Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Homing in: Edinburgh writers shine in new anthology

edinburgh imageFive Edinburgh residents who wrote short stories about what ‘home’ means to them for a national writing competition have had their submissions chosen to be published in a book. 

They beat off competition from over 500 other entries to win a place in a special book entitled Scotland’s Stories of Home. Their submissions will feature alongside entries from 33 other winners and author contributors such as Alan Warner, Vic Galloway, Kirsty Logan and Beatrice Colin.

The winners include:

Seonaid Cook, writing as Shona Cook, who submitted ‘Home Run’, a story that recounts a train journey from Edinburgh to London in which she ponders her feelings about the Scottish Referendum.

Commenting on the publication of her story, Seonaid said: “The project was timely; helping me confront complex feelings about where I belong after changes in family and career and discussions around the independence referendum. I’m excited, if a little nervous, to see my work in print for the first time since I set out to be a writer.” 

Sine Kay Harris, a student at the University of Glasgow, submitted ‘Shell’, a story about finding ‘home’ in amongst the bookshelves of Edinburgh’s public libraries.

Sine said: “I think the Scotland’s Stories of Home project is a really wonderful opportunity to give the people of Scotland a chance to speak for themselves about what this country we all call home means to them.” 

Laura Clay, an editor for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, submitted ‘A Story of Homecoming’. Her story explores her experience of getting to know Edinburgh again after eight years of living down south.

Laura said: “The Stories of Home project has meant a great deal to me; having moved back to Edinburgh after eight years away, it’s been a good way of reconnecting with the city I love. I feel very lucky to be included in the book. It’s the first time my writing has been published, and I’m hoping my other work will be similarly successful in future!” 

The other Edinburgh winners were Julie Morrice, a music teacher living in Newington, with her poem ‘Travelling Home’ and Lorna Malone, a copywriter for an investment company, with her short story ‘A Potful of Home.’ 

The competition was held by Scottish Book Trust, the leading agency for the promotion of literature, reading and writing in Scotland, and encouraged members of the public to express in writing what ‘home’ as a place or a concept means to them. Contributions included poems as well as prose that tell tales of childhood, communities, family life, travel and food.

To celebrate the third year of Book Week Scotland (24 – 30 November 2014) more than 150,000 free copies of Scotland’s Stories of Home will be gifted to people throughout the week. The books will be distributed in local bookshops, public libraries, prisons, hospitals, visitor information centres, ferry terminals and train stations. All the stories entered for the competition are available to read at www.bookweekscotland.com.

Scotland’s Stories of Home also features original commissioned contributions from some of the best-loved names in Scottish arts andliterature, including Alan Warner, Des Dillon and a special contribution in Gaelic from Catriona Lexy Chaimbeul.

Sophie Moxon, Acting Director of Scottish Book Trust said: “Scotland’s Stories of Home has given people of all ages living in Scotland a chance to express in writing what ‘home’ means to them. We received hundreds of submissions from members of the public, sharing beautifully unique stories of home as a place and a concept and are delighted to be able to give away 150,000 free copies of this wonderful book for Book Week Scotland 2014.”

All the entries to the Scotland’s Stories of Home campaign can be read here: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home

The Edinburgh winner’s stories are available at the following links: 

Shona Cook’s ‘Home Run’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/home-run

Sine Kay Harris’ ‘Shell’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/shell

Laura Clay’s ‘A Story of Homecoming’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/a-story-of-homecoming

Julie Morrice’s ‘Travelling Home’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/travelling-home

Lorna Malone’s ‘A Potful of Home’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/a-potful-of-home

Scottish Book Trust logo

Get LOUD over homophobia!

North Edinburgh Young Peoples Forum member LAURA says we must speak out when we encounter homophobia …

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How are the LGBTQIA* community portrayed in the media?

Society has certainly progressed in the acceptance of people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex or asexual, but how do we portray them in media?

Many people are still offended by people identifying as LGBTQ, but with same-sex marriage being legalised in many countries and states, the media is starting to recognise and portray more LGBTQIA people in films and TV Shows.

However, if a character in a TV show is portrayed, for example, as being lesbian, their sexuality is almost always a huge part of the plot and they are commonly shown as having had many girlfriends just to prove that they are lesbian. The same goes for people being portrayed as gay.

But TV shows are reluctant to feature transgendered people, whether they are trans-male/trans-female or simply non-binary, and asexuals/aromantics are normally shown as people who haven’t ‘met the right person’.

However, while TV Shows and films are certainly improving the way they portray LGBTQIA people, some channels are still portraying them negatively.

