Month: June 2015
Enjoy some razzmatazz at Redhall Walled Garden’s Open Day
Enjoy a fun-filled day for all the family at Redhall Walled Garden’s Razzmatazz Open Day Event on Saturday 18 July (12-5pm).
Run on organic principles, the six acre site on the banks of the Water of Leith in Colinton Dell was originally the kitchen garden for Redhall House. Redhall Walled Garden now offers horticultural & computer/admin training and support for people recovering from mental health problems.
The Razzmatazz event promises to be a great day out for all the family featuring:
· Live Music
· Quiz and trail
· Traditional Games
· Pond Dipping
· Chickens (Wing & a Prayer Hen Rescue charity)
· Face Painting
· Badge making
· Raffle
· Plants for sale
· Historic Garden
· Food (meat & veg)
· Cream teas
At: Redhall Walled Garden, 97 Lanark Road, Edinburgh, EH14 2LZ
On: Saturday, 18th July 2015 from 12noon until 5pm
Entry by donation.
Wheelchair accessible; Disabled parking & toilets (otherwise parking at the site is restricted to drop off only with free parking available on Lanark Road). There is a frequent bus service, number 44, to and from the city centre.
Come along and enjoy the day!
The garden is open to the public Monday- Friday 9am -3:30pm
It’s MY boat, ma’am!
Duchess of Cornwall admires MYDG’s boat
The Duchess of Cornwall became one of the first people to see MYDG’s stunning new rowing boat when she visited Portobello’s Sailing and Kayaking Club on Tuesday. The boat is painted in MYDG’s own colours and HRH was very impressed – maybe it was the royal blue!
A small group of young people has been building the 22ft long traditional Scottish rowing boat with Muirhouse Youth Development Group since last Septmeber, spending two afternoons every week working with craftsman Nick Savage to build the boat from scratch. It’s been worth the hours of patience and effort – the end product is simply stunning.
The boat, which is a St Ayles skiff, left ‘dry dock’ in Craigroyston Community High School on Tuesday morning and made the journey – by land, on a trailer – to Portobello Promenade to be part of the sailing club’s event.
MYDG youth worker Ali Grant, explained: “The event is in fact to celebrate the achievements of Portobello Sailing and Kayaking Club (PSKC), of which I am a founding member. We have worked tirelessly for the last seven years to transform a piece of grassland into a thriving community hub. PSKC is entirely run by volunteers and supports several hundred adults and young people to gain access to the water through kayaking, sailing and rowing. It has regenerated the seafront and consequently, brought a community together. This is the reason for the royal visit.
“Having co-built two community boats already, it was always my wish for a group of young people to experience the thrill of taking a pile of flat wood and transforming this bit by bit, into a beautiful, curved boat and in turn, transforming their own lives.
“MYDG have always had an emphasis on outdoor activities and ‘journeys’ – whether that be geographical or personal journeys, so I saw an opportunity to blend my passion for boats and opportunities for young people with my day job as a Youth Worker. MYDG applied for funding to support a boat- building project and were fortunate enough to secure money from 3 sources, Awards for All, Creative Scotland and Edinburgh Airport Trust.
Ali went on: “Building a boat is an incredible test of patience and skill. The outcome of relentless and repetitive tasks only becomes apparent when you put the boat on the water and realise what you have achieved. It is a highly emotional moment and I expect all those involved to experience that emotion.
“We started the project in September, with three young people (CCHS pupils) and attendance has been phenomenal. Other young people have also given input to the project. As well as building the boat, young people have been getting out rowing and have taken part in various training courses. I am sure I speak for everyone in saying that the personal change in the young people concerned has been immense.
“The creation of a boat on the scale of the one we are building has also generated a great deal of excitement amongst other young people and members of the community and will be a tremendous resource for the area.
“Portobello Sailing and Kayaking Club have also received funding from Awards for All and Edinburgh Airport Trust and this is an opportunity to demonstrate the impact of that funding across communities. I also hope that boat building and rowing will begin to forge strong bonds between young people from Muirhouse, other parts of the city and indeed across Scotland. All these people were represented at Tuesday’s event.
