Innovation Late, supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is a gathering of some of the most inventive minds in the UK, ready to show off their incredible work for audiences to get hands-on with it.
An evening of celebrating technology excellence, Innovation Late presents the work of previous winners of UK’s premier prize for engineering innovation, the MacRobert Award, named after the trailblazing geologist, suffragette and philanthropist Lady Rachel MacRobert.
Audiences will have a chance to:
Listen to artist Ted Humble-Smith talk about his innovative new photography exhibition, in conversation with Morven Cunningham.
Meet the AI reincarnation of trailblazing geologist Lady MacRobert
Experience the Neurobright light and sound wearable device, designed to help ease anxiety
Programme robots and manoeuvre over a Martian landscape
Encounter the latest in kidney dialysis technology with Quanta Dialysis Technologies
Build a hovercraft
Test their construction skills on our earthquake table
Make a light theremin and a pencil organ with the adorable bumblebees
Find out how Renzor are preventing brain injuries in sport
Contribute to a poetical version of the Forth Rail Bridge
I am getting in touch to follow up with some information regarding the Drylaw Park project and to invite you to our second follow up engagement session on Saturday 20th April at the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre from 1:30 – 3:00pm at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre – DNC – The place to be! (drylawnc.org.uk)
We are very pleased and grateful to the team at the Neighbourhood Centre as we will be joining their Future Family Fun Day taking place on the same day. We will be there to share some of the draft designs and ideas for the park and we’d love to hear your feedback.
As a reminder, we have been working with the City of Edinburgh council to develop concept designs for enhancements across Drylaw Park. These include improvements to park connectivity, accessibility and safety, infrastructure to address surface water issues, nature enhancements and improvements to play provision.
The concept designs take these themes into account and have considered a variety of previous feedback from the community and other key stakeholders.
The Drylaw Park forms part of the Climate Ready Craigleith project which sits under the cities overarching Climate Ready Edinburgh strategy and there is more information on the developing storymap here:
Our monthly LEGO User Group for adults meet next week, Thursday 11th April at 7pm at Duncan Place.
This group is a social space centred around LEGO. Use our stock of LEGO to let your mind wander and get creative. Keen builders and those new to LEGO welcome.
Did you know 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of community ownership of land, assets and buildings in Scotland?
To celebrate this, and to mark North Edinburgh Arts coming into community ownership in 2022, we have commissioned a work from local textile artist Francia Boakye.
Francia will be weaving a set of baskets to carry our hopes and ambitions into the next 100 years of community ownership. Francia will be using a range of fabrics to represent the rich diversity of our local community. The many languages spoken across North Edinburgh will also be incorporated into the baskets, written on fabric woven into each piece.
The completed collection will be part of an exhibition in the Travelling Gallery touring Scotland between June and August this summer and will have a permanent home within the refurbished and expanded NEA building due for completion later this year.
If you live in North Edinburgh, we’d be delighted if you can take part in this project. Simply reply to this post with your hope for our community, and note additional languages spoken, or email these details to admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk by Friday 19 April 2024.
Workplace expert, Acas, has published its new statutory Code of Practice on requests for flexible working alongside accompanying guidance.
From today, all employees will have the right to ask their employer if they can work flexibly from their first day of employment. This right previously only applied if employees worked for their employer for 26 weeks or more.
Susan Clews, Acas Chief Executive, said: “There has been a global shift to flexible working following the pandemic, which has allowed more people to better balance their working lives and employers have also benefitted from being an attractive place to work.
“Our new Code aims to foster flexible working further and covers the new law changes. It sets out good practice on flexible working requests and will help employers and employees avoid any pitfalls.
“There are many types of flexible working such as part-time working, flexitime, job sharing, staggered hours, hybrid and homeworking. The starting position for businesses should be to consider what may be possible.”
The new Code covers the new changes to the law around statutory flexible working requests. These are:
A new right to request flexible working from the first day of employment
Allowing an employee to make two flexible working requests in any 12-month period rather than one
A new requirement that an employer must not reject a request without consulting the employee first
Employers now having two months to decide on the request rather than three months.
The new Code underwent a consultation process in its draft form last year. 77% of respondents to the consultation agreed that Acas should reconsider the overall good practice principles when updating the Code to reflect changes to the law.
The Code encourages employers to take a positive approach to flexible working so that requests are not rejected by default without due consideration and an open dialogue about what may be workable.
It is important for employers to comply with the Code as any breach may be considered by an employment tribunal for relevant cases.
