Thousands of refugees, asylum seekers, isolated elderly people, single parents and disabled people are set to get free days out at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer.
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Isabelle Mercadante, Philippa Kemp and Emma Watt celebrate International Women’s Day by taking to the water at Portobello. Picture Gordon Terris “You think cold swimming is crazy? Women work two-thirds of the world’s hours for one-tenth of its income,” read a large placard held up out of the water by Holly Farquhar as she took her morning International Women’s Day swim. Farquhar was just one of the dippers to take part, yesterday, in Swimrise, a mass International Women’s Day swim in aid of women’s charities that was first staged in Edinburgh in 2019 and spread across the UK last year.
A NEW creative programme for the children of teenage parents, refugees and people in deprived areas has been set up to help provide support for artists during the coronavirus pandemic. As well as a response to the current shortfall of creative opportunities for freelancers, it will try to address concerns about young people’s lack of involvement in cultural experiences. Three projects over six months will engage with refugee families, groups of children and young mothers and babies, and also provide employment opportunities for 17 artists, practitioners and production staff. The Where We Are programme will be co-designed with children and young people across Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife and will be delivered by the Starcatchers, Imaginate and Lyra organisations.