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Scotsman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Hundreds of people gather on Edinburgh's Calton Hill to watch man fold bed sheet
Hundreds of people gathered on Calton Hill on Friday night to watch a comedian fold a fitted sheet beside the National Monument of Scotland. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... The unusual event was a promo for New Zealand stand-up Dan Boerman ahead of his upcoming Fringe show – a move the 31-year-old said was the 'the craziest marketing stunt of my career' adding 'if you don't have rich parents or thousands of dollars for PR, sometimes you just have to think outside the box'. After advertising the unique spectacle with posters around the city, a considerable number of people visited the Edinburgh beauty spot on July 25, curious to see how the situation would unfold. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dan Boerman captivated his audience at Calton Hill in Edinburgh on Friday night | NW Arriving at Calton Hill for 6pm, hundreds of visitors formed a circle at the top of the hill before the Kiwi comedian made his entrance to thunderous applause. It is the second time Boerman has drawn large crowds to witness the unique performance, with the sell-out comedian performing the same stunt in Wellington in early April. ` Speaking to the Evening News, Dan said: 'This was certainly a bigger crowd than Wellington, probably double the size. But I'm just really stoked that people were on board with what I was doing. 'It's a really beautiful spot, when I put out the flyers for this I hadn't actually been up Calton Hill, so when I got here I thought what a backdrop for a thousand people to sit around, have a laugh and cheer someone on for nothing.' Hundreds of people gathered to watch the unusual event on Calton Hill on Friday, July 25 | NW Dan, who moved to Edinburgh in December last year, will perform his show at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel (Venue 108) from August 1 to 25 following a sell-out 2024 Edinburgh debut. Titled, Dan Boerman Folds a Fitted Sheet on His Own, the hour-long stand-up routine is inspired by Dan's experience following the end of a long-term relationship and navigating life . Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dan said: 'I dreamt up the idea for my solo hour about a year ago. Folding a fitted sheet is a quintessential millennial struggle - no one really knows how to do it but it's something that everyone struggles with. The show is an hour looking at the other side of a relationships and navigating life on your own I suppose. The New Zealand comic's show, Dan Boerman Folds a Fitted Sheet on His Own, will run at the Grassmarket during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe | NW 'I'm not the first straight man to do a Fringe show saying 'hey I had a partner, now I don't, and now I'm on the apps - that's been done before and I think people have grown tired of seeing that. 'I like to think my show is a refreshing take on navigating life as a single straight man. It's high energy, chaotic, relatable, observational, it's Kiwi, and I don't get too preachy. But I'm really pleased with the show and proud of the writing that's gone into it.' Dan Boerman Folds a Fitted Sheet on His Own, runs from August 1 to 25 at Hoot 3 at Hoots @ The Apex.
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Edinburgh's roads and traffic in the 1950s and 1960s: 25 nostalgic pictures of how it looked in the days before 4x4s, SUVs and electric vehicles
It seems strange now to see Princes Street with cars on it rater than just buses, trams and taxis. Other roads have also changed since these black and white pictures were taken. There was less traffic around. And, of course, the cars are very different too - these were the days of the Mini, Ford Anglias and Morris Minors. Take a look at this selection of photographs from the Evening News archive and step back into the Edinburgh of the 1950s and 1960s. 1 . Princes Street A busy Princes Street on Easter Monday 1969 | TSPL Photo: Crauford Tait Photo Sales 2 . Canonmills Service Station Canonmills Service Station with a five minute car wash in 1964. | TSPL Photo: TSPL Photo Sales 3 . Shandwick Place Traffic in Shandwick Place, Edinburgh, on Easter Monday 1969. | TSPL Photo: Crauford Tait Photo Sales 4 . Needing a push A three-wheeler needs a push up Holyrood Road in Edinburgh during the snow showers of February 1969. | TSPL Photo: Crauford Tait Photo Sales Related topics: EdinburghCarsTraffic
Scotsman
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Retro: 26 nostalgic pictures of growing up in the early 1980s, including George Best, Swap Shop and Darth Vader
At the start of the 1980s, computers for most people were still a novelty, George Best was playing for Hibs and Multi-Coloured Swap Shop was on TV on Saturday mornings. Here are some old black and white photos from the Evening News archives showing some of what was happening in Edinburgh in the early 1980s, from the Pope's visit to pony rides on the beach. Scroll through the carefully selected pictures to get a flavour of what Capital life was like four decades ago. 1 . Latest computers Secondary school pupils work with the latest Apple II computers at the Wester Hailes Education Centre (WHEC) in Edinburgh, October 1980. | TSPL Photo: Alan Macdonald Photo Sales 2 . Hibs Open Day Hibs players Peter Cormack and Jim McArthur meet two young fans, Tony Jinks and Tam Tait, at a Hibs Open Day at Easter Road in July 1980. | TSPL Photo: Bill Newton Photo Sales 3 . Puppet show Children mesmerised by the string puppets at the Ross bandstand in Edinburgh's Princes Street gardens, July 1981. | TSPL Photo: Joe Steele Photo Sales 4 . Dance time Young ballerinas from the June Geissler dance school rehearsing at Leith Town Hall in Edinburgh, November 1980. | TSPL Photo: Stan Warburton Photo Sales Related topics: Nostalgia
Scotsman
17-07-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Tribute to my dad: family historian, published poet... and reader of gravestones
