Latest news with #Leith-based
Edinburgh Reporter
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Montgomery Street Helter Skelter lives on in art
A Leith artist has given a new lease of life to the Montgomery Street Helter Skelter which was removed due to safety concerns during the renovation at the play park. For more than half a century an ornate slide or Helter Skelter stood in Montgomery Street Park, and became an integral part of the community. Leithers far and wide were able to recall playing with, drawing on, or as local artist Paul Meikle has recently discovered, peeing down, the structure. Regardless of how it was interacted with, fond and priceless memories were made and it is those memories that Paul could not allow to be destroyed when Edinburgh Council decided that was its fate. When the council deemed the structure unsafe for use it was set to be scrapped alongside the decades worth of memories it holds. Paul, an artist whose work focuses on decaying environments, saw an opportunity and contacted those involved with a plan to ensure that this once local staple and its stories live on forever. The Friends of Montgomery Street Park tried to save the historic helter skelter PHOTO Alan Simpson He dismantled the slide and has since transformed it into 15 different artworks, using every piece to form the works. Its bars are used as frames, its stairs as a canvas. The slide has not only been saved but the community who remember it so fondly can now hang a piece of history on their walls. And remember it fondly they do. Paul says he has interviewed residents to ensure the art represents the local spirit and the stories it holds. He said: 'Play parks shape our existence as we grow up. Leithers have told me of the creative ways they used the Helter Skelter over the decades, creating different obstacles and reimagining it as completely different worlds. Each of them viewing it through a different lens. An enchanting place you used to play with your dad. 'Somewhere you'd go with your pals, trying to wrap the swings around the top bar for hours on end. A chute that quite a few people have peed down for some reason I couldn't see these stories go in the bin. People grew up with this Helter Skelter. My hope is that this is the Helter Skelter growing up with them.' The pieces will be on display at Sett Studios in Leith over the weekend of 30 May. This is the first solo show for the Leith-based artist. The artworks will also be shown at the Hidden Door festival which is on at the Paper Factory in Edinburgh from Wednesday 11 to Sunday 15 June. Helter Skelter by Paul Meikle Sett Studios, 127 Leith Walk. Edinburgh Opening Night: 30 May 6pm – 9pm General Viewing: 31 May – 1 June 12 – 6pm Credit. Sam McGill 2025 Credit. Sam McGill 2025 Credit. Sam McGill 2025 Credit. Sam McGill 2025 Credit. Sam McGill 2025 Credit. Sam McGill 2025 Credit. Sam McGill 2025 Credit. Sam McGill 2025 Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Britannia's new exhibition and retail experience are shipshape and ready to welcome visitors
2025 marks the next chapter in The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust's legacy with the opening of a brand-new, world-class visitor centre with exhibition and retail experience. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Situated on the second floor of Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh's Port of Leith, the newly developed visitor experience has been designed to enhance the sense of arrival for around 350,000 annual visitors to Queen Elizabeth II's former Royal Yacht. Two years in development, the visitor centre and retail experience proudly incorporate the latest in advanced technology with hand-crafted furniture and fittings made by British manufacturers, including traditional Leith-based sign-writer Thomas Paints. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Designed by 442 Design, with collaboration from the Royal Collection Trust, author/historian Richard Johnstone-Bryden, and former Royal Yachtsmen, the highly engaging exhibition tells the story of Britannia's launch from John Brown & Company Shipyard in Clydebank in 1953, to the ship's new life as a five-star visitor attraction in Leith, voted Tripadvisor's No.1 Attraction 2023-2024. Conall Burns (Sales Assistant) unwraps The No.1 Dress Uniform of Rear Admiral Sir Robert Woodard KCVO DL, Britannia's last Admiral, for display. Highlights of the new exhibition include: The No.1 uniform of Prince Philip, previously gifted to The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust by Queen Elizabeth II The original ornate Binnacle (compass) embellished with gold leaf A cascade of historical photographs storytelling life on board the Royal Yacht Plus, an attention-grabbing 11-foot LEGO Britannia model with its very own Lego Yachtsmen Benefitting from the ongoing redevelopment of Ocean Terminal, Britannia's new retail experience is 338 square metres, considerably larger than the last. In response, several new and exciting product lines have been created by Director of Retail, Kerry Burns and her team, including a range of fine bone china called the 'Admiral's Collection', inspired by the gold rings insignia worn on the cuffs by Admirals in the Royal Navy. Plus, a new limited-edition whisky – 301 bottles of a 16-year-old Glen Moray single cask commemorating Queen Elizabeth II's final disembarkation at 3.01pm on 11 December 1997. The new retail experience also boasts a new addition to the Britannia family – a giant 5-foot-high cuddly corgi! Yet to be named, the enormous Instagrammable plush was manufactured in the UK and will be a fuzzy focal point of the new shop for visitors to enjoy. Chief Executive Franck Bruyère said: 'This is a momentous event for The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust and I'm incredibly proud of the enormous collaborative effort behind the project and the Britannia team who have been integral in ensuring our new space is world-class and enhances our existing five-star visitor experience. An additional bonus for us is this month marks the anniversary of Britannia arriving in Leith to start her new life as a visitor attraction 27 years ago in 1998.