Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Letter – kind Pilton kids help poor Roman feel at home

Dear Editor

It seems we are always reading stories about our local children behaving badly, and I am not unaware of the social problems that do exist in West Pilton, but I thought for once it would be nice to hear praise for our local kids, hence my writing to you.

I have lived in West Pilton for nearly 20 years now. I’m fairly well known to a lot of the neighbourhood kids, because I have always had dogs and am out in the park with them every day. I sometimes also have pink hair, which the bairns seem to appreciate! I have never, ever had any problems with any of the local kids, but recently I have come to appreciate them all the more.

I have two dogs of my own, and I have recently started fostering dogs for various charities based abroad. My most recent foster (probable adoptee!) has come from Romania, and he is just plain terrified of everything, but so very gentle, showing no signs of aggression at all. In the week and a half I have had him he has really gained confidence in the house, but outside is a very scary place for him. He is scared of traffic, not sure about other dogs, but mostly it is people that terrify him. One can only imagine what he has gone through to become so traumatised.

I’ve been taking him out for three daily walks though, as he needs to overcome his fears to become a truly happy guy. We meet a lot of children when out for our walks and many ask if they can pet my dogs, and usually this presents no problems. With Roman it is different. He is so scared, he flattens himself to the ground and trembles all over. But when I tell his story to the children we meet, and explain that he is so scared because people have been very mean to him and that he expects to get hurt; but that he is gentle and will respond to love and a soft hand stroking him. I can honestly say that without exception, the kids have been interested, saddened and willing to help, being very quiet, respectful and sweet to him.

I just know the more people we meet who can be this kind to him, it will not be long before he is a happy, bouncy, playful dog who will have learned to love life, maybe for the first time ever. So I want to thank all the kids who we have met, and all those we are yet to meet. And their parents, who have clearly taught them to be kind and loving to animals. Hopefully one day soon you will meet us in the park, and Roman will have the confidence to come up to you and thank you himself!

Jenni (by email)

Five charged following East Pilton drugs raid

Police in Edinburgh have seized close to £100,000 worth of drugs following enquiries carried out in relation to drug-related criminality in the Capital.

A total of five men have been arrested and charged in connection with alleged drugs offences following an enquiry that culminated in a raid on a property in East Pilton Farm Avenue yesterday (Wednesday 10 October ), where a large quantity of herbal cannabis was seized. The total estimated value of herbal cannabis seized as part of this enquiry is £37,500, and three men, aged 49, 32, and 43, are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today in connection with yesterday’s seizure.

In a separate enquiry, officers seized amphetamine and cannabis worth an estimated £56,250 following a raid on an address in Lorne Street yesterday. A total of £4,445 in cash was also seized. A 32-year-old man and 30-year-old woman were arrested and charged in connection with alleged drugs offences, and are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow (Friday 12 October).

Detective Inspector John Kavanagh said: “These seizures come as part of our ongoing commitment towards tackling drug-related crime in the Capital. We rely on the public to provide us with information on drug dealers or any other serious and organised criminality taking place in local communities, and I would urge anyone with information to contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.”

WIG hail success of first health day

North Edinburgh’s Womens International Group are delighted with the success of last week’s Health Day – the first of it’s kind organised by the womens’ group based at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. Over forty women of all ages took part in a full day of events and activities in Royston Wardieburn – and while they may not all have gone home a lot healthier, they definitely went home happier!

From registration and refreshments at 10am it was a packed programme – Jane Jones gave a talk about ‘What Affects Our Health?’, there was Zumba and aerobics in the sports hall, pamper sessions and gentle exercise; all before lunch time!

A short presentation by local women got the afternoon activities underway, and this was followed by talk on Breast Awareness by Lynda Luke of the Breast Screening Service. Julie Smith gave a presentation on North Edinburgh Time Bank  and Roberta Blaikie gave a brief contribution about North Edinburgh Credit Union. The final hour of the day was dedicated to social activities and fundraising for McMillan Cancer Trust in the cafe community room, with a nearly new stall and raffle.

Women’s International Group (WIG) said: ‘We would like to thank the following organisations for their support :  Community Learning and Development, Royston Wardieburn Centre Management Committee, Pilton Health Project, North Edinburgh Arts, Telford College students, the Breast Screening Service, McMillan Cancer Trust, North Edinburgh Time Bank, North Edinburgh Credit Union and Stepping Stones.  We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the individuals who have given up their time or who have contributed to the raffle or nearly new stall and the local businesses who have made donations.’

