davepickering

See for yourself – ‘Hidden Art’ exhibition on show in Stockbridge

A unique exhibition of art and photography by groups whose members are blind or partially sighted opens in Stockbridge this Saturday [August 31]. The ‘Hidden Art’ exhibition can be seen at the Patriothall Gallery off Hamilton Place until 8 September.

“We aim to show people that art is possible for all to enjoy even if they are visually impaired,” said Mark Andrew Powell of the city’s Patriothall Gallery. “We are delighted to give these two groups the chance to display their creative talents to a wider audience.

“The theme of the exhibition, ‘Hidden Art’, has been interpreted by the participants in different ways. The photographic group has documented unseen or overlooked artworks around Edinburgh, things that are tucked away where nobody sees them or overlooked because they are so familiar. Beside each photograph we will have a tactile image of it on raised paper so that everybody, whether they have sight or not, can enjoy the photos.

“The art group’s members have a different take on the theme. Each has made a tile containing both tactile and visual elements which have been compiled into a single larger composition. In addition, their individual paintings and sculptures, seen from their own unique perception of a hidden world, will be displayed around the walls of the main gallery.”

Both groups regularly meet at the Edinburgh headquarters of sight loss charity RNIB Scotland to create and discuss their work, with some members participating in both.

Local artist Fiona Powell from Stockbridge, who has the sight loss condition retinitis pigmentosa, said: “As we all have sight loss of varying degrees, we rely on our weekly meetings to pursue our love of art with help from dedicated volunteers. We work with paint, clay, ‘sticky strings’, felt, silk, swell paper and photography. Though both groups are supported by RNIB Scotland, we are self-funded and it is up to us to raise money for any exhibitions that we put on.

“We want to promote awareness and confidence among visually impaired people that they have the ability to produce art. This exhibition gives an opportunity for the wider community to realise how much visually impaired people are capable of achieving.”

Alan McIntyre from Gorgie, who also has retinitis pigmentosa, said: “The photographic group has given me many hours of fun within a supportive and creative environment. It has enabled me to really learn more about how to take photographs. For me, being visually impaired means that I don’t need to follow the convention of having perfectly focused images.
I can have the freedom to experiment because what I see is far from perfect.”

The ‘Hidden Art’ exhibition is being sponsored by Capital Credit Union, which is also based in Stockbridge. A spokesperson said: “This is such a worthy cause showcasing the work of these very talented groups. We are hoping to attract visitors from all over to witness the creative gift and artistic flair projected in their art.”

To complement the ‘Hidden Art’ exhibition, Dr David Feeney, manager of Visual Impairment Scotland at Edinburgh University, and Seattle-based filmmaker Daniel Thornton have produced a short video following the photographic group around the city as they took photos, and the twelve-minute film will run throughout the exhibition.

As well as this, Dr Feeney has used computer software called Sight-Sim which filters the photos by mimicking different sight loss conditions to show how they appear to the blind and partially sighted photographers who took them.

The exhibition is being held in Patriothall Gallery in Hamilton Place,
Stockbridge, Edinburgh from 12 noon to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, and
then at the same times from next Thursday until Sunday [September 8].

Time bank meeting on Monday

Timebank poster september meeting

North Edinburgh’s Time Bankers are meeting at 7pm on Monday (2 September) in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on Pilton Drive North. All welcome.

Do’t know what a time bank is? See the poster or go along to the meeting to find out more – you might just be amazed at what you have to offer!

What a drag – impersonator jailed for benefits fraud

A female impersonator who worked in clubs and made a YouTube video of his act when claiming disability benefits and failing to pay tax was jailed for six months yesterday.

Mark Hawthorn of Tamworth, Staffordshire – stage name Aunt Tilly – claimed more than £88,000 in disability benefits and failed to pay almost £4,000 in Income Tax and National Insurance.

A joint investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found Hawthorn performed under the stage name of “Tilly” in various drag acts in clubs across the West Midlands, Blackpool and Bournemouth whilst claiming disability and housing benefits.

