Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Lazarowicz supports food initiative

Mark Lazarowicz, MP for Edinburgh North & Leith has pledged to help local residents living on the breadline by signing up to volunteer at a local food drive.

The Million Meal Appeal – where shoppers can donate food to help local people in crisis – is being organised by charity FareShare and Sainsbury’s stores across the country, including Sainsbury’s at Blackhall. As part of the appeal on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th October, Mark Lazarowicz MP has signed up to help collect donations.

Mark Lazarowicz MP said: “The Million Meal Appeal will help local families struggling with rising living costs and cuts to tax credits. Food banks do an excellent job but I know that demand is rising under this government. I am supporting the Million Meal Appeal and I urge others to visithttp://www.fareshare.org.uk to see how they can help.”

Volunteers will be asked to greet customers and encourage them to buy an extra item of food from the Million Meal Appeal shopping list. Donations will be collected as shoppers leave the store. FareShare will then deliver the donated food to over 700 charities and community projects across the UK to help families in need. Sainsbury’s will match the level of food donations collected over the weekend.

FareShare is seeking more volunteers to assist with the two-day food drive. Volunteers can sign up at http://www.fareshare.org.uk to register, and choose their preferred store and time slot.

 

A story worth telling: Library Link celebrates twenty years

‘A special milestone for a special service’

A local library success story was shared yesterday as the Library Link service celebrated it’s twentieth birthday. This popular service helps people who have difficulty getting out to access books and other library services, and it’s fitting that the celebrations centred on Muirhouse Library – for it’s there that the Link service was first established all those years ago.

Culture and Sport convener Councillor Richard Lewis and Head of Library and Information Service Liz McGettigan were among the guests who joined yesterday’s anniversary celebrations.

Library Link is a bus service for anyone who has difficulty getting to the library because of age, disability or ill-health. The free minibus picks you up from home and takes you to your local library. The bus has wheelchair access and trained staff and WRVS volunteers are on hand to give assistance on and off the bus. Readers can choose their books, and then sit down to enjoy a coffee and a chat before being taken home again.

Launched in Muirhouse Library in 1992, Library Link has proven so successful that it has been adopted by nearly every       library in the Capital and is now regarded as a core part of the Libraries and Information Service. Some libraries have more than one link service, catering to those who prefer to visit on a different day of the week or time of day.

The service forms a unique partnership between City of Edinburgh Council Library and Information Services and the voluntary sector. The WRVS recruit and support volunteer escorts to accompany the link members and transport is provided by organisations such as PEP (Pilton Equalities Project) and SEAG (South Edinburgh Amenities Group).

Ellen Fisher joined Library Link while Morningside Library was closed for its recent refurbishment. She said: “It gets you out of the house and lets you meet people. Everyone is very helpful. I was finding it difficult  to cope with getting the books to and from the library. The advantage is that you can borrow as many books as you want and they are carried home for       you.”

For crime novel enthusiast Mary Anderson the club has become one of the few occasions she gets out and about. “I enjoy meeting everyone and it also keeps the brain active, which is very important when you get to my age,” she said.

Thursday’s celebration also saw the introduction of a new Edinburgh City Libraries brochure, ‘My  library keeps me out and about’ – Library services for older people, is a new booklet from Edinburgh City Libraries providing information about the various activities and services that are available to older people in Edinburgh, or anyone who finds it difficult to use their library through disability or illness.

There are lots of ways to access the library services  available, and the booklet provides information on the Library2go service, Get Up and Go, and Your Edinburgh – all services designed to keep people up to date with what is happening in their community. The booklet also outlines how library users can get involved in events and activities in their community, including the popular book groups, IT courses and activities for children and grandchildren.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Today marks a very special milestone for a very special service. Library Link has helped many, many residents over the past two decades, ensuring they can access the wide range of services on offer at their library while interacting socially with fellow service users and volunteers. I would like to pay tribute to all the volunteers, past and present, whose hard work and enthusiasm mean Library Link continues to go from strength to strength.”

Library Link’s 148 volunteers provide an incredible 10,280 hours annually to support the service, and Councillor Lewis presented awards to David Colvin and Patrick Watson, two long-standing Link volunteers. Guests were also entertained by a short film on the local Link service produced by Muirhouse Library’s Rehan Yousuf, and there were also special thanks to local Library Link member Mr Wong – the Chinese Moon Festival falls this week, so Mr Wong shared Moon Cake with Library Link guests to make it a double celebration!

