The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Monday 10 August 2026
Update on Princes Street tax-evading gift shops, daily George Street bus gridlock 'needs share of £5m', Napier uni eyeing up Gyle move + Dog and Cat Home 'blown away' by generosity
🌤️ Good morning Edinburgh. It's a busy start to the week. Thanks to everyone supporting this newsletter or sharing items. It truly is people-powered news. Here’s Monday's Edinburgh Minute.
🌦️ This week's weather: A sunny start with cloud moving in later this morning. Looking like a drier and sunnier week, with no rain forecast until Thursday evening. A high of 25C on Wednesday and a low of 10C just now. - The full Met Office forecast is here.
🔥 Today, in collaboration with London Centric, we’ve got an update on who was running the tax-evading gift shops during last month's Princes Street fire.
Michael MacLeod
🚎 Bus campaigners want some of the £5m Princes Street fire recovery fund to go towards tackling bus congestion in George Street. Edinburgh Bus Users Group published an open letter here, also calling for 'immediately usable information about diversions at all affected bus stops' and 'a dedicated bus replacement service covering the tram route'.
- Last week the council said it would give a portion of the cash to Edinburgh Trams to cover 'increased costs and a loss of income due to disruption on the network'.
- Lothian Buses boss Willie Hamilton said: "Since this incident, teams have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to redesign services, coordinate operations across both networks, introduce ticket acceptance arrangements, provide up to date travel information and support customers throughout a complex and evolving situation." - Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, The Herald.
- There's a video from the daily George Street bus gridlock in Ian Swanson's Evening News report.
🚧 The temporary pavement extension at Greyfriars Bobby now has signage, but is facing continued criticism. More details in this week's edi.bike newsletter, as well as updates on the Powderhall railway, record-breaking cycle numbers on Leith Walk and concern of a possible ebike parking ban at some NHS properties.
🏦 Edinburgh Napier University is reportedly 'eyeing' the Tesco Bank offices in South Gyle as a replacement for its Merchiston campus, reports Ross Chalmers, Deadline News.
🍼 The city council is investigating a publicly-funded group that offers to support people to 'chestfeed' babies, reports Catriona Stewart, The Scotsman.
🖼️ National Galleries of Scotland staff began a month of strike action at the weekend. The PCS union said around 200 workers were on the picket line. - Some spoke to Omur Sahin Keyif of The Arts Reporter, while the galleries shared a statement here.
✈️ The traditional Red Arrows flypast over the castle during the Tattoo has been scrapped because they are stranded in Canada due to the weather. - David McKenna, BBC News.
🛟 A cruise ship passenger needed a medical evacuation from the South Queensferry Coastguard Rescue team on the Forth. - They shared details on Facebook.
🍻 The opening of a new 'William Chambers' Wetherspoons bar on Chambers Street, replacing the former Vodka Rev bar, has been pushed back to 3 November. It will be the city's seventh Wetherspoons. - Rachel Fergusson, Evening News.
🐾 The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home charity staff say they are 'absolutely blown away by the generosity of our amazing supporters' after a huge response to their pet food appeal: "We work with nearly 90 human food banks, supporting thousands of pets every year through this service alone. Your donations help keep these pets where they belong, at home with the people who love them, while reducing the number of animals that may otherwise need to be surrendered into rescue centres like ours." - They shared more details on Facebook.
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📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard
⮑ Please get in touch using this form. < It’s the only way to get something featured in the newsletter. PS if you send in a September event, I'll bank it and publish it closer to the time!
🏉 2GoCup Announces Sponsorship of Murrayfield Wanderers FC - '2GoCup is proud to partner with Murrayfield Wanderers FC, supporting a club that shares their commitment to community, teamwork, and positive impact. Together, they're championing sustainability and encouraging the move away from single-use waste.' - More details here, shared by 2GoCup.
🏡 Help Shape the Future of Starbank House - 'Starbank House in Trinity, is being considered as a potential community space for local residents. We would like to hear your views on how the building could be used and what activities would be most valuable for the local community.' - More details here, shared by Starbank House Steering Group.
🌍 Public Meeting - West Edinburgh Against Hyperscale AI Data Centres - 'This meeting is to inform the local community about the proposed development and its impact in our community; our air, our water, our energy and our greenbelt. Date: 17.8.26 Time: 7pm Place: Gibson Currie Halls, 155 Lanark Road, Currie' - More details here, shared by Gordon Fraser, West Edinburgh Against AI Data Centres.