Adrian Farley, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation, HMRC, said:

“Hawthorn exploited the benefits and tax systems in two ways – by fabricating the effects of a medical condition to get disability benefits, saying he was unfit for work, and then blatantly working in live stage shows and failing to declare his earnings. He even went on to produce a YouTube video of his many female impersonations and featured in a three-page spread in Midlands Zone magazine.

This prosecution will send a strong message that along with our partners in DWP we will bring those stealing from the UK economy and the British taxpayer to justice.”

Senior DWP Fraud Manager Sian Fellowes said:

“Benefit thieves are costing the taxpayer almost £1 billion per year. Disability Living Allowance is intended to help people who have severe difficulties with their care and mobility, and it is clear that in this case no such difficulties existed. We will continue to investigate allegations of benefit fraud very rigorously and bring people who abuse the benefit system to justice.”

Hawthorn claimed disability benefits from the DWP for the past 10 years to which he was not entitled and failed to declare his earnings to HMRC.

LEIPing for joy! Community funding for Leith youth project

LEITH COMMUNITY PROJECT AWARDED FUNDING

A Leith community project has been awarded nearly £72,000. Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) secured funds for Leith Early Intervention Project (LEIP) from the Scottish Government’s People and Communities Fund.

The partnership project – between Pilmeny Development Project, YMCA Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders Police, PoLHA and local schools – will receive £71,258 over the next two years.

The funds will provide early intervention and capacity building to give support to at least 190 young people excluded from generic youth work provision, and who are at risk of offending or are already offending.

Anne Munro, Project Manager for Pilmeny Development Project, said: “We are delighted to have received this funding as it will go towards providing effective intervention for young people via a tailored programme of street work, weekly drop in youth work, a mentoring service and opportunities to use and develop skills and experience through volunteering.”

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive at PoLHA, said: “LEIP is a fantastic initiative and I am delighted we have been able to support them through access to the Scottish Government’s People and Communities Fund.”

Spirit of the Community awards for local groups

The Water of Leith Conservation Trust and Pilton Equalities Project (PEP) are among twenty four community groups from across Scotland to share in a funding boost of £175,000 to make a real difference in their local areas.

Clydesdale Bank’s Spirit of the Community Awards announced the substantial donations to voluntary groups at an awards ceremony in Glasgow earlier this week to recognise the charities and not-for-profit organisations which are going the extra mile.

Water of Leith Conservation Trust has been awarded £10,000 to support its community and volunteer development programme which aims to target new groups and extend existing partnerships. The funding will be used to increase the hours of the Community and Volunteer Officer, purchase additional equipment such as litter picks, produce a volunteer guidance pack and cover staff training costs.

Pilton Equalities Project (PEP), which aims to enhance the quality of life for older and other vulnerable adults in North Edinburgh, has been awarded £5,000 to expand its literacy programme, combining both literacy and employability skills.

Another award for Edinburgh was National Trust for Scotland, awarded £5,000 to assist with its ‘Beyond the Gate’ six month pilot project which will deliver weekly events at the Hailesland Child & Family Centre in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh. National Trust will work in collaboration with the centre staff to deliver a gardening programme focused on growing food and promoting healthy eating as well as outdoor learning.

The awards, which launched in January this year to mark the Bank’s 175^th Anniversary, were open to a range of organisations across the third sector which could demonstrate their support for the local community. Groups were invited to enter the awards scheme under one of three categories; education, employability and environment.

Three winners have been selected in each category, securing a funding boost of £10,000. An additional five winners in each category have been awarded £5,000. A further £10,000 was awarded to one charity whose contribution to the community the judges felt was outstanding meaning one organisation received £20,000.

David Thorburn, Chief Executive of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, said: “Clydesdale Bank’s Spirit of the Community Awards aim to recognise and support the vital contribution that voluntary and charitable organisations make to their local communities. It has been inspiring to see the great work which is being done at grass roots level across the country. “Water of Leith Conservation Trust, Pilton Equalities Project and National Trust for Scotland are extremely deserving winners which have been recognised for their community spirit with these awards from Clydesdale Bank.”

The recipients said they were delighted to receive the awards. Helen Brown, Trust Manager at Water of Leith Conservation Trust, said: “As a small charity this kind of investment in our work and that of our volunteers means an enormous amount. We work to keep Edinburgh’s river clean, green and full of wildlife. Thank you to Clydesdale Bank for recognising our work and choosing to support us.”

