TPAS award for Port of Leith Housing

Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) is celebrating after becoming the first community-based housing associaiton in Edinburgh to achieve TPAS accreditation – marking it as one of the most innovative and tenant focused organisations in the country.

TPAS Accreditation is awarded by the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) to social landlords that go the extra mile to involve their customers in the shaping of services, and TPAS were particularly impressed by what they saw at Port of Leith. TPAS was also impressed at the range of PoLHA’s traditional engagement techniques, including the recent successful welfare reform information day, quarterly Port Call newsletter and registered tenant organisation consultation.

Lesley Baird, Chief Executive of TPAS Scotland, explained that PoLHA has fostered a real partnership with its customers. Lesley said: “We’ve been impressed by the way Port of Leith works together with its customers to set standards and scrutinise services. Their hard work has established a framework for involving tenants in self-assessment and measuring performance that others in the sector can learn from.”

PoLHA provides affordable rented housing throughout Leith and north of the city. It has created a range of opportunities for tenants and residents to get involved and influence the way services are provided. These range from community events to formal processes for tenants to influence decisions about housing services and investment, either as individuals or in formal groups.

Following a thorough consultation process, PoLHA has developed a Customer Charter to enhance assessment and scrutiny of services. The charter reflects the standards of the Scottish Social Housing Charter, whilst also factoring in important local priorities. It also sets service standards, outlines activities to achieve them and explains how performance will be measured. To ensure tenants are involved in the process, PoLHA also carries out mystery shopping in order to test services and facilitated a range of customer service reviews.

PoLHA Chief Executive Keith Anderson said: “Port of Leith Housing Association is committed to serving its tenants and we are delighted to receive this honour. To be the first community – based housing association in Edinburgh to be recognised for its achievements is testament to the hard work and efforts put in by our staff working in partnership with our tenants.”

Pictured (Left -Right): PoLHA Chairman Jack Hunter, TPAS Scotland Chief Executive Lesley Baird and Keith Anderson, PoLHA Chief Executive

Cafe culture for Princes Street?

The prospect of stopping for a bite to eat while shopping on Princes Street is moving a step closer thanks to proposed changes to allow cafes and restaurants on Scotland’s most famous street. The plans aim to encourage more people to visit Princes Street and boost the area’s vitality by creating a mix of retail and food and drink establishments.

Today’s meeting of the Planning Committee will consider a report seeking permission to begin public consultation on new Supplementary Guidance (SG) for the Proposed Local Development Plan.

This ties in with the overall vision for the City Centre, the public consultation for which closed last week and drew almost 2,000 responses.

The proposed Supplementary Guidance for the City Centre Retail Core Frontage (Princes Street) allows food and drink uses in shop units which are under 300 sq m gross in size and which can safely accommodate outdoor pavement seating.

Twenty five units out of the 78 on Princes Street would be eligible to change their use from retail (Class 1) to food and drink (Class 3). Pubs and hot food takeaways would not be permitted as they do not fall into the Class 3 category.

To prevent future changes of food and drink establishments to Class 2 use financial, professional or other services (eg banks, betting offices), the Council will seek an Article 4 Direction from Scottish Ministers to revoke Permitted Development Rights for the change of use of Class 3 to Class 2 uses on Princes Street.

Planning Convener Councillor Ian Perry said: “This is about breathing new life into Princes Street. Cafes and restaurants will give people a new incentive to come into town to meet friends, relax over a meal and visit the shops. We’ve already had interest from prospective food and drink businesses who are keen to take advantage of the world-beating views of Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town that you get on Princes Street.”

Andy Neal, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh, said: “Essential Edinburgh are delighted this positive step for Princes Street is being taken. For city centres to survive they need to offer a great experience and a row of almost a mile with only shops does not deliver that. The chance to break for a chat with coffee or a glass of wine will deliver a much more pleasurable experience and allow the unique and stunning views to be enjoyed. It will also allow the street to be used into the evening. With later shop opening and places to eat, Princes St will be an even greater asset for Edinburgh.”

David Birrell, Chief Executive at Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said: “This is a great opportunity to boost business in Princes Street by being creative with the mix of food and drink offering to the people of Edinburgh and tourists. It is inevitable that the face of Edinburgh’s flagship street will change as our culture evolves. Currently Princes Street is a shopping street to be proud of and this seems like a great opportunity to enhance the mix with restaurants and bars. What other city can offer all this directly opposite an iconic Castle?”

