Police Scotland have confirmed that a 39-year-old man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder following the incident that occurred last Thursday (7 May) in West Pilton Place.
Another man was stabbed in the incident which happened on the day of the general election.
The accused man was due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.
The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service are asking donors to make an extra special effort to give blood at St Columba’s Parish Church on Hillhouse Road tomorrow (Tuesday).
Sessions run from 2.30 – 4pm in the afternoon
and there’s an evening session from 5.30 – 8pm.
If you are not sure if you are eligible to donate, call 0845 30 17 270
email NSS.snbtsenquiry@nhs.net
or call in to speak to a member of staff at one of the sessions.
Heartless thieves could cost local primary school £1000
Forthview Primary School’s shed was broken into over the weekend – and the school needs your help to trace stolen bikes.
Forthview’s Tracey Berry said: “Bikes that we had borrowed, so that Bill Stobie could teach bike ability to P6, have been stolen, along with footballs and gardening equipment. We are responsibile for the bikes: it will cost us about £1000 to replace the them! Our fundraising is meant to be for outings and activities for Forthview Children not replacing things that thoughtless people have stolen.”
Tracey added: “The bikes look like this (above). If you find one please hand it to the school – the more we find the less money we have to pay out from the school funds.”
Can you help?
Muirhouse Library and Shopping Centre will host an Employment and Learning Fair between 10.30am and 1.30pm this Thursday (14 May).
The event is aimed at both adult jobseekers and young people looking for advice and support to get into work or learning in North Edinburgh. Organisations attending the event will include employability providers from the local area as well as employers with vacancies to fill.
Community Renewal is one of the organisations involved in the jobs fair, and emplyment adviser Diana said: “Previous events have resulted in jobseekers securing interviews on the spot so jobseekers are advised to come prepared with CVs and dressed to impress!”
St George’s face thirty opponents in Euroquiz final
In which European city could you find the oldest amusement park in the world? Which European country has the ‘zloty’ as its currency? Do you know when the European Coal and Steel Community was founded?
These are examples of some of the tough questions that will face over 120 primary P6 from all over Scotland who will take over the Scottish Parliament’s Debating Chamber today (Monday 11 May).
Thirty schools have debated their way through a series of heats to represent their local authority areas in the Euroquiz final at Holyrood and the capital will be represented by Ravelston’s St. George’s School for Girls.
Deputy Presiding Officer and Euroquiz quizmaster Elaine Smith MSP said: “Euroquiz is a fun and engaging way for children to learn about Europe and Scotland’s place in the world. It’s wonderful that our children are growing up in Scotland so knowledgeable about our European neighbours and the level of awareness of the participants never fails to impress.
“I am delighted that the Scottish Parliament is once again hosting the final of Euroquiz and I look forward to welcoming the teams and their supporters to Holyrood.”
The Scottish European Educational Trust (SEET) has been running the quiz since 1993 and this is the eighth year the event has been held at the Scottish Parliament. The event is sponsored by the European Parliament and the Scottish Government.
Minister for Learning, Alasdair Allan MSP said: “It’s great to see so many children and young people from around Scotland participating in this year’s Euroquiz final and putting their knowledge to the test of all things European. I hope every team has enjoyed their experience this year.”
Each of the 30 Scottish schools taking part in the quiz have already won their local authority round and will be competing against the winners of all the other heats in the final. Bon chance, St George’s!
A live webcast of the event will be accessible via the Scottish Parliament’s website at – http://www.scottishparliament.tv/
UK unites to mark VE Day 70
HM The Queen led the nation in marking VE Day 70 at a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey yesterday.
The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, members of The Royal Family, the Prime Minister, and nearly 1,000 veterans and their families attended the service, with representatives of Allied Nations and Commonwealth countries who fought alongside Britain in the conflict.
The service was led by the Dean of Westminster, and it included thanksgiving for reconciliation and unity, prayers for peace, with Address given by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
After the service, over 1,000 veterans from both military and civilian services, organisations and associations representing those who fought in the Second World War in Europe, led by 400 members of the Armed Forces, paraded from the Abbey and up Whitehall, past the famous balcony where Winston Churchill appeared before the crowds on VE Day after his famous speech to mark Victory in Europe.
The Prince of Wales took the salute as the parade entered Horse Guards Parade, and aircraft from the RAF’s historic Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, followed by the Red Arrows, flew overhead paying tribute to the veterans as they marched.
Veteran Alistair Wicks, 91, Royal Navy Minesweeping Section said: “On VE Day we sailed in and took over the port at Cuxhaven from the German command. We didn’t know immediately that the war was over. It just sort of filtered down. There was no battle. We were greeted with solemn silence – it felt unreal. We did fear attack but it never came. It was quite emotional because we were frightened and hopelessly outnumbered.”