Acas has also published new detailed guidance to accompany the Code, which provides practical examples for employers and employees on flexible working requests.
All disabled children and young people in Scotland who receive disability benefits will now be paid directly from Social Security Scotland.
Those children and young people who receive Child Disability Payment will also benefit from a review system different to that of the wider UK, one based on dignity, fairness and respect.
The latest figures show around 47,000 children and teenagers have had their awards moved to Child Disability Payment delivered by Social Security Scotland.
The transfers began in 2021 when the new benefit was launched to replace Disability Living Allowance for children, paid by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
Around 76,000 disabled children and young people in Scotland now receive Child Disability Payment, including around 31,000 who applied since the new benefit was launched.
Child Disability Payment helps cover the extra costs of caring for a disabled or terminally ill child or young person.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, said:“One of the defining characteristics of the benefits system in Scotland is that people are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.
“Everyone in Scotland who previously received Disability Living Allowance for children from the UK Government now gets Child Disability Payment from Social Security Scotland. This has been a significant and important undertaking.
“The change means 47,000 more children in Scotland and their families can now look forward to less anxiety, less uncertainty and more financial security when their disability benefits come up for review.
“Social Security Scotland takes a human rights-based approach to reviews. The time between reviews is also set by case managers and can vary from two years to ten years. This is especially important for people with life-long disabilities and helps provide the financial security that is needed to pay for ongoing care and support.”
Rebecca, 40, from Edinburgh says her experience with Social Security Scotland since her son’s benefit was moved has been markedly better than under the UK system.
She said: “The transfer all went smoothly, but the biggest difference for me was when his yearly review came around. The DWP review is a 48-page document. Just writing down again and again, that nothing had changed.
“It used to be a couple of months of feeling anxious. Not knowing how the application was going to be scored this time.
“Even though nothing had changed, the person scoring it might have a different view from the person who did it the last time.
“You don’t know if you’re going to get any money at all, if you’ll get less or if it will be the same rate that you had before the review. It’s difficult to plan ongoing support when there’s so much uncertainty.
“There was also always a kind of feeling that somebody was trying to catch you out with the DLA application. It’s absolutely inhumane.
“This time when the renewal letter came through instead of saying, ‘You have to go through the whole traumatic process again,’ it was, ‘Has anything changed?’
“The short answer was, ‘No, my son still has cerebral palsy. There hasn’t been a miracle overnight.’ And that was accepted, what a difference.
“There are a lot of hard things about being in a family that’s affected by disability. This was someone taking away one of those hard things.
“That has been fantastic and I’m incredibly grateful for the values that underpin Social Security Scotland.”
The review period for awards is decided on a case-by-case basis depending on the client’s condition and whether their needs are expected to change. Generally, review periods range from two to ten years.
Applications are invited for the assignment of plots for a period of one year, renewable with the agreement of the FOCH Committee.
There is no charge for the use of each plot. However, applicants should be, or become, members of the Friends of Corstorphine Hill (membership charge is £1 minimum per annum)
These starter plots are small scale and only one plot can be held by each person/household. To help us select successful applicants we would appreciate a sentence or two explaining why this opportunity interests you.
We hope you will support this pilot project. Please message us here on facebook if you are interested, and we will send you an email address to send your application to. (Please don’t send your application directly to fb messenger).
****The closing date for applications is 4pm on Friday 12th April 2024****
Collection of renowned Leith-born interior designer Derek Parker and partner Peter Morris up for auction
An auction devoted entirely to an eclectic collection of items amassed over 60 years by renowned interior designers Derek Parker and Peter Wynne Morris will feature as part of Woolley & Wallis’s series of furniture, collections and works of arts sales this month.
Parker & Morris, The Art of Decorating, comprises 342 lots which represent a snapshot of the glamourous lives of the couple, their various homes in Scotland, England, France, Monte Carlo, Australia and the United States and their passion for collecting and antique dealing.
Presented in conjunction with Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, one of today’s most famous firms of interior decorators that had a long and close association with Parker & Morris, the auction on Wednesday, April 17 will feature such diverse lots as a collection of rare Manus Island green tree snail shells, found only on the island in Papua New Guinea, porcelain figures and bowls, art works, furniture and furnishings and books.
In association with the auction, on April 10th, Hampshire interior designer, Charlotte Stuart, who has a long-standing association with Colefax and Fowler will give the 8th Tim Woolley Memorial Lecture, covering the firm’s history and its association with the collection of Parker & Morris.
