Easter Drylaw Residents Association (EDRA) meets on the first Monday of every month from 7 – 9pm at Drylaw Parish Church, Groathill Road North.
Our next meeting will be held next Monday 2 February – all residents welcome.
For further information contact EDRA secretary Mhairi Curran, email mhairi.curran@hush.ai
HAVING good relationships with friends, family or the wider community is important for mental wellbeing. The message to ‘stay connected’ with friends and loved ones will mark national Breathing Space Day on Sunday 1 February.
The annual awareness day is promoted by Breathing Space, Scotland’s mental health phoneline, and is supported by Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn MSP and a number of national organisations.
Tony McLaren, Breathing Space National Coordinator, explained: “Social connections can improve feelings of self-worth, happiness and self-confidence. Relationships and friendships can have a huge positive impact on a person’s sense of wellbeing. Go for that coffee, phone that relative you’ve been meaning to catch up with – talking things through and making that connection can help relieve worries and stresses in your life. Even doing something like volunteering in your local area can improve your sense of connectedness.”
The campaign is being promoted with a touring van featuring prominent messaging supporting the ‘stay connected’ theme.
Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn MSP, said: “Looking after our mental health and wellbeing is crucial. Making space and time for the people that make us happy is one of the best ways of looking after our own mental wellbeing.
“The Breathing Space telephone advice line provides an invaluable service for people experiencing low mood, depression and anxiety. It can make such a difference to know that there’s someone there who is willing to listen and offer a sympathetic ear. I’d like to thank the Breathing Space call handlers for the tremendous work they do on a daily basis.”
Coffee mornings, conversations cafes, walks, yoga sessions, football tournaments and relaxation classes are just some of the activities taking place for Breathing Space Day.
Community Football Manager at Elgin City FC Robbie Hope said: “I welcome the opportunity to work with Breathing Space and Moray Community Health and Social Care Partnership to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing in Moray.
“As a football club we recognise the importance of keeping mentally as well as physically fit. There is a clear link between being physically active and mental health. The more active we are the better mental health we have. We would encourage everyone in Moray to look after their mental health and wellbeing by supporting Breathing Space Day and by getting active, and staying connected with family, friends and people in the community.”
Dear Editor
The most important thing for the labour movement is to protect unity: without this, individuals and sections of the population become isolated and open to manipulation, followed by a lowering of their standard of living.
The powers that be continually use the press, radio and television to destroy that unity, attacking all sections of the labour movement whether individuals, the unions or the Labour Party, hoping to achieve and retain political control. In May we have a choice: do we vote Conservative, Lib Dem, Labour?
We know exactly what the Tories have done over the past five years, and what they intend to do. We know more or less exactly how the Lib Dems will perform.
That leaves Labour as the only hope to do what we would like to be done. This is the reason for the powerful campaign against the Labour movement.
Of course at present in Scotland the SNP seems to have attracted many labour movement supporters on the assumption the SNP will better represent the working population, therefore remaining part of the labour movement working for change.
If that is so, then co-operation between the SNP and the Labour Party is essential to throw out the Tories and the Lib Dems everywhere. May 2015 is crunch time; we must not lose this opportunity of getting rid of them.
We need unity now more than ever to save our social and public services on which we all rely. Ukip does not and cannot speak for the working population; it’s policies are conservative, divisive and backward-looking.
A.Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens
‘we must fight prejudice and discrimination in our own society from wherever it comes’ – Mark Lazarowicz MP
Local MP Mark Lazarowicz has issued a renewed call to reject prejudice and intolerance. His message comes on Holocaust Memorial Day, which this year marks the 70thanniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The North & Leith MP said: “I have visited Auschwitz myself and seen the collections of hair, teeth and shoes taken from victims after being transported in cattle trucks to be systematically murdered, starved through slave labour, subject to medical experiments, as if their lives had no value.
“Nazism sought to persecute and murder people on the basis of religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political allegiance or disability: to deny the common humanity that unites us.
“The recent horrific events in Paris underline the continuing relevance of Holocaust Memorial Day. The vast numbers in France who marched against intolerance was inspiring and I was moved to stand with French people in the UK at a demonstration in solidarity with the victims and their families.
“Edinburgh, like the rest of the UK, is home to people from so many different countries, religions and ethnic backgrounds and is the stronger for it: we must fight prejudice and discrimination in our own society from wherever it comes.”
Amongst other activities today in Edinburgh, there will be events throughout on the different campuses of Edinburgh College, to mark Holocaust Memorial Day including small displays, a candle lighting ceremony and short films about survivors’ stories.
Edinburgh residents are being urged to think about their vote with 100 days until the next UK Parliamentary Election.
People across the capital are being reminded that they will be voting for MPs to represent them at Westminster on Thursday 7 May, when the general election takes place.
More than 84% of the city’s residents voted in the Scottish Independence Referendum in September, which saw a record-breaking turnout across the country.
