As the year draws to a close, we conclude our review of the year’s news highlights by looking at what was making the headlines in the final three months of 2023.
There was the farewell to the giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang as they left Edinburgh Zoo for China; the disturbing scenes of mayhem on he streets on Bonfire Night; the tragic explosion in Baberton; and the sad death of Alistair Darling. Other stories we featured included a preview of the world’s first inland surf resort a call for an underground waste system in Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site; an accolade for The Shore in Leith; and a new station opening in East Lothian.
Scroll through these 27 pictures to recall some of the highlights.
21. Entry fees for museums and galleries?
Entry fees could be introduced at council-run museums and galleries in Edinburgh, it emerged. A 12-month pilot scheme was being looked at as part of a plan to help meet the rising costs of running and maintaining historic attractions, and ensure they have a long-term future. It could mean charges of at least £6 per adult to visit attractions like the City Art Centre, the Museum of Childhood, the Writer's Museum, the Museum of Childhood and The People's Story museum. Photo: Supplied
22. Alistair Darling dies
Former Chancellor Alistair Darling, an Edinburgh Labour MP for 28 years, died at the age of 70 after a short spell in the Western General where he was being treated for cancer. He served as Chancellor during the 2008 global financial crisis and led the Better Together campaign in the 2014 independence referendum. Tributes called him "the safest of safe hands", a man of "unimpeachable integrity", and "a giant of Scottish and UK politics". Hundreds attended a memorial service at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral. Photo: Lewis Whyld
23. House explosion in Baberton
An 84-year-old man, James Smith, died after an explosion ripped through a house in Edinburgh's Baberton Mains Avenue. Two other people, a 43-year-old woman and 54-year-old man, were taken to hospital. Several properties were evacuated. The Health and Safety Executive later said its investigations were focusing on installations inside the house rather than on the gas network. Photo: Kevin Quinn
24. Farewell to the pandas
It was farewell to the giant pandas as they left to go home to China after their 12-year stay at Edinburgh Zoo. Yang Guang (pictured) and Tian Tian were hugely popular with the public, even though they failed to produce a cub. They were loaded onto a plane at Edinburgh Airport in a crate and accompanied on the journey by the zoo's head keeper Michael Livingstone. Photo: Lisa Ferguson