Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Letter: Words, words, words

Dear Editor

Words, Words, Words

So many have been written, spoken, thought, agreed with, rejected, ignored.
Far too many for any individual to assess their value, opinion, fact or lies.
Words are an interpretation of events, of life that can be viewed from many angles.
Words can be a guide, this also viewed from many angles.
Words, then, are quite powerful in guiding events and influencing minds.
It follows in whose interest are events guided and minds influenced?

We, as individuals of the human race, have a limited span of time in which to grow up, live and love and create better conditions for the next generations.

Tremendous advances have been made worldwide, yet as you read these ‘words’ there is widespread poverty here in the UK but worse is happening in many countries: thousands of the next generation are dying of hunger and disease – why? Why, when the world has the resources and technology to prevent this happening, but does not or will not so so?

Is it that powerful people are operating a system that cannot so it; if so then the system must be changed. Do the powerful people want to change the system? – the answer is NO. They expend millions of words in support of the existing system; guiding events, influencing minds to ascertain their powerful positions of control.

Are they then evil? Some would say so. Are they indifferent to the results of the system they promote? Most likely, otherwise normal human concern and feelings would conclude this system of capitalism no longer has any place in this world.

A Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Help make your neighbourhood a better place to live

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A reminder about two forthcoming Forth Neighbourhood Partnership consultation events:

Help us make Forth a better place to live

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership would like to hear your views on what you think could improve your local area.

Neighbourhood Partnerships (NPs) are the City of Edinburgh Council ’s approach to delivering local community planning and they work to improve the quality of life in the area. The four councillors for the Forth Ward are all members of Forth NP along with City of Edinburgh Council , Lothian & Borders Police, Lothian NHS and local Community Councils.

The Partnership has recently been reviewing its work and we hope you can help shape our priorities by telling us what improvements you would like to see in your area. This can include planning issues, community safety, parks & green spaces, traffic issues or anything else you are concerned about.

We also want your suggestions for small to medium scale environmental improvement projects for funding through our Neighbourhood Environment Programme (NEP).

Muirhouse and Salvesen

North Edinburgh Arts Centre

(Behind Muirhouse Shopping Centre)

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Drop in anytime between 6pm and 8pm

Tea/Coffee and Sandwiches provided

Children welcome.

Granton and District

Royston Wardieburn Community Centre

(Pilton Drive North)

Saturday 16 March 2013

Drop in anytime between 10am and 12 Noon

Snacks and drinks provided – Children welcome.

How do Neighbourhood Partnerships Work?

They can:

•Bring decision making closer to the community
•Provide opportunities for communities to express their views
•Set out the priorities to improve quality of life in the communities
•Make recommendations to the Council and other partner organisations about the way services may be delivered in the local area
•Comment on strategic decisions that affect the local area
•Award small grants to community groups for local projects that can make a difference in the local area.

For further information contact Forth Neighbourhood Partnership Development Officer Jim Pattison:

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership

North Edinburgh Local Office,

8 West Pilton Gardens, EH4 4DP.

Telephone 0131 529 5082

Email jim.pattison@edinburgh.gov.uk

PosterMuirhouseCC2013

PosterGrantonCC2013

 

Learn about collective switching to cut your energy bills

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Are you paying too much for gas and electricity? Like to find out what you can do to change that? Then read on …

Scots Together offers householders and their communities the chance to save hundreds of pounds on energy bills as part of a collective buying initiative. Scots Together is currently the only Scottish pilot to be funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Representatives from the Scots Together initative will be at Community Renewal’s office in Pennywell Court (i.e. the shops!) tomorrow (Tuesday) from 2 – 5pm to talk about collective switching.

Organisers explained: ‘Collective switching involves getting people together to sign up to reviewing their electricity and gas tariffs, making sure they are on the best deal that they can get.  Many people continue paying expensive tariffs simply because they don’t realise they can switch their supplier for gas and electricity. Reviewing your energy tariffs should be something you do as simply and regularly as reviewing your home or car insurance.

