Wester Hailes – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Starcatchers take award-winning Little Top show to France

Starcatchers, Scotland’s arts and early years organisation based in Wester Hailes, have travelled to France this week to present their acclaimed co-production with SUPERFAN, “Little Top” at Les p’tites tommettes festival in Creil, France.

The show launches the Scottish showcase for the British Council’s UK-France, ‘Together We Imagine’, Spotlight on Culture, which is building artistic collaborations and celebrating the cultural links between the UK and France throughout this year.

Set in a specially designed ‘little top’ circus tent the show is designed to create a magical first circus experience for babies aged 0-18 months. At a time in their development when young children are discovering their own physicality, and the pleasures and perils of gravity, Little Top invites babies to experience all the fun of the circus.

Rhona Matheson, CEO of Starcatchers, is delighted to bring Little Top to France: “Little Top will transport you to a playful, joyous, upside down, topsy-turvy world where people can fly, patterns fill the air, and anything is possible.

“We are excited to present our award-winning show, a co-production with SUPERFAN, at Festival Premières Rencontres.”

The festival appearance strengthens Starcatchers’ partnership with French arts company Compagnie ACTA, following their recent Erasmus+ collaboration exploring topics around artistic awakening in early childhood.

The two organisations have already collaborated to share research findings and exchange best practices in arts for early years. Starcatchers and Compagnie ACTA presented research at PREMIERES RENCONTRES festival 2024’s European Forum in March. The Early Childhood Principles were developed by Starcatchers, Compagnie ACTA, 2turvenhoog and LaSala Teatre.

Rhona Matheson continues: “We are very grateful to the British Council’s UK-France Spotlight Fund for this invaluable opportunity to strengthen our international connections.

“It’s a huge privilege to showcase Scottish work on this platform as we deepen our understanding of what artistic experiences can mean for very young audiences.”

Starcatchers is one of six Scottish-based awardees to receive over £100,000 in funding from the Spotlight on Culture Fund programme, funded with partners including Creative Scotland and the National Lottery.

Their festival presentation is part of a wider celebration of UK-France cultural partnerships happening throughout 2024, coinciding with major events like the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Norah Campbell, Head of Arts, British Council Scotland added: “What a wonderful opportunity for very young children to experience the magic of physical theatre for the first time. An excellent example of how through cultural exchange, artists can come together to share groundbreaking research and performance.

“We’re proud to help bring this innovative work to France, a fabulous start to the UK-France Cultural spotlight activity for this year.

“All the projects are now helping to maintain vital links between Scotland and France, and creatives across both countries are coming together to connect, collaborate and form lasting relationships.”

Man arrested following drugs warrants in Wester Hailes and Stenhouse

Following information from the public, Police executed warrants at three addresses in the Wester Hailes and Stenhouse areas yesterday (Friday, 12 April, 2024).

Drugs with an estimated value of around £38,000, a significant amount of cash and other valuable items were recovered.

A 44-year-old man was arrested in connection and enquiries are ongoing.

Police would like to thank the local community for their support.

Edinburgh primary is the first in the city to be named as a Reading School

Canal View Primary in Wester Hailes has become the first school in Edinburgh to be given the prestigious Reading School accreditation by Scottish Book Trust.

The successful Reading Schools programme, developed by Scotland’s national charity changing lives with reading and writing, supports schools to build a reading culture, where every pupil is encouraged to feed their imagination through books.

Reading for pleasure is central to supporting wellbeing, improving attainment across the curriculum, and boosting critical thinking, creativity, empathy and resilience.

Canal View Primary is one of over 400 schools in Scotland to have been accredited through the programme and, having achieved the first level, the school is now working towards progressing to silver status.

The third, and top level, to be achieved is gold status.

Susannah Jeffries, Depute Head Teacher of Canal View Primary School said: “We are so excited to be recognised as the first accredited Reading School in Edinburgh.

“Our whole school community is so proud that, in Edinburgh – the first ever UNESCO City of Literature – we are the first school to receive this award.

“We are also absolutely delighted to represent our community in Wester Hailes in such a positive way!”

Samuel, the primary seven Reading Leader said: “Everyone’s worked hard to get the Reading School accreditation, especially the Reading Leaders.

“It’s great that everyone gets to share what they like to read as a whole school. I am proud and grateful that I could help the team get the award and spread the reading bug to everyone in our school.”

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “We are thrilled that Canal View Primary has achieved the honour of being the first school in Edinburgh to be accredited as a Reading School.

“A Reading Schools accreditation is a fantastic accomplishment for pupils and teachers alike, and achieving this status is a way of demonstrating a school’s commitment to developing vibrant reading cultures and the many benefits this brings.”

Murrayburn robbery: Witness appeal

Detectives are appealing for witnesses following an armed robbery which took place in Edinburgh on the evening of Monday, 5 February, 2024.

