The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Weekend edition 20 - 22 September 2024
George Street revamp update, Lothian Road fire, charity boss apology + Holyrood Park swans return
🌤️️ Good morning Edinburgh. Here’s Friday’s Edinburgh Minute, followed by the weekend guide for paid-subscribers.
🗣️ Chief executive of Edinburgh-based Rape Crisis Scotland, Sandy Brindley, says she will not stand down in the wake of a controversy over single-sex spaces. - Mary McCool & Fiona Stalker, BBC Scotland News.
🔥 Part of Lothian Road was closed off last night due to a fire in a flat. No injuries were reported. - John-Paul Clark & Iona Young, Daily Record.
🚗 A student has admitted causing the death of a 20-year-old pedestrian by driving at more than twice the speed limit on Easter Road. - BBC Scotland News.
🛝 Parents say they ‘feel hurt and let down’ after it was confirmed Peek-A-Boo nursery in Clermiston will close next month. - Jacob Farr, Edinburgh Live.
🌳 George Street’s pedestrianisation plan could see the removal of trees and car chargers, with cheaper materials used for resurfacing, amid rising costs. - Donald Turvill, Local Democracy Reporter, Evening News.
🚲 Should Princes Street have segregated cycle lanes? The council is looking into it. More than 1,500 people have voted in the poll in Tuesday's newsletter. Most are in favour. - See the results so far.
🛍️ Gucci’s first UK shop outside London is due to open at Multrees Walk today. - Brian Donnelly, The Herald.
🚈 Trains running from Fife to Edinburgh must have more carriages on them to stop overcrowding, a Fife MSP says. It’s reported that overcrowding often leaves ‘dozens of commuters stranded and irate on the rail platform at Inverkeithing’. - Chris Faulds, Dunfermline Press.
🍛 Mother India Cafe on Infirmary Street has been named as Scotland's 'Street Food Restaurant of the Year' at the 2024 Asian Restaurant Awards. - Gary Flockhart, Evening News.
🥤 The future of Edinburgh’s two TGI Fridays restaurants is in doubt after the company’s UK operator collapsed into administration. - Gary Flockhart, Evening News.
🐧 Edinburgh Zoo is set to bring back a new version of its penguin parade after the event was postponed for more than four years. - Lucy Jackson, The National.
🦢 After vanishing earlier this year, swans have returned to Holyrood Park, reports Minute subscriber Wiebke Burnett.
📕 One for the early risers: Andy Irvine’s 5Things series returns with a pop-up event this morning at 8.30am. It’s a simple idea: 1 book, 5 things, lots of new ideas. Mike Coulter, a Creative Director from The Do Lectures, will share five things from Tiny Habits, by Stanford University Professor BJ Fogg. - More details here.
🎤 Singer Zayn Malik has announced he’ll begin his UK tour at Edinburgh’s O2 Academy in November. - Tickets. Thanks to reader Sharon for sharing this.
🎪 Organisers of Fringe by the Sea say this year’s festival gave the region ‘an estimated economic boost of £9.9m’. - Figures from an independent report by MKA Economics are published here.
🍂 Merchiston Leaf Clearing Project is looking for volunteers to help keep local pavements safe. It’s a council-supported project. - More details via Merchiston Community Council.
📚 Crime writer Ian Rankin has shared a video unboxing his upcoming new novel Midnight and Blue.
📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard
📌 “FACE/OFF An Exhibition of Portrait Photography at Leith Makers, 18-22 Sep. Public opening night, Fri 20th Sep, 7-10pm. 26 photographers were matched at random and now share their portraits in a FACE/OFF. A celebration of digital and analogue photography.” - Thanks to Miriam Morris, participating photographer and curator, for sharing this.
📌 “Join Women Who Write Edinburgh for a day of writing with fellow women and non-binary writers on the 22nd September at Tribe Porty, Portobello. We meet at 9 am for a series of focused writing sprints (unlimited tea and coffee included!), with breaks to get to know other local writers and for a lunchtime walk on the beach. Open to anyone identifying as a woman or non-binary – Tickets are available here.” - Thanks to Women Who Write Edinburgh for sharing this.
📌 “Concert by Lauren Bianchi, Saturday, September 21, 18:00-19:00: Join us for a performance by Lauren Bianchi, a Scottish storyteller, as she weaves storytelling and musical elements to explore Scottish culture, feminist themes, and queer narratives.” - Thanks to Molly Ashmeade, St Cecilia's Hall & Music Museum, for sharing this.
📆 Things to do this weekend:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Edinburgh Minute to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.