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Police seek Comely Bank raider

Police are looking for witnesses following a foiled raid on a wine shop in Comely Bank last Friday.

The would-be robber, who was wearing a trilby type hat, entered Appellation Wines on Comely Bank Road at around 4pm on Friday and threatened a female shop worker with a metal pole before demanding money. The woman suffered minor injuries as she managed to fight off the thief, who then ran off empty-handed.

The suspect is described as white, aged between 50 and 60, around 5ft 8ins tall with an average build and grey stubble.

If you have any information please contact the police on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

City centre set for Social in the Square

Local social enterprises to strut their stuff this weekend

Edinburgh has a new festival! An ambitious new social enterprise festival, Social In The Square, will take over St Andrew Square this Friday and Saturday with family fun, music, dance, theatre, chef demonstrations and arts and crafts.

Social in the Square is taking social enterprise business to the next level and encouraging customers to consider their shopping choices and decisions. Visitors to the Square will have a chance to see and buy a wide range of local products and services with over 30 social enterprises taking part.

Social enterprise is a way of doing business that benefits the community, society or the environment. Social enterprises must reinvest all of their profits into their social or environmental aims and many also achieve their aims through the way that they run their business, for example by employing people who might otherwise find it difficult to find a job.

Linsay Chalmers, network coordinator, Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network, said: “We are expecting a great turn out over the course of two days and have a great line-up of performances, music, foodie events, arts and craft. At front and centre, we also have our new branded Monster mascot signs ‘Doogie Goodstuff’ – to promote our social enterprise campaign, ‘Buy the Good Stuff”, to encourage people to buy from social enterprises and plough money back into their own communities.”

Award-winning Irish Dance troupe Siamsoir (above), entertained local workers and commuters when they rehearsed in the Square this morning. A social enterprise in its own right, the team of highly trained Irish dancers perform for corporate, social and charity events.

Speaking on behalf of the troupe, Jennifer Roxburgh, artistic director of the Irish Dance Academy, said: “There has been a lot of preparation for this new festival and we are very excited to be involved. Running your own social enterprise is extremely rewarding and many different types of business can grow from this example.

“We have been running the dance academy since 2005 and are now winning top awards which we hope will inspire others to start their own enterprise businesses.”

Fraser Kelly, chief executive, Social Enterprise Scotland, said: “It’s great to see an entirely new initiative like this come to life. Social Enterprise Scotland believes in taking social enterprise to the streets and to real people – bringing it into the mainstream. Social In The Square is the first of its kind and has gone city wide this week, with branding on Lothian Buses reaching local communities throughout Edinburgh. I am sure we will see a lot of interest from across Scotland as we start to see the impact of this event and the Buy the Good Stuff campaign.”

Chief executive, Ewan Fraser, Dunedin Canmore, said: “We signed up to supporting Social in the Square from the start and really see the social benefit of local business in local communities and with profits returning back into communities. As a social enterprise ourselves, it is encouraging to see the rich variety of businesses represented at this event.”

Keeping in tune with the ethos of the festival – the security, marketing materials, recycling and water for the volunteers has all being provided by social enterprises.

Social in the Square has been organised by Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network in partnership with Social Enterprise Scotland and is sponsored by Awards for All, Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Link Housing Association, the Business Gateway, the City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Markets

Find out more at www.socialinthesquare.com Follow us on Twitter @SocialinSquare or Facebook at www.facebook.com/socialinthesquare

All change in city centre, by George!

Twelve-month trial for part-pedestrianisation and one-way system on George Street

One of Edinburgh’s best-known and busiest streets has been transformed to create a welcoming environment for pedestrians, cyclists and visitors. The new look George Street was officially opened by local workers and daily commuters yesterday.

Changes, aimed to make the area more attractive to shoppers, residents and tourists, include the introduction of a dedicated two-way cycle lane and a one-way system for general traffic and buses.

The resulting increase in pedestrian space will allow for outdoor dining facilities, exhibitions and public art, supporting an emerging café culture and encouraging footfall to the city centre, while the cycle route will connect the National Cycle network at the east and west end of the City Centre.