Thanks to Community Learning and Development worker Lynne McCabe for the following Health Day pictures:

Sainsbury’s customers serve up six thousand meals to tackle hunger

Sainsbury’s Million Meal Appeal has broken records thanks to generous donations from North West Edinburgh residents – and Granton Youth Centre will be one of the beneficiaries! On Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th October, customers at Sainsbury’s Blackhall donated enough food to provide 3000 meals to help feed vulnerable people affected by food poverty in the UK.  Sainsbury’s also matched every meal donated by customers, so in total 6000 meals have been donated at Blackhall store.  

The Million Meal Appeal is run with Sainsbury’s charity partner FareShare, a national charity dedicated to tackling hunger and food waste

The first Million Meal Appeal was held in 2011 with 600 stores participating. Thanks to customers’ generosity and Sainsbury’s pledge to match meals, 1.2 million meals were donated to FareShare. Due to its success, this year’s appeal was run in over 900 stores.  Blackhall store were involved in both appeals and a massive two million meals have been donated in total this year, which includes matching from Sainsbury’s – that’s double the original target of 1 million meals!

Local volunteers, recruited by FareShare, leant a helping hand at the retailer’s Blackhall store over the weekend. The items collected, including tins, dried pasta, pasta sauce, rice, tea and instant coffee, are destined for local charities and projects in the surrounding community including Granton Youth Centre and Edinburgh City Mission.

Sainsbury’s Head of Community Affairs, Andy White said: “Our customers have been telling us that they like giving in this way and it’s really apparent by their generosity despite difficult times.  We’re delighted to match all the meals donated by our customers and it means that together we’re helping to provide two million meals to vulnerable members of our communities that need it the most.”   

FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell added: “The response to the Million Meal Appeal has been incredible. We’ll be able to combine the donated pasta, rice and tinned food with the short life surplus meat, fruit and vegetables that we receive daily from the food industry. It will make these surpluses go even further in a time of real need.”

Granton Youth Centre

Wella, wella – Amy aims for the hairdressing heights!

An Edinburgh College student has shown her skills to be razor sharp after making it to the final of an industry recognised award run by the Hairdressing Council. Amy Armstrong, 27, has been shortlisted for the Student of the Year 2012 competition after wowing the judges with her peacock-inspired hairstyle for the competition.

Jackie Steele, Hairdressing Lecturer at Edinburgh College, said: “Amy has done an amazing job in making it this far in a competition which sees hundreds of students competing. She’s a fantastic student-completely dedicated to the course with a real talent and creative eye which she proved with her colourful and original styling for the competition.

“This is the second year running that one of our students has been in the finals which is a real merit to the college and shows the level of talent we have here. It’s so rewarding seeing our students standing out, impressing the judges and being recognised at such a high level. We’re really proud of Amy and wish her the best of luck in the finals.”

Amy will now go head-to-head against seven other students across the UK on October 14 at the Goldwell studios in London, where she will be judged by industry icons Lisa Shepherd, Patrick Cameron and Andrew Barton. The two overall winners will have the opportunity to work with ‘stylist to the stars’ Andrew Barton for a day, and will receive vouchers for a course with  L’Oréal and Wella. They will also get an iPad2, as well as be invited for tea at the House of Commons!

Amy said: “When I first found out my lecturers had nominated me for the award I was delighted but when I found out I’d actually been shortlisted, I was completely shocked but over the moon. It’s such a massive opportunity to have my work judged by top industry professionals and I’m really excited about the finals next month. To be in with a chance of winning a day with Andrew Barton, who is a hugely respected name in the industry, is something I didn’t think I’d be saying this year but aside from winning, the whole experience has reinforced why I love the industry so much. I can’t thank my lecturers and the college enough for the support they’ve given me and the opportunity to be part of such a highly respected competition.”

Highly regarded throughout the industry, the Hairdressing Council Student of the Year Award 2012 is supported by colleges and training centres nationwide and sees hundreds of students competing for the title of Student of the Year.

