Around town: Charity gets £5k to help young bloom

Green Team (Edinburgh & Lothians) Ltd, which runs a programme called Green Shoots targeting young people who are socially excluded or disadvantaged, was awarded 5760 by Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland.

Green Shoots takes groups of young people to work in the countryside once a week, where they cut back vegetation and clear paths, among other jobs.

Martial arts event kicks off

A MARTIAL arts tournament with two Scottish title fights is being held at Haddington Corn Exchange on Sunday.

Run by the Scottish Muay Thai Council, the full-contact event will be feature class A, B and novice fights.

Doors open at 1pm. Tickets cost 20 from 07841-373 787.

Sex offender talks planned

A SUMMIT on serious violent and sexual offenders in Scotland will be held in the Capital in June.

The event will offer professionals working with offenders the chance to hear from speakers on a variety of current issues and debate the lifting of lifetime sex offender registration.

Roll up for Easter bunny naming game

MACMILLAN Cancer Support in Edinburgh is calling on local organisations to take part in its "Eggcellent Guess the Name Competition".

The charity is providing Easter Bunny baskets full of chocolate eggs and a cuddly bunny, along with name sheets for people to try to guess the bunny's name. For a donation of 1, people can try and win all the contents of the basket. Call 0131-260 3720 for details.

Jazz Bar to stage poetry works launch night

TWO poetry books will be launched at The Jazz Bar in Chambers Street tomorrow.

Jenny Lindsay, whose work is billed as "full of hope, humanity and humour", will launch The Things You Leave Behind.

Performance writer Ali Maloney, whose work draws on burlesque, maskwork, puppetry and slapstick, will launch The Harlequinade. The event, which is free, runs from 7pm to 8.30pm.

Both are published by Red Squirrel Press. For details see www.redsquirrelpress.com.

Book place at libraries debate

AN event discussing 21st century libraries will take place in the city next week.

The role and value of libraries in an increasingly digital age will be discussed by experts at the event at the National Library of Scotland next Thursday from 6pm.