“The boat is based on a traditional Scottish fishing boat. It is called a St Ayles skiff. It is 22 ft long and 6ft across. It will weigh approx 150kg when complete and will join a fleet of similar boats built in communities all across Scotland and indeed the world. The boat will be owned by the charity MYDG and will be rowed under the moniker, ‘North Edinburgh Rowing Club’. I cannot divulge the name of the boat yet – you will have to wait!”
“The boat was built in Craigroyston Community High School and we are indebted to Head Teacher Stephen Ross and this team for all their support in making this project happen.”
So congratulation to MYDG and in particular to boat builders Figo El Sherif and Fransisc Dorot and trainee rower Stanley McKay (above) -you really have created something to be proud of and we all look forward to seeing your craft on the water soon!
Edinburgh enjoys first taste of community gardening
Around three hundred people – and at least one giant panda – visited Edinburgh’s first ever Power of Food Festival last weekend. Organisers are delighted with the public response and now hope to stage the event again next year.
The inaugural Power of Food Festival offered a packed weekend of events and family activities celebrating community food growing. All across the city, community food gardens opened their gates to the public, inviting visitors to try everything from insect hunting to tattie lifting and poetry writing, and offering them the chance to listen to music from local bands and choirs. And of
course there was also the opportunity to taste local produce and sample plenty of yummy food!
The Festival, which is entirely volunteer run, showcased 15 diverse garden spaces ranging from transformed wasteland to a farmhouse, connecting different initiatives and bringing people together. With lots of laughter and a great sense of community spirit, the weekend was even topped off with a splash of sunshine!
One community gardener and Festival visitor said: “We all seem to be linked by a joy in being outdoors together and working with the environment. Food at the end of it is just one of the rewards.”
The first Power of Food Festival saw an estimated 300 visitors over the two day event. It was inspiring with lots of energy, passion and enthusiasm on show in the gardens and lots of interest. Visitors took the opportunity to learn about herbalism and growing tomatoes, to hear food-inspired storytellers and to pick up some new recipes to try out.
A cycle ride led by Sustrans volunteers also gave visitors the opportunity to explore a range of gardens while enjoying the capital city’s extensive off-road cycle network. The event also marked the launch of the Edible Edinburgh Charter promoting good food for all.
So all in all, a great weekend – second helpings next year, please!
Pictures from the Festival are now available on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghPowerofFoodFestival/photos_stream
For further information about how to get involved visit the website: poweroffoodfestival.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @PoFFest
Facebook: Edinburgh Power of Food Festival
Plant wild flowers with Granton Improvement Society
Please give us half an hour of your time!
The Trustees are organising an event to highlight our wish to acquire the land and Granton’s Walled Garden under new powers from the Community Empowerment Bill.
WILD FLOWER PLANTING
Thursday 25 June 1.30pm
Derelict land adjacent to the Walled Garden, West Shore Road.
So come along and support us!
Ross McEwan,
Administrator, Granton Improvement Society
Full house celebrates Rainbow’s special birthday!
Drylaw’s Rainbow Club Day Centre celebrated their thirtieth anniversary with a Las Vegas-themed party last week – and you can bet everyone had a great time!
When it was first established in Drylaw Church in 1985 the Rainbow Club offered lunchtime sessions and companionship to older people. Since then, the organisation grown and developed – overcoming many challenges along the way – and remains an important part of community life in Drylaw and the wider North Edinburgh community.
Manager Jackie Brown has been at the helm throughout, and as ever Jackie, the staff and volunteers put on a great party for guests and members on 17 June.
As The King himself might have said: Viva, Las Rainbow!
Pictures courtesy Jackie Brown at Drylaw Rainbow Club Day Centre
Get it clean, say Greens
Green MSP Alison Johnstone has called for improved hygiene in Lothians’ hospitals following a critical report by public health inspectors. She said trust in our health service is vital and public patience is ‘starting to run out’.
The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI), which is part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, published its report relating to an unannounced inspection visit to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) in April on Monday.
HEI has been set up to help reduce healthcare associated infection risk to patients through a rigorous inspection framework. The HEI inspection team examined NHS Lothian’s self-assessment information and then inspected the hospital to validate this information, meet patients and staff, and visit wards and departments to assess how clean the hospital was and if it was meeting national standards.