Around 10.55pm a male delivery driver on a moped was dropping off an order at a property in Murrayburn Gardens.

When he approached the delivery address he noticed a male youth had got onto his moped.

He asked the youth to get off and another male youth appeared and threatened him with what appeared to be a firearm.

The youths took the victim’s phone and moped keys and made off on the vehicle heading along Murrayburn Gardens towards Westside Plaza.

Police were contacted and the moped was recovered two hours later in Morvenside in the Wester Hailes area.

The first suspect is described as a white male, aged 15 to 16 years old, of skinny build and wearing a black balaclava, a black jacket, black joggers, black shoes and black gloves. He had Scottish accent and was softly spoken.

The second suspect is described as a white male, aged 15 to 16 years old, 5ft9, of skinny build and wearing a black balaclava, a black jacket, black joggers, black shoes and black gloves. He also had a Scottish accent and was softly spoken.

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait said: “This was a terrifying experience for the victim and it is vital that we trace the two individuals responsible.

“We are appealing for anyone who was in Murrayburn Gardens or the surrounding area on Monday evening who may have noticed anything suspicious to please get in touch.

“We would also urge anyone with private CCTV or dash-cam footage of two males riding on a moped in the Wester Hailes area to pass this on to officers.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3790 of Monday, 5 February, 2024. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Police hunt two youths following armed robbery in Murrayburn

Detectives are appealing for witnesses following an armed robbery which took place in Edinburgh last night (Monday, 5 February, 2024).

Around 10.55pm a male delivery driver on a moped was dropping off an order at a property in Murrayburn Gardens.

When he approached the delivery address he noticed a male youth had got onto his moped.

He asked the youth to get off and another male youth appeared and threatened him with what appeared to be a firearm.

The youths took the victim’s phone and moped keys and made off on the vehicle heading along Murrayburn Gardens towards Westside Plaza.

Police were contacted and the moped was recovered two hours later in Morvenside in Wester Hailes.

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait said: “This was a terrifying experience for the victim and it is vital that we trace the two individuals responsible.

“We are appealing for anyone who was in Murrayburn Gardens or the surrounding area on Monday evening who may have noticed anything suspicious to please get in touch.

“We would also urge anyone with private CCTV or dash-cam footage of two males riding on a moped in the Wester Hailes area to pass this on to officers.

Operation Crackle: Dispersal Zones come into effect next week

Dispersal Zones for #OpCrackle have been set up across Edinburgh and will be enforceable between 3rd November and 5th November 2023.

These zones are set up to help prevent anti-social behaviour and to keep the community safe.

Additional officers will be deployed over the weekend across the city and they have the grounds to take action should people be involved in such conduct, as detailed in the below poster.

Keep yourself and others safe by attending organised events only, which can be found here:

https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/…/organised…/…

Community Cinema screenings across the city

City Council supports Community Cinema Hubs Project

granton:hub is leased to announce details of the Local Cinema film programme taking place across community hubs in Edinburgh.

The Local Cinema film programme has been funded by the City of Edinburgh Council via the Creative Community Hubs Network, which brings together eight building-based hubs who are engaging with their local communities in creative ways across Edinburgh.

This is the first shared creative programme produced by the hubs network to date, in a pilot project entitled the Community Cinema Hubs Project that is hoped will be extended more widely across Edinburgh into the future.

Check this link for the full programme: https://www.whalearts.co.uk/community-cinema-hubs-project/

Please contact screening venues directly for more information and to reserve tickets for all other individual screenings.

granton:hub will be showing The Old Oak (Ken Loach, 2023,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o198HdWc998)

on Thursday 30 November (7pm).

An eventbrite booking link will be made available later on in October. There will be limited spaces due to the capacity of the venue.

Warmer homes in Wester Hailes

A pilot project to radically improve residents’ homes in an area with high levels of poverty has been hailed by the Housing Minister.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s three-year Mixed Tenure Improve Plan is directing £30m towards boosting the sustainability of homes and comfort of residents across the Murrayburn, Hailesland and Dumbryden estates in Wester Hailes.

Measures being installed in Wester Hailes are revolutionising the energy efficiency of these properties, resulting in warmer homes, reduced fuel bills, and significantly lower carbon emissions.

Two years in, over 900 hundred homes have been upgraded, benefitting over 670 council tenants and 230 private residents in the first eight phases of work. Phases 9 to 11 will be completed by the end of 2024.

Following a visit to a recently renovated estate at Murrayburn Park, where 84 homes have benefited from the pilot, Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “I was delighted to see first-hand the work of the City of Edinburgh Council’s Mixed Tenure Improvement Service programme, which is making homes more energy efficient so that people are able to live in good quality, warm homes.

