Month: October 2014

For one night only – Lockerbie: Lost Voices at North Edinburgh Arts

Friday 31 October: Lockerbie, Lost Voices comes to North Edinburgh Arts 

Lockerbie

“They may have silenced us, but there will be others, at first a few, then hundreds, thousands, millions…” from Lockerbie – Lost Voices.

The Elements World Theatre, an Edinburgh-based new writing company, launches the Scotland tour of Lockerbie – Lost Voices, that premiered to great acclaim during the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe.

Written by Lee Gershuny, directed by Corinne Harris and designed by Scott Anderson, the play gives voice to six hypothetical passengers both before and after Pan Am 103 explodes over Lockerbie on 21 December 1988.

The play takes them out of the anonymity of a statistic and reveals their courage, love and humour in their very real family relationships just moments before they die.  Their personal conflicts draw the audience into the intimate, thought provoking issues raised in the characters’ personal lives, making the actual explosion even more shocking.

In the final scenes, the dead passengers honour the lives they have lived while presiding over their own funeral and creating an opportunity for the audience to participate in a dramatic requiem for this deep collective wound.

Speaking from the neutrality of death, the characters also give voice to those whose published reports challenged the official version of the disaster, but were “lost” or ignored.

The Cast: James Bryce, Kristy Halliday, Corinne Harris, Clunie MacKenzie, Doreen McGillivray and James Sutherlan.

Coming to NEA on Friday 31 October, 7.30pm.

To buy tickets, call box office on 0131 315 2151 or email admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk

http://www.northedinburgharts.co.uk/events.php

NEA

Dads Rock out with Lottery success

DadsRockDads Rock, an Edinburgh-based charity which supports bonding time for dads and their children, is set to expand thanks to a Big Lottery Fund award of £287,096.

Dads Rock will now be able to provide additional support for 180 dads and male carers over the next three years through its Scotland network of free playgroups for dads and kids. The project will create new playgroups, both in the community and within a prison setting, as well as a new counselling service and more father and child social outings.

Thomas Lynch, a founder member and current Dads Rock Board Member, said:  “This award from the Big Lottery Fund is amazing. It will allow us to support so many more families, and give stability to our current playgroups.  It will also allow us to employ staff and expand our services, by running playgroups during the week as well as the weekend, offering free counselling, working with young dads, and taking Dads Rock into the Prison setting.”

Dads Rock was set up by volunteers three years ago and has gone from strength to strength. Hundreds of dads and their kids have spent quality time together at the charity’s sessions at The Prentice Centre in West Granton and at WHALE in Wester Hailes.

David Millar has been attending the organisation’s Wester Hailes playgroup with his one year old son Matthew since May 2014.  David said: “It’s great to talk to other dads and get the benefit from their experiences. I’ve learned a lot of new hints and tips that have really helped with our family life at home. I go every Saturday and last week was the first time I took Matthew and our six week old twins, Mark and Jacob along with me.  Groups like this are a great idea as there’s not a lot out there for fathers, especially those who are struggling for help.  I look forward to going every week as it’s exciting, informative and I get to spend quality time with my boys.“

Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: “As a charity set up and run by dads, Dads Rock knows exactly what support fathers need to be able to enjoy positive and rewarding relationships with their children. This funding will reach out to those men who might not otherwise have the confidence to attend a playgroup session or speak openly about their concerns as a parent. I’m delighted that this investment will enable their work to expand, helping many more fathers like David to develop their confidence and self esteem.”

Dads Rock is one of nine groups receiving funding, totalling £4,566 678, from the Big Lottery Fund’s Investing in Communities fund. The others are:

Scottish Autism
Award: £548,662
The ‘Get Set 4 Autism’ project will work in partnership with Autism Argyll to provide post-diagnostic support to families with children up to the age of 18 who have received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Senior Centre Castlemilk
Award: £168,360
This project will work with vulnerable older people in Castlemilk to provide a series of social activities, learning opportunities, information and advice, assistance with appointments and help with shopping and household repairs.

Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association
Award: £356,469
This project will support 90 older people who live in a newly build flat development in Moredun, Edinburgh. The group will employ a full time Community Capacity Builder and part time staff to help people settle in and personalise their homes.

PEEK – Posibilities for Each & Every Kid Ltd
Award: £605,776
This project will extend the group’s current Play Ranger model throughout the north and east of Glasgow.

Home-Start Angus
Award: £297,427
The “Bumps and Beyond” project will improve links with antenatal services and health and childcare services leading to increased confidence, self esteem and understanding of parenting skills. Volunteers will be recruited and trained to deliver the home visiting service families who need help.

Annexe Communities
Award: £629,696
This project will support up to 900 isolated older people in North West Glasgow over five years with a range of social events and healthy activities.

The Royal National Institute for Blind People
Award: £516,235
This  project will  work in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeenshire to support blind and partially sighted young people, aged between 15-25 years, helping them to move into training, employment, or further and higher education.

Muir of Ord Hall & Facilities Company
Award: £1,156,957
This project will refurbish and extend the existing Old Tarradale School, to create a community hub which will improve the centre of the village and provide a quality facility for the 3,300 residents as well as visitors to the village.

A further 22 projects will share over £20,000 of grants from Big Lottery Fund Scotland’s Investing in Ideas programme. A full list of those grants is available here.

Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGScotland #biglf
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotlandGoes to different website

Sharp focus: clean sweep for photography students

Edinburgh College photography students named UK’s best

camera close upEdinburgh College has scooped all the top prizes at the British Institute of Professional Photography’s (BIPP) UK Student Awards, beating off competition from the country’s universities and colleges. Two current students and a recent graduate were named the country’s best student photographers, taking first place in the three categories.

BA Professional Photography student Kinga Kocimska won the BIPP National Student of the Year Award, recent BA graduate Jamie Mellor won the Student Open Award for students who are not BIPP members and fellow BA student Sandra Vijandi won the BIPP College Award.

Sandra was also the runner up for the Student of the Year Award and another student, Antonio Castro, came second in the Student Open. Three others were also highly commended in the categories.

Edinburgh College curriculum manager for broadcast media and photography Marjory Crooks said: “We’re delighted that the emerging photography students from Edinburgh College are winning such prestigious awards in the industry. Their future commissions and careers will be greatly enhanced by this as they’re already building fantastic profiles while they’re studying with us.”

Kinga Kocimska (1)Kinga’s winning entry in this year’s UK-wide competition consisted of five images from her second-year portfolio, ‘Deceptive Mind’, which showcased her surreal, witty approach to her photography as well as her technical skill (above).

Sandra took her win and runner-up position for her portfolios ‘Unexpected Journeys’ and ‘Glass Houses’, which demonstrated her flair for fashion photography, featuring stylised, heavily art-directed images (below).

Sandra Vijandi (1)Jamie won for his portfolio ‘Remnants’, featuring shots of eerie hinterland locations (below).

Jamie Mellor (1)Each winner received a prize of £500.

Kinga said: “I did not expect such an amazing distinction and I’m very pleased that the time and effort I have invested in learning new skills have already started yielding such good results. I’m really grateful for the tuition and development opportunities I have received at Edinburgh College. This award has motivated me even more to continue improving my skills and working hard to gain more experience as a photographer. After all, the biggest challenge of making my way into the photographic industry is still ahead of me.”

These awards continue a winning streak for the college’s photography students that includes five years of multiple successes at the BIPP Scottish Region Image Awards, culminating in 30 awards this year including Student Photographer of the Year and Professional Photographer of the Year. Former student Lee Howell was also runner up in last year’s BIPP Student of the Year Award.

Photography lecturer Jon Lee added: “We’ve been overwhelmed in recent years with the talent of our students and I’m extremely pleased they’re continuing to do so well in these awards. The achievement is down to the hard work of our students and also our staff, who come from a range of commercial photography backgrounds. Many of our part-time staff also still work in the industry, which means our students gain that essential insight into developments in the professional word and ensures they’re prepared when they enter it.”

