Musselburgh stages the first of its 10 fixture £640,000 National Hunt season on Wednesday (8 Nov) with a six-card meeting featuring prize money of £43,000.

The season’s total prize pot is similar to last year at the East Lothian track with one less jumps fixture being held in 2017-18.

High profile meetings include the festive favourite on New Year’s Day and the annual bet365 Scottish Cheltenham Trials Weekend on 3 and 4 February which attracts the leading trainers looking for challenging prep races leading up to the Cheltenham Festival and the Aintree Grand National.

Racecourse chief executive Bill Farnsworth is hoping the increasingly popular 1 January meeting will improve on last year’s record attendance of 6400 and with more than £110,000 on offer, including the £30,000 Totepool Hogmaneigh Hurdle feature race, there is plenty to appeal to the top stables and racing fans alike.

For sporting fans who like all types of racing action, Musselburgh also plays host that day to the finals of the traditional New Year Sprint, now in its 149th year and the world’s oldest athletics handicap race.

Musselburgh’s much anticipated bet365 Scottish Cheltenham Trials Weekend at the start of February will have almost £250,00 prize money on offer and on the first day (Sat 3 Feb) centre stage is the £40,000 bet365 Edinburgh National, a stayer’s contest over four miles, supported by the bet365 Scottish Champion Steeple Chase over half that distance. Four key Cheltenham hurdle trials form the core of the second day (Sunday 4 Feb) led by the Class 1 Listed bet365 Scottish Triumph Hurdle Trial and the bet365 Scottish County Hurdle.

Bill Farnsworth said: “We believe we have produced another excellent jumps programme with a mixture of high-value glamour meetings and competitive race days which will appeal to our National Hunt fans over the winter months.

“The large crowd and atmosphere at our first-foot meeting on New Years’ Day makes this one of the best sporting events in Scotland over the festive period. Its popularity continues to grow and my advice would be to book tickets well in advance so that you are not disappointed if the fixture sells out.

“The bet365 Scottish Cheltenham Trials boasts a full programme of high-quality prep races for the Festival proper and it’s no exaggeration to say that each February Musselburgh is firmly on the map for the country’s leading owners and trainers.”

Gates open on Wednesday 8 November at 11am and the first race is at 12.45pm. To book in advance and for more information on Musselburgh’s jump season fixture list, visit www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk

This week, Queen Margaret University is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its move to the campus in Musselburgh.

Ten years ago, in the first week of October, QMU welcomed its first cohort of new students to its newly built campus.

Over the last decade, QMU has responded to our fast changing world with agility, positivity and a practical approach.

Since relocating, the University has seen its student numbers grow, and has moved up the rankings in terms of research output. Today, the institution is ranked first in Scotland and third in the UK for graduate employability.

QMU’s vision is to be ‘a university of ideas and influence’ and over the last ten years, its reach has extended with graduates leaving the Musselburgh campus and using the skills and knowledge they have acquired at QMU to positively influence the lives of individuals and communities in Scotland, the UK and internationally. In addition, the University has seen increasing numbers of students study for its degrees through partner institutions abroad, including in Nepal, India, Singapore and Greece.

To mark the 10th anniversary, the University is running an exhibition on campus celebrating the stories of some of its graduates. These stories will also be shared on social media.

At its new campus, and through partnership with East Lothian Council, the University became the first Scottish university to host a Business Gateway. This development is part of a much wider programme of work to foster entrepreneurship and support the Scottish economy.

Alongside this, the University has also implemented ground-breaking initiatives to demystify higher education and to encourage widening participation, including the Children’s University and the South East Scotland Academies Project.

The QMU campus has blossomed. The mature grounds are now a haven for wildlife and students and staff enjoy sharing the attractive landscape gardens with the local community.

Dr Richard Butt, Deputy Principal of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh: “This is a very special time for QMU. It offers the opportunity for us to reflect on what has been achieved in the last 10 years, both at home as well as globally, and to reconnect with our alumni and share their success. The anniversary also gives us the opportunity to express our gratitude to our new community which has embraced and supported QMU, helping us put down strong roots in East Lothian. By building strong partnerships locally we are all more than a sum of our parts.