Doesn’t everyone love a story with a happy ending?

Some party pictures:

 

Let’s hear it for … local apples!

Pilton Community Health Project’s Food for Thought Forum will be celebrating the humble apple at a free event at Craigroyston Community High School later this month.

The Food for Thought Forum invite you to ‘A celebration of local apples (and pumpkins!)’ on Friday 19 October from 10am – midday at Craigroyston Community High School, Pennywell Road

Everyone’s invited to:

  • Bring and share your apple recipes
  • Bring a clean empty jar and fill it with fresh apple jelly
  • Children’s apple activities!
  • Tasters
  • Cooking demonstrations (including pumpkin soup)
  • Information about food activities and groups in the area

Who’s got the best apple recipe in North Edinburgh?

Cook your favourite apple dish, bring it along and enter the great apple competition! Everyone gets to be a judge and there will be a brilliant prize for the winner!

For more information call Anita on 551 1671.

 

 

Changes to Patient Transfer Service this month

 Do you need ambulance transport to get to

your healthcare appointment?

_____________

New ambulance booking line for patients

‘goes live’ on 22 October 2012

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) Patient Transport Service is responsible for the transport of non-emergency patients who do not need an immediate or urgent ambulance.

Ambulance transport is available for patients who need support to reach their healthcare appointments if they have medical or mobility needs that prevent them from travelling independently and require the support of ambulance staff during the journey.  The core service operates between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).

The SAS is implementing a Patient Transport Service (PTS) improvement plan to enhance the clinical care given to patients who need to attend hospital or other healthcare facilities.  The roll-out of the first phase of the PTS improvement plan is now close to completion. The plan will be launched in the East Region (NHS Lothian, NHS Borders, NHS Tayside, NHS Fife, and NHSForthValley) on Monday 22 October 2012, when a new direct Patient Booking Line for the PTS will ‘go live.’ The same booking line number is already in use across the North and West of Scotland.

From 22 October 2012, to request a journey by ambulance, patients should call the new ambulance booking line on 0300 123 1236 (calls are charged at local rates for both landlines and mobiles).  Patients who are hard of hearing, deaf or speech impaired can contact the service through Text Relay on: 18001- 0300 123 1236.  Callers will be asked a series of questions about their condition and – if appropriate – the ambulance booking will be confirmed during the call.  Ambulance transport may be requested up to 28 days before the healthcare appointment. Patients who need support making the call should ask their GP or carer.

The SAS is producing a leaflet called Information for patients who need ambulance care services to attend healthcare appointments, which will be distributed to hospitals, GP practices and other healthcare facilities from early October. It will also be on the NHS Lothian website at www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

 

Scottish Ambulance Service

NHS Lothian

A Moment of Peace Day

A Moment of Peace Day 

Sister Anne from St Pauls RC Church Muirhouse and Centipede Project are delighted to welcome everyone in North Edinburgh to “A Moment of Peace Day.” Sister Anne has put a lot of time and effort in to arranging this in conjunction with the Centipede Project; she is someone who is passionate about North Edinburgh and how the community coming together can make a big difference. 

Date for the Diary: “A Moment of Peace Day” 

Tuesday 9th October 10. 30am – 2.30pm 

North Edinburgh Arts – 15a Pennywell Court 

Free snack lunch will be provided

 All Welcome

Sister Anne is hoping that people will take a few hours out their busy lives and join her and others in a calm environment for a while. This free event will have meditation sessions as well a fun aspect with Laughing Yoga and more.

Why not come along to this fantastic event and enjoy the calm environment? You can either join us all for the full event 10.30am – 2.30pm or stay for as long as you like.

Sister Anne would like to thank the Centipede Project for their support, for more information on the Centipede Project visit www.centipedeproject.co.uk or email centipedeproject@gmail.com

Robert Pearson

Welfare reform: getting the facts in Forth

The current reform of welfare and benefit payments is the biggest to be undertaken for over sixty years. Whether you agree with the reforms or not, the changes will affect hundreds of thousands of people across the country. How will you be affected? Find out at a briefing and information session later this month. 

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership’s Health Action Group is hosting a briefing on the Welfare Reform Act on

Wednesday 17 October from 10 – 11.30am in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.

