Day: November 5, 2012

Local author to launch debut crime novel

Local author Marianne Wheelaghan (pictured above) is launching her debut crime novel, Food of Ghosts, on Thursday. Marianne, who also runs a successful B&B, was a volunteer helper at a NENgage social media session in Stockbridge Library last month, and she’s delighted to share her latest news with NEN readers:
“I’m launching my debut crime novel, Food of Ghosts, on 8 November at Blackwell’s Bookshop, South Bridge (6.30pm). The event is FREE but ticketed, the tickets are available from the front desk. What will happen on the 8th: there will be a strong Pacific theme and I’ll say why I set my first thriller on a small coral atoll as far away as you can get from Scotland before coming back again!
“There will be bubbly and the opportunity to ask questions – as well as the chance to win a signed copy of the book. Food of Ghosts is my second novel, the first being the best-selling novel, The Blue Suitcase, which is based on my mother’s true-life story and tells the remarkable story of a teenage girl growing up in Nazi Germany.”
A tempting appetizer!

Tallest tree to lighten up the Botanics

PIC: RBGE The Edinburgh Garden poplar

A giant poplar tree is to be illuminated at The Botanics for Christmas.

Light artist Malcolm Innes will be lighting up the tallest tree in the Garden, a poplar which stands at almost one hundred feet tall.

The tree will be transformed with a mix of uplighting and sparkling lights from Friday 16 November, and the tree will be lit from 1 – 4pm every day throughout the festive season until Sunday, 6 January, brightening up those gloomy winter afternoons.

 

Local artists display their crafts way out west

Three locally-based artists are representing the best of Scotland as part of a delegation to the USA. Craig Mitchell, Rebecca Wilson and Jessamy Kelly are  exhibiting their work in Chicago after being selected from some sixty artists by Craft Scotland.

The Edinburgh trio are part of a group of six of the nation’s most talented craftspeople to take part in the international exposition, SOFA Chicago. SOFA, which represents Sculptural Objects and Functional Art, is a key event for the international collectors market, regularly receiving upwards of 35,000 visitors across the three day event.

Scotland accounts for almost 15% of the UK’s total craft businesses working predominantly in jewellery, textiles and ceramics. Craft Scotland is delighted to be representing Scotland and to be able to promote the diverse range of talented makers at such a prestigious event.

Craig Mitchell explores contemporary issues through the medium of ceramics. His work is often humorous although he challenges political and cultural views through his figurative creations. Craig has previously held the position of Lecturer in Ceramics at Edinburgh College of Art and has exhibited his work both within Scotland and internationally. He has previously been commissioned to make eight ‘cat burglars’ for the windows of Hamilton and Inches on George Street, Edinburgh which are still on display.

Rebecca Wilson is a ceramicist who specialises in questioning our disposable society by transforming mundane and familiar possessions into ‘objets d’art.’ Since she completed her MA in Ceramics at Cardiff and has since set up her studio alongside Craig Mitchell at Coburg House in the Leith area of Edinburgh. Rebecca has also exhibited widely throughout the UK and abroad.

Glass artist Jessamy Kelly is a designer-maker who specialises in high quality art glass. As well as her undergraduate degree, she has recently completed a PhD at the University of Sunderland where, along with the help of a material scientist, she spent five years investigating how to fuse ceramics and glass together. The unique material she has developed is the source for a recent body of beautiful artworks. Jessamy is currently acting head of the Glass Department at Edinburgh College of Art.

Speaking ahead of the Chicago event, Craft Scotland CEO Emma Walker said “We are delighted to be working with SOFA and we are very happy in the knowledge that Scotland will be represented at this show. Craft Scotland is a proud ambassador for Scotland when we’re abroad.”

Caroline Parkinson, Director of Creative Development for Creative Scotland said: “Creative Scotland invests in talent to develop both skills and businesses and this prestigious presentation at one of the world’s leading crafts showcases is an excellent platform to promote the quality of work produced in Scotland.”

Celebrating Career Academies success at RHS

Nine Edinburgh schools have been taking part in Career Academies, a UK wide initiative that brings together the world of business and education to deliver an inspirational programme that includes mentoring, ‘guru lectures’ and internships.

The Royal High School in Barnton hosted an event to celebrate local achievements to date and to give all involved an opportunity to come together to share their experiences. Friday’s event brought together 86 S5/6 students involved in Career Academies, together with their 86 Partners in Business (PiBs) and inspirational Scottish mountaineer Jamie Andrew gave the keynote address.