Hugh Rutherford, Chair of the Edinburgh Business Forum, said: “Princes Street currently has a strong retail offering with a variety of outlets catering to all needs. The opportunity to complement this with quality food and drink establishments is to be welcomed as this with help drive footfall to the city centre and will be instrumental in bringing a new lease of life to this iconic thoroughfare.”

The report also deals with Supplementary Guidance for Tollcross Town Centre. This is the first of eight town centres for which a programme of Supplementary Guidance has been prepared. the Council will prepare and consult on supplementary guidance for the remaining seven town centres (Corstorphine, Gorgie/Dalry, Leith/Leith Walk, Morningside/Bruntsfield, Nicolson St/Clerk St, Portobello and Stockbridge) over the next two years.

If approved by the Planning Committee today, the Supplementary Guidance for both the City Centre Retail Core and Tollcross Town Centre will go out for public consultation over the summer and, depending on the consultation outcome, it is hoped that there could be cafes and restaurants on Princes Street by summer next year.

Summer NEN

When will the next print issue of North Edinburgh News hit the streets? NEN’s voluntary board of directors met on Monday evening and agreed to aim for a summer edition – if advertising revenue can be assured the NEN will be out again at the end of June.

Our last print version was last distributed across North Edinburgh in February, and while NEN continues to have an online presence there are many local residents who do not have computer access, so receiving a copy of the print issue remains just as important as it always has.

To enable us to produce another newspaper, however, we must raise funds. The NEN receives no core funding, so to produce our newspaper we need to raise enough advertising revenue or sponsorship to cover our production costs.

Earlier this year NEN received community grant funding from both Forth and Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnerships to support efforts to improve income opportunities. This piece of work is now well underway – databases have been developed and over the coming weeks we will be contacting all local organisations, charities and businesses large and small to let them know how they can support North Edinburgh’s community newspaper. We’ll be casting the net further afield too – after all, the folk of North Edinburgh don’t only shop or access services in North Edinburgh! The aim of the exercise is not only to raise funding for another edition but to secure regular commitment from potential advertisers and sponsors to ensure the NEN’s longer term future.

This is not going to be a quick or easy task, so in the meantime, if you would like to advertise in NEN’s June issue or you would like any further information about advertising or sponsorship, please get in touch – through this blog, by email at northedinnews@gmail.com or telephone 07925 405 972.

We look forward to hearing from you!

June return for Stockbridge Duck Race

The Annual Stockbridge Duck race is set to return on 30 June following a forced sabbatical last year due to the Water of Leith flood prevention works.

The first race was held 25 years ago after being founded by local resident Susie Gregor who had seen a similar event on another river and it has grown into a much loved and eagerly anticipated spectacle ever since. The race is held on the stretch of river between The Stockbridge and Falshaw Bridge further downstream with thousands of rubber ducks taking part.

The concept is a simple one – entrants (humans, not ducks!) purchase rubber ducks from local shops for which they will receive a duck’s number on a raffle ticket with the proceeds going to charity. On the day the rubber ducks are released into the Water of Leith on The Stockbridge and race all the way down to Falshaw Bridge, with the winners receiving prizes donated by local Stockbridge businesses. Along the course the ducks are marshalled by volunteer “Duck Wardens” to ensure that every duck that enters The Water of Leith leaves the Water of Leith!

This spectacle of colour that draws large crowds and raises a lot of money for local charities was sorely missed last year after health and safety concerns arose from the flood prevention works being carried out on that stretch of river and no safe or fun alternative possible.

Ducks will be available soon – and any help or prizes you can donate would be greatly appreciated. For further information please contact The Bailie Bar.

Info & pic courtesy of StockbridgeEdinburgh.com

Free compost at Broughton High School today

The City Council is giving away free bags of compost in Edinburgh today (15 May) to thank residents for recycling using the garden waste recycling service. The local venue is Broughton High School’s car park, where bags of compost stocks will be handed out from 3.30pm until stocks are exhausted. Please note that access must be from Fettes Avenue, NOT East Fettes Avenue.

