Referendum result have you splitting your sides? Maybe not, but they say laughter is the best medicine so maybe a course starting at the Prentice Centre next month could be just the remedy.
‘Guid Fer A Laugh‘ takes a seriously fun look at Scottish comedy will run for 8 – 10 weeks on Tuesday evenings from 6 – 8pm – and it’s FREE!
Go on – they can’t stop you laughin’!
Following a fantastic run at the Glasgow Green Live Zone Festival 2014 for the Commonwealth Games in July, North Edinburgh Arts’ resident Theatre Company, Licketyspit are bringing their production of Hare & Tortoise to NEA this Christmas!
Adapted from Aesop’s classic fable, Licketyspit’s Hare & Tortoise is a hilarious, highly energetic show. Join the spectators for this riotous event. Put on your supporters’ hats to shout, “Hare will be there! Yeah Yeah Yeah!” or “Go Tortoise go! Don’t be slow!” Bake the race cake with the Bun Brothers, survive a night in the spooky wood with a ukulele… This show is a delightful interactive experience for everyone aged 3-103!
Licketyspit’s Hare & Tortoise is suitable for all children aged 3 years and up, together with their friends and families – including children with additional needs and English as an additional language.
Hare & Tortoise Performances
Venue:
North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court, Edinburgh, EH4 4TZ
Dates:
Monday 1st December – Saturday 20th December 2014
Times:
Monday – Thursday: 10am & 1pm
Friday: 5pm (Twilight family show with Bun Brothers Tea)
Family Saturdays: 11am & 2pm plus family fun events & activities
(The show lasts approximately 1 hour 10 minutes)
Tickets:
Nurseries and Schools: £6 per child (accompanying adults go free – 1 adult per 5 children)
NEA Good Neighbours card holders: £6 per ticket (child / adult) with 3 for 2 discount (buy two, get one free)
All other tickets: £8 per ticket (child / adult)
For all ticket bookings and enquiries, please contact North Edinburgh Arts Box Office on 0131 315 2151
Also…
So put on your Hare ears and Tortoise shells and come and join us – yeah, yeah, yeah!
Audience Feedback:
“(We have been) Listening the CD from The Hare and the Tortoise EVERYDAY from last Saturday 2-3 times a day, singing songs all day long by wee ones and adults at the same time…That is a big success! Congratulations!” (Mum)
“It was excellent. Interaction with audience, variety, explaining what theatre is. THANK YOU! Great!” (Mum with 5 year old)
“I liked the Bun Brothers baking” (3 year old)
“I liked the bit ‘Wa Wa Wa!’” (5 year old)
“Fantastic, funny, excellent, fun!” (Mum with 8 and 5 year old)
“I loved ALL of it!” (10 year old)
Licketyspit are the Resident Theatre Company at North Edinburgh Arts 2014/15, with support from Creative Scotland Public Engagement funding.
T 0131 332 2096/0410
M 07970 749 138
E info@licketyspit.com
LifeCare is holding a Craft Fair on Saturday 18 October from 10:30am – 4.30pm here at Stockbridge House, 2 Cheyne Street, Edinburgh EH4 1JB (just off Raeburn Place).
There will be a wide range of crafts on offer from fused glass, crocheted jewellery and Harris Tweed bags to soap, bath bombs and ceramic creatures. Entry is free with tea/coffee and snacks available.
Come and take a look around while supporting a good cause. The Craft Fair will raise money for LifeCare, a charity which provides services to help older people and those with dementia to lead fulfilling and independent lives.
Children & Young People’s Summit to build on referendum energy
Communities up and down the country have a role to play in truly making Scotland ‘the best place to grow up’, Education Secretary Mile Russell said yesterday.
Speaking at Education Scotland’s two-day Scottish Learning Festival at the SECC in Glasgow, Mr Russell announced that a Children and Young People’s Summit is to be held, to build on the “reaffirmed desire of millions of Scots to participate in democracy”.
Mr Russell said: “The people of Scotland have shown overwhelmingly that our community spirit and our desire to participate towards the betterment of the nation are stronger than ever.
“If the grassroots movements of the last two years – people of all parties and none – have shown anything, it is that what unites us all is a fervent wish for a better future for our children, our families and our communities.
“We have two things to do. We have to make sure – all of us – that promises made to the people of Scotland are honoured in full, within pledged timescales. Also, we have to move forward involving the whole of Scotland in decision making, including decisions that will improve life for children and young people in our own communities and beyond.
“To help that process on, today I’m announcing a Children’s Summit for Scotland. Bringing together children, young people, those who support them and wider civic society, this gathering will, I hope, be the beginning of a process that will see a Children and Young People’s Conversation take place around the country – harnessing the renewed interest in positive, energising, consented improvement that we’ve seen over the last two years.
“The Scottish Government will convene the summit but the participants will determine the most effective way to involve interested citizens at grassroots level in improving services for children and young people. Ultimately the Children and Young People’s Conversation will inform Ministers and drive improvement in community services for children and young people.”
The Education Secretary has asked Schools Minister Alasdair Allan and Children’s Minister Aileen Campbell to oversee the process.
