The Edinburgh Cup – The Gumball Rally – Moonwalk – Queen’s Baton Relay – Playing at Edinburgh Airport
It’s all happening in Edinburgh this weekend, and a lot of it will be in the shadow of The Mound. But first of all out in East Lothian the marquees are up and everyone is ready for the big race meeting with horses giving it their best for The Edinburgh Cup.
- · Musselburgh Racecourse are advising travelling racing fans to make allowances for closure of the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass at Sheriffhall which is due to reopen at 11am today (Saturday) and to seek alternative routes. Free courtesy coaches will take visitors to and from Wallyford train station for those using rail services from Edinburgh Waverley and North Berwick.
- · For updates follow @musselburghrace on Twitter
***
In celebration of Gumball 3000’s first visit to Edinburgh The Rutland Hotel are hosting a street party!
Later today you can join a host of Gumball 3000 rally drivers as they display their super cars outside The Rutland Hotel. From 12noon there will be music to get in the spirit of the event, as well as balloon entertainers and face painters to keep the little ones entertained. Mingle with the drivers who will be registering for the rally in The Kyloe Private Dining Room, between 2pm and 4.30pm, and see what famous faces you can spot!
There will be around 20 Gumball 3000 cars displayed outside, and they are not to be missed – some have been specially customised for the rally. The Huxley will be serving hotdogs, homemade ice creams and soft drinks outside as well as our full menu inside providing nourishment for all those admiring petrol heads!
Whilst The City of Edinburgh Council and The Mound host a much bigger event on Sunday 8th, The Huxley is really pleased to be able to demonstrate their own mini showcase outside The Rutland Hotel.
Louise MacLean, Head of Sales & Marketing for Signature Pubs Group said “We thank the City of Edinburgh Council for their support and enthusiasm of this great, crazy, exclusive, unique and bonkers event and look forward to seeing you on Saturday 7th June outside The Rutland – you won’t be able to miss this one!”
You can then also see the cars on Sunday. Watch out for road closures on The Mound then!
Gumball 3000 is an international motor rally where participants drive 3000 miles over the course of a week. Founded in 1999 Gumball 3000 has seen a number of celebrities take part over the years such as David Hasselhoff, Snoop Dogg and David Guetta. The 2014 route, drivers will travel from Miami to Ibiza and, for the first time, the event will visit Edinburgh.
***
The Moonwalk gets underway later this evening when the whole city will turn pink it seems. There is a pink tree in Inverleith Park where the walk starts from and Edinburgh Castle, Jenners, Lloyds Bank, Harvey Nichols and all the other major buildings in the city centre will be illuminated in pink! Can you tweet us some photos of the buildings?
Moonwalk this year has a big challenge for some of the ladies doing the course – they are asking them to do it twice! Some walkers will do 52.4 miles….. ouch!
All of the fundraising is for breast cancer charities. More information here. And again do tweet your photos with the hashtag #moonwalkscot
***
Maybe things will quieten down next week, and then again maybe not! The Queen’s Baton Relay comes to town.
The arrival of the baton in Scotland on its journey to the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games will be marked by a sports-themed family fun day at Heriot-Watt University on Saturday, June 14.
The Edinburgh leg of the relay will begin on Saturday morning at 9:50am when the Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant Donald Wilson and Professor Steve Chapman, Principal of the University, will welcome the arrival of the baton.
The University’s Edinburgh Campus has been chosen as the starting point for the Edinburgh events as it is the site of the forthcoming National Performance Centre for Sport (NPCS), which it won in a competitive selection process in September 2012.
To celebrate the event, a free carnival of family sports activity has been organised by South-West Edinburgh Community Sport Hub, and will showcase a number of local clubs through taster sessions and demonstrations to visitors. On offer will be ‘come and try’ sessions for bowls, table tennis, golf, rugby, weightlifting, gymnastics and dance. Heriot-Watt students and staff will hold sessions for football, tennis and Gaelic football as well as fitness routines and conduct campus walks for those wishing to explore the University.
Food stalls and children’s fun play activities will also add to the enjoyment on the day while there will also be information stands on site promoting a wide range of local services and activities.
The baton relay will take place from 10am to 10.35am on the University Avenue from the West Gait and people will be able to watch and cheer on the batonbearers. There will be nine batonbearers on this leg of the journey including Andrew Frost, a Team Scotland athlete who competes in hammer throw as well as local schoolchildren from the Currie and Balerno area.
The winners of two primary school competitions encouraging students to design and make their own batons and their Glasgow 2014 poster will also be announced on the day, with the best entries displayed near the information stalls.
Catriona McAllister, Heriot-Watt’s Head of Sport and Exercise and Director of the NPCS said, “The arrival of the baton in Scotland is a signal that Scotland’s summer of sport is well and truly under way. With so many schoolchildren and others learning all they can about the Commonwealth Games and taking on so many activities related to the baton, this is a great opportunity to provide a fun way to welcome it here at Heriot-Watt, which is now set to become Scotland’s national sporting centre.”
The Lord Provost Donald Wilson said, “It is fantastic that the Edinburgh leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay begins at Heriot-Watt, home to Scotland’s National Performance Centre for Sport. There are some fantastic family and community activities on offer at Heriot-Watt, and it is a great way to send the baton on its way around the capital.”
***
Travelling through Edinburgh Airport with young children has just got a bit easier, thanks to a brand new soft-play area installed in the airport’s departure lounge.
This is the third play area to be installed at the airport since January and is part of a wider project to help transform Edinburgh into Scotland’s most child-friendly airport.
The new area, sponsored by Thomson, is conveniently located between Gates 10 and 11, and gives excited kids the chance to jump around and burn off some energy before boarding their flights – much to parent’s relief who can fully supervise from seating areas around the play zone.
Four-year-old Imogen Dyer, and her brother Lysander, nearly two, from Edinburgh, were the very first children to use the new play zone, having spotted it the minute they walked into the departure lounge.
Their father, Keith, said: “This is a fantastic idea and something which I think a lot of parents will be grateful for when they travel with young children. Both Imogen and Lysander were desperate to have a go in the soft-play area from the minute they saw it.”
Fully equipped with slides, mini-climbing wall, tunnel and other fun obstacles, the zone was created in collaboration with SPI Global Play who also created the two additional play areas which were installed in January.
John Watson, Chief Commercial Officer at Edinburgh Airport, said: “We want passengers of all ages to have the best time at Edinburgh Airport. Our free soft-play area allows children to run around and unwind in a safe environment before boarding their flight while their parents can relax and supervise.
“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with our colleagues at Thomson who are sponsoring the new soft-play zone and share our commitment to passenger experience. The investment in our play areas shows that we’re working hard to make sure our smallest passengers and their families have the best start to their trip.”
Jeremy Ellis, Marketing Manager for TUI UK and Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Edinburgh Airport and feel this is a great opportunity for Thomson to showcase our family offering, giving customers a more child-friendly travelling experience at the airport.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
