Love drama? Then it’s got to be Goldenacre this month as St. Serf’s Church Halls on Clark Road is the venue for Scottish Community Drama Association’s One Act Festival. With four plays on Friday 17th and three more on Saturday 18th there’s a feast of drama for everyone to enjoy – and you can vote for your favourite performance too.
Tickets, price £8 per evening or £14 for both nights, are available from Elliot Clark Flowers in Montagu Terrace and can also be bought at the door on the night – performances start at 7pm. Call 225 5952 for more information on the One Act Festival.
Cycle theft is a real pain, so Lothian and Borders Police are offering cyclists the opportunity to make things tougher for thieves at two sessions this month. You can get your bike registered and UV marked for £5, or registered, UV marked and electronically tagged for £16 at West End Police Station on 14 February from 12 – 2pm, or at Gayfield Police Station from 12 – 2pm on 23 February. A limited number of bikes will be registered and marked for free, so arrive early to avoid missing out!
Muirhouse Youth Development Group is holding an Open Day at St. Paul’s on Friday 10 February from 2.30 – 4.30pm. Find out what’s happening in your area – activities on offer include pool, Wii, table tennis, arts and crafts, climbing, bike assault course and music. Interested? Call Joanne Stewart on 332 3356 for more details.
Want to work with children? The Childcare Academy could be for you! North Edinburgh Childcare is recruiting students for a free childcare training course. Participants can gain SVQ qualifications that can help you gain employment in the childcare sector. For further information on the course, which starts on 27 February, call NEC Training Coordinator Barbara Webster on 311 6926.
Granton Primary School is celebrating the Olympics in style this year. The whole school has been split into six countries, with each group learning something of the language and culture of their chosen nation. Friday was the opportunity for the Chinese students to showcase what they’ve learned and the children staged a special event to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the school.
The children have been working with Meryl James (picture below), who coordinates the Confucius Classroom Hub for Chinese Studies at St. George’s School, and the kids have certainly learned a lot as they brought a flavour of China to Granton with their special event.
Parents and classmates participated in calligraphy, fan making and mastered the art of eating with chopsticks at Fridays’ showcase, and also had an opportunity to make their own personal wish for the world. There was sumptuous Chinese cuisine, too, prepared by the Granton parents and served up in the school’s very own Chinese restaurant!
This being the Year of the Dragon, the Granton kids also marked the Chinese New Year with their very own Dragon Dance. All the visitors to the exhibition were very impressed. P2 pupil Hamish perhaps summed it up best: “I think this is awesome!” he said!
There were more than a few sore heads in North Edinburgh on Saturday morning following a farewell drinks party for Dave Hewitt in Broughton Street’s Cask and Barrel at the weekend!
Dave Hewitt worked in North Edinburgh for over seventeen years, first at The Pilton Partnership then more recently managing Pilton Community Health Project in Boswall Parkway. Dave moved on to take up a new post with Community learning and Development in Tollcross earlier this month, and Friday’s event was an opportunity to get together with old friends and colleagues to reminisce about the good old days!
Dave said: “I have some great memories of my time in North Edinburgh and I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with some very good people. There’s no doubt that the last few years have been very hard for the whole voluntary sector, though, and that’s been the story for the Health Project too. That’s situations unlikely to change in the near future and projects are constantly struggling to provide the best services they can in very difficult circumstances. I wish all projects in North Edinburgh the very best of luck in the tough times ahead”.
A 35-year-old man has been arrested and charged following an alleged assault and robbery in Groathill Road North on 15th January 2012.
He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (January 27).
Looking for something different to do over the weekend? This Saturday and Sunday thousands of Scots will be taking part in RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch, each spending one hour counting the birds that visit their gardens or local parks.
This year, the conservation charity is hoping the results will not only create a ‘snapshot’ of bird numbers across the country, but also reveal more about the movements of a small woodland bird called the nuthatch. Previously confined to the southern half of the UK, milder winter weather patterns, most likely due to climate change, mean the species is now regularly breeding in Scotland
RSPB Scotland hopes sightings recorded during this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch may show how far north its range has extended. Often, the first sign that nuthatches are colonising new areas comes from sightings at bird feeders in gardens. Nuthatches have a particular appetite for peanuts.
Nuthatches are not only recognised by their slate-grey back, rusty coloured front and black eye-stripe but also their ability to descent down a tree head first and creep along branches. They also have a distinctive loud whistling call comprising of repeated single notes.
As well as recording unusual species, the conservation charity is keen to see if 2011’s mixed weather will have impacted on garden bird numbers. Gale force winds during the breeding season raised concerns for some species when nests were blown from trees, eggs were destroyed or young perished.
Louise Smith of RSPB Scotland said: “The Big Garden Birdwatch is a fun and easy way to learn more about the wildlife in your garden, whilst at the same contributing to an important piece of citizen science. The results help us paint a clearer picture of bird populations in Scotland but in the case of the nuthatch it could also help us understand how the species is responding to the impacts of climate change.
“As always we will be keeping a watchful eye on all garden bird numbers so the more results we have, the better chance we have of spotting any worrying trends.”
Last year, over 45,000 Scots took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch. The chaffinch emerged as the most common garden visitor with an average of six spotted at any one time.
To step up for nature and take part, simply spend one hour over the weekend of 28-29 January, counting the birds in your garden or local park, and record the highest number of each bird species seen at any one time.
Visit the RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch for more information and to submit your results online. Pre-registration is open until Friday and those pre-registering will get a 10% discount for bird food and feeders from the RSPB online shop.
HAPPIER TIMES: Evelyn Crawford pictured with Drylaw Church minister Pat Watson at the Tierney Award reception in 2007
Police have confirmed that the victim of Sunday’s attack in Groathill Road North was 75-year old Evelyn Crawford of Wester Drylaw. Mrs Crawford remains sedated in hospital with serious injuries including broken ribs, a punctured lung and broken fingers following the vicious attack – thought to be a handbag snatch that escalated – which took place at around 6pm near Ferryhill School.
Evelyn Crawford is a much-loved figure in the local community. A Drylaw Parish church elder and a willing helper at Girl Guiding and youth clubs, she has also been an enthusiastic member of Drylaw Telford Community Council for many years. Her dedication to her community was rewarded in 2007 when she was awarded the community council’s Thomas Tierney Award for Good Citizenship.
News of the attack on a much-loved local pensioner has left the community stunned. A spokesman for Drylaw Telford Community Council said: “We are all shocked and sickened at this news. So many people knew and liked Evelyn – put simply, you couldn’t meet a nicer or more helpful person. Our heartfelt best wishes for a speedy and full recovery go to Evelyn, and we appeal to anyone who has any information at all about this horrific attack to urgently contact the police. This person must be caught”.
The attacker is described as in his early 20s, around 6ft tall with a skinny build. He was wearing dark clothing and a hat. It’s understood that he tried to seize Mrs Crawford’s handbag in the attack which took place in Groathill Road North, near the junction with Easter Drylaw Avenue. The attacker was then pursued by a member of the public who chased him towards Telford Road before losing him in Easter Drylaw Drive.
Anyone with information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