You can claim one 20kg bag at the event, but supplies are limited so it will be on a first come first served basis – and be aware that the bags are heavy so please be prepared! The council’s recycling team will be on hand to provide information on all recycling services.

The compost is made from the materials collected in the garden waste bin, to find out more please visit the city council’s garden waste page.

Walk the Walk with Fresh Start

Homelessness resettlement charity Fresh Start is urging fundraisers to walk ‘The Walk’ when its sixth annual sponsored walk takes place on 31 May – and walkers are being urged to sign up today! Last year a record 62 people walked the eight mile route together and the charity is hoping to beat that this time.

Fresh Start Director Keith Robertson, said: “Providing a roof over a family or an individual’s head is the first step in ending homelessness but making sure they keep it is the next challenge. That’s where Fresh Start comes in. We help people get the fresh start they deserve in life – and all money raised from the sponsored walk will go towards our work helping people who have been homeless resettle into the community.”

George Banks, from Ebenezer United Free Church in Edinburgh, who volunteers at Fresh Start, helping prepare the charity’s Starter Packs, said: “Last year was my first year on the walk which I enjoyed so much I am doing it again this year. Some friends of Fresh Start have been walking The Walk for a number of years and I’m delighted to take part again. The Walk takes you through some fascinating bits of Edinburgh and when you get tired there are plenty of places to have a wee seat – all in the knowledge that there is a huge welcome at the finish line and that you are doing it for a great cause.”

The 2013 walk follows its traditional eight-mile route along the Water of Leith to Colinton Dell, where we go on to the Union Canal towpath and head back into town towards the finishing line at Lochrin Basin, Fountainbridge.

The walk sets out from Dean Parish Church at 10.00am, with lunch and refreshments being served on the Re-union Canal boat.

Everyone is welcome to join in the fun. There’s no fee to take part however each walker is asked to raise a minimum of £25. For those wishing to raise money, a new Just Giving site has been set up at

http://www.justgiving.com/freshstartedinburgh

To register your interest, telephone Fresh Start offices on 0131 476 7741

New course will take music into communities

Edinburgh College is blazing a trail by offering Scotland’s first further education course in Music for Wellbeing, which promotes the enormous benefits of taking music into the community.

Research shows that music can have a wide range of health and social benefits, such as improving communication, managing stress, expressing feelings, enhancing memory – and even alleviating pain and promoting physical rehabilitation.

Jess Abrams, an American-born community musician, youth worker and singer, is leading the new course in Music For Wellbeing, which starts in August. Jess (pictured below, far left) said: “This is a fast-growing sector and will appeal to people with a love of music who want to use music as part of their livelihood.”

Community music projects take place in a range of settings, including arts centres, community centres, schools, hospitals and residential homes.

“There can be considerable social benefits for people taking part in community music projects, such as learning to create music as part of a group and working with others. Music can elicit emotion from people and we need to understand and manage that better. Playing music in a group is a feel good experience and triggers the same pleasure centres in the brain as eating chocolate. And as well as the health and social benefits, participants might learn some musical skills too!”

There are just 16 places available on the one-year course, a National Progression Award delivered with Skills Development Scotland that covers a very broad range of skills.

Jon Buglass, Head of Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said the course was designed to widen the employment opportunities open to musicians. “We realised there were limited options – you might be in a function band or if you’re lucky, make it as a rock star. Yet there are lots of opportunities in community music – but no course to prepare people for that. It seemed sensible to design a course directly linked to employment opportunities.”

Mr Buglass developed the course with colleagues and SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority). Although several Scottish universities offer modules in community music as part of broader courses, this is the first time an entire course in Scotland has been devoted to this specific area – and the first community music course offered by a college in Scotland.

“If you have well-developed musical skills, that’s great – but this course might also appeal to community and youth workers as it is as much about taking music into the community by using different personal skills,” said Jess. “You need to show confidence, leadership, team-working – and perhaps most importantly, to be able to build a rapport and relationships with different groups of people.

“Historically, community musicians have come up through a more grassroots approach to the field, but as the sector expands there is a growing demand for training. There is great value in learning by doing and the course will have a very strong work experience element. Students will spend at least 100 hours on placement, learning from people already working in community music.”

“There will be a strong emphasis on ‘before, during and after’,” added Jess. “Planning and designing community music sessions, workshops and events, evaluating their success and where improvements might be made as well as reflecting on our own practice.”