Derek and Peter who spent their later years in Salisbury, were good friends with Tim Woolley and clients of Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury for many years.
Roger Jones, a director at Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler, met Derek and John when he joined the company in 1994 and said they were regular visitors to the showrooms whenever they were in London:
“They had a business connection with the company as well, as for a number of years they ran the Australian Colefax and Fowler showroom.
“The influence of Colefax and Fowler is evident in the way they decorated their various houses in the 1970s and 1980s, a sort of ‘full’ Colefax and Fowler look; busier and more exuberant than the way in which we work today. There are many pieces in the sale which historically relate to Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler.”
Born in Leith, Derek Parker first met Melbourne-born Peter Morris in 1959, the beginning of a professional and personal relationship which would last for the rest of their lives.
In his early years as an interior designer, Derek worked on some of the great houses of Scotland, including Lennoxlove in East Lothian, home of the Duke of Hamilton, Lennel in Berwickshire where he designed and decorated the ballroom and Eden Hall, home of the Earl and Countess of Dalkeith.
He also worked for the Queen and designed some of the cushions at Holyrood House.
One of their own homes was Yester House in East Lothian, former residence of the Marquess of Tweedale and family seat of the Hay family for many years.
In London, where they opened a showroom, they lived in Winston Churchill’s bachelors pad and were dubbed the “best dressed men in Mayfair” but their interior design business took them around the world.
One-time residents of Monte Carlo, they bought an apartment beneath Shirley Bassey’s and drove around in a powder blue convertible Rolls Royce, the same car as Princess Grace. They also bought a house in Roquebrune in France and leased Netherhampton House in Wiltshire, once home to Siegfried Sassoon. Many of the items in the auction were displayed at Netherhampton House.
They wintered in Australia and spent summer in Europe and wherever they lived and travelled they indulged in their passion for collecting unique and interesting pieces, furniture and works of art, decorating each of their homes, in what Derek described as “appropriate to the style of the house”.
“Interiors are governed greatly by what people own to what they aspire. Houses should, after all, be an expression of one’s personality and lifestyle,” he said.
The proceeds of the auction will be donated to the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, which already owns Peter’s collection of French 18th century white porcelain.
All ticket sales from the Tim Woolley memorial lecture will be donated to Salisbury Hospice.
Full details of the auction and lecture can be viewed at:
Scotland’s agricultural charity, RHASS (Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland), which runs The Royal Highland Show, is calling on the people of Scotland and beyond to share their agricultural and rural stories from across the decades in recognition of its 240th anniversary.
Over the next 12 months, the 240 Years of Stories initiative hopes to bring to life a rich tapestry of tales that relay people’s experiences of rural life, connections and pivotal moments within the agricultural community to celebrate the past, present and future of one of Scotland’s leading industries.
From memories of farming traditions that have evolved from the use of horse and cart to machinery, to reflections of farmland being handed down to sons and daughters, to relaying fantastical stories of wins, losses and experiences of attending Scotland’s leading agriculture show, the Royal Highland Show, RHASS is keen to hear from anyone who has a connection to the agriculture or rural community and charity.
One such story that has already been shared with RHASS, is that of James Logan, who lives at Athelstaneford Mains near North Berwick, farming arable and potatoes.
James is a third-generation farmer who was born in 1965. He took over the farm from his father, Willie Logan, in 1990, and developed it from a mixed farm which his grandfather, John, started in 1931, to what it is known for today.
James’ father Willie is now 92 and lives just seven miles away at Samuelston South Mains. Willie’s own story of living and farming through the years features on the OnRecord – Memories of Rural Life, from the makers of the OnFarm podcast who are a partner of the 240 Years of Stories initiative.
Like his dad who was a Director with RHASS, James too has been a Director for RHASS for several years. James will also take on the mantle as Chairman of RHASS in the summer, where he will help lead the strategy of the organisation for the next two years.
James lives at Athelstaneford Mains with his wife, Elinor. Elinor started The Veg Shed, a veg shop with a difference which was started to diversify the farm by offering fresh potatoes, eggs and vegetables from a vending machine.
He said: “Being born on the farm, and having come from a line of farmers, you could say I was always destined to become a farmer. While I toyed with other occupations, my love of the countryside and admiration of what my father did within farming prevailed and after studying agriculture at university, I knew that farming was the right path for me.
