Craigroyston FC are looking for players born in 2009 to join our squad.
Craigroyston plays in SERYFA | South East Region Youth Football Association in division 4 were looking for players who are committed and a good team players
We train on Mondays and Thursdays 6.30pm-8pm and have games on Sundays around 11am.
Sustainable Granton waterfront development in the running for award
A key element in Edinburgh’s on-going waterfront regeneration programme has been nominated as Scotland’s Best Affordable Housing Development at the prestigious Herald Property Awards ceremony to be held next month in Glasgow.
The Heron Place development at Granton Harbour, completed by Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) and its subsidiary Persevere Developments in 2021, consists of 46 homes for social rent, including two wheelchair accessible flats, and 58 homes for mid market rent.
The development is being recognised for the finish of the homes, the stunning views it affords of the water and Edinburgh Marina, and its sustainability. It has achieved the lowest possible Environmental Impact Rating, contains high quality insulation and is fitted with air quality monitors throughout.
Heron Place’s contractor was CCG and the architect was Hackland + Dore. Bayne Stevenson Associates were the structural engineer, and The Keenan Consultancy was the M&E engineer.
Heather Kiteley, Group Chief Executive, Port of Leith Housing Association, said: “We’re all very proud of the extent to which Heron Place has already become a thriving element of the rapidly evolving Granton waterfront community, providing first-class, sustainable affordable homes and brilliant communities.
“Being shortlisted for Best Affordable Housing Development at the Herald Property Awards is the icing on the cake for us.”
Manuela Molendini, Associate Director, Hackland + Dore Architects, said: “We are delighted with the shortlisting of Heron Place, a successful outcome of productive team working and community engagement, resulting in a comprehensive regeneration and improvement of the site and of wider Western Granton.
“The mixed-tenure development provides a well-integrated placemaking solution that meets housing targets, delivers a strategic environment and a sustainable neighbourhood where communities feel connected and can thrive.”
The development is a key element of PoLHA’s ambitious plans to deliver more than 600 high-quality, affordable homes by 2025. You can read more about this in its strategic plan polha.co.uk/2025.
This summer, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has teamed up with Swim England to offer children aged 7 – 14 the opportunity to learn lifesaving water safety skills.
Last year, the RNLI in Scotland saw 267,191 visitors on the lifesaving charity’s eight lifeguarded beaches and expect that number to increase this summer.
Local delivery partners around the UK supported by the national governing body for swimming in England and the RNLI are running free Swim Safe sessions to teach children aged 7-14 how to stay safe in and around open water and what to do if they, or someone else, gets in difficulty – including how to Float to Live.
Since 2013, the Swim Safe programme has delivered free lifesaving sessions to more than 148,000 children across the UK.
Run by local partners with qualified lifeguards and instructors in four locations in Scotland in July and September, the sessions provide children with both water safety advice on land and in-water tuitions.
Iona Hamilton, RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor and Swim Safe Co-ordinator, said: ‘Last summer, RNLI lifeguards aided nearly 400 people across the eight beaches in Scotland. By educating children about water safety from a young age, together we can help reduce the number of incidents around our coasts.
‘Swim Safe is a great way for young people to learn about the different dangers associated with open water swimming in a safe and fun environment with qualified instructors and lifeguards.
‘We want children and parents to enjoy the beautiful beaches around Scotland but also to consider their own safety and know what to do in an emergency.’
As part of the session, participants will have the opportunity put into practice the vital message of ‘Float to Live’, which could save the lives of them or other.
This is a simple technique where you lean on your back and use your arms and legs to stay afloat. It allows you to control your breathing, then call for help or swim to safety and is proven to save lives.
The RNLI’s key water safety advice for 7-14 year-olds is:
To find out more or to sign up for a RNLI Swim Safe session, visit:
Asalaamualaikum,
Blackhall mosque is holding its very own fun day. In’shaAllah. All proceeds will go to the mosque.
There’s something for everyone. Games, Food, clothes, bouncy castle and lots more.
