Month: September 2012

Read all about it – library opening times change this week

Library opening hours will change across Edinburgh tomorrow following a city-wide consultation in which around 10,000 people took part. 

The changes will see 22 libraries opening from 10am-5pm for the first time on a Saturday. Sunday opening will also remain in the six libraries that currently have it and there will be changes to Thursday opening.

Councillor Richard Lewis, the city’s Culture and Leisure Convener, said: “Our services must evolve to meet the changing priorities and expectations of our residents and library users. In these tough economic times I’m proud to say that unlike other local authorities we’re not closing any libraries. Instead we’re continuing to invest in and refurbish libraries and prioritise them as key services.”

Full details of all the changes can be found on the city council’s website at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/libraryopeninghours

Events will be running in libraries across the city next week to celebrate libraries and raise awareness of the new opening times; there are more details on the Edinburgh Libraries blog.

New Local Library Opening Hours:

Blackhall Monday -Wednesday 10am-8pm. Thursday – Saturday 10am-5pm.

Granton Monday & Wednesday 1-8pm. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday 10am – 5pm.

Leith Monday -Wednesday 10am-8pm. Thursday -Saturday 10am-5pm.

Muirhouse Monday -Wednesday 10am-8pm. Thursday -Saturday 10am-5pm. Sunday 1-5pm.

Stockbridge Monday & Wednesday 1-8pm. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday 10am – 5pm.

Muirhouse Million Steps

Almost four hundred local people took part in Friday’s Muirhouse Million Steps event. Local schools were well represented on the walk, which was also supported by Edinburgh Western MSP Colin Keir.

And did those marching feet make the magical million milestone? We’ll have to wait until next week to find out! Event organiser Lisa Arnott, Pilton Community Health Project’s Healthy Lifestyles coordinator, has promised to be in touch soon.

Some photographs of the event:

City campaign groups denounce ‘back door privatisation’

LOCAL CAMPAIGN GROUPS DENOUNCE “BACK DOOR PRIVATISATION” IN CLEANSING

Local anti-cuts groups have declared that Edinburgh Council are responsible for the deteriorating service in refuse collection, and the blame should be put firmly on the councillors and top management, not the binmen and other workers. The groups denounce the “back door privatisation” of Edinburgh Council services and have demanded a response from Council leader Andrew Burns.

North Edinburgh Fights Back and Greater Leith Against the Cuts condemn the large-scale use of agency staff in Street Cleansing and Refuse Collection – and claim that the new switch to fortnightly collections appears to be motivated by cost-cutting not environmental concern.

“We are in favour of reducing waste and increasing recycling but we suspect the move to fortnightly collections is not motivated by ecology but is part of the cut-backs. We are closely monitoring its impact and are consulting with local people if action needs to be taken to restore the weekly collections.”

The groups also denounce the imposition of anti social shift patterns on the workforce, arguing that the continuation of work until 10.30pm will cause disruption and nuisance to residents, particularly children, the elderly and vulnerable. “Refuse collection workers have told management the new shift patterns would not work,” say the community groups, “but as usual the CEC management aren’t listening to the people who really know the job.”

In a statement, the groups declare:  ‘We are totally opposed to the privatisation of public services and the cuts in services and worsening working conditions this invariably entails. The full Council voted against privatising these services – why are they now doing the complete opposite, and bringing in large numbers of Blue Arrow contractors to both Street
Cleansing and Refuse Collection?  New workers – who are certainly needed – should be taken on as full Council employees, wherever possible with permanent contracts.’

They add: ‘Contrary to some claims, Blue Arrow were NOT introduced to deal with the current backlog, dozens of Blue Arrow staff have been operating from the Russell Road depot in refuse collection since March, and Blue Arrow have been deployed from Cowans Close depot in street cleansing since July. What’s more, the private firm Enterprise were used in street cleansing in the spring.’

A Shop Steward from within Environmental Services said: “I have repeatedly voiced my concerns at the use of agency staff to City of Edinburgh Council Senior Management at numerous meetings since the elected members rejected Privatisation and also to various elected members all to no avail; unfortunately it appears that this new administration is
also listening to the officials who are now intent on privatising our council/public services through the back door.”

The community groups are still awaiting a response from the Council. “We have written to Councillor Burns demanding an end to this back door privatisation – he has yet to reply. However Councillor Hinds has written to say she has commissioned a report on the matter from Director of Services for Communities Mark Turley. We eagerly await this and urge its early delivery.”

