Month: September 2011

Community response to Granton & District Community Council meeting

The following letter was received from a member of the community following their visit to the Granton & District Community Council meeting. NEN have written to the Community Council to give them an opportunity to respond.

 

I attended Granton &District Community Council meeting last night (September 21) never in all my years as an activist have I experienced such bullying and deceitfulness from people who are suppose to represent my area. Firstly George Gordon misinformed the meeting by claiming that the Community Council had been involved in a garden project withinCrewe Road West. This is untrue Crewe Excluded Residents through a Neighbourhood Improvement Programme (NIP) secured funding themselves for this project. Crewe Excluded Residents do not engage with the Community Council, therefore they are trying to claim credit for something they did not have a part in . Disgusting and untrustworthy. The chair Fred Marinello stated that the Community Council is not a political group, and yet key members are standing at the next council elections. Surely a vested interest?

The Chair of the meeting surely brought the Community Council into disrepute by bullying members of the group. Two Forth Ward Councilors sitting at this meeting must wonder what is going on within this Community Council .Fred Marinello constantly harassed and “bullied” members not allowing people to speak. Members of the community attended this meeting for the first time were shocked at the constant aggression that was carried out at this meeting. Cllr Steve Cardownie pointed out to the Chair about his aggressiveness and yet it continued. The Community Council spent £1700 of public money on 3 laptops what group needs 3 laptops? Surely this is a waste of money when cuts all over the city are being made? The Community Council could not justify or produce minutes from previous discussions about the amount of money spent. This is not acceptable this is really bad management. Lack of accountability makes a mockery of our democracy. . I certainly do not have faith in this community council to represent the community of Granton and local community.

Anna Hutchison

 

Strollers win game of seesaw

STROLLERS progressed to the third round of the Image Printers Cup despiteLeithgoing two up within ten minutes.

The game was settled with a penalty in injury time and Strollers boss Garry Aitchison said: “It was frustrating going two behind in the opening minutes but I knew we had the firepower within the team to stage a comeback. I knew if we could get one goal back we had a chance of doing it.

“I am disappointed with the goals that we lost and we need to work on that.

“Danny Rennie scored two great goals to level it for us. Leith kept coming at us, when we went a goal in front I thought it would have settled up a bit but, fair play to Leith, they never gave up and I think we lost a sloppy third goal.

“I will take the victory but we do have things to work on. But the bottom line is that we are through to the next round. I must give credit to the players who fought back after going behind so early on in the game.

“Up front for us has been difficult as so far we haven’t been able to put out regular team, we have a few players out and its been hard. I am delighted with the result but not so delighted with the performance, but at the end of the day we are through to the next round. We now have to concentrate on this week’s Scottish Cup tie.”

Strollers almost took the lead when Chris Inglis broke away and his shot was netbound until Matthew Banks somehow managed to get a hand on the ball and push it over the bar.

Then some slack defending from Strollers gifted Greg Tulloch with an opportunity and the young striker slotted the ball into the net. A few minutes later Tulloch broke the offside trap and raced into the Strollers box then prodded the ball past the advancing keeper Stuart Burnside.

Strollers then went on the attack and when Danny Rennie was played in he went on a great attacking run and rounded Banks in the Leith goal before knocking the ball into the empty net. Rennie was again played in on the half-hour mark and his powerful shot arrowed into the back of the net leaving Banks with no chance.

Craig Anderson then put Strollers in front when Leith failed to clear the danger from a corner. Anderson picked the ball up on the edge of the box and his shot took a deflection as it went through a crowd of players and the ball trickled over the line. That lead didn’t last long however, and when Strollers failed to pick up Stephen Barrie from a corner he had the simple task of smashing the ball into the net to level it again.

Just as it looked like extra time was on the cards Strollers’ new signing Scott Gormley broke away and was fouled by Douglas Thom in the box with the referee awarding a penalty.

Gormley stepped up and converted the spot kick to seal the victory.

Leith Manager Derek Riddell said: “We went two up against the run of play, Civil had a lot of good chances early on. We then had a good spell of play and when were two up I think we switched off. When your playing against a good front line that Civil have you can’t afford to switch off and they pulled two back. I thought we were the better team in the second half, we had a slow start but I thought we created more chances and it was a sucker punch to loose a penalty late on in the game.

