Pedal on Parliament

Pedal on Parliament are calling all Scottish cyclists to get involved

Pedal on Parliament has been set up by a group of cyclists forming a cross-section of Scottish cycling with the same aim in mind – to make Scotland a safer place to cycle.

There is an online petition lobbying MSPs and local councillors to help make Scotland a cycle-friendly nation.

They state:

We call on all Scotland’s politicians, of all parties, to sign up to the following eight point manifesto in order to make cycling a realistic choice for everyone, from eight to eighty – and show the rest of the UK that cycling doesn’t just belong on continental Europe, but in the country where it all began:

1)    Proper funding for cycling.
2)    Design cycling into Scotland’s roads.
3)    Safer speeds where people live, work and play
4)    Integrate cycling into local transport strategies
5)    Sensible road traffic law and enforcement
6)    Reduce the risk of HGVs to cyclists and pedestrians
7)    A strategic and joined-up programme of road user training
8)    Solid research on cycling to support policy-making

Event in Edinburgh – 28th April 2012

There is an event in Edinburgh on Saturday 28th April 2012 where cyclists from across the country, including Mark Beaumont, will cycle from the Meadows as a kind of ‘flash’ bike ride on Holyrood .

This is sure to be a fun day out for all the family as walkers, skate-boarders, roller-skaters and anyone else who enjoyes active travel are invited to join in. Everyone will gather from 2pm for a 3pm start.

Although POP are making a serious point about making cycling safer and easier, the day itself will be light-hearted, with a picnic at the end.

The pace will be slow and easy for people to keep up – however little their legs may be, making this a fun and family-friendly event. This is a peaceful bike ride and will be an approved route from the Meadows to the Scottish Parliament.

Information

You can visit the Pedal on Parliament website for further information on the campaign and the event.

There is a Facebook event page to register you attendance.

You can follow Pedal on Parliament on twitter @POPScotland and be kept up to date of all the latest news on their Facebook group.

You can sign the online petition here.

A map of the route can be found here.

Vintage fair

A new vintage fair opens its doors on Sunday 22nd April 2012 at Spoon Cafe & Bistro

Spoon Cafe on Nicolson Street are hosting an excellent new vintage fair on Sunday 22nd April from 11am – 5pm.

With free entry, the event is bound to prove popular with vintage lovers from across the city.

There is a selection of hand picked stalls selling ceramins, collectables, homewards and furniture from the 50s, 60s and 70s as well as vintage fashion and accessories.

Vintage hair and make-up

Vintage hair and make-up with also be available courtesy of the lovely girls at Edinburgh’s Boosh Hair. Payment is by donation and all proceeds will be going to Marie Curie.

To make your shopping experience even more pleasurable, there will be home-baking and high teas served all day.

Vintage stalls

Stall holders include: The Vintage Vendors, Joey and the Goose, Cupboard Vintage, Ivy Rose Vintage, Bra Bohag, Spex Pistols, Just Braw, Present and Retropolis.

Information

Spoon Cafe and Bistro, 6a Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DH

There is a Facebook event page for the fair.

Suitable for disabled? Despite the premises being on the first floor, there is a chair lift up the flight of stairs making this venue suitable for all.

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Stuart Doyle

Tales of Adventure talks branch out in Edinburgh

A series of excellent speaking events are coming to Edinburgh.

After successful events in London, Tales of Adventure have started up a Scottish branch, headed up by Edinburgh’s Mark Cooper. Mark is not short of tales of adventure himself, having run 50 marathons in 56 day.

The inaugural event will be held on Thursday 17th May 2012 at the Beehive Inn, Grassmarket.

Doors open at 7pm with the first talk starting at 7.30pm. There is a nominal charge of £5 for a ticket to cover costs (payable on the door). There is a bar in the venue that will be open throughout the talks.

Guest speakers

Every month, three speakers will talk about their adventures and challenges they faced.

Lined up for the first event are:

Stuart Doyle

Stuart will be talking about his gruelling 2011, 3,000 mile cycle from Athens – Edinburgh.  He is also currently doing his Treble 12 Challenge which involved a different challenge every month in 2012.

Martin Myers aka the Kilted Runner

Kilted runner

Martin will be discussing his achievements in running and focusing on his successful completion of The Marathon des Sables which is regarded as one of the toughest footaces on the planet. Could you spend 6 days in the desert running 151 miles? You can read more on his website.

