KIDS LIST

display. The project is particularly appropriate as Provand’s Lordship was built, in 1471, on the site of St Nicholas’ (patron of merchants, children, the wronged and the innocent) Hospital.

Music

0 HAGG'S CASTLE 100 St Andrews Drive, Pollokshields, 427 2757.Chrlstmas Concert Sat 14 Dec 2.15pm. No booking. Free. Carols and recorder music.

Theatre

0 DOLPHIN ARTS CENTRE 7 James Street, Bridgeton, 554 7449 (Nancy Coulter).

Guys and Dolls 13 Dec 7.30pm. £1.50 (75p concs and party bookings). The children’s, youth and adult theatre groups (Dolphin Theatre Workshops & Madness in Method) come together to present this lively musical fable of Broadway.

0 MITCHELL THEATRE

Granville Street, 221 3198. Box office Mon—Sat 12 noon —6pm. Tickets also available from Ticket Centre, Candleriggs, 552 5961. Mon—Sat 10.30am-6.30pm. Bar. Coffee. [D]

A Christmas Carol Wed 18—Sat 21 Dec. 7.30pm. £2.50 (£1 .50). Scrooge reflects that the prospect of the present yet to come might be worth ultimately being good for. By the Mitchell Theatre for Youth.

0 THIRD EYE CENTRE 350 Sauchiehall Street, 332 7521. Box office Tue—Sat loam—5.30pm, Sun 2-5pm. (Tickets also from bookshop on perf evgs). [D] [E] £1 .20 (80p).

Jack and Nae Beanstalk Sat 14 Dec 11am & 2.30pm. Too much Baby Bio was obviously used on this plant which launches our hero into space. Things don’t grow any easier when he has to cope with not just the giant, but funky poultry as well. By the Raskolnikoff Theatre. Running time 1 hour approx. 5—12 years.

Muckle Toatie McWonders 9-11 Jan. 7.30pm, Sat mat 2.30pm. £2 (£1) Group rates available. In which two tiny people , brother and sister, from the far-off island of Toatie are washed up on the shores of Scotland and become pursued by the ruthless and unscrupulous from Fleet Street and Television. ‘A magic mini-panto’ by Fablevision.

EDINBURGH . 3

Activities & Fun

0 A CHRISTMAS CRACKER From the City of Edinburgh District Council, Assembly Rooms, George Street. Sat 21 Dec noon-4.30pm. Free. No Booking. Inside not so much the paper hats and jokes, more the film shows and workshops. The former includes the wonderful ‘Snowman’ by Raymond Briggs, always worth seeing, while the latter offers happy sounding activities like Dance , Creative Make-up, Festive Cookery, Video and Junk Jewellery.

0 Christmas Shopping? If the prospect of Princes Street and the push-chair is too much, take advantage of the YWCA’s scheme on Wednesdays 10am—4pm which has a creche for toddlers, 50p per hour, max. 2 hours. 7 Randolph

STRINGING THEM ALONG?

To restore credibility to an evaporating image in the face of the sceptical (no doubt the same lot who don’t believe in lairles or clap during Peter Pan to bring back Tinkerbell), the Loch Ness Monster will be making an amphibious Purves Puppet appearance at Portobello Town Hall (handy lor the beach). The theme is extended to

include the Yellow Submarine (a lriend abroad it not aboard) and the Highland Connection includes the Haggis Pipers. With much colour and spectacle they grapple with the Mysterious Castle Urquhart-ers. Organised by the City of Edinburgh District Council, Dept of Recreation. (See Listings). (Sally Klnnes).

Place, 225 4379. Register by phone or in person.

0 FRUITMARKET GALLERY 29 Market Street, 225 2383. Tue—Sat 10am-5.30pm. Closed Sun & Mon. Licensed cafe.

Art and children need not be mutually exclusive. Instead of being defeated by the pushchair and contents, take advantage of the free creche facilities at the following events which will be available on application if there is sufficient demand. Ring Gallery for details. Mary Kelly ‘lnterim’ and Richard Tuttle ‘Two Pinwheels’ Wed 18 Dec and Wed 15 Jan 2pm. Free guided tours of these exhibitions. Also two workshops will be held in January exploring the theme of Mary Kelly’s exhibition from the point of view of personal experience.

0 1986 EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE SCHOOLS POSTER COMPETITIONOpen to any

number of pupils of 18 years and younger. Substantial prizes in the form of art materials to the winning schools plus cash prizes for the successful pupils. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the world. In August 1986 hundreds of performers will again be taking part in any number ofevents in halls, theatres and streets all over the city. The festival will be publicised by the prize-winning entry to the competition, the work of a schoolchild from Scotland. All entries must go through the pupils’ art teachers as the competition is aimed primarily at helping the schools. Closing date 28 Feb 1986. Further details from the Fringe Office, 170 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 108, 031 226 5259.