“We created lots of chances especially in the first half but we didn’t get the break of the ball. We have lacked in these breaks over the season and so far lots of things have gone against us in games. However, we are creating good chances and I would be more concerned if we weren’t creating chances.”

Leith Athletic: Banks, C Barrie, Black, Bremmer, Combe (Moonie 75), Lynch, Steven, Tainsh, Thom, Tracey (S Barrie 65), Tulloch. Subs: S Barrie, Moonie, Shield, Smith, Lawson.

Civil Service Strollers: Burnside, Fraser, Jack, Inglis, Dickson (Somerville 87), Campbell, Abbot (Lynch 77), Gormley, Rennie, MacBrayne, Anderson. Subs: Lynch, Wyman, Somerville, Hewitt, Cadger.

Leith Athletic 3

Civil Service Strollers 4

Taken from: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/Strollers-win-game-of-seesaw.6838956.jp?articlepage=2

Four-week-old baby treated by medics after Drylaw flat fire

A four-week-old baby girl was treated by ambulance crews at the scene of a fire in Drylaw.

Medics were called in over concerns for the child’s breathing because of large amounts of smoke caused by the blaze on Tuesday evening.

Fifteen firefighters were called to the scene at Wester Drylaw Drive at around 6.30pm after reports a wheelie bin was alight in a stairwell.

Four crew members wearing breathing apparatus put out the flames.

Emergency crews checked over the baby as a precaution but she did not require hospital treatment.

No one else was injured during the alarm.

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the blaze was still under investigation.

Man beaten after questioning gang

A man was punched to the ground and kicked after questioning a group that were drinking in his close.

The 62-year-old went into the common stair in Ferry Road Drive at around 7.30am on Sunday.

He found a group of three men and a woman sat in the close drinking and asked them what they were doing there.

One of the men punched him in the face and the victim fell to the ground before another man started kicking him. The group then left the close.

The victim went to St John’s Hospital where he was treated for a broken jaw and reported the attack to the police on Tuesday.

Lothian and Borders Police are appealing for witnesses as they try and find the men responsible.

The first suspect is described as a white man aged around 20, around 5ft 10in tall and well built with short, fair hair. He was wearing a sweatshirt and grey jogging bottoms at the time of the attack.

The second man is also white and around 20 years old. He is around 5ft 8in tall with a slim build and dark brown or black hair.

A police spokesman said: “This was an unprovoked and vicious assault that resulted in a man suffering a painful and serious facial injury.

“Given the time of day, there may have been a number of people in the streets on their way to work and anyone who remembers seeing anything suspicious in the Ferry Road Drive area on Sunday morning is asked to contact police immediately.

“Similarly, if anyone can assist in identifying those responsible for this attack, they are also asked to get in touch.”

Anyone with any information can contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Councillor's words show ignorance of community

We are incensed at the comments by Councillor Elaine Morris, “Councillor brands anticuts protesters ‘rabid'” (News, September 1).
Greater Pilton is a fantastic place to work and live, and in fact top council workers, councillors, MPs and MSPs all came through and gained a wealth of knowledge from the so called “rabid anti-establishment” folk of Greater Pilton.

Over 65 years ago, brave men and women fought for independence, democracy and free speech, but apparently this does not count if you are living in Councillor Morris’s ward.

The people of Greater Pilton have been in the forefront of any campaign that fights for the rights of the common man/woman. In fact Greater Pilton is proud to have, within their boundaries, an organisation which has been running for over 50 years. From this organisation many other community organisations have emerged and been encouraged to “cut the apron strings” and go it alone. When the people of Greater Pilton make up their minds to do something, they do it, and don’t change their minds halfway through because they think the grass is greener on the other side – can you say the same, Councillor Morris?

One of the definitions of “rabid” is extremely enthusiastic and zealous, well in that case, thank you Councillor Morris, at least we have the community at heart, unlike you, we fight for the whole of Greater Pilton and not just for our own little corner.

