Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Relatives sought following Crewe Road fatality

A pedestrian who was seriously injured in a road collision on Crewe Road South earlier this month has died.

Alan Dowling, (64), of Muirhouse View, passed away this morning at the Western General Hospital, where he was being treated for serious injuries he sustained in the collision with a cement mixer lorry on Thursday 5 April.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, and a report has been sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Police are appealing for assistance in tracing relatives of Mr Dowling, and anyone with any information that can help is asked to contact Lothian and Borders Police on (0131) 311 3131.

D Day for Raeburn

Councillors will make a decision on renovation plans for the Raeburn House Hotel when the Development Management sub-committee of the Planning Committee meets this morning. Council officials recommend that the refurbishment plans are rejected despite wide public support for the project.

A 19 page committee report for this morning’s meeting states: ‘ … the proposals are contrary to the development plan and non-statutory guidance. The proposals will not preserve the character or appearance of the conservation area and will adversely impact on the listed building and its setting. It will not have any effect on residential amenity, road safety or biodiversity. The refurbishment of this building, to restore it and maintain it into the future, is not disputed as being a desirable outcome. However any proposals must be of good quality and sensitive to the existing building to ensure that our built heritage is conserved.’

The report concludes: ‘It is recommended that the Committee refuse this application, for the reasons stated relating to its detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area and the setting of the listed building.’

Councillors will make their decision at a 10am meeting of the Development Management Sub-Committee in the City Chambers.

 

Careers event at Granton library

Granton Library is hosting a careers event for young adults tomorrow (Wednesday) from 4 – 6pm.

Participating agencies include Careers Scotland, Edinburgh Leisure, Working Links and the City of Edinburgh Council and

* VIRTUAL LIBRARY TOUR *

*DRESS FOR SUCCESS*

* REFRESHMENTS *

* MUSIC *

are among the delights and activities on offer!

Drop in at the library – it’s at 29 Wardieburn Terrace – any time between 4 – 6pm, or call 529 5630 for more information.

West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre – Open Day on Friday

West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre is holding an Open Day this Friday (20 April) from 10am – 2pm.

Call in to to the centre in West Pilton Grove to find out the range of activities and courses available for all the family, browse through the bargains at the Table Sale and enjoy a coffee and cake in the cafe!

For more information call Linda on 551 3194.

Drylaw cooks to launch blog

Drylaw Cooking Group’s new blog will be launched tomorrow (Wednesday 18th April) from  7-8.30pm at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre. Baking stall, recipe ideas, cooking tombola, cookery demonstrations. Be creative and you could be a winner in the Best Apron Competition – one junior prize and one adult prize to be won!

All welcome – call 0131 315 4989 for more details.

BallaBriggs at the double?

BallaBriggs is the confident selection to complete back to back Grand National wins when he tackles 39 high class opponents, 30 daunting fences and four and a half gruelling miles at Aintree this afternoon.

Consecutive National victories don’t happen too often, but BallaBriggs’ trainer Donald McCain does have some insight into how it can be achieved – the last horse to do it was the great Red Rum, trained by Donald’s father Ginger!

BallaBriggs has been laid out for the race since last year’s triumph, and the stable is delighted at the horse’s preparation for this year’s race. Ballabriggs carries ten pounds more than he shouldered to victory last year, but the ground is right, he’s proved he can handle the Aintree fences, he’s fit, he’s fresh and he’s improving – everything points to a repeat success.

Aintree’s fences have been modified for safety reasons and they are not as formidable as they once were. Perhaps for that reason this year’s Grand National has attracted handicappers of the highest quality and the field for this renewal is the strongest there has ever been. Proof of this is the participation of this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised. Admittedly this year’s Gold Cup form is questionable – both favourites ran well below form at Cheltenham – but Synchronised is a top class chaser and it’s great to see him taking his chance against handicappers.