Career Academy students follow a rigorous two-year enrichment programme alongside their school curriculum, which aims to help them progress to higher education or the world of work from a much more informed, inspired and confident base.

The targeted group of students are those that have been identified as having the potential to secure a place in higher education or employment with the support of a business mentor.  They begin in 5th year at school, aged 16, studying two to three Highers, and are likely to lack informal networks but have great potential.

Career Academies forms part of the city-wide strategy, the Edinburgh Guarantee, to help pupils move into work or education following secondary school.

Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener, said: “Career Academies is already proving to provide an invaluable opportunity to some of our pupils.  By giving them the confidence they need to take those first steps in the right direction we are increasing their chances of going on to do something they want once they finish school.  I would like to thank all the businesses and mentors for their involvement to date and to encourage other local businesses to get involved.”

Mark McFall, Managing Director of Change Recruitment, said, “Our aim in supporting career Academies UK was to make a difference to young people’s lives and provide them with an insight into the working environment.  What we probably didn’t expect was the impact on our business and our own people.  The students made a genuine contribution and also brought something different to the working environment that had a profound effect on all of us.  We now have so many more people within the business keen to play a part in supporting these terrific young people.”

Josh McLeish, an S6 pupil at Tynecastle High School, said: “I have found the Career Academies UK experience extremely helpful and beneficial over the past year. My internship over the summer was fantastic and has helped me gain valuable experience in the workplace which is normally very difficult to obtain. The people I worked with were brilliant and very helpful.  Not only was the internship great but so is having a mentor who helps me out and points me in the right direction.”

Anne Wexelstein, Career Academies UK Manager for Scotland, commented: “In the current economic climate, it’s vital that opportunities like this are on offer to young people to help them make the transition from school into the word of work.  The vast majority of us are in greater need of the right pre conditions and introductions with which to find our way to work.  We would like to say a big thank you to all the people who are making our partnership with Edinburgh City Council, its schools and the Capital’s employers such a great success. ”

Three of the nine schools involved have completed their first year and six new schools embarked on the scheme in August.

Businesses who have participated in Career Academies to date represented at the Royal High School conference include: AK Stoddart, BNY Mellon, BT, Cairn Energy, Capital Solutions, Citi Bank, Clydesdale Bank, Davidson Chalmers, DHL, Diageo, City of Edinburgh Council, Edutrain, Ernst & Young, Franklin Templeton, Hotel Missoni, JP Morgan, Lloyds Banking Group, Logica, Penna Right Management, Royal Bank of Scotland, RSM Tenon, Santander, Scottish Gas, Scottish Government, Scottish Widows, Sopra Group, The Big Partnership, The Scottish Government, The Witchery, Transport Scotland, Visit Scotland, Yorkshire Bank and Tree of Knowledge.

 

Scottish Gas support for MS Therapy Centre

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Therapy Centre in Edinburgh has been adopted by Scottish Gas as its local charity partner. Scottish Gas Business Services in Granton has pledged to help the MS Therapy Centre for at least the next 12 months through fundraising activities, providing IT support, refreshing the website and by staff volunteering at the Centre itself.

It is estimated that there are approximately 2300 people in The Lothians alone who live with Multiple Sclerosis.The MS Therapy Centre, which covers Edinburgh, Fife, The Lothians and The Borders,costs £180,000 to run per year with the majority of this money coming from fundraising and charitable donations.

David Stewart, HR Manager at Scottish Gas said: “Scottish Gas isproud to support the MS Therapy Centre Lothian as its local charity partner.  Over the next year, our people will hold fundraising and volunteering activities for a fantastic cause that helps so many people living with MS.”

Carole Macartney, Chairperson, MS Therapy Centre said: “This announcement is going to make such a difference to the people who use the Centre and also to our amazing team of volunteers.  I am looking forward to meeting the Scottish Gas staff as the partnership grows and would like to thank them very much for nominating the MS Therapy Centre as their charity partner.”

Scottish Gas has already raised £180 through a raffle among its Granton HQ staff and is organising a programme of further fundraising events.

Help Samaritan’s Purse Deliver its 100 Millionth Shoebox this Christmas

Samaritan’s Purse is calling on all churches, schools, workplaces, families and individuals in Edinburgh & Midlothian to help achieve a remarkable milestone – delivering their 100 millionth gift-filled shoebox during this year’s Operation Christmas Child (OCC) campaign. 

Over the past 22 years, through OCC, Samaritan’s Purse has delivered 94 million shoeboxes to needy children in over 100 countries.  To lift this total to 100 million and beyond, the charity is asking everyone in their communities to use creative ways to reach this target in time for November 18th, the final date for donors to hand in their gift-filled shoeboxes.