George Street’s development follows successful Festival periods over the last two years, when pedestrian areas were increased to allow outdoor seating for cafes and restaurants, in addition to Fringe venues.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Transport and Environment Convener, (pictured above) said: “As we have seen over the Festival, opening up George Street for pedestrians and cyclists can result in a much more relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere for everyone.

“We want to create an inviting city centre, showing off what local businesses have to offer as well as creating an accessible space for residents, visitors and commuters. However, we will continue to cooperate with stakeholders to ensure this works for all those involved.”

Andy Neal, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh, added: “We are delighted that the Council has agreed to go ahead with this one-year trial, as we had advocated. The aim of the part-pedestrianisation is to create a space that attracts even more people to enjoy all that the city centre has to offer – its shops, bars, restaurants, attractions and public spaces.

“A shorter pilot last year returned very encouraging figures. We are confident that a year-long pilot will show even more reasons for encouragement – and will undoubtedly illustrate ways in which we can bring about further improvements in the future.”

Proposals to develop George Street were first agreed as part of a wider city centre vision at last October’s Transport and Environment Committee and built on a review of city centre public spaces by Gehl Architects, which identified traffic-dominated streets and the quality of the pedestrian experience amongst the challenges faced.

Final designs were drawn up after a six-week consultation held with stakeholders and the public. Planners have ensured minimal changes to parking for residents and visitors, with spaces in the centre of the street, separated from new cycle lanes by rubber kerbs and decorative planters, and residents’ parking maintained in the design.

The adaptation of George Street will take the form of a year-long trial, overseen by a monitoring and evaluation group, allowing the Council to review the impact on residents, visitors, business and movement in and around the city centre before considering a more permanent solution. More than 1000 people will be interviewed on George Street during the trial to gauge their views on what they would like to see happen with the street in the long term.

Community Empowerment Bill: what’s it all about?

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on the Community Empowerment Bill and Granton Improvement Society have organised a public meeting to explain the Bill and how it affects communities.

The Scottish Government’s objectives are:

1. Empower community bodies through the ownership of land and building and strengthening their voices in the decisions that matter to them, and

2. Support an increase in the pace and scale of Public Service Reform by cementing the focus on achieveing outcomes and improving the process of community planning

An ‘easy-read’ version of the Bill can be found below.

The Community Empowerment Bill public meeting will take place

this Thursday (11 September) at 7pm

in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, Pilton Drive North.

Speaker will be Angus Hardie, Director of Scottish Community Alliance

Come and have your say about community assets – all welcome!

Empowerment Bill easy read

Read between the lines and help to prevent suicide

Read between the lines – that’s the message being promoted by the City of Edinburgh Council during National Suicide Prevention Week.

Two lives a day in Scotland are lost to suicide and the awareness week, which runs from today (Monday September 8), reaches out to the people close to those who are at risk.

Events to raise awareness will take place in shopping centres, libraries and neighbourhood offices in a bid to urge Edinburgh residents to help those who may be suicidal. As well as information stalls, a free showing of A Single Man starring Colin Firth is being held at the Filmhouse on Lothian Road on Wednesday (10 September).

The “read between the lines” campaign promotes the message that if you are worried about someone asking them how they feel can help to save their life – even if they say that they are feeling fine.

Activities kicked off at the weekend with the Choose Life Challenge five-a-side football tournament at Gracemount Leisure Centre. A church service for people whose lives have been touched by suicide took place yesterday in the Augustine United Church.

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Convener of Health, Social Care and Housing, said: “Talking to someone about suicide can make the difference between life and death and this can bring a real sense of relief to people who are struggling with these thoughts.

“Staff from Health and Social Care are actively involved in the Edinburgh Choose Life Steering Group with partner organisations, which supports the Scottish Government’s suicide prevention strategy.

“If you are worried about someone’s behaviour, please read between the lines and don’t be afraid to broach the subject. There are a number of excellent, professional organisations out there that would be happy to help.”

For help and further advice if you are concerned that someone you know might be at risk, contact Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 or the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.

Edinburgh College Students: Aye or Naw?

Aye, Naw or Undecided?

Are you Aye, Naw or Undecided? Wherever you are in the referendum debate, come along to the Edinburgh College Students’ Association Debate and put your questions to both campaigns.