Inspectors made four requirements and one recommendation following the inspection.
Head of Quality & Care Jacqui Macrae said: “Overall this was a good inspection and we found evidence that NHS Lothian is complying with the majority of standards to protect patients, staff and visitors from acquiring an infection. In particular, we saw staff following the majority of standard infection control precautions. We also found hand hygiene practice among staff groups was generally good in most wards we inspected. The exception was the emergency department where we found poor hand hygiene practice from staff. We expect NHS Lothian to address our requirements and recommendations at the earliest opportunity.”
Inspectors found birthing balls and a mattress in a labour ward were contaminated with blood and also found half the cot mattresses were contaminated. Eight of the 29 mattresses checked were contaminated, and in the labour ward three out of six cot mattresses checked were also found to be dirty. Three birthing balls, mattress covers, a mattress and patient bed frames and stirrups were all contaminated with blood and hand cleansing hygiene also came in for criticism in the report.
NHS Lothian has been urged to make sure that ‘all patient equipment is clean and ready for use at all times’.
Responding to the inspectors’ report, Alison Johnstone, Scottish Green MSP for Lothian, said: “Hospital hygiene is a big challenge but it’s incredibly important and public patience is starting to run out. It’s therefore disappointing to hear of contamination during an inspection of the emergency department and the labour ward at ERI. Trust in our health service is vital, and I want to hear from NHS Lothian how they plan to improve procedures for good hygiene in our hospitals.”
Melanie Johnson, nurse director at NHS Lothian, said: “We welcome the report from the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate and we are pleased that some areas were singled out for individual praise, including good infection control management, combined with patient care and the general cleanliness of the hospital.
“A total of 67 of the 70 patients interviewed by the inspection team also said they were pleased with the levels of cleaning in their wards.
“We recognise there are things that can be improved and they have been addressed as a matter of urgency, including the cleaning of patient equipment and ensuring that hand hygiene is improved by all staff in the emergency department.”
The full HEI inspection report is available to view at:
Drylaw Telford Community Council meets tomorrow
Drylaw Telford Community Council meets on Wednesday 24 June at 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre – the final meeting before the summer break. All welcome.
Edible Edinburgh calls for good food for all
Edible Edinburgh launched their new Charter for good food for all at Milton Road Community Garden as part of the Power of Food Festival on Saturday. The Charter and new Edible Edinburgh website aim to engage the city’s residents, visitors and businesses much more in shaping our city’s food systems.
Edible Edinburgh (EE) is an initiative which seeks to transform Edinburgh into a sustainable food city.’ EE is a network of organisations and businesses, including Edinburgh City Council and Edinburgh is part of the UK Sustainable Food Cities network. EE is working towards the following vision to improve the city’s food:
“Edinburgh is a city where good food is available and accessible for all, making for healthy people, thriving communities and a sustainable environment.”
The Power of Food Festival was a fantastic celebration of Edinburgh communities and their relationships with food and growing, so was the perfect occasion to launch the EE Charter. EE engages closely with and supports the community growing sector in the city, and held launch of the Sustainable Food City charter at the Community Garden at Edinburgh College’s Milton Road Campus.
The Charter and website was launched by Councillor Lesley Hinds, Chair of Edible Edinburgh and Emma Witney (EE Project Officer) coordinated the signing of the Charter on the day. Alo in attendance were Garden Manager Severine Monvoisin and Power of Food Festival coordinator Marie-Amélie Viatte.
There are two Charters, one for residents and visitors, and one for organisations and businesses (click on link below). Both can also be viewed by clicking the links on the homepage new EE website: http://www.edible-edinburgh.org
Places available on First Aid course
We still have a few places available on our Emergency First Aid at Work: Adults and Children course on Wednesday 1 July.
If you would like to book a place, please complete the attached booking form. See poster for further details
Poster EFAW Adults and Children 1.7.15
SHORT COURSE BOOKING FORM – New
Audrey O’Neill
Training Administrator, North Edinburgh Childcare
Tel: 311 6931
