The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Weekend edition: 16 - 18 May 2025
£3m emergency fund for charities, urgent meeting on mental health cuts, by-election announced + annual Stockbridge Colonies yard sale
☀️ Good morning Edinburgh. I got some feedback from an un-subscriber yesterday: “It feels like there is less detail than there used to be!” - That’s a helpful bit of feedback. However, before unsubscribing, you’re always welcome to let me know directly in the comments if you feel the Minute falls short. Then I can address it before you give up on supporting. The newsletter exists for two reasons: to help people find local news and to support local publishers. The idea is you get a gist of what’s happening and click through to get more details. It’s called the Minute for that reason!
Some days it’s shorter because there’s not as much news. Unlike other news websites, I don’t have page-view targets to appease advertisers, so I’ll always be honest in saying: “there’s not as much news today” instead of running misleading headlines to lure you in or clickbait stories about other locations. This is the antidote to that side of the advertising-addicted news industry. The Minute is proudly ad-free only thanks to subscribers. I’m one person doing my best every morning. Anyway, I’ll try to include more detail where it makes sense. For example, I spent a lot of last weekend uncovering details for Monday’s Mental Health Awareness Week special. It’s a topic I will always advocate for. Absolutely gutted when anyone unsubscribes but the feedback is still always welcome. Without your help, I can’t keep this thing going. And I love doing it. Thanks to those who stick with the newsletter.
Just as I finished writing that, this came in:
“Just some feedback- my wife starts her dream job next week thanks to an ad I saw in the Edinburgh Culture Minute. So so so glad we pay to subscribe! (Not just coz of the job, also just because it’s great) Just wanted to say thank you!” - Thanks to ‘A happy spouse!’ for sharing this.
Meantime, here’s Friday’s Edinburgh Minute, including the Community Noticeboard + the weekend guide for paying subscribers.
☀️ It’s due to be another sunny weekend with highs of 19C and lows of 7C. - The full Met Office forecast is here.
💰 The council has announced details of a £3m ‘emergency fund’ to support 46 organisations and projects working to prevent poverty and support vulnerable residents. - More details including a list of all 46 orgs here.
⮑ A decision on how to allocate a further £423,400 will be made when councillors meet again on 27 May.
⮑ The bail-out follows a £4.5m cut to the Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board programme, writes Dami Adewale in Third Sector.
⮑ Following on from Monday's Mental Health Awareness Week feature (Minute edition 637), the Thrive Collective - made up of third sector organisations delivering community mental health support - has announced an ‘urgent public meeting’ at Augustine United Church on Monday 26 May. The Thrive Collective is an award-winning programme of organisations working together to deliver mental health support across the city. They offer ‘vital early intervention and prevention measures’, which are threatened by the EIJB cuts. The collective said:
“This urgent public meeting will make a case to stop mental health service cuts in Edinburgh with an opportunity to hear directly from charities and people involved to Let Edinburgh Thrive.”
⮑ You can reserve a place on Eventbrite.
🗳️ There will be a by-election in the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart ward on 26 June. It follows the death of councillor Val Walker, who passed away suddenly last month. - The council published details here.
🏢 An investigation has begun into why fire risks at Gorgie’s Westfield Court flats were not addressed when identified five years ago. - Joseph Sullivan, Evening News.
🇺🇸 Inquiries from people in the US about buying a home in Britain are at an eight-year high, with Edinburgh topping the list, reports Rupert Jones in The Guardian this morning.
🇵🇸 Europe's first museum of contemporary Palestinian art opens in Dundas Street this weekend. - Kevin Quinn, Evening News.
📡 Forth 1’s breakfast team has picked up the award for Breakfast Show of the Year at the Radio Academy awards in London for the second year in a row. - See the team celebrating on the red carpet here.
🎨 With four weeks until launch, Hidden Door has announced its festival timings plus a new batch of acts. - Murray Robertson, The List.
🍕 The annual Edinburgh Food Festival in George Square has thrown live music into the mix and changed its name to become ‘Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival’. - The first acts have been announced.
🍽️ A new all-day eatery called Cafe Calton is due to open at the top of Calton Hill next month, replacing The Lookout, which closed last year. - Scottish Licensed Trade News.
🍽️ Restaurant critic Chitra Ramaswamy has eaten all over Edinburgh. In The Times’s Alba section, she shares an updated selection of some of her favourite restaurants and cafes in the capital. - ‘The 14 best restaurants in Edinburgh — critic’s guide.’
📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard - news you can use:
If this post gets cut-off in your email inbox, read it online at this link.
📌 “Join us at Boro Gallery this Friday from 7pm for the opening of O.Two's 'Watch Until the End' exhibition. In this body of work, the artist navigates the aesthetic aftershocks of a world coming apart in real time. The abstract paintings are shaped by the visual noise of contemporary life, a culture where celebration and catastrophe share the same glow. Fireworks and drone strikes. Sunset skies and burning horizons. Moments of intimacy and atrocity, broadcast in the same rolling doomcast. RSVP yo@boro-edinburgh.com” - Thanks to Rob Swain for sharing this.
