Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Have your say at North Edinburgh Arts!

What is your favourite creative activity? What creative skills do you wish you had? What would your ideal community garden look like? North Edinburgh Arts wants to know what you think about the state of the arts in Muirhouse and beyond.

This Saturday, 18th February, North Edinburgh Arts will host its first annual ‘Have Your Say’ day, an event chock-full of fun, creative activities for the whole family, and a fantastic platform for you to tell NEA what is important to you.

Activities will run from 10am – 2pm, and will include drama with Lyceum Youth Theatre and North Edinburgh Theatre group, DIY Muirhouse with Community Renewal, dance with Charan Pradhan, creative play for under 5s, and take your own portrait. There will also be graffiti walls, breakdance displays, drop in arts and crafts and the opportunity to speak to Big Brother in our own Diary Room – a full programme of activities will be available to pick up on the day.

Kate Wimpress, Director of North Edinburgh Arts, said:  “The ‘Have Your Say’ Day will do exactly what it says on the tin. NEA is a great asset for Muirhouse and for North Edinburgh, and it is vital that we, as an organisation, know how to make the most of this fantastic resource for the many people who already use it, and for those who will use it in future”.

So why not go along and see what North Edinburgh Arts has to offer, grab a bite to eat at the café and chat about how to make the arts thrive where you live?

For more information on this event, visit http://www.northedinburgharts.co.uk or follow their page on Facebook.

 

Young people to have their say in Inverleith

Local young people have been heavily involved in the planning of the next meeting of Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership.  The meeting, which will held on Friday 2nd March at Broughton High School from 1.30 to 3.30pm, will offer an opportunity to see some of the young talent on display and also to view a selection of artwork created by local older people.

INP development officer Elaine Lennon explained:  “We are holding an afternoon event to try to attract a wider range of people, and are holding this meeting in the local High School to showcase the talents and to highlight the issues of local young people. We will also be displaying a selection of artwork by local older people, so we hope that you can join us. Please contact me if you would like more information and feel free to pass this on to anyone you think may be interested”.

Elaine can be contacted at North Local Office on 529 5270, email elaine.lennon@edinburgh.gov.uk

Rachel's poem is hot stuff!

During a recent Firesmart school visit to Granton Primary School, members of Lothian & Border Fire and Rescue Service education team were delighted when a P5 pupil handed them a poem.  The wee girl had written it in her own time based on what she had  learned from a fire safety lesson the previous day on the causes and knowledge  of fire, and the team are  so impressed with Rachel’s poem that they’ve posted it on-line!

Rachel’s poem reads:

Listen now, this is no joke,

Before a fire there’s always smoke,

If you smell it, go outside, 

Never find a place to hide,

Stay down low and crawl away,

Fire engines are on the way.

Rachel’s certainly remembered her Firesmart lessons, and the local Fire Service is convinced Granton has a young Bard in the making too!

http://seg.sharethis.com/getSegment.php?purl=http%3A%2F%2Fnen.press%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php&jsref=&rnd=1329124926558

Rachel’s poem is hot stuff!

During a recent Firesmart school visit to Granton Primary School, members of Lothian & Border Fire and Rescue Service education team were delighted when a P5 pupil handed them a poem.  The wee girl had written it in her own time based on what she had  learned from a fire safety lesson the previous day on the causes and knowledge  of fire, and the team are  so impressed with Rachel’s poem that they’ve posted it on-line!

Rachel’s poem reads:

Listen now, this is no joke,

Before a fire there’s always smoke,

If you smell it, go outside, 

Never find a place to hide,

Stay down low and crawl away,

Fire engines are on the way.

Rachel’s certainly remembered her Firesmart lessons, and the local Fire Service is convinced Granton has a young Bard in the making too!

http://seg.sharethis.com/getSegment.php?purl=http%3A%2F%2Fnen.press%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php&jsref=&rnd=1329124926558

West Pilton Gardeners get growing

West Pilton gardeners get to work
We have started the new community garden with our first day’s planting.  Ten fruit trees and lots o’ keen helpers made it a warm day in January!  It is a good beginning and we are planning our next bit of planting with a strong wee group of local people.  Look at our website to find out how to get in touch or just come along to our next event.

Kirsty Sutherland

http://piltonresidents.org.uk/

Have Your Say On Regeneration

City planners are appealing to Muirhouse and Pennywell residents to have their say on the area’s ongoing regeneration.  A public exhibition drop-in session was held last Thursday evening in Craigroyston High School, where members of the masterplanning team were available to speak to residents about the latest plans for the area’s redevelopment. 

For those who missed that opportunity, however, there’s still time to have a look at the plans and to make your opinions known – the exhibition will be on display in North Edinburgh Arts Centre in Pennywell Court until Friday 17 February.

