Good health, wellbeing and friendships in later life are to be encouraged and celebrated at a free event dedicated to Edinburgh’s growing number of older people this Thursday. Continue reading ‘Stage not Age’ celebrated in Older Adults event
Month: October 2016
Part of the Union!
On the first Monday of each month a top team from Urban Union meets at Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre to ensure that Pennywell redevelopment progress is on track.
We wish you well and look forward to a new and improved Muirhouse
Pictured (left to right):
Robin McAndie ( Quantity Surveyor), Rachael Fraser (Project Manager), Steven Anderson (Technical Manager), Caroline Wallace (Commercial Manager)
To learn more about Urban Union click: HERE
JAMES McGINTY
Dare you take the Monumental Challenge?
The City of Edinburgh Council is challenging residents to climb two of the city’s tallest monuments for the chance to win the experience of a lifetime.
Seafood Week: Fish Art!
Seafood has taken over the country… quite literally!
To celebrate Seafood Week 2016 [October 7 to 14] Seafish, the UK industry authority on seafood has partnered with Food is Art to create pukka portraits of some of the country’s most famous landmarks. From the Fish Rail Bridge to the White Cliffs of Dover Sole and the Giant’s Codway, you certainly won’t look at these “plaices” in the same way again…!
Made out of salubrious species including mackerel, mussels and sprats these seafood sights are truly a feast for the eyes!
Heather Middleton from Seafish said: “We’re so impressed with our fish inspired landmarks, we actually did a double take to check that they weren’t the real thing. Seafood Week is all about having fun and enjoying more seafood, more often, and we hope people across the country will love our aquatic art as much as we do!
“If our fish-tastic works of art get your tummy rumbling, make sure to check out scrumptious recipes you can create at home by visiting Fish is the Dish online.”
Seafood Week started with a splash yesterday as the twitterverse mades waves during the second annual #fishpunday. Users were challenged to a ‘pun off’, where fish fans turn their favourite celebrities, musicians, films or famous lines into something truly spectacular to share with friends.
Over the course of the week, Seafish is calling on the public to explore the wonderful variety of species available in the UK, showing that no matter the budget, time or location, seafood is always a healthy, delicious and simple option.
For recipe ideas check out Fish is the Dish: http://www.fishisthedish.co.uk/recipes
To find out more information about Seafood Week 2016, visit the official website here: www.seafoodweek.co.uk
1) White cliffs of Dover sole:
A selection of cooked white fish such as cod, dover sole, pollock and haddock, for the cliffs and a mushy pea landscape, breadcrumb beach and white fish flakes as waves.
2) Giant’s Codway:
A selection of cooked fish cakes made with cod and haddock, with curly parsley and dill “seaweed”. Mussel shells and oysters as rocks with curly kale as the green landmass in the distance.
3) Isle of Wight Needles:
Made with fresh cod loin fillets as the needles, surrounded by sprats, the cliffs made with fresh cod loin and mushy peas. The lighthouse is made with fresh seafood sticks and a lemon as the light, set on the sea with a lemon sunrise.
4) Edinburgh Castle:
Castle made with cooked fish fingers and marinated anchovies roof, set on top of the craggy rock made from cooked mackerel fillets, cooked king prawns, whole cooked crab, cooked mussels and cockles in shells, cooked breaded plaice pieces, dressed with fresh purple broccoli, green broccoli, potatoes, kale, chard and parsley.
5) Fish falls:
Streaming waterfalls made from whole sea bass, whole sardines, whole mackerel, whole sprats and mussels as the rocks, with gushing water falls made from fresh cod and haddock and ice. The setting of green is created from chard, kale, parsley, cabbage, broccoli and cavolo nero.
6) Fish Rail Bridge:
The iconic diamond shapes of this bridge have been created by using whole sea bream, with carrot pillars and fresh mussels, set on water to create reflections like the real bridge does, set with a kale landmass in the distance and mussel rocks in the foreground.
Prizes for Drumbrae Leisure Centre’s Active Art winners
Edinburgh children who took part in a ActiveArt competition to celebrate the relaunch of Edinburgh Leisure’s Drumbrae Leisure Centre, have received their prizes from Olympian swimmer and silver medallist, Robbie Renwick and Drumbrae’s Manageress, Emily Neil. Continue reading Prizes for Drumbrae Leisure Centre’s Active Art winners
A Bra-lliant night for breast cancer awareness
Weather Forecaster Kirsty McCabe, Ab Fab star Harriet Thorpe and girl group The Tootsie Rollers were just three big names showing their support for breast cancer charity Walk the Walk on Tuesday. The event, which marked the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as well as celebrating the grant-making charity’s 20th birthday, took place at the Good Housekeeping Institute in Soho.