The college’s BA Professional Photography course currently has 24 students, the HND Professional Photography 1 has 38 and the HND Professional Photography 2 has 34.

EdCollege

Youth Parliament Chair encourages candidates to stand for election

 ‘grasp this opportunity to ensure young people are continually at the forefront of shaping our society’ – Louise Cameron, Chair SYP

syp

The Scottish Youth Parliament elections will be held in March next year and the call is now open for young people all over the country to register their interest and stand as candidates to represent young people in their area.

The Scottish Youth Parliament is the democratically elected voice of Scotland’s young people and campaigns on a wide range of issues, and represents young people all over Scotland. It gives young people a national platform to voice their issues, turn them into positive actions, and influence Scotland’s decision makers.

To register interest to represent a local constituency, young people aged 14-25 should complete a Candidate Expression of Interest Form by Friday 31 October. Further information is available atwww.syp.org.uk/elections.

Louise Cameron, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “During what is such an exciting time to be involved in the heart of Scottish politics, I am delighted to announce that the call for candidates is now open for the SYP Elections 2015.

“The Scottish Youth Parliament is an entirely youth-led organisation, and Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament represent the views of young people across Scotland and strive to make a real difference by campaigning on the issues that matter the most to young people.

“Being a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament is a truly life changing experience. I would like to encourage young people from all over the country to consider standing as a candidate and to grasp this opportunity to ensure young people are continually at the forefront of shaping our society.”

Current Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) have produced a promotional video to encourage others to get involved in this opportunity to stand as a candidate and potentially become an MSYP.

The SYP Elections promotional video can be viewed at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdPFjHPgD6Q&list=UU3lS9jY21U4jVSnhYkAK3kw

Now, listen: Scottish Storytelling Festival starts tomorrow

MastThe 2014 Scottish International Storytelling Festival begins tomorrow (Friday 24 October) and runs until 2 November. The programme is themed Once Upon a Place and celebrates Edinburgh’s reputation worldwide as a city bursting with culture, as well as being the world’s first UNESCO designated City of Literature.

Scotland is welcoming the world in 2014 and in this Year of Homecoming, the Storytelling Festival is an important event on the Homecoming calendar, bringing together home-grown talent and acclaimed storytellers from across the world to tell tales and enthral audiences.

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is the perfect event for everyone from home or abroad who wants to explore what is distinctive and special about Scotland and its international connections, with a programme that combines storytelling ceilidhs with talks, landscape tours and specially commissioned performances, and the finale weekend marks the ancient Celtic New Year of Samhain/Hallowe’en.

Festival Director Donald Smith said: ‘We are delighted to present the programme for this year’s festival; it’s packed with exciting events and a fantastic mix of homegrown storytelling talent and as well as global visiting storytellers. The theme of place is key to us, as Edinburgh is such an inspiring city.

‘Over the years it has produced an array of wonderful writers, some of whom we’ll pay our respects to during the festival, and as an ever evolving vibrant place it continues to inspire year on year. I’m also very pleased that we are able to reach out beyond the city limits with a programme of events taking place throughout Scotland.’

This year’s programme really is packed with highlights – see brochure below for full details:

SSC Fest 2014 Webv2

Spread the word!

Bow-Tow: a Newhaven celebration

Bow-Tow A4Citizen Curator is proud to announce the performance of ‘Bow-Tow, a Newhaven Story’. Presenting storytelling, theatre and a carnival of traditional music set alongside performances by local residents young and old.

To be a Newhavener is to be Bow-Tow. This affectionate nickname symbolises the
working partnership between the fishermen and fisherwomen, one that is at the very heart of this historic community.

Taking inspiration from the history of Fishwives and Fisher-lassies choirs in the area, this event will seen musician Jed Milroy and the newly formed Newhaven Community Choir present a rich mixture of traditional music, song, solo performances and storytelling starting with a spectacular lantern parade each evening.

