The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Wednesday 28 January 2026
Gales shut gardens, bid to boost city centre phone signal, impatient drivers make DIY lane at Sheriffhall, community paper celebrates 50 years + a rare winter opening at Hopetoun House
🌤️ Good morning Edinburgh. Here’s Wednesday's Edinburgh Minute.
❄️ An ice warning was issued overnight and remains in place until 10am this morning. The Met Office said: "Patchy ice is likely to form on untreated surfaces by Wednesday morning and may lead to some disruption." However, it's due to be a mostly sunny day. - Get the full local forecast here.
- ⮑ Princes Street Gardens was closed yesterday 'as a safety precaution' due to high winds. The council said it planned to re-open the gardens today 'as soon as it is safe'.
🛟 Coastguard and RNLI rescue teams have been searching the Cramond coastline for a missing woman. 60-year-old Alison Gibbens was last seen at around 10.30am on North Gyle Avenue on Monday. - Stephen Bark, Daily Record.
🛬 Around 100 people have blocked the entrance to the Leonardo UK factory in Crewe Toll this morning 'over Israel ties', reports Gabriel McKay in The Herald.
Around 100 people have blocked the entrance 👉 www.heraldscotland.com/news...
— The Herald (@heraldscotland.bsky.social) 2026-01-28T06:39:19.823Z
🏗️ A consultation event for a £200m student flats development in Fountainbridge was disrupted by members of the Living Rent tenants’ union, who are calling on the council to pause all new student accommodation. - Living Rent published more details here, while the event was covered by Ross Chalmers of Deadline News.
🤳 Phone signal in the city centre is still notoriously patchy and unreliable. In a bid to boost coverage, a new 4G & 5G antenna is proposed in the Grassmarket five metres up on top of an existing CCTV pole. - More details via the City Scope website.
💉 Support agencies say the rise of nitazenes synthetic opioids have made Edinburgh's illegal drug market more deadly. - Nicholas Malizia & Jacob Farr, Edinburgh Live.
🛣️ Impatient City Bypass drivers have used their own tarmac to make a DIY lane approaching the Sheriffhall roundabout, prompting a politician to call for the 'unofficial extra lane' to be made permanent. - Ian Swanson, The Scotsman.
🏋️♀️ A Wester Hailes gym owner has admitted 'naivete' after being caught opening 24-hours a day instead of closing at 10pm. - Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan, Edinburgh Live.
⚽️ The Pitt in Granton is among the first venues announced as official Scotland men's football World Cup 2026 fan zones. - Calum Loudon, STV News.
☕️ Uplands Roast in the Meadows has applied for a public entertainment licence to use space on George Square Lane from 10am until midnight from Wednesday to Sunday, with a small bar on site. But councillors were confused about the plans and delayed a decision until next month. - Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan, Midlothian View.
🍽️ The Gleneagles Townhouse has appointed Elliot Hill as its new executive chef, having arrived from Chester Grosvenor Hotel. - Sarah Campbell, The Herald.
📰 Covering Balerno, Currie, Juniper Green, Baberton Mains and Colinton, volunteer-run community news title C&B News is due to celebrate 50 years of uninterrupted publication next month. Not even the Covid-19 lockdowns could interrupt its monthly editions, which have been delivered for free since 1976.
“Today, as always, C&B News aims to be a platform to display the rich talent, expertise, interests and achievements of local people. We don’t have a pool of paid journalists who write articles for the magazine, but benefit from the opinions and knowledge of local people to inform the wider community each month in the articles they submit.” - C&B News chair, Gail Rankin.
“I often describe myself as the ‘lucky 13th editor’. It’s been my good fortune to inherit a very well-established and much loved publication, loyally supported not just by readers and contributors but also many local businesses that still actively choose to advertise their services in a print-first publication.” - Paul Fisher Cockburn. - See the latest edition here.
🤝 The Love Your Business monthly networking event returns to Bruntsfield's Black Ivy tomorrow. The guest speaker Suzi Laird, founder of Positive Balance, who offers financial support for smaller business owners who don’t have the budget for an in-house finance manager. - More details and tickets are here, and as always, 10% of ticket sales go to charity.
⚓️ "What keeps me here is the strong, village-like community spirit, paired with the ever-changing energy of a city. One day I can get stuck into digging on the Community Croft; the next I’m immersed in art galleries, gigs and fine dining." - Writing in The Guardian's 'Zoning in' series, Ailsa Sheldon highlights the 'resurgence' of Leith.