You are invited to attend The Edinburgh College Debate being held in the Music Box at Sighthill Campus, on Wednesday 10 September from 4 – 5.30pm.

This is an amazing opportunity for you to take part in the debate about the biggest decision any of us may ever make in the upcoming independence referendum.

Speaking for the Yes campaign are Kenny MacAskill MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, and SNP MSP for Eastern Edinburgh, and Colin Fox, National Convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party.

Speaking for the Better Together campaign are Kezia Dugdale MSP, Labour MSP for the Lothians, and Cameron Buchanan MSP, Conservative MSP for the Lothians.

NUS Scotland’s Women’s Officer, Vonnie Sandlan will be chairing the debate.

Please arrive early (3:30pm) to avoid disappointment, and if you would like any further details on this event, get in touch with us at contact@ecsaonline.co.uk.

We look forward to seeing you!

Cast your vote for the Forth Awards

Still time to nominate your community champion!

The ceremony recognises those living in our community as well as some of the biggest names in music and entertainment today.

Voting closes at 12noon on Sept 26th so you still have the chance to nominate someone from your community that you think goes the extra mile and deserves to be recognised for their hard work.

Please have a look around and nominate someone who you think deserves an award. Perhaps you know a community group who have raised funds for your local area or maybe you know of a teacher that goes the extra mile? Alongside this we also award The Best Artist, Fringe Act and Sports Recognition.

You can nominate who you think deserves to win here!

Just by casting your vote you can be in with a chance of winning VIP tickets to the event at The Usher Hall on Thursday 20th November 2014.

This year’s line-up is TOP SECRET until the day itself … previous guest appearances have included JAMES BLUNT, BOY GEORGE, THE STEREOPHONICS, PAULO NUTTINI, OLLY MURS, TEXAS, THE WANTED, DEACON BLUE, DAVID GRAY, ALESHA DIXON to name but just a few!

Craigie Cashback film to screen in Canada

No Show, a film made by Screen Education Edinburgh’s Craigroyston-based group, is to screen at the Vancouver Film Festival.

Click on link below:

CashBack Film Screening at Vancouver International Film Festival.

Usher Hall celebrates Edwardian Edinburgh

The Usher Hall continues centenary year celebrations this Saturday (13 September) with a Family Edwardian Day …

Edinburgh’s concert venue, The Usher Hall, is inviting families to step back in time and discover what life would have been like in the Hall when it first opened its doors in 1914. An action-packed day for all the family is planned with an array of activities including story-telling, traditional games, arts and crafts from this bygone era.

In the company of costumed characters representing Edwardian society, families will be taken on an engaging journey through the Usher Hall hearing stories from its past and exploring areas not normally open to the public. Standing on the famous stage where many stars have performed is sure to be a highlight of this event.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Culture and Sport Convener, said: “The Family Edwardian Day will be a unique opportunity to explore behind the scenes at the Usher Hall and find out what it was like to visit 100 years ago.

“The Usher Hall has been hosting concerts ever since it was gifted to the city by local whisky distiller, Andrew Usher, back in 1914. While its A-listed walls have welcomed some of the world’s best musicians over the years, many people do not know that the hall was once equipped to act as an air raid shelter during the Second World War.

“The Usher Hall has been at the heart of Edinburgh throughout recent history, and if you look closely, you will see many familiar figures from Scotland’s past depicted in the decoration of the hall including Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. The open day will give people the chance to hear about these secrets.”

The event is suitable for primary school children and children must be accompanied by an adult on the tour. Booking is essential and tours take place at 10.30am, 12noon, 1.30pm, 3pm and last approximately 60 minutes. Tours provided by Mercat Tours Ltd.

Tickets cost £10 or £30 for a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children).

For further details on tickets contact the box office on 0131 228 1155 or visit

usherhall.co.uk

Cancer charity fundraiser at Spartans this Sunday

The Jordan Houston Trust, a charity established in 2012 to support children suffering from cancer and their families, is holding a fundraising family fun day event at Spartans on Sunday.

Jordan, who died aged eleven from a rare type of brain tumour, was a football fanatic so it’s fitting that the highlight of the family fun day is a match between the Jordan Houston Trust Select and the mighty Hibs (kick off 4pm)!

For further information on the charity visit www.jordanhoustontrust.org