Month: September 2015

Get ready to glow!

Glow_Facebook_5

Good morning,

In the next 15 minutes, someone in the UK will be told:  “you are losing your sight.” RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) is here for everyone affected by sight loss, for practical and emotional support, and to help more blind and partially sighted people to face the future with confidence.

I’m a volunteer with RNIB and I’m really hoping you can help me to promote this fun event, on your website, social media or in print.

RNIB is holding the Glow Neon 3km Fun Run on 31 October at 7pm at Meadowbank Sports Centre.

Participants can run, dance, hop, skip or walk their way around a 3km track covered in glowing neon paint to raise money for RNIB. Live DJs and cannons filled with luminous glow water create the party feeling at our Glow Neon Fun Run. Glow is open to everyone aged ten and above and is fully accessible to people with sight loss.

Help us raise money to make every day better for everyone affected by sight loss.

For more information and tickets, go to rnib.org.uk/glow or see https://www.facebook.com/events/699643393514015/ or Twitter #GlowNeon

If you’d like posters or flyers sent to you, or to talk to someone about the event or the work of RNIB in this area, contact Emma the local fundraising manager on the number below or emma.baldry@rnib.org.uk

Janet McFarlane (Volunteer, East Scotland RNIB

(Royal National Institute of Blind People)

Edinburgh Doors Open weekend: come on in!

Anatomy_Museum_&_Lecture_Theatre

Edinburgh Doors Open Day takes place this weekend (26 & 27 September) and this year is following the theme of ‘Edinburgh’s Food & Drink’.

Doors Open Day is a celebration of Edinburgh’s architecture, culture and heritage and has been organised by The Cockburn Association (Edinburgh’s Civic Trust) since 1991.

Over 100 venues to will throw open their doors over the weekend, with something to suit the taste of just about everyone: there are the regular favourites, new venues and interesting spaces and activities to celebrate the 25th year of the popular event.

North Edinburgh Arts is among the local venues getting involved this year:

nea doors open

North Edinburgh Arts is delighted to be taking part in Doors Open Day 2015. We are ideally situated between the Royal Botanic Gardens (number 32) and the National Museums Collection Centre (number 31) so why not make a morning tour of the North Edinburgh venues and pop in for a cake and freshly ground coffee in our community café.

Guided tours of our award-winning garden will be starting at 11am and 1pm this Saturday (26 September). Our ship-themed sandpits will keep the kids amused for hours too, with buckets and spades available to use (refundable deposit is required). We are number 30 on the map.

To find out what’s on offer across Edinburgh this weekend, see brochure (below)

Edinburgh Doors Open Day 2015 Brochure

Eid Mubarak!

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has sent his best wishes to Muslims celebrating Eid al-Adha

eid

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: “I would like to send my best wishes to Muslims across the world who are celebrating Eid al-Adha, marking the end of Hajj, the holy pilgrimage to Mecca.

“We remember all of those killed and injured in the terrible accident at the Grand Mosque and our thoughts are with their families at this time.

“As Muslims gather with their families I wish you a peaceful and joyous Eid al-Adha.

“Eid Mubarak.”

Advice from the Charity Commission on how to give safely during Eid-al-Adha

Eid-al-Adha is a time of very generous charitable giving. People have a right to feel confident that their generosity is not abused and that their donations are being used for legitimate charitable purposes.

https://youtu.be/_apevyHxpP8

As part of its campaign #changethepicture the commission has produced a video for encouraging people to check before they give. It illustrates how people can help make sure their generosity makes a real difference to those in need by giving to legitimate, registered charities.

Top 10 tips from the commission to make sure you give safely:

  1. Before giving, check the charity’s name and registration number against the online charity search tool: Find a charity – register of charities
  2. Fundraisers require a licence from the local authority (or the police in London) to collect in a public place. Check that they have this. If the collection is in a privately owned place, check that they have the owner’s permission.
  3. When approached by collectors, check whether they are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed.
  4. If in doubt, ask the collector for more information – a genuine fundraiser should be happy to answer questions and explain more about the work of the charity.
  5. Genuine fundraising materials should feature the charity’s name, registered name and a landline contact number. Be wary of those that list only a mobile number.
  6. Make sure when you give to radio and television appeals that the process is secure. Ofcom lists the rules for radio and television charity appeals on its website: Licensing – Ofcom website.
  7. Take care when responding to emails or clicking links to a charity’s website to ensure that they are genuine. Instead, search online for your chosen charity to check you have the right web address. For further guidance see: Guidance for donors – Get Safe Online.
  8. Carefully review collection bags for clothing and household goods to ascertain whether they are from a genuine charity.
  9. After making these checks, if you think that a collection or appeal is not legitimate, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and inform the Charity Commission: Action Fraud – Police.
  10. Don’t be pressurised to give to a collection immediately. If in any doubt, donate directly to charity.

Change_the_pictureCity

Breakthrough? UNISON postpones lobby of crunch finance meeting

‘Our mandate from our members remains. Industrial action remains a real possibility in the event of compulsory redundancies.’ – UNISON lead negotiator Tom Connollycapital

UNISON has postponed its lobby of Edinburgh Council’s Finance and Resources Committee tomorrow following assurances from senior councillors that privatisation plans will be dropped and redundancies delayed for further talks.