Lieutenant Chris Chew, Commanding Officer of HMS Trumpeter, from Skipton in Yorkshire, attended the service. His grandfather, the late Sergeant Arthur Attwood served during some of the pivotal moments of the Second World War. His grandmother Hazel Attwood was a Land Girl during the war.
Lt Chew said: “It’s important to remember what out ancestors did during the Second World War. My grandfather served in the Army and he inspired me to join the military. I’m incredibly proud of his actions during the war to make sure I could have everything I have today.
“We should never forget the hardship he and thousands of others went through to preserve the nation and I feel honoured to join the VE Day celebrations in his memory.”
In the afternoon a reception and afternoon of Second World War era entertainment, including historic vehicles from the time, will be held in St James’s Park, with London celebrations culminating with musical performances by the Band of the Grenadier Guards at Trafalgar Square, the scene of jubilant celebrations in 1945.
The three-days of VE Day 70 commemorations and celebrations started with a Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph at 3pm on Friday 8 May, the time and date that 70 years ago Winston Churchill broadcast to the nation that the war in Europe was over. It was followed by more than 200 beacon lightings across the UK, which started with The Queen lighting a beacon on the Long Walk in Windsor.
St Paul’s Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square were lit up with V-shaped beams of light each evening, recreating what happened back in 1945.
Then, at 11am on Saturday cathedrals and churches across the country rang their bells in a sign of victory, signifying the end to the years the bells had hung in silence during the Second World War. Ships and boats sounded their horns.
At the same time on Twitter and Facebook, the VE Day 70 ‘V for Victory’ Thunderclap went live. An archive audio clip from May 1945 of cathedral bells ringing and drums beating the Morse code for ‘V’ for Victory was shared with more than 1.5 million people.
In the evening, thousands of people attended a Royal British Legion concert produced by Live Nation and the BBC, held at Horse Guards Parade. The star-studded 1940s themed ‘Party to Remember’ was hosted by Chris Evans and broadcast on BBC One, featuring performances from acts including Status Quo, Pixie Lott and Katherine Jenkins.
Right across the three days parties, picnics and events were held as communities and schools across the UK came together to mark the end of the War in Europe 70 years ago.
Events to mark the 70th Anniversary of Victory over Japan (VJ) Day will be announced shortly.
New Bill will reform the community justice system in Scotland
Plans for a new community justice model, designed to create a stronger community justice system in Scotland, were published by the Scottish Government on Friday.
The Community Justice (Scotland) Bill establishes a new model for community justice which puts local delivery, partnerships and collaboration at its heart.
The Community Justice (Scotland) Bill will:
Community Safety and Legal Affairs Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “The Scottish Government is committed to reducing re-offending and securing better outcomes for community justice services.
“Offending is a complex problem and there are well established links between persistent offending and poverty, homelessness, addiction and mental illness. Re-offending creates victims, damages communities and wastes potential.
“We want to work in partnership with organisations and communities to reduce re-offending and to deliver better outcomes for offenders and communities.
“We have engaged extensively with stakeholders in developing this model and share their view that community justice services should be person-centred and evidence-based while making the best use of resources; all of which is reflected in today’s Bill.”
The defined set of local community justice partners includes local authorities, NHS boards, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Health and Social Care Integration joint boards, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and Scottish Ministers in their role as the Scottish Prison Service.
Tom Halpin, Chief Executive of SACRO said: “Sacro supports the introduction of proposals contained in the Community Justice (Scotland) Bill. This provides a strong opportunity for Scotland’s community justice services to work collaboratively and deliver reduced re-offending and safer communities.
“Working through Community Planning Partnerships, where multi-agency working supports the delivery of joined up services with strong leadership and accountability, is key to transforming the lives of people who are motivated to desist from offending.
“The lived experience of people using Sacro’s services to successfully change their life tells us this Bill is critical in building a socially just and inclusive society for all of Scotland’s communities.”
Councillor Harry McGuigan, COSLA’s Spokesperson for Community Well-being said: “COSLA will study the legislation and continue to work with Scottish Ministers to ensure that the Bill enables a truly local model with improved community justice outcomes at its core.
“Reducing reoffending continues to be a priority for local government and we are working closely with the Scottish Government to ensure a smooth transition to the new model for community justice. We have supported the redesign of community justice throughout the consultation process and we welcome the introduction of this Bill.”
Who speaks for the community? What makes a good leader? What skills and qualities should a good community leader have? What support do you need to help make your community a better place to live?
These are some of the questions to be discussed over a coffee and biscuits at the Community Shop on Pennywell Road between 10am and 12 noon this morning.
The ‘conversation cafe’ is the latest in a series of informal consultation events taking place across Muirhouse and West Pilton over the coming weeks. Come along and have your say – the kettle’s on!