While most people who registered to vote in time for the referendum will still be eligible to take part in the UK Parliamentary Election in May, first time voters or anyone who has since moved will need to register again.
Sue Bruce, Chief Executive of City of Edinburgh Council and Returning Officer for Edinburgh, said: “It was incredible to see Edinburgh’s huge turnout in the Scottish Independence Referendum and we would like to continue this enthusiasm in the general election.
“No doubt the majority of people who took part in September will be keen to cast their vote in May. Voting should not be a once in a lifetime activity – elections are opportunities to have a say on issues that matter to us all. Anyone who is keen to register or is unsure about how to register, where to vote or how to vote by post can find more information on the Council website.”
Minister welcomes increase in provisional entries for Highers
Education Secretary Angela Constance called in at Craigroyston Community High School this morning and welcomed news that a record number of students will be sitting Highers this year.
Ms Constance was welcomed to Craigroyston by senior students Donna Cheyne, Joe Dudgeon, John Gallacher and Rebecca Morton before meeting staff and pupils to hear about the progress being made in introducing new qualifications as part of Curriculum for Excellence.
The introduction of new qualifications is progressing well, with provisional entries for Highers indicating a record high number will be sat this year.
The figure, which follows on from last year’s record number of passes at Higher, was welcomed by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning during her Craigroyston visit.
New Highers have been introduced this year, alongside the existing Higher qualifications for this year only. School departments are able to use this flexibility to phase in the new qualifications in the way that best serves the interests of the pupils. From the 2015/6 school year onwards, all pupils will be studying the new Highers.
The total figure of 217,976 provisional Higher entries this year (across S5 and S6, and including both new and existing Highers) is five per cent up on the corresponding figure from this time last year. This figure comprises 120,557 provisional entries for new Highers, and 97,419 provisional entries for existing Highers.
Ms Constance said: “The ongoing reform of our education system is preparing our young people for the world of work and further and higher education. Scottish education now offers more flexible learning opportunities for our young people and new National qualifications, which were introduced at the beginning of the 2013/14 school year, are now well established.
“In August last year we saw a substantial increase in the number of both Higher entries and Higher passes. I am very pleased that we are again seeing a substantial interest in provisional entries for Higher. It is very positive to see greater numbers of young people aspiring to higher levels of qualifications in our schools.
“This shows that ambition, more than ever, is alive and well in classrooms across Scotland, in no small part thanks to the work of teachers who continue to do an excellent job. This bodes well for Scotland’s economic future.
“We know from provisional entry data from the Scottish Qualifications Authority that significant numbers of those pupils taking Highers this year have been studying the new Highers. We listened to schools who requested flexibility, and we acted. I have seen today how schools are making good use of this flexibility, to phase in the new qualifications in a sensible way.”
Positive Parenting Programme
The first North Incredible Years programmes are detailed below. (Flyer and application form also attached).
Please share this information widely with your colleagues and the parents and carers you work with. Please also consider carefully if any family you are working with would benefit from this support and discuss making an application with them. Please submit any application forms to helena.reid@ea.edin.sch.uk
West Pilton & North West
Circle Haven Project Craigroyston Primary School
Wednesdays, 9-11.30am from 25 February. Crèche available.
Royston Wardieburn Community Centre Pilton Drive North
Thursdays 12.30-2.30pm from 26 February. Crèche available.
Leith & North East
Craigentinny Early Years Centre, Craigentinny Primary, 4 Loganlea Drive, EH7 6LR
Thursdays 9-11.30am from 5 March. Crèche available.
For further info contact Helena Reid helena.reid@ea.edin.sch.uk or calling 07795127954. Helena would also be happy to arrange an awareness raising session with any staff team.
PoPP for Parents Application Form
27 January – Holocaust Memorial Day
Between 1941 and 1945, the Nazis attempted to annihilate all of Europe’s Jews. This systematic and planned attempt to murder European Jewry is known as the Holocaust (The Shoah in Hebrew).
From the time they assumed power in 1933, the Nazis used propaganda, persecution and legislation to deny human and civil rights to Jews, using centuries of anti-semitism as their foundation.
By the end of the Holocaust, six million Jewish men, women and children had perished in ghettos, mass-shootings, in concentration camps and extermination camps.
Today, we remember them and the millions of human beings who have died in subsequent atrocities all over the ‘civilised’ world: Rwanda, Darfur, Cambodia, Bosnia …
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg:
Last week, I was privileged to sit down and talk with one of the bravest, most remarkable people I’ve ever met – Zigi Shipper. Zigi was just 11 years old when he first escaped deportation from the Lodz ghetto where he’d been living with his paternal grandparents. When the ghetto was liquidated in 1944, Zigi and his grandmother were rounded up and taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His grandfather had already died of starvation.