Ailsa Sheldon
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📌 “I would just like to say an enormous thank you to an unknown young man who is incredible! Walking home from Stockbridge this evening, I lost my credit card wallet (all my cards), retraced my steps, but no luck. On arriving home, at my front door, a young man. 'Can I help you?' He was looking for me, to return my wallet! There are good people!” - Thanks to Dave for sharing this.
📌 “Last call for donations to the Pianodrome Community Hub's Crowdfunder, which ends today at midday! Help us to install heating, lighting and a cafe in this incredible local community resource. No piano is junk and no person is unmusical!” - Thanks to Matt from Pianodrome for sharing this.
📌 “Wednesday 28th January - Edinburgh Zombie Club this month has a Bava vs Bava Italian Horror double bill of spooky and fun cult films featuring 'Black Sabbath' (1963) and 'Demons 2' (1986). Free entry, doors 7pm, first film 7.30pm @ The Banshee Labyrinth, Niddry Street.” - Thanks to Pat McGarvey, co-organiser of the club, for sharing this.
📌 “Wednesday 28 January - Join us at Filmhouse for the screening of Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by Sepideh Farsi. A haunting testament to the resilience of daily life under siege in Gaza captured through a filmmaker's video calls with Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona.” - Thanks to Scottish Documentary Institute for sharing this. There is a preview in this Instagram post.
📌 “Help our students succeed at Training For Care! Many need extra assessor support or a laptop to complete their course. Your donation can remove these barriers and give them the tools to thrive. Support them here.” - Thanks to Christopher from Training For Care for sharing this.
📌 “Experience Edinburgh College this February with a series of Open Days held across all four campuses, designed for anyone thinking about applying for a course starting in August 2026. To see the event dates and register your place, visit the Edinburgh College website.” - Thanks to Edinburgh College for sharing this.
📌 “A new look for C&B News, as it celebrates a half century of championing the communities along the upper Water of Leith valley: news, views, what’s on, local history, sport. February 2026 issue now available to view/download online; print copies available locally from Friday. See website for list.” - Thanks to C&B News for sharing this.
📌 “We’re always looking for friendly volunteers to support The Open Door in lots of roles — from helping with our day services and driving to cooking, admin, fundraising and marketing. Whether you’re chatting with members, preparing meals or sharing your skills, there’s something for everyone!” - Thanks to Simon Warr, Operational Manager at The Open Door, for sharing this.
📌 “🌱🌻 Sunday 31st January 10-11am Wild Rose Forest Therapy will be guiding a Forest Bathing Taster Session in Leith. Welcome the New Year and Imbolc with a mindful walk. Soothe, restore and connect deeply to nature. Learn creative nature connection invitations & share with others 🌻🌱” - Thanks to Rosie for sharing this.
📌 “Sat 31st & Sun 1st, 10am - 4pm - 📐🧵 Making trousers that fit can be just as difficult as finding the perfect pair from a shop! If you love to make your own clothes but want better fitting trousers, join us this weekend to draft your own pattern block from scratch. All materials provided.” - Thanks to Abbeymount OOTB resident designer Jen for sharing this.
📌 “Tuesday 3rd February (7-8pm) - New York Times bestselling author Catherine Newman will join us at The Portobello Bookshop to launch her latest novel, Wreck. In conversation with broadcaster and journalist Sam Baker, the event will be recorded live for a future episode of Baker's podcast, The Shift.” - Thanks to the shop team for sharing this.
📌 “Sat 7 & Sun 8 Feb (10am–4pm, last entry 3pm): Hopetoun House joins the Scottish Snowdrop Festival with a rare winter opening. House & Grounds or Grounds-only tickets, snowdrop trails, kids’ crafts, dog-friendly Stables Kitchen and Ranger-led walks - prebooking required.” - Thanks to the team at Hopetoun House for sharing this.
📮 Anything missing? Please share your local news and events here.
👀 The most-visited links from the last newsletter:
- 🤝 The Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network's weekly jobs.
- 🌦️ This week's local weather forecast.
- 🇺🇸 Memorial planned for American hero.
- 🏊♀️ 75 swimmers wanted for Victorian Pool Crawl.
- 🔥 Locals raise thousands for kids' fire-hit charity.
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⏰ Thanks for reading edition number 824.
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