By JOHN HISLOP

Hibs head coach David Gray has set his sights on qualifying for Europe for the third successive season and also progressing in both domestic cup competitions.

Speaking ahead of the 2026/27 season, Gray said that participating in European football and competing at the top of the table are big selling points in attracting quality players to the club.

So far Hibs have signed Jason Kerr, Callum Wright and Azeem Abdulai with potentially more on the horizon.

Injury victims Joe Newell and Josh Mulligan are both fully fit and raring to go and the only absentee will be Rocky Bushiri whose injury against Motherwell in the last game of the season denied him a place at the World Cup. When asked what will be a successful season for Hibs, Gray said: ““The first thing for us was European football again, so that needs to be the aim and the ambition again for the Football Club.

“Can you be the team to then go three years in a row? So can we recreate history in a real positive way? I say it all the time.

“I challenge the players with that incentive to try and do that, so that’s something, and then the cup competitions are something that we’ve looked at in the last couple of seasons, and you can feel sorry for yourself or feel unlucky about some of the draws and things, but we’ve already demonstrated that on our day with a complete performance we’re as good as anybody at the time, so I think a real strong cup competition is what we’re looking for.

“Coming to this Football Club, I’ve been very fortunate to experience it myself. You can play at a very high level and have a really successful career but never actually win anything in your career. I’ve been very fortunate to have done that, but they’re the greatest days to be involved in, and it is a genuine opportunity at the Football Club.

“It’s a difficult thing to do, an extremely difficult thing to do, but something that you need to strive towards, and if you believe in it and we put in a level of performance, we know we’re a good side, and it’s a genuine opportunity to try and do that.

“We want to try and get back to Hampden, we want to try and be competing in the latter

Image: Alan Rennie

BEDROCK COFFEE

Image: courtesy of Bass Rock Shore Angling League

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David Gray

stages of competitions, and that’s where we need to try and make sure we have strong cup runs, I think, with the European stuff, but we’ll just take one game at a time and put absolutely everything into it, and alongside that this is what you’re preparing for.

“You’re preparing for Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, and Sunday at the start of the

season. All the players need to be fit and ready to go, but that’s the selling point for this Football Club. If you’re trying to attract players, if you’re trying to motivate the players, and to be competing at the top of the Scottish Premiership, this Football Club is a great place to be when things are going well. It’s a fantastic place to be.”

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THE VOICE OF SPORT

Southern cricketers honour Bill and Gerry EDINBURGH SOUTH CRICKET CLUB has appointed Bill Polson and Gerry Dodson Honorary Vice Presidents.

Both stalwarts of the club’s formative era as Mitre CC, their loyalty and dedication helped shape the club of today whose First XI play in the Eastern Premiership.

Bill’s connection with the club goes back to 1957 and by the time he hung up his spikes he had taken more than 500 wickets and scored nearly 2,500 runs for the club.

He has batted throughout the order, captained the re-launched second XI, supported the creation of new teams, scored matches and helped with administration across all levels.

Bill remains a central figure at the club and Scottish cricket as a whole, heavily involved with scoring and administration across ESCA.

Speaking in 2021, club president Jim Brims said: “I would say unequivocally that without Bill there would not be a club today. Going back over the years, anyone [that has been] involved think of him as ‘Mr Mitre’.”

Bill’s service has also extended well beyond the club. He gave 45 years attachment to the East of Scotland Cricket Association committee, including time as secretary, youth convenor and president. Earlier this year, he was recognised by ESCA for that outstanding contribution to cricket in the region.

Gerry Dodson’s appointment recognises another long-serving figure from the club’s Mitre era, and a player whose loyalty and love of the game have been shown season after season.

While the club’s online playing records only go back to 2004, they still show the scale of

billlothian1008@gmail.com

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Bill Polson, front right, with the Mitre team which won the Parks Trophy for the first time back in 1981

Gerry’s impact on the field. Since then, Gerry has played 189 recorded matches, taken 265 wickets and held 31 catches. His best recorded bowling figures were 8 for 26 for the First XI against St Modan’s CC in 2005, the same year he was named Senior Top Wicket Taker.

But Gerry’s contribution goes well beyond the scorebook. In accepting the appointment, he reflected on the many hours he spent over the

years in his back garden, bowling tennis balls at an old tree branch leaning against the house.

Gerry also recalled one batting record he is happy to claim. Alongside the late Julian Russell, he frequently batted in tenth-wicket partnerships, with the pair continuing to “improve” the combined age of the players at the crease. The last figure Gerry is aware of was 161 years!

Tennis aces celebrate their win Blackhall ladies 2nd tennis team celebrate winning Division 5A of the VMH Solicitors East League.

And they did it in emphatic style by winning all but one of

their 10 games - away to Kirkcaldy 2nd.

Other teams in the league were North Berwick 3 (runners up), Thistle 3, Queensferry and

Meadows City 2.

Pictured, left to right are, Sheila Hoyle, Laura Buchanan, Mandy Gentleman, Judith Bachelor and Christine Craig.