So we would like to invite everyone to come and enjoy the day with Blackhall Mosque. Please pass the flyer on.
Jazak Allah Khair
This month has witnessed a new zoo opening its doors and welcoming visitors to the grounds in Oxton, just north of Lauder. Bird Gardens Scotland is a not-for-profit organisation and works with some of the rarest birds as part of a global effort to help these threatened species.
The grounds are developing rapidly and with each bit of progress, more bird species arrive to be part of ever-expanding breeding programmes. It has been a great year for breeding successes thus far and the last few chicks of the season can be seen through the Baby Barn windows.
Visitors are currently enjoying a clutch of tiny ducklings taking their first wobbly steps and learning to swim in their little pond. These are ringed teal ducklings, a species becoming rarer due to rainforest loss in South America, at Bird Gardens Scotland however, they are thriving.
Visitors are able to get nose-to-beak with some of the wonderful characters in the grounds. A very curious and nosey kookaburra family enjoy people-watching as visitors walk-by.
The highlight for many visitors is the friendly flamboyance of flamingos on the main pond. Only being four years old, staff at Bird Gardens Scotland were a bit surprised when the flamingos started nest-building.
These pink delights spend hours picking up small stones and bits of mud as they create their nests just beside the main boardwalk giving visitors a thrilling close-encounter of the pinkest kind.
Mark, one of the founders of Bird Gardens Scotland said: “Being so young, we were delighted and a bit surprised that the flamingos started nest-building.
“They can live up to 70 years old and don’t usually breed until they are a bit older than four. That said, we’re not going to stop them breeding and actually we hope they’ll go all the way and make little flamingling fluff-balls.’
In the grounds is a new visitor centre with a coffee shop where freshly baked cakes and quiches can be enjoyed, washed-down with great coffee and other refreshments. The visitor centre is completely off-grid so this is your rare chance to enjoy a coffee made with Bird Gardens Scotland’s onsite spring water from a coffee-machine powered by the sun.
The natural history themed classroom in the visitor centre is getting ready to welcome school groups where children can meet tortoises, snakes and tiny frogs and learn about the conservation of the natural world. The classroom is also a quirky out-of-office meeting space and it could be the only rentable room that has the delightful song of poison dart frogs creating a charming atmosphere.
Owen, also one of the founders, and Mark’s husband, said: ‘We literally built the visitor centre during lockdown. We had materials on site and we learned a great deal as we built the building and installed the play areas.
“We are incredibly proud of ourselves for getting this far and we are very excited about the years to come.
“There are many plans to add gardens and breeding facilities. Sadly, there are many species in need of a helping hand as climate change, habitat loss, wildfires, deforestation and many other influential factors cause loss of wildlife.”
To make the bird gardens as accessible as possible, Mark and Owen decided to have a reasonable admission charge which allows entry for a whole year, this means that for the local community the site is effectively free to use and for passing visitors it is cheap to visit.
Owen said: “As a not-for-profit organisation, we wanted to get people in the doors to learn about the birds we work with and to celebrate conservation efforts with us. When people are exposed to the actual birds, a strong sense of care is naturally generated.
“This is a powerful driving force for collective change which is the only way we are going to push forward addressing environmental issues and make changes that will benefit wildlife, habitats, the planet and of course our future too.
“If Bird Gardens Scotland can contribute to that, then all our work will have been a success.”
Bird Gardens Scotland is a registered Community Interest Company.
Bird Gardens Scotland is open daily.
Admission: adult £10 & all concessions £6.50 (under 4 go-free)
Everything to date has been built, created and installed with volunteer help.
Bird Gardens is just north of the Carfraemill roundabout outside the village of Oxton.
Home to over 400 birds and wallabies.
The site is 7 acres. Half has been developed, the second half is underway.
Bird Gardens is part of the global zoo community working on effective conservation breeding.
The visitor centre is an eco-build using recycled, reclaimed and upcycled materials where possible.
