The city council’s ‘exciting eco friendly’ proposals to transform Granton Waterfront will be on display at Edinburgh College Granton Campus from 20th February – 6th March.
You can also drop in to speak to staff at the College 4-7pm on Thursday 20 February.
An award-winning project working to divert young people away from a life in organised crime has begun work in Edinburgh.
Action for Children’s Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service has been running in Glasgow since 2013. As part of a roll-out to areas across the UK, funded by £4.6 million from The National Lottery Community Fund, it will now support young people in Edinburgh on the cusp of organised crime.
The internationally recognised project uses ‘peer mentors’, many themselves former young offenders, to support young people on the cusp of organised crime. Analysis into the programme has showed that out of 49 young people supported over a year, just four offended after receiving support.
Now launching in Edinburgh, the service will offer targeted support to 11 to 18-year-olds through intensive one-to-one support, peer mentoring, education and employment training.
Since launching in Glasgow in 2013 the project has worked with more than a 150 young people. The service was created by Paul Carberry, the charity’s Director for Scotland, after he was invited to join the Scottish Government’s ‘Serious Organised Crime Task force’. There, he chairs the ‘Divert’ strand which has the objective of diverting young people from becoming involved in Serious Organised Crime and using its products.
In 2017/18, a study from Glasgow City Council showed that by diverting four ‘high risk’ young people from secure care, the project represented a saving of over half a million pounds for the council over a six-month period. (see Notes to Editors).
In November 2019 the project won the ‘Young People’s Project of the Year’ at the Herald Society award and this was followed up with the ‘Excellence’ award in December at the prestigious European Social Services Awards.
Councillor Alison Dickie, Education Vice Convener of Education, Children and Families for the City of Edinburgh Council, and one of the two elected members on the Public Protection Committee, said: “There is absolutely nothing more important than protecting our children and the success Action for Children have achieved with this project cannot be under-estimated.
“Serious organised crime has a significant impact on the lives of young people, their families and local communities. This project works by intervening early and helping vulnerable young people who risk getting dragged into a downward spiral of crime which they then can’t escape.
“It is right that Edinburgh has been chosen as the next city to benefit from the service and I’m convinced it will have a positive impact on turning some of our most vulnerable young people’s lives around. As part of this work, it is essential that we raise awareness and increase training for professionals in this area so that they can spot the signs of young people being exploited before it’s too late.
“The Council works really closely with police, schools and other partners in tackling and preventing crime and this new project will significantly build on the positive work already taking place in Edinburgh.”
Paul Carberry, Action for Children Director for Scotland and chair of the ‘Divert’ strand of the Serious Organised Crime Task Force, said: “We are very proud to be launching our Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service to Edinburgh.
“Each year, we will be working with 80 young people in Edinburgh. Many of these young people are heavily embedded in organised crime, growing up in families where organised crime has been a generational thing. So, for them, it isn’t a quick fix, they require a prolonged period of work and have previously refused to work with other statutory services. We recognise the need to give young people alternatives, we need to get them into employment and get them the right support and help.
“We believe that the best way to do this is by example and giving young people role models who have been on the journey themselves and our ‘Peer Mentors’ are our most powerful tool.
“Since 2013, this project has worked intensively with more than 150 young people across Glasgow, diverting them away from a life in serious organised crime and into positive opportunities including education, training and employment. The role of Peer Mentors has been critical to that.
“We are proud to be now working in partnership with Edinburgh City Council, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government to deliver this ground-breaking work. When it comes to dealing with serious organised crime, Scotland is leading the way. Now, thanks to funding from The National Lottery, we are able to deliver this work in Edinburgh.”
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf MSP said: “It is essential to do everything possible to prevent children and young people being drawn into serious organised crime and to stop the cycles of lifetime offending.
“The fact that fewer than 1 in 10 of those supported by this project went on to reoffend is testament to powerful role that peer-mentors play in encouraging young people to make positive life choices. I congratulate Action for Children, the National Lottery and other partners in extending this life-changing and potentially life-saving project to Edinburgh.”