For you to threaten (in your political speak) an arts centre with withdrawing their funding if they allow this meeting to go ahead is disgusting.

The Greater Pilton area was built on the blood, sweat and tears of local activists and it will continue to go from strength to strength. Councillor Morris should also remember it was local people who voted her in. They can also vote her out.

This letter appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News from West Pilton West Granton Community Council.

Local Counillor Elaine Morris's comments have upset many local people.

Councillor’s words show ignorance of community

We are incensed at the comments by Councillor Elaine Morris, “Councillor brands anticuts protesters ‘rabid'” (News, September 1).
Greater Pilton is a fantastic place to work and live, and in fact top council workers, councillors, MPs and MSPs all came through and gained a wealth of knowledge from the so called “rabid anti-establishment” folk of Greater Pilton.

Over 65 years ago, brave men and women fought for independence, democracy and free speech, but apparently this does not count if you are living in Councillor Morris’s ward.

The people of Greater Pilton have been in the forefront of any campaign that fights for the rights of the common man/woman. In fact Greater Pilton is proud to have, within their boundaries, an organisation which has been running for over 50 years. From this organisation many other community organisations have emerged and been encouraged to “cut the apron strings” and go it alone. When the people of Greater Pilton make up their minds to do something, they do it, and don’t change their minds halfway through because they think the grass is greener on the other side – can you say the same, Councillor Morris?

One of the definitions of “rabid” is extremely enthusiastic and zealous, well in that case, thank you Councillor Morris, at least we have the community at heart, unlike you, we fight for the whole of Greater Pilton and not just for our own little corner.

For you to threaten (in your political speak) an arts centre with withdrawing their funding if they allow this meeting to go ahead is disgusting.

The Greater Pilton area was built on the blood, sweat and tears of local activists and it will continue to go from strength to strength. Councillor Morris should also remember it was local people who voted her in. They can also vote her out.

This letter appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News from West Pilton West Granton Community Council.

Local Counillor Elaine Morris's comments have upset many local people.

Bearded dragon dumped in local supermarket toilets

The owner of a bearded dragon dumped in a white bag in the toilets of an Edinburgh supermarket is being sought by animal welfare officers.

The adult male reptile was found in Morrisons on Pilton Drive on Sunday. He is now being cared for at the Scottish SPCA’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre. If caught, the owner faces a maximum of six months in prison, a £5,000 fine or both.

Inspector June Chalcroft, of the Scottish SPCA, said: “The bearded dragon was discovered inside a white sack in the ladies toilets at about 17:00.”The shop would have been fairly busy at this time, so we’re hoping members of the public may have noticed someone, probably female, carrying the sack in to the store.

“There’s no excuse for throwing an animal away like it’s a piece of rubbish, but sadly animals are regularly dumped in all sorts of unusual places including public toilets.

“We see a lot of abandoned and unwanted exotic creatures coming into our care because people underestimate the hard work and knowledge required to look after these types of animals.

“Reptiles and bearded dragons in particular have very specific needs in terms of their environment, nutrition and care.”


Dream Fund offers £300,000 to projects in and around the capital

Charities and community groups across Edinburgh have been encouraged to apply for a newly announced £300,000 fund encouraging the third sector to work together.

The grant seeks to make ‘dream’ collaborative projects a reality for cash-strapped good causes across the country, and up to £100,000 per project will be distributed through the People’s Postcode Trusts’ special Dream Fund.

The scheme was devised to fill part of the funding gap left by government cuts.

Last year’s collaboration included the promotion and clean up of Edinburgh’s cycle paths, with a London Underground style cycle map (pictured) for the city created and distributed to well over 30,000 locals.

The Bike Station’s Mark Sydenham, who was part of the cycle project said: “We were convinced that this project could be an innovative way of mapping Edinburgh’s off-street cycle network and would help to make real difference to the way people view and think about cycling and travelling round the city.

“With the support of the Dream Fund we have created something which exceeded all our expectations.”

The map is already very well-established, with an interactive online version providing a real community focus for the network.

Conservation work along the paths with Edinburgh and Lothian’s Greenspace Trust is improving the paths and people’s involvement with them, and gives a real sense of ownership.”

