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TRUTH be told, I only got back yesterday from an over two-week break from the daily news grind.
In theory, at least.
I was at Glastonbury last week, including at the West Holts stage for Bob Vylan and Kneecap’s now famous (and under police investigation) sets. So, I wasn’t exactly too far from the headlines.
I was also there for Lewis Capaldi’s heartwarming return to the limelight. You could feel the crowd – tens of thousands of them at the Pyramid stage – egging him on at his not-so-secret set, two years after a performance at the festival saw him struggle to manage his Tourette symptoms.
For the very many of us who have felt overwhelmed by our mental health at times, his return was a win. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t shed a tear.
During the festival, I also spotted that the First Minister John Swinney finally apologised to Gypsy Travellers for what was known as the tinker experiment.
A programme supported by the UK Government (who should also apologise), the Church of Scotland and Scottish councils from 1940 to 1980, it looked to “integrate” Gypsy Travellers into so-called mainstream society by threatening to remove their children into care.
I wrote an in-depth long read on the topic in January 2024, speaking with the likes of Shamus McPhee who still lives a stone's throw away from the dilapidated hut his family was forced to live in.
I also spoke with campaigner Lynne Tammi, whose grandfather’s three sisters were forcibly removed and trafficked to Canada.
The Gypsy Traveller community deserves so much more than an apology for both past and ongoing discrimination. But it is a start.
In positive environmental news, a record number of peatlands have been restored in a bid to help reduce carbon emissions and restore biodiversity, the Scottish Government announced in June.
More than 14,000 hectares of degraded peatlands were restored across Scotland in the past year – which will help reduce emissions and boost biodiversity.
Edinburgh is on the up! The Scottish capital was hailed as Scotland’s financial “powerhouse” as its economy has surpassed London’s for the first time, new data showed in June.
The value of goods and services produced in Edinburgh per head of population has surpassed London’s for the first time, according to economic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Onto a young Scot absolutely smashing it, we have talented young filmmaker Edward Ryan (below) who has won a top prize at a star-studded award ceremony for his short film, which draws on his own experiences of being autistic.
The 14-year-old, from Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway, scooped the publicly voted Audience Award at the Into Films Awards in London last month and was presented with his prize by actor Andy Serkis and presenter Edith Bowman.
His short film More Than One Way To Go Home was also nominated for Best Story at the awards and was inspired by the filmmaker's own personal experiences.
The film follows a young autistic girl who has to find her own way home when her brother leaves her to fend for herself and aims to convey some of the difficulties that autistic people can face and demonstrates how the right support can be key to overcoming those challenges.
Well done Edward!
Amid closures, of which we inevitably report on a lot, I do love to see a new opening.
In this case, it’s the first new distillery to open in Inverclyde for more than a century. Following eight years of development, planning, and construction, Ardgowan Distillery was officially opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month. Slàinte mhath!
If there’s anything you think should be included, please don’t hesitate to ping me an email: james.walker@newsquest.co.uk
