Day: October 18, 2017

Help ELREC raise funds for Roningya

Dear friends,

Help us to raise funds for Rohingya.

Described as the world’s most persecuted people: 1.1 million Rohingya people live in Myanmar. The Myanmar government treats them as stateless people. Violence broke out in northern Rakhine state on 25 August, 2017, when militants attacked government forces. In response, security forces, supported by Buddhist militia launched a “clearance operation” that has killed at least 1,000 people and forced more than 500,000 to flee their homes. The UN has warned that Myanmar’s treatment of its Rohingya minority appears to be a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.

ELREC is raising funds to help the Rohingya people who are victims of the unimaginable massacre we have observed. ELREC has launched this urgent appeal to help children and adults. All the funds collected will go directly to Rohingya refugees.

Thousands of victims are in need of your help. Your support is urgently needed, no matter how big or small. Please donate now by clicking on this link: www.gofundme.com/ELREC4rohingya

Food for 1 family: £50; food for 2 families: £100; tube-well (to install and maintain) in refugee camp: £250; shelter, medical treatment and food for 1 family: £500.

Please register with the attached sheet to join our charity cycle ride (contact details below and attached). 

When: Sunday 5th November 2017 from 11pm

Where: Meeting at 11am in front of Scottish Parliament 1 Horse Wynd, EH99 1SP   

We will cycle along the Innocent Railway on cycle paths and cycle back to the Parliament. Please bring your own bike. If you don’t have a bike please let us know; we have a limited number to lend out that will need to be picked up beforehand.

Thank you in advance for your generous donations to help the Rohingya people.

For further information, please contact Jean-Matthieu: JGaunand@elrec.org.uk or phone 0131 556 0441.

Kind regards

Foysol Choudhury MBE

Chair, Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council

 

 

Kind regards

Foysol Choudhury MBE

Chair
Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council

Modern Slavery Taskforce agrees new measures to support victims

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has announced new measures to improve identification and support for victims of modern slavery.

Three new measures to improve the way in which victims of modern slavery are identified and supported have been announced, following a meeting of the Prime Minister’s Modern Slavery Taskforce on Monday. Continue reading Modern Slavery Taskforce agrees new measures to support victims

Young Start empowers sporting Scots to have their say

An apprenticeship programme designed to empower young people who have a disability to have a voice in shaping sporting activity in Scotland receives £49,985 of Young Start funding being awarded today.  Disability Sport (SDS) is one of five groups sharing in £206,196 of funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Young Start programme, thanks to dormant bank and buildings account money.  Continue reading Young Start empowers sporting Scots to have their say

The changing face of Craigmillar

It’s not only Muirhouse that’s changing – the regeneration of Craigmillar continues apace …

Glasgow-based construction firm CCG (Scotland) Ltd is continuing to deliver affordable housing for the city of Edinburgh with a sustained focus in the east of the city where the company is currently building 111 new affordable homes as part of the first phase of the Craigmillar Town Centre Masterplan on behalf of Dunedin Canmore – part of Wheatley Group. Scheduled for completion in summer 2018, sites 19 and 20 will consist of 54 new homes for social rent and a further 57 for mid-market rent.

The Craigmillar Town Centre Masterplan will see this entire area in the East of the city transformed through the creation of more affordable homes and a new retail centre, along with a public square and neighbouring community play park.

The new development at sites 19 and 20 builds on other work CCG has delivered in the area over the past three years, including the development of the former Niddrie Mill Primary School into ‘The Schoolhouse’ – a mixed-tenure development of 66 homes, as well as the creation of the Thistle Foundation Centre for Health and Wellbeing.

CCG Director, Calum Murray said: “These 111 new homes will provide high quality, affordable housing for the community of Craigmillar as well as contributing toward the city’s affordable housing supply. These are not the only benefits as through this development CCG is also creating valued work placements and apprenticeships with four trade apprentices currently based on site, as well as donating money and resources to local initiatives such as the Craigmillar Literacy Trust, Grass Roots Clothing and the Castlebrae School Memorial Garden.”

The new homes are being constructed using a timber frame system that is manufactured in CCG’s bespoke off-site manufacturing facility in Cambuslang. Delivered to site complete with insulation, internal wall linings, windows and doors pre-installed, the system brings assurances of quality and a faster speed of construction – the entire development was completed wind and water tight in just 29 weeks. Also highly energy efficient, the thermal performance of the timber frame system will bring long-term energy savings for future residents who will begin to move in early 2018.

As Craigmillar 19 and 20 has progressed, CCG has also worked with the City of Edinburgh Council on an additional development in Craigmillar, sites 12-15, as well as a new 75-home residential development in Greendykes.

Mr Murray continued:  “The Craigmillar Town Centre Masterplan is a project for the long term as we hope to deliver a further 194 homes at Craigmillar 12-15 in 2018. In addition, we are continuing to work in other areas of the city and the new development at Greendykes will bring much needed affordable housing to the area. Our developments team has worked tirelessly to bring this site forward and we hope to have our spades in the ground in summer 2018.”

