Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Call for help to tackle deliberate fire setting

With the summer holiday season upon us, firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are preparing to face a sharp increase in deliberate fires.

These types of incident account for more than 60 per cent of emergency fire calls across Scotland at this time of year and often involve fires in grass and heathland areas, derelict and unoccupied buildings, refuse bins and industrial skips.

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, Director for Prevention and Protection for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Fire officers work together with colleagues from local authorities, police, businesses and the third sector for a safer Scotland.

“This joined-up approach has resulted in a reduction of deliberate fires over the past five years; nevertheless more needs to be done to reduce these incidents, which often have a debilitating effect on local communities.”

The majority of incidents occur during the summer and early autumn months and are more common during late evening and weekend periods. Firefighters will be working with representatives from partner agencies to raise public awareness of the dangers of lighting fires, and at the same time keeping a careful watch to identify and manage local areas of high activity.

Assistant Chief Officer Ramsay added: “Ensuring the safety of the public and protecting property from fire is our main concern. Deliberate fire setting is an offence and should be reported to Police Scotland. Alternatively, crimes can be reported anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111.

“Fire setting is an offence, don’t accept it, report it!”

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Corstorphine Hill body: facial reconstruction released

Police Scotland detectives investigating the discovery of the dismembered body of a woman found in a shallow grave in Edinburgh have released a visual reconstruction of the woman’s face.

A member of the public came across the body within a wooded area of Corstorphine Hill on Thursday 6 June and a major police investigation has been launched to establish her identity, but despite an excellent response from the public to various appeals for information, the woman’s identity has yet to be established.

Detective Chief Inspector Keith Hardie from Police Scotland’s Major Investigations Team said:

“It is now 25 days since this woman’s body was discovered.  In that time we have worked with a range of experts and agencies to help us get more information on who she might be and how she came to be in Edinburgh.

“Today, thanks to the work of facial reconstruction experts at Dundee University, we have released an image of the woman’s face.  We are confident that this is a very accurate representation of how the woman looked and so I’m asking the public – does the image resemble someone you know but perhaps haven’t seen or heard from for some time?  As I’ve said from the outset, this is someone’s daughter, she could be someone’s mother.  Somebody knows who she is and when we’ve established her identity, we’ll have gone a long way to establishing who was responsible for her murder.”

The woman was believed to have been aged between 32 and 60 and had had extensive cosmetic work, in the form of veneers and implants, carried out on her teeth.  She was white, slim, of medium build and about 5 feet 2 inches tall.

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Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or, alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 

Community Councils: get involved!

A drive is under way to encourage more people to join their local community council and help represent the views of residents in their area.

Elections for all of Edinburgh’s community councils are due to take place in September, but some have struggled in the past to attract new members and all are keen to have fresh input. A campaign is now underway to seek nominations to ensure that community councils can continue to thrive and play an important role in the health of the capital’s neighbourhoods.

Maureen Child

Cllr Maureen Child (pictured above) , Convener of the Communities and Neighbourhoods committee, urged people to get involved: “It’s all about local residents working together to make a difference to where they live. In my experience, the best community councils involve folk of all ages and backgrounds, but they rely on people putting themselves forward. I completely understand it may be a little daunting for those who haven’t been involved in anything like this before, but help and advice is available.”

Jim Henry, the chair of Liberton & District Community Council, said: “Community councils act as a voice that gives residents an opportunity to use their local knowledge to influence the future of their area. We also get involved in a wide range of activities to improve our communities, including clean-ups and gala days. Without the work of community councils, the city and its neighbourhoods would be a poorer place.”

Community Councils receive a grant to cover running costs and training is available. They are represented on each of the 12 Neighbourhood Partnerships established across the city and work alongside elected members, representatives from NHS Lothian, Police Scotland, the voluntary sector and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to improve the local area and allocate local grants.

Anyone aged 16 years or older and registered to vote can join. People can find their local community council using the Council’s interactive map.

More information and advice is available from:

What’s your experience of Community Councils? Do they make a difference? Let us know!

Edinburgh

Lizard found lounging in local loo!

Lizard found in local loo

The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after a lizard was abandoned in the toilet of an Edinburgh supermarket. Scotland’s animal welfare charity was called to rescue the female bosc
monitor from Asda on Newhaven’s Sandpiper Drive on Thursday afternoon (27 June). The reptile is now being cared for at the Scottish SPCA’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre, where she has been named … Lulu!