The third and final speaker for the launch night will be announced soon. it is also hoped that they will phone link to someone ‘in the field’ that’s currently in an adventure.

We love the look of these events and think it will be great to hear from these inspiring people.

Information

You can join the mailing list (select Edinburgh option) to be kept up to date with the schedule of speakers. There is also a Facebook group.

enLighten to light up Edinburgh

enLIGHTen is an exciting new event for Edinburgh that will fuse words and cutting edge technology to light up the night sky during March. Every evening from 6pm until Midnight, the dark streets will be lit up with massive dynamic projections on various city centre buildings.

The famous quotes from the Scottish Enlightenment period will illuminate buildings along George Street and Rose Street to spectacular effect.

Pic courtesy of Edin City of Lit

enLIGHTen will include specially commissioned animations and audio, to create a stunning, multi-sensory experience for locals and tourists alike.

You can download a specially commissioned audio as a treat for your ears as well as your eyes. This will be available in time for the grand launch in St Andrew Square at 6pm on Friday 1st March.

We can’t wait see Edinburgh City of Literature in a whole new light.

Projection dates:

Charlotte Square    1-18 March

175 Rose Street  1-18 March

81 George Street  9-18 March

22 George Street  8-18 March

1 Rose Street  1-18 March

St Andrew Square  1-8 March

You can read more about the locations here.

Information

More information can be found on the City of Literature website.

You can follow them on twitter @EdinCityoflit and use the hashtag #edlighten

There is a Facebook event for enLIGHTen and lots more details on their blog.

enLIGHTen map

The second of the National Museum of Scotland‘s Museum Lates events, Night of the Mummy saw the galleries of the Chambers St institution filled with the sights, sounds and smells of ancient Egypt in a fun-packed evening inspired by the current Fascinating Mummies exhibition.

The 2,000 tickets were snapped up soon after they went on sale, and the museum was filled with a mostly young crowd sampling the entertainment and activities on offer throughout the galleries. Whether it was the chance to make a pharaoh’s headdress or unwrap a mummy; be turned into Cleopatra via some artistic and stylish facepaint or view the fashions in the pop-up bazaar: there was something to appeal to everyone.

Although they had to head off to their beds before we had a chance to see them, we have it on good authority the meerkats were well worth meeting: as were the albino python and pygmy hedgehog (apparently the ‘cutest thing ever’!)

The popular Silent Disco was back, and was queued out by 10pm; and less silent musical entertainment came courtesy of a DJ set from Ally McRae and live performances from Edinburgh’s Bwani Junction and Glasgow band Sparrow And The Workshop. There was also the chance to have a private viewing of the Fascinating Mummies exhibition for those lucky enough to secure a ticket; whilst live comedy was on offer in the museum’s auditorium.

This event felt much busier than the first: and there were times when the queues at the bars and food stalls made it feel a little too packed. However, there was so much to see and do around the museum that this was only a minor niggle: and, as at the first event, the smiles on everyone’s faces proved a great time was being had by all.

Fast becoming the hottest ticket in town, Museum Lates is a fun and original night out in stunning surroundings. Tickets to the next event on May 18th – themed around an Alice In Wonderland style tea party – are bound to go quick, so keep an eye on the Museum’s Twitter and Facebook pages to find out when they go on sale.

Photo gallery

When visiting St Giles Cathedral yesterday with out of town guests, we stumbled across their free Wednesday concert.

Starting at 12.15pm every Wednesday lunchtime, pianist Will Pickvance curates short concerts of whatever he and his music colleagues are working on that week.

Great classical works are interspersed with original items, influenced by jazz, folk and music hall.  We thoroughly enjoyed listening to the variety of pieces, including a special version of I’d Rather Go Blind by Etta James.

Regular contributors are concert violinist Feargus Hetherington and Hungarian double bassist Balazs Hermann.

There was a mixture of residents attending solely for the concert and happy tourists who had stumbled across the musical hour in one of Edinburgh’s most beautiful buildings.

These concerts are scheduled to take place every Wednesday at 12.15pm until further notice and last approximately one hour.

Concert in St Giles Cathedral

Edinburgh Castle turns pink during previous Moonwalk

Moonwalk 2012

The 7th Edinburgh Moonwalk takes place on Saturday 9th June 2012 and will be another special night where 10,00 women and men will come together to raise money that stays in Scotland.

