Interested in fashion and shopping? Local Cancer Research UK shop in Stockbridge is holding a fundraiser Fashion Show with catwalk, live music, cakes and wine and shopping! All in the fabulous Saint Stephens Centre this Friday (9 October), tickets £10
East meets West to talk human rights tomorrow night
It couldn’t be more topical …
Pupils from Broughton and Craigroyston High Schools will be among those taking part in a Q & A session and discussion with original ‘Glasgow Girl’ Roza Salih following the screening of the film at North Edinburgh Arts tomorrow night.
All welcome.
A keen crew from Scotland’s 50+ health and wellbeing website has boarded a branded bus and went out on the road across Lothian to spread the word about livingitup.org.uk – and you can jump aboard at Pennywell shops tomorrow!
Living it Up is a digital service with health, care and wellbeing tools and information for people over the age of 50 in Scotland. It’s supported by NHS24 and the Scottish Government, and covers local activities and services in Lothian, Forth Valley, Highland, Moray and Western Isles.
Over the next two weeks, Lothian locals can check out the tour bus and get some Living it Up freebies, or step inside the bus for a website demo to find out how Living it Up can work for them.
The two-week tour began yesterday (Monday 5 October) outside Asda in Dunbar, followed by Tesco in Musselburgh and will run until Saturday 17 October. The latest dates are listed below, but more info will appear on Facebook @Livingitup_Scot
Denyse Aitken, Living it Up’s project manager for Lothian, explained how the tour came about: “We’re keen to spread the word about this great digital platform, so we thought that by taking it on tour we could guide people through live demos and explain what it can do for them, rather than relying on leaflets and things.
“We hired a bus, kitted it out with Living it Up gear and put computers and seats on board. We made a timetable of places to stop off at across Lothian – some because they’re popular places (like supermarkets) and some because popular events will be running at the same time – for example, next week we’ll be outside Hibernian football ground before a family match.”
Denyse added: “Most people have been happy for us to park-up and spread the word about Living it Up. We genuinely want to put ourselves in the limelight and boost awareness of our website and show people how it can really help them to enhance their lives.”
Living it Up Lothians ‘pit-stops’:
Thursday 8 October: Pennywell shops, EH4 4DP
Friday 9 October: Castle Street, Edinburgh
Tuesday 13 October: Gilmerton Community Centre (AM) and Moredun Library (PM)
Thursday 15 October: West Lothian Braid House
Friday 16 October: The Centre, Livingston
Saturday 17 October: Castle Street, Edinburgh (AM) and Hibernian FC, Easter Road stadium (PM).
Living it Up’s website has four strands: DISCOVER, SHINE, CONNECT and FLOURISH – all of which have different health and wellbeing themes and resources.
The FLOURISH section hosts experience guides. These are written by real people to shed light on living with specific conditions – and to highlight coping mechanisms for life experiences.
In the SHINE section, there’s inspiration to re-ignite old hobbies or skills, perhaps in a voluntary capacity.
The website’s CONNECT area teaches people about the latest technology, with step-by-step-instructions. It also inspires some ‘upskilling’ by highlighting local classes for like-minded people.
By clicking on the DISCOVER section, users can type in their local area and find activities and resources relevant to them within reach.
The things you’ll do for kids: Dad’s ready to face My Little Pony and Dora the Explorer!
A big-hearted dad-of-three is taking on a 24-hour video gaming marathon in aid of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF) after his 5-year-old son Conor was treated at the Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RSHC).
Neil Gow (38), of South Queensferry, will be raising funds as part of the sixth annual Sick Kids Save Point – a 24-hour video gameathon and biggest charity games event in the UK, which will take place between 9 and 11 October.
Neil said: “My son Conor was just 18-months-old when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and during the subsequent time spent in hospital, our family received tremendous ongoing support from hospital staff and the wider hospital community, including the SKFF. The calm environment the Foundation helps create in the RHSC is so important and we especially noticed it in the days when Conor was seriously ill in the high dependency unit.
“When Conor is sick, having diabetes can have a big impact on his overall health as it’s much harder for him to get the glucose he needs. This has resulted in him being admitted to the RHSC on several occasions and put on a drip in order to help him get the nourishment he needs. When this happens Conor must have bloods taken regularly – something which can prove to be extremely traumatic for him.