River and groundwater levels are critically low in the Tyne catchment in East Lothian, with the area reaching Significant water scarcity in the latest report published by The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Businesses reliant on water abstractions are being contacted about next steps and possible licence suspensions to prevent further harm and potentially irreversible damage to the local water environment.
SEPA officers will be engaging with abstractors where suspensions are required to ensure compliance and advise restrictions will be lifted as soon as conditions improve sufficiently.
Parts of the Tweed catchment in the Scottish Borders remain in Significant water scarcity with suspensions on abstractions still in place. The rest of the area is also expected to reach this level in the coming days, along with the River Ythan catchment in Aberdeenshire.
Nathan Critchlow-Watton, Head of Water and Planning at SEPA, said: “Although we have seen some rainfall in these areas over the last week, it has not been enough to make up for the long-term deficits that have built up throughout the year.
“With more prolonged dry weather forecast, we will continue to monitor conditions and take appropriate action until the risk of water scarcity has reduced.
“Suspensions are part of Scotland’s National Water Scarcity Plan, which is designed to ensure the correct balance is struck between protecting the environment and providing resource for human and economic activity during prolonged dry periods. They are a last resort and SEPA only takes such action when the evidence tells us it can no longer be avoided.
“It is vital that business reliant on local water environments are prepared for these conditions as climate change means water scarcity is becoming a more regular occurrence. We are already seeing that this summer and we are committed to working with those affected now and in the future to help them build resilience.”
Further advice and guidance
Businesses may be able to switch to groundwater as their source and can apply to do so on our website. Applications from Significant Scarcity areas will be prioritised and fast-tracked.
Anyone concerned about meeting licence conditions or wishing to discuss contingency measures are encouraged to contact SEPA by emailing waterscarcity@sepa.org.uk
While SEPA focuses on managing abstractions from Scotland’s natural water resources for agriculture and other industrial uses, Scottish Water maintains public water supply.
For more information on water scarcity and to view the latest report, visit www.sepa.org.uk/waterscarcity.
Around 1.1 million claimant families receiving tax credits will get their first Cost of Living Payment from Friday 2 September 2022, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has confirmed.
This £326 UK Government payment will be paid automatically into eligible tax credit-only customers’ bank accounts between 2 and 7 September 2022. The first HMRC payments will total around £360 million.
Nadhim Zahawi, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “I know people are really concerned by rising prices so I’m glad that over a million more low earners will shortly receive their first Cost of Living Payment. We are also preparing options for further support so the new Prime Minister can hit the ground running.
“Alongside £400 off most people’s energy bills, tax cuts and the Household Support Fund, these direct payments are a very important part of our £37 billion package of help for households, which is targeted at those who need it most.”
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, said: “This first Cost of Living Payment will provide vital financial support for eligible tax credit-only claimants across the UK. A second payment will be made to eligible customers from the winter.
“The money will be paid automatically into bank accounts, so people don’t need to do anything to get this extra help.”
These latest payments mean that more than eight million eligible households in receipt of a means-tested benefit will have received the first of two automatic Cost of Living payments of £326 from 14 July.
The second means-tested payment of £324 will be issued later this year – from the autumn for DWP benefit claimants, and from the winter for tax credit-only customers.
Tax credit claimants who also receive benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions will have already received their first Cost of Living Payment from July 2022.
The Cost of Living payments from the UK Government are part of a £37 billion package of support, which will see millions of low-income households receive at least £1,200 this year to help cover rising costs.
As well as the Cost of Living Payment, other UK Government support includes:
This is all in addition to changes to the Universal Credit taper rate and work allowances worth £1,000 a year on average for 1.7 million working claimants; a rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour; and a tax cut for around 30 million workers through a rise in National Insurance contribution thresholds.
The UK Government is offering help for households. Customers should check GOV.UK to find out what cost of living support they could be eligible for.
Sunday 28th August is the date for the bi-annual Trinity Community Gala.