Stonewall, a charity for LGBTQIA people, discovered that “Gay people and their lives are five times more likely to be portrayed in negative terms on the BBC” and that “BBC programmes frequently use gay sexuality for making jokes or as an insult, and rely heavily on clichéd stereotypes”.

In July 2010, Stonewall published research about representation in youth television: 49% of portrayal was stereotypical and 0.6 of the content they viewed portrayed LGBTQIA people ‘positively and realistically’.

So what is there to do about negative portrayal of the LGBTQIA community in media?

Obviously, you can complain to the television companies, but not a lot can come from a single complaint letter or e-mail. The key to making a difference is to get LOUD.

You can get into contact with various different charities, Stonewall is an excellent example of one of them, and organise a protest or campaign. You can get your friends and families all to write letters of complaint – the more the merrier. You can put what you’ve seen on the internet for the world to see. There are countless other ways to stop discrimination against LGBTQIA people, and its easy to get involved.

Whether you’ve read something homophobic in a newspaper or magazine, seen stereotypes of LGBTQIA people on TV, or heard something offensive on the radio, it’s easy to get involved, and it’s your responsibility. If everyone waits for somebody else to do it – nobody will.

You can see Stonewalls page about the portrayal of LGTQIA people in the media at: http://www.stonewall.org.uk/what_we_do/research_and_policy/2875.asp

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Laura, North Edinburgh Young Peoples Forum

Pictures by Nicki and Josh (NEYPF)

* Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and asexual.

Cold comfort: millions to benefit from winter weather support

Extra government help as the Cold Weather Payments season begins

coldAn estimated 4 million people are in line for extra government help this year to turn up the heating during the coldest snaps, as the Cold Weather Payments season begins today (1 November 2014).

Poorer pensioners and low-income households, which include disabled people or children under the age of 5, could be due a £25 Cold Weather Payment each time temperatures either dip below an average of zero degrees Celsius for 7 consecutive days, or are forecast to do so.

The latest figures show that more than £700 million has been paid out to vulnerable people under this scheme since 2010 through some 28 million separate payments.

The Westminster government’s permanent increase to £25 means that an additional £466 million has been paid out – 3 times the amount that would have been paid if Cold Weather Payments had remained at their previous rate of £8.50.

DWP Minister Steve Webb said: “It is vital that pensioners and vulnerable people are given extra help to turn up the thermostat and keep warm when temperatures plunge.

“This help, combined with the Winter Fuel Allowance and Warm Home Discount Scheme, is making a real difference to help the most vulnerable people in our society.

“In most cases, Cold Weather Payments are paid automatically to those eligible. But I urge anyone, especially older people who might be missing out on Pension Credit, to call us.”

There are up to 1.6 million pensioners who may be entitled to Pension Credit who are not currently claiming it and who could be eligible for Cold Weather Payment as a result.

Who qualifies?

Pensioners on Pension Credit will usually qualify for the scheme. Some people on other benefits may also qualify for a Cold Weather Payment, including:

Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Universal Credit

People can find out if they are due a Cold Weather Payment by calling

0800 99 1234

This number can also be used to claim Pension Credit and Housing Benefit without having to sign a form.

Find out more about Cold Weather Payments

Spartans look to bumper home support to sink Clyde

East meets West in Scottish Cup Third Round clashDEFYTHEODDS_306x268

The Spartans are hoping that Hearts and Hibs fans with a free weekend will swell the ranks of the Spartan Army as they face the challenge of Barry Ferguson’s Clyde in the third round of The Scottish Cup at Ainslie Park this afternoon.

Both clubs go into today’s clash in fine form. Spartans are enjoying a ten match unbeaten run, and while the local club are underdogs they are looking forward to the opportunity to tackle the SPFL2 side.

Spartans Manager Dougie Samuel said: “We go into Saturday’s game in a healthy position, with arguably nothing to lose. Playing against higher ranked opposition means that we find ourselves in the unusual position of going into a home game as genuine underdogs; that said, it’s a tag we will set out to enjoy.”

Clyde have been making steady progress under ex-Ranger Barry Ferguson and, unbeaten in five games, currently sit in sixth place in SPFL2 The ‘Bully Wee’ have a fine Scottish Cup history and, as the ‘big’ team in the tie, start the game as firm favourites.

Can Spartans defy the odds? It promises to be a cracker, and don’t be too surprised if the two sides have to do it all again at Broadwood on 8 November.

Kick off today is 3pm.

Admission is by cash at the gate: £8 for adults, £5 for concessions and FREE entry for all under-12s. Due to the anticipated crowd at Ainslie Park, entry will be via the turnstiles at Pilton Drive and Pilton Avenue (open from 2pm).

