Month: November 2019

Showdown at Sundown at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop

SATURDAY 30th NOVEMBER

3pm – 5.30pm. Free, no need to book

Join us on the 30 November 3.00 – 5.30pm to celebrate the year’s end. Following on from the success of last year, on the 30th of November we will be running Showdown at Sundown, the 2nd ESW annual winter event.

There will be a chance to see the work of our artists as they open the doors of their studios, performances, a screening of Juliana Capes’ film Sunset Reports, artist-made games, a workshop and a smoke firing in the courtyard and the opening of the new exhibition, Display Copy, in the Hawthornvale Space. There will be winter themed refreshments provided by MILK and the event will be finished off with drinks and music from Karate Priest.

https://edinburghsculpture.org/whats-on/showdown-at-sundown/https://edinburghsculpture.org/whats-on/showdown-at-sundown/

Giant Lanterns: Lost Worlds at Edinburgh Zoo

Giant Lanterns are back at Edinburgh Zoo
Returning for a third year in a brand new trail, light up your winter at Giant Lanterns: Lost Worlds. With a prehistoric theme featuring “roar-some” dinosaurs and much more, you’ll be transported back to a time where weird and wonderful creatures roamed the Earth and will discover over 570 million years of wildlife.

This huge scale event will have over 600 lanterns on show with an extended route this year, so there’s more to explore this winter at Edinburgh Zoo!
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland welcomed over 3,000 people through the doors of Edinburgh Zoo last week when Giant Lanterns Lost Worlds opened to the public.

Having spent two months installing hundreds of lanterns inspired by prehistoric creatures, the wildlife conservation charity launched the 47-night extravaganza on Friday 15 November.

Lyndy Donaldson, events and experiences manager at Edinburgh Zoo, said “We are thrilled to bring Giant Lanterns back to the zoo this winter and delighted to see our visitors are just as excited about our new Lost Worlds theme as we are.

“This year we have brought 570 million years of incredible wildlife to light, revealing some of the amazing creatures that once lived on our planet and raising awareness of the very real threat of extinction faced today by endangered species around the world.

“Highlights include a tyrannosaurus rex, a 32-foot-tall volcano, a gigantic 65-foot-long snake and new interactive elements along the trail. As Scotland’s only Chinese lantern festival, it’s a fantastic experience for all the family.”

Tickets for Giant Lanterns Lost Worlds start at £8.50 for children and £17 for adults and are available at www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/lanterns. Visitors are encouraged to book online in advance to secure their preferred date and time.

The Giant Lanterns of China run in partnership with the VYA Creative Lantern Company and DDM Entertainment and Events Inc., and is sponsored by The Confucius Institute for Scotland.
BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Not again? Concerns over new student housing development in Leith

Residents have raised concerns about new plans to build yet another block of student flats in Leith.

Developers are about to submit proposals for a six-story building on Iona Street, off Leith Walk, which would house over 500 people across student accommodation and residential flats.   Continue reading Not again? Concerns over new student housing development in Leith

Success for Edinburgh College at CDN College Awards

Two awards for Edinburgh College at CDN Awards 2019

Edinburgh College scooped two honours at the sectors major awards ceremony last night – celebrating the talent of both its students and staff.

Dean Clark, a 32-year-old HND Retail Management student (above), was named Student of the Year at the College Development Network (CDN) College Awards for the positive impact he had on others while establishing the College’s first ever student-led shop, Bizarre Bazaar.

Dean, who is from Wester Hailes, project-managed a team of his fellow retail students as well as working alongside students and staff from the College’s Built Environment and Creative Industries faculties to create the new shop in a bid to gain first-hand experience of setting up and running a new small business.

In addition, Dean recruited volunteers from a programme aimed at supporting people seeking employment, a programme Dean previously went through himself. References have since been provided for the volunteers to help them in looking for future work.

The College’s second prize of the night was awarded to the Marketing team. The collected the Marketing and Communications category for their ‘Your Future Starts Now’ exam results campaign.

The team developed an integrated campaign aimed at increasing applications, application conversion and to improve customer service following Exam Results Day. The team’s activity led to a 258% increase in applications compared to the same three-day period the previous year.

In addition, recent BMus graduate Jack McKenzie was commended in the Student of the Year category after he saved the College’s orchestra from disbanding and led it to play shows across Scotland. The team behind the creation of Engineering’s HNC Mechanical Engineering (Enhance Distance Learning) was also commended in the Digital Learning category.

Student of the Year Dean Clark said: “I’m thrilled to have won this award. When we set out to create Bizarre-Bazaar, we really just wanted to get some real-life experience of retail, however, it grew to be an amazing project which brought different areas of the College together.

“To receive this recognition for this is brilliant and makes me feel very proud.”

Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “What a great achievement for the staff and students at Edinburgh College.

“Congratulations to Dean, our retail superstar who achieved so much during his time with at the College. His legacy is more than the retail space he worked hard to create, but also the impact he had on classmates and lecturers. Well done, Dean.

“Our Marketing team are also thoroughly deserving of their award. The team worked tirelessly on a terrific campaign to ensure school leavers and others receiving exam results could make the best possible decisions to help them pursue their chosen careers.

“Well done also to Jack McKenzie and our Engineering curriculum team who received commendations on the night.

“Everyone at Edinburgh College is very proud of you all, congratulations.”

Surprise award for Renaissance Care exec

Robert Kilgour has been recognised at a prestigious evening awards ceremony celebrating the best of the independent care home sector in Scotland.

88% of all care home support in Scotland is delivered by the independent sector, with these services caring for over 33,000 older individuals and employing nearly 46,000 people.

Robert Kilgour, the Executive Chairman of Renaissance Care has won the Special Recognition category at the Scottish Care Awards 2019.

This surprise award recognises an individual who has made a sustained contribution to the care home sector over many years, driving positive change in both care services and more widely across Scotland.

Robert received his unexpected award, which was sponsored by Quality Compliance Systems. at an Awards Ceremony on 15 November at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow. The Awards Ceremony were hosted by Michelle McManus, with nearly 700 people attending.

Rob Harper, Non-Executive Director of Renaissance Care, who put Robert forward for the award, said: “Robert’s involvement within the cares sector has spanned 30 years since founding Four Seasons Health Care in Scotland some 30 years ago, to the present-day organisation of Renaissance Care, which is recognised as a high-quality family business in Scotland.

“During this period, he has continued to develop services for older people and championed the need for high quality care at a reasonable cost.”

“Robert is a regular contributor to independent panels and newspaper articles. Whilst followed by journalists in view of his ability to summarise issues and opportunities within the care sector, he has used this to highlight and further the excellent work undertaken by the independent care sector.

“He has always displayed a positive approach to service provision in the care sector and has been well respected by all stakeholders.”

The care awards followed a full day conference for the care home sector with speakers including Professor George Crooks, CEO of the Digital Health and Care Institute and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Ms Jeane Freeman MSP.

The Scottish Care National Care Home Conference & Exhibition, which is now in its 20th year and was sponsored by the Clydesdale & Yorkshire Bank, has incorporated an awards ceremony for the last 15 years.

The conference focus this year was on the essential role of care homes in supporting individuals within a demographic reality of an ageing population and more complex care needs.

It also highlighted their importance within communities and the criticality of care homes in delivering positive outcomes and relieving pressure on other health and care services including hospitals. The conference explored topics as diverse as the role of technology, design approaches to future care, LGBTI recognition, intergenerational support, dentistry and workforce.

The conference, exhibition and care awards are the largest of their kind for the care home sector in Scotland.

For more information visitwww.scottishcare.org