There will be options provided to each customer including, the price obtained through the collective switch auction, a comparison of the whole market and a greener tariff.

There will be no obligation to switch suppliers and we’ll let you know if you are already on the best tariff for you’.

Interested? Call in at Community Renewal tomorrow afternoon or you can get more info online – check out www.ScotsTogether.com

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Rotary Club tees off support for new Fresh Start service

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Previously homeless households in Edinburgh will be able to access a new food pack service later this year thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club of Edinburgh. A donation of £28,840 will enable Edinburgh’s re-homelessness charity Fresh Start to produce the packs for the next three years, helping an estimated 2,500 households as they move into a new tenancy after a period of homelessness.

The money was raised at a special Golf Day at Muirfield, organised as part of the Rotarian’s centenary year celebrations.

The contents of the food packs are still to be finalised, but will contain store cupboard essentials to make sure people can make a basic meal when they first move into their new home.

The new packs will be given out to homeless households referred to the Fresh Start project and will be part of its wider Starter Pack service, which already sees it providing recently resettled families and individuals with much needed items, like bedding, small electrical items and kitchen items.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Rt Hon Cllr Donald Wilson, called in at Fresh Start’s Pilton offices recently to inspect the packs and hear more about the new service. He also presented Fresh Start’s Managing Director Keith Robertson with the money raised from the Golf Day, enabling the charity to start work on getting the new service up and running.

The Lord Provost said: “Rotary International is admired the world over for its selfless support of individuals, families and communities and the Rotary Club of Edinburgh has been at the forefront of this for the past 100 years. Fresh Start is the latest in a very long line of wonderful and worthwhile causes they have chosen to help and my congratulations go to those who have put in so much time and effort towards raising this fantastic sum of money. I have no doubt that it will be put to good use, allowing the charity to continue their valuable work in helping people who have been homeless to get established in their new home.”

President of the Rotary Club of Edinburgh Bob Hislop added: “The amount raised is a significant sum in these challenging economic times and is not only a considerable achievement but a worthy legacy for the Rotary Club of Edinburgh’s Centenary Year. Edinburgh is a beautiful city but behind it hides poverty and it was for this reason we decided to choose Fresh Start as our Centenary Charity. We are delighted the Golf Day was such a success and that we are able to tee off a service that will help many families put a hot meal on the table.”

Fresh Start exists to help people make a home for themselves. Managing Director Keith Robertson said: “We are delighted to be chosen as the Rotary Club of Edinburgh’s Centenary charity and even more so that the money has allowed us to put in place plans for a new service. Very often people move into not a new home but an empty shell. We already provide a range of Starter Packs to help people have essential goods like bedding and crockery when they first move into a new house. Our new Food Pack service will help them to have a hot meal too – for some it might be the only thing they have to eat.”

The new service will operate from new premises and will be part of a larger food venture – details of which will be revealed soon.

 

Countdown to Yummy Food Festival

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Just six days now until the big event …

Please find attached the flyer for this year’s food festival. Organised by a group of local women from West Pilton and Muirhouse this food festival aims to inspire and encourage healthy eating. The afternoon will be full of food demonstration and workshops by local people and organisation as well as food-related arts workshops, face painting, singing from North Edinburgh Sings Together, balloons, baking competition, and our local celebrity chef Neil Forbes (pictred below) , Mrs Mash the foodie story teller, The Edible Garden, Kitchen Canny, the Seed Truck, goody bags, tastes of the food, recipe cards and a whole lot more!

So if you can, share this with your local networks, groups and organisations. Hope to see you on the day!

