West Pilton West Granton: your community needs YOU!

Please get your application to be a Community Councillor form in to our Returning Officer, Councillor Vicki Redpath immediately!!

A nomination form is attached (see below)

You have to get it signed by 2 other residents who propose and second your nomination.

Please send the completed form to Vicki. Her email address is below but your form has to be actually signed.

Either give it to her directly or leave your form at the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre early on Monday where I will pick it up and deliver it to Vicki.

Vicki is on 0131 529 3262 or vicki.redpath@edinburgh.gov.uk

Vicki will leave some blank forms at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre at about 11 o’ clock this morning. Forms can be filled in and then left at Muirhouse Library for her to collect when she does her surgery on Monday at 6pm.

Please tell anyone else you know would be interested in becoming a Community Councillor. We only have till Monday night to get nominations in!

Please make this a priority, we need you!!

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Barbara Robertson

Alex Salmond to address Saltire Society

Former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond will give a special lecture to celebrate the Saltire Society’s 80^th anniversary at the Royal Society of Edinburgh tonight.

Entitled ‘Inspiring Scotland – 80 years of the Saltire Society’, Mr Salmond’s lecture will focus on the history of the Saltire Society and its varied contribution to Scotland’s public life, culture and society since being set up in 1936. As part of the lecture, Mr. Salmond will also consider what Scotland’s future might hold and its changing place in the world.

The event is open to the public and tickets are free but must be booked by emailing saltire@saltiresociety.org.uk. Tickets can also be booked through the Saltire Society website, www.saltiresociety.org.uk.

Ahead of the lecture, Mr Salmond said: “The Saltire Society is a superb collective where Scottish culture is preserved, nurtured and most importantly, enjoyed, across the globe. As we approach a century of their great work, I am thrilled to be able to host this event and look back on eighty years of Comann Crann na h-Alba. Long may their work – and celebrating everything it means to be Scottish – continue.”

Alex Salmond was first elected as an SNP MP for Banff and Buchan in 1987 and first became leader of the SNP in 1990. He was elected First Minister of Scotland following the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections in which the SNP beat Labour into second place and became the largest single Parliamentary party. He then led a minority SNP administration until the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections, at which the SNP won an overall majority.

He led negotiations on the terms of the 2014 Referendum on Scottish Independence. On the day after the referendum vote, he announced his intention to resign as Leader of the SNP and as First Minister immediately following the SNP’s Annual Conference in November 2014, where he was succeeded as SNP Leader and First Minister by Nicola Sturgeon. He is currently MP for Gordon where he won 48% of the constituency vote at the 2015 UK General Election.

Jim Tough, Executive Director of the Saltire Society, said: “We are very excited to announce that former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond will be addressing the Saltire Society on its 80^th anniversary. We are enjoying an extremely busy year of events, awards, and lectures to celebrate 80 years of the Saltire Society and I believe this will be another great highlight.

“I am very much looking forward to what I’m sure will be a fascinating and thought-provoking lecture and would encourage anyone interested to come along and join the audience for what is bound to be a very popular event.”

The lecture will take place at 6.30pm tonight at The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street.

See St Columba’s tomorrow on Doors Open Day

St Columba’s Hospice is pleased to be taking part in Doors Open Day Edinburgh on Saturday 24^th September …

For one day only, buildings across Edinburgh with a fascinating story to tell will be open to the public, so come and join us to see what goes on at St Columba’s Hospice. Our doors will be open from 11am – 4pm.

We’ll be opening our doors to the general public, giving you a chance to meet our staff and volunteers who will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about the Hospice, palliative care, the services we provide and there’s even an opportunity to meet our therapets.

As part of Doors Open Day at St Columba’s Hospice, you can:

visit our Day Hospice which is where patients spend one day a week for peer support, nurse-led clinics, appointments with complementary therapists and other health and social care staff
spend time in our Information Hub which is part of the original Challenger Lodge building
view the original Challenger Lodge building and rooms which are not normally open to the public, which have stunning views over the Firth of Forth
tour the Centre for Education & Research where you can visit our lecture and seminar rooms
admire a scale model of the Hospice
find out about the impact our care has had across Edinburgh and the Lothians
visit historical areas of the building and artefacts which have been incorporated into our buildings such as the railings outside the Centre for Education & Research
have lunch and refreshments in the Iona Café
Spend time in our gardens (if the weather allows!), home to our Tribute Garden which is part of our Tribute Fund initiative.