Helen Brown is pictured below (centre) with Water of Leith’s award

Sainsbury’s are Trolleywise!

WE’RE TROLLEYWISE!

Did you know that over 1.5 million shopping trolleys are abandoned each year in the UK?

To help to reduce this number, Sainsbury’s are delighted to announce that we are working with Trolleywise, a national trolley retrieval service.

Trolleywise has produced a free smartphone app, which you can use to photograph abandoned trolleys and tag their location via GPS. A team of drivers can then collect the rogue trolleys and put them back into service and cleaning up what can often be an eye sore.

Store Manager George Paton commented: “Abandoned trolleys can be a blight on our local areas as they often find their way into gardens, communal areas or even into ponds and rivers. These trolleys sometimes end up miles away from where they were taken and it can be difficult to get them back to where they belong, this will certainly make a difference.”

Sainsbury’s

On your marks for Festival of Sport

Fest_of_Sport_booklet_lr

Edinburgh’s Festival of Sport kicks off this weekend and runs until 8 September.

From aquafit and athletics through to volleyball and walking – and lots of sporting activities in between – there’s something for everyone at venues across the city.

See the above programme for details or visit:

www.activity.info/festivalofsport

Congratulations, Craigie!

New Head Teacher plans to build on best ever exam results

Craigroyston Community High School has once again produced an excellent set of exam results – the results this year are the best ever achieved by the school.

New Head Teacher Steve Ross puts this down to a real commitment in the school towards attainment: ‘My predecessor, Margaret Russell, encouraged and motivated pupils and staff to aim high – and this is exactly what they have done.’

There were twice the number of Higher passes this year compared to 2012 and 100% of the S4 cohort achieved the minimum standard set by the Scottish Government of 5 passes at Access 3 or Foundation level, a figure that will be the envy of many other schools in the region and beyond.

Steve Ross is excited by the positive momentum this has created within the school: ‘What a fantastic position to be in! I have to say that I have been genuinely impressed by the standards in my new school. In my career I have taught in, and visited, many schools. The teaching and learning that is going on here is of a very high standard indeed. I am so fortunate to have a staff (teaching and non–teaching) that want the very best for the pupils.

“I would like to pass on my appreciation to parents and carers for their commitment to the school uniform – on the first morning the pupils returned to school I was blown away by the standard of dress – as good as any other school and better than a fair few.’

As well as having high expectations for all pupils in the school, Steve is keen to listen to the pupil voice: ‘One of the first things I’ve done is set up meetings between myself and pupils and asked them three questions:

What’s good about the school?

What’s not good about the school?

What would you like to see changed?

I’ll be feeding back replies to all pupils, staff and parent council and from there we’ll construct an action plan to address issues raised. It’s very important to me that the young people here feel they have a role in driving the school to even greater success in the future.’

‘I plan to hold an open evening in the school in the near future and will be inviting all parents, carers and community members to come along so we can talk about the way forward for Craigroyston Community High School and it’s young people.’

Good luck in your new post, Steve

UK to host first G8 dementia summit

The UK will make the fight against dementia global by hosting the first G8 summit dedicated to seeking an ambitious level of international coordination and an effective response to tackling the condition.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will use the UK’s 2013 presidency of the G8 to lead coordinated global action against what is fast becoming one of the greatest pressures on families, carers and health systems around the world.

In the UK alone, there are likely to be nearly a million people with the condition by the end of 2020. The government has already begun a national programme of action through the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia, launched in 2011.

Now the UK is looking to spark a world-wide effort by inviting health ministers from G8 countries to a high-level summit in London on 11 December to discuss how they can coordinate efforts and shape an effective international solution to dementia. This includes looking for effective therapies and responses to slow dementia’s impact.

The summit will aim to identify and agree a new international approach to dementia research, to help break down barriers within and between companies, researchers and clinicians and secure a new level of cooperation needed to reach shared goals faster than nations acting alone.

They will draw on the expertise and experience of the OECD, World Health Organisation, industry, national research organisations, key opinion leaders, researchers and physicians.

Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt said:

“Globally there is a new case of dementia every four seconds, and by 2020 we will see nearly 70 million people living with the condition.

Dementia requires long-term health and social care support that can be hugely expensive. Currently 70 per cent of the global cost is incurred in medically advanced nations like Western Europe and North America. But nearly 60 per cent of people with the condition live in developing countries. As their populations grow and age, the pressure on their services and budgets will inevitably increase.

This is a global challenge and one which is set to intensify. While we continue to pursue tomorrow’s cures, it is critical now more than ever to pay serious attention to what we can do to reduce the average number of years living with the condition. The G8 today have a unique chance to come together to help people manage dementia better, lead healthier lives and deliver real improvements in care and substantial economic savings.”

The UK launched a wide-ranging dementia plan on research, care and awareness in 2012 under the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge. Most G8 countries also have similarly targeted plans. But the majority of this work and research investment has been led at a national level. Experts believe if countries, biopharmaceutical companies and businesses collaborate more effectively and share information, research and knowledge it could see significant advances and better support for people living with dementia today.

Scale of the problem

Current estimates indicate 35.6 million people worldwide are living with dementia but with the world’s populations ageing, the World Health Organisation estimates that number will nearly double every 20 years, to an estimated 65.7 million in 2030, and 115.4 million in 2050.

Much of the increase will be in developing countries. Already 58 per cent of people with dementia live in developing countries, but by 2050 this will rise to 71 per cent. The fastest growth in the elderly population is taking place in India, and their south Asian and western Pacific neighbours. In China, the burden of dementia seems to be increasing faster than is generally assumed by the international health community.

If dementia care were a country, it would be the world’s 18th largest economy, ranking between Turkey and Indonesia.

If it were a company, it would be the world’s largest by annual revenue exceeding Wal-Mart (US$414 billion) and Exxon Mobil (US$311 billion).

The total estimated worldwide costs of dementia were US$604 billion in 2010. About 70 per cent of the costs occur in Western Europe and North America.

Funding

The UK annual funding on dementia research will increase to around £66 million by 2015, while President Obama has committed the US to spending around £360million ($550 million) in dementia research each year. At the same time, the pharmaceutical industry is also investing heavily.

Dementia

Dementia is a syndrome and refers to the impairment of cognitive brain functions of memory, language, perception and thought. There are many diseases that cause dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s Disease-associated dementia. The majority are degenerative but not all, for example, vascular dementia. Dementia is not a single disease.

Dementia progresses from mild cognitive impairment, difficulties organising daily life, to the breakdown of personality, followed by loss self and identity, incontinence, unsteadiness, then confinement to bed and finally death. Knowing this is very distressing for people in the early stages of dementia, as well as for caregivers at the end of their loved ones life.

Promenaders!

Artwork designed by Davidsons Mains pupils has been unveiled on the Silverknowes stretch of the Edinburgh Promenade. The plaques are an extension of the existing rubbings trail and aim to provide a fun activity for everyone using the walkway to enjoy.

The designs aim to draw people along the Promenade to collect rubbings of six themed bronze plaques based on the history and heritage of Silverknowes and Granton. It is proposed that the collection is extended to run along the full length of the Promenade in the future.

The plaques were designed by Fearne Halcrow, Ella McNeill and Alexander Priestley from Davidson’s Mains School and the latest designs show Lauriston Castle, an aerial view of Silverknowes and a depiction of Davidson’s Mains Railway. Award-winning local artist Kate Ive translated the original designs into bronze.

Cllr Frank Ross, Convener of the Economy Committee, said: “The Council is committed to delivering a high quality Promenade between Cramond and Joppa and I look forward to more stages being completed in the future.

“We have done a lot of work recently with the creative sector helping Edinburgh’s economy as well as other city projects. This is a great example involving an award winning local artist from the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop.

“The Rubbings Trail is a fantastic addition to this stretch of the Promenade, which is now being heavily used by walkers, cyclists and visitors.”

The Edinburgh Promenade runs for 17km and stretches from Cramond in the west to Joppa in the East. As well as forming part of the Scottish Coast Path, it is also part of the North Sea Trail.