Amanda Kerr, Edinburgh UNISON branch secretary, said: “Following concerted UNISON pressure, we welcome this re-think and the dropping of privatisation plans. We also welcome the delay on redundancies, however we still have a long way to go and we will be building for a lobby of the next Finance and Resources Committee on 29 October.

“Our campaign has brought this to the public eye and that campaign will continue. We warned that the level of cuts envisaged would be devastating for services. After years and years of cut after cut, no council can sustain even more massive cuts.”

Lead negotiator Tom Connolly added: “This is an important victory. The damage privatisation would have caused cannot be overestimated. The union will focus on protecting jobs and conditions, engaging with our members and building towards the lobby on 29 October. Our mandate from our members remains. Industrial action remains a real possibility in the event of compulsory redundancies.”

Last week, UNISON warned that up to 3000 jobs could be lost as the council aims to balance it’s books, and councillors are set to consider a number of key proposals to address a £126m budget shortfall over the next four years at tomorrow’s meeting.

Councillor Alasdair Rankin, Finance Convener, said: “We are very clear about the scale of the financial challenge that the Council is facing. The Council is experiencing greater demand for services than ever before, with a growing population in Edinburgh and increasing numbers of older people and younger people, while our overall budget remains the same.

“We need to take action in order to achieve the necessary savings to meet this demand, and we are making every effort to do this in a way that will safeguard frontline services for the people of Edinburgh.

“We want to invest in the services that are important to the public but must also look to rationalise our spending where appropriate. We recognise that some of these proposals may involve tough decisions, including a reduction in Council jobs, particularly in middle management. But while this won’t to be easy, savings will allow us to prioritise the things that matter most to people.

“Our aim, as ever, is to improve and enhance the city for residents, and this package of measures is the next step to achieving this. Councillors will consider these proposals and we are looking forward to the discussions. ”

Work starts on Drylaw skatepark

‘This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active’ – Sarah Robertson, sportscotland

This week sees construction commence on a new £200,000 skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.

The new skatepark is the result of a collaborative project between the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust and local community organisations to develop, fund and deliver a new skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.

The project was initiated by young people from the local community and was then taken forward via consultation and first stage funding for the development of a feasibility study, by the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, closely supported by the local community council, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and sportscotland

The inspiration for the project came from the citywide skate park created in Saughton Park which has shown how successful a skatepark can be, and which has led to calls for a more local and convenient facility in the north of the city.

The new facility has received funding from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council and secured £100,000 match funding from the Scottish Government’s Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.

The Greenspace Trust (ELGT) has overseen the project management of the skatepark since planning permission was granted in early 2013, and has taken the lead in developing and securing funding to ensure the delivery of the project for the community. The final elements of funding were secured by ELGT earlier this year and the construction put out to tender in the summer. With the final design elements agreed, and necessary planning conditions met, such as drainage, work can now start.

50% of the costs of the skatepark are being met by an award from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. The £10 million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund has enable communities across Scotland to benefit from the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, by providing more and better opportunities to be active.

Sarah Robertson, Project Manager from sportscotland, said: “The new Drylaw skatepark is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by various organisations investing resources and working together and we are delighted to have invested £100,000 from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.

“Together with our partners, sportscotland are committed to building and supporting the development of a world-class sporting system at all levels, and this project will provide a great facility which will be available for the whole of the community to use.

“This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active”.

The match funding is from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and City of Edinburgh Council -Culture and Sport. The new skatepark helps deliver the Neighbourhood Partnership’s key priorities of engaging young people, increased opportunities for physical activity and encouraging better use of green spaces.

Local Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds, who chairs the skatepark working group, said:  “I am pleased the Drylaw Skatepark work has started. It has been a long road to get to this point and credit is due to the young people and local organisations who have worked tirelessly to make sure this project happened.”

Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT) works across Edinburgh and the Lothians to create, improve and promote parks and greenspaces, and to provide opportunities for communities to be more active for leisure and travel.

Ross Woodside, ELGT’s Projects Manager, said: “We are pleased that the much-anticipated skatepark has reached the construction stage. We are confident that it will be a well-used local asset and make real contribution to more sporting opportunities in the area.”

The park is being designed and built by Freestyle Skateparks, the UK’s oldest and largest skatepark design-and-build company. Construction is scheduled to last around ten weeks.

A helping hand: MSP Colin joins Muirhouse volunteers

‘I am humbled by the generosity and humanity of the local community in reaching out to help those in need.’ – Colin Keir MSP

Colin Keir MSP with volunteers Josh & Karma

Edinburgh Western MSP Colin Keir joined volunteers at the Muirhouse Community Shop yesterday to help collect and sort donations of clothing for Syrian refugees.

Mr Keir said: “I was overwhelmed by the support for this initiative from the local community in Muirhouse. It shows that Muirhouse cares for the plight of Syrian refugees and as winter approaches these donations will be much appreciated by those in need.

“This is a great partnership between the local community, its community organisations and Edinburgh Direct Aid to provide some comfort to those refugees now living in very difficult conditions in refugee camps. Once again I am humbled by the generosity and humanity of the local community in reaching out to help those in need.”

The initiative was organised by Tenants and Residents in Muirhouse (TRIM), Muirhouse Community Shop, Pilton Youth & Children Project and Spartans. The donations were sorted by the volunteers before delivery to Edinburgh Direct Aid.

Colin Keir MSP with TRIM chair Robert Pearson