“There have been times when he had to be sedated in order to take the sample which is really distressing for everyone involved so it was fantastic to hear that the Foundation have funded some vein finding machines to help put needle phobic children at ease.”
The SKFF has funded a number of state-of-the-art AccuVein devices in recent months. Costing more than £3,500 each, this equipment shines a special light over a child’s body to reveal the veins located underneath the skin, allowing nurses to carry out any needle-based procedures more quickly and accurately than ever before.
Neil continued: “Conor is now a fairly regular visitor to the RHSC, attending clinics there or at St. John’s Hospital in Livingston once a quarter, so I really wanted to give something back to those do so much to care for him. As a big video game fan, I felt the SKSP is the perfect way for me to raise some money from my own home.”
Over the last five years more than 300 gamers from across the globe have completed the Sick Kids Save Point challenge, helping to raise more than £70,000 for the SKFF.
Having taken part in the unique fundraiser twice before, this year Neil’s fundraising will see him take on family-friendly games only in a bid to get some extra support from his three children. Evie (8), Conor (5) and Maya (1) look set to help Dad Neil tackle everything from Super Mario Kart to Hello Kitty and Dora the Explorer!
Data analyst Neil explained: “I love Sick Kids Save Point as it’s such a unique fundraiser that you can make as elaborate as you like. This year I’ve decided anything with a rating of 12 or more is off limits, so for 24 hours I’ll be taking on some of my childrens’ favourite games. I imagine concentrating on My Little Pony in the middle of the night is going to prove somewhat difficult so I’m going to make sure I get plenty of sleep the night before and eat well throughout the day to help keep my concentration up!
“I’m always blown away by people’s generosity when I fundraise for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation and I’m sure this year will be no different. I’d especially like to thank everyone at gaming forum GRcade who continue to selflessly support my efforts and the wider SKSP mission.”
The SKSP event continues to grow in popularity, having gathered support from a number of Scotland’s top games companies including Rockstar North and Blazing Griffin, as well as industry giants Codemasters UK, Playstation Access, Paradox Interactive and Capcom UK, who have donated prizes for entrants.
Edinburgh actor Tom Freeman, organiser of the event, said: “With plans afoot to transfer services to a flash new hospital in Little France, the work of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation will be vital in smoothing the transition from a building many people across the country will have strong emotional ties to. That’s why this year Sick Kids Save Point is pushing to have our best year ever.
“Sick Kids Save Point is the biggest charity gaming marathon in the UK. I’m proud we’ve raised around £72,000 for our local children’s hospital. This year we want to get that figure to £100,000 and show the world games are for everyone.
“Don’t believe the naysayers. Playing games for 24 hours is not easy. It’s not too late to sign up and take on this unique marathon challenge, playing games past the fun barrier and raising money to support sick children and their families.”
Rachel McKenzie, head of voluntary fundraising at the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many gamers like Neil take part in this year’s Sick Kids Save Point event – now the biggest charity games event in the UK.
“Thanks to our hardy participants, Sick Kids Save Point has helped raise a tremendous amount of money over the last five years and we’re extremely thankful to the individuals – and teams – who are getting involved this year as we try to raise a further £30,000. I would encourage any ambitious gamers out there to get involved.”
For more information about Sick Kids Save Point visit www.sickkidssavepoint.org or follow the event on twitter @SKsavepoint or on facebook at @SickKidsSavePoint.
Kai’s Charity Football Match
Kick Off ( Commence Battle) Sunday 11 October @ 2.00 pm.
Venue: Linear Park (Opposite top of Muirhouse Park)
Muirhouse Mini’s Mums v Local Men’s Team
Muirhouse Mini’s mums have arranged a charity match in aid of Kai Laidlaw, a 2 year old who is currently battling leukemia – this battle has gone on since Kai was 8 months old.
Come along and give your support to these brave lads who are about to tackle the unknown! Bring along your change and give, as you always do, and support good causes.
A coffee & cake stall will provide refreshments for spectators.
James McGinty
Graphics students learn from the best in new Edinburgh College design partnership
Some of the city’s top design agencies have teamed up with Edinburgh College to show students the inner workings of the industry and help them become the next professional stars.
