New Art Exhibition at Gleneagles Townhouse

Graeme Mortimer Evelyn brings ‘Relics from an Oasis of Good Luck’ to Lobby 37 at Gleneagles Townhouse.

The London artist’s first solo exhibition in Scotland will include pieces made over a 25-year period selected directly from the artist’s London home.

An exhibition featuring Graeme Mortimer Evelyn will run until the 27th February at Gleneagles Townhouse. Made of up of pieces created over Graeme’s long and successful career, the exhibit is titled ‘Relics from an Oasis of Good Luck’.

Many of the works are completely realised studies created during many major commissions and artist-in-residence projects during Graeme’s expansive career, and range from collages, prints, paintings, graffiti stencils, drawings, and painted relief sculpture. Evelyn has exhibited his work across the world, but this will be his first solo exhibition in Scotland.

Graeme Mortimer Evelyn is a musician and curator as well as a multimedia artist. The art he creates comments on cultural social identity, politics, belief, and language. He has created work for major municipal buildings, sites of national memory, and places of worship – subverting the settings and their philosophies to attract new audiences and democratise public spaces by opening them up to more people.

His works have also been exhibited, collected, and displayed internationally by Princeton University Centre for African American Studies, Cornell University, Kensington Palace, The Royal Commonwealth Society, Museum in Docklands, Gloucester Cathedral, Bristol Museums, The Royal Collection Trust, The Church of England, and UNESCO.

One of Evelyn’s most notable works is The Eternal Engine for St Francis Church in Tottenham Hale. Completed in November 2017, it is the largest permanent hand-sculpted contemporary altarpiece in Europe.

St Francis Church sits adjacent to where Mark Duggan, a young black man, was fatally shot by armed police in 2011, triggering London-wide riots. The church was then built to aid to the community’s healing process. The Eternal Engine represents the unifying wonder of our vast Universe and the mystery of its Creator.

Evelyn currently works in his garden studio in South London, continuing to develop his varied and innovative body of works exploring automatic experimental drawing and sculpture informed by his synaesthesia reaction to music and sound, and how these responses then relate to contemporary religious and secular belief structures.

He has recently completed vinyl album cover commissions through this lens for world renowned Jazz Artists. In late March 2023, he will begin his six-week invited Artist Residency for the Foundation for Spirituality and the Arts in Charleston, South Carolina.

Graeme Mortimer Evelyn’s works will be available to view until February 27th in Lobby 37 at Gleneagles Townhouse St Andrew Square to hotel guests, diners at The Spence and Townhouse members.

gleneaglestownhouse.com

Community councillors to meet council candidates at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

DRYLAW Telford Community Council will meet tomorrow (Wednesday 27th April) at 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre..

With the council elections just a week away, the Community Council has invited Inverleith ward candidates along for an informal opportunity to meet CC members and find out what issues are important to them.

Unfortunately the meeting is not open to the public.

Secretary Pam Higgins explained: “Due to covid restrictions – room size specifically – we cannot accommodate an open meeting at present.

“This is a meeting for the candidates to meet their potential Community Council so that the transition is easier post elections. We hope that in the near future we can fully open up to the community again.”

The following ten candidates are standing in Inverleith:

  • Jule BANDEL – Scottish Green Party
  • Stuart HERRING – Scottish Conservative and Unionist
  • Phil HOLDEN – Scottish Family Party: Pro-Family, Pro-Marriage, Pro-Life
  • Tam LAIRD – Scottish Libertarian Party
  • Stephen MCNAMARA – Independent
  • Max MITCHELL – Scottish Conservative and Unionist
  • Mhairi MUNRO-BAIN – Labour and Co-operative Party
  • Vicky NICOLSON – Scottish National Party (SNP)
  • Hal OSLER – Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Malcolm Alexander WOOD – Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Four of them will be elected to represent Inverleith next Thursday.

Inverleith councillors elected last time (May 2017) were:

Gavin BARRIE – Scottish National Party (SNP)

Max MITCHELL – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party

Hal OSLER – Scottish Liberal Democrats

Iain WHYTE – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.

Community Council to meet local police to discuss antisocial behaviour in Drylaw

Drylaw Telford Community Council is to meet local police tomorrow following a spike in antisocial incidents across the area.

Recent weeks have seen two serious street attacks in Wester Drylaw along with a number of other incidents of vandalism including refuse bins being set on fire.