Police action in West Pilton producing results

News from Edinburgh North Police

PoliceWest Pilton Community Action

Police patrols continue in the West Pilton and surrounding areas. This week the following results have been achieved:

* 62 persons stopped and searched.
* 14 persons arrested or reported
* Male arrested on two warrants relating to domestic abuse
* 2 pedal cycles have been recovered, valued at £2000
* Male charged with breach of the peace after causing ASB in the area
* Male charged with supplying controlled drugs with £330 drugs recovered.
* Fireworks seized from 5 youths in West Pilton
* Male stopped and searched, found with heroin
* Male found in possession for NPS.
* Following pursuit of stolen car a male made off and was traced hiding nearby. Was then charged with Housebreaking offences after stolen property found in the car.
* Bail conditions enforced and a male charged for failing to adhere to conditions.
* Two drivers charged with driving un-roadworthy vehicles
* A female c/c with possession of cannabis.

Chief Inspector Sara Buchanan said: “This action highlights our continued commitment to the West Pilton community and we will be working further with our partner agencies to improve the quality of life for local residents, tackle the issues at the heart of the community and build a ‪#‎StrongerNorth‬”

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Living Lab: a new approach to finding solutions

Among the delegates at last night’s Inverleith Community Conference was a group of Edinburgh University students – yes, those enthusiastic young guys in the bright red tops!

DSCF2192The students are working with Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership on a project to look at more innovative ways to encourage walking and cycling – and they want to hear from you! Let them explain:

Edinburgh Living Lab is a new partnership involving the City of Edinburgh Council and students and staff from the University of Edinburgh.

The goal of the Living Lab is to encourage innovation in the development of services, processes and products in the city. What makes the Living Lab different is not so much it’s aims as it’s methods.

Developing new solutions should always involve users from the start, and as far as possible should take place in real world contexts: on the street, in parks, cafes, community centres, homes and offices rather than in contrived laboratory settings.

As well as designing in collaboration with users there is an emphasis on rapidly implementing project ideas, testing and measuring their effectiveness, refining them or throwing them away as required.

We are currently involbed in a ten week pilot project with Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership, where teams of Masters students from the University’s Design Informatics degree are experimenting with novel ideas for increasing the uptake of active travel in Inverleith. Data plays a central role in their projects: some of this will be existing data sets such as those produced by the Council, but some will be freshly collected during the course of the projects, using surveys, observation and digital techniques.

Edinburgh Living Lab is currently at an experimental stage and we welcome contributions from participants at the conference and of course from the residents of Inverleith.

Interested? To find out more visit www.edinburghlivinglab.org/

BRAINS ON BIKES

Do you want to help improve cycling in Inverleith? Want to take part in a short study where you will get to wear Google Glass and a high tech EEH headset?

Intrigued? Contact Kim Taylor on 0754 161 0222 or email kimritaylor@gmail.com for more information!

To sign up for the study go to:  http://goo.gl/forms/9vXJCxE4y2

Dogs: you say NO to compulsory muzzling

Government will explore compulsory microchipping

happy-dogThe vast majority of people who responded to a consultation on responsible dog ownership in Scotland have said they are NOT in favour of compulsory muzzling of all dogs in public places.

The consultation, Responsible Dog Ownership in Scotland, asked members of the public for their views on how to improve public safety in Scotland.

Over 97 per cent of those who responded were against the proposal for muzzling.

Other measures, including compulsory microchipping, were also consulted on and the Scottish Government has published the full responses today (see link below).

The majority of respondents were also in favour of a system of compulsory microchipping and the Scottish Government is now considering the practicalities of introducing this across the country.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “We already have long-standing laws in place to help protect members of the public from dangerous dogs, but this consultation has provided us with the opportunity to see if there is anything more that can be done to strengthen legislation in Scotland.

“Authorities already have the option of muzzling available for dogs in certain cases but this consultation allowed people to offer their views on whether a more general system of muzzling of all dogs is practical or justified.

“It was a radical proposal but it was important that communities across Scotland has the chance to give their views of every option available.

“It is clear from the responses that communities right across Scotland do not think this is a measure that will encourage responsible dog ownership and, as such, we will not be progressing with any policies on this.

“Answers to other aspects of the consultation were much more varied and, as such, it is important that the Scottish Government considers these fully with a view to publishing a full response in the near future.

“It is crucial that our approach fits the needs of our communities. Every incident is one too many – we need to ensure Scotland’s system continues to focus on preventing these tragedies.”