Edinburgh College was formed as a result of merger between Edinburgh’s Telford College, Jewel & Esk College and Stevenson College Edinburgh. It’s the biggest FE college in Scotland and accommodates more than 35,000 students – the biggest student body in Edinburgh.

Common sense prevails – no barriers for Muirhouse

Muirhouse and Silverknowes will NOT be divided by barriers, the city council’s Transport, Infrastructure and Environment (TIE) committee has decided.

The committee agreed to officials’ recommendations that ‘notes and agrees that closure of the access routes should not be supported as this would impact on safe routes to schools.’

In a report into antisocial behaviour in the Silverknowes area prepared for the committee, Services for Communities director Mark Turley concluded: ‘There are widely divergent but strongly held views within the community, split by Council ward, on the best course of action to take. Officer recommendations based on existing policy is that the blocking of access would be unacceptable given the adverse effect on safe routes to school used by a number of children in the area, in addition to the other policy and social concerns. The root cause of this problem is the anti-social behaviour of the individual’s concerned and it is this which requires to be addressed. Such behaviour is unacceptable, regardless of where it occurs.”

More on this story later from Thomas Brown

 

Stars out in support of Stockbridge stadium redevelopment

A squad of Scottish rugby stars has spoken out in favour of controversial plans to redevelop Edinburgh Accies ground at Raeburn Place. The players – including former Scotland captains Andy Irvine, David Sole, Jim Calder and Ross Ford – have written to The Scotsman to pledge their support for the £8 million redevelopment in Stockbridge, and follows the submission of a full planning application by Edinburgh Accies on Tuesday.

The letter says:

‘We are writing specifically as supporters of Scottish rugby, but more generally as ordinary people who passionately support lifelong participation in sport.

We wish to place on record our belief in the ­importance of preserving and improving the Edinburgh Academical Football Club (Accies) home and 
facilities at Raeburn Place in Stockbridge in Edinburgh. Over the years Accies has contributed more than 10 per cent of all Scottish international caps since hosting the first international match between Scotland and England in 1871.

The club is the home of and operates the Edinburgh BATS rugby club, which delivers to and supports rugby at four high schools and 16 primary schools in north Edinburgh. Last year BATS delivered 750 hours of rugby to 1,560 young people. With recent research showing that inactivity causes as many premature deaths as smoking, surely this youth work is something we should cherish rather than discard.

Through little fault of the club itself, the facilities at Raeburn Place consist of temporary units, hired at an onerous cost now met by Accies. This is simply not sustainable. The plans drawn up bring in rent from a maximum of nine shops, and will give 
Accies the best facilities in 
Scotland, run on a sustainable basis, in addition to ensuring the preservation of a valuable 
greenfield space.

With the inclusion of a rugby museum it will make Raeburn Place an attractive destination for families and others to visit. The retail element will enhance and complement Stockbridge’s existing offering. These are carefully drawn-up, high quality proposals. We hope that Edinburgh 
Accies will be encouraged to 
stay in their historic home,
and that Scotland can begin to close the gap with England in terms of rugby facilities and funding.’

David Sole, Andy Irvine, Scott Hastings, Roger Baird, Rob 
Wainwright, David 
Callam, Cameron 
Glasgow, David Milne, 
Stuart Moffat, John Frame, Jim Calder, Marcus Di Rollo, John Allan, Greig Laidlaw, Allan Jacobsen, Nick Deluca, Geoff Cross, David Denton, Ross Ford, Tom Brown, Tim Visser, Ben Cairns, Ross Rennie

However local opinion is divided over the proposed redevelopment. Campaign group Save Stockbridge organised a packed public meeting last month and have now attracted over 2500 signatures on petitions opposing the plans. The group says that it is ‘not anti-development, rather anti this development’ which they feel is too large for the area with a disproportionately large retail element that will have a detrimental effect on existing local traders.

In a statement on their website, Save Stockbridge said: “Our initial review of the submitted plans suggests that there is little, if any, substantial deviation from the proposal originally outlined during the pre-application consultation. We currently have a team urgently working through the fine details of the application so that we can provide a fuller analysis – as soon as this is completed, we will update our website with our findings and our recommendations of what to do next.”

The planning application can be found online on the city council’s planning portal – application reference number is 12/03567/FUL and the plans are also on display at Stockbridge Library. Comments on the proposals should be received by 9 November.