By the time he was 16, Zigi had witnessed and experienced unimaginable horrors. But, despite it all, his story is one of true courage and hope. As a Holocaust survivor, Zigi has dedicated his time to ensuring that the millions of Jewish people who were persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime are never forgotten.
Now 85, Zigi travels to schools to tell children and young people across the country his story. I met him with 2 dedicated, young Ambassadors of the Holocaust Educational Trust, who took part in a visit I made to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2012.
Learning about the Holocaust is not just a history lesson. It is one of the most powerful antidotes we have to anti-Semitism and extremism whenever and wherever it may occur. And, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the testimonies of Zigi and other survivors of the Holocaust continue to be told for generations to come.
This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and 20 years since the genocide in Sbreneicia in Bosnia.
So, on this day and in the weeks, months and years that follow, please take a moment to remember the victims of the Holocaust and all subsequent genocides. Together, we can honour their memory in the best way possible – fighting hatred and ensuring their voices live on.
Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister
David Berger (circled, above) was born in 1915 in Przemysl, south-east Poland. He left his hometown when the Germans invaded in 1939 and was shot dead in Vilnius, Lithuania two years later in 1941 at just 19 years of age:
‘If something happens, I would want there to be somebody who would remember that someone named D. Berger had once lived. This will make things easier for me in the difficult moments.’
TODAY, WE REMEMBER THE MILLIONS OF DAVID BERGERs
An update from the Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden:
Granton Castle’s ‘forgotten’ Garden may well be the oldest Walled Garden in Edinburgh, and it deserves to be protected from neglect and demolition.
Local plantswoman Kirsty Sutherland was inspired by the idea that the two acre walled garden could become an oasis of locally grown food.
After a brief visit to the garden in the spring of 2013, Kirsty returned with a group of interested community growers from North Edinburgh to do a bit of remedial pruning work on the old fruit trees. They all fell in love with this ‘secret’ garden, overgrown and tangled but magical in its air of faded grandeur.
The wealth of tales recounted by the retired gardener from over 500 years of occupancy were fascinating, and the windfall of apples much appreciated!
The Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden, a small but dedicated group of locals, have campaigned since then to save the garden and restore it as a community resource for the area. Local gardeners, historians and community groups are keen to be involved.
Recent awareness raising has garnered support from many people and organisations at a crucial time, when the future of the walled garden is being discussed by the planning department.
Strength in numbers is needed to persuade the city council that it is better to save this historic garden, rather than allow it to be demolished to make way for 17 luxury townhouses as developers wish.
” North Edinburgh is leading Edinburgh’s local food revolution. It has more community gardens per square mile than any other residential area in the city. Local people are increasingly coming to understand the fact that if we want cheap, fresh, healthy food, the best way to get it bar none, is to grow it yourself.
“Community gardening is starting to heal fractured communities and help develop relationships, skills and top class nutrition for a whole new generation. The vision for Granton Castle’s Garden is to create a safe and inclusive environment for local people to learn more about the history of their area and the skills needed to bring fresh food from local soil.”
(Quote from a member of Transition Scotland & Fife Diet)
We are asking that anyone who wants to show their support fill out a membership form. They will be left out in three places in North Edinburgh, with a dropbox to deposit them:
Forms can also be downloaded and printed from our website and posted to the Community Shop. Community groups and organisations can also join as associate members to show their support for our campaign.
We don’t want this garden to be demolished for townhouses: it could be full of fruit, herbs, flowers and vegetables instead. A community cafe, visitor centre, plants & crafts for sale. A ‘horticultural jewel’, showcasing the history and cultural heritage of North Edinburgh!
Help local people protect the ‘Oldest Walled Garden in Edinburgh’, and restore a living link with the past, dating back as far as 1479. Please fill in a Friends Group form to show your support, or better still join in!
Read more at https://grantoncastlewalledgarden.wordpress.com/ or check out the FB page for the latest news and local meetings.
Police Scotland have released images of a male they wish to identify in connection with a recent armed robbery at the Leith end of Ferry Road.
The incident happened at 10pm on Sunday 18 January when a male threatened the lone member of staff at the BP petrol station on Ferry Road near Leith Library. He was armed with a handgun.
The man pictured is described as being white and aged between 35 and 45 years old. He has a slim build and a ginger/greying goatee and moustache. He was wearing a black hooded top, blue jeans, a brown three-quarter-length jacket and tab ankle boots.
He was also possibly wearing a grey checked scarf and black gloves and carrying a brown leather bag.
Police are now looking to speak to the male, and anyone who recognises him is asked to contact police immediately.
Detective Constable Mark Seymour said: “We are keen to speak to this man. Despite extensive enquiries to find him, we have still to identify him. I am sure that someone knows who he is, and I would ask them to come forward to assist us. Similarly I would appeal to the male himself to get in touch with us.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101, or the charity Crimestoppers in complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.