“The Scottish Government has provided £36.9 million of funding to the City of Edinburgh Council to fund initiatives like this one in Wester Hailes. This is part of a £1.8 billion investment during this parliamentary term to transform the heat and energy efficiency of homes throughout Scotland and help people with their energy bills.

“High quality housing is a key pillar of Housing to 2040. I am delighted to see the benefits these home improvements will have for residents in Edinburgh.”

Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: What a transformation and a shining example of the work our officers are doing to make hundreds of homes warmer, greener and better inside and out. It just goes to show what we can jointly achieve when we have the funding we so desperately need.

“It has been fantastic to see the effect this ground-breaking initiative is having. The work we’ve put in to this pilot is clearly welcomed by local residents, including many of our own tenants, and will have a lasting impact on the community.

“Edinburgh is quite unique in the amount of shared housing we have, with many blocks and estates benefitting from a mix of privately owned homes, rented properties and social housing. This project has already increased the lifespan of many of these buildings so that everyone living here now and in the future benefits.”

Residents of the housing estates which have already benefitted from the pilot have reported experiencing warmer, more comfortable homes and a noticeable decrease in their energy bills.

One local tenant said: “The neighbourhood feels refreshed and brighter, and homes feel warmer.

Another resident laughed, telling us that his daughter gave him a row for having his heating on, when he didn’t. He felt that the works have improved the heat in his home noticeably.

One tenant told us that she did not switch on her heating at all last winter, saying she thought she had saved about 80% off her heating bills.

One key initiative has involved installing cutting-edge insulation technologies. The Council has successfully minimised heat loss from homes, helping them to remain warm and comfortable during colder months.

Other upgrades include new roofs, new common windows, new main doors and door entry systems and decoration of common stairs.

Youths charged with bus and tram offences

Three youths have been charged in relation to recent antisocial behaviour and damage on and around buses and trams in Edinburgh.

A 12-year-old boy and two 13-year-old boys were identified and traced by officers in the South West of the city and have been charged with a number of offences including smashing a bus window, throwing excrement at a member of staff and an offence under the Edinburgh Tram Act 2006.

These incidents took place between 5 February and 15 February in the Westside Plaza and between Edinburgh Park and Balgreen Tram Stops.

Sergeant Scott Walker from Wester Hailes Community Policing Team said: “During the past few weeks we’ve received a number of reports of antisocial behaviour at bus and tram stops as well as damage being caused to buses and trams.

“A dedicated team of officers carried out enquiries to identify those who were responsible, during which they spoke to numerous witnesses and viewed CCTV footage.

“We’re pleased to report that three youths have been charged with five offences, and so far in an effort to prevent an escalation in unacceptable and dangerous behaviour, fifteen other youths have been spoken to in the presence of a parent or carer.

“I’d like to thank the public for their help in these enquiries and continued support, and would also like to reassure the residents of Edinburgh and those who use public transport that we will continue to tackle this kind of behaviour.

“This is a city wide issue that we face and our work continues across the division with similar initiatives. Local Community Policing Teams are working hard to identify those responsible in order to educate them on the potentially dangerous consequences of their actions when targeting public transport.”

Anyone wishing to report a crime should contact officers via 101, or in an emergency and when a crime is in progress, always call 999. Alternatively a report can be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

ROOTED in COMMUNITY

ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS FROM NORTH EDINBURGH AND WESTER HAILES

29th – 30th April 2023, 11am – 6pm (daily)

Opening event: Friday 28th April, 6pm – 9pm

Venue: Granton Hub (Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1HS)

Join us for ’Rooted in Community: Artistic Expressions from North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes’, an exhibition showcasing the work of local artists as part of Create Community Wealth – a collaborative community wealth building project, delivered in partnership between WHALE Arts, North Edinburgh Arts, SCOREscotland and Passion4Fusion.

The project aims to support local people living in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes to explore their creative and enterprising ideas, to tackle social exclusion and improve wellbeing and local economic prospects through creativity.

The exhibition, ‘Rooted in Community’, is a celebration of community and diversity, highlighting the unique experiences and diverse cultures of people living in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes.

Through their work, the artists explore themes such as community, identity, grief and mental health, inviting us to reflect on our own experiences and engage with the world around us.

From colourful paintings to representative photography, sculpture, portraits and pencil drawings, we invite you to take a journey through the works on display, each one telling a different story about life in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes.

Through their art, these talented individuals demonstrate the power of community and the importance of self-expression.

For many of the artists featured, this is their first exhibition, and the Create Community Wealth team are delighted to support them in showcasing their work publicly.

The exhibition is a testament to the importance and power of community, providing a platform for emerging artists to showcase their talent and connect with a wider audience.

As we come together to celebrate the creativity and diversity of our community, we hope that this exhibition will inspire us to continue to support and uplift one another, as we work towards building a more inclusive and equitable society.

We hope you’ll be able to come along!