The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Weekend edition 10 - 12 January 2025
Gorgie City Farm to reopen with The Forge, Portobello swim fears, Summerhall bid + your weekend guide
❄️ Good morning Edinburgh. Sunshine and more freezing conditions are forecast on Friday and Saturday, while Sunday’s due to be slightly warmer and cloudier according to the Met Office. Here’s Friday’s Edinburgh Minute followed by the weekend guide for paying subscribers.
🐷 A new company is set to take on a 25-year lease of Gorgie City Farm, after successfully bidding to run the much-loved community farm which closed to the public two years ago. It will team up with Fountainbridge woodwork hub The Forge, which will relocate to Gorgie. Councillors will vote on the plan next week. - More from Local Democracy Reporter Kirsty Paterson in The Edinburgh Reporter.
🎆 Organisers of the cancelled Hogmanay events have ruled out replacing its fireworks display with drones next year, ‘due to cost and city centre logistics’. - Angie Brown, BBC Scotland News.
🎭 A new charity aiming to secure the future of Summerhall arts centre is pledging a 'bright new future' for the venue, with a full-scale Festival Fringe comeback. - Brian Ferguson, The Scotsman.
🔥 The City Bypass road was partially closed yesterday morning due to a car fire. - Matthew Fulton, STV News.
⛴️ The Spirit of Tasmania ferry will remain in Leith Docks for at least another month. - Travel Weekly.
🐯 Two lynx released in the Highlands illegally are now heading Edinburgh Zoo after being captured overnight. - Ross Hempseed & Michelle Henderson, Press & Journal.
🌊 Eight months of water quality tests by citizen scientists in Portobello are uncovering ‘significant problems’, reports Jolene Campbell in the Edinburgh Inquirer.
🏢 Developers have revived plans to replace a Murrayfield Sports Bar in Gorgie with student flats. - Ian Swanson, Evening News.
🍽️ Bruntsfield restaurant Honeycomb & Co has announced it will close on Sunday 19 January. Owner Ian D’Annuzio-Green is retiring. - Gary Flockhart, Evening News.
⮑ The shop will next be run as Pantry Edinburgh, having been bought by Peter & Steph Borgen-Nielsen of The Hula Group, who run Pantry Stockbridge and the Hula Juice bars in the Grassmarket and Fountainbridge. - More details in this Instagram post.
🏅 Sting and Sir Bob Geldof are teaming up with Edinburgh’s Social Bite charity to launch a new award. - Joshua King, The Scotsman.
📲 The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced it is leaving the social media site formerly known as Twitter due to the "negativity and misinformation" on the platform. - Gabriel McKay, The Herald.
🏰 Edinburgh Castle will close for three days next week. - Neil Johnstone, Evening News.
📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard
📌 “Looking to join a choir in Edinburgh? The Vintage Chorus , which meets on Tuesday mornings at 10.30am in the Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, EH1 1EL would make you very welcome. There are no auditions and the first session is free. More details here.” - Thanks to a choir organiser for sharing this.
📌 “Seems to be much interest in local COMMUNITY CHOIRS among followers of the Edinburgh Minute. There's a great Facebook group with 500 members, dedicated to the local scene. You can find details from lots of choirs, posting about their new season starting dates, forthcoming concerts etc.” - Thanks to an anonymous reader for sharing this.
📌 “Are you looking to start the year by getting out and about and meeting new people? Then we hope you will join us 11am-1pm on Monday 13th January at LifeCare's warm and welcoming community cafe, CafeLife (2 Cheyne Street, EH4 1JB), as we celebrate the 1st birthday of our Chatty Cafe and help turn Blue Monday into Brew Monday. Enjoy coffee, tea, cake and conversation as we bring the community together round our Chatter and Natter Table. We're incredibly proud of all we have achieved this year and hope you can join us to celebrate, we can't wait to welcome you!” - Thanks to Claire, LifeCare Edinburgh, for sharing this.