Neil Ritch, National Lottery Community Fund Director for Scotland, said: “The Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service is a great example of a successful service which began in Scotland and is now being replicated in other areas of the UK, thanks to £4.6 million of National Lottery funding.
“I’m delighted that Edinburgh is one of the places that will be able to benefit from this expansion which will give many more young people the opportunity to make positive life changing choices.”
The project will also be rolled out in Newcastle and Cardiff in April.
Case study:
Kieran* (19) has been supported by Action for Children’s Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service. Life is a lot less volatile for him now, he lives with his girlfriend and has a full-time job in a kitchen. But life was very different growing up.
He grew up in a Glasgow estate, rife with drugs and drug dealing. It was almost natural for Kieran to fall into a criminal way of life. “When you live where I did, you didn’t really have a choice,” he said. “Up and down the stairs in the flats I stayed in there were people injecting into their arms. I saw that from the age of five.”
Not long out of primary school, he came to the attention of organised crime groups in the area and was given drugs to sell. “By 11, I was selling drugs and being paid in cigarettes. It started with cannabis then moved to valium and harder stuff including heroin.”
As he grew older, the nature of the crimes became more serious. “I was involved with gangs, battering people, stealing cars to order and selling drugs – it was all about making money. As I got older, if people didn’t pay us, we were sent to their door. It was out of control however, that’s what we were told to do and if we wanted money, we did it.”
Eventually, as the crimes got more serious and violent, the police became involved. Kieran knew he needed to make a break away from his criminal ties and hasn’t looked back since being referred to the Action for Children project.
“I couldn’t go back there now – the same people are still in control of that estate. It would have been a lot easier to stay where I was and making the money I was, but it was made through violence and drugs. That’s my old life and I’m glad it’s not the life I have now. It’s not the future I want for my family.”
TODAY: PUBLIC INFORMATION DAY at CRAIGLEITH RETAIL PARK
First Session – Tuesday 25 February
Following last years success, the Pride Plays is Scotland’s first ever LGBTQI+ playwright festival.
As part of LGBT History Month Scotland, Pride Plays are back and continuing to give the stage to voices of a community who still feel under represented in Scottish theatre.
There will be 2 evenings, with 2 different plays per night, by originally written plays by LGBTI+ writers in Scotland. Each evening will be followed by a post-show discussion led by the director, playwright and public figure.
The plays will be performed as part of the LGBT History Month Scotland on the 14th and 15th February 2020 at, and in association with, Scotland’s leading new writing theatre, the Traverse Theatre.
Last year’s festival was the first venture of Shift, a theatre company born out of a desire to provoke action. Shift, founded by theatre makers Sarah Masson and Connel Burnett, challenges outdated social and political inequalities – fusing theatre with activism.
Pride Plays are giving people who identify as LGBTI+ a platform for their voices to be heard in Scottish theatre. The festival is also seeking to grow the body of work by those in the LGBTI+ community in Scotland and challenge the programmers to address the underrepresentation of LGBT+ voices.
Co-Artistic Director of Shift, Sarah Masson, said: “We were quite taken aback by the success of last year. When you are starting something from scratch, you never know how it will be received.
“The success of last year made it clear that there is an appetite for this work – from the impassioned conversations in the bar afterwards to the opportunities that the writers secured afterwards.”
Co-Artist Director of Shift, Connel Burnett, said: “Whilst LGBTQIA+ writers continue to be underrepresented on our stages, Pride Plays will continue. Now more than ever, the importance of representation is crucial and there is still a lot of work to be done.
“LGBTQIA+ rights are being threatened and theatre can play a crucial role in allowing their voices to be heard.”
The Count 14 tour, set to visit 12 locations across Scotland, rolls into Lidl Craigmillar on Sunday to put shoppers’ knowledge of what 14 units means in terms of alcoholic drinks to the test.
With the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines stating men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week to reduce the risks of harm, the roadshow will challenge shoppers to estimate how many of their favourite drinks make up the weekly maximum guideline, and staff will be on hand to bring to life how quickly 14 units can add up.
