Heartbreaking: a child reported missing every TWO MINUTES

250,000 children are reported missing in the European Union every year: the equivalent of A CHILD every TWO MINUTES (European Commission)

Events were held around the world to mark International Missing Children’s Day yesterday (25 May). The day offers an opportunity to raise awareness of young people who have disappeared and also encourages people to think about those who have previously vanished and returned home – and those who have been victims of crime.

UK Home Office Minister Karen Bradley visited the Missing People charity ahead of yesterday’s International Missing Children’s Day and learnt about the Child Rescue Alert System, a crucial tool in helping locate missing people.

The minister met the charity’s Chief Executive Jo Youle and heard from staff how the charity’s helpline provides vital support for missing people and their families.

There was also a demonstration of the Child Rescue Alert System, which is designed to alert the public to an abduction or other high risk child disappearance.

Touring the office, the Minister learnt about plans for this year’s#TheBigTweet, which the Home Office will again be supporting this year. Since last year’s social media campaign, ten of the children and young people featured in #TheBigTweet appeals have been found.

Minister for Preventing Abuse and Exploitation, Karen Bradley, said: “This government recognises that missing children are particularly vulnerable to harm and exploitation, and that they, and their families, deserve the best possible support and protection.

“International Missing Children’s Day is an opportunity to raise vital awareness of these children and young people. I look forward to working closely with Missing People and other partners and am delighted to offer my support to ‘The Big Tweet’. I encourage everyone to get involved.”

Chief Executive of Missing People, Jo Youle, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Minister to Missing People today and to introduce her to the work of the charity within the first fortnight of her new role.

“We discussed priorities for improving services and support for missing people and their families including the need for guardianship legislation to enable families to protect their missing loved one’s finances and property, and the need for better support for children and adults who return from being missing.

“I really look forward to working closely with the Minister and welcome her keen interest in the work of the charity and the needs of vulnerable missing people and their families.”

MISSING CHILDREN: Facts and Figures

250,000 children are reported missing in the European Union every year, the equivalent of around 1 child every 2 minutes (European Commission)

Missing children include several categories of child disappearances, including parental abductions, runaways*, missing unaccompanied migrant minors and criminal abductions

Two to five percent of missing children cases reported involve third party criminal abductions (Missing Children Europe Annual Report 2014)

Runaways make up 50% of missing children cases reported through hot-lines (Missing Children Europe Annual Report 2014)

1 in 6 runaways are assumed to sleep rough, 1 in 8 resort to stealing to survive and 1 in 12 children are at serious risk of some form of abuse (The Children’s Society)

It’s estimated that around 140,000 cases of missing children are reported annually in the UK, the equivalent of around 380 per day (missingchildreneurope.eu)

Missing Children Europe’s Belgian member “Child Focus” opens an average of 4 new cases a day

https://youtu.be/oho8xaMsfsc

Searching for Teddy McDougall

Does anyone remember Teddy McDougall?

An American woman is trying to trace her husband’s childhood friend from the Pilton area. Can you help?

This is just a shot in the dark, but it is a very sincere and hopeful request.   I know Edinburgh is a very large city, and I assume “McDougall” may be as common a surname there as “Smith” is here in the States, but this is my request:

There was a boy named Teddy McDougall who lived on Pilton Walk (?) near my husband, John Geddes Martin, Jr., when he was a boy and his family lived on Granton Road in Edinburgh.   Teddy had some sort of affliction, possibly epilepsy, which caused some limitations for him, but he was very artistic. John was, and is, a very kind person and spent time with Teddy when other boys in the neighborhood shunned him. My husband was born in 1947, and he was slightly younger or older than Teddy, so Teddy’s year of birth would have been probably within the range of 1945 – 1949.

John and his family came to the USA in 1964. He kept in touch with Teddy through Teddy’s mother, Lily McDougall, for several years but eventually lost touch.   I believe Teddy’s father, Jack McDougall, might have died while the Martins were still in Edinburgh, but I’m not certain about that point. John’s parents have passed in recent years (John Geddes Martin, Sr., in 2005, and Catherine Gilhooley Martin in 2008), so we cannot ask for more information they might have remembered.   Recently when an old family friend visited, we were told that Teddy had been sent to live in a nursing facility while still a young man.

John had a stroke some years ago and one of his constant thoughts is about Teddy.   We would very much like to locate Teddy and try to communicate with him if he is able.

Considering the information I have provided, is it possible Teddy might be a member of your family or extended family?   Can you offer any suggestions how we might locate him or determine if he and his mother are still living?