Inspector June Chalcroft said, “Lulu was discovered in the disabled toilet at around 1pm. She was making her way out of the white sack she had been left in when a member of the public found her. The shop would have been fairly busy at the time, so we’re hoping members of the public may have noticed someone carrying the sack in to the store.

“In September 2011 I was called to rescue a bearded dragon which had been left in a white sack in the male toilets of Morrisons on Ferry Road, which isn’t far from where Lulu was dumped. Unfortunately, we never received the information we needed to identify the person responsible, but we do have to consider that these abandonments may be linked.

“Reptiles have very specific needs in terms of their environment, nutrition and care and anyone thinking of taking on this type of pet should do their research to make sure they have the time and resources
to give their animal the life it deserves.”

Abandoning an animal is an offence and anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to be banned from keeping animals for a fixed period or life.

Anyone with information should contact the Scottish SPCA’s Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.

Lulu

Call for North Edinburgh to nominate ‘older people’s champions’

hnadsNorth Edinburgh residents are invited to nominate their local champions for older people for the Age Scotland Awards 2013.  The Charity is looking for individuals, groups, partnerships and services that are inspirational in making a difference to older people.  

The Awards will be presented at the Scottish Parliament on 1 October, the UN International Day of Older Persons – with 30 August the closing date for nominations.

Nominations are invited in five categories: campaigning and influencing, partnership working, services for older people, volunteer of the year and Age Scotland member group of the year. These are sponsored respectively by McCarthy and Stone, Raeside and Chisholm, Specsavers at Home, David Urquhart Travel and Solicitors for Older People Scotland.  Details on how to nominate are available online atwww.agescotland.org.uk/awards  or by calling 0845 833 9334 to request a postal entry form.

Brian Sloan, Age Scotland Chief Executive, said: “Through the Awards we aim tochallenge popular myths about later life and our ageing population, demonstrate the vibrancy of older people’s voluntary action, and inspire others to follow the example of Scotland’s best services for, and by, older people.  So if you know of, or are, an individual, group or service in north Edinburgh worthy of wider recognition, whether in the public, private or voluntary sector, a nomination from you will be warmly welcomed.”AgeScotland

 

 

Good causes to benefit from carrier bag levy

carrierbagsThe Scottish government will introduce a 5p levy on plastic bags from October 2014. Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said the charge should reduce bag use in Scotland and raise £5m a year for good causes.

Mr Lochhead said: “Discarded carrier bags highlight our throwaway society. We use more carrier bags per head in Scotland than any other part of the UK and this is unsustainable. They are a highly visible aspect of litter and we are taking decisive action to decrease their number. By reducing the amount being carelessly discarded we can cut litter and its impact on our environment and economy. A small charge should also encourage us all to stop and think about what we discard and what can be re-used. This charge is not a tax but will see retailers donating the proceeds to charity – this could be up to £5m per year after retailers have covered their costs.”

Iain Gulland, the director of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “We can all reduce the impact of carrier bags by making sure that when we must take one, we re-use it over and over again as many times as possible and then recycle it at the end of its life.”

Retailers have expressed concerns over the introduction of the charge, however.

A CBI Scotland spokesman said: “Modest economic growth coupled with a continuing shift to internet shopping is making conditions challenging for the high street, which is already feeling the ill-effects of the Scottish government’s £95m retail rates surcharge and its £36m rates levy on empty shops and other premises. The plans for costly additional red tape in the form of an environmental levy on carrier bags, after significant success recently in reducing the use of plastic bags by voluntary means, will only make a difficult situation even tougher for retail businesses.”

The Scottish Retail Consortium says that carrier bag use has already fallen by 40% and there is a need to concentrate on bigger issues. SRC Director Fiona Moriarty said: “The Scottish government has decided that it wants further and faster reductions and the only way it can achieve this is through legislation.

“However, it is our view that if we focus solely on plastic bags we are in danger of being distracted from much larger and more important issues around waste. The SRC will be working with the Scottish government to ensure that the legislation is proportionate and as far as possible consistent across the UK to avoid confusion for customers and businesses.”

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Homeothapy no more for NHS Lothian

homeopathyNHS Lothian will cease to provide homeopathic services following a meeting of NHS Lothian’s board on 26 June. The decision followed recommendations made by the Healthcare Governance Committee and is in line with the recent survey results of the homeopathy public consultation.