Around 70 special guests were treated to an exclusive exhibition of bras signed by a host of celebrities, which have been created by world-renowned designers. The collection included a Lorraine Kelly bra by Barbour, a Joey D belt design, a Little Mix bra by Jane Bowler, and an Alan Carr bra by Julien Macdonald. An Ab Fab bra signed by Harriet Thorpe and Jennifer Saunders, created by Victoria Grant added an extra touch of sparkle, and a BAFTA bra by Sandy Powell gave the event some red carpet glamour. A Zandra Rhodes design, an intriguing Nina Saunders sculpture, and a special Good Housekeeping bra completed the collection.
Talking about her bra, TV Presenter Lorraine Kelly said: “It’s good to see the world of fashion helping to raise awareness for breast cancer, so I am thrilled that Barbour have designed this fabulous bra with me in mind for Walk the Walk. The amount raised over the years is incredible and has made a real difference to those affected by breast cancer.”
Nina Barough, Founder and Chief Executive of Walk the Walk added: “As part of our 20 year celebrations, hosted by Good Housekeeping, Walk the Walk held an exhibition of designer bras. It was a fantastic opportunity, to not only raise awareness by displaying some of our wonderful creations, but to also talk about our hopes for the future. Over the past 20 years Walk the Walk has been able to make a significant contribution into the research and knowledge that we now have of primary cancers. Going forward our aim is to do the same to further research into secondary cancers, giving all cancer patients the same hope and opportunities.”
The bra is the trademark of Walk the Walk, and thanks to the thousands of Walkers wearing decorated bras as they take part in the charity’s MoonWalk Scotland, and other events, more than £113 million has been raised in total, with £19 million raised for breast cancer causes in Scotland alone.
Walk the Walk has made £30 million in grants to Breast Cancer Now for research, and in Scotland has made a number of grants to help people living with cancer, including to Maggie’s Cancer Care Centres in Glasgow and Airdrie, while Walk the Walk is also the principle funder of Maggie’s Forth Valley, which is due to open in Larbert later this year.
Additionally, Walk the Walk has its own special project, providing funding to hospitals across Scotland to purchase Scalp Cooling systems, special machines which help many people undergoing chemotherapy to retain their hair
The MoonWalk Scotland takes place on Saturday 10th June 2017. Sign up at walkthewalk.org
Six arrests and one jailed in motorbike clampdown
Six men have been charged as part of a police crackdown on motorbike theft and anti-social behaviour in North Edinburgh. Four bikes were recovered during police operations on Wednesday and Thursday. Continue reading Six arrests and one jailed in motorbike clampdown
Edinburgh foodbanks to receive donation boost for Seafood Week
Trussell Trust, the UK anti-poverty charity which runs a network of over 420 foodbanks, has partnered with Seafish, the UK industry authority on seafood, to call for donations of tinned seafood to local foodbanks as part of Seafood Week 2016 (7 -14 October). Continue reading Edinburgh foodbanks to receive donation boost for Seafood Week
Gran says: ‘Well done, Scott – but mind your phone bill!’
The 92 year-old resident of a Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association development in Edinburgh has spoken of her delight at her grandson winning a Paralympic silver medal when he visited her at her home.
Edinburgh born Scott Quin won silver in the S14 100m Breaststroke and visited his grandma, May Patton, at her flat in Juniper Green on Monday. May has lived in Hanover’s St Margaret’s Court for almost 36 years, having previously worked as a sheltered housing manager at the development, retiring in 1991.
Scott was given only a three per cent chance of survival when he was born with Crouzon syndrome and underwent major reconstructive surgery as a baby to break almost every bone in his face; as a result he has learning difficulties and tunnel vision.
May said that watching the nail-bitingly close race from her living room in Edinburgh, in which Scott missed out on gold by just three-hundredths of a second, was “superb” and that she “erupted with joy” when he took silver.
After the race, Scott called his Grandma from Rio to tell her of his win and May joked to “mind your time for the phone bill!”
May has been with Scott every step of the way since he started swimming at the age of seven and has attended as many of his swim meets as possible over the years, seeing him win silver in the SB14 100m Breaststroke at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow last year. She still goes every Wednesday with her daughter, Scott’s mother Eileen, to collect him from his strength and conditioning training at Heriot Watt University.