I have “googled” to search for Teddy, Edward, or Theodore McDougall and for Lily, Lilly, or Lillian McDougall, but to no avail.   I’ve also searched for nursing homes in Edinburgh but found there are MANY.   I did go to the website for carehome.co.uk and sent an email through their site providing some of the information included in this email to ask if there is any way to determine if and where Teddy resides.

It is true we have no urgent medical or other reason to locate Teddy, only that it would please my husband to contact Teddy, and hopefully Teddy will remember John and be pleased also.

Thank you for considering this request and for any help you might provide.

Gratefully,

Susie Martin

15124 Catawba Circle, South

Charlotte, NC, USA 28104

Drylaw Telford CC AGM this Wednesday

Drylaw Telford Community Council’s annual general meeting will take place in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre on Wednesday 27 May at 6.30pm. All welcome.

See below for meeting papers:

Agenda DTCC AGM + Monthly mtg 27th May 2015

DTCC Minutes AGM May 2014

DTCC Minutes April 2015

DTCC A5 FLYER for New members & AGM

Gremlins and ghouls at Granton Campus

Granton Campus charity event’s not for the faint-hearted!

Gremlins, fantasy warriors and witches will descend on Edinburgh College’s Granton Campus tomorrow as the college’s imaginative make-up students put their talents on display at a showcase event.

Second-year students from the college’s HND Make-Up Artistry course will apply the skills they have learned to produce a variety of jaw-dropping looks on models for the Ministry of Make-Up event. The students will present a range of fashion make-up looks alongside more unusual character and special effects designs that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster.

Following the show there will be a chance to see the models up close and speak to the students about the techniques they used and the inspirations for the looks.

Photography work from first-year HND and VTCT Fashion and Photographic Make-up students will also be on display.

Money raised through a raffle on the night will go towards the charity Look Good Feel Better, the international charity dedicated to improving the wellbeing and self-confidence of people undergoing treatment for cancer.

The Ministry of Make-Up event will take place on Tuesday 26 May at 7pm at the Apprentice Restaurant, Edinburgh College Granton Campus, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE. Tickets are £7 and can be booked from Jakki.jeffery@edinburghcollege.ac.uk. The event is only suitable for over 16s.

Running order:

18.30 Doors open

19.00 Show starts

19.45 Raffle

20.00 Free viewing and interaction with students and models, and photocall

20.20 Show ends

20.30 Doors close

Community recipe book launches this week

Good, healthy recipes produced by local cooks

Everyone’s invited to the launch of the community Cook and Taste recipe book at Muirhouse Community Shop, Pennywell Road on Wednesday from 111am – 1pm!.

We’ll be cooking and giving free delicious tasters, recipe books and information about food related activities in the area. The Time Bank Temptations Choir will also be performing on the day.

All the recipes in the book have been tried, tasted and have proved really successful. “This is good and really tasty. I will try to make it at home”, said Joan, one of the community shop volunteers when she tried the ragu Bolognese. Susan, one of the local volunteers who decided to share her macaroni cheese recipe said: “It’s lovely; quick and easy to cook in the house”.

The recipes in this book come from a partnership project between Pilton Community Heatlh Project (PCHP) and the Muirhouse Community Shop (MCS).

Memes Molina, Food Development Worker at PCHP, said “It’s been a great opportunity to work in partnership with the shop’s volunteers, to do some cooking with local people and discover new recipes with them. This launch is to celebrate the effort and commitment of everyone involved. For some of the volunteers it has been a while since they last cooked at home but people got involved and shared their delicious dishes. PCHP has put together a recipe book called Cook and Taste, where we can now share a selection of these recipes with the local community.”

PCHP’s Food team works with volunteers and local partners to help local people develop their understanding and knowledge to eat well on a budget, including cooking skills, budgeting, meal planning and wider food issues.

PCHP does this by running cooking sessions, lots of ‘cook and taste’ sessions in the community, delivering ‘bite size’ sessions on eating well and much more. People can get involved by joining one of the groups, becoming a volunteer or attending Food for Thought Forum meetings.

PCHP also gives the local community access to food related training courses to develop their skills. We are now able to support others to deliver quick and easy healthy eating sessions using our nutrition toolkit.

http://pchp.org.uk/projects/food

The partnership work between PCHP and MCS started as way to promote healthy eating in the area, in response to the needs of some local people and the shop volunteers.

Everyone can come along to the launch. If you want more information about PCHP activities or other food related activities in North Edinburgh, phone PCHP on 013 551 1671 or visit the website.

The future’s bright … the future’s co-operative!

City council to launch first community -owned energy initiative

Community-owned solar panels are to be installed in 25 Council buildings throughout Edinburgh, it was announced today (Monday 25 May).

