The Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership agreed a grant of £3,274.00 to support the Inverleith wide Summer Programme for Children, Young People and Families. The decision was made at the Partnership meeting that took place on Tuesday night in Stockbridge Library.
The grant will be used to pay for staffing, tutors, entry fees, refreshments, publicity and fuel. The Inverleith Summer Programme is available to local people living in the Inverleith Ward and includes various opportunities for local people that include outdoor education, family trips, art sessions and much more.
The remainder of the estimated £11,000 programme will come from Community Learning & Development who are contributing £3,000 and other local projects who are making in-kind contributions.
The programme will be advertised through local schools, community centres and various websites. A registration night will take place on Wednesday 22nd June 2011 in Broughton High School starting at 6.00pm.
This weeks Community Council meetings in north Edinburgh are:
Granton & District Community Council meets on Wednesday 25th may 2011 7.00pm at The Spartans Football Academy and on the same night its the AGM of the Drylaw & Telford Community Council at 7.00pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.
Eddie Thorn from the North Edinburgh News is a guest speaker at the Drylaw & Telford Community Council AGM. Come along and hear all about the exciting news from the NEN.
Are you going along to either of these meetings? if so would you be willing to report on the what has happened? If yes then please get in touch with us.
What else is going on in North Edinburgh this week? Please leave a comment below and we will try and get along to cover it.
THE John Hope Gateway Centre at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has been named the most sustainable building in Scotland in this year’s prestigious Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland awards.
The judges said the design of the visitor attraction “enhanced the wider environment and in the process formed an environmentally-friendly building”.
It is the latest in a string of awards for the £15.7 million building, which has been a great success with visitors since it opened at the Botanics in October 2009.
A cycle challenge in memory of The Forthquarter project manager aims to raise 25,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The Challenge Team. Picture: Ann Confrey
A team of intrepid cyclists have undertaken an epic journey from John
O’Groats to Lands End in memory of Mark Rylance of National Grid who
passed away in September 2010.
Mark was project manager at The Forthquarter project in Granton for a
number of years before being diagnosed with cancer
A key member of the Waterfront Partnership Board Mark ensured National
Grid were active partners in joint initiatives including the
Waterfront Accord – a project to help local people benefit from the
jobs and opportunities being created and provided land and office
accommodation for the Waterfront Recruitment Centre.
Mark was also keen to ensure that the local community should benefit from the regeneration and actively encouraged groups and organisations to make
use of the Forthquarter Park. The ride, taking the least popular route from North to South, will cover 976 miles in 14 stages and be completed over 14 days.
The journey aims to take the most scenic route via quieter roads through
many of the UK’s most picturesque areas such as Altnaharra, Glencoe,
the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales., Wye Valley and SW Coastal areas.
Members of the team undertaking the Scottish leg of the challenge
include Fiona McKenzie of National Grid, Neil Fyfe of WYG
Environmental based in George Street and Ann Confrey of Proscot PR
based in Leith.
All three have been involved in The Forthquarter project since the initial clean up of this former gasworks as well as being involved in a variety of other Scottish site remediation projects.
National Grid remediation manager Fiona McKenzie said: “Those who
worked with Mark remember his warm smile and sense of mischief. He
would certainly be smiling if he could have seen his colleagues
setting off in the rain wearing multi-coloured lycra!”
The team aim to complete the ride in 14 days and have been keeping a
blog during the challenge with lots of photographs showing the many
highlights of the journey.
Fet Lor Youth Clubis set to be demolished rebuilt as a purpose build state-of-the-art facility which has been designed with the help of local young people.
The club works with youngsters between the ages of eight and 18 in the local area, offering them a wide range of activities, opportunities and experiences they may not otherwise come across such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Outdoor Education programmes and various other worthwhile initiatives. The existing much-loved and well-used centre inNorth Edinburghis a wooden building which was built in the early 1960s. It has been looked after well over the years but it won’t last forever and it has been a dream of the club for some years to replace the building.
Architects began work on the plans four years ago after which Fet Lor launched their ‘Big Project’ to raise the projected £1.5 million cost for the rebuild. A figure that the club cites as a “significant challenge” on their website. Centre manager, Mark Foster is enthusiastic about the proposed new building. He said: “It is potentially a huge step up from the facilities we have at the moment and will offer new variety for the members. The current centre has been struggling on for 40 to 50 years and it has reached the end of its useful life, now we have the opportunity to get a brand new facility. Having it purpose-built will be a significant advantage. We don’t have a whole lot of space here that is not for sport. There is not much room for small group work and the new building will hopefully tackle that.
“The area tends to be dominated by the boys playing football, but there will now be a dance area which the girls were keen on having in the new facility. It will also give us designated areas for the more messy activities like bike maintenance and it means we do not have to constantly tidy up areas so these can be used for different activities. Within the plans for the new centre there will also be a low-level climbing wall in the corner of the sports hall. This again will allow us offer new experiences to the young people who attend the provision”
Architect, James Robertson worked collaboratively with Pippa Swan to design the new building. He said: “We spent time talking with the members of the club asking them what they liked about the current building, what they didn’t like and what they would like to see in the new place. We had thought that they would want to have lots of light flooding in and for it to look really futuristic in style. But they didn’t want people to be able to see in, they wanted it to be their space so we worked on the concept of a fort to protect. The whole design was driven by this and once we had that, the rest of it just fell into place.
“The new design will offer various different spaces, at the moment there is really only one main hall and if the boys are playing football then it is hard for Mark and the other leaders to be heard. The exterior will be made up of jigsaw cladding which will allow light in from different angles throughout the day this will mean that the space will always be changing with different shadows inside the building. The lighting on the outside of the building can also vary meaning that it is always changing. They wanted to have their jewel and that’s what we have tried to do.”