On Doors Open Day, you will be able to learn about the Hospice, the services we provide and the architecture of our building – both the historical Challenger Lodge and also the multi-million pound newly built extension.

Guided tours will be offered by our team of volunteers throughout the day.

Community councillors: get your nomination papers in NOW!

The deadline is fast approaching for local people taking part in this year’s community council elections in Edinburgh – nominations close on Monday (26 September).

This year, nominations are being sought for 44 community councils. By becoming a member, local residents are given the opportunity to influence what happens in their area. Members can get involved in a wide range of activities, comment on planning and licensing applications, take part in community campaigns and work with others to improve the local area.

Community councils are made up of local residents and community groups such as youth forums, parent councils and student bodies. Each one is represented on the Neighbourhood Partnership for their area, where they work with local elected members, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, NHS Lothian and the voluntary sector to identify and deliver local priorities.

The first community councils were established in Edinburgh in 1980 in Merchiston and Longstone, and there are more than 500 community councillors across the city.

Cllr Maureen Child, Communities and Neighbourhoods Committee Convener, said: “Community councils are an ideal way to support communities to thrive. They allow people of all ages and from all backgrounds to meet and share ideas and to make change happen. They are a fantastic way of making public sector agencies aware of the needs of local areas, and can really help to make changes for the better.

“With only three days left until nominations close, I’d like to encourage anyone who’s interested in local democracy to get involved – be part of something great.”

People aged 16 years or older who are registered to vote can join. The nomination period for the community council elections runs until 4pm on Monday 26 September 2016. Elections, where required, will take place on Thursday 27 October 2016. Residents can apply as an individual or as a local interest group, such as a Parent Council, Friends of Parks or sports club.

Nomination forms are available on the City of Edinburgh Council’s website.

You can find information on each individual community council, including maps, on the Neighbourhood Partnership website, telephone 0131 469 3838 or email community.councils@edinburgh.gov.uk

Karen Lloyd
0131 469 357

Edinburgh riding high among world’s top universities

The University of Edinburgh is among the leading lights in the world of higher education, featuring 27th on the list of the world’s top learning establishments.

The University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of St. Andrews, University of Dundee and the University of Aberdeen remained in the top 200 universities for 2016-17 in the world’s most comprehensive global league table of higher education.

The new rankings mean Scotland has more institutions per head of population in the top 200 than any other country except Luxembourg.

The THE rankings examine a university’s strengths including research, knowledge transfer, international outlook and the teaching environment. Oxford University tops the league and both Cambridge and Imperial College London also feature in the top ten.

Minister for Further Education and Higher Education Shirley-Anne Somerville said: ““I welcome these figures which underline our strength in higher education and the value with which the Scottish approach is held globally. Credit is due to the staff and students at all five universities for their hard work to achieve this.

“Scotland continues to punch above its weight, having more institutions per head of population in the top 200 than any other country except Luxembourg. This continued strong performance is against a backdrop of other European universities suffering in the rankings due to the ascent of Asian institutions.

“The Scottish Government is investing over £1 billion in our higher education institutions in 2016-17, ensuring that all of our institutions receive financial support to enable them to deliver high quality teaching, world class research and knowledge exchange and remain internationally competitive.”

The five Scottish universities are ranked:

University of Edinburgh – 27^th

University of Glasgow – 88^th

University of St. Andrews – 110^th

University of Dundee – 180^th

University of Aberdeen – 188th

End of summer and time for new faces at Trinity CC

Here’s your first update of the autumn together with details of how to join Trinity Community Council. It’s really very simple. Just get two other residents who haven’t already nominated someone to sign the attached form (below) , fill in your own details, sign the second side of it and return both to Cllr Allan Jackson at Edinburgh City Chambers by 4pm on Monday 26th September.

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nomination-form-side-2

Sainsburys cyclists go the extra mile for chosen charity

Colleagues from Sainsburys Blackhall store recently took part in the BIG BIKE RIDE Challenge, cycling from Nairn to Blackhall and visiting Sainsburys stores on the way. Colleagues from Blackhall were taking part to raise money for our Local Charity of the Year – Health in Mind.