🚌 PETITION! Lothian Buses REFUSE to reinstate services to bus stops on Leven Street after 50 years! - 'Please sign! Help us fight the LRT decision made with NO consultation with the local community; the key bus stops serving the Kings Theatre for 50 years! Gillespie Lodge on Gillespie Crescent houses 112 elderly residents - totally heartless + cruel.' - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.
📸 162nd Edinburgh International Photography Exhibition 2026 [Until 31 Aug]
Today, Mon 10 August - 'Come and see superb photography in the New Town! The Edinburgh Photographic Society presents its annual Exhibition and with 2 more exhibitions there are over 270 wonderful prints on show.'
10am to 5pm | Edinburgh Photographic Society · New Town | £7 on the door - More details here, shared by Isobel Lindsay, Edinburgh Photographic Society.
🥪 Kosher Diner [Until 27 Aug]
Tomorrow, Tue 11 August - 'Delicious salt beef sandwiches, chicken soup, latkes and more! Email ehcdiner@gmail.com to register to attend. Tuesdays and Thursdays 12-3.'
12pm to 3pm | Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation · Southside - More details here, shared by Zoe.
🌒 See the Solar Eclipse at Camera Obscura
Wed 12 August - 'Visit Camera Obscura to experience one of the most remarkable astronomical events of a generation from its Rooftop Terrace on Wednesday 12 August 2026. The eclipse will begin around 6.08pm, reach maximum at 7.05pm and finish around 8.00pm.'
5.30pm to 8.30pm | Camera Obscura & World of Illusions · Old Town - More details here, shared by Camera Obscura & World of Illusions.
tony parlato
🏀 Free beginner korfball sessions throughout August [Until 28 Aug]
Wed 12 August - 'Fancy trying a new sport? Korfball is a mixed-gender sport, similar to netball and basketball! Edinburgh City Korfball Club are holding free beginner sessions throughout August. Check out our website for more details - no experience needed!'
7pm to 8.30pm | Westwoods Health Club · Inverleith | FREE - More details here, shared by Katrina, Edinburgh City Korfball Club.
🖋️ Mark Making as Method: Abstracted Ink Drawing
Thu 13 August - 'Providing participants with an introduction to using dip pens, we will look at ink as a medium through more foundational application methods. Working with dip pens can feel daunting initially, we will showcase the fun and accessibility of the medium!'
1.30pm to 3pm | Leith Makers · Leith | 16 - More details here, shared by Parker Greenwood, Leith Makers (Calum MacLean).
🪴 Houseplant Bingo
Thu 13 August - 'This Thursday you could be taking home some plants at Houseplant Bingo! Normal Houseplant Bingo is on the 13th and Country Outdoorplant Bingo on the 27th. Every month the plants get bigger but your chances of winning stay the same. See you there!'
6pm to 8pm | Fir Espresso Bar · Tollcross | £5 - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.
🪞 Drag 101 with Hugo Grrrl
Sun 16 August - 'Want to do drag but don't know where to get started? Doing drag but want to up your game? Then join us for Drag 101 with Hugo Grrrl this August and learn from one of the best! Perfect for all dragsters - kings, queens and inbetweens.'
5.15pm to 6.45pm | Duncan Place Community Hub · Leith | £15-£20 - More details here, shared by Shut Up And King.
🎨 Alternative Degree Show
Sat 22 August - 'Celebrating student and staff solidarity, showcasing artworks from final-year students and staff at Edinburgh College of Art. Including panel discussions on Saturday 22nd August.'
10am to 5pm | The Out of the Blue Drill Hall · Leith | FREE - More details here, shared by Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust.
📢 Anti-Data Centre Protest Outside Scottish Parliament
Thursday 03 September - 'Join us in protesting the 24 data centres planned across the central belt. Write to your MSP, bring banners, demand that the government put a pause on builds and asks for proper environmental impact assessments from developers.'
12pm to 4.30pm | Holyrood Park · Old Town | FREE - More details here, shared by Stop AI Data Centres. Scot Instagram.
📬 Please share your local news and events here. Remember you can always see all 200+ upcoming local events on TownSpot calendars and maps.
👀 The most-visited links from the last newsletter:
- 🚨 Tourist hunts on Instagram for her teenage attackers.
- 🎭 Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter Suri makes Fringe debut.
- 🎬 Stockard Channing, Rizzo in 'Grease', flyering on Royal Mile.
- 🚔 New city cops funded by tourist tax make 49 arrests in first month.
- 🏗️ Young woodworkers crowdfund to build new woodworking studio in Edinburgh.
⏰ Thanks for reading edition number 971.
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