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “The Scottish Government recognises microchipping as an effective method of identifying animals and can help re-unite dogs with owners where the dogs have been lost or stolen and the owners of dangerous or out of control dogs can already be required to microchip their dogs.

“The responses to questions clearly show an overwhelming public appetite for some sort of compulsory microchipping scheme. This is really positive however it is only right that we fully explore the practical aspects of this, including costs, before we make a definitive decision and my officials will continue to work on this with a view to announcing a decision in the near future.”

The link to the publication can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/10/4357

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DEC launches Ebola crisis appeal

DEC launches first ever appeal in response to disease outbreak
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Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)  member agencies are scaling up their aid efforts in West Africa where they have already helped over 2.5m people affected by the Ebola crisis. The DEC launched its Ebola Crisis Appeal yesterday with appeals carried by all major UK broadcasters.
The urgent appeal for funds is essential to help member agencies intensify their efforts to stop the explosive spread of the disease and support those affected.
DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “Aid workers are on the front line in the fight against Ebola.  Some are facing great risk and local staff and partners are also being ostracised by their friends and families because people are so terrified.
“This is a price they are prepared to pay as they struggle to stop the spread of the disease and support those affected by the crisis.  They need your help NOW not only to support medical treatment but to bury the dead safely, care for Ebola orphans, help families disinfect their homes, provide food to people in quarantine and, critically, to teach communities how to keep themselves safe and stop the spread of Ebola.”
This is the first time in the DEC’s 50-year history that it has launched an appeal in response to a disease outbreak: an historic move that reflects the scale of the situation.
The Ebola outbreak is the most severe the world has ever seen: it has so far infected 10,000 people and killed nearly 5,000 more, with the World Health Organisation warning of up to 10,000 new cases a week by December if it is not contained.
All major UK broadcasters carryied the DEC appeal yesterday, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. The appeal is also supported by other major DEC partners including ITN, BT, Post Office, British Bankers Association, Royal Mail, RadioCentre and NewsNow.
In addition to the 2.5 million people reached by DEC member agencies’ efforts, several hundreds of thousands more have been targeted by radio broadcasts and print materials containing life-saving messages on how communities can safeguard themselves from the disease.
Amongst the aid delivered activities so far include:
  • ActionAid has reached over 271,000 people in Sierra Leone and Liberia, delivering sanitation supplies to medical facilities, giving food and clothing to affected families and running public information campaigns.
  • British Red Cross partners have buried 3,595 victims of Ebola safely and with dignity across Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. They have helped to trace over 41,000 at-risk individuals.
  • CAFOD is giving food aid to over 9,000 quarantined families, providing sanitation materials and training faith leaders to raise awareness of safe burial practices.
  • CARE International has distributed hygiene packs to 1,100 vulnerable and quarantined households in Sierra Leone, reaching 53,000 people. The kits include soap, buckets fitted with taps and other essential materials.
  • Christian Aid is distributing food and hygiene kits to over 2,000 quarantined residents in Ebola hotspots and has reached 1.2 million people with awareness raising work, run by 900 volunteers using existing community networks.
  • Concern Worldwide is managing burial teams, educating communities on prevention methods and supporting district health workers. It has reached 170,000 people in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
  • Oxfam is providing hygiene kits, giving health and burial workers protective clothing, supplying water to treatment and isolation centres, and co-ordinating door-to-door awareness-raising campaigns. It has reached almost 500,000 people.
  • Plan UK is giving psychosocial care to children, and has distributed food and sanitation kits to nearly 45,000 people.
  • Save the Children are building and managing health and community care centres where Ebola sufferers can be isolated and treated. It is training health volunteers and providing medical supplies.
  • Tearfund is working with over 1,000 churches to curb transmission, reaching over 350,000 people with prevention advice and distributing 2,600 hygiene kits to families.
  • World Vision has reached 7,500 people in mosques and churches with disease prevention advice and is providing materials to health workers.
The DEC does not set fundraising targets for its appeals and is always grateful for whatever support the UK public are able to offer.  
 
To make a donation to the DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk or call the 24-hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900. You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000. 
What your money could buy: 
  • £25 can provide cleaning kits including bleach, soap and a bucket for three families at risk from Ebola.
  • £50 can provide basic protective clothing such as gloves, masks, boots and gowns for three volunteers supporting people under quarantine.
  • £100 can provide training to a community on how to keep themselves safe and help stop the spread of Ebola.
Stay up to date with developments in Ebola, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts with the DEC on twitter:http://twitter.com/decappeal or on Facebook via http://www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee 
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pictures: Getty Images