The guidelines also highlight that if people do regularly drink around 14 units per week, it should be spread over three days or more, with some alcohol-free days.
Regularly exceeding the recommended maximum weekly guideline increases the risk of developing a range of health problems, including cancer of the mouth, throat and breast.
The Scottish Government’s Count 14 campaign, backed by NHS Lothian, aims to help people understand how their weekly drinking adds up.
Dr. Frederike Garbe, Consultant in Public Health, NHS Lothian said: “When it comes to drinking alcohol, most of us could do with cutting down.
“Drinking too much has a negative impact on our overall health and greatly increases the chances of developing illnesses, such as some cancers, stroke and heart disease. The Chief Medical Officer’s advice for both men and women is to not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week.
“NHS Lothian is pleased to once again support the Count 14 campaign, which encourages people to think about how their weekly drinking adds up.
“While it isn’t always easy to know how many units are in our favourite drink, the Count 14 campaign has lots of information which can really help.”
Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood (above) said: “The alcohol guidelines are based on the clear evidence that as alcohol use increases, so does the risk of a range of health harms. To keep these risks low it’s recommended that men and women don’t drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
“The 14 unit guideline equates to six pints of medium strength beer, lager or cider; six medium glasses of wine or seven double measures of spirits over the course of a week.
“By increasing understanding of what this means in terms of actual alcoholic drinks, our hope is that adults in Scotland are able to make more informed choices.”
For further information on the guidelines visit count14.scot
Dear Editor
Across Scotland there are thousands of people currently living without a home – whether that’s in hostels or B&Bs, sofa-surfing with friends and family or living on our streets. That’s not something we, as a society, should accept as the norm.
Homelessness is not inevitable – and we can all do our part to end homelessness for good. At Crisis we provide direct support to people affected by homelessness, we campaign, and we fundraise so that we will one day be part of the change that helped end homelessness for good across Great Britain.
But to do that, we need your help.
In March, we will host the first ever Race to End Homelessness, a 5km or 10km walk or run around Edinburgh city centre to raise vital funds to help lift people out of homelessness through one-to-one support, in areas such as housing and employment.
Those that take part will take on the scenic route around the city, starting in Holyrood Park, heading around the foot of Arthur’s Seat, before climbing up Calton Hill and then heading back in to the city and ending at The Glasshouse, the prestigious hotel which has partnered with us for this event.
It’s just £20 to register, with a fundraising target of £50. Whether you’re a keen walker or runner, or if you simply fancy taking on a new challenge, why not sign up and help Crisis in its mission to end homelessness.
Sign up here: https://www.crisis.org.uk/caltonhill
Yours sincerely
Grant Campbell
Director of Crisis Scotland
WAGAMAMA has announced the opening of a new restaurant in Edinburgh Fort Kinnaird, making it their 4th restaurant in Edinburgh and ninth in Scotland.
The new location opens at Fort Kinnaird on 9 March.
Regional Marketing Manager, Kate Dell said: “We’re so excited to be bringing wagamama to Fort Kinnaird, making it our ninth restaurant in Scotland. We look forward to welcoming wagamama fans and new guests alike with our nourishing Japanese inspired menu in March.”
The new restaurant has 171 internal seats and a small outdoor seating area of 41 seats.
wagamama is renowned for its iconic katsu curry as well as a menu packed full of fresh, nourishing dishes including rice bowls, noodles and curries.
wagamama caused a wave of excitement amongst the growing vegan audience when it introduced the vegan version of its famous katsu curry, the “vegatsu” last year and now proudly has a vegan menu featuring 19 plant based dishes.
General manager of wagamama in Fort Kinnaird, Martin McColl said: “We can’t wait to be finally opening our doors in Fort Kinnaird, all of our new team are really excited and we look forward to welcoming everybody in the local area into our new restaurant in March.”
wagamama opens to the public 9 MARCH with special opening times.
Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “There’s been a huge amount of anticipation ahead of the new wagamama restaurant opening, so we’re very excited for the official opening in March.
“The Fort Kinnaird wagamama is not only a stunning build, it is a fantastic addition to the extensive dining options we offer. I know it will be an instant hit with shoppers, whether they’re having a bite to eat before the cinema or refuelling after a shop.”
wagamama: our story and our food
‘kaizen’, meaning ‘good change’ is the philosophy that sits right at our heart. It shapes every dish we create, and pushes us to find better ways in all that we do. We’re restless spirits, forever creating and making things better.
We’ve been practising kaizen since 1992, when we opened our first doors in London’s Bloomsbury. Inspired by fast-paced, Japanese ramen bars and a celebration of Asian food, wagamama burst into life.
We set out to create a unique way of eating; bringing the fresh, nourishing, flavours of Asia to all.
A warming bowl of bold ramen, teppan dishes griddled to perfection or if you would rather rice, you’re in luck – our menu features many Japanese favourites. Fresh, authentic menus that are updated seasonally. wagamama is a staple of modern Asian cuisine.
In the name of kaizen, our standards are high. Our ingredients are cooked fresh, served fresh. Every bowl and plate that we fill with them is served as soon as it’s ready. The colours and aromas, flavours and spices are always at their best when they touch your table.
For more information please visit https://restaurants.wagamama.com/edinburgh/edinburgh-fort-kinnaird
A gritty play written by a student and performed as a teaching aid has led to Edinburgh Napier being nominated twice in the prestigious Student Nursing Times Awards 2020.
Trisha Jeram has been shortlisted for ‘Most Inspirational Student Nurse of the Year’ for her work creating the play, ‘Cracks’.
The play tells the story of Bob and Debbie, whose lives gradually interweave to show stark differences in health outcomes due to unequal access to health and social care services.
Written and directed by Trisha (above), a third year Masters in Nursing student, Cracks stars a volunteer cast of amateur actors including nursing students, community actors and staff from the School of Health & Social Care.
Student nurse actor Siobhan Bourke said: “Trisha is a huge inspiration and an amazing person all round. If you bring your idea to the right people, in this case the lecturers at Edinburgh Napier University, it can reach its potential.”
Film studies students from Edinburgh Napier’s School of Arts & Creative Industries produced a film of Cracks, which is now part of an undergraduate nursing course on health and social care integration.
It is for this use of drama in nursing education that a team of School of Health & Social Care staff including Catherine Mahoney, Fiona Bastow, Bruce Harper-McDonald, and Richard Kyle were shortlisted in a second category – ‘Teaching Innovation of the Year’.
Using drama has helped students to understand the complexity and reality of health and social care integration. On-going research led by the Cracks team is evaluating the impact that using drama has on students’ learning.
Speaking of the impact of drama in the classroom, student nurse actor Nicola Jamieson said: “Cracks has been really good at generating discussion. Interagency working and integration don’t sound like the most interesting topics but the film has given them a human face through Debbie and Bob.”
Cracks was performed live at the Summerhall in Edinburgh to a public audience in June 2019 using a novel combination of live action and recorded footage from the film.
Professor Alyson Tobin, Vice Principal of Learning and Teaching at Edinburgh Napier, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Trisha and colleagues in the School of Health & Social Care have been shortlisted for these prestigious awards.
“It recognises the talent and creativity of our students and staff, and just shows what can happen when we work together to push boundaries to create innovative teaching and learning approaches.
“Trisha’s nomination will inspire others to pursue their own passions to support student learning. I wish her and my colleagues in the School every success on awards night.”
Winners of the Student Nursing Times Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane on Friday 24 April.
Councillors will meet tomorrow to discuss six steps for boosting sustainability, tackling poverty and improving residents’ wellbeing over the course of the next decade. The meeting comes a week before the city council sets it’s budget – a budget which UNISON says will slash council services with another £33 million in CUTS in the year ahead.