Mr Russell added: “Right now our schools benefit from the participation of parents and teachers. Sports teams and youth clubs rely on dedicated volunteers and parents everywhere are active in their communities.
“But the reaffirmed desire of millions of Scots to participate in democracy could help transform our country for the better – and Scotland’s children and young people are rightly the main beneficiaries of this reawakened desire among the public to shape our national life.
“The challenges we face – and the obstacles to overcoming them – didn’t change last week. Our ambition remains undimmed and the challenge to our communities is clear – do your part to help make Scotland the best place to grow up.”
Commemorative space created in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden
A new national memorial dedicated to Scotland’s organ and tissue donors has been officially opened by Public Health Minister Michael Matheson.
Situated in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden, the public memorial will provide a lasting tribute to those Scots who saved or improved the lives of others by making the decision to donate their organs or tissue after death.
Scottish artist Alec Finlay created the memorial, working with donor families, transplant recipients and health professionals.
It features a dry-stane ‘taigh’ (Gaelic for ‘house’) with a turf-roof, which seals in a set of river stones. Buried under the foundations is a memorial book containing the first names of every organ and tissue donor between 2006 and late 2013. This ‘wilding garden’ is also home to two circle poems and a ‘font’ containing pebbles collected from beaches around Scotland.
Public Health Minister Michael Matheson visited the Scottish Government-funded memorial yesterday and met with donor families and transplant recipients involved in its development.
He said: “This memorial is a fitting tribute to the selfless generosity of organ and tissue donors and their families who, at a time of great tragedy, honour the wishes of their loved-ones. Through this act of kindness many lives are saved and it is right that this is marked through a public memorial.
“A very peaceful space has been created in this quiet corner of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which offers people the opportunity to reflect on the remarkable gift of organ and tissue donation. I hope that everyone whose lives have been touched in some way by donation can find peace and solace by visiting this memorial.”
Alec Finlay (pictured with Minister, above) said: “Organ and tissue donation touches many people: as an act of giving that passes between the dead and the living, it speaks to our values as a culture. I’ve been touched and honoured to share the task with so many people, from surgeons, to families, to the artist collaborators and gardeners who helped make the final artwork.”
Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “This is a very inspiring and thought provoking project. Alec Finlay’s remarkable memorial sits beautifully in a tranquil and contemplative part of the Garden in keeping with its purpose and symbolism. It is our hope that our visitors will be moved to reflect on what organ transplantation and donation means to the lives of so many people.”
At the memorial the Minister met with husband-and-wife, Sandra and Craig Warden, who donated their 11-year-old daughter Rachel’s organs and in doing so, saved three lives.
Sandra said: “Giving someone the gift of life is so very important. Having this national memorial, set within these beautiful gardens, recognises and remembers all those who provided that gift of life to others.
“This memorial is for the families of donors, for transplant recipients and anyone whose lives have been touched by donation and transplantation. From when she was very young, Rachel understood organ donation and made me promise we would donate her organs if anything ever happened to her and we fulfilled her wishes.”
Did you miss the recent consultation event at St Ninian’s Episcopal Church in Comely Bank? If so, NHS Lothian’s outline plans for the future of the Royal Victoria Hospital site can be viewed in the raft of documents (below).
NHS Lothian says these documents give you a chance to see how the city campus could look in years to come if it was transformed into providing an Integrated Care Facility (ICF).
The proposals, drafted by NHS Lothian with the City of Edinburgh Council, have been developed as part of the pre-planning process, which announces the intention to submit a planning application at a later date.
They will show the development of the ICF in the north-west part of the site, while concepts continue to be developed for the future use of the whole site.
Both proposals are at very early stages and the display is just the beginning of a lengthy planning process, which is aimed to generate discussion and consultation. Actual planning applications would likely be lodged next year.
Peter Gabbitas, Joint Director, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “We are breaking new ground with our proposals as part of our vision for the future of health and social care in Lothian. Addressing the health and social care needs of the elderly is one of the biggest challenges. We need to provide residential and non-residential accommodation, available at different levels, to meet the health and social care needs of older people.”
Iain Graham, Director of Capital Planning, NHS Lothian, said: “These new proposals for the site will help meet those needs by allowing us to develop an integrated care facility and associated services.”
The site was earmarked for the development of a care village as part of the strategic plan, which outlines NHS Lothian’s vision of healthcare for the next decade. The document, called “Our Health, Our Care, Our Future”, identified the main challenges to help lead NHS Lothian into 2024.
It pointed to Lothian’s population, and in particular the numbers of older people, which will continue to soar over the next 10 years. The document agreed there was a real need to establish integrated working with local authorities and other partners to help streamline services.
NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council have discussed the strategic planning and capacity issues surrounding the provision of care home places in Edinburgh to develop a short, medium and long term accommodation strategy for older people in the area.
An ICF is a different model of care provision from a ‘traditional’ hospital, offering flexibility of design and staffing to better meet the needs of a range of client groups.
The plan for a new Integrated Care Facility as well as overall masterplan concepts for the remainder of the location will be on display.
