The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Weekend edition: 11 -13 July 2025
Bus strike plan, inside Jenners revamp, tennis courts reopen, loads of live music this weekend + no newsletter next week
😎 Good morning Edinburgh. Here’s Friday’s Edinburgh Minute, including the Community Noticeboard + the weekend guide for subscribers.
🙏 I need some family time so am pausing the newsletter for a week. The Minute will return on Monday 21 July.
☀️ Weekend weather: Sun sun sun. Highs of 25C and lows of 15C. Next week is looking similar but with added cloud. - The full Met Office forecast is here.
🚎 Around 130 bus drivers employed by East Coast Buses are involved in an industrial action ballot after rejecting a two-year pay offer. - Gary Flockhart, The Scotsman.
- A bus Ridacard scam offering ‘free transport’ has been flagged up by Lothian Buses.
🗳️ Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine has been removed from her role as the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Women and Equalities and Scotland at Westminster. - She shared this letter.
⮑ Jardine refused to vote for a Tory bid to cut mental health benefits, writes Rachel Amery in The Scotsman.
🌊 One of three Edinburgh brothers who are attempting to row across the Pacific Ocean has told how he was washed overboard during a violent storm. - Angie Brown & Steve McKenzie, BBC Scotland News.
✈️ Edinburgh Airport’s toilets and arrivals hall have come under criticism from some ‘business leaders’. - Rachel Fergusson, The Scotsman (paywall).
🚔 A man involved in a ‘drugs on demand’ county lines supply network within Edinburgh known as the ‘Tommy’ line has been jailed for four years and six months. - Police Scotland published details.
- A 39-year-old man was arrested and charged following the recovery of a cannabis farm with an estimated street value of £347,760 in a flat in Calder Road. - Police published details here.
🚑 A woman is in hospital after being hit by a car driven on Broomhouse Road yesterday afternoon. - Chloe Goodall, Edinburgh Live.
🏗️ New drone footage shows progress of the £48m Jenners building revamp. - Donald Turvill, The Herald.
🏗️ Heritage watchdog The Cockburn Association has criticised plans to knock down the former Causewayside Lads’ Institute for new student accommodation. - Scottish Construction Now.
⮑ You can read more about the Ratcliffe Terrace building’s history in this Threadinburgh piece by Andy Arthur, who writes: “The story of the Institute is just one part of what was a fully-lived life that ended up a subject on This is Your Life.”
🧵 University of Edinburgh student Órla Ni Eadhra will be among the contestants on the BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee next week. She’s from Inverness and you can see some of her sewing in her local paper, The Inverness Courier.
🎾 Tennis courts in Juniper Green have re-opened after a £100,000 revamp following a fundraising drive by the local tennis club. The old clay court playing surface has been replaced with an outdoor hardcourt surface. - The council published these details.
⮑ Paul Murphy of Juniper Green Tennis Club (book a court here) said:
“A group of local organisations, businesses and individuals successfully secured our participation in this fantastic nationwide scheme to transform local tennis facilities by making generous cash donations, providing five-year interest free loans and committing to five-year fixed term memberships. The support of the local community allied to the critical contribution from the LTA Park Tennis Project has helped to future proof the tennis courts in Juniper Green which have been such an important part of village life, on the current site, since their opening in 1907.”
🛝 Find a guide to this weekend’s family-friendly things to do in Gayle’s Guide. Including: Edinburgh Festival Carnival, a mini-beast safari at Hopetoun House and a chance to see ‘Marcel The Shell With Shoes On’ (one of the heart-achingly cutest films ever) at the Filmhouse…
If this post gets cut-off in your email inbox, read it online at this link.
📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard - news you can use:
📌 “🚣♂️ We’re two makers from the Edinburgh Forge community workshop, and after last year’s Glasgow-to-Falkirk canal trip in a homemade boat, we’re back with a new challenge: crossing the Firth of Forth in a vessel made of pallets, cling film, and gaffer tape. This time, we’re taking on the North Sea to raise funds for SAMH — but we want to do it as safely as possible, so we’re looking for a support boat to escort us and make sure we don’t get flattened by a cargo ship. Fancy being part of this adventure for a good cause? Drop us a line: canonico@protonmail.com” - Thanks to the Forge makers for sharing this.
📌 "Balerno Farmers' Market returns this Saturday with a range of local producers and groups, plus some purveyors of great street food. Main Street, Balerno, 9am - 1pm. Plus, local volunteer-run The Mill Cafe is open too!" - Thanks to C&B News for sharing this.
📌 "Join the Queer Yoga Edinburgh community for an afternoon of yoga and foraging at Cammo Estate nature reserve in Cramond. Fungi, foraging and food systems expert Victoria Beall will lead a guided foraging workshop, with plenty of edible wild goodies, followed by an energising outdoor yoga practice led by Ruth MacGilp. Open to all LGBTQ+ folks." - Thanks to Ruth MacGilp from Queer Yoga Edinburgh for sharing this.