Best Wishes From

The Yummy Food Festival Steering Group 2013

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Additional recycling sites in Pilton and Muirhouse

The following additional recycling facilities have been sited in West Pilton and Muirhouse:

West Pilton  Crossway top of street on pavement at the dead end ( between 1 and 2) – 2 x packaging, 1 x paper, 1 x glass

West Pilton Gardens outside number 26 on pavement – 1 x  packaging, 1 x paper, 1 x glass

West Pilton  Drive outside number 35 at bollards- 2 x packaging , 1 x paper

Ferry Road Gardens at the seating  area, 1 x packaging bank, 1 x paper bank

Ferry Road Drive outside number 36 – 2 x packaging, 1 x paper

 West Pilton Green on carpark outside  number 35 – 2 x packaging, 1 x paper

 West Pilton Steet outside number 9  on pavement- 2 x packaging, 1 x paper

Muirhouse Park Left hand  side of number 31 ( on road) – 2 x packaging, 1 x  paper

Muirhouse Drive outside park entrance – 2 x  packaging, 1 x paper

Pennywell  gardens outside number 49 on pavement- 1 x paper, 1 x packaging

Muirhouse  Drive on pavement across from number  11    – 2 x packaging, 1 x paper

  Muirhouse Park across from number 49 at at park  entrance at side of litter bin – 2x packaging, 1 x paper

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Where’s Wally? He’s in Craigroyston’s library!

Yes, Wally – along with Harry Potter, Spiderman, Buzz Lightyear and a host of other storybook characters – was at the opening of Craigroyston Primary School’s beautifully revamped library yesterday.

The school marked World Book Day in style. Children – and teachers! – dressed as their favourite storybook characters and there were two DEAR (drop everything and read) moments too.

Highlight of the day, however, was the official opening of the bright new library. P5 teacher Sheila Borys was ‘wizard in chief’ as designer of the library, and she’s pictured with representatives from every Craigroyston class in their colourful costumes.

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Climate no challenge to Leith initiative

An initiative to transform the former Dr Bell’s School into a community arts centre has been given the green light and awarded over a quarter of a million pounds Climate Challenge funding. Himalayan Centre Edinburgh will receive £255, 837 to support a community initiative to establish a low-carbon, sustainable centre for arts and culture in the disused B-listed building in Great Junction Street which closed as a swimming pool in June 2009.

Energy efficient measures will be installed as the building is renovated, while the second year of the project will see a Community Engagement Officer and five Climate Champions focusing on a community climate initiative, which will work with local people to reduce their daily carbon footprint.

The Leith initiative and a project to grow and sell produce in Ormiston are the first ever revenue-generating Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) projects.

The Ormiston Grows Green project has been awarded a £281,290 grant to help residents grow and sell their own vegetables, raise awareness of food waste and cut their carbon footprint.

By generating an income from their activity, it is hoped both projects will not only become self-sustaining – the Leith initiative includes plans for a café/restaurant – but can also reinvest in further low-carbon action.

Climate Change Minister Paul Wheelhouse announced the latest round of CCF awards during the Scottish launch of Climate Week on Monday. In total 13 projects from the Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Highland, Perth & Kinross, Stirling and Fife will share £2.1 million funding.

Mr Wheelhouse said: “Climate change remains one of the most serious threats we face as a global community and we must all take action if we are to play our part in tackling the problem. Climate Week is the ideal platform to showcase the positive and practical efforts being made across Scotland to reduce emissions – and that’s exactly what our Climate Challenge Fund is doing.

“Today’s announcement marks new milestones for the CCF. For the first time we have projects that have the potential to become self-sustaining thanks to being able to generate an income from their activities. And we also welcome the 400th community to the CCF family which is a strong signal of the level of support and commitment from our local communities.

“We know that the Climate Challenge Fund has captured the imagination of people across Scotland. By widening the scope of the fund, we have empowered and inspired even more communities to develop exciting projects that cut their carbon footprint and embed significant changes into community life. This will bring wider social and economic benefits to improve the quality of lives in their communities.

“No single individual, group or even nation can solve the problem of climate change. But, by working together and with everyone playing their part, we can make a real and lasting difference to ensure a low-carbon, more sustainable Scotland becomes a reality. With over 436 events taking place across Scotland for Climate Week, there will be lots of opportunities for people to come together and share ideas on the best ways to tackle climate change, and I’d encourage everyone to get involved if they can.”

DrBells