May said: “I know all the hard work that he has put in and the countless 4am starts for his morning training sessions. Seeing him beam with happiness and standing on the podium in Rio is something I will never forget!”
Scott trains up to nine times a week at the Commonwealth pool. He said his time at the Rio Paralympics was an “incredible experience”, adding that he and his fellow team GB athletes would alternate wearing their blue GB tracksuit one day and their white the next.
Tammy Easton, Development Manager at St Margaret’s Court, said: “We are all so immensely proud of Scott. All of the development was egging him on and we can’t quite believe we’ve had a Paralympian visit us here!”
New priorities for policing as locals call for action on joyriding
Police Scotland to strengthen community focus – and North Edinburgh calls for action on joyriders
Scotland needs an increasingly resilient, flexible, responsive and locally-focused police service to help keep communities safe. This is the message at the heart of the new Strategic Police Priorities set by the Scottish Government, which also recognise the need to tackle new and developing threats to the public, including cybercrime.
Localism, inclusion, prevention, responsiveness, collaborative working, accountability and adaptability are the seven themes that will inform policing priorities in Scotland in the years to come, launched earlier this week.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson launched the priorities in West Lothian with Chief Constable Phil Gormley, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority Andrew Flanagan and COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, Councillor Harry McGuigan.
Mr Matheson said: “With recorded crime in Scotland at a 42 year low, I am confident that policing in Scotland is on the right track. We have a world class police system in Scotland, supported by a hugely dedicated and professional workforce who work each and every day to secure the safety and wellbeing of people and communities across the country.
“I believe that the new Strategic Police Priorities, developed following extensive consultation with people from across Scotland and key partners, will be key to shaping the future of policing in this country and will ensure Police Scotland remain a progressive and forward-looking service.”
Andrew Flanagan, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority, said: “In line with the new Strategic Police Priorities published today, the SPA have initiated work which will deliver a clear long-term vision and strategy for policing now and over the next 10 years. It will have a strong focus on the quality of service that Scotland needs from its policing, how we develop new capabilities, and deliver improved benefits for our communities.
“Through that we are committed to ensuring that the police have a workforce which has the skills and capability to meet the changing demands they face, within a shared direction and purpose for the single service that unites police professional and citizen alike.”
Chief Constable Phil Gormley added: “We welcome the publication of these strategic priorities for policing as we move forward with the transformation of the service in Scotland. Policing in Scotland, which is built on a really solid foundation and traditions that are the envy of many, needs to be locally relevant and have the confidence of our communities.
“We also need to ensure that the protection communities require to tackle emerging threats and risks is available where and when required. The majority of what officers and staff deal with on a daily basis, around the clock, every day of the year relates to calls for service – people calling us at a time of crisis and need and we need to make sure we respond by having the strategic priorities set out today at the heart of what we do and how we do it.”
Cllr McGuigan said: “The priorities set out by the Scottish Government are to be welcomed by all and COSLA is particularly pleased to see the clear emphasis on localism. It also gives us great encouragement to know that Police Scotland’s work will incorporate prevention, collaborative working and accountability.
“The police do not simply respond to crime, they are also there to help prevent crime and keep our communities safe along with other partners at a local level. The Strategic Police Priorities reflect that message and set a solid foundation for Police Scotland to continue their good work within our communities.”
On the day the prominent politicians and police officiers were launching their new priorities, school pupils on lunch break were watching a teenage joyrider playing cat and mouse with police in and around Muirhouse Shopping Centre. And if crime’s at a 42 year low, it certainly doesn’t feel like it to some local residents who fear letting their children out to play in case they are struck by dangerously driven motorbikes.
There’s little doubt about the most pressing crime issue in North Edinburgh just now: youths recklessly riding motor bikes. Local politicians and Police Scotland will meet community representatives next Wednesday to discuss the issue, which is causing increasing anger and concern across the area.
Stolen motorbikes being driven recklessly has been a longstanding problem in North Edinburgh and has spiked again over recent weeks. Back in June 14- year old Brad Williamson died when a motorbike he was riding collided with a car in Silverknowes, last month a stolen car driven by youths plunged into a garden on Graothill Road North in Drylaw and there have been numerous near-misses over recent weeks in West Pilton and Pennywell. In a new twist, there have been reports of pedestrians being assaulted by passing motorcyclists.
Five arrests were made yesterday but arrests alone, however welcome, will not make the problem go away.
It’s a real concern and there’s universal agreeement that something must be done to address the joyriding issue before someone else is killed or seriously injured. The problem is: just what?