davepickering

News from West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre

More free mone advice at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre this Friday (12 April) from 10am – 2pm, courtesy of Money Advice Scotland and CAB. Sessions are free, but by appointment only – to make yours call 551 3194.

LOOKING FOR LOCAL OFFICE/MEETING SPACE?

Are you a small business or community organisation looking to rent affordable office/meeting space?

Pilton Central Association has space available in the West Pilton area and would be open to discuss possible full or shared use of the space on a temporary basis.

Conditions of Let and rent are negotiable.

If you are interested or would like further information plese contact Willie Black on 0751 568 6421.

Lend a hand to clean up your local cycle path

Sustrans is organising a clean up of Edinburgh’s cycle paths on Sunday (14 April) and they could use as many volunteers as possible – there’s an awful lot of cycle paths in Edinburgh, and a lot of litter too!

If you’d like to help in any way, email sustranscleanup@live.co.uk or check out the Facebook page at Clean Up Edinburgh Cycle Paths.

Horsemeat: Amey apology ‘not enough’

AMEY, the private contractor responsible for providing school meals to a number of primary schools where mince containing horsemeat may have been served to children, has apologised to the City of Edinburgh Council and parents for ‘an unfortunate and unacceptable lack of communication’. The company has also made a donation to a children’s charity, but parents say the apology just doesn’t go far enough and questions must be answered.

The city council wrote to parents after results of its own tests on a batch of frozen mince taken in late February from the shared kitchen of Pirniehall and St David’s Primary Schools were confirmed, assuring them that there was no risk to their children’s health. Local primaries Craigroyston and Forthview were also among the schools affexted.

Amey Built Environment (Amey) has since responded to a request by the City of Edinburgh Council to explain why they failed to notify the Council of the presence of horsemeat in beef mince which they had used in school meals in six school kitchens on 8 March, and when they themselves were first alerted to the fact by their supplier, 3663.

The company has also provided a list of meals containing beef mince which were on the menu at each school in the five-week period between w/c 3 February 2013 and w/c 4 March 2013 and which may have contained mince from the affected batch which was later recalled by 3663.

During this period, one week was a holiday. This information, together with a statement of explanation and apology from Amey, has been included in a letter which was sent to parents in the six affected schools on 4 April.

Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener, said: “As soon as we became aware through our own tests that mince containing a small percentage of horsemeat had been supplied to a number of our schools, we immediately took action by contacting parents to let them know. We also checked each of the school kitchens to make sure there was no mince from this batch remaining.

“It was only after we raised the issue with Amey that they advised us that this same batch had in fact been recalled by 3663 on 8 March. “It is unacceptable that the Council was not given this information immediately – had we known on 8 March, we could and would have alerted parents to this at that time. We are pleased that Amey have now apologised for this lack of communication and are grateful to them for their cooperation in this matter.

“Parents are quite right to expect the highest possible standards from the food their children are served at school and the Council prides itself on providing meals which are nutritious, satisfying and value-for-money. It is absolutely crucial therefore that any problems with the produce supplied to our school kitchens are flagged up to us immediately so that we can take appropriate action.”

Gillian Duggan, Managing Director of Amey Built Environment, said: “Recently we have commenced an investigation into how contaminated meat made its way into our supply chain at a date between February 2013 and 8 March 2013. Tests have revealed that a small amount of contaminated meat containing up to 5% horse DNA was served to six schools in Edinburgh before a product recall notice was issued by the meat supplier on 8 March 2013.

“Although checks confirmed no current stock of the contaminated meat in any of the premises, there has been an unfortunate and unacceptable lack of communication from Amey to the City of Edinburgh Council regarding this issue. This resulted in a delay in the Council being able to notify parents. We at Amey are very sorry this issue has occurred, and for any distress caused to parents, who quite rightly expect high standards.”

Ms Duggan added that Amey would be making a donation to the Scottish NSPCC on behalf of the schools affected and added that the company would be undertaking a review of its supply chain and an enhancement of their communication and escalation procedures.

However the apology and charity donation are not enough according to some parents. One West Pilton mother, with two children at a local primary school – who preferred not to be named – said: “Everyone’s been talking about it and I think most parents are disgusted with what has happened. You expect your bairns to get good quality dinners at school so this is really shocking – it’s like a breach of trust. Everybody wants to know how long this has been going on – I think parents have got a right to know, we deserve answers. It’s very easy to say ‘sorry’ and making a donation to charity is easy for a big organisation like AMEY – they must make a fortune out of the PPP school contracts so that charity donation is sweeties for them.”

Street League at Spartans

StreetFootballFlyer

Please see our Street Football flyer which is now held at the Spartans Academy just off Ferry road. Our Street Football event is every Thursday from 1:30 – 3:30pm outside on the 5G Astroturf.

