September 2014 – Page 10 – The NEN

Dean – MS Therapy Centre’s real hero

The final episode of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes airs this Friday (12 September) on STV and features Dean Reilly.

Dean (pictured above (L) with Mark Beaumont) is from Portobello and has been nominated for the ‘Scotland’s real heroes courage award’ award.

Mark Beaumont meets Dean who has multiple sclerosis, but won’t let it limit his life. He fundraises for the MS Therapy Centre in Leith through a range of tough challenges. Dean is currently in training for a boxing match with ‘The Celtic Warrior.’

Good luck, Dean!

Edinburgh’s Counting Officer shows X marks the spot

The Deputy Chief Counting Officer for Scotland and Counting Officer for Edinburgh has urged the public to make their vote count just over a week before the vote on Scottish Independence.

Sue Bruce, who is also Chief Executive of City of Edinburgh Council, met first time voters at Drummond Community High School today and reminded the city’s electorate how crucial it is to take care when casting their vote.

She said: “I want to make sure everyone is able to have their say, so can’t stress enough how important it is to take care when completing their ballot paper, putting one ‘X’ in the box beside the option they wish to choose.

“Postal voters should also complete their voting statement carefully by inserting the correct date of birth and signature and ensuring it is returned to the Counting Officer by 18 September.

“All those planning to vote in person should check their polling cards to find out where their local polling place is, or visit the Council website for more information on where and how to vote.”

Voter registration for the Referendum closed on 2nd September. All those unsure of whether they are registered should contact the Lothian Valuation Joint Board on 0131 344 2500 or visit their website.

More information on voting in the Scottish Independence Referendum is available from www.edinburgh.gov.uk/elections.

HEY! I’M ALIVE!

Arts group seeks funds for project to highlight cystic fibrosis

Creative Electric is a critically acclaimed, award-winning company who create contemporary performance based on real experiences. Often their work is interactive, sometimes its personal, at times its one to one.

Their work has been performed in both Scotland and Sweden, in theatres, studios, art galleries, nightclubs, on trains, in fields, city centre squares – and on rooftops! By creating work in non-traditional theatre spaces Creative Electric aim to engage with audiences who may not necessarily attend traditional arts venues.

Creative Electric are now trying to raise funds to support an exciting new project, as Director Heather Marshall explains:

“We are working with Arches Live to create HEY, I’M ALIVE! an immersive theatre experience that explores the impact that Cystic Fibrosis has on a young person and their family and friends. It’s a project that we’re really excited about as we feel that it raises awareness of the condition whilst also giving opportunities to emerging artists, including a young performer with CF.

“Because people with Cystic Fibrosis are not meant to socialise with one another (the risk of infection is too high) we are faced with the challenge of not being able to reach out to as many young people with CF as we would like. And so we’re hoping to live stream the production so that it can be shown to young people at home and in hospital. Jordan, our performer with CF feels that its important that other young people see that they’re not alone and hopes that HEY, I’M ALIVE! is a way to reach out to some of his peers throughout the UK and hopefully across the world.

“The costs of staging the production are mounting and so we’ve launched a crowd funding site to help pay for the live streaming, Jordan’s travel & support and childcare costs for one of our emerging artists who is also a young mum. We’ve attached further information about HEY, I’M ALIVE! in the hope that you may be able to support the project. This may be through a donation on our indiegogo page

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hey-i-m-alive

or promoting the project via your social media -we’re using the hashtag #electricHIA.

“We’d love to be able to name you as one of our supporters and will make sure that you are mentioned in all press and marketing related to the production. If you require further information please contact me on Creative_electric@hotmail.com

The HEY, I’M ALIVE! team

and

Heather Marshall

Director, Creative Electric

www.creative-electric.co.uk

Wood you believe it? Community group seeks support

New Caledonian Woodlands needs your vote for Inverleith Park project

New Caledonian Woodlands has been shortlisted for the Bank of Scotland Community Fund 2014 in the Edinburgh North category – and needs your support!

By encouraging the public to vote, we have a chance to be awarded a grant of up to £3,000 from Bank of Scotland to enable us to continue doing good work in the community.

New Caledonian Woodlands are an Edinburgh-based charity that exist to enhance Scotland’s natural environment, inspire positive environmental behaviour change and improve mental and physical well-being in our community. We deliver a range of projects combining environmental sustainability with education about wider environmental issues, whilst utilising environmental activities to achieve improvements in mental and physical well-being.