You can enter online here or pick up an application from these Edinburgh shops.

In the last few years, the Scottish Moonwalks have raised over £10 million for breast cancer causes in Scotland.  Why not take part yourself in 2012?  If you are not able to do the full 26 mile walk, there is the 13 mile option or you can volunteer.

Edinburgh Spotlight fully supports the Edinburgh 2012 Moonwalk and will be volunteering again and supporting many of our friends who will be taking part in this excellent event.

Walk the Walk are on facebook and twitter.

Read our previous interview with Nina here.

Edinburgh Moonwalk 2012

Edinburgh Spotlight loves living in ‘Festival City’ and already has all these dates in its calendar – here’s the rundown of 2012′s festivals.

Mary King’s Ghost Fest TBC for 2012

Paranormal investigations, celebrity ghost hunts and other spooky goings on at The Real Mary King’s Close.

Ceilidh Culture 16 March – 25 April

Edinburgh’s traditional arts festival, featuring music, dance, storytelling and more.

International Science Festival 31 March- 13 April 2012
The International Science Festival features a host of fun and educational events, lectures and attractions celebrating all things scientific.

Beltane Fire Festival 30 April 2012
Beltane is an ancient Celtic festival and Edinburgh plays host to some colourful and exciting celebrations to mark the date.

Imaginate Festival 7 – 14 May 2012
The Imaginate Festival is Edinburgh’s children’s festival and has loads of plays, activities and fun things to do for youngsters of all ages.

Leith Festival 8 -17 June 2012
Come and celebrate all things Leith at this festival, featuring music, dance, art and other exciting events.

Edinburgh International Film Festival 20 June – 1 July
The Edinburgh Film Festival is an internationally-renowned event on the movie festival circuit and attracts premieres and stars from all over the world.

Edinburgh International Magic Festival 29 June – 6 July 2012

2012 will see Edinburgh host the third International Magic Festival with a range of performers show-casing their magical talents.

Edinburgh Art Festival August 2 – September 2
Edinburgh Art Festival celebrates the visual arts in all its diversity, from world-class exhibitions to strikingly original installations.

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival 28 July – 6 August 2012
Get your gladrags on and party to the sounds of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, a popular event which attracts international talent.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 3 - 27 August 2012
Getting bigger, better and – some may say – weirder every year, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the highlight of many a festival-goer’s calendar.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 3 – 25 August 2012
Selling out months in advance, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a spectacular event taking place on the Castle Esplanade.

The Edge Music Festival TBC 2012
Adding alternative music to the August festival mix, The Edge Music Festival attracts A-list bands as part of its programme.

Festival of Spirituality and Peace TBC 2012

The Festival of Spirituality and Peace features music, dance, talks and other events highlighting humanitarian issues and causes.

Edinburgh International Festival 10 August – 2 September 2012
The one that started it all, the Edinburgh International Festival is a feast of world-class music, dance and theatrical performances.

Edinburgh International Book Festival 11 - 27 August 2012
This literary event attracts major names in the writing, publishing and political fields to the serene Charlotte Square Gardens setting.

Edinburgh Mela Festival 31 August  - 2nd September 2012

Celebrating the cultural diversity of the city, the Mela Festival brings colour and exotic flair to Edinburgh in August.

Scottish Story Telling Festival 19-28 October
Celebrating the great Scottish oral tradition, the Story Telling Festival showcases the talents of national bards, poets and tale-spinners.

Edinburgh’s Christmas TBC – late November – End Dec 2011
Edinburgh sparkles at Christmas and features events, attractions and shows for all the family to enjoy during the festival season.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 30 December 2012 – 2 January 2013
End the year with the biggest street party in the world!

Museum Lates at the National Museum of Scotland

Last night we were fortunate enough to have a ticket for RBS Museum Lates, the first of a new night out experience at the National Museum of Scotland.

Tickets for this event sold out fast – and we’re pleased to report it was a great success, and lived up to the buzz and excitement which built up around it.

The Grand Gallery of the museum provided a hub, with a central stage area, two pop-up bars and atmospheric lighting. As the space is so large and airy, it never felt cramped, even when the night was at its busiest. This was partly thanks to all the Museum’s galleries also being open, allowing people to wander around and enjoy the collections and all they have to offer.

