What's On

March Madness at The Brunton!

March Madness - Exclusive Offers!

Counterfeit Sixties Saturday 23 March 7:30pm - The Brunton is thrilled to announce a special offer for an incredible evening of entertainment. Experience The Counterfeit Sixties show and relive the vibrant sounds of the 1960s with Britain’s top tribute show, honouring over twenty-five bands from that period.

Redeem the code ‘ELC Staff’ at checkout for a deal of £35 for two tickets or £17.50 for a single ticket. Come and join us at Haddington Corn Exchange for a nostalgic night celebrating the sixties!

March Movies

We are excited to present an exciting line-up of films in The Brunton’s March programme at Loretto School Theatre. This month, we are also expanding to include two screenings at Haddington Corn Exchange for the first time! Here's a glimpse of what's to come:

On 13 March at 7:30pm, catch The Color Purple (12A), a musical drama portraying a story of love, resilience, and a woman's quest for independence across decades.
Join us on 20 March at 7:30pm for the inaugural screening at Haddington Corn Exchange, Bob Marley: One Love (12A), a tribute to the life and music of the iconic reggae artist.
Additionally, in Haddington Corn Exchange, don't miss the National Theatre Live's screening of The Motive and The Cue on 21 March at 7pm. Sam Mendes directs Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud and Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton in this fierce and funny new play.
At Loretto School Theatre on 26 March 26 at 7:17pm, we will also be screening Royal Opera House Live’s Madama Butterfly. With a score that includes Butterfly’s aria, Giacomo Puccini’s opera is entrancing and ultimately heart breaking.
Wrapping up the month on 27 March at 7:30pm, we bring you Wicked Little Letters (15), a film inspired by a scandal that shook 1920s England. Featuring Olivia Coleman, Jessie Buckley, and Timothy Spall, this promises to be a riveting watch.

Snooker Greats

Seven-time World Snooker Champion, Stephen Hendry, competes against his long-time rival John Higgins, a four-time World Snooker Champion, in a thrilling recreation of the matches that propelled these snooker legends to the pinnacle of their careers. An Evening with Snooker Greats: Clash of The Titans comes to Haddington Corn Exchange on 26 March at 7:30pm

Bite-sized concerts at lunchtime

Guitar Masterpieces: Tim Beattie, guitar joins us on Tuesday 19 March at 1pm for our bite-sized concerts at lunchtime. Relax at lunchtime in the beautiful Northesk Parish Church, Musselburgh. An optional, light lunch of soup and a sandwich is served in the Church Hall adjacent to the church at 12pm

Staff book group programme for 2024

The staff book group is always open to new members and we’ve just picked our books for the rest of the year. If you’d like to join our read along and discussions of any of these books email the Healthy Working Lives team: hwl@eastlothian.gov.uk for details. The group meets at lunchtimes over Teams.

Staff book group picks and meeting dates for 2024

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson - Thurs 4 April 1pm to 2pm

In a country still recovering from the Great War, London is the focus for a delirious nightlife. In Soho clubs, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time. There, Nellie Coker is a ruthless ruler, ambitious for her six children. But success breeds enemies. Nellie faces threats from without and within.

The Fire next Time by James Baldwin - Weds 29 May 12:30pm to 1:30pm

A bestseller when it first appeared in 1963, The Fire Next Time galvanized the nation and gave passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement. At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin’s early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document.

Verity by Colleen Hoover – Tues 27 Aug 1pm to 2pm

Lowen Ashleigh is a writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines. What she doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt – Weds 12:30 pm to 1:30pm

Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin – Thurs 28 November 12noon to 1pm

Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name—and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

Book recommendations

If you are a book lover the group is also a friendly place to get lots of excellent book recommendations for your “must read” list.

Reading can help improve mental health.

Research carried out in 2009 found that 30 minutes of reading can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of psychological distress just as effectively as yoga and humour do. Reading as part of a night-time routine can also help with sleep.

JGC Film Appreciation Club

The John Gray Centre Film Appreciation Club 2024 programme kicks-off on Thursday, 14 March at 6pm (Star Room) with a ‘fantastic female’ themed screening for Women’s History Month. The Club will be screening Where Do We Go Now? (2011), a comedy by Lebanese & Canadian actress, director, and activist, Nadine Labaki, which tells the story of a group of women who try to ease religious tensions between Christians and Muslims in their village.

The film explores the complex and taboo subjects of sectarian violence, religion, and patriarchal oppression in contemporary Lebanon through humour expressed almost entirely by women.

Refreshment and post-screening discussion/expertise is provided. ELC staff can attend free-of-charge provided you show your staff pass.

Otherwise, club membership donation towards costs is £15 per term (Spring & Autumn) or £30 per year. This allows free entry to all screenings (6 films per term). Single entry/guest/visitor donation charge is £5.

Give blood this month

This month blood donation sessions will be held at:

Sunday 17 March 10:20 - 12:30 14:00 - 15:30
Monday 18 March 14:10 - 16:00 17:30 - 19:30

Both at Musselburgh East Community Learning Centre, Haddington Road, Musselburgh