In AP McCoy, Synchronised has perhaps the greatest ever jockey on his back but the top weight is giving lumps of weight to a field of good handicappers – he may be top class, but humping an 11st10lb burden over four and a half miles may just find him out. No horse has completed the Cheltenham/Aintree double since the legendary Golden Miller back in 1935 – history is against Synchronised.

In this year’s high quality field there are many horses you can make an argument for – perhaps twenty have realistic chances of making the frame. There is a particularly strong Irish challenge this year, and closer to home previous National winner Mon Mome is reportedly in good form at home and could run well at a big price. Jonjo O’Neill’s Sunnyhillboy is another who comes to Aintree from Cheltenham with an impressive win under his belt and could run a big race.

The Grand National always produces a fairytale, and this year will be no different. The first lady jockey winner perhaps? Maybe – both Seabass and Organisedconfusion hold decent chances.

However a bust of the late Ginger McCain looks down on the Aintree winner’s enclosure – and I get the feeling that Ginger will be smiling down on son Donald when he leads his BallaBriggs into that same winner’s enclosure this afternoon.

If you are having a wager on today’s race, take early prices as odds will shorten on fancied horses before the off. But bet sensibly – horses are not machines, jockeys can make mistakes and the winning combination needs an awful lot of good fortune just to complete the course, let alone win the race. Don’t stake more than you can comfortably afford to lose. But betting or not, do enjoy the spectacle and drama of the world’s greatest steeplechase.

NEN Selections:

1. BallaBriggs

2. Synchronised

3. Mon Mome

4. Sunnyhillboy

John Smith’s Aintree Grand National is at 4.15pm today 

 

 

Stage classic set for local arts centre

North Edinburgh Arts Centre is the place to be next Saturday (21 April) when it stages the only Edinburgh performances of the classic ‘Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’.

This hilarious, fast-paced adaptation of Robert Tressell’s classic book shares with its audience a year in the life of a group of painters and decorators as they renovate ‘The Cave’, a three-storey town house, for Mayor Sweater. It traces their hardships and struggles for survival in a complacent and stagnating Edwardian England. These workers are the ‘philanthropists’ who throw themselves into back-breaking work for poverty wages in order to generate profit for their masters.

This enduring and absorbing classic story is brought to life by Neil Gore and Rodney Matthew, two hugely talented and experienced performers, using comedy routines and entertaining songs of the Music Hall, with a few surprises along the way!

Robert Tressell’s book has become a classic of working-class literature since its first publication in 1914.  The themes and style of the piece are eternally relevant and provoking as it puts life and politics into sharp focus in an entertaining and accessible way.

Stephen Lowe’s version of the story was first seen in 1978, when Joint Stock Theatre Company toured the country playing to packed houses. The play was revived at the Half Moon Theatre, London in 1983 and again for a touring production by the Birmingham Rep in 1991.

Townsend Productions’ ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’ excellent cast features Rodney Matthew who joins the production straight off the back of ‘Jerusalem’ in the West End.  He has worked at many of the leading repertory theatres, including West Yorkshire Playhouse  where he worked for a year and at Dundee Rep where he spent a memorable five years performing in classical, musical and new work around Scotland. Matthew is joined on stage in the two-hander by the talented Neil Gore (Song of Singapore, Chichester Festival Theatre and the West End). The production is directed by Louise Townsend, with the creative team including designs by Fine Time Fontayne and lighting by Jo Dawson.

The play has had the Backing of the unions RMT, Unite, Unite, Scotland, TUC, SETUC, GMB, PCS, Wales TUC, NUT, Accord, UCATT NASWT and the FBU.

Tickets for The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (performances at 2pm and 7pm) are priced at £10.00 Conc. £5.00 and can be purchased at North Edinburgh Arts Box Office: 0131 315 2151.

STOP PRESS

Tickets for the evening performance are already sold out and tickets for the matinée are going fast. However you can win tickets for the play – North Edinburgh Arts has two tickets to give away for the matinée and NEN has to more for the evening performance. Check out April’s NEN to find out how to win tickets to a must-see show!