The animal galleries proved popular as ever, with the opportunity to have your photo taken dressed as an intrepid jungle explorer; or, on the top floor, to have an up close & personal encounter with snakes, tarantulas and other (very friendly) creepy crawlies!

Entertainment was provided by Ben Butler and Mousepad, S-Type and Found, with the mix of DJ geek chic and folk-tinged pop providing a chilled-out, pre-club atmosphere as the music echoed around the pillars and galleries of the beautiful Victorian interior.

As well as the music, there were plenty of other things to see and do. The facepainting stalls proved to be hugely popular; as did the chill-out zone with the big beanbag cushions and retro boardgames. The Silent Disco was great fun; and the brasserie was doing brisk business serving up snacks and drinks.

Above all, everyone there looked as though they were having a great time, and the atmosphere as people milled around, chatted and grooved to the music was fantastic.

It’s safe to say that this first Museum Lates event was a success – and we’re delighted to hear another one is planned for February 2012, to coincide with the opening of the museum’s Egyptian exhibition – no doubt with some more great music, popup stalls and fun themed activities for everyone to enjoy.

Here are our video and photos of the night.

Gallery

Click on a thumbnail to see the gallery.

Serene Impressions by Jamie Primrose

From autumn light filtering through the trees by the Water of Leith; to the icy reflections on a frozen Union Canal: Primrose uses his ability to capture natural light and colour in a painterly selection of small and medium-format canvases.

He was inspired partly by a ‘busman’s holiday’ in Provence earlier this year, where the quality of the French light and landscape inspired him to paint this new collection; and they indeed have a loose but evocative style to them, bringing to mind similarly-themed works by the Impressionists.

As ever, most of Primrose’s works are painted from photographs which he has taken; and he has chosen to depict places like the Colonies in Stockbridge and the old brewery in Fountainbridge before they were altered (by flood protection works and demolition respectively). He explains these pieces therefore have a timeless quality to them, rather than being identifiable as belonging to specific period.

However, all of Primrose’s work has a degree of timelessness to it: even those depicting the modern architecture of the Shore at Leith have – thanks to their impressionistic style and glowing colours – a broad appeal.

Serene Impressions will be the last chance this year to see this sought-after artist’s work on display, and the pictures – like the subjects themselves – trace a shimmering journey across the walls of the Dundas St Gallery in a well-curated and appealing exhibition which runs until Sat 12th November.

Sighthill demolition

Blowdown operation of three Sighthill tower blocks

Three tower blocks at Sighthill are scheduled for demolition on Sunday 25th September. Safedem are in charge of the demolition of Glenalmond, Hermiston and Weir Courts and it will mark the third blowdown operation for Safedem on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council.

You can see the exclusion zone here. The public are allowed to watch the demolition in person but we will be tuning in live on the internet (courtesy of Stevenson College TV)  for the demolition on Sunday.

This clip of previous Sighthill demolitions shows that the dust caused from the explosions travels quite far!

We had a last look at the flats today, which are all sealed off to the public, but you can still seem them from behind the security fence.

The time of the demolition depends on the evacuation of nearby residents, but it is expected to be between 11am and 12 noon.

Sep 25 update –  Edinburgh Council’s YouTube page with their video of the demolition.

The tower blocks a few days ahead of demolition

Will be rubble on Sunday

Sunset over the flats, 20th September

Demolition

Photo added shortly after demolition. More here.

Another one of our photos from January 2010.

Sighthill flats and the Pentlands

Broughton High School is hosting Septemberfest on Saturday 24th September 2011. Theevent suitable for all the family, and runs from 11am to 4pm. Admission is FREE and there will be football, sports, drumming, therapies, dance, music, crafts and more. There is a Facebook page for the event.

Septemberfest

2011 events

One of our chosen charities to support is It’s Good 2 Give run by the amazing Lynne McNicoll. There’s some amazing Autumn (and beyond) events coming up that are always lots of fun as well as raising lots of money for the charity.

Starting off with some literary events:

Afternoon tea with Lin Anderson

On Sunday 2nd October 2011, at the beautiful Hilton Caledonian Hotel on Princes Street – author, screenwriter, and crime-writing creator of forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod, Lin Anderson will host the first event.