The community council was alerted to one incident by an Easter Drylaw woman last month: “My neighbours house (unoccupied) was set fire to last night by kids setting fire to wheeliebins.

“I had 4 small children in my house petrified and screaming as we couldn’t get out our front floor for flames. It is same group of kids constantly causing trouble in street cutting through street to skate park.

“I have had my windows smashed, fire posted through letter box and glass bottles thrown at my dogs. Its getting our of hand last night luckily someone seen the fire taking real hold last night or a dread to think what the outcome would have been today. It is now putting peoples lives in danger. What has happened to this area?”

The community council has now been able to arrange a virtual meeting with local police officers to discuss community concerns. The meeting will take place via Microsoft Teams tomorrow evening at 7pm.

If you would like to submit question to local police or you are interested in attending the meeting, please contacr vickynicolsondtcc@hotmail.com or visit Drylaw Telford Community Council’s Facebook page.

Road safety fears in Wester Drylaw as schools return

A scheme being introduced to make the journey to school safer may have the opposite effect, local residents fear.

The city council has pushed ahead with plans to close Wester Drylaw Avenue to through traffic and ‘Roads Closed’ signs were introduced at the weekend.

The placing of those signs has caused some confusion, however, and there are fears that the uncertainty may endanger Ferryhill schoolchildren when the school returns today. The situation has not been helped by the temporary signs being knocked over.

Inverleith Lib Dem Councillor Hal Osler said yesterday: “The confusing message on Wester Drylaw Avenue is exactly what locals were concerned about. The barrier has already been breached & cars are driving over the pavement. Instead of ensuring safe passage for vulnerable users, this is doing the opposite.

“I’ve Been up to Wester Drylaw Avenue to have a look at the “barriers” as it had been reported to me that met had already been “moved”. Whilst standing there two cars drove through one slightly over the pavement I was standing on.

“This is really poor and is exactly what we were all concerned about. I have reported this to officers as it’s supposed to be “monitored” and it deeply concerns me with pupils returning on Monday.

“If this continues please email me (Hal.osler@edinburgh.gov.uk) or the other ward councillors & we will pass all comments on to the Spaces for People team.”

Drylaw Telford Community Council is appealing to motorists to be extra vigilant in the area around the school.

The Spaces for People plan for Wester Drylaw Avenue was approved on 19 February. THe scheme was to be discussed at the community council’s regular meeting last month but the Zoom meeting had to be postponed.

Drylaw Telford CC to meet online tomorrow

Drylaw Telford Community Council is to meet online via Zoom tomorrow evening.

CC members have been notified of login instructions and members of the public wishing to participate should contact DTCC secretary Pam Higgins via email at pamhigginsdtcc@gmail.com

Pam said: ” It was lovely to get back together as a group in August and I look forward to seeing as many people as possible in the coming months.  I believe this way of meeting will be our new normal for the foreseeable future.”

Community Council cancelled: activists speaking at tonight’s Localities meeting

Tonight’s Drylaw Telford Community Council meeting has been cancelled as all Inverleith councillors will be attending another meeting – North West Locality Committee is meeting tonight at 6.30pm in the Dean of Guilds Room at the City Chambers.

Two local activists representing Save Our Services North Edinburgh will be  speaking about the impact of the Health and Social Care cuts in a deputation to the Localities Committee.

The meeting is open to the public: go along and support local services if you can!

School places for all: Mission Accomplished!

  • All city pupils will have a place to go next week
  •  Free swim session on Monday for affected pupils
  • Sixteen temporary classes to be located at Royal High

RHS

All 7,600 primary and secondary pupils affected by school closures now have alternative education plans put in place for next week. The final pieces of a very complicated jigsaw puzzle were slotted in this afternoon. Continue reading School places for all: Mission Accomplished!

Edinburgh Guarantee spells success for school leavers

Stephen Ramsay - Edinburgh Guarantee case study.

More school leavers than ever in Edinburgh are moving into work, education, or training, thanks to the strong partnership that has developed between the public and private sectors through the Edinburgh Guarantee.

Figures published by the Scottish Government today show that the success rate of school leavers in Edinburgh achieving and sustaining a positive destination are at the highest rate ever. The figure is up 10 per cent since the Edinburgh Guarantee began four years ago and is now at 93.1 per cent. The Capital is now the best performing city in Scotland and is 12th out of all local authority areas, which puts us well above the national average.