The proposed plans which have been submitted to the City ofEdinburgh Councilinclude the demolition of the existing youth club structure and the removal of the existing nursery structure. The new youth club would be built on the same site along with the relocation of the nursery building. The plans are currently pending consideration by the City ofEdinburgh Councilplanning department.[slideshow]
THE number of crimes recorded in Lothian and Borders has fallen by more than seven per cent during the last year, with around 5000 fewer offences being reported. New figures showed that sex crimes and crimes of dishonesty both fell between last April and March, but violent crime rose.
Police
Police chiefs welcomed the overall reduction in offending after revealing the 7.2 per cent drop, which followed on from an 8.3 per cent decrease the previous year.
The force also recognised the rise in violent crime, which included a soaring number of murders, and pledged to ensure those responsible were brought to justice. For the 11-month period between last April and February, violent crime climbed by 15 per cent across the force area, including a nine per cent rise in serious assaults. In Edinburgh during the same period, crimes of violence increased by 11 per cent, but there was an overall five per cent decline in reported offences. Across the city, sex crimes were down by 13 per cent while crimes of dishonesty were reduced by three per cent.
Assistant Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: “We are pleased to report a 7.2 per cent drop in overall recorded crime over the last year.”The launch of our Community Commitment, which puts community policing firmly at the heart of what we do, has given added impetus to the progress in reducing crime.”
Police launched 11 murder investigations in the Capital between last April and March, compared with six for the previous year. ACC Livingstone added: “While our figures reflect a rise in the most serious types of violent crime, it is relevant to point out that incidents of minor assaults – by far the most common type of assault – have dropped significantly over the past year”
Councillor Paul Edie, the city’s community safety leader, said: “We still have to crack the alcohol problem which has always been at the root of violent crime. But I’m very pleased with the overall drop in crime in Edinburgh.”
Bike Club Development officer amy Hickman said “Muirhouse Youth Bike Club is an inspirational project which will enhance employability and increase physical activity levels in the area” Speaking at the official launch of the MY Bike Club and MY Adventure.
Young people, members of the public, staff and volunteers from other organisations all packed into the Klub to find out more about the programme of activities Muirhouse Youth Development Group is now able to offer
The afternoon kicked off with everyone coming down to The Klub in Muirhouse shopping centre where they were welcomed by staff and volunteers from MYDG. Amy Hickman, Bike Club officer, welcomed everybody to The Klub. Jonny Kinross, MYDG development worker, gave an overview of the two projects.
Bike Club funding has been used to become a City & Guilds accredited centre delivering bike maintenance courses to young people. Young people will also be trained up to deliver Scottish Cycle training and GoMountain Bike courses. This will allow MY Adventure to deliver a variety of outdoors activities to groups across Edinburgh, including cycling activities and Dr Bike surgeries.
Councillor Cammy Day attended to show his support for this project. He finished proceedings by officially opening the workshop and congratulating MYDG on becoming the first Bike Club in Edinburgh, and the first organisation to deliver the City & Guilds qualification in the city!
Young people and visitors were invited to have a look around the new workshop and to have a go on their obstacle course. Everyone admired the new tool boards and fetching Bike Club overalls purchased through Bike Club funding. They also had Bike Mechanics on hand to fix any bikes in need of some TLC. All in all a pretty good afternoon, well done to everybody at MYDG!
Amy added “Muirhouse is showing Edinburgh the way forward by becoming the first project in the capital to join this UK-wide initiative. The new Bike Club project will play a key role in the regeneration of Muirhouse by providing local children and young adults with skills and qualifications for the workplace and by switching them on to learning.”
Amy Hickman and Cammy Day look on as Bike mechanic gets to work. Picture: Amy Hickman
“Through the project, young people from Muirhouse will be trained to deliver bike maintenance, Scottish Cycle training and GoMountain Bike Skills. Once qualified, they will go on to deliver bike safety courses and GoMountain Bike Courses to primary and secondary school pupils. The project also lets young people contribute to the local community.”
“Muirhouse Youth Development Group is working with Bike Club,ActiveSchoolsand Muirhouse Youth Adventure to roll out this programme. Bike Club is a UK-wide organisation that offers grants and expert support to youth clubs, schools and other groups to promote health and learning among 10 to 20 year olds. It is operated by a consortium of three charities: UK Youth, ContinYou and CTC – The UK’s National Cyclists’ Organisation, with Youth Scotland as a development partner. Bike Club is funded by the ASDA foundation.”
If you would like more information please contact MYDG on 332 3356
Well done to all at MYDG
Councillor Cammy Day with Bike Club Officer Amy Hickman and MYDG Youth Worker Peter Airlie. Picture: Amy Hickman
A senior director of the city council has left his role – triggering a huge pension pay-out. Jim Inch has stepped down as director of corporate services after agreeing to take early retirement.
Council officials say that there are no direct costs to the council of his retirement from his £120,513-a-year post. But he will start benefiting from a pension pot now worth over £1.3 million, and his retirement will automatically trigger a £160,390 lump sum payment.
Mr Inch sent a message to all council staff, thanking them for their work and support.
His retirement follows that of former chief executive Tom Aitchison, who stood down at the end of last year and received a £209,845 lump sum from his pension. Director of finance Donald McGougan will also leave his post in June, which will earn him a payment of at least £170,802.
The pension deals have been labelled “obscene” by taxpayer groups. A review is underway into the posts held by Mr Inch and Mr McGougan. Temporary appointments are to be made for six months as chief executive Sue Bruce decides whether to revamp the corporate services and finance departments.