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Bruyere added: 'It has been a pleasure working closely with the Royal Collection Trust to source never-before-seen images of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip relaxing and enjoying life at sea on board this iconic ship.' Director of Visitor Experience, Robert Gill, who led the project on behalf of the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust commented: 'Through this new exhibition we can amplify the history and heritage of this iconic vessel and spark imaginations before our visitors step on board the Yacht itself. Exhibition designers, 442 Design, have told Britannia's story so magnificently, and specialist interior fit-out company, Hugh Stirling Ltd, have brought our vision to life. We are so proud of the final result.' Spring also brings a new delivery to The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust's fleet of vintage cars; The British Motor Museum have loaned the original 1966 Land Rover used by Queen Elizabeth II for rural transport and Royal pursuits. Used by the Royal Family for 17 years, the classic green station wagon is on display alongside the Rolls-Royce in recognition of the vehicles Britannia used to carry on board when in Royal Service. The Royal Yacht Britannia is easily accessible from the Ocean Terminal tram stop, which offers a direct and quick transport link between Leith, Edinburgh city centre and Edinburgh Airport. Open 7 days a week, 9.30pm-6pm, with last admission at 4pm.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds of protestors march on Edinburgh after controversial court ruling
Hundreds of protestors marched on the capital this weekend in response to a controversial Supreme Court ruling. The court ruled on Wednesday, April 16 that the term "woman" when used in the Equality Act 2010 is limited to biological women, and "sex" is defined as biological sex. It also limits access to certain "women-only" spaces or services if an individual was assigned the male gender at birth. READ MORE: Brave Edinburgh woman gets justice years after attack by her friend's boyfriend READ MORE: Owner of much-loved Edinburgh patisserie announces sad closure with 'heavy heart' A massive gathering was held in Edinburgh on Saturday, April 19 in protest of the decision, drawing individuals from across the UK who wanted their voices heard. One trans woman who spoke to Edinburgh Live called the decision a "giant step backwards for trans rights". Photos from the event show hundreds of protestors gathered outside the UK Government building on Sibbald Walk in centre city. Other images show crowds outside the National Gallery with some holding trans flags. Emma Davis, 34, a trans woman from Durham, travelled up to Edinburgh for the protest. She told Edinburgh Live: "The Supreme Court ruling this week has sent shockwaves of fear through the trans community. All of my friends are angry and upset, but mainly terrified. "All we want is to live our authentic lives, with adequate access to gender-related health care, and our gender identities properly recognised and protected under the law. "This ruling is a giant step backwards for trans rights - I don't want to risk getting a criminal record every time I need the toilet, never mind the risk of verbal and physical assault because someone thinks I don't look feminine enough to be using a women's bathroom. "This ruling not only hurts all trans and non-binary people, it also hurts any cis women who don't meet typical feminine beauty standards." Lydia Jones, 32, was in Edinburgh visiting from the West Midlands and decided to join the protest. She shared: "As a cis woman, when I heard about the ruling of the Supreme Court I was shocked because I've never found sharing space with trans women an issue. I feel like there are so many other things that matter to me as a woman that this time, effort and money could have been better spent on such as chronically underfunded sexual violence services and improving sexual violence conviction rates. "I don't see how creating more hostility to an already marginalised group of people helps anyone. However, it was so amazing to see such a huge turnout in Edinburgh and so much solidarity. " Josie Giles, a Leith-based writer who is involved with Resisting Transphobia in Edinburgh, said: 'Today proved the enormous power of trans people's collective organising. Together we have all the strength and skills we need to fight the powers that seek to exclude trans women from public life, and to seize what all oppressed people need: food, housing, medicine and a joyful life. Our liberation is workers' liberation and women's liberation. And trans people said it loud: Free Palestine!' Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