The statistics show that more school leavers in Edinburgh are getting into jobs compared to September 2013 with over one in four of school leavers in employment at the snapshot taken in March. Just over 40% are getting into and sustaining places in Higher Education while over a quarter of school leavers opt for Further Education.

The majority of schools improved their performance since September 2013.

The largest increase was at Craigroyston Community High school up 13.1 per cent (see separate article), Currie performed extremely well with their figure now sitting at 97.9 per cent, and Firrhill and Gracemount were up by 6.8 per cent.

This success has been underpinned by the active support of the city’s employers in recruiting young people into their businesses, with 350 opportunities offered since April 2015.

Sue Bruce, Chief Executive, the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Today’s figures will be welcomed across the city by young people, employers in the private, voluntary and public sectors and those working in education. Giving young people the best start they can have in life is a key priority and I am delighted that the Edinburgh Guarantee is playing such an important role in securing the future success of our young people in the city.”

Cllr Paul Godzik, Convener of the Education, Children and Families Committee, said: “Whether it’s employment, apprenticeships or training, young people need to move out of school and into a positive destination quickly. It is really encouraging that there has been such an improvement in the figures this year as moving on to make a new start in life is the boost young people really need to raise their self esteem at this critical point in their lives.”

Cllr Frank Ross, Convener of the Economy Committee, said: “Ensuring that Edinburgh’s young people have opportunities is vital for the economic success of our city. These year’s figures demonstrate that initiatives such as the Edinburgh Guarantee are making a real difference to many young lives. I am confident that with sustained investment we’ll continue to drive up this figure and see many more young people taking a positive next step in their lives.”

Stephen Ramsay (pictured top) , panel beater modern apprentice at DSL Motors, said: “When I was at Craigroyston High School I was invovled in a Formula 1 project and I really enjoyed it. My career advisor helped me with an interview for Edinburgh College and I am now a modern apprentice doing a four year course in Automotive Paint Refinishing. As soon as I left school I wanted to get involved in this trade and I want to work in this field until I retire.”

A positive destination is defined as a place in Higher Education, Further Education, a job, paid apprenticeship, or work-focused training.

Click here for a short video featuring Cllrs Burns, Godzik and modern apprentice Stephen Ramsay.

Blinded by the light?

Definitely not sweetness and light: new street lighting gets thumbs down from local residents 

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Some images of the new ‘eco lights’ in operation in Easter Drylaw – that’s them peeking out behind the ‘old’ street lamps!

Which do you think is the more effective?

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The new lights don’t seem to be lighting up the lives of local residents. Comments so far include:

‘I’m a car owner. I don’t have a garage or a drive in so I have to park on the street. My car has been vandalised three times in the last year- if it wasn’t that I need my car to get to work I would have got eid of it ages ago. These new lights will make it even easier for the neds to run wild.”

‘They are not bright at all. It’s very scary coming home when it’s dark. There’s not much light – I think they should be brighter for everyones’ safety’

‘They are not bright enough’

‘It looks really nice but it’s also very scary and dangerous at night when walking home alone’

‘I am always careful about letting my children out after tea in the evening. That won’t be happening at all now, not until the clocks go forward. It’s a disgrace.”

‘These lights are nowhere near good enough – the streets are far too dark and pity help any kid who tries to cross a local road in the evening. It’s plain dangerous’.

‘I don’t like them. The streets look darker now unless you are standing directly under the lights. There are spots in which the light doesn’t hit. I think it’s a bad choice and I won’t be surprised if the crime rate increases.’

‘I don’t like the new lights and I think the council should go back to the ones we had. There have been a lot of break-ins in Drylaw and I think these lamps will just make things even easier for the criminals to get away’

‘I know the council is trying to save money but they are cutting the wrong things. They have got a duty to keep people safe. These lights are a bad idea.’

‘I don’t know if it’s just this part of the town or not, but I will bet my last penny that they won’t be putting up with this sort of crap in Corstorphine or Morningside. It’s a disgrace’

No doubt there will be more to follow …

Skate parks and car parking on Drylaw Telford agenda

skater

The proposed priority parking scheme in Telford and an update on Drylaw skate park feature on next week’s Drylaw Telford Community Council meeting agenda.

The meeting will be held in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre on Wednesday 25 February at 7pm. All welcome.