On Saturday night we will be joined live by special guest Hamish Moore, performing his new work “Bow-Tow” on the bellows blown pipes. In addition, there will be singing in St. Andrews Church (now Alien Rock) for the first time in exactly 40 years.

After the performances there will be an opportunity to explore Newhaven and the meaning of Bow-Tow:

– Displayed in windows along the High Street, ‘Street of Voices’ presents
audio memories and archive footage compiled by Jed Milroy and Rebecca
Milling.
– ‘Beer, Cake and Craic’ (from 8pm Friday and 7.30pm Saturday) will
follow at local venues alongside energetic live music sessions.

Venues include: the family-friendly Peacock Inn, Porto and Fi, The Old Chain
Pier and The Harbour Inn.

These free events are a celebration of a vibrant community and its place in the
21st century. For more information, see ‘Newhavener Bow-Tow’ on Facebook

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Partnership puts students on the right track

Edinburgh College and VGC Labour Solutions partnership leads to jobs for railway engineering students

Photo 2Edinburgh College has launched a new railway engineering course that equips students with all the skills they need to gain employment within the rail and construction industry. Ten students have already started the 16-week NVQ Railway Engineering course, and VGC Labour Solutions is guaranteeing job interviews for all graduating students.

Students who pass will have the chance to go straight into a job with VGC, working on regional projects such as the £650m Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), a major enhancement of the rail links between Scotland’s main two cities.

The training is delivered at the college’s Granton Campus, where students learn practical skills in a safe simulation environment. A key part of the training is ensuring the students are aware of the main safety risks when working on the rail infrastructure. To achieve this, one trainee per day acts as the controller of site safety (COSS), as if the team were working on a live railway.

Graham Piggott, director of VGC Labour Solutions North, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Edinburgh College. The students are learning key skills from experienced trainers who are passing on their knowledge of working safely on construction and rail. At the end of their course we will gain well-trained, keen members of our local workforce, who will work on Scotland’s important infrastructure projects.”

Photo 1John Laing, head of the Institute of Construction and Building Crafts at Edinburgh College, said: “This project is a great example of working with industry partners to deliver work-ready employees that meet their needs and will help them develop their business. It’s also a brilliant opportunity for students to find employment and work in an industry that’s delivering some really exciting projects.

“Within just 16 weeks, students will learn the practical skills and knowledge to hit the ground running when they enter the workplace, and which will allow them to develop their careers over the long term and find new opportunities.”

As well as the NVQ level 2 Railway Engineering, students will also receive a full personal track safety (PTS) and track induction (TIC), a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card and a full medical, which will allow them to begin work immediately.

image001 (1)image003

Plant centenary trees with Sainsburys

treesThis year Sainsburys are the National partner with the Woodland Trust. As part of this, a centenary wood is being created in Edinburgh – at Dreghorn Wood (just off the city Bypass), one of four sites in the UK.

To mark the 100th Anniversary of the First World War, Sainsburys Blackhall are inviting customers and colleagues along for a family fun day on Saturday 8 November at Dreghorn Woods to plant a tree with us and create a living, growing tribute to mark the centenary.

6254 A4 planting poster-SCOT-PRINT

Gail, Sainsburys Blackhall

NE Young People’s Forum: last chance for feedback!

NEYPF

Hi Again,

We at North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum are carrying out a review of our group/project/service. 

However there is only this week left to get your feedback in to us and help us better the Youth Forum … the deadline for feedback sheets (see below) is THIS FRIDAY (24th October 2014).

NEYPF Organisations Questionaire (2)

So let’s take 5 mins to have a coffee or tea and complete our mini questionnaire (we promise it only takes 5mins) and we really need and value your feedback!

We would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for their help and support, and an extra thanks to everyone who completes our mini question as part of the review and sends it back over.

Thanks

Kind Regards

North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum

Reply to: neypf@hotmail.co.uk