Thursday, May 7, 2026 — Edition No. 83 — The Cornmill Intelligencer

← Past Editions · Edition No. 83 · Thursday, May 7, 2026

Today’s outlook: Last orders, first rounds — Scotland reinvents the night out

Community Scotland

Last orders for the old-man boozer? Scotland's pubs reinvent the night out for Gen Z

From quiz nights to wreath-making, publicans north of the border are rewriting the rules for a generation that drinks less but still wants to gather

By Helen Cooper

When Steve Latto looks back at Friday nights at The Criterion, his family-run bar in St Andrews, he remembers crowds standing shoulder to shoulder. Now, he tells the BBC, customers glance through the door, decide it looks too busy, and walk straight back out.

"They don't want to be in close proximity to people," Latto says. He believes 2026 will be the worst year the pub trade has faced — squeezed by rising costs, business-rate changes and, he thinks, a generation that simply socialises differently.

Across Scotland, publicans are coming to the same conclusion: the post-work pint and the lock-in have a new rival, and her name is Gen Z. But rather than bolt the doors, many are quietly rewriting what a Scottish pub is for.

Read full story →

Science

Meet Alpha: the humanoid robot learning to sort Britain's bins

Sharp Group's Rainham trial puts a tireless android on the conveyor belt — and asks what happens to the humans beside it

By Damien Day

In a dust-choked recycling plant in Rainham, east London, a new picker has joined the line. It doesn't take cigarette breaks. It doesn't book holidays. It doesn't quit after three weeks because the work is too grim.

It's called Alpha — the Automated Litter Processing Humanoid Assistant — and it might be the future of British recycling.

The robot is being trialled by Sharp Group, a family-run skip and waste management firm that processes up to 280,000 tonnes of mixed recycling every year, the BBC reports. Built by RealMan Robotics in China and adapted for UK plants by British firm TeknTrash Robotics, Alpha is the unusual face of an industry quietly turning to automation.

Read full story →

News Scotland

Edinburgh's winter festival pours record £241m into city's economy

Christmas markets and Hogmanay drew 2.9 million visits, raised £49,000 for charity and returned £297 for every £1 the council spent, organisers say

What's On Glasgow

Let Glasgow Flourish: Maryhill exhibition turns the city's coat of arms into a love letter

A free, community-curated show at Maryhill Burgh Halls celebrates the bird, the tree, the fish and the bell — and the Glaswegians who keep reimagining them.

By Helen Cooper

Every Glaswegian knows the rhyme. "Here's the tree that never grew, here's the bird that never flew, here's the bell that never rang, here's the fish that never swam."

But how often do we stop and really look at the four small miracles stamped into the city's lamp posts, tenement closes and town hall windows?

A new exhibition at Maryhill Burgh Halls is asking exactly that. Let Glasgow Flourish – The Glasgow Coat of Arms, curated by Dr Caroline Scott, is a warm, free-to-enter celebration of the city's emblem and the saint whose stories made it.

Read full story →

What's On Glasgow

Don the Tartan: Glasgow's Beloved Tartan Army Musical Roars Back After 28 Years

Maryhill Community Central Halls hosts the revamped 'Over The Top' for one night only — a riot of pints, playoffs and patriotic singalongs

By Damien Day

Davie, Shug, Rab and Tam are lacing up the tackety boots one more time — and their long-suffering "Tartan Barmy" wives are coming with them.

Nearly three decades after it first packed houses during Scotland's last World Cup qualification, the cult musical comedy Over The Top — The Tartan Army 28 Years Later is marching back into Glasgow for one night only, and the timing could hardly be sweeter.

The revamped show lands at Maryhill Community Central Halls on Saturday 9 May 2026 at 7.30pm, with tickets a flat £25 via Eventbrite, according to the official listing on What's On Glasgow.

Read full story →

News Clydebank

Park Bar seeks new hands as Clydebank waits for its Dumbarton Road local to reopen

Star Pubs is on the hunt for a tenant to revive the well-known community pub, with food and a strong local feel at the heart of the brief.

By Henry Davenport

A familiar Clydebank watering hole is preparing for a new chapter, with brewery giant Star Pubs on the hunt for someone to take on the keys to the Park Bar.

The pub at 421-423 Dumbarton Road, a fixture of the town for years, is being offered on a foundation tenancy and is expected to reopen once a suitable operator is found. Star Pubs, owned by Heineken, has set the annual rent at £30,138, with indicative entry costs starting from around £14,011.

The owners have made plain that they are looking for someone with a feel for the area and a clear plan for what the pub can become. "Attitude is more valuable than experience," reads the listing, which calls for an applicant with "an understanding of the local community" and a love of hospitality.

Read full story →