Continue reading December update from Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden
PLAYTALKREAD WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Do you enjoy feeding the ducks at the pond in Inverleith Park, playing mini golf at Bruntsfield Links with your wee one or reading the next destination when you’re on the tram together? PlayTalkRead is calling for you to vote for top things for tots to do in Edinburgh and Lothians before voting closes on 13 December. Continue reading What’s top to do for tots?
Alternative memorial planned for Princes Street Gardens
Bereaved parents have visited the Mortonhall Memorial Garden which opened on Friday. Continue reading Mortonhall Memorial Garden opens
Miss the Community Action North Christmas Tree event on Thursday? My colleague Andy captured the whole thing on video – and you can watch it in under twenty seconds!
I also captured a snippet of the Craigroyston musicians during rehearsals for the evening event:
And if you’d prefer a more leisurely idea of what went on, Broughton High School’s Morgan Creamer braved the elements to capture some memories of a special night in Muirhouse … thanks, Morgan – hope you have dried out!
More of Morgan’s pictures on our Facebook page
Inverleith event is ON despite the weather
Organisers have confirmed that this weekend’s annual Christmas Charity Festival at Inverleith Park will go ahead as planned.
Coming from the North Pole this weather won’t worry Santa and his reindeer too much but us mere mortals should wrap up warm – and wear sensible footwear!
Brandon Walker 2001 – 2015: ‘ a brilliant smiley wee guy’
Very sad to report the untimely death of local lad Brandon Walker (14), who had been suffering from an extremely rare heart condition.
Spartans Community Football Academy programme manager Kenny Cameron described Brandon as ‘a brilliant smiley wee guy, great banter and a great wee footballer. It’s heartbreaking news’.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to Brandon’s family and his many friends at this terribly difficult time.
‘Design Doctor’ social media campaign makes the virtual a reality with interactive upcycling event in Edinburgh
This weekend marks the culmination of a Scotland-wide, eight-week social media campaign to encourage people to upcycle and re-use furniture. Continue reading Ocean Terminal event is just what the doctor ordered
Dear Editor
For too long the working population has been told that decision-making on investment is the province of the wealthy and very well off, and it is they who create the nation’s wealth. The arrogance and stupidity of such a claim shows the value they place on the working population’s contribution to that wealth.
Listed below are a few respective contributions:
Investors: It takes minimum effort and little time of one day to move money around through financial markets seeking a higher rate of profit.
Workers: If employed full-time, spend the best part of one whole day working and getting to and from work.
Investors: Their investment is usually short-term, then switching to maximise profit.
Workers: Their investment is life-long commitment to work.
Investors: Having the power of decision-making to hire and fire and even closing down places of work, showing no responsibility for workers or country.
Workers: Have lifetime commitment to home and provision for the family in all respects.
Investors: Employ tax lawyers to seek ways of reducing amounts due; alternatively hide their money in offshore tax havens avoiding tax altogether.
Workers: Income tax is taken from their wage packets, VAT on products and services.
Further, the political representatives of the wealthy have continued to starve local councils of funds to maintain community life, forcing savage cuts to all services. They now have the audacity to tell local councils to sell public assets of all kinds, buildings and land. This is where investors will step in to make a killing out of the people who created and paid for their public services, buildings and land, maintenance of parks, gardens, sports areas and open spaces.
Can all this be justified? The answer can only be NO, the way things are done must change, because if not there will be no end to the endless cycle of unemployment, hardship and unhappiness.
A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens
Local recruitment company supports community initiative
Peace Recruitment is delighted to announce it has teamed up with The Spartans Community Football Academy to help give more young people in Edinburgh an opportunity to learn through the power of sport.
The Spartans Community Football Academy, based at Ainslie Park in Pilton, is literally a stones-throw away from Peace Recruitment’s head offices in Ferry Road the charity which uses sport to provide young people with learning and development opportunities.
Spartans’ vision is to redefine what’s possible for a football club in terms of community engagement and participation, by delivering a positive social impact through the power of people and sport. It also aims to improve health, increase employment opportunities and reduce crime in the area.
Peace, which has agreed to become a sponsor, aims to work alongside the charity assisting the youngsters it helps with career decisions, work experience and ultimately finding jobs.
“We were really keen to put something back into our local community, and were looking for an opportunity that really makes a difference to people’s lives in the area – and Spartans really stood out to us,” explained Chris Peace, Managing Director of Peace Recruitment.
“I am a local boy who grew up in this part of Edinburgh, so have witnessed first-hand the Spartans evolution. Spartans is unique and is so much more than a football club, it plays a huge part in the local community working alongside schools and different organisations encouraging more people to not only take part in sport but to learn, make better decisions and in many cases turn their lives around. It invests in their physical and emotional wellbeing, as well as helping out with their home life, giving youngsters a chance they may not otherwise have had.
“I could not be prouder to sponsor them and will hopefully become more involved in the years to come. I would like to use Peace Recruitment’s expertise to help teach the youngsters at Spartans about careers and what options they have available to them, and then through this hopefully place them in jobs where they can flourish.”
Spartans’ Craig Graham said: “Everyone at Spartans is delighted to have Peace Recruitment on board. They are a great example of a flourishing local business and we’re delighted Chris is so passionate about helping us at Spartans. We are about to open our brand new dedicated Youth Work Centre with some exciting, fresh programmes and we’ll use the investment from Peace to support these. We are very grateful for their support and look forward to a long lasting relationship”.
Spartans has senior teams competing in both the Lowland Football League and the East of Scotland League. Spartans also has a Saturday amateur side, several women’s teams, including Spartans W.F.C., who play in the Scottish Women’s Premier League and a thriving youth section with 600 youngsters attending regularly.
Peace Recruitment has transformed itself from a ‘one-man-band’ into a multi-million pound company in just over six years. It now aims to be the company of choice in Scotland for the construction, property and engineering sectors within the next five years.
Peace recently became the first recruitment company in the UK to join the Institute of Customer Service. It has also just announced that it will be taking part in the Building My Skills programme which has just been newly launched in Scotland.
For more information about Peace Recruitment visit www.peacerecruitment.co.uk.
Call Royston Wardieburn if you need transport to Warriston
Regular readers will know that local activist Roberta Blaikie’s funeral is on Tuesday at 1pm at Warriston Crematorium.
Transport will be available for members of the local community – call Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on 552 5700 to let them know your requirements.