During these sessions we will try to look at different factors from different types of training such as circuit and weight training to the bleep test and fartlek training, we will also do many different fun activities from fun games to game like situation and most of all a good game of football.

There will be employability support available at the Street Football but this is only there if the individual wants it.

Sam Faichney

Youth & Community Coach

For further information email: sam.faichney@streetleague.co.ukl

Local Voluntary Sector Forum to meet on Tuesday

Forth and Inverleith Voluntary Sector Forum will meet on Tuesday (9 April) at 10am in North Edinburgh Arts.

Edinburgh Community Health Partnership’s Steven Whitton will deliver a presentation on the proposed North West Edinburgh Partnership Hub and Jen Richards from Pilton Community Health Project will give information about hosting Trussel Trust’s North Edinburgh Food Bank.

A reminder also that places are still available for the EVOC Thinkspace event ‘A Right State?’ on Thursday 18 April. ‘A Right State?’ is an opportunity for the voluntary sector to discuss welfare reform.

The event, which is being held at the Calton Centre on Montgomery Street from 9:30am to 1.00pm, will be built around small group discussions, with contributions from a range of ‘informed voices’ including Adrian Sinfield (Professor Emeritus of Social Policy, University of Edinburgh), SCVO’s Lynn Williams, Alan Sinclair of the City of Edinburgh Council, Linda Savage (Job Centre Plus) and Inclusion Scotland’s Bill Scott.

To register for this important event email dianne.morrison@evoc.org.uk by Friday 12 April.

Centipede Big Bash is next Friday

Following much deliberation, the Muirhouse Centipede Project’s Big Bash has been rescheduled and will now take place on Friday 12 April from 2-3.30pm.

The original Easter event was postponed due to awful weather forecasts, so Friday’s Big Bash offers the Muirhouse community an opportunity to see the fruits of their labour at last – just how have those bulbs that were planted last winter turned out?

So come along, everyone’s welcome – as well as a super Spring display, enjoy marvellous planting, free BBQ, hot drinks, Easter Egg Rolling (better late than never!) and more children’s activities – and it’s all free!

For more information see Muirhouse Centipede Project’s Facebook page

Botanic Cottage project wins Heritage Lottery Funding

A major project to rebuild the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s (RBGE) 18th century centre of research and education has been awarded £708,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Botanic Cottage is one of five significant natural heritage projects to benefit from £2.78million HLF funding, bringing HLF’s total support for Scotland’s natural environment to over £50million.

From 1764 to 1821, the Botanic Cottage was the “gateway” to the previous RBGE site on Leith Walk (site pictured above). Here, Professor John Hope, a botanist of international renown and a leading character in the Scottish Enlightenment, taught students about the emerging science of botany. The vision of RBGE is for the building, designed by John Adam, to be rebuilt and used once more as an educational facility.

The cottage had been threatened with demolition but as a result of a tireless community campaign, led by the Botanic Cottage Trust, it was painstakingly dismantled stone by stone in 2008.

RBGE’s Regius Keeper, Professor Stephen Blackmore welcomed news of the funding and commented: “The support of the HLF, with that of many generous individuals and a number of other foundations, will breathe new life into a building with a remarkable and important history. When the Botanic Cottage follows us to Inverleith, almost two centuries after we moved from Leith Walk, it will become the centrepiece of our rapidly expanding programme of voluntary and education activities helping to transform out public engagement. The award is wonderful news for the Botanics.’’

The HLF award allows RBGE to move forward with the final stage of planning and fundraising to close the final funding gap, before the official project start date in July. Construction work for the rebuild is anticipated to start in spring next year.

Since its inception, the Heritage Lottery Fund has invested £52.12million in over 310 projects which conserve Scotland’s landscape and biodiversity, from the Flows of Caithness to the valleys of the Tweed.

Commenting on the latest awards, Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: “This year, the Year of Natural Scotland, brings into focus the natural beauty and biodiversity that surrounds us. It is one of our greatest national assets, attracting visitors from home and abroad and making a valuable contribution to our tourist economy.

“However it’s not just visitors that benefit. With a bit of innovative thinking, we can protect our natural heritage in a way that helps people and communities. We want people to have the opportunity to get involved, to have a say in how the environment is managed, to learn new skills and apply new technologies. We want to help ignite passion for our natural world and its long-term conservation.’’

For further information on the Botanic Cottage Appeal or to donate, visit www.rbge.org.uk/supportus/donate/appeals-projects/botaniccottage

Independence? Posing the question through drama

Stuck in the Middle Poster

That referendum – made your mind up yet? If leaflets, TV debates and party political broadcasts leave you unmoved, maybe a drama performance will spark some interest and generate debate? Inverleith CLD worker Callum McLeod is certainly enthusiastic about a forthcoming event:

I’ve attached a poster advertising performances by Inverleith Youth Theatre which will take place in Broughton High School and North Edinburgh Arts theatres of in two weeks time (details in the poster).