The Council will work in partnership with the Edinburgh Community Solar Co-operative (ECSC) – supported by Energy4All – to deliver the initiative, which is believed to be the largest community-owned urban renewable energy project in the UK.

Buildings such as schools, leisure and community centres will be chosen to host the solar technology, which is expected to deliver significant environmental and social benefits.

The energy generated by the installations will help to make future cost savings while reducing the capital’s carbon emissions by an estimated 855 tonnes a year.

Buildings that are chosen to participate will benefit from cheaper electricity from the solar panels, resulting in substantial savings. Any surplus energy will be sold to the National Grid and profits made by the project will be reinvested locally through a newly-created Community Benefit Fund.

Vice Convener of Transport and Environment, Councillor Adam McVey, said: “This is fantastic news for Edinburgh and will bring long term environmental, social and economic benefits.

“Community energy co-operatives allow local people to play a part in building a greener, more sustainable environment whilst raising awareness more generally about the importance of being energy efficient.

“We are aiming to meet our target of reducing Edinburgh’s carbon emissions by 42% by 2020 and this project is an important step towards us achieving this.”

Shares will be offered to organisations or individuals who want to invest in the initiative, with priority allocation given to Edinburgh residents. Anyone interested in becoming members of the Co-op can register their interest via the ECSC’s website.

Members of the Co-op will receive annual interest on their investment (capped at five percent increasing with RPI), with any surplus profit invested in the Community Benefit fund.

The panels will also be a useful resource for educational projects to help engage pupils with environmental themes such as renewable energy. Each device will come with a real-time display of electricity generation which will be displayed on the buildings and accessible to pupils online.

Dr Richard Dixon, Chair of the ECSC, said: “2015 is an important year for climate change, with the world’s nations supposed to agree new global targets in Paris at the end of the year. Around the world local people are creating their own solutions to climate change by investing in local renewable energy schemes.

“The Edinburgh scheme is a winner all round because it will reduce climate emissions and provide cheap energy for schools and other Council buildings. Local people will also get a decent return on any money they choose to invest.”

Work is currently underway to identify suitable sites for the solar panels and the chosen locations will be announced at a later date.

To register interest in the scheme and receive further information about the share offer, go to http://www.edinburghsolar.coop/contact-us/register-your-interest/

New bus stops at Royal Infirmary

Two new bus stops will open at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh from tomorrow (Monday 25 May). The new routes will see buses coming from town, and out of town. travelling through the site.

One of the new stops will be located on Little France Crescent, with the other situated between the University of Edinburgh Chancellor’s Building and the University of Edinburgh Queen’s Medical Research Institute (click here for large map).

The main bus terminal moved from the West to East side of the site in May 2014 and the loop road, which runs around the site, has now been redeveloped to allow buses to pass through.

This development forms part of a programme of works which have been carried out to prepare the site for the new £150 million Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

Work started on the new hospital in early 2015 and the new building is anticipated to open to patients in autumn 2017.

Brian Currie, Project Director, Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences said: “The majority of the road works have now been completed and I would like to thank patients, visitors and the public for their understanding as these developments have taken place.

“The new hospital will conjoin the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh via a link building between both adult and child Emergency Departments. This link building will run across Little France Crescent and therefore the need to reconfigure the bus routes has been an important part of the construction programme.

“We would again like to thank you for your understanding as construction of the new hospital and work to redevelop departments within the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh continues.”

www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/riecampus for more details.

Julie LEAPs forward to enjoy life again

LEAP treats 450th patient

LEAP, the pioneering drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation service, is celebrating after treating its 450th patient.

Edinburgh woman Julie Bleasdale, 40, marked 12 weeks sober on 14 May after successfully completing the Lothian and Edinburgh Abstinence Programme, (known as LEAP).

Formerly based in Stockbridge, the ground-breaking programme offers clinical, medical and therapeutic help to those who want to get clean from its base at the Astley Ainslie Hospital.

Julie, a mother of six who was referred to the programme when her addiction impacted badly on her mental health, said: “I had no idea that addiction was a disease or that I was suffering from a condition.

“I’d drink at least a bottle of wine every night and I would try to stop but couldn’t stay stopped. Then the drinking would escalate and I’d blame it on stress, or work or being a single parent.

“I never felt I was a good enough mum, I had terribly low self-esteem and I would hide the way I was feeling from everyone. I would be run-ragged taking the kids on trips and days out, trying to be a perfect mum. Then I would binge drink and feel immense shame and guilt, pushing my self-esteem lower and lower, and turning to alcohol again.

“When I was drunk I was like a toddler – any sense of danger would disappear. I’d climb over balconies and disappear with strangers.”