Over the course of a year we work with around 100 referred participants and 1000 volunteers in a range of programmes to benefit those struggling with their mental well-being and encourage community ownership of caring for local woodlands.

We educate people about the important role they need to play in a range of environmental issues, from habitat conservation to climate change and carbon footprint reduction.

Participants on our projects work together in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere,
in a setting that benefits individuals in terms of self-esteem growth, learning transferable skills and community involvement.

Currently, our site located in Inverleith Park lacks adequate work space for our mental health participants to carry out their projects and limits the amount of individuals we can work with at any given time. We have plans to greatly enhance the space into an environmentally sustainable facility to accommodate and expand on the various mental health, employability and environmental volunteer projects we currently offer.

Being awarded this grant would help us put some tangible changes into place, the first being an outdoor Iron Age roundhouse to be used as a sheltered area for our mental health participants to hand craft products which they will then go on to sell.

Andy Ross, coordinator and founder of New Caledonian Woodlands, said: “The Bank of Scotland Community Fund could give us an amazing opportunity to build workshop space in our Edinburgh site that meets the needs of our Fruitful Woods and Good Wood mental health and employability projects. An Iron Age roundhouse will be built by our project participants and then used by them as a dry workshop space to carry out a range of activities – from making baskets to wooden spoons to small pieces of furniture. We anticipate that the roundhouse will be used by 80 participants per year from our mental health and employability projects, and will be a part of their recovery journey.”

The Bank of Scotland Community Fund was set up to help local people across Scotland have a positive impact at the hearts of their communities by giving grants to 232 local good causes in 58 Scottish communities.

Four good causes in each community have been shortlisted and Bank of Scotland is inviting everyone to vote for the causes they’d most like to support.

Members of the public can vote for their preferred community group on-line, by SMS or Twitter, or in a Bank of Scotland branch from 2 September to 10 October 2014. The local good cause that receives most votes in each community will receive an award of £3,000, with the other groups receiving £2,000, £1,000 or £500 depending on the votes received.

You can find out more about the Community Fund and New Caledonian Woodlands and cast your vote by visiting the Bank of Scotland Community Fund website at:

www.BankofScotland.com/communityfund

Voting for the 2014 Community Fund is open until Friday 10 October.

Look who’s talking: Blabbermouth line-up revealed

The National Theatre of Scotland reveals stellar Blabbermouth line-up

The National Theatre of Scotland has revealed the latest details of contributors to Blabbermouth, a unique twelve-hour event to celebrate Scotland’s contribution to world literature which will be performed on the eve of the Referendum.

Leading Scottish actors, Peter Mullan, Alex Norton, Colin McCredie, Douglas Henshall, Elaine C Smith, Julie Wilson-Nimmo are now taking part in this epic celebration of Scottish writing.

They are joined by writers, commentators, journalists, campaigners, artists, activists and composers including Dave Anderson, Peter Arnott, Anne Bonnar, Patrick Doyle, David Fagan, Iain Finlay Mcleod, Cathy Forde, Tommy Gorman, Theo Van Heijnsbergen, Craig Hogg (Generation 24), Richard Holloway, Kieran Hurley, Alexander Linklater, Susan Mansfield, Tricia Marwick, John Scott Moncrief, Alan Spence, Julia Taudevin and Alison Walker.

PJ Moore, Horse Macdonald, Findlay Napier, Cora Bissett and Katie Mackenzie are confirmed as additional guest musicians who will provide musical numbers in between the spoken word contributions. Previously confirmed musical acts include: MC Soom T, Lorraine McIntosh, and Ricky Ross who performing alongside the in-house Blabbermouth band made up of well-known Scottish musicians; Annie Grace, Neil McDermott, Cat Myers, Gav Prentice, Karine Polwart, Inge Thomson and Sarah Hayes & Joe Rattray of Admiral Fallow.

Blabbermouth is an one-day event taking place on the eve of the referendum, creating a moment in time to celebrate Scotland’s contribution to the world through its written word. Over a 12-hour period, more than 100 of Scotland’s greatest texts will be read live by some of the country’s politicians, schoolchildren, journalists, teachers, workers and students, novelists and performers. The only proviso they have been given is that whatever they choose to read, it has to have been written by a Scot.

Alongside the spoken word and music there will be a pop- up food and drink festival in the Quad of the Assembly which will include stalls from some of the country’s finest food producers and drinks tailored to reflect the occasion. The food and drink will be provided by Wild Dining and LA Events.