Edinburgh and Midlothian Area Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child, June Vasey says: “We are one of the UK’s largest annual children’s charity projects, distributing over one million gift-filled shoeboxes to needy children at Christmas time last year. The challenge for us now is to grow Edinburgh and Midlothian’s contribution to this global programme, so we’re asking everyone across the region to help us achieve that.

“We are already finding throughout Edinburgh and Midlothian many individuals and groups are creatively going the extra mile in a number of ways including hosting coffee mornings, special concerts and shoebox parties.  It’s a great way to get people together and pack their shoeboxes and it’s really helping us towards our 100 million challenge.”

Samaritan’s Purse has also come up with another creative idea by asking everyone to email photographs of them holding up the shoeboxes they’ve packed, which will form one giant mosaic on the charity’s Facebook page of a child overseas holding their shoebox.

June Vasey said: “We hope this will help people visualise the impact of what each person’s shoebox can achieve in the life of a child.  It’s not about the 100 million number that’s so significant, but that each individual child will know that someone in the UK cares about them this Christmas.”

Find out how you can be part of the 100 Million Shoebox Challenge by visiting www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk for instructions on how to complete a gift-filled shoebox before the 18 November deadline.

 

Accredited transport training at PEP

Pilton Equalities Project (PEP) is offering accredited transport training courses next month.

PEP is registered with the Community Transport Association funded through the City of Edinburgh Council and recognised as the community transport operator for the North Edinburgh quadrant. We are a partner of the Edinburgh Community Transport Operators Group (ECTOG)  – PEP, Dove Transport, SEAG, LCTS, & Handicabs.

PATS stands for Passenger Assistants Training Scheme, and has been developed for those people who undertake the role of passenger assistant (also known as escorts). The PATS programme is relevant for passenger assistants working in cars, minicabs, taxis, minibuses, large buses and coaches.

PATS is open to any organisation that employs, uses or supplies passenger assistants. An organisation does not have to be a member of the MiDAS training scheme to use the Passenger Assistant Training Scheme, and the training is also open to any organisation that uses volunteers as passenger assistants.

Limited places are available for the training, which takes place on

Wednesday 12 December at PEP in West Pilton Park.

MiDAS is the nationally recognised Minibus Driver Awareness training Scheme, organised by the Community Transport Association U.K. (CTA) which promotes a nationally recognised standard for the assessment and training of minibus drivers. It is a membership based scheme that is designed to enhance minibus driving standards and promote the safer operation of minibuses,

It comprises low cost classroom-based training, plus an on-road driving assessment, as well as optional Passenger Assistance training (PAT’s) for drivers who will be transporting passengers with disabilities

Criteria: (a) Aged over 21 years and (b) held a full Driving Licence for 2 years.

The MIDAS training course takes place on Thursday 13 December.

Interested? Contact PEP trainers Theodora or Brian on 315 4466 or email

theopepequalities@hotmail.co.uk or brianpeopequalities@hotmail.co.uk for further information.

Thunderclap encourages cycberspace to observe Remembrance Sunday silence

Twitter and Facebook could fall silent this weekend as The Royal British Legion launches a campaign to extend Remembrance Sunday’s two-minute silence to the online community.

Facebook and Twitter users will be encouraged to observe the silence by using Thunderclap, a new ‘crowdspeaking’ social media tool that allows users to issue a message simultaneously across social media channels.

The Royal British Legion is the first UK organisation to use the new tool, and the charity is encouraging people to visit www.britishlegion.org.uk and click on the link to the Two Minute Silence Thunderclap page. They can show their support by clicking to authorise their social media accounts to send the tweet or message that reads: ‘I’ll be remembering the fallen at 11 o’clock #2MinuteSilence #LestWeForget” at 9am on Sunday 11 November.’

When they sign up, their Twitter or Facebook feed will display the message: ‘I won’t forget to Remember on 11.11.11 Will you? #2MinuteSilence.’ It is hoped that, through retweets and online “liking” and sharing of the message it will reach many more of the UK’s ten million Twitter and 33 million Facebook users.

Helen Hill, head of remembrance at the Royal British Legion said: “We hope to create the largest ever show of online remembrance by using the communicative power of social media to remind millions of Britons that they have a very personal opportunity to honour the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

The act of observing a two-minute silence began in 1919 following the signing of the Armistice that brought the First World War to an end at 11am on 11 November 1918. Up to 37 million people were killed or wounded in the conflict.

See previous post We will remember them

Will you be observing the two-minute silence? Is it important to you? Let us know