An ‘Edible Gardening’ volunteer project at the Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh was also funded.

People’s Postcode Trust manager Clara Govier today called for charities and groups across Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland to apply for one of the three awards available, each worth up to £100,000.

She said: “Last year’s Dream Fund was a huge success, and we hope this year will see even more applications than before.

“In such a challenging economic climate the funding is a fantastic opportunity for many good causes to work together with other worthwhile organisations on innovative and exciting projects.”

To be eligible to apply for the Dream Fund, two or more organisations must collaborate on a project, one of which must be a registered charity. Shortlisted proposals will be invited to pitch their ideas to the People’s Postcode Trust’s trustees.

Prospective applicants can find out more information and details of the funding criteria at  www.postcodetrust.org.uk

The closing date for the first round of funding is Friday, December 2.

Inverleith Park green flag success

Inverleith Park retained it’s prestigious Green Flag Award for 2011/2012, passing assessments on a number of national criteria, such as environment, cleanliness, safety and accessibility and a flag raising ceremony took place today.

The formal raising of the flag was conducted by ward Councillor Tim McKay and he was also delighted about the award. He said “The Flag gives the public a way of realizing their parks are something to be proud off, its an indicator of a local facility being appreciated by the wider community. All our parks are important to everyone in Edinburgh, its not just your neighborhood park its good to know there are parks all over the city.”

When asked about the potential sale of the depot site Councillor McKay said “I think the sale is without doubt kicked into the long grass if not killed off. There is a paper that is due to come to Policy and Strategy committee in the future, which will kick the issue into the long grass for just now, the agents that were involved are no longer involved they were involved in proposal for some housing but that proposal is getting dropped and I cant see anything happening for the next few years.

Ritchie Fraser from the City of Edinburgh Council said “The green flag means a great deal for Inverleith Park, the award is internationally recognised award which means that the park will generate a great deal of publicity. We had to create a management plan for the park and this included, safety of the park, cleanliness of the park and whether or not everything you achieve in the park is sustainable. We are always look at ways to improve the park and toilets are something that we are looking at but as they require to be cleaned its an additional cost. We have looked at semi automated toilets but its all budget dependent”

Councillor Tim McKay (second from left) prepares to raise the Green Flag

Members from the Friends of Inverleith park group came along on the day and were delighted that the park had achieved this award for the coming year. Tony Cook, convener of the groups said “This is excellent news for the park, there is lots of activities taking place in the park from football to rugby and many more. Our group are concerned about the potential selling off of the depot site for the purpose of creating 8 luxury houses. I would now like to see real progress made in creating a toilet facility as well as a café and something that could be a youth facility in the evening.”

Click here to listen to our interview with Councillor Tim McKay and Ritchie Fraser

A bit of oomph

“You can go a long way on a bit of oomph”. This was the advice given to the graduating students of Edinburgh’s Telford College by guest speaker Jenny Eclair. Jenny had been invited to the College’s 2011 Graduation Celebration to honour the many students who had graduated after years of hard work.

Friends and family came together last night (Monday 12 september) to see hundreds of students receive their degrees, diplomas and certificates and we were treated to a flavour of the kinds of ability the College nurtures from dancers, actors and musicians. Principal Miles Dibsdall, in his usual enthusiastic and voluble way, paid tribute to the hard work of all the students there.

Jenny Eclair, who admitted to being a bit of an “illiterate goth” at school, told us that she finally achieved her success through writing. The underlying message was that, whatever your ability, you can achieve your goals through identifying what you are good at and going for it.

Despite the well-deserved celebration of achievement, this year’s graduation followed controversial and unpopular cuts in the College’s budget, which resulted in courses being axed and staff made redundant, after the Scottish Government imposed a 10% cut in funding. Shortly we will, coincidentally, also see the publication of the Scottish Government’s pre-legislative paper on the future of further education, which may well result in the merger of colleges throughout Scotland. Telford College attracts 40% at least of its students from the north Edinburgh area. If it is forced to merge with another college, what will be the impact on courses offered and therefore on the number of local students. How local will local colleges be then?