Designed to secure Edinburgh’s spending priorities, in the context of increasingly challenging financial circumstances, the six programmes of work are contained within a report detailing the next phase of the Council’s Change Strategy.
Members of the Finance and Resources Committee will consider the suggestions alongside detailed proposals for agreeing the city’s annual budget next week (20 February) and planned savings of £87.3m over the next three years.
One year into a four-year plan, the Change Strategy has already achieved savings of over £30m for the Council, while delivering improvements to frontline services across the city and major investment towards health and social care, the building of new schools and thousands of affordable homes.
Since last year’s budget, the Council has made significant progress against its target to deliver 10,000 new affordable homes by 2022, with 2,000 homes currently under construction across 35 sites.
A £153m improvement is making upgrades to nearly 600 buildings, with £67m spent building new or refurbishing schools, while an additional £15.7m has been put towards health and social care.
The start of the tram to Newhaven extension is underway – we’ll have to wait and see what the final cost of that particular project will be – and more than £7.4m has been invested into active travel and cycling around the city, alongside an £11m street lighting upgrade to LED.
The next phase of the council strategy builds on this work, identifying six programmes with practical steps for continuing to achieve Edinburgh’s spending priorities in this year’s Council budget and beyond.
The six programmes are:
Developing a long-term Prevention Strategy based on the results of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission and the findings of the Homelessness Taskforce, and redesigning Council services which maximise residents’ wellbeing.
Co-sponsoring the establishment of the Edinburgh Commission for Climate Action – an independent body that will advise and support the whole city to play its part in protecting our environment for future generations – and building on the city’s Net Zero short-term improvement plan with a City Sustainability Strategy.
Finalising and actioning a new City Plan and City Centre Transformation strategy to guide the future shape of the city and fulfilling the ambitions of Edinburgh’s 10-year City Mobility plan to change the way that people move around the city.
Launching a new Land and Property Commission to better identify sites for new housing, release depots and yards for redevelopment and capital for investment, reduce costs and carbon emissions – complemented by a new Estate Strategy examining all aspects of how the Council runs and maintains buildings and land.
Paying the baseline Living Wage to all employees, working to close the gender pay gap and improve diversity, and breaking down stigma associated with mental health conditions. We will also be reviewing senior management structures and costs.
By introducing new standards for consultation and co-designing services across the Council and fulfilling our commitment of 1% of council budgets being invested through participatory budgeting by 2021.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We need to think big and be bold to become the type of city people have told us they want to live and work in – an inclusive, sustainable and progressive city which prioritises frontline services and its most vulnerable citizens, puts an end to poverty and acts now against climate change – and we shouldn’t be afraid to make challenging decisions in order to get there.
“That’s why we’re changing the way we do things, committing to a longer term, three-year budget plan, paving the way for record capital investment in areas like new schools, new affordable new homes and sustainable transport. The six steps outlined in this report will make sure we remain focused on our key aims while providing the best services possible for the people of Edinburgh.”
The SNP can’t run the city on their own, of course, and they are supported by Labour in a ‘Capital Coalition’ which has been coming in for increasing criticism.
Capital Coalition Depute Leader, Labour’s Cllr Cammy Day, said: “Like all Councils, we’re facing unprecedented levels of financial uncertainty and we’ll need to make tough choices in order to prioritise the big changes Edinburgh wants and needs.
“The six areas have been shaped by many years of feedback, through our budget consultations with tens of thousands of Edinburgh residents. This is about focusing on frontline services which lift people out of poverty and support Edinburgh’s ambitious sustainability goals.
“Most councils will currently be considering how to set a one-year budget. We’re going further by looking at how we will balance our budgets over the next three years. We’ll do this while also continuing to push for the powers we need to introduce innovative new funding mechanisms for Edinburgh, such as the tourist tax and workplace parking levy.”
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
Local government trade union UNISON is urging it’s members and the general public to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and stand up for our local jobs and services.
The union is holding a Council Budget Day Lobby from 08.30 – 10:00 at the City Chambers on the High Street