Michelle Fraser, Senior Project Manager with the city council’s Housing and Regeneration team, said:  “Towards the end of 2011 two masterplan options were prepared for the local community to see and comment on. Consultation events were held in November and December – thank-you if you have contributed to the process so far.  Many of the issues raised have now been taken on board by the masterplanning team and this has resulted in key amendments to the preferred Indicative Masterplan Framework. A newsletter that went out out to the community to invite them to the events has a section that can be filled in and dropped off locally. Please make use of this or email any comments that you have to me and I will make sure that these are incorporated within the overall feedback from the consultation events.”

Comments can be emailed to michelle.fraser@edinburgh.gov.uk

Stockbridge Library open for business

Sir Tom Farmer

Edinburgh’s latest business hub was launched in Stockbridge Library in Hamilton Place last night.  The new facility was officially opened by entrepreneur Sir Tom Farmer and it’s hoped that the hub will prove every bit as successful as it’s predecessor at McDonald Road library.

The hub will provide free training and advice to existing local businesses and new starts. A range of courses delivered by professional tutors will cover topics ranging from the principles of how to finance and market your business to classes on how to master social media and develop a competitive edge.

This is the first roll out of the groundbreaking business hub at McDonald Road Library on Leith Walk which has held 68 Business Gatewaycourses with 768 attendees since its opening in May 2010.

This work is part of the Council’s commitment to ‘Building Stronger Town Centres’ through the Economic Development team’s three dedicated Town-Centre Coordinators who work on a variety of projects across the city.

Councillor Tom Buchanan, Economic Development Convenor, said: “In these tough economic times, it is important that we as a Council do as much as we can to support local businesses. Giving them the opportunity to enhance their business skills can only help them develop stronger foundations and therefore a more secure future.”

He went on:  “The overwhelming success of the first business hub at McDonald Road Library has demonstrated the high demand for these types of workshops and I hope that we will eventually be able to roll out hubs across the rest of Edinburgh.”

Sir Tom Farmer CVO CBE KCSG DL, said: “I am delighted to be opening the second of Edinburgh’s dedicated business hubs.  It can often be very difficult for small businesses to get off the ground and it is centres like these that can help give people in the area the opportunity to come to discuss their various issues and the opportunities that arise.  This centre will give businesses a good foundation for success, by not only learning the basics of business but also how to market themselves properly.”

The first nine free weekly workshops at the Stockbridge Business Hub consist of four dedicated to business growth and five dedicated to those wanting to start-up their own business. Full programme information, including booking details, can be found on the Business Gateway website.

One Leith business, GM Cleaning, was started after owner Grant MacCusker attended a Business Gateway seminar four years ago. Now the successful entrepreneur holds talks of his own at the Leith Business Hub in MacDonald Road Library and believes the workshops are proving really popular amongst the local business community.

He said: “Business gateway was a great help in the starting and growing stages of my business. I find it rewarding talking to new and established entrepreneurs, passing on my knowledge and valuable information. With business gateway opening up more hubs and running more workshops it can only be an upwards climb for Scotland and our entrepreneurs coming through.”

 

 

Fresh start for Fresh Start!

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Councillor George Grubb received a warm welcome to Fresh Start last week as the local charity held a double celebration.  The Lord Provost officially opened Fresh Start’s newly refurbished warehouse in Ferry Road Drive on Friday and the project also received the coveted Investing in Volunteers Award from Volunteer Development Scotland chief executive George Thomson.

George Thomson presents award to Fresh Start volunteer Caroline Stewart

The event was also a great opportunity to say thanks to the project’s 200 volunteers, many of whom attended the celebration.  Fresh Start director Keith Robertson (pictured below) said: ““Providing a roof over a family or an individual’s head is the first step in ending homelessness but making sure they keep it is the next challenge. Our services are volunteer driven and sometimes just the human touch of a volunteer can help combat the isolation felt by those who have been homeless. As well as our Starter Packs and Hit Squads, we also help provide employment opportunities. For some people, without these things, homelessness can become a recurring problem. Our volunteers make it possible for us to continue to help the numbers of people we do.”

Fresh Start director Keith Robertson

More in next month’s NEN

Police seek help over flooded flats

Lothian and Borders Police are appealing for witnesses after properties within a block of flats were flooded.  The incident happened between 8pm and 8.30pm last night in West Pilton’s Northview Court.  The main water pipe for the building was accessed and then ruptured, causing the landing of the eighth floor and some of the flats below to flood.
Police attended the incident and Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service were contacted to turn off the water.  Anyone with information that can assist officers with their enquiries is now asked to come forward.
A police spokesman said: “This mindless act of destruction has caused significant water damage to the properties below the eighth floor and we are eager to hear from any residents or witnesses who can help us identify those responsible.  Anyone who saw any suspicious activity in or around Northview Court yesterday evening is asked to contact police immediately.”
Anyone with any information can contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or the charity Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.