Talk of the Town: Gala day looks for help by truckload

THIS year's Festivals Cavalcade may have been cancelled, but the Capital's children are determined not to let the side down.

The Clermiston and Drumbrae Children's Gala Day Parade promises to offer all the main ingredients of a top-notch cavalcade, including floats, performers and a pipe band, as they make their way from Fox Covert Primary to Drumbrae Leisure Centre on May 28.

There's only one thing the children are missing for their parade - willing haulage firms to provide lorries and drivers.

Chairperson Karen Keil said: "We would like to have more floats but need curtain-sided lorries. Any offers?"

Kind-hearted firms can contact her at [email protected].

Pavement graffiti paints bleak picture for Leithers

ACCORDING to Leithers, it's another episode to be filed under the "it would never happen in the New Town" category.

This time it's state-sponsored graffiti which has caught the locals' ire, after council officials began spray-painting pavements in a bid to reduce dog fouling.

Local campaign group Greener Leith points out that this sort of behaviour would not be tolerated elsewhere and points to a council video which suggests that graffiti increases people's fear of crime.

The group says: "So, you can file this latest incident, once again, under 'things that would never happen in the New Town'."

It adds: "If you are at all upset by any graffiti you see added on to the pavement by the council, the council says that you should call, er, the council. So that's reassuring."

We're throne by big date

YOU may or may not have noticed but there's a small matter of a royal wedding this month.

In fact, one in five people admit they don't know the date when Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married - it's April 29 by the way - according to ConsumerIntelligence.com.

It also revealed only 33 per cent will be doing something special to mark the big day. What big day?

By George, what an offer

WHAT'S in a name? Well, for revelling Georges and Georginas it's the key to a free pint across many Punch pubs in the Capital on St George's Day this Saturday.

The pubs - including Doctors on Forrest Road, Grosvenor on Shandwick Place, Shakespeare on Lothian Road and McCowans Brewhouse in Fountainbridge - will be dishing out glasses of Bombardier beer to anyone who can prove their first or surname is George or Georgina.