North Edinburgh Fights Back <info@northedinburghfightsback.org.uk>
Greater Leith Against the Cuts <greaterleithc59@gmail.com>
Website www.edinburghagainstcuts.org.uk
 

Police seek witnesses to Drylaw road accident

Lothian and Borders Police are appealing for witnesses after a young girl was hit by  car in Groathill Road North at around 12.30 this afternoon.

The five-year-old was involved in a collision with a Renault Clio, which stopped at the scene and the driver is now assisting police with their enquiries. Police and ambulance responded to the scene and the child was taken to the Sick Kids hospital after sustaining injuries to her abdomen, where she is undergoing medical examination to determine the full nature of her injuries.

Officers are urging anyone who witnessed the collision to come forward. Road Policing Sergeant Brian Smith said: “We are still trying to piece together the full circumstances that resulted in this collision and are urging members of the public to assist with our investigation. The area is next to a primary school and there were likely a number of people around who may have seen what happened. Anyone with information that can help with our enquiries is asked to contact police immediately.”

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

Final graduations from Telford College tonight

The last students to graduate from three of Edinburgh’s biggest colleges will do so in a series of ceremonies this week, marking the end of an era and heralding the arrival of a new Edinburgh College. More than 900 students from Edinburgh’s Telford College, Jewel & Esk College and Stevenson College will attend separate ceremonies at Usher Hall to celebrate their academic achievements.

The graduations come ahead of the merger of the three colleges which takes place next month, when the new Edinburgh College will become the largest student body in Edinburgh, accommodating more than 35,000 students.

Brian Lister, Interim Principal of Edinburgh College, said: “Graduation is always a special time, as it gives us a chance to celebrate the various achievements of all our students, but this year they have greater significance, as these students will be the last ever to graduate from each college. As this chapter ends for the students of the three colleges, the ceremonies are also a chance for us to look back on the successes of each college as a whole and what they have done individually for the further education sector in Edinburgh.

“The creation of the new Edinburgh College will allow us to build upon the foundations of excellence already set by Edinburgh’s Telford, Jewel & Esk and Stevenson College Edinburgh and create an unrivalled further education experience for students in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The College itself will become a ‘centre of excellence’, building on the existing strengths of the three colleges to foster growth, opportunity and economic development. All of the 2011/12 graduands have worked exceptionally hard to pass their courses and the ceremonies are a mark of their excellence – I wish each and every one of them the best of the luck in their chosen career or education path.”

The new Edinburgh College will be the biggest student body in Edinburgh/Scotland, employing around 1,300 staff to deliver the very best education and training to students. Four campuses spread across Edinburgh and the Lothians will make up the new College: Granton (formerly Edinburgh’s TelfordCollege), Sighthill (formerly Stevenson College) and Milton Road and Midlothian (both formerly Jewel and Esk College).

Stevenson College Edinburgh’s ceremony took place on Monday (24 September) and will be followed by Edinburgh’s Telford College tonight (27 September) at 7pm with Jewel & Esk’s ceremony taking place on Friday at 4pm.

Family Nurse Partnership celebrates first graduations

Sing-songs and children’s games were the order of the day at the first graduation ceremony of the Family Nurse Partnership programme yesterday( Wednesday 26 September). Forty families and Family Nurse Partnership staff were joined  by Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing at a special  ceremony to mark the first graduates through the programme.

The children and their families, the first in Scotland to participate in the Family Nurse Partnership initiative, were presented with gold medals and graduation  certificates.

The innovative service, which launched as a pilot in Lothian in 2010, has seen more than 148 families and has since been rolled out across  Scotland.

Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, said: “I’m  absolutely delighted to be involved in this celebration.  Investing in  young parents and children is high on the Scottish Government’s agenda  and we want to give every child in Scotland the best possible start.  I  can see for myself what a difference this programme can make to young  lives and I will continue to champion worthy investments, such as the  Family Nurse Partnership, that really do make a difference.”

The Family Nurse Partnership programme offers an early intervention  service starting in early pregnancy and designed to support first-time  teenage mothers over the first two years after birth.

Val Alexander, Family Nurse Partnership Supervisor, NHS Lothian,  said:  “We have seen so many positive stories over the first two years  of the Family Nurse Partnership and it’s great to see so many families  graduating through the service today.

“The programme relies on the development of a strong therapeutic  relationship between our nurse and the client. Visits are structured,  and cover personal health, environmental health, life course  development, maternal role, family and friends and health and human  resource services.”

Melanie Hornett, Director of Nursing, NHS Lothian, said:  “I am  delighted to see the first clients graduating through the programme. The service is all about helping to build on the strengths of young mums  and dads encouraging them to focus on their own wellbeing and that of  their child. Providing help early on gives them the best possible start in terms  of improved healthcare and child development and I would like to  congratulate the whole Family Nurse Partnership team on this first  graduation.”