Earlier this year, things came to a head when Julie’s friends were forced to contact police after her behaviour became more worrying.

“I ended up having a mental health breakdown”, Julie remembers. “A full day would feel like a few minutes and I couldn’t account for where I’d been or what I’d been doing. I would be talking gibberish and not making any sense. My friends became increasingly concerned and one night, they phoned the police, who took me to the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.”

Doctors at the hospital, which provides psychiatric and mental health services, advised Julie that it was likely she was suffering from the effects of addiction.

Julie, who is now keen to carve out a career in addiction services, said it came as a shock: “I always thought I had mental health issues. It’s been a revelation to come to LEAP and learn all about addiction as a disease.”

Around 20 patients at different stages of recovery take part in the three month LEAP programme at one time. As well as providing medical care and therapy, patients are encouraged to support each other and are also assisted with housing, education and training.

Julie officially graduated from the programme at a special ceremony surrounded by friends and loved ones.

Dr. David McCartney, clinical lead of LEAP, NHS Lothian said: “Today is a really special day for Julie and her family as it marks a key point in her recovery. LEAP is a challenging and intensive programme aimed at those with the motivation to become substance-free.

“It’s not an easy route but we believe part of our success is down to our partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council and the charity Transition, and also due to the after-care programme we offer which involves peer-support groups and counselling over two years.”

Crackdown on housebreaking continues

‘All reports of housebreaking are being thoroughly investigated in Edinburgh and we are arresting people every day for these offences’ – Superintendent Alan Porte

A second man has been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing investigation into a housebreaking and theft in Craigcrook Road on 24 March.

A Honda Civic and Volkswagen Passat were stolen during the incident and were later recovered in the West Pilton area. Following continued enquiries an 18-year-old was detained at his home in Granton Mill March and charged with the break-in and theft of the vehicles.

He is scheduled to appear in Edinburgh Sherriff Court.

In a separate development two men have been arrested and a vehicle recovered during further Operation RAC activity in Edinburgh.

Plain-clothes officers attended at Harrison Park in the early hours of Friday morning (22 May) following reports from the public of a group in possession of a motorcycle.

A 21-year-old man was subsequently detained and a Yamaha bike seized. The motorcycle was established as stolen from nearby Harrison Road and the male was charged.

He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow (Monday 25 May). Police are following a positive line of enquiry to trace others believed to have been involved in this offence.

Superintendent Alan Porte said: “Those responsible for breaking into people’s homes and stealing their valued possessions, such as vehicles, may think they are immune to the law. However, we continue to demonstrate through Operation RAC that this is not the case.

“All reports of housebreaking are being thoroughly investigated in Edinburgh and we are arresting people every day for these offences.

“We will continue to actively pursue anyone involved in acquisitive crime and our communities can help us by reporting any suspicious activity they witness, as well as ensuring they keep their homes, outbuildings and businesses appropriately secured at all times.

“If you have information relating to housebreaking in your area, or wish to receive information on crime prevention then please speak with your local policing team or contact Police Scotland on 101.”

More money for mental health

‘Mental health services are an absolute priority of this government’ – Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health

An extra £85 million will be invested in improving mental health services over the next five years, the Scottish Government announced today.

The money is on top of the existing £15 million fund for mental health innovation, announced last year, making a total additional investment of £100 million over the next five years.

The fund will partly be used to further improve child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) services, and bring down waiting times. There has been a significant increase in demand in recent years, with a 35 per cent increase in the number of young people starting treatment over the last two years. This is thought to be mainly because more people are seeking help. It will also be targeted at improving access to services, and in particular psychological therapies.

Further areas of focus will be better responses to mental health in primary care, promoting wellbeing through physical activity, and improving patient rights, which is one of the elements of the forthcoming Mental Health Bill. Third sector service providers will be key to delivering new services, and there will be a focus on innovation and providing services in community settings.

There has already been significant investment in improving mental health services. The Scottish Government has already committed to invest almost £7 million in CAMHS this year. This is in addition to the new £100 million fund.

More than £16 million has been invested specifically in developing the CAMHS workforce since 2009. Staffing levels are at an all-time high and have risen by 45 per cent since 2008.

Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said: “Mental health services are an absolute priority of this government. These are some of the most vulnerable people in our county and it’s vital that the health service is properly equipped to give them the support and treatment they need.

“We have been investing heavily for a number of years, and waiting times have come down significantly, despite an unprecedented rise in the number of people seeking help. Scotland was the first country in the UK to have a mental health waiting times target – a sign of how importantly we view this issue.

“There is still more work to be done. I’m delighted to be able to announce this £100 million investment which will make a real difference to people right across Scotland.”