Young Road Club cyclists in excellent form Edinburgh RC Youth Race Team has enjoyed an outstanding first half of the 2026 season with riders collecting well over 30 wins and podium finishes across road, track and mountain bike competition, alongside international selection for both Scotland and Great Britain.

The season opened at Tour L’Enfer du Linlithgow in March, where Sarah McCormac won the Youth A Girls crit, lapping the field in the process.

On the mountain bike, Eilidh Coutts, from Balerno, has been the team’s most consistent performer across the whole season. After winning the opening domestic round of the Scottish XC Series at Cathkin Braes in March, she recorded back-to-back podiums at the first rounds of the Lloyds Bank National XC Series, and finished 2nd at Round 5 of that series to move into 2nd place overall in the national standings. She was also selected for Team Scotland and won the short track event at the Inter-Regional Championships in Wales in July. Ruaridh Cook won the pairs category at the 10 Under the Ben endurance event at Fort William, and Oscar Tanski made his competitive debut in the Scottish Enduro Series.

Track cycling has also been a particular strength. Micah Myles has enjoyed a breakout season, winning the overall at a National Youth Omnium Series round in

Sarah McCormac and Donald Sharp fast and furious

Glasgow in March with what appeared to be a record kilometre time, before taking the Scottish Youth Omnium Championship title in Dundee in May. At the Scottish Youth and Junior Track Championships at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in June, Micah took gold in both the youth and junior sprint, gold in the 500m and junior keirin, and further

Halcyon league season for Abercorn teams Abercorn Sports Club fielded four men’s and women’s teams in the VMH Solicitors East of Scotland tennis leagues and were rewarded with some notable success.

On the men’s side the 2nds won Division 8, the 3rds won Division 10 and the 4ths won

silver and bronze medals across the scratch race and kilo. He has since been selected for the British Cycling National Sprinting Relay squad, winning both the U17 match sprint and the keirin at a German youth sprint series meeting.

Lucy Sweeney, Izzy Barbour and Sarah McCormac have also collected multiple medals across the Scottish and National

Omnium programme, with Izzy adding silver and bronze at the Sir Chris Hoy championships.

On the road, Izzy Barbour and Lucy Sweeney were selected for Team Scotland at the Youth Tour of Flanders in Belgium in May, racing on the classic pavé roads of one of cycling’s most iconic venues. Izzy has continued to build strong form since, defending her Ilkley Crits title in July and finishing 24th at the British Road Race Championships in Scarborough on a demanding, hilly course that forced many riders to retire. Closer to home, Danny Farrell has been a prolific presence in the youth and road bike sections of the Fife weekly time trials throughout the season.

Alastair Webb, Edinburgh RC club president, said: “Halfway through the season, the strength in depth across this squad is clear.

We have a rider on the British Cycling National Sprinting Relay programme winning internationally, two girls representing Scotland at the Tour of Flanders, a genuine contender at the top of the National XC Series, and Scottish champions on the track. It has been a fantastic first half of the year for the whole team.”

The team continues racing through the second half of the season, with National Championship and British Series events still to come across all disciplines.

Unusually heavy rain flooded the course

Division 11, while the first team were promoted to Division 4 as runners up.

Among the women the 2nds were promoted to Division 6 while the 1sts, 3rds and 4ths all maintained their position in the league structure.

Moray Pryde

Seven hills conquered Moray Pryde, from Lothian Running Club, is this year’s winner of the venerable Edinburgh Seven Hills race where runners have to plot their own course over the capital’s peaks, starting and finishing on Calton Hill.

Moray has pedigree having won the Loch Ness race twice and the Edinburgh Marathon. His winning time was 1hr 39 mins 18 seconds over the seven hills.

Runner-up was Charles Houston

who was seven seconds behind while Isla Cubitt won the women’s race in 2 hrs 1 min and 26 seconds.

It was back in 2024 - the same year that he took top spot at the Edinburgh Marathon - that Moray completed back-to-back wins in the Loch Ness Marathon shattering a 15 year course record held by Kenya’s Simon Tonui (2009).

He is also accomplished in trail and mountain running events.

Fundraising undampened ABERCORN MEN’S 1ST l to r - Steve Whitby, Dan Proudfoot, Robin Burns, Ali Whitby, Mirko Canavero, Sonny Holmes.

A charity golf day hosted by the Liberton Club has raised £6,000 - £1,000 more than the target figure - for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

The event was the idea of member Harold Feather, whose grandson, Harry,

was born with the disease a year ago.

Unfortunately, no winners could be declared due to a prolonged downpour which flooded the course (see pic above).

Nevertheless, the

objective was realised and added to a further £4,000 raised by Harold’s daughter, Katie, by running the London Marathon the overall donation reached four figures.

Take the tram to Summer Sessions at the Royal Highland Showgrounds this August Closest Tram Stop: Ingliston Park & Ride

You must Tap Off to pay the cheapest adult single City Zone fare, otherwise an Airport Zone fare will be charged.

Contactless terms and conditions apply.