Housing and Economy Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, Cllr Gavin Barrie added: “These new developments at Craigmillar town centre will provide much needed new housing in the east of Edinburgh, with homes for social and mid-market rent.

“The developments in Greendykes and Craigmillar are a brilliant example of how the Council and our housing association partners are delivering on the joint commitment to build 20,000 new affordable homes in Edinburgh over the next 10 years.

“The Council’s commitment alongside Dunedin Canmore won’t just deliver new homes – we expect our investment to deliver community benefits, provide opportunities for local businesses as well as allowing apprentices to continue their training.”

NMC to amend English language requirements for applicants trained outside the UK

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has today announced that it is making alternative options available for nurses and midwives, trained outside the UK, to demonstrate their English language capability. Continue reading NMC to amend English language requirements for applicants trained outside the UK

Envelope collection raises funds for Marie Curie

The Edinburgh South Fundraising Group organised an envelope collection to raise money for Marie Curie. Over the past few weeks volunteer collectors visited homes in their local streets to collect donations from people who would like to support the charity.

A total of £823.20 was collected and will be used to help Marie Curie provide expert care, guidance and support to help people living with a terminal illness and their families.

Fiona Bushby, Community Fundraiser for Marie Curie said: “The support of the community is greatly appreciated and we would like to thank everyone who donated. We also would like to thank all our volunteers who made this collection possible.”

If you would like to find out how you could help Marie Curie in other ways, please contact Fiona Bushby on 0131 470 2290 or email Fiona.bushby@mariecurie.org.uk

The science of rock and roll! The rock music milkshake maker

The epic guitar riffs just as capable of mixing you a delicious drink as any kitchen utensil are identified using sound energy …

 

  • Stirring invention by The Big Bang Fair (www.thebigbangfair.co.uk) marked registrations opening
  • Scientists* identified that classic shredding tunes from Foo Fighters and Kings of Leon worked best for mixing drinks
  • The Rock Music Milkshake Mixer will be on display at The Big Bang Fair 2018 where guests will have the opportunity to pick up the axe and mix a milkshake for themselves
  • Schools across the country can request to have the RM3 sent to them for a unique way to demonstrate the science of cymatics ** 

The Big Bang Fair challenged a team of inventors, scientists and musicians to make a delicious beverage with music.  The result was the world’s first ever milkshakes mixed entirely with sound energy from live music!

The music-made beverages were not the result of mellow pop tunes by Justin Bieber or Ed Sheeran however, but the raw power of rock music. Indeed, during the unusual experiment, the team found they would have the greatest success in their musically moving milkshake endeavours by turning to powerful guitar riffs from stadium bands Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon and even Blink-182. 

So how is it possible to make these delicious shakes solely through the power of sound energy? With a standard electric guitar and a somewhat less standard madcap contraption that was one-part guitar amplifier and one-part kitchen blender, that’s how. 

Bringing together the worlds of education, science, music and kitchenware in a way never seen before, The Rock Music Milkshake Mixer (or the RM3 for short) has been created to mark registrations opening for The Big Bang Fair 2018. The Big Bang Fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK. For more information visit www.thebigbangfair.co.uk 

Beth Elgood, Director of Communications at EngineeringUK, who organise The Big Bang Fair, said: “Going into its tenth year in 2018 The Big Bang Fair continues to be a great source of STEM inspiration for young people, representing an amazing opportunity for young visitors, their teachers and parents to get hands-on with a wide range of activities, workshops and shows. With this in mind, we’re delighted to unveil the unique Rock Music Milkshake Mixer prototype today, which is sure to be another popular interactive exhibit at this year’s show.”

 So how does the RM3 work? First pour powdered milkshake and milk into the jug and screw the top on tight. Next, plug in an axe (that’s a guitar), ready your plectrum and start playing some crunching riffs at max volume (ideally volume 11). 

Now marvel as cymatics (that’s the visualisation of sound through a physical medium – in this case milkshake) allows you to witness the hard rock sound waves, emitted from the speaker, coming into contact with the milkshake mixture and vigorously vibrating it. Soon enough, you’ll have a deliciously thick drink, made entirely through the power of sound energy. 

Year 7 students at Westminster Academy in London were the first to try the revolutionary new prototype earlier this week, where it was officially launched by The Blowfish, the world’s only heavy metal marine biologist. 

The Blowfish commented: “Metal music and science are two of my biggest passions, so when I was offered the chance to launch the Rock Music Milkshake Mixer, it was an absolute no-brainer. I’m a big believer in finding new and innovative ways to get kids excited about science and the world around them. What better way of achieving that than by harnessing the epic power of rock music to make a tasty, delectable treat?” 

The RM3 will be on display, and free for guests to try out at The Big Bang Fair 2018, which is due to take place at the NEC in Birmingham in March next year. For more information visit www.thebigbangfair.co.uk