0 EDINBURGH ZOO Murrayfield, 334 9171. Mon—Sat 9am—4.30pm. Sun 9.30am—4.30pm. £2.40, Child £1.20 (2 adults + 2 children £6). Open throughout the holiday period. The gorillas, it is hoped, are expanding. Not so much in size at 27 stone Sam

Sam. at Edinburgh Zoo, is hardly slender as it is - but in number. Yinka. a 13 year old female gorilla (only a modest 20-stone herself) has come over from Dublin Zoo on breeding loan. She joins Sam Sam and Naomi who arrived in Edinburgh earlier this year with the distinction of being Scotland’s first ever gorillas. Despite their natural habitat being the harshest and most barren regions of the Sahara Desert, the addax, a species of large antelope. are inqusitive and friendly animals who like to get close to the public. More scope for this at least than their sparse and vast homeland. A species of large antelope, new to Edinburgh, it is hoped they will breed for they are also an endangered species and captive breeding is designed to safeguard their conservation. They stand approximately 5 feet high with distinctive white and fawn coats and long curved horns. The pair have come. most recently, from Marwell Zoo in England.

0 NATIONAL GALLERY The Mound, 556 8921.

‘Christmas— a Story for our Time’ Competition If it were to happen today, how would you illustrate or describe the Christmas story? The National Gallery is inviting entries from anyone up to 18 years, in the form of a picture, words and picture, or just words. Prizes in 3 age groups, closing date 18 Dec. Entries will be

on display in the gallery 20 Dec—5 Jan.

0 ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Chambers Street, 225 7534.

Making Christmas Decorations 21 Dec lOam-lpm for 10—14 years. Free. These workshops are very popular and numbers restricted. Booking essential.

Christmas Art Competition 23, 24, 27 , 30 & 31 Dec at 2pm in Chambers Street & Queen Street branches of the museum. The annual art competition during the Christmas holidays to draw, paint, improve on

or be inspired by something from the museum’s collections. Paper provided. Prizes in 4 age groups; under 6, 7-9,10—12 &13—16 years. Entries will be on display in the museum from approx. mid-January and will be judged by Richard Demarco and Margaret Nisbet, Head of Art at Balerno High School. 0 SANTA'S GROTTO AND SLElGH RIDES East Princes Street Gardens. Until 24 Dec. Grotto open 11am-4pm, 13,16, 17, 18,20& 22 Dec; 11am—6pm 14, 21 , 23 & 24 Dec; 1 lam—7pm 19 Dec. Sleigh rides 11am—3pm. Organised by Edinburgh District Council Recreation Department. Being his busy season, Santa takes on an elfin assistant who welcomes children into their log cabin grotto, beamed down from the North Pole to beside the Scott Monument. Free balloons and lucky dip inside. Afterwards there are trips round the Gardens in a horse-drawn sleigh (while Rudolph rests for Christmas Eve).

0 SANTA STEAM TRAINS 14 Dec Depart Waverley Station 10.30am, 11.45am.1pm & 2pm. 15 Dec— 11am. 12.15pm,l.45pm.A 12'/2 ! mile round trip, approx 45 mins. ' Tickets from The Morningside Association, 37 Morningside Drive & SRPS Railtours, 7 Craigmount Ave North. £4, Child £1-£2.50. Tel 339 5646 evgs weekday for information. Santa takes a train. So . can the children who will also receive a gift from him whilst on board. ‘Maude’, an 1891 locomotive and restored to working order by the SRPS is the steamy star who will pull the Santa Steam Train Special.

0 THINS SATURDAY CLUB Thins Bookshop, 53—59 South Bridge. 556 6743. Sats 10—11.30am. Free. For the young bookworm there are games, quizzes, treasure hunts,

competitions, puzzles and

story-time. For children ofall ages.

0 TOY LIBRARIES For the under fives and handicapped children. A sort of Rent-a-Toy arrangement to make available a variety of the best toys. There are 12 locations in and around Edinburgh. Times ofopening mainly as school terms. £5 per year or £2 per _‘ term. Contact Mrs Tebble at WRVS ,9 556 4284 for details of locations.

0 WATERSTONES 1 14—1 16 George Street, 225 3436. f Special Collection- North Pole Express 5 Postman Pat will be collecting letters 3 to Santa on 19 Dec at noon, 2pm &

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The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

4—7pm. Special Santa postbox will be in the shop the week before. 14 & 15 Dec at half hourly intervals from 12 noon, Raymond Briggs’ character, the ‘Snowman’ will be thawing children’s hearts in the shop.

The List 13 Dec—9Jan43