Granton Information Centre’s Roddy Samson (pictured below) will be leading the session – which is aimed at local community, voluntary and statutory organisations – and there will be ample opportunity for questions and discussions.

Roddy Samson said: “The Welfare Reform Act 2012 introduces the greatest changes to welfare benefits in sixty years. These changes will have far reaching impacts for benefit claimants and their families, particularly for vulnerable people and the services which support them. The impact of these changes will affect those in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, Employment Support Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credits and Job Seekers Allowance. This event will give you the opportunity to learn about the latest details of the Government’s welfare reform programme and help you to understand the new system and prepare for the changes ahead – where possible.”

To find out more or to book your place at the West Pilton briefing, contact Forth Neighbourhood Partnership’s partnership development officer Jim Pattison on 529 5082 or email jim.pattison@edinburgh.gov.uk

Going Forth with Granton Youth Centre

Nae work? Nae money? Nae chance? Nae choice? Bored? Nowt to do?

Granton Youth Centre’s Go Forth team can help find you work, support you to make money and offer you choices and chances to improve you and your life.

Contact Jamie, Mary or Tracey on 467 5854 or just drop in for an informal chat at Granton Youth Centre at 3 – 11 West Granton Road (near Granton Square)  – it might just change your life!

Invite to bfriends at Prentice Centre!

Paul Burke writes:
“As the Project Development Worker  for CHILDREN 1ST bfriends service in North  and West Edinburgh, I would like to invite you along to an Open day on Friday 12 October from 12 – 2pm at our base in The Prentice Centre at 1 Granton Mains Avenue.
In April 2012, CHILDREN  1ST re-opened its bfriends base in North Edinburgh and we feel this will  be a nice opportunity to meet with local agencies and let everyone know  more about our service, volunteers and the young people we work  with. Please try to pop along any time between 12-2pm – as we are meeting over lunch time, we will provide a  small buffet so you won’t miss out on lunch!”
If you plan to attend you can contact Paul at paul.burke@children1st.org.uk or telephone 552 8265. 

Take part in Sainsbury’s ‘Million Meal Appeal’ this weekend

Sainsbury’s Blackhall colleagues are encouraging residents to help tackle food poverty this October by taking part in a nationwide food-drive run by Sainsbury’s and FareShare, the national charity tackling hunger across the UK. The second annual Million Meal Appeal takes place this weekend on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th October and will benefit more than 700 charities and projects across the UK. 

Last year’s ‘Million Meal Appeal’, which took place on Saturday 26th November, was a huge success and involved 600 Sainsbury’s stores including Blackhall. Thanks to customers’ generosity, together with Sainsbury’s pledge to match donations, FareShare could deliver food for over 1.2 million meals to 700 charities and community projects it supports. Blackhall residents’ contribution was significant, with enough food collected at the retailer’s Blackhall store to provide 4000 donations to charities across the UK  including Granton Youth Centre.

This year’s appeal will see over 900 stores involved in the two-day food-drive to help 720 charities and community projects which FareShare supports. Customers will again be able to choose to donate an item from the Million Meal Appeal shopping list which consists of long-life products including tinned goods, dried pasta, pasta sauce, rice, tea and instant coffee. The items are purchased as normal and then placed in the collection box after checkout. Customers shopping on Sainsbury’s Online can also choose to make a £1 donation between 3 – 9 October.

Sainsbury’s Community Affairs Manager Andy White said: “We had such an overwhelming response from our customers to last year’s initiative and we’re excited to be working with FareShare on the second ‘Million Meal Appeal’.  The total of 1.2 million meals donated in 2011 would be enough to feed a sold-out London Olympic stadium 15 times! We hope from this year’s campaign that we can further raise the awareness of food poverty in the UK and support those charities and projects that need our help.”

Assisting in the food drive will be local volunteers who are currently being recruited by FareShare. Potential volunteers are encouraged to visit www.fareshare.org.uk with their family and friends to register. Participants will be able to choose their preferred Sainsbury’s store to volunteer at and have the choice of a morning or afternoon shift.

Lindsay Boswell, CEO, FareShare, added: “The Million Meal Appeal has come at a crucial time. Around 5.8 million people live in deep poverty in the UK, meaning they struggle to afford everyday essentials like food. I hope many Sainsbury’s Blackhall customers can support the Appeal and help us to provide even more food to the charities and community projects we support across the country”.