More than 60 people will be taking part in this extraordinary event and reading their favourite pieces of Scottish writing. Alongside the most recently-confirmed names are Amal Azzudin, Tam Dean Burn, Sir Harry Burns, Juliet Cadzow, Morven Christie, Emma Clifford, Janice Galloway, Stephen Greenhorn, David Greig, Scott Hames, Gerry Hassan, Kathleen Jamie, Paul Laverty, Liz Lochhead, Joyce McMillan, Aonghas Macneacail, Ewan Morrison, Ian Pattison, Lesley Riddoch, Anneika Rose, Ricky Ross, Gerda Stevenson and Jonathan Watson.

Also taking part are Rory Docherty, Nathan Epemolu, James Kane, Annie Lennox and Margot Smith who are members of BBC Scotland’s Generation 2014 project.

From royal correspondence between Queens in the early 1600s to contemporary Scottish song lyrics, famous comedy routines and inflammatory polemics, ecstatic sports commentaries and inspirational speeches, social comment and romantic poetry, Blabbermouth will provide an alternative and wide ranging, mosaic-like presentation of Scotland’s cumulative written word legacy on a remarkable day of readings and live music performances.

The event will be divided into four, two and a half hour sessions and every session will feature live music. As well as tickets for the individual sessions there is also a special ticket available for those who want to join the company for the full 12 hours.

Blabbermouth is a unique chance to celebrate Scotland’s contribution to the world in the final hours before the referendum.

National Theatre of Scotland associate director Graham McLaren said: “On the eve of the independence referendum, I want to create a moment for us to simply celebrate Scotland and its contribution to the world, in its own words, read by its own people.”

Blabbermouth is curated and conceived by Graham McLaren. Graham is currently an associate director of the National Theatre of Scotland, where his previous shows include A Doll’s House, A Christmas Carol andMen Should Weep. In July 2014 he directed the National Theatre of Scotland’s The Tin Forest Festival at the South Rotunda, part of the Games-time Festival 2014. His production of Joe Corrie’s Fife mining community classic In Time o’Strife is currently touring the UK.

Final line-up and schedule to follow at www.nationaltheatrescotland.comand full list of contributors to date below.

View the trailer here:

Full line-up confirmed to date: Dave Anderson, Peter Arnott, Amal Azzudin, Anne Bonnar, Tam Dean Burn, Sir Harry Burns, Juliet Cadzow, Morven Christie, Emma Clifford, Patrick Doyle, David Fagan, Cathy Forde, Janice Galloway, Tommy Gorman, Stephen Greenhorn, David Greig, Scott Hames, Gerry Hassan, Theo Van Heijnsbergen, Douglas Henshall, Richard Holloway, Kieran Hurley, Kathleen Jamie, Paul Laverty, Alexander Linklater, Liz Lochhead, Aonghas Macneacail, Colin McCredie, Iain Finlay Mcleod, Joyce McMillan, Susan Mansfield, Tricia Marwick, John Scott Moncrief, Ewan Morrison, Peter Mullan, Julie Wilson-Nimmo, Alex Norton, Ian Pattison, Lesley Riddoch, Anneika Rose, Ricky Ross, Elaine C Smith, Alan Spence, Gerda Stevenson, Julia Taudevin, Alison Walker and Jonathan Watson. Also participating are BBC Generation 2014 participants: Rory Docherty, Nathan Epemolu, Craig Hogg, James Kane, Annie Lennox and Margot Smith.

Box office Information

Wednesday 17 September 2014 – Assembly Hall, Mound Place, Edinburgh

Blabbermouth 1 – 12.00pm – 2.30pm/ Blabbermouth 2 – 3.00pm – 5.30pm

Blabbermouth 3 – 6.30pm – 9pm/ Blabbermouth 4 – 9.30pm – 12am

Each performance is approx 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Tickets – £10/£8 (concession)/ Concessions – Senior Citizen, Student, Disabled, Companion, Unemployed, Under 16s, Equity/Bectu/Scottish Society Playwright.

Book for all 4 – Get a day ticket for £30 (£20 concession)

Age Guide: 14+ Box Office: The Hub +44(0)131 473 2000 /hubtickets.co.uk/

Full details at www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

Get involved at www.dearscotland.net

Join the conversation: #blabbermouth

Speak up, speak out: giving our children the best possible start

Partnership approach to support children affected by substance misuse

Happy, healthy children from Cowgate Under 5’s Centre in Edinburgh today helped launch a campaign to raise awareness of the misery caused when adults misuse alcohol or drugs.

