Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

NEN – Edition update

The April NEN will arrive from the printers today and will be distributed across North Edinburgh over the coming days – we hope you enjoy reading your new NEN; we think it looks great but we’re biased! Let us know what you think.

This latest edition is slightly later than planned but, starting next month, we plan to publish monthly once again. The deadline for the May paper will be 15 May ( all future deadlines will be the 15th for that month’s paper ) , so if you have events to publicise, stories to share or wish to advertise your business or organisation please get in touch.

You can contact NEN:

By email: northedinnews@gmail.com

By telephone:  07925 405 972

By Post:

North Edinburgh News

c/o Edinburgh’s Telford College

350 West Granton Road

Edinburgh EH5 1QE

We look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

 

A green first for Telford

 

With a growing acceptance that green technology is the way forward – and every indication that the job market in renewable energy sector will grow over the coming years – Edinburgh’s Telford College produced another first with the launch of the country’s first dedicated renewable energy training centre last week.

Edinburgh’s Renewable Energy Innovation Centre (EREIC) will offer extensive training and skills development for workers employed in the renewable and construction industries. The centre will provide training in micro-renewable energy sources and complements the more traditional courses offered to students such as heritage, roofing and brickwork.

Telford’s head of employer services Myra Dickson explained: “The new centre will help to ensure that Scotland has workers skilled for modern and environmentally friendly projects, thereby meeting the needs of employers and industry, both now and in the future. It also allows Edinburgh’s Telford College to demonstrate its determination to evolve to ensure it is delivering courses that provide opportunities for our new and current generations of employees.”

College Principal Miles Dibsdall OBE added: “The renewable energy centre ideally illustrates the focus we have made to provide the best possible employment and training opportunities.”

Cardinal tells faithful: wear your cross with pride

Cardinal Keith O’Brien will call for Christians to identify with the cross and make it more prominent in their lives when he preaches his Easter Sunday Homily in St Mary’s Cathedral today.

The Cardinal, the leader of Scotland’s Catholics, will say that the cross should be an important part of people’s lives and that every Christian should “wear proudly a symbol of the cross of Christ on their garments each and every day of their lives”.

Speaking earlier, Cardinal O’Brien said: “Easter provides the ideal time to remind ourselves of the centrality of the cross in our Christian faith.”

Friends reunite for Craigroyston farewell

Craigroyston Primary School teacher Barbara Wilson retired last week after a teaching career in North Edinburgh that spanned 39 years! Barbara taught at Silverknowes for 29 years before moving on to the new Craigroyston when it opened in 2003.

Craigroyston Primary School held a special assembly to thank and say goodbye to the popular teacher before breaking up for the Easter holidays.

Barbara was joined on her special day by friend and former colleague Moira Moyes, who retired from Craigroyston just eight weeks ago.  Barbara and Moira became friends when they studied to become teachers, graduating in 1973. Barbara went on to teach at Silverknowes while Moira taught at nearby Muirhouse, but the friends were reunited when the schools merged to form the new Craigroyston in 2003.

Over all those years Barbara and Moira taught and nurtured hundreds of local schoolchildren, although Barbara did point out that Moira did take off a couple of years to have a family so she’s still basically a novice!

Barbara (left) and Moira are pictured with Craigroyston pupils who helped to make the assembly extra special.

Another chapter for literature course

 

You may remember we gave details of the ‘Introduction to Modern Scottish Literature’ course running at The Prentice Centre earlier this year? Well, the free course proved so popular that they’re running it again!

Supported by The Prentice Centre and WEA Scotland, the new course starts on Monday 30 April from 2.30 – 4.30pm and runs for eight to ten weeks. Activities include readings, visits and discussions and once again the course tutor is Derek Suttie.

Interested? To find out more or to book your place on the free course contact The Prentice Centre on 552 0485 or WEA on 225 2580.

Introduction to Modern Scottish Literature – so good they ran it twice!

 

 

Ian is Drylaw’s Citizen of the Year

Ian Moore has been chosen as Drylaw’s Citizen of the Year. Drylaw Telford Community Council members met earlier this week to decide the recipient of the annual Thomas Tierney Award for Good Citizenship, and Ian was the popular winner.

“There was a bit of a delay in making our choice for 2011 because of some other pressing local issues, but we got there in the end! Ian is a well-known figure in the area and we’re sure he will be a very popular choice”, said Mike Clark, Drylaw Telford CC chair.

Ian will receive his award at a reception in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre on 25 April at 7:30pm. All welcome

 

Local parents plan grassroots gala

It may look quiet just now, but a group of local parents want to see West Pilton Park packed with families having fun this August as they plan a community gala. 

The group first met only last month but plans to resurrect the community fun day are already well advanced.

Sean Gardiner, a parent involved in the steering group, explained: “The idea really just came out of the blue. We were talking about how other areas – Davidsons Mains for example – have very successful fun days and galas and we thought: why don’t we have one? At first we were thinking about West Pilton alone but, when people talked about the great Muirhouse Festivals and more people came on board, we thought we would extend it to Muirhouse too. We’ve come up with lots of ideas for the day and we’ve been really pleased with the number of organisations, businesses and individuals who have signed up to be part of the day itself. The response has been brilliant”.

The group plans to combine the family fun element with information stalls too.

“There are an awful lot of organisations in the area doing great work, but some residents don’t even know they’re here. We’ll set up tents and stalls on gala day to give organisations the chance to publicize what they do, and we plan to introduce a ticketing system for the bouncy castles and things like that. If we set that up in the information area that would mean that families will get a see the information stalls before they go on to the fun activities for the kids. We think that combination of information and fun will work well – it should be a great day”.

West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre Community Learning and Development worker Alan Addison is supporting the group – not that they need much support!

“This is a really enthusiastic group and I think what they have in just a few short weeks is pretty incredible. They’re not setting up in competition with anyone else, this is just a grass-roots community idea that’s come from local parents who are now taking on the responsibility for organising the event themselves. It’s a lot of work but their commitment and energy is incredible”, he said.

The community fun day will take place on Sunday 26 August in West Pilton Park. We’ll keep you up to date as plans progress.

Credit where it’s due …

With financial crashes, economic meltdown and banking bailouts still fresh in the memory it’s good to know that alternatives to the big banks and finance companies are available. A safe place to save, loans at realistic rates, a dividend for members – and it’s right on your doorstep!  

Members attending last week’s North Edinburgh Credit Union annual general meeting heard that the organisation has had a steady year and that, in a volatile financial world, the local credit union remains a safe haven for savers and borrowers.

Chairperson Betty McVay told the meeting: “This is our Credit Union’s 26th year of operation and we are still going, when many people said we wouldn’t last! I won’t deny that at times it has been a hard struggle but with some dedicated volunteers and loyal members we are still around. The business of the Credit Union has once again continued to grow from strength to strength and now has an increasing membership. With the current economic climate we continue to exercise caution and take steps, through our Credit Committee, to protect our members and their savings”.

The meeting adopted rule changes that will see North Edinburgh Credit Union fall into line with other credit unions across the country, including the introduction of corporate membership and expand membership criteria to those people working in North Edinburgh. Members also agreed to pay a 1% dividend on shares in the credit union.

If last year was about stability and consolidation, the year ahead promises to be a more dynamic one. North Edinburgh Credit Union has appointed a consultant to boost the organisation’s profile and seek out new opportunities to help the credit union to grow. Banks may come and banks may go, but North Edinburgh Credit Union goes on forever!

North Edinburgh Credit Union is based in Wardieburn Drive. Business hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 4 – 7pm. For further information on how the credit union could help you, telephone 466 5006.