 

Police probe suspicious fire at PEP

Lothian and Borders Police are appealing for witnesses following a suspicious fire in West Pilton Park. The incident happened around 7.45pm on Monday (8 October), when two wheelie bins were pushed up against the wall of the Pilton Equalities Project (PEP) before being set alight.

No damage was sustained to the building and no one was injured during the incident, but police are urging anyone who can assist with their enquiries to come forward. Officers carrying out local enquiries to identify those responsible are particularly keen to speak to two youths who were known to be in the area at the time.

A police spokesman said: “This reckless act of vandalism could have potentially injured members of the public or, indeed, the suspects themselves. Anyone who was in or around West Pilton Park and remembers seeing anything suspicious 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.

TOiL worth it for young graduates

Minister Angela Constance (centre) celebrates with TOiL graduates

Scotland’s Minister for Youth Employment has congratulated nine young people who have completed a six-month work placement programme. Angela Constance MSP handed out completion certificates to the Training Opportunities in Lothian (TOiL) graduates at a ceremony held at Edinburgh City Council Chambers yesterday. 

Ms Constance said: “Congratulations to the young people graduating today, the latest in a line of young people in the Lothians who have benefitted from the support of the TOiL project in getting started in their careers. I believe that our young people are the best and seeing success like this today is why we are providing funding for projects like TOiL through our Get Ready for Work programme, right across Scotland.”

TOiL offers paid six-month work training and placements. Operated by Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA), the programme was established in 2004 and since then has helped over 400 young people aged 16 to 24 into work and training.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive at PoLHA, said: “We are very grateful to the Minister for attending our ceremony. Youth unemployment is a major issue and it is imperative that projects such as this continue to deliver real results in helping young people develop their skills to get on that first step of the career ladder.”

One of those graduating was 21-year-old Charlotte Cameron, who has secured permanent employment as a direct result of the programme with the City of Edinburgh Council in its Criminal Justice Department. Charlotte said: “The TOiL programme was really good and the courses were great. I now have a job I love.”

Also graduating on the day were Sean Fernie, 16, who was a heating engineer with TB McKay; Patrick McDermott, 17, who was a painter and joiner with Seddon’s; Lauren Campbell, 18, who was a Finance Assistant with PoLHA; Darren Holland, 18, who was a cleaning assistant with ISS; Ryan Walker, 17, who was an electrician and joiner with Castlerock; Jamie Tubby, 16, was a painter and decorator with Mitie; Aaron Blues, 18, was a lift engineer with Clyde Valley Lifts; and Ryan Sutherland, 16, was a painter with Seddon’s.

John Murray, who manages the TOiL programme, said: “Congratulations to all the young people who have graduated and we look forward to continuing to support them as they progress in their early careers.”

As well as the young people graduating, the ceremony also honoured those involved in TOiL and there were awards for Partner Organisation of the Year, Employer of the Year and Best New Employer of the Year. Lorraine Borwick, of Community Learning and Development – named Partner Organisation of the Year -, said: “TOiL ensures that young people’s employability goals are central to the planning process and that sessions are engaging and relevant. The partnership works really well as we work closely to plan and develop literacy and numeracy sessions for young people.”

Angela Constance MSP added: “We are committed to improving the employability of all Scotland’s young people and have guaranteed every 16-19-year-old a place in education or training through Opportunities for All. I will continue to work with employers, local authorities and third sector partners to secure the best opportunities for all our young people.”

If you are a young jobseeker or employer interested in learning more about the TOiL programme, contact 0131 554 0403.

 

 

 

Letter: Muirhouse must not be divided

Dear Editor N.E.N

I am writing regarding the residents of Silverknowes Eastway who want the walk-way shut off to stop access from Muirhouse Drive.
Silverknowes Eastway is part of the Muirhouse EH4 area and the housing was built on the land that was formally Silverknowes Primary School which was in Muirhouse Gardens. When the area in Muirhouse Gardens was developed for housing it was part of the planning application that it would have pedestrian access to the Linear Park as part of Central Muirhouse regeneration, and that no part of Muirhouse would be divided or excluded.
I fail to see what Davidson Mains and Silverknowes Association or Almond have to do with issues in Muirhouse.
John Davidson
Resident of Muirhouse (by email)