Hey! Nashy & Abs here 👋
Welcome to your weekly Thriving Newsletter!
What a week! The Thriving Card is live and the response has been brilliant. A mix of memberships has already been purchased and we are so proud to have reached this moment with all of you. Thank you. Genuinely. 🩷
We are so excited about what's been built here that we have decided to extend the Thriving Founding Member discount! If you haven't grabbed yours yet, there is still time to get a £45 annual membership instead of £59. Forever!
The discount is already applied! ⬇️
This card is for everyone. Families, couples, solo explorers, foodies, fitness lovers, culture seekers, tourists and locals alike. Whatever you're into, Edinburgh and the Lothians have it all and the Thriving Card unlocks the best of it at a discount. 🩷
This week's newsletter includes:
🔥 New business shout out
🏪 Local business highlights
📣 Worth shouting about / Dates for your diary
💳 Thriving Card: Live now. Buy here.
Let's get into it! 👇
A taste of what's on the Thriving Card this week:
🏪 McLarens on The Corner - 20% OFF food and drink. Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm. Neighbourhood bar and restaurant on Holy Corner in Bruntsfield.
🏠 Hansar Mortages - Free consultation and £50 OFF broker fee. Whole-of-market mortgage advice based in Bruntsfield. Mortgages made simple.
👨👩👧👦 Funparx Edinburgh - 10% OFF two-hour session (online purchase only - use code at checkout). Family entertainment centre in Leith. The old Ninja Warrior.
🩷 Loads more offers across food, drink, health, wellness, shopping, experiences, outdoor activities and so much more. A wee something for everyone!
🔥 NEW BUSINESS SHOUT OUT!
🎥 Point & Party - Retro Camera Hire
Weddings, parties and events just got a whole lot more fun. Point & Party offer retro digital camera hire that gives your guests something genuinely brilliant to do.
Allow guests to capture the vibe and action from their point of view. No apps. No fuss. Just point, shoot and create memories worth keeping. 🩷
Thriving Card offer: 10% off your hire. This one is a no-brainer for anyone planning a wedding or event in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
🏪 LOCAL BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS
🍦Ice Cream & Milkshakes at The Little Parlour
Edinburgh's biggest selection of artisan gelato flavours and, honestly, one of the most joyful independent businesses in the city. Two brilliant, easy-to-reach locations: South Queensferry and Stockbridge.
Both serving luxury gelato, milkshakes and coffee made with real care and real craft.
I visited the Stockbridge shop recently, following The Little Parlour joining the Thriving Card.
With summer and the warmer weather incoming, there’s no better time for it.
Thriving Card offer: 10% off ice cream and milkshakes. The best excuse you'll ever need. 🩷
🌊 Groundswell Scotland - Surf Coaching, Therapy, Festival & Community
A grassroots charity rooted in East Lothian and one of the most special organisations we have had the pleasure of partnering with. Groundswell Scotland creates brave, safe and women-centred spaces where self-identifying women, cis women, trans women and non-binary people feel entirely comfortable in a women-centred space where they can heal, grow and find community through the power of the ocean.
Founded by Sally in 2018 and built on over 20 years of working with women in the outdoors. Surf therapy, community sessions, yoga, breathwork, journaling and Surf Bliss coaching sessions for women of any experience or ability. Whether you've never tried surfing or you're already hooked, this is the one.
All sessions are facilitated by trauma-aware counsellors, qualified surf coaches and wellbeing practitioners.
Thriving Card offer: 10% off Surf Bliss Coaching Sessions. A brilliant gift to yourself or someone you love. 🩷
Plus, a couple of tickets are still available for the Groundswell Surf Festival! A day of surfing, connection to nature, music, fire and celebration of women and waves. Don't miss it!
📣 WORTH SHOUTING ABOUT & DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
🧥 Maggie's Pop-Up Boutique x Contini: Thursday 14th - Sunday 17th May
Edinburgh does community brilliantly and this is a perfect example of that. Throughout May, Contini, George Street is partnering with Maggie's Centre to support their Pop-Up Boutique at 93 George Street.
Four days of pre-loved designer fashion raising vital funds for Maggie's Edinburgh. Pop in, grab something special and know your money is going somewhere that matters. 🩷
On top of that, Contini has a special Maggie's dish on both their breakfast and à la carte menus throughout May. For every dish sold, £1 goes directly to the charity. Go for the food. Stay for the cocktails. Know you're making a difference.
☕ Cortino - Cold Brew Pop Up, Tuesday 2nd to Sunday 14th June
Something genuinely unique is coming to Edinburgh this June.
Cortino are popping up at The Shop With No Name on Broughton Place with a two-week bar dedicated entirely to barrel-aged cold brew coffee. Limited edition serves, exclusive flavours and a whole new way to experience coffee that you won't find anywhere else in the city right now. 🩷
Tuesday 2nd to Sunday 14th June 2026. Get it in your diary.
🎭 Trainspotting The Musical - Edinburgh Playhouse
This is a big one. Thirty years on from the film that changed everything Irvine Welsh brings Trainspotting to the stage as a world premiere musical.
Written by Welsh himself with music and lyrics by Stephen McGuinness and Irvine Welsh. Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy and Kelly are back. Loud, funny, dark and like nothing you've ever seen on a stage before.
Edinburgh Playhouse. Mon 19th to Sat 24th October 2026. Age guidance 15+.
💳 THE THRIVING CARD IS LIVE!
We built this because we believe independent businesses are the heartbeat of Edinburgh and the Lothians. Every time you use your Thriving Card, you are putting money directly into a local business. A real person. A real story. A real part of what makes this city worth living in.
What you get: Over 130+ independent businesses across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Discounts, offers and a community built around keeping this city's best independents thriving.
Founding Member offer - extended!
We are so delighted with the response that we are keeping the founding member price open a little longer for our subscribers. £45 instead of £59 annually. Your digital card carries Founding Member status and the discount stays with you.
That's your Thriving Thursday! 🩷
We genuinely love putting this together for you every week. The fact that you read it, share it and support it means the world to both of us.
Our Newsletter is a place to shine a spotlight on the many brilliant local businesses on our doorstep and to keep you in the loop on local events and what’s happening in and around Edinburgh.
We really want to hear about new independent businesses that are opening up in Edinburgh and the Lothians! Know a business deserving a shout-out? Reply to this email and tell us their story.
Are you a local business owner? Would you like to join our Thriving Card? It’s FREE and takes only 2 minutes to register.
Let's Keep Edinburgh Thriving. 🚀
Nashy & Abs