The ‘Stuck In The Middle’ storyline concerns a teenage male’s journey and his subsequent thoughts towards becoming “Independent”. However, I’m sure the audience will find various other messages and subplots – and perhaps even a wider social issue for them to explore through the watching the performance!

We’re also planning the event so that there’ll be space at the end for discussion and so folk will have time to discuss the piece further, and share their thoughts with other audience members – and we do imagine that the subject matter will carry over for some time!

Without doubt, I’m slightly biased towards Inverleith Youth Theatre’s performances but they are usually of a good standard and so I can honestly say that I’m sure this will be a fab performance and well worth attending!

The main aim of the performance is to get as many people as possible talking and thinking about the actual issues raised, so we’ve made the event free. We’ll still be taking donations though as this youth group are trying to take it’s members – and the performance – to a youth drama camp over the summer, so any contributions towards this will be welcomed!

Inverleith Youth Theatre’s ‘Stuck In The Middle’ performance dates:

Tuesday 16 April 7pm Broughton High School

and

Thursday 18 April 7pm North Edinburgh Arts

Callum McLeod

Inverleith CLD, Broughton High School

MP calls for action to halt bee decline

Local MP Mark Lazarowicz is calling for a precautionary moratorium on three pesticides – imidacloprid, clothianidin and TMX – linked to the decline of the UK’s bee populations. The North and Leith MP is a longstanding member of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee and its new hard-hitting report on Pollinators and Pesticides is published today.

Mark Lazarowicz (pictured above) said: “As part of our inquiry into insects and insecticides we looked at the sharp decline in the number of bees in the UK and there’s growing concern that the use of certain chemicals might be to blame. Bees matter to both gardeners and farmers because of their role in pollinating fruit and vegetables as well as flowers. They are fundamental to our ecology and economy. The scientific evidence points to the need for a precautionary moratorium to be introduced. DEFRA should listen to it and act.”

Two-thirds of wild insect pollinator species – such as bumblebees, hoverflies, butterflies, carrion flies, beetles, midges and moths – have suffered population declines in the UK. Managed honeybees have also experienced unusually high mortality rates, decreased fertility, increased susceptibility to disease and the loss of hives. Similar trends have been observed in the US and other European countries.

Disease, habitat loss and climate change can all affect insect populations, but a growing body of peer-reviewed research suggests that the use of one group of insecticides is having an especially damaging impact on pollinators — neonicotinoids. Applied to seeds, these systemic pesticides are widely used in the UK on oilseed rape, cereals, maize, sugar beet and crops grown in glasshouses.

Authorities in France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia have already suspended the use of some neonicotinoids in certain circumstances. The European Commission has also proposed an EU-wide moratorium on the use of imidacloprid, clothianidin and TMX on crops attractive to bees, following a recent risk warning from the European Food Safety Authority. The UK has refused to take domestic action or to support the EU proposal.

Many of the UK’s largest garden retailers, including B&Q, Wickes and Homebase, have voluntarily withdrawn non-professional plant protection products that contain neonicotinoids. The report recommends a full ban on the sale of neonicotinoids for public domestic use in order to create an urban safe haven for pollinators.

Pesticide manufacturers often claim that studies linking their products to bee decline are flawed or inconclusive and that other factors are primarily to blame, such as the Varroa mite. But although the agrochemical industry has produced many studies on the environmental effect of pesticides, it keeps most of its data secret on grounds of commercial confidentiality.

The report warns that this lack of transparency is preventing a fuller understanding of the problem. The MPs call on the industry to place the results of its trials and studies in the public domain so that they can be subjected to open academic scrutiny. Defra should help companies establish which genuinely commercially sensitive details need to be redacted to make this possible.

Financial support to help cut your energy bills

The worst of winter may at last be over, but with sky-high utility bills dropping through the letterbox people across Scotland are being urged to seek assistance to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, helping to reduce household energy bills.

Housing and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess has outlined that households can apply for financial assistance from the Scottish Government of up to £1,200 to pay for energy improvement measures such as cavity and loft insulation, double glazing, a new boiler or draft proofing.

Getting loft insulation 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.

Mrs Burgess 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.

“Rising energy bills are a huge concern for this government, and fuel poverty is an absolute scandal in a country like Scotland. 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.

“As well as perhaps being eligible for up to £400 towards the cost of a new boiler, householders could access up to £500 towards the cost of insulation measures, and up to £300 towards other measures such as double glazing or draft proofing if recommended as part of a Green Deal assessment. I would urge anyone who would like to reduce their energy bills to contact the Hotline 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.”

You can find out more and apply for a Green Homes Cashback voucher by visiting

www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland

or by calling the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland free hotline on 0800 512 012.