Three local boys from the Davidsons Mains Pipe Band gave their time to pipe the cyclists into store and the 170^th Girl Guide company also gave their time to Bag pack for the charity.

Colleagues from Blackhall would like to thank everyone for their support and also the customers who donated.

We have raised a total of £1,700 for our charity, Health in Mind, so far.

Gail, Sainburys Blackhall

Uncover Edinburgh’s lost past on Doors Open Days

Public invited to see ‘the Edinburgh that never was’

Historic Environment Scotland is throwing open the doors of the National Record of Scotland this weekend to reveal the hidden gems of Edinburgh’s past. Leith’s Trinity House Maritime Museum will also open its doors as part of the Scottish Civic Trust’s popular Doors Open Days programme, assembled by the Cockburn Association.

Edinburgh residents are invited to John Sinclair House on Saturday to explore the national records of architecture, design, archaeology and industry. There they will have the chance to see Edinburgh as it has never been seen before with behind the scenes tours, talks and exhibitions.

Highlights include a never before seen exhibition of Edinburgh’s historic cemeteries taken by American art curator Robert Reinhardt, and an exclusive preview of HES’s new Paul Shillabeer collection, which captures Edinburgh in the 1950s and 1960s.

Exclusive talks include ‘Unbuilt Edinburgh’, an opportunity to see how an alternative Edinburgh may have looked. The talk will focus on unbuilt projects for central Edinburgh, starting with designs by Robert Adam in the 1780s’s and travelling through to the present day.

Neil Gregory, Architecture and Industry Operational Manager at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “We’ve been curating the Scottish National Record of the Historic Environment for over a century, and it comprises over 5 million photographs, drawings and manuscripts. Doors Open Day is a great opportunity for members of the public to come and explore what we’ve got to offer. This year, we’re excited to be giving people a trip down memory lane to see photographs of how Edinburgh used to look, architectural models that have never before been on public display, as well as talks exploring plans for buildings that never made it from the drawing board to our streets.”

HES are also inviting members of the public to get hands on with history by using and adding to the National Record. Demonstrations of the Scotland’s Places and Scran websites will show visitors resources that they can use when conducting their own historical research, and the team from Scotland’s Urban Past will be on hand with information on how to become an Urban Detective.

Meanwhile in Leith, Trinity House Maritime Museum will also be opening its doors to the public. In its bicentenary year, visitors are invited to gain insight into the stories and voyages of Leith’s seafaring past with self-led tours, object handling sessions, quizzes and a free stained glass craft activity.

To mark the Year of Architecture, Innovation and Design, Trinity House will also have a temporary exhibition for visitors to enjoy, exploring 200 years of Leith’s nautical heritage. There will also be opportunities to meet painting conservators and find out more about the work they do to care for HES’s significant collection of paintings.

John Sinclair House is open on Saturday 24^th September, 9.30am – 4.30pm.

Trinity House Maritime Museum is open on Saturday 24 & Sunday 25^th September, 10am – 4pm.

For the full programme of buildings opening across Scotland, visit the Doors Open Days website http://www.doorsopendays.org.uk/

And here’s one that’s very close to home …

Ends

Get fashionABLE at Waverley Station tomorrow

COMING up tomorrow on the Scottish fashion scene this autumn: ‘fashionABLE‘ – a new fashion event demonstrating that diversity in life does not mean exclusion from the catwalk and designs.

The first fashionABLE event will be hosting a range of models from all walks of life and showcasing Asian, African and Scottish designers and models supported by Models of Diversity, lead model and founder Angel Sinclair; Tania Pramschufer from LocalMotive Markets and Network Rail.

Model line-up includes TV chef Tony Singh; comedian and TV personality Hardeep Singh Kohli; Stacy Paris from Face of Diversity; Raygan Bold from UpMo and Albert Mkony from Karibu Kilimanjaro.

Celebrity kilts specially hand-made by new-in-town design company, Braw Kilts. Local team UpMo has created a new range of stylish umbrellas, parasols and clothing specially for the event and many more designers involved.

The event will take place on a specially-created ‘accessible’ catwalk designed in ‘3D chalk’ at Platform 2 in Waverley Station in Edinburgh. The staging will have a distinct ‘jungle’ theme with bold colours, lively floral decoration and with sounds of Scottish pipes and African drum music to capture the lively mood.