Her Rhona MacLeod series has been optioned for television and ‘Final Cut’ is currently being developed as a three part drama. Lin is also a screenwriter: her first film ‘Small Love’ was shortlisted for a TAPS writer of the year award. Her second film won a Scottish BAFTA for best fiction and also the Celtic Film Festival’s Best Drama award.

Other short stories have been published in anthologies such as the MacAllan Ten Year Collection and dramatised on BBC Radio 4.

Our events always feature superb raffles and this one is no different! First prize will be a set of Lin’s book, signed by the author.

How do I get a ticket? Call Lynne on 07901 555 352 or email info@itsgood2give.co.uk.    £25 per person includes full afternoon tea and a glass or two of sparkling wine.

Afternoon tea with Sara Sheridan

On Sunday 30th October 2011, also at the Hilton Caledonian Hotel – bestselling author Sara Sheridan will be leading a chat about The Book That Changed your Life. Sara’s books are very popular, so we’re anticipating tickets tfor this event will go really fast.  Sara was born in Edinburgh and studied at Trinity College, Dublin. She has written historical fiction, modern fiction, children’s books and short stories, among others. She has also received a Scottish Library Award and was shortlisted for the Saltire Book Prize.

Sara blogs on the Guardian site about her writing life and puts her hand up to being a ‘twitter evangelist’, and a self-confessed ‘word nerd’. Her favourite book is ‘Water Music’ by TC Boyle.

Afternoon tea

This event will also have a set of amazing raffle prizes including all Sara’s books – signed by her

How do I get a ticket? Call Lynne on 07901 555 352 or email info@itsgood2give.co.uk.    £25 per person includes full afternoon tea and a glass or two of sparkling wine.

The Annual It’s Good 2 Give Fashion Show

Sunday 6th November 2011 4-6pm at the Tom Fleming Centre for the Performing Arts, Edinburgh.

The annual Fashion Show returns to the Tom Fleming Centre for the Performing Arts later this year.   Tickets are priced at an astonishing £5 ( and Lynne wants every one of the 550 seats filled). Additionally, if you book ten tickets you will only pay for nine. The models all have a reason to model for It’s Good 2 Give – from young cancer patients, their siblings, parents to the professional staff who take care of them. They’re expertly trained by top model Anna Freemantle, who leads catwalk skills workshops for our models in the months leading up to the event!.  The wonderful Charlie Miller team of hairdressers will be doing all the hair, so it’s a fun and fabulous evening.

Clothes from: Tea at Aunties,  Fifi Wilson, Kakao by K, Sam Brown, Joyce Paton, 21st Century Kilts and Merry go Round. Hamilton & Inches will be loaning some jewellery too.

Radio presenter and favourite pantomime baddie (oh yes he is)  Grant Stott will co-host the event alongside two young cancer patients – Laura Gibson and Shannon Mackenzie.

Tickets can be booked by emailing info@itsgood2give.co.uk or calling 07901555352

The formiddable Lynne McNicoll (pic courtesy of photonbrush)

Afternoon tea with Maggie O’ Farrell

Sunday 20th November 2011 at the Hilton Caledonian Hotel. Maggie O’Farrell is the author of five novels, After You’d Gone, My Lover’s Lover, The Distance Between Us, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and, mostly recently The Hand That First Held Mine, which won the Costa. Born in Northern Ireland, Maggie grew up in Wales and Scotland. This event will sell fast! Maggie is a critically acclaimed author who is also extremely popular.

Our events always feature superb raffle prizes – this event will have a set of all Maggie’s books – signed by her.

How do I get a ticket? Call Lynne on 07901 555 352 or email info@itsgood2give.co.uk. £25 per person includes full afternoon tea and a glass or two of sparkling wine.

2011 Christmas Afternoon Tea

Sunday 4 December 2011 1-4pm. Another Christmas afternoon tea at the Caledonian with carol singers, flower displays, gift wrapping advice and so much more – tickets sold so fast last December we are putting them on sale now.  Don’t miss out. Book now: it’s  £20 per person, which is a bargain.

We will have a shopping experience before the afternoon tea starts. From 1 till 2pm you can shop for the man/men in your life: they’re always so hard to buy for, so we’ve got some great present ideas for you. Adrienne Kerr, owner of the wonderful stationer, Magenta Ink, will be on hand to give you wrapping tips to make your gifts extra special. Tea will feature scrumptious sandwiches, cake, and drinks, including a glass of bubbly.