“Unlike my father who had and continues to have a great eye for cattle, when I took over the farm, I knew I wanted to run it differently. My dad was very supportive of me changing the format of the farm to focus on potatoes and arable. We worked together for many years before his semi-retirement developing our crops and the business, so we have lots of fond memories of the highs and lows of running the business.
“The way I view the future of the farm is that I’m the custodian of my land for a very short while. I have a son and a daughter, who may or may not take over one day, and so I’ve really encouraged them to find their own path to discover what their future looks like. My son, Hamish, studied agriculture too and is currently a food and farming consultant for Savills. He is involved in the young farmers community like I was.
“My daughter, Anna, has just become a Chartered Accountant, so while neither of them are currently working on the farm full time, they are part of our succession plan. When they takeover, then they will be armed with a broad range of life skills and know-how that will only help to contribute towards future-proofing the land.
“There are so many other similar stories out there which stretch across generations in how farmland has evolved, the positive impact people have made to the industry and how the use of land has changed to support the future food or supply requirements of wider society. I hope that others come forward to share their tales and help to create a bank of stories that can be preserved for years to come.”
Commenting on his upcoming Chairman appointment, which James will take on this summer, he said: “I’ve worked closely with RHASS for the last seven years as a director and Honorary Secretary, so it’s an honour to be taking on the mantle as chairman to help support the direction of the charity over the coming two years, especially during their anniversary year.
“It will be fantastic to be working even more closely with the team in helping guide activity around the rural economy, the bursaries and grants the charity offers and what more we can do to support local agricultural shows which is the starting point for those competitors who join us at the Royal Highland Show every June.”
Willie Logan farmed from 1953, when his father died, to 1990 when James took over. He said: “My memories of farming stem back to when horsepower helped plough the fields and when we used hessian sacks which belonged to the railway company to store and transport stock across the country.
“I even remember picking turnip crops in the winter with my bare hands and having to warm them up under the tap to be able to eat my lunch!
“While my passion was cattle, my father was a great Clydesdale man and bred and showed horses around the country.
“I have lived and breathed farming my entire life, even meeting my wife at the Royal Highland Show in Aberdeen when it used to tour the country, and I have many stories and tales, or some might say words of wisdom, to tell. I’m so delighted that RHASS is capturing these personal stories for the wider community and future generations to enjoy.”
Hamish Logan, James’ son, 27, studied agriculture at Harper Adams University and is a food and farming consultant for Savills. He said: “After university, my plan was always to work away from the farm for a while so that I could experience working for other companies and learn from other business leaders.
“What’s great about my current role is that I get to blend the world of work and business with farming. I get to experience being in an office and being out and about in rural settings and visiting farms to learn more about how they’re managed.
“In the future, I would like to think that I could continue the success that my dad and grandpa have had on our farm. I’m not sure how that looks right now, but being able to continue building the business into the future is a wonderful ambition to aim for.”
The society’s involvement in supporting both the agricultural and wider community of Scotland stretches from providing financial aid for a newly invented plough to help manage Highland farmland in the late 1700s, to helping to improve milk supply in the early 1900s and leading The Scottish Red Cross Agriculture Fund during the war.
Throughout its history it has been committed to rewarding excellence and innovation within the sector through awards and grants. It has also supported The Argyll Naval Fund to support boys who had succeeded in gaining a reserved place in the Royal Navy in the 1800s and for 70 years, the society worked with the Scottish Government to support the health and wellbeing of the residents of St Kilda.
It is hoped that the stories shared as part of 240 Years of Stories will help RHASS connect the stories it receives to its enduring support and commitment to the industry over the past two centuries.
Alan Laidlaw, RHASS Chief Executiveadded: “RHASS was formed two hundred and forty years ago and while the organisation has evolved tremendously since then, the very reason RHASS continues to exist today hasn’t changed; and that is to champion agriculture and support those who live and work within it.
“It’s those who have a connection with the sector and industry that we’d love to hear from.
“Whether you were brought up on a farm, have family who own a farm or have historic tales of generations gone by who worked within the sector and contributed in some way to the industry, we’d love to hear your stories. In gathering tales old and new, we can help preserve these stories so that two hundred and forty years from now, future generations can learn and enjoy what has gone before them.”
The stories shared with RHASS will be taken forward in collaboration with the OnRecord – Memories of Rural Life, makers of OnFarm podcast The Scotsman Publications (National World).
Spring Jam Jar workshop with 
Entrance is by donation to Granton Castle Walled Garden.
