Day: November 12, 2012

Shipshape initiative targets litter in Leith

A community project to improve the appearance of Leith’s streets got underway today. Shipshape Leith is a three-week initiative organised by the City of Edinburgh Council and  Lothian and Borders Police following consultation with local residents and  businesses. 

The initiative will see graffiti, stickers, posters and cable ties being removed from bins, lamp posts,  street signs, bus stops, post boxes and telephone boxes. Streets being targeted  are Leith Walk, Easter Road, Bonnington Road, Broughton Street, Duke Street,  Newhaven Place to Salamander Street, North Junction Street, Great Junction  Street and Constitution Street.

Local residents can play their part too – as part of the initiative a Volunteer Day has been organised for this Friday (16 November) in Constitution  Street which will involve residents and representatives from the business  community joining council staff and police in a clean up.

Councillor Lesley Hinds,  Environment Convener, said: “The community spirit on display in Leith shows what  can be achieved when everyone comes together with a common goal. At the end of  the day the winners from this initiative are going to be those people who live  and work in the area. No one likes seeing their  streets looking untidy so I am sure the work planned over the coming weeks will  have a positive impact. It is something everyone can take immense satisfaction  and pride from. One of our key partnership  commitments of the Capital Coalition is to maintain and improve the quality of life in Edinburgh and Shipshape  Leith is a fine example of this in action.”

Sergeant  Gordon Duff, from Lothian and  Borders Police, said: “This  initiative is a fantastic example of just some of the joint working that is  being undertaken around the Kirkgate and Great Junction Street areas of  Leith. Lothian and Borders  Police is committed to identifying young people who are carrying out antisocial  behaviour in the area, working with partners to address their behaviour and use  solutions such as diversionary activities to ensure a long-term and sustainable  change.”

Anyone wanting to take part  in the Shipshape Leith Volunteer Day in Constitution Street should meet at the  Kirkgate Victoria Monument at 9.30am on Friday 16 November.

People taking part in the  three-week initiative include Council staff from various departments,  the Leith Police Safer Neighbourhood Team and Community Payback  offenders.

Trust Naomi – Job Ambassador!

The Prince’s Trust Scotland has appointed three young unemployed people from Edinburgh as Job Ambassadors in an effort to help other young people move into jobs and training. Naomi Johnstone, 26, from Leith, Heather Johnstone, 24, from Sighthill and Michelle Smith, 20, of Burdiehouse, join four other young people in the role.

The Trust’s Job Ambassador initiative will offer young people who have previously participated in Prince’s Trust programmes and who have been a Prince’s Trust Young Ambassador full-time employment for one year, allowing them to hone their skills and to reach out and support other young people.

The Job Ambassadors will be based within Prince’s Trust centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and North Lanarkshire, with a view to increasing their reach in the months ahead.

They will give inspirational talks based on their own experiences and provide one-to-one support and guidance, helping others to re-engage and prepare for work and training.

Naomi said: “Being a Job Ambassador means the world to me.  It’s been so hard to get a job within the youth work sector and this is a brilliant opportunity. The Prince’s Trust is putting a lot of faith in us and I can’t wait to start getting out and meeting young people and helping them to start moving forward.”

Heather Gray, Director of The Prince’s Trust Scotland, said: “We know that long-term unemployment can be demoralising – crushing self-esteem and derailing ambition. The young people we are employing will have lived through this and will be able to draw on their own experiences to support other young people facing similar situations.  Peer to peer support is hugely beneficial in inspiring young people to engage and achieve positive outcomes and our Job Ambassadors will offer crucial advice and guidance to help others find a job. This kind of investment in Scotland’s young people is vital if we are to ensure our young talent has the opportunity to achieve and sustain a positive future.”

Jim Sweeney, Chief Executive of YouthLink Scotland, added: “This is an excellent initiative to help tackle long-term youth unemployment in Scotland. I recently attended an event where I met some of the new Job Ambassadors, their personal stories are an inspiration to us all and they will be excellent role models for others to follow.”

A second group of Job Ambassadors will be recruited early next year as The Trust aims to introduce the initiative into new areas across Scotland.

Richard Cornish, Work Services Director for Jobcentre Plus in Scotland, said: “I welcome this initiative and we will continue to workin partnership with the Prince’s Trust to help tackle youth unemployment in Scotland. We know it’s a huge challenge, and that’s why Jobcentre Plus is committed to helping young peopledevelop the skills and experience they need to get a job through the £1 billion Youth Contract.”

Happy birthday, Rowanfield

A very happy birthday to Rowanfield Special School, which has now been part of the Drylaw community for ten years!

The school celebrated their special birthday with an extra-special party on Friday – and the children were all involved in planning the programme IN JUST A WEEK!

They did a great job – there was a piper, a video booth, a memories tree, food and refreshments (thanks to Miss Thomson, P6/7!), and videos of past events at Rowanfield.

Then there was an opportunity to sing the Rowanfield School song, a presentation to Mr Glover who’s been a volunteer at the school since it opened and three P7 pupils devised, wrote and recorded a Rowanfield Rap – all in under an hour!

You can’t really have a birthday party without a birthday cake, and Rowanfield pupils starred again – Cameron baked a lovely cake and Darren decorated it with the party’s Angry Birds theme!

Head Teacher Leanne Sharpe told guests: “I think our children have done remarkably well in organising our party – every one of them has helped in some way and they have all worked really hard to make the party a success, so it’s great to see everyone enjoying themselves”.

Senior pupils Dale and Liam helped the Head Teacher cut the birthday cake.

They came, they saw, they planted!

They came from schools, from projects, from churches and from nice warm houses – they came from all over Muirhouse on a mission: to plant thousands of bulbs on Muirhouse Avenue.

The gardeners braved chilly winds and showers over Friday and Saturday to plant their bulbs. The fruits of their labours won’t be seen until springtime – but it’s sure to be worth the wait!