Lots to see and do! Go along and support what is always a great local event!
See below for more details:
#OperationSoteria, Edinburgh Policing Division’s city wide Operation, have been exhausting all lines of enquiry to bring offenders to account for motorcycle thefts and associated anti-social behaviour.
Over the past week, enquiries have led to the arrest of 3 individuals with significant links to motorcycle crime across Edinburgh and the execution of a warrant. This equates to a weekly total of 30 charges, and the recovery of 4 bikes, all as a direct result of our targeted activities.
Since the commencement of #OpSoteria on 20 June 2022, we have made 27 arrests. This translates to 160 charges all relating to motorcycle theft and antisocial behaviour offences and the recovery of 76 motorcycles, bringing the total value of bikes recovered since June to more than £581,713.
Anyone with information about motorcycle crime or the dangerous use of motorcycles in the capital can speak to officers confidentially and anonymously on 101, or through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Community campaigners fighting to save the Silverlea woodland, wildlife and heritage site from a housing development have condemned as “Council lies” the claim that the site is a “barren” flytipping site of “low landscape value and low recreational value with few quality trees”.
A meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council development sub-committee on 10 August flouted the Council’s own policy by approving the building of 142 houses on the green belt in the Muirhouse and the Salvesens area in north-west Edinburgh.
The Save Our Silverlea Campaign describe a photo of the site produced by the Council to justify the development as “totally misleading”.
A SoS spokesperson said: “The photo showed a big pile of flytipped waste – but when a team from Save Our Silverlea visited the site days after the Council meeting, all we found was one white plastic bag and a dumped shopping trolley. The Council photo was either very old or taken elsewhere. Councillors visited the site shortly before the meeting so they should have known the photo was ‘fake news’.”
Save Our Silverlea have produced photos of the site showing massive trees and a verdant and vibrant woodland.
30-40 mature trees are to be felled to make way for the proposed scheme.
“We defy anyone – even a Councillor – to look at these magnificent trees and say this is a “barren” flytipping site. Clearly there has been some flytipping over the years – but if the site was sympathetically opened up to the community as a mini nature reserve with low impact paths and perhaps a children’s play area, then this increased footfall would act as a deterrent to flytipping.
“The Council is effectively “saving” the site by destroying it.”
Freedom of Information request
The camapigners say the city council tried to justify the destruction of dozens of mature trees by claiming they were planting 131 saplings on the narrow strip of grass known as Silverknows Park.
At the Council meeting Save Our Silverlea spokesperson Edward Murray described the real situation: “My flat overlooks Silverknowes Park and I watched them planting these saplings out in mid-February on a bitter cold day with the ground waterlogged,” he explained.
“The end result is the vast majority of these saplings never took root. They’re dead. Are we then to exchange 30-40 mature trees for row upon row of dead twigs in plastic tubes? That doesn’t strike us as a fair exchange.”
On 16 August Save Our Silverlea submitted a Freedom of Information request asking how much the Silverknowes Park Tree Plantation cost.
At the Council meeting Edward Murray described Muirhouse, where he has lived for over 30 years, as “just a dormitory for workers to sleep in before going back to work again”.
Mr Murray added: “Muirhouse is the size of a small town; it has no primary school, no park, not even a pub. It doesn’t even have a supermarket. In short, it is a deprived area. We have nothing down there. It’s one of the most deprived areas in Edinburgh.
“And now, having taken practically everything, you want to take our last green space, the Silverlea site, for development, destroying a wildlife habitat and creating congestion and pollution along the Silverknowes/Muirhouse Parkway, described by Police Scotland as ‘the second most dangerous road in Edinburgh’.”
Save our Silverlea are continuing their campaign: “As climate change threatens the future of humanity, we need to act to defend our green spaces. This land should be used for the local community – not to make £millions for greedy property developers.
“We need much more council/ social housing – build council houses on the brownfield sites where they are now building 1000s of private houses. The struggle to save our Silverlea continues.”