The event is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the proposed development and comment on their views, at this stage in the process.
Two ‘Proposal of Application of Notices’ have now been submitted to the council, which indicate the intention to submit planning applications for the development.
Those interested in making comments on the proposed development may do so in writing to NHS Lothian’s planning consultant: Montagu Evans LLP, 4th Floor, Exchange Tower, 19 Canning Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8EG or by email:
mail@montagu-evans.co.uk
by the end of September 2014.
Muirhouse Community Centre goes from strength to strength
Once again it has been a busy time for this popular Centre and I have to congratulate the Board, staff and the many volunteers who make the Centre the popular and friendly place it is.
With record numbers using the facilities for meetings, clubs, keep fit and socialising in the café not to mention all the parties, organised events and being used as a polling station for the Independence Referendum it is thanks to the staff and volunteers that the Centre is able to offer the variety of events and programmes.
So far, from October last year to the end of August, the total number of people who have used the Centre is 17,235 and we are on course for another record breaking year!
This shows that this Centre is the busiest in North Edinburgh and the numbers will only increase with the additional new housing coming online (both now and in the future) from Muirhouse Housing Association and the Council.
With more and more people using the Centre on a daily basis the Board, staff and volunteers are committed to providing the best service possible for our community and beyond. To do this we have produced an Autumn Programme of activities, continuing to build on the Centre’s many successful achievements and working to complete the aims of the Business Plan within the planned timescales.
We continue to work in close partnership with other groups and organisations (and entering into new partnerships) that will ensure the sustainability of the services and the maintenance of the building for future generations and they continue to look forward and strive to plan future activities, programming and events which take into account the needs and aspirations of the community they serve.
So I would like to thank publicly the staff and volunteers who put so much of their time, loyalty and commitment into making Muirhouse Community Centre a great place to be part of.
John Davidson (Chairperson)
For more information check the website:
muirhousecommunitycentre.co.uk
Communities and Neighbourhoods Committee is live today
Just four days after the declaration of the Independence Referendum was aired live from Edinburgh and watched around the world, the City of Edinburgh Council has revealed plans to broadcast more of its committees, meetings and decision-making live online.
The latest developments mean that the Council’s webcasting service – which currently airs four committee meetings – will expand to add nine more meetings to the list following the installation of cameras and microphones in the Dean of Guild Court Room at the City Chambers.
The latest meetings to be added will cover key decisions on topics of interest to the public, including changes to sporting facilities, health initiatives, and arts and cultural events that take place in the city.
From decisions on town planning and Edinburgh’s roads, to changes to local bin collections, parks and libraries; citizens will be able to tune in to decisions that affect them and their communities.
Approved at Full Council last October, where a report showed a positive reaction to existing webcasting from the Edinburgh public, the move follows a wave of interest in local democracy and decision making in Scotland, which saw 84.4 per cent of Edinburgh residents on the electoral roll turn out to vote in the Independence Referendum.
The RT Hon Lord Provost, Councillor Donald Wilson said: “As the turnout to vote on Thursday showed all of us, people in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland and more engaged and excited about politics and democracy than they have been in a long time. Over 84 per cent of the people in Edinburgh who were registered to vote did so last week, which demonstrates a real appetite for people to engage in the issues that affect them directly.
“That is why it is essential that we, the Council, enable the public to scrutinise and engage with local decisions, and webcasting more meetings will give people direct access to this process.
“This is one of a number of initiatives to promote openness and transparency throughout the Council. For example, we are also piloting e-voting by councillors as Andrew Burns revealed just this month, which will give greater transparency as to how councillors vote on key decisions.”
The £81,000 webcasting scheme will see a full audio-visual upgrade of the Dean of Guild Court Room, as well as improved facilities for the hard of hearing.
Webcasting Council committee meetings is hoped to raise awareness of the local democratic process, improving transparency, understanding and accountability of local decision-making, as well as making meetings as accessible as possible.
Webcasts are archived and available for five years after the meeting on the webcast website.
The first meeting to be webcast using the new equipment will be the Communities and Neighbourhoods committee at 10am today.
Members of the public can register to receive alerts detailing the agenda of the meetings which are available to view online six days in advance on the Council website.
More information on webcasting can also be found on the Council websiteand on Twitter by following the hashtag #edinwebcast.
The existing webcasting service currently allows internet users to watch Full Council, Governance, Risk and Best Value and Petitions Committee meetings.
Scotland’s singing superstar Susan Boyle visited Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Warriston yesterday to help with the dispatch of poppies ahead of the 2014 Scottish Poppy Appeal in November.
Need housing advice? The city council is running a programme of friendly and helpful roadshows next month – and everyone is welcome!
Energy advice and support to help you save money
Council house improvements and repairs
Tenant’s groups
Local events will be held at McDonald Road Library (Wednesday 8th), Leith Library (Thursday 9th), North Local Office in West Pilton Gardens (Wenesday 15th) and the Community Shop on Pennywell Road (Friday 17th).
The roadshows run from 10am -4pm – see below for the full itinerary