Former Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon introduced Family Nurse Partnerships to Scotland in 2010 following a visit to Harlem, where NHS  Lothian was chosen as the first test site for the programme.

The Family Nurse Partnership is targeted at first time mothers aged 19 and under having their first baby, and offers guidance on breastfeeding, child  development, parenting skills, future pregnancy planning, preventive  health measures such as help with alcohol or cigarette dependency,  better diet information, advice on better financial planning and advice  for mothers wanting to go back to education or employment.

Man dies in Powderhall flat fire

A man has died after a fire in a flat in Powderhall this morning.

Around 40 firefighters tackled the blaze at Powderhall Rigg. Fire Control received a call at 9.50am to a report of a fire in the flat of a six-storey block.

40 firefighters tackled the blaze.

On arrival, firefighters discovered a two-storey flat (which is on the third and fourth floor) well alight and smoke billowing from the building. Four firefighters in breathing apparatus using one line of hose were despatched to fight the fire. Crews were also tasked with evacuating residents from neighbouring flats on the affected floors.

One male casualty was located by firefighters, but was pronounced dead at the scene. The affected flat where the fatality was discovered, was badly damaged by fire.

Five appliances, a height platform, Heavy Rescue Tender and Incident Support Unit were sent to the scene.

Search launched for windsurfer seen in difficulty near Cramond Island

A three-hour search was launched for a windsurfer who was seen in difficulty near Cramond Island.

Members of the public spotted the surfer near  at around 1pm on Tuesday and called the coastguard.

Rescue 177 from Prestwick searches near Silverknowes. (Picture: Michael Lindsay)

A spokesperson for the Forth Coastguard said “We received calls about a male Windsurfer who was having problems to the East of Cramond Island, we laucnehd the Queensferry Inshore Lifeboat, the all weather Lifeboat from Dunbar, Siera Oscar 10 (The Police search boat) and the Royal Navy search helicopter Rescue 177 was scrambled fromPrestwick. It would appear that the male my have made it ashore before our two hour search got underway.”

The RNLI from South Queensferry searches near Granton. (Picture: Michael Lindsay)

At 3.45pm, the search was stood down when the windsurfer was traced safe and well.

North Edinburgh at Volunteer Recruitment Fair 2012

Tomorrow (26 September) Volunteer Centre Edinburgh launches it’s 14th Volunteer Recruitment Fair at St Paul’s and St George’s Church on York Place. The fair runs from 11am to 7pm (writes KATE SMITH).

There will be a stall for Volunteer Centre’s North Edinburgh Hub and for volunteer-involving organisations in North Edinburgh. Pilton Equalities Project will be there from 1 to 3pm and Granton Youth Centre from 3 to 5pm.

In North Edinburgh a huge range of organisations are working with volunteers. There are fantastic opportunities for volunteering with children and young people, the elderly, the arts, music and dance. Not to mention sports including football and cycling. Cyclone Mountain Bike Track is currently under construction right now at Gypsy Brae (volunteers needed), Pilton Youth and Children’s Project are launching The Wooden Spoon Studio, a multi-purpose arts space, (think dance, performance, gallery) at their AGM on Friday at 3pm. You can even study an SVQ in Volunteering in the beautiful facilities at Craigroyston High. It’s all happening down here!

Come and meet us at the Fair or, if you want to find out more about volunteering in North Edinburgh, please contact me Kate Smith at kate.smith@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk

Port of Leith to support Macmillan coffee mornings

 

Two Leith sheltered housing complexes are taking part in Macmillan Cancer Support’s ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ initiative this week.  The Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) developments at St Nicholas Court on Ferry Road and Hermitage Court on Academy Park will host events for their residents as well as anyone who wants to drop by.

Hermitage Court will hold a light lunch with sandwiches and cakes and raffle tomorrow (Wednesday September 26) from 12pm to 2pm, and  St Nicholas Court is hosting a ‘soup and sweet party’ on Friday (Sept 28) from 12pm to 2pm with a raffle and home baking.

Maureen Tait, Senior Sheltered Housing Coordinator for PoLHA who manages St Nicholas Court, said:  “As Autumn has well and truly hit us, we hope this is a good opportunity for people to pop along to our developments and get a warming cup of tea or soup and to enjoy a chat while raising some money for this important cause.”

Hermitage Court will be taking donations and St Nicholas Court will charge £3 for people to join in the fun. Last year, the developments raised £500 for Macmillan and are hopeful for another successful fundraising drive.