For your ticket call Lynne on 07901 555 352 or email info@itsgood2give.co.uk.

Further information

If you can offer Lynne any help at all with events, admin work, contacts or donations – please drop her an email , she would love to hear from you.

Keep up to date with forthcoming events.  You can donate to the cause and follow Lynne’s blog.  The charity is also on twitter and facebook.

Jungle City in Edinburgh

Jungle City unveiled in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens

Today saw the launch of Jungle City in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanical Gardens. There’s around 130 life sized animals dotted around the gardens, with some special ones on show in Harvey Nichols at St Andrew Square and inside The Dome on George Street.

The Elephant Family exists to save the endangered Asian elephant from extinction in the wild, along with tigers, orang-utans and all the other animals who share their habitat.

The Botanics are free to enter and the Jungle City is situated around the main paths and trees and easy to spot.

For those that want to learn more about the animals, there is an audio guide available and the £4.50 cost to hire the guide goes direct to the charity. One audio guide is fine per family as it is speaker-based and not through headphones.

The sculptures will remain in the Botanical Gardens for the next few weeks and will then be relocated on the streets of Edinburgh on 6th September.  They will then regroup for one final gathering at the National Museum of Scotland, before being sold at auction in aid of the preservation of Asian elephants.

• There are 130 sculptures of mother and baby elephants, tigers, hornbills, crocodiles, orangutans and tigers.  All have been creatively decorated by artists and celebrities.

• Fifty of the sculptures can ‘talk’ and feature voiceovers by a number of celebrities including Andrea Corr, Dame Rula Lenska and Geri Halliwell.  You will have the opportunity to use the audio guides to listen to the voices.

• The Jungle City concept is the brainchild of Elephant Family founder and conservationist Mark Shand.

• The online auction will go live on 22^nd September – please visit www.jungle-city.org for further details
• The auction will take place 29^th September at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

We’ll be bringing you more pictures of our favourites and a full review in due course. When the animals move to the Edinburgh Streets, there will be a map available to track them all down. Elephant merchandise is available to purchase at the Botanics and Harvey Nichols, with all the profit going direct to the cause.

You can find the Elephant Family and Jungle City on Facebook and follow them on twitter.

Life sized elephants on display

By Julie Dawson

Paul Foot is obviously a man who likes to play with the conventions of comedy. With 15 years of experience under his belt, he is sufficiently confident at this preview show to spend fully half of his allotted time on introductory material.

From the moment Foot announces himself from an “undisclosed location”, the audience are on his side. No matter that his approach is sometimes shambolic, that it is often unclear what is a mistake and what is planned, that large portions of the show are delivered in unintelligible gibberish. Paul’s fans – or “connoisseurs” as he prefers to call them – are with him all the way.

Foot’s style won’t appeal to everyone. His rambling delivery may prove frustrating for those looking for quick-fire jokes, he devotes too much time to some material and certain bits veer into self-indulgence. But this is a man who has obviously found his niche, and a roomful of happy people speaks for itself.

4-28 Aug (not 16) 1940 (2040) @ Underbelly

Castle Street, Edinburgh

Fair Trade on the Fringe, Castle Street

Fair Trade on the Fringe is an International event that provides a platform for Fair Trade and ethical gifts from across the globe.  Held in a marquee on Castle Street, Fair Trade on the Fringe will again bring together the best of fair trade gifts, foods and drinks, crafts, fashion, jewellery as well street performers and live music.

Products included from from Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, India, Brazil, Peru, Ghana and many other countries across the world. This event supports producers of these products where every penny makes a difference.

The Fair is free to enter and is open on Castle Street from Saturday 13th August until Sunday 21st August between 10am and 6pm daily.

Our friends over at the Broughton Spurtle are proud to announce:

Spurtle will host a hustings on Tuesday 9 August from 7.15–9.15pm at Broughton St Mary’s Parish Church in Bellevue Crescent.

Although the Spurtle is a Broughton-based entity, this is an event for everyone in Ward 11 (see map). STV will blogcast live from the event.

If you are unable to attend in person but would like to take part, send your questions for candidates to us at spurtle@hotmail.co.uk. The independent Chair will choose from questions submitted by Spurtle and STV readers towards the end of the meeting, favouring bombshells and relevant subject areas which have not already been covered.