📌 "Get ready for a day of creativity and cake! I'm Jessica from Blooming Creative, and I'm so excited to be partnering with the gorgeous Malmaison Hotel in Leith on Saturday, 26th July 2025, for a unique printing workshop. While you indulge in a delicious afternoon tea, I'll show you how to design and print your very own masterpiece onto either a tote bag, mug, coaster, or even a compact mirror." - Thanks to Jessica Carr, Founder of Blooming Creative for sharing this.
📌 "Come to our open day on Sunday 13th July, 1.00-4.00 pm, for another chance to see Phoebe Anna Traquair's beautiful murals at the Mansfield Traquair Centre. Free entry, tours available every 20 minutes from our friendly guides, donations welcome to maintain 'Edinburgh's Sistine Chapel'. No need to book - just turn up (last tour 3pm)." - Thanks to a Friend of Mansfield Traquair Centre for sharing this.
📌 "Join us on Saturday 12th July at 10am to celebrate the second birthday of our monthly Breakfast Club. Bring your knitting, crochet or sketchbook and join us at Sabzi Streetfood restaurant on Ferry Road, Edinburgh for great food and crafty conversations!" - Thanks to Sarah Clarkson for sharing this.
📌 "Cammo Estate, Barnton, EH4 8AW - Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society Open Day - Saturday 10:00 - 3:30. Come and see the excavations in the walled garden and grounds, have a go at digging, learn about the characters and see our finds. Guided walking tours 10:30 and 1:30. Everyone welcome. No charge." - Thanks to Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society for sharing this.
📌 "Votive Gallery presents artwork by Natasha Loydell at Concrete Block Gallery, 15 Lauriston Gardens, EH9 3HH. Whilst researching in Italy across various medical and waxwork museums, Loydell became interested in medical models - her work suggests that institutions can have folklore. The exhibition will be open this weekend! 11th/12th/13th July, 12-5pm" - Thanks to Votive Gallery for sharing this.
📌 "9 million people worldwide live with type 1 diabetes: a 24/7 condition that remains widely misunderstood. Edinburgh-based designer Alex Durussel-Baker is on a mission to change that with a project at the intersection of art, healthcare & humour. It's just launched on Kickstarter, and she needs your help to get it off the ground." - Thanks to Diabetes By Design for sharing this.
📌 "Local global comedian Daniel Sloss has sold out his entire Edinburgh Fringe run for 2025 at Just the Tonic Nucleus. He has just two other Scottish shows lined up (in Aberdeen and Stirling) and these are currently the only opportunities to see this game-changing stand-up before he heads over to New York for his 10th off-Broadway season later in the year." - Thanks to the organisers for sharing this.
📌 "Swing by Innis & Gunn at the Mound this Sunday, from 3pm, to experience this year's Dishoom Jazz Sessions, featuring four sets of FREE jazz to attend performed by The New Town Stompers - with a delicious selection of cocktails from Dishoom available. U18s welcome in the company of a responsible adult. See poster below for all the details." - Thanks to Dishoom Edinburgh for sharing this.
📌 "OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS! Leith Makers Gallery is looking for exhibitors for upcoming show 'Leith Connections', celebrating our neighbourhoods, history, diversity and creativity. The exhibition is open for all artists at any stage in their creative journey, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro. Deadline for submissions is 5pm, 27th July 2025. Apply on our site!" - Thanks to Leith Makers Gallery for sharing this.
📌 “Join the IDG Edinburgh Resilience Hub's free online session to CONNECT & INSPIRE on Monday 14th July at 12:30-1:30. A key element of resilience is having a support network that you can tap into. This is a chance to build your network whilst recognising how you are (and can be) using the 5 Inner Development Goals (IDG) pillars to deal with challenges or difficult situations that you face.” - Thanks to the organisers for sharing this.
📌 "This Monday the Easy Art Club are hosting in aid of The Wave Project! It's the same usual casual sketching club at Lost in Leith bar, just this time all donations will go directly to Surf Therapy 🌊" - Thanks to Carla and Beck, Founders of Easy Art Club, for sharing this.
📌 “Join us for a special live show with acclaimed Scottish folk musician Andy Chung, hosted by the Corstorphine Trust! From the heart of Fife to Edinburgh’s iconic folk venues, Andy brings his rich musical journey to life. Don’t miss this unforgettable evening of songs, stories and soul from one of Scotland’s finest performers!” - Thanks to the Corstorphine Trust for sharing this.
📌 “A new exhibition of local artist Sophie Boyd's work will be at the Cameo Picturehouse bar this Sunday! The opening night of 'Janus: A Cameo Art Residency' will be at 8pm, with live music from local talent!” - Thanks to the Cameo team for sharing this.