Speak Up Speak Out has been launched by the City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian and Police Scotland to offer help, support and advice to youngsters whose lives are being affected by addiction.

The latest strand of the awareness campaign was unveiled to coincide with national Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day.

Scottish Government figures for 2013 reveal that:

22% of all concerns recorded at child protection case conferences were for parental alcohol misuse or drug misuse

53% of all concerns recorded for children on the Child Protection Register were for parental alcohol misuse or drug misuse

51% of children on the Child Protection Register had either one or both of the concerns for drug or alcohol misuse recorded.

Examples of people who have raised concerns about these issues include: “I’m worried about the family next door, the adults drink and take drugs and the kids seem to look after themselves,” and “my mum forgets about me when she drinks.”

As well as offering support to children who have problems at home, Speak Up Speak Out is aimed at pregnant women, advising them to avoid drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Parents and carers can also get advice about talking to children, while teenagers who are either worried about being pressured to take drugs, or are worried about friends, can also seek help.

Councillor Paul Godzik, Children and Families Convener, said: “The children we see here in this nursery today are happy and healthy, but others don’t enjoy as good a start in their lives.

“The aim of this campaign is to reduce the impact of alcohol and drug use on youngsters, see fewer young people using drugs, and also choosing to start drinking alcohol later in life. We also want to make sure that those in need, whether they are the adult or the child, get appropriate support for their problems.

“We will continue to work closely with NHS Lothian and Police Scotland on Speak Up Speak Out to ensure that children have the best start in life and are protected from harm.”

Sarah Ballard-Smith, Nurse Director, NHS Lothian, said: “We need to ensure that all children whose families are affected by alcohol and substance misuse are protected and are given the support and help they need.

“We provide a range of services to make sure that children get the best possible start in life and that adults are able to access the support and help they require.

“This campaign is vitally important for the next generation and aims to raise awareness and the importance of seeking help. By speaking up and speaking out, it will help ensure thatunborn babies, children and young people are kept safe and healthy.”

Police Scotland Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Mark Williams said: “Drugs and alcohol are, sadly, a blight on many families and communities, and by working together through ‘Speak Up Speak Out’ we can identify those children and young people who are affected and offer them targeted help and support.

“Police Scotland recently began a campaign to tackle New Psychoactive Substances, sometimes known as Legal Highs, which will see local community officers visiting schools, youth groups and community events to help raise awareness and educate young people on their dangers, alongside enforcement action with partners at premises found to be selling these unregulated and potentially lethal substances.”

Speak Up Speak Out was launched last August by the Council, NHS Lothian and Police Scotland to encourage those who are affected by abuse to come forward and find out about the wide range of support that is available to them. Today’s launch was the fifth so far in a series of topics.

One of the key messages is that anyone can suffer from abuse, regardless of their age, gender or the colour of their skin. It can happen anywhere and be caused by friends, relatives, colleagues or strangers. By encouraging people to be open about their concerns and talk to care professionals, it is hoped that more adults and children can be protected from harm.

Contact details:

Police Scotland 101 (or in an emergency call 999)
ChildLine 0800 1111
NHS Inform 0800 22 44 88 (for health information)
Social Care Direct – The City of Edinburgh Council’s social work service: 0131 200 2324, email socialcaredirect@edinburgh.gov.uk

Lecture celebrates the life of Scottish arts champion

Community council salutes arts legend

Edinburgh-born artist and colossus of the Scottish arts scene Professor Richard Demarco is giving a lecture at Edinburgh College this week at an event celebrating his contribution to cultural life. The Portobello Demarco Lecture on Thursday night (11 September) is being held by Portobello Community Council to honour one of the area’s most famous figures.

The free lecture will take place at the CRE:8 auditorium at Edinburgh College’s Milton Road Campus on Thursday at 7.30pm.

Edinburgh-born Demarco will talk about his remarkable life and achievements within the Scottish and international art worlds, of which he has been a crucial figure for more than 50 years.

Throughout this time, the 84-year-old Traverse Theatre co-founder has organised scores of plays, exhibitions and events, including a long-standing association with the Official Edinburgh Festival. His work has earned him a number of national and international honours. Earlier this year, Demarco was presented with the annual Edinburgh Award, which honours people who have made major contributions to the city. This followed his European Citizen of the Year 2013 Prize last August, given by the European Parliament for his exceptional achievements.