Looking out across Edinburgh from Calton Hill Family historian and Evening News contributor John McInnes has sadly passed away after a short illness, at the age of 82. Here, his daughter Alison McInnes pays tribute and looks back on her father's life. Dad was born on November 4, 1942 in Elmfoot Street, Oatlands, Glasgow, the only son of John McInnes and Mary McInnes (nee Lawson). He had two sisters. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... He attended St Bonaventure's Primary School and went on to Holyrood RC Secondary School in Glasgow. He met my mother, Joyce, at school, when they were friends, but not 'goin' oot thegether'. They started going out after school and regularly went to The Locarno dance hall in Glasgow and The Barrowlands. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad John and Joyce got married on March 4, 1972 in St Bonaventure's Chapel in Glasgow. John McInnes On leaving school, Dad went to work for British Gas in an office job which he hated. He left the job after a year or two . His mum was disappointed by this move, saying 'it would have been a job for life', to which Dad said 'yes, not my life though'. In later life, Dad went on to work for British Aluminium, a job he found more enjoyable and where he made friends. As a mature student he studied at Strathclyde University, where he graduated with a BSc Honours in Politics and Philosophy. During this time, he met Alex Salmond and Margo McDonald, as part of research for an assignment. He enjoyed meeting them and it sounded as though they had enjoyed his company over lunch in Edinburgh too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dad wrote many poems and articles which were published in national magazines in Ireland (he submitted work to an Irish magazine because my brother, John, lives there, and he loved visiting Ireland) and Scotland, and in the Edinburgh Evening News. Dad was proud to have his work published in the News. He had a lifelong fondness for and attraction to Edinburgh for many reasons. Primarily because his mother was born and brought up there before she got married and she and her husband moved to Glasgow. However, he also loved the atmosphere of Edinburgh and the architecture. Dad enjoyed going to the top of Calton Hill and pointing out Edinburgh landmarks to me. He did not, however, during the Festival, like going to the Castle, because the whole open space was taken over by the seating for the Tattoo. He felt the same way about George Square in Glasgow being used for private events: 'This was donated to the people of Glasgow, you know. Now it's shut off for some event.. and I have nowhere to sit.' Dad could read Latin, having been taught the language at his state secondary school. He liked looking at the architecture of Victorian buildings and explaining the meaning of the inscriptions to me. I wonder how many state schools teach Latin now? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dad could also translate Latin inscriptions on gravestones and visited cemeteries all over Scotland as part of his work on genealogy. He helped many families from many countries to trace their family history and felt particularly rewarded when he was able to trace for someone who was unsure about the history of their family and the spread of their family now, what Dad called 'living rellies' (relatives). He said that was the best thing. Many families wrote to him thanking him for his work, which he always researched at the National Library in Edinburgh and the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. Dad's interest in genealogy began with researching his own family history as he was trying to find out why his mum and dad had moved to Glasgow - there didn't seem to be any clear reason. He couldn't find the answer to that, but he did help many other families to get the answers they wanted. He made friends with the chief archivist in the Mitchell Library, and she put him in contact with people who wanted to research their histories. He did this for years and always sent people his findings in a letter which was typewritten on a 70s typewriter . My brother offered to buy him a computer, but he declined: this typewriter works fine. Dad was a fit outdoor person who at the age of 80 was still cycling to Ayr and back in one day, then carrying his bike up three flights of stairs in a Victorian tenement. He loved Pollok Park in Glasgow and Portobello (again, holding fond memories of his mum). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His poetry became sufficiently well known that he was approached to contribute to a book on Nelson Mandela and he and Mum were later invited to a formal event at Glasgow City Chambers to mark the publication. Dad also self-published a book entitled 'Macculate Conceptions', which is included in the National Poetry Library. He sadly passed away in hospital after a short illness, having been very well supported by the NHS, for which we as a family are grateful.
Scotsman
15-07-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Edinburgh resident says tree cutting in south of the city is ‘a tragedy'
An Edinburgh resident has described the partial removal of trees in the south of the city as 'a tragedy'. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they were shocked to see trees along Alnwickhill Road being trimmed on Tuesday, telling the Evening News that some of the trees are 'hundreds of years old'. Council documents show tree trimming works are expected to last from Tuesday, July 15, until Thursday, July 17. But the resident said tree care workers advised the work will take several days and the resident now fears the trees are being felled. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An Edinburgh resident is concerned that trees on Alnwickhill Road will be removed | Third Party It is understood the works are taking place along Alnwickhill Road between its junction with Liberton Gardens and the Army Reserve Centre. The local resident, who has lived in the area for a number of years said: 'These trees are very old and they've not caused anybody any trouble and now it looks like quite a lot being taken down, which is quite tragic really. Even during the storm in January, there was no damage, nobody's house was affected. 'This street is well known for these beautiful trees, they're Douglas Fir trees and they're stunning. So it does seem quite sad considering these trees have been up for 50 to 100 years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'At the moment teams are working on the smaller trees at the far end of the road but there's very old trees further up the road and I a worker told me they're going to make their way along the road. 'I don't know what the reasons behind it are. I do know that a survey was carried out on the trees by the council or a company contracted by the council 18 months but I don't know what the result of that was. The resident said some of the trees on Alnwickhill Road have been there for 'decades and decades' | Third Party The resident said trees in the area were checked several months ago when a development was being built in the area adding that 'all the problematic trees were removed'. They said: 'I think they were just beyond their lifespan or something - but this is something else completely. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Other residents have told me that when they were building other homes in the past, trees were left in place by developers because locals had petitioned to keep them because they are so overwhelmingly beautiful. 'I don't know if this may or may not be necessary, but certainly it is the first I've heard of it and I don't think many other people know either. But now I'm very concerned that a lot of these trees are going to go. The City of Edinburgh Council has been approached for comment.