Jess, who is also the Development Manager for the Edinburgh Youth Music Forum, an organisation that works to support community musicians in continuing professional development, hopes the course can act as a catalyst to encourage even greater interest in community music. Jess Abrams has a long connection with North Edinburgh – some readers may remember Jess from her involvement in the acclaimed ‘Oyster Wars’ community drama production staged at North Edinburgh Arts back in June 2003.

Stevi Manning, Principal Officer Arts and Learning at City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This is an exciting new course offering fresh opportunities for people in Edinburgh who have a passion for music – and want to help others to both share that passion and benefit from it.”

To express an interest in the course, email info@edinburghcollege.ac.uk or apply online at www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk

Digging deep to resolve Pilton’s problems

Final workshop pitch

Pilton Community Health Project has been speaking to people in North Edinburgh about issues affecting their lives and what they think is important in the local area.

Many of the same themes come up again and again – safety, dog mess, no motivation, no sense of community.

Lets look at things in a different way; get underneath the issues and work together to come up with inspiring solutions that really change things!

We invite you to join us in some inspiring and thought provoking sessions thinking in a different way to resolve problems and issues and make Pilton a more active community!

What it will be:

Fun, interesting, thought provoking, possibly it may even transform your life.

We will provide:

Food, drink, prizes, childcare and fun for 2 x 5hr sessions on:

Wednesday 29 May

Wednesday 5 June

from 10am-3pm

at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre

For more info call Lianne or Clare on 551 1671, email: moveit@pchp.org.uk

Young Muirhouse artists show a lot of bottle!

Zoo Arts, a creative project led by artist Alice Betts based at North Edinburgh Arts, will be installing another piece of exciting contemporary public art in Muirhouse Shopping Centre on Wednesday (15 May) at 5pm.

Light will shine through recycled plastic bottles filled with coloured water turning a grey space into a playful symphony of colour. This eyecatching piece of work has been created by local young people who have participated in creative outreach sessions supported by Muirhouse Library and Muirhouse Youth Development Group.

Zoo Arts aims to encourage and support young people to develop their contemporary art skills, install temporary public art and undertake professional art commissions. The project works with local young people (9 – 14 years) who have an interest in visual art and are keen to develop their creativity. This project hopes to inspire future creative collaborations, locally and city-wide.

For more information go to www.northedinburgharts.co.uk or to dicuss the project further contact Angela Austin on 315 2151, email marketing@northedinburgharts.co.uk

Alcohol taskforce targets illegal sales

Almost 5,700 litres of beer, wine and spirits have been seized by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as alcohol taskforce officers targeted illegal sales across Scotland last Thursday (9 May). HMRC officers visited 49 retail sites across Edinburgh, checking the details of alcohol on sale.

The operation, supported by staff from Edinburgh Council Trading Standards and Environmental Health and Police Scotland, is targeting the alcohol supply chain, including producers, storage facilities, wholesalers and retailers.

Chris Brett, HMRC’s Alcohol Taskforce manager in Scotland, said: “Anyone handling or selling smuggled alcohol should be aware that HMRC teams are active across Scotland. We are committed to stopping this criminal activity which costs the taxpayer around £1.2 billion in unpaid revenue each year.

“The Edinburgh operation is not a one-off exercise and is part of ongoing work with our partner agencies to combat this crime. We are also keen to work closely with and support local businesses that have to compete against these illegal sales. If you are aware of someone who is evading their taxes you can call HMRC’s Tax Evasion Hotline on 0800 788 887.”

Community Safety Leader, Councillor Cammy Day, said: “The illegal trade of products like alcohol can be used to fund crime and can have a highly detrimental effect on the city’s honest retailers and on people’s health. I am very pleased that this initiative has been so successful and I think the amount of products seized demonstrates the need to be vigilant. We will continue to work closely with the HMRC to ensure that consumers and legitimate traders are protected from the impact of this illegal activity.”

Taskforces are specialist teams that undertake intensive bursts of activity in specific high risk trade sectors and locations in the UK. The teams visit traders to examine their records and carry out other investigations. The alcohol taskforce in Scotland is expected to bring in around £4 million. HMRC and the other agencies involved will now consider further action against offenders, including full tax and VAT investigations and a review of alcohol and other trading licenses.