So far, six candidates have announced that they are running. In alphabetical order, they are:

• John Carson (Independent)
• Karen Doran (Labour)
• Alastair Hodgson (Liberal-Democrat)
• Iain McGill (Conservative)
• Melanie Main (Green)
• Alasdair Rankin (Scottish Nationalist).

This by-election faces two particular challenges: summer holidays and the Edinburgh International Festival. Please promote local democracy by spreading word about the hustings among your friends and contacts, and – if you have a legal place to stick it which doesn’t hurt – download the pdf poster.

Spurtle Hustings

12th - 14th August 2011

Foodies Festival returning to Holyrood Park for 2011

The excellent Foodies Festival is returning to Edinburgh in 2011 on Friday 12th, Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th August in the beautiful grounds of Holyrood Park again. The festival is suitable for all the family and makes a great day out.

The event is open at the following times:

You follow the Edinburgh Foodies Festival on twitter and be kept up to date with the latest information.

Visitors will enjoy new features for 2011, as well as established favourites including:

• Chefs Theatre: The regions Michelin star and top chefs will cook their favourite signature dishes live, passing on hints and tips.

• Fringe stars including Tim Vine, The Hamiltons and Four Poofs and a Piano will join top chefs on stage to mix cooking with comedy.

• Fringe Highlights: Acts from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival will perform live, giving visitors a taster of the best music, dance and comedy.

• Pop-up Cook School: Visitors will enjoy hands-on cooking and tasting sessions, with guidance from top chefs and food experts.

• Cooking with Kids: Masterclasses for budding young chefs and their families.

• Drinks Masterclass Theatre: Mixing and shaking, nosing and tasting sessions where visitors are led through the complexities of gin, rum, speciality beer, wine and cocktails.

• Speciality and local exhibitors: Visitors can sample and buy exclusive ingredients from over 100 food and drink producers.

• Great Taste Market: Featuring stallholders whose products have won a prestigious Great Taste Award in the last three years (new for 2011)

• Restaurant Village: Visitors can indulge in dishes from around the world

• Bar Pagoda Tents: Visitors can enjoy a glass of bubbly or seasonal cocktail made by expert mixologists.

You can buy tickets in advance with a 3 day ticket costing £18 and a day ticket £10. Concessions are available.

Competition

We have 5 pairs of 3-day tickets to give away in our easy competition worth £36 per pair!

You can enter in 3 different ways:

1. On our facebook page ‘like’ the relevant post by 6pm on Sunday 24th July 2011.

2. On twitter, RT the relevant tweet by 6pm on Sunday 24th July 2011.

3. Email competitions@edinburghspotlight.com with ‘FOODIES’ in the subject line.

Winners will be picked at random on Sunday evening and will be notified by email on where to collect the winning tickets.  Good luck!

We loved Foodies in 2010

* sun cannot be guaranteed of course!

Back for 2011

The Portobello Big Beach Busk is back for 2011

After the success of the Portobello Big Beach Busk last year, the event is back for 2011.

Last year the sun was out and over 100 performers lined a mile of Portobello Promenade to entertain over a thousand people.

Aiming for another mile of uninterrupted music, the organisers welcome musicians, jugglers, statues or robots, to sign up and come down to the beach at 12 noon on 27th August.

All kinds of performers are welcome throughout the event and it’s suitable for all the family.

Let’s hope the sun is shining once more.

You can like the Big Beach Busk on facebook and be kept up to date with the event.

Portobello Beach

Pic courtesy of London 2012

Scotland’s first ever Beach Tennis event to be held at Portobello beach

Tennis players of all ages are welcome to play in Scotland’s first beach tennis event at Portobello, on Saturday 23rd July.

Beach Tennis began as a ‘just for fun’ sport in Italy and is now being recognised as an official sport seeking Olympic status. It is similar to beach volleyball and uses a higher net and soft balls as it’s volleys only.

Courts will be created on the sand to provide players of all levels with the opportunity to play and enjoy games of beach tennis. Playing with soft balls (volleys, no bounce) and small racquets will ensure that everyone is able to control the ball so that rallies happen and fun is had.

The courts will be created on the sands near the Beach House Cafe on the Promenade. The event is free and there will be games for children and adults, making this an event suitable for all.

Here’s a YouTube clip of beach tennis in full swing.

Link to Edinburgh’s Beach Tennis on the London 2012 website.

Portobello Beach, Edinburgh