Six design agencies have signed up to a new partnership scheme with the college to give graphic design students industry experience and insight while they are still studying. Mentors from the agencies will coach students over the next year, giving them work placements, setting them briefs and advising on projects including work for real clients.
The agencies – Whitespace; Blonde; Teviot; Union Direct; Equator; and LEWIS – will in turn get access to the best graduates, working with them to ensure their skills and knowledge meet the needs of the industry and support its growth.
The new partnership builds on the success of the HND Visual Communication: Graphic Design course’s existing mentorship programme, which has been pairing students with mentors for the last seven years and now works with 13 agencies. The six agencies now signed up as official partners will provide further opportunities over and above mentoring so students can experience all sides of the industry, as well as sponsoring the students’ end-of-year show.
The project launched with an event at the college’s Granton Campus, where students got to meet their mentors for the first time.
Graphic design lecturer Helena Good said: “Bringing the design agencies on board as partners will be great for the students as it gives them new ways of getting the knowledge about the industry that they’ll need when they enter the workplace. Having access to professionals working to incredibly high standards in the latest practices, including digital, and getting their honest feedback and guidance is invaluable to their development.
“The mentoring project we started seven years ago has really taken off, and we’re lucky to have so many great companies so keen to be involved. Formalising these partnerships is a natural step and really embeds this project and the students themselves firmly within the city’s design community.”
As well as allotted time with mentors throughout the year, some partners will provide up to a month’s worth of work experience placements. They will also each set groups of students one-day ‘guerilla’ design projects, where mentors will turn up unannounced in the morning and set a design challenge to be completed in a day. Mentors also help students work on intensive one-week design projects working on real briefs from real clients, which in previous years have included Innis & Gunn, Edinburgh Zoo and GF Smith.
One of the mentors at partner Teviot, Kirsten Murray, who studied the HND at the college and graduated in 2007, said: “Whatever stage you are at in your education or career, having a mentor to support you, challenge you and ask you hard questions is invaluable. I have watched the mentoring programme go from strength to strength over the last five years. The success of the programme is clear when you see the quality of the ideas and the design work being produced by the students.
“As a former student of Edinburgh College, it means a lot to me to be able to give something back to the very place that kick started my career in design. The future of design in Scotland will soon be in the hands of these students. That’s why it’s so important that we help them to become industry-ready graduates.”
Student Alex De Sousa, 18, from Bonnyrigg, said: “This doesn’t happen anywhere else and it’s really exciting. It’s incredible that we get to spend time one to one with people with such great experience and it’s such a good opportunity.”
Gillian Grant, an account director at LEWIS, said: “The more you work with and get to know the students the more you can see that they are hungry to learn in all areas. There’s lots they can learn from an account management and project management perspective to complement the creative side and help them understand all sides of the industry. You can offer process-driven advice and recommendations on pitching, and demonstrate how all areas of an agency work together to achieve a goal.”
Poppyscotland is calling for bikers to get involved in a special Ride of Remembrance in Edinburgh this weekend.
On Sunday (11 October) around 200 motorbikes, scooters, trikes and quads are expected to take part in the 2015 Ride of Remembrance, organised by Poppyscotland supporter group War Torn Troops Remembered (WTTR). The event is open to all bikers.
Departing from Straiton Park & Ride at 9am, the convoy will travel to the city, congregating at the Scots American War Memorial in Princes Street Gardens West where, at 10.30am, a Remembrance service will take place. A pipe band will play and there will be a collection for Poppyscotland.
This will be the fourth year that the biking community has come together to pay tribute to Servicemen and women who have lost their lives. In support of Poppyscotland’s current work with members of the Armed Forces community, WTTR has raised £12,615 for the charity since 2012 through this annual event and other year-round fundraising activity.
Bikers wishing to take part can find out more and register in advance by emailing wttrregistration@yahoo.co.uk There is a registration fee of £5 with all proceeds being donated to Poppyscotland.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the service in Princes Street Gardens West.
Hi all,
Getting the story of MY Adventure out is important, so I have put together an introductory blog! More to follow from the whole MY Adventure team so keep an eye on it!
Go to
http://www.myadventure.org.uk/welcome-to-my-adventure/
All the best,
James Howell, Director