Professor Demarco said: “My lecture in Portobello will focus on how the history of art and science in the decades which followed the Second World War must consider the future of education so that art is not divorced from such a history.”

Jon Buglass, head of the Centre for Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said: “We’re delighted to host the lecture and play our part in honouring one of our cultural greats, someone who has arguably done more to promote the arts in this country than anyone else in recent times.

“Professor Demarco is an inspirational figure whose influence on our country’s artists and the way that we present art is enormous. I’d urge our students and anyone else with an interest in arts to learn from his vision. Without his commitment to supporting our country’s talent our cultural landscape would be very different and far worse off.”

Geoff Lynn, chair of Portobello Community Council, said: “Portobello Community Council is delighted to be able to play host to such a venerated and colourful figure as Richard Demarco. His early life growing up in Portobello, his dedication to the artistic and cultural life of this city and beyond. It should be a great evening.”

The event is free but booking is essential. Tickets can be booked here.

Police seek Comely Bank raider

Police are looking for witnesses following a foiled raid on a wine shop in Comely Bank last Friday.

The would-be robber, who was wearing a trilby type hat, entered Appellation Wines on Comely Bank Road at around 4pm on Friday and threatened a female shop worker with a metal pole before demanding money. The woman suffered minor injuries as she managed to fight off the thief, who then ran off empty-handed.

The suspect is described as white, aged between 50 and 60, around 5ft 8ins tall with an average build and grey stubble.

If you have any information please contact the police on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

City centre set for Social in the Square

Local social enterprises to strut their stuff this weekend

Edinburgh has a new festival! An ambitious new social enterprise festival, Social In The Square, will take over St Andrew Square this Friday and Saturday with family fun, music, dance, theatre, chef demonstrations and arts and crafts.

Social in the Square is taking social enterprise business to the next level and encouraging customers to consider their shopping choices and decisions. Visitors to the Square will have a chance to see and buy a wide range of local products and services with over 30 social enterprises taking part.

Social enterprise is a way of doing business that benefits the community, society or the environment. Social enterprises must reinvest all of their profits into their social or environmental aims and many also achieve their aims through the way that they run their business, for example by employing people who might otherwise find it difficult to find a job.

Linsay Chalmers, network coordinator, Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network, said: “We are expecting a great turn out over the course of two days and have a great line-up of performances, music, foodie events, arts and craft. At front and centre, we also have our new branded Monster mascot signs ‘Doogie Goodstuff’ – to promote our social enterprise campaign, ‘Buy the Good Stuff”, to encourage people to buy from social enterprises and plough money back into their own communities.”

Award-winning Irish Dance troupe Siamsoir (above), entertained local workers and commuters when they rehearsed in the Square this morning. A social enterprise in its own right, the team of highly trained Irish dancers perform for corporate, social and charity events.

Speaking on behalf of the troupe, Jennifer Roxburgh, artistic director of the Irish Dance Academy, said: “There has been a lot of preparation for this new festival and we are very excited to be involved. Running your own social enterprise is extremely rewarding and many different types of business can grow from this example.

“We have been running the dance academy since 2005 and are now winning top awards which we hope will inspire others to start their own enterprise businesses.”

Fraser Kelly, chief executive, Social Enterprise Scotland, said: “It’s great to see an entirely new initiative like this come to life. Social Enterprise Scotland believes in taking social enterprise to the streets and to real people – bringing it into the mainstream. Social In The Square is the first of its kind and has gone city wide this week, with branding on Lothian Buses reaching local communities throughout Edinburgh. I am sure we will see a lot of interest from across Scotland as we start to see the impact of this event and the Buy the Good Stuff campaign.”

Chief executive, Ewan Fraser, Dunedin Canmore, said: “We signed up to supporting Social in the Square from the start and really see the social benefit of local business in local communities and with profits returning back into communities. As a social enterprise ourselves, it is encouraging to see the rich variety of businesses represented at this event.”

Keeping in tune with the ethos of the festival – the security, marketing materials, recycling and water for the volunteers has all being provided by social enterprises.

Social in the Square has been organised by Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network in partnership with Social Enterprise Scotland and is sponsored by Awards for All, Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Link Housing Association, the Business Gateway, the City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Markets

Find out more at www.socialinthesquare.com Follow us on Twitter @SocialinSquare or Facebook at www.facebook.com/socialinthesquare