Global founder of Models of Diversity, Angel Sinclair, who has championed diversity in fashion for many years, will be making a special appearance at the fashionABLE event and is giving her backing with a chance for one person to win and attend a photoshoot in London with a top stylist*.

Founder, Angel Sinclair, said: “It’s important that people with disabilities see themselves represented in fashion. Models of Diversity calls on all High Street fashion brands and retail outlets to employ models with disabilities.”

Running for the very first time in Scotland, this new fashion event is set to show how diverse styles and fashions reflecting the diversity in society in race, shape, age and ability with local, ethnic, ethical and international designs with a distinct catwalk range of Asian, African and Scottish styles.

Tania Pramschufer, director of LocalMotive Markets, said: “This event is all about inclusion and putting people at the heart of fashion making it about them and their identity – not solely the amazing fashions they will be wearing.

“The audience will see for themselves the confidence and energy that these dynamic people demonstrate as they showcase exciting and bold styles with panache.”

Giving her time and support to the fashionABLE event, Face of Diversity at A.C.E and Equal Fashion, Stacy Paris*, said: “Society is a beautiful melting pot of all different types of people, yet media and fashion doesn’t always represent the diversity we see walking down the street.

“What’s fantastic is that there seems to be a movement starting that sees more diversity across the board.

“Whether it’s disabilities, ethnicity, size or body art, these are becoming more celebrated and incorporated into mainstream marketing. This isn’t to say ‘out with the old and in with the new’, not at all!

“Inclusion and diversity is the key here! Seeing everyone represented and rubbishing taboos and the belief that people don’t want to see that is, I believe, such a massive step towards a fairer and more tolerant society on the whole and I am so excited and proud to be part of that, however big or small my role may be!”

Commenting on her involvement, Raygan Bold, UpMo, said: “I’ve got so many words about this event. It’s making me feel really positive about the future and hopefully I will get a career path out of this.”

Young business entrepreneur, Jack Hope, Braw Kilts, added: ““It was a real surprise to be asked to make the kilts for the celebrities Hardeep Singh Kohli and TV chef, Tony Singh, and we are totally delighted to be involved in this new and diverse fashion show.”

Also backing the event, Juliet Donnachie, manager of Waverley Station, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Models of Diversity to Edinburgh Waverley Station.

“The fashionABLE event on 23 September is being organised as part of our Friday Market activities as a new PLATFORM for fashion that promotes inclusivity and diversity.

“We are really looking forward to this positive, inspirational event developed through working with a number of great organisations, including Upward Mobility, an Edinburgh-based mobility support organisation.

Designers will include BRAW Kilts, Covet, Catherine Aitken, Kuma, Rachel Nutini, Selenite, UpMo, Karibu Kilimanjaro, Barakah Designer Collections, Bill Baber knitwear and make-up by Re Make Up – with more exciting designers and models to be announced.

Fashion events run at midday and 2pm

Samba and salsa at Septemberfest this Saturday

Septemberfest 2016

Community Festival at Broughton High School

East Fettes Avenue, Comely Bank

Saturday 24th September 11am – 4pm

Free Entry and lots of free activities for all ages

Fun for all the family. This years Septemberfest has a Brazilian Olympics feel to it, with lots of sports to try out, and all the usual bouncy castles, inflatable assault course, gladiators, bubble football, sumo suits and climbing tower.

The craft fair has loads of fantastic handcrafted goods. Have a go at drumming and listen to the samba band. There will be magic shows from Gary and Stone the Crow, Mr Puffins fantastic balloons, face painting, samba dance workshops and displays, music, archery, bikes, hula hoops, judo, fencing, crazy science, Ron Ray street magician and henna tattoos. Come and ring the siren on a heritage and a real fire engine. There will be lots of craft activities to try. Get your bike fixed for free with Edinburgh Cycles. Tea and cakes, BBQ, pizza, Indian food, Paella, Tango Iceblast, smoothies and ice cream.

Septemberfest 2016 is partly funded by Active Edinburgh and the Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and is supported by Active Schools and Community Learning and Development.

Free entry and many activities are free.

Facebook @septemberfestbhs