📌 “A captivating new golf exhibition, 'Teeing Off Through Time,' has been unveiled at Edinburgh Leisure's Braid Hills Golf Course, coinciding with preparations for the milestone 125th Edinburgh Evening News Dispatch Trophy. The exhibition celebrates Edinburgh's rich golfing heritage just as the city's most prestigious amateur team golf championship returns to Braid Hills. The historic Dispatch Trophy, dating back to 1890, will commence on May 17th with the final scheduled for May 24th and has been a cornerstone of Edinburgh's golfing tradition for over 130 years, interrupted only by the two World Wars and the COVID-19 pandemic.” - Thanks to Kerry Teakle, Edinburgh Leisure, for sharing this.
📌 “Get ready for the 🌱spring picnic edition🌱 of our monthly community meal at the Edinburgh Student Housing Co-operative! Volunteers at ESHC will be teaming up to bring you an evening filled with delicious home cooked food and great company. This event is FREE and open to all! Friday May 16, 7:30pm - 9:30pm. Location: Outside ESHC, 34 Wright's Houses, Edinburgh (you'll find us out on the links)” - Thanks to Natasha, ESHC, for sharing this.
📌 “Drawing workshop at Leith Depot, EH6 5DT, run by illustrator Susan Mitchell. Buy yourself a drink at the bar, then come on through to the room next door and improve your drawing skills with fun art exercises in a relaxed and sociable setting. A perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.” - Thanks to Susan Mitchell for sharing this.
📌 “Citizens Advice Edinburgh delivers free, confidential, life-changing advice and last year advised over 12,000 people but in current times, they are struggling to meet demand with queues regularly forming outside bureaux before drop-in sessions open. The charity announced they will receive a £100,000 unrestricted funding boost as part of Foundation Scotland's £12 million fast-tracked "Response Fund" designed to make an immediate difference to the hardest hit in our communities.” - Thanks to Foundation Scotland for sharing this.
📌 “We've got just a few spots left in our upcoming May/June workshops at Edinburgh Open Workshop - don't miss your chance to create, build, and learn! Workshops with limited spaces include: Introduction to Welding; Make your own Multifunctional Table; and Handcraft a Double Step Stool. Perfect for beginners or anyone ready to get making!” - Thanks to Edinburgh Open Workshop for sharing this.
📌 “Join the Genesis Scottish Open at the Golf Tavern in Edinburgh this Sunday from 12pm. We are bringing the thrill of the national open straight to the heart of the city by bringing the official Genesis Scottish Open trophy for one exclusive afternoon at the Golf Tavern. This is a once-in-a-season chance to: Snap a photo next to the iconic trophy, take part in a fun golf competition on the Links. Enter the email competition on the day for a chance to win tickets to the Genesis Scottish Open.” - Thanks to the organisers for sharing this.
📌 “Charcuterie, cheese and wine! Join Leith's East Coast Cured & Edinburgh cheese legends I.J.Mellis on Thursday 22nd May at 6:30 pm for a special charcuterie and cheese tasting in the Cheese Lounge of Mellis's Morningside branch. From humble beginnings making charcuterie in their attic, to their tiny Leith shop, to Salamiland, learn how Steven & Susie Anderson turned their passion for cured meats into a successful family business.” - Thanks to East Coast Cured for sharing this.
📌 “Leith Community Croft's Sunday market is re-launching this summer and is now looking for traders! The markets will centre local, small businesses and sustainable, eco-friendly products and produce. So if your business fits in with this ethos and you'd like to be a part of the 2025 market re-launch, submit your application now!” - Thanks to The Earth in Common Team for sharing this.
📌 “Tales From The Hearth Fire and the Edinburgh Cinema and Video Society are having a red carpet première of the short film Tehi Tegi and also a selection of other short films featuring traditional Northern European folk tales and songs all filmed in and around Edinburgh. Saturday 17th May, 6pm, 23a Fettes Row. (Free).” - Thanks to Gordon Guthrie, Edinburgh Cine & Video Society, for sharing this.
📌 “Critically acclaimed Edinburgh-based artist Constantine.. is offering his new book The Secret to Mastering Artistic Expression and Intelligence (2nd Edition) for free, for five days only. Packed with creative insights and artistic philosophy, it's perfect for anyone feeling stuck or seeking inspiration. Download now, read at your own pace, and if it moves you—leave a review!” - Thanks to Constantine.. the Artist for sharing this.
📌 “Backstage at Bennets once again - Pure Mania Market returns with more stalls & intrigue. Records, clothes, curios and all other assortments of strange things are up for offer by local Edinburgh mutants on the 18th of May in Tollcross.” - Thanks to Tony Quilietti, Editor at The New Wave Times, for sharing this.
📌 “The Tenementals will be appearing at The Wee Red Bar on Saturday 17 May! Join the award-winning band as they perform songs from their critically acclaimed debut album 'Glasgow: A History (Vol. I of VI)'; special guests, the wonderful San Tyler. Doors Open, 7.30pm!” - Thanks to the band for sharing this.
📌 “The annual Stockbridge Colonies yard sale is on again this weekend. Featuring live music, residents will be selling bric a brac, pottery, artworks, upcycled items and more. Please note this is a cash only event.” - Thanks to Lizzie, volunteer with the yard sale, for sharing this.
🌯 Also in Stockbridge this weekend, the Neighbourgood Market continues. - This weekend’s traders are on the market’s Instagram page and there are more markets in the weekend guide below.
🛝 For more family-friendly things to do, this week’s edition of Gayle’s Guide includes: North Edinburgh Community Festival, a new dads' cooking class and local swans.