“Our move to our new campus and our QMU150 strategic plan have helped us develop a new found confidence, allowing us to become more ambitious in our outlook and helping realise our vision of being known as a university of ideas and influence.

Dr Butt concluded: “Whether you are a QMU alumni, current student, a friend of QMU or are new to the university, please do take this opportunity to connect with us on social media and learn more about the QMU story.”

Musselburgh Racecourse is now at the forefront of accessible sporting venues following the launch of Scottish Racing’s new Access Statements, which promotes the highest possible standards of customer experience for everyone, regardless of age or ability.

The Access Statements were developed in conjunction with VisitScotland’s Accessible Tourism Scotland initiative, a drive to help venues better cater for the requirements of people with access needs, including those with physical, sensory or learning disabilities, elderly visitors and parents with small children.

These access guides allow potential visitors to plan their trip from the comfort of their own home via their PC, tablet or mobile phone and informs visitors with access needs of every aspect of the venue, from car parking and transport, to access to the amenities within each venue.

The Access guide gives detailed information on gradients and widths of pathways, ramp and door access, lifts, information points and customer services and viewing platforms around the course.

Scotland is already one of the world’s leading tourist destinations and it is hoped that this is one further step towards all venues and attractions in Scotland becoming accessible to all. Currently, of the 11 million disabled people in Britain, only 2 million take a holiday, because they find it too difficult to gauge accessibility.

Scottish Racing Manager, Delly Innes, said: “Our Access Statements further demonstrate that racing in Scotland is accessible to everyone and anyone. All five of our Scottish racecourses pride themselves on the high standards of staff training and customer service that is on offer to any racegoer, notwithstanding their ability.”

Musselburgh Racecourse senior operations and commercial manager, Sarah Montgomery, added: “The Access Statement is an excellent way of promoting our racecourses as open to all and it underlines our commitment to making a day spent racing at Musselburgh as enjoyable as possible for people of all ages and abilities.”

Meanwhile, Musselburgh is back racing on Saturday (Sept 16) when it stages the Caledonian Cup Race Day. The 1m 5 furlong feature race, the £25,000 Caledonian Cup Handicap, has attracted entries from some of the UK’s leading stables, including Sir Mark Prescott and William Haggas.

Leading the Scottish challenge Iain Jardine has Tor down for the trip, which won at Chester last month, while Carluke-based Keith Dalgleish is expected to field Somnambulist and Taxmeifyoucan, which has won four of its last five races.

Gates open on Saturday at 1pm, first race is off at 3.30pm and the last race is 6.45pm. For more information and to book tickets please visit www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk

The Musselburgh Racecourse Access Guide can be viewed and downloaded by visiting https://www.accessibilityguides.org/content/scottish-racing-musselburgh-racecourse

People in Edinburgh and East Lothian are invited to get an insight into the work of Queen Margaret University (QMU) by taking part in its Community Forum.

QMU will host its Community Forum at its Musselburgh campus in East Lothian on Tuesday 30th May at 6.30pm.

Local people will have the opportunity to ask questions about the University and how it is working with the community. Speakers at the event will include Dr Jane Culpan, Senior Lecturer on the BSc (Hons) Physical Activity, Wellbeing and Health, who will be discussing her course and how it links with the community.

The QMU Community Forum brings together university staff, local residents, businesses, organisations, schools and council representatives twice a year to discuss university and local community issues.

Jane Scott, Director of Marketing & Communications at QMU, said: “The QMU Community Forum is designed to create a link between local people in and around East Lothian, Edinburgh and the University. The popular event attracts a variety of interest from local residents, councillors and representatives from community groups.

“We look forward to welcoming a wide range of local people to our next Community Forum on 30 th May, when they will have the chance to find out about the fascinating work of the Queen Margaret Children’s University and about various outreach and learning initiatives taking place with the local area.”

QMU is open to the local community throughout the year, providing a range of public facilities, including learning resources, gym and sports centre, café, restaurant and grounds for leisure activities and dog-walking.

For more information and to register for the QMU Community Forum, contact Lynne Russell, Communications Manager, QMU, T: 0131 474 0000, E: lrussell@qmu.ac.uk