The consultation and survey, led by the Midlothian Community Health Partnership, asked whether NHS Lothian should pay for homeopathic services in Lothian. The survey results showed that 72 per cent of all those who responded were against the service continuing to be funded by NHS Lothian with 27 per cent in favour of the status quo and 1 per cent undecided. The results also showed that people who lived in the NHS Lothian health board area responded similarly, with more than 74 per cent against the health board continuing to pay for homeopathy and approximately 25 per cent in favour.

Professor Alex McMahon, Director of Strategic Planning, Performance Reporting and Information, NHS Lothian said:  “We have consulted the public and listened to their views and the survey results are clear in showing that the majority of people who took part are against us continuing to provide homeopathic services. The majority of respondents cited lack of evidence for homeopathy and supported investing the funds currently spent on this service into other proven healthcare services.”

In total there were 3,720 responses to the questionnaire, which include 3,350 electronic and 367 paper responses.

There are approximately 200 new referrals each year to the homeopathy service with 1300-1500 return appointments. Approximately 20 new referrals are received per annum from other health boards.

The initial report detailing the consultation process and survey results is available at:

http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/OurOrganisation/Consultations/Past/Homeopathy/Documents/NHSLothianHomeopathyConsultationReport.pdf

It provides a breakdown of returns both online and paper copies as well as by Lothian residents, non Lothian residents and those who chose not to indicate where they lived.

NHS Lothian

Hundreds expected at annual emergency services open day

Hundreds of people are expected to attend the annual emergency services open day on Saturday 13 July from 11am – 3pm at McDonald Road fire station.

Hosted by the newly formed Scottish Fire and Rescue Service this free day welcomes locals to enjoy a selection of displays, demonstrations and fun activities run by the stations’ firefighters and other partners.

Firefighter Neil Bertram from McDonald Road fire station has organised this event for the last 4 years. He said: “The emergency services open day is always a great day out and it’s FREE! Last year we had almost 800 people through our doors at McDonald Road Fire Station. Located off Leith Walk, Edinburgh.

“The Police, Scottish Ambulance Service and Coastguard will all be represented on the day. It’s a great opportunity to come along, see an operational station and find out more about the emergency services and the role they play in keeping our communities safe.

“From our side we will have fire appliances on display. The height appliance will be working throughout the event, our community safety vehicle (CSV) will also be used and staff from our Community Safety team will be on hand to give advice and answer questions on Fire Safety in the Home and offer free visits. The training centre will be carrying out fire extinguisher and fire blanket demonstrations. The public will also have the opportunity to wear a Breathing Apparatus set and enter our breathing apparatus training pod, allowing people to get a taste of navigating in zero visibility to rescue a casualty.

“The feedback was great from the public last year, so NEW this year will be displays from crews demonstrating their working at heights skills and one of the `Phoenix crews` who are our young firefighters and they will be demonstrating ladder and pump drills.

“We also hope to raise money to help both our chosen charities again this year who are, `The Fire Fighters Charity` and `Hillview Children’s Unit` who offer intensive support and respite to children and young people persons with disabilities.

“Hopefully the weather will be kind to us again this year and we would urge people to pop along for what promises to be an educational, enjoyable and most importantly, family fun day out.”

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Scots urged to take up energy advice for free

lightbulbPeople across Scotland are being urged to take advantage of a new offer to seek assistance to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, helping to reduce household energy bills.   

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing today announced that from July 1, households can apply for a free Green Deal assessment which, once completed will provide advice on how homes can be made greener and more energy efficient and qualify households for a Green Homes Cashback voucher.

Getting loft insulation, for example, can reduce energy bills by up to £175 per year, while replacing single-glazed windows with double glazed ones could save the average home around £165 per year.

And taking simple steps to draught-proof can cut £55 per year off the average property’s energy bill, while getting a new, energy efficient boiler could save a three bedroom home owner up to £300 annually.

Mr Ewing (pictured below) said: “It is my belief that everyone in Scotland should live in a warm and safe home that doesn’t cost the earth to heat.  In these current economic times, it is more important than ever that people take advantage of money saving opportunities like these when they can.

“There is a wide range of financial support and offers available to Scottish households to support them when it comes to making the decision that is right for them.  And from today, households can apply for a voucher for a free home energy assessment.

“I would urge anyone who would like to reduce their energy bills to contact the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland hotline line as soon as possible to find out about how to get a Green Deal assessment and to find out about the offers available to them.”

Fergus Ewing

More information on the Green Deal assessment and on how to apply  for a Green Homes Cashback voucher can be found at  www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland or by telephoning the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland hotline -free – on 0808 808 2282