Malta HouseSaturday proved to be an especially happy birthday for a groundbreaking local project when a new charity aimed at raising funds for LEAP, the Lothians and Edinburgh Abstinence Programme, was launched as part of LEAP’s fifth anniversary celebrations. Founders of the Friends of LEAP charity joined graduates, patients and staff at their annual ‘reunion’ event to celebrate the continued success of the innovative service based at Malta House in Stockbridge.
Set up by a group of dedicated and skilled volunteers, Friends of LEAP will help to raise additional funds for the programme along with managing the donations they receive.
Dr David McCartney, Clinical Lead, LEAP, NHS Lothian, said: “LEAP continues to grow from strength to strength with more and more people successfully completing the programme and going on to live alcohol and drug free lives. We are delighted to see that the Friends of LEAP charity has been established. We welcome their support and I am sure their work will make a significant contribution to the service. All donations we receive are gratefully received and will go directly into catering for the needs of our patients.”
Trustee Alison Hume is one of four volunteers involved in setting up the charity. “Having volunteered at LEAP over the last few years we are delighted to set up Friends of LEAP. We have witnessed the dedication of staff, the high success in patients completing the programme and the impact that this has had not only on their lives but also that of their families and friends and we are delighted to be involved in this way.”
The LEAP programme operates seven days a week for people dependent on substances who want to achieve drug and alcohol-free recovery. There are six elements to LEAP’s three-month treatment and rehabilitation programme. These are:
Medical
Therapeutic
Mutual aid/recovery communities
Housing
Education, training and employability
Aftercare
“More than 500 patients have been admitted to the programme,” added Dr David McCartney. “It’s important we celebrate our achievements and look ahead with positivity in continuing to assist people in the future.”
Launched in September 2007 LEAP is the first programme of its kind in Scotland, and is an innovative partnership between NHS Lothian, the City of Edinburgh Council, Transition (Access to Industry) and the Serenity Café and the Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in Lothian.
Pilton Community Health Project’s Caroline Gibb has been in touch to remind us of a couple of food-centred events taking place this week:
Tuesday 24 July, 12-2pm: West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre, 19West Pilton Grove
Fabby Food Store Picnic & Barbecue
A drop in event at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre, people can come along and make their own burger, veggie kebab or salad, and find out more about Pilton’s newest food co-op at the same time. Loads of indoor space if we get unlucky with the weather!
Tuesday 24 July, 11am -1pm: Millennium Centre, Muirhouse Medway
Simple Snacks at MillenniumCentre Summer Youth Club
Making your own tasty veggiewraps. Places must be booked for this event by calling 0131 467 3578.
If your group or organisation is planning an event you would like to share with our readers please get in touch.
Residents across Edinburgh are being encouraged to love their local park this week as national Love Parks Week launches across the country. From 21-27 July, events will be held across the Capital with the aim of encouraging people to visit, enjoy and take pride in their local parks and green spaces.
Edinburgh is home to over 130 parks – ranging from small community parks, to natural heritage parks and large premier parks. A broad range of activities are on offer – from play areas, skateboard parks, peaceful gardens, football pitches to ponds and wildlife. We have our fair share of them here in North Edinburgh – from Inverleith and latest Green Flag winner Ravelston (pictured below) to Drylaw, West Pilton and along to Victoria – large and small, there are so many green spaces to be enjoyed right on your doorsteps.
City Environment Leader Councillor Lesley Hinds (pictured below), said: “Attractive and well-presented parks and greenspaces are fundamentally important to maintaining the quality of life in Edinburgh. We take particular pride in ensuring good outdoor spaces are accessible to all and the city has the highest number of Green Flag parks in the country.Although the weather might not be the best at the moment, we’re still hoping lots of people will turn out next week to visit their local park and take part in some of the events.”
This year Love Parks Week will focus on access for all to healthy green spaces. The campaign will highlight what a healthy (quality) green space looks like and will begin to assess the nation’s parks by encouraging people to give their park a simple health check.
In 2006, 96,000 people attended 240 events across Britain. Last year 1,200 events were held with an estimated one million participants.
Among the local ‘Love Parks’ event highlights this week are:
Inverleith Park: 12 – 4pm, Wednesday 25th July
Go behind the scenes and meet the people behind our parks and woodlands at our depot in Inverleith Park. Staff from the Forestry Service will talk about their work and demonstrate their tree climbing skills. There will also be a horse logging demonstration.
You can also visit the blacksmiths and joiners workshops – the teams responsible for looking after the safety of our play areas and maintaining our presentation seats.
Our Allotment Officer will be joining the Inverleith Allotment Association to give tours around the Inverleith Allotment site, crowned the best allotment site in the city in the Edinburgh in Bloom competition 2011.
Chat with our Park Rangers about the work they do to improve our parks for people and wilidlife, with a site visit to the new annual wildflower meadow in the park.
Cammo Estate and River Almond Walk: 10 – 1pm, Thursday 26th July
Join our natural Heritage Ranger at the Cammo Estate visitor centre for a gentle stroll along the banks of the River Almond then a meander around Cammo Estate looking at history, heritage and wildlife. This is one of the best parks and river walks around Edinburgh.
Age 12 and above.
Water of Leith – Balerno to Slateford: 10:30 – 2:30, Sunday 29th July
Follow the Water of Leith from Balerno to Slateford, passing through old mill villages of Edinburgh. Hear about the history of the area, the importance of the river – past and present and discover the wildlife which thrives along this corridor. Bring a packed lunch, wear sturdy footwear and dress for the weather. Please note you will have to arrange your own transport, the walk will begin in Balerno and end in Slateford.
Age 12 and above.
Edinburgh has a number of Friends groups looking after parks and greenspaces in the city. Working with the Council, the Friends of Parks groups give residents a greater say in what goes on in their park. Find out more on the city council website or contact the Parks department on 0131 529 3030 / parks@edinburgh.gov.uk for information on whether your local park has a friends group, or, if not, how to set one up.
An investigation has been launched after the confidential files of 45 school pupils were stolen from an Edinburgh City Council worker’s home earlier this week. The files relate to pupils from Forthview and Granton Primary Schools and Broughton High School, who have had contact with the Education Welfare Service.
The files were stolen during a burglary on Wednesday, BBC Scotland has revealed.
The council said the files were ‘predominantly’ about school attendance, and a city council spokeswoman added: “We are working closely with the police on this matter but believe that these files weren’t targeted by the thief. We are making contact with all the families this information relates to and have made staff available to them to help with any questions or concerns they may have.”
Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre’s Fun Day will take place on Saturday 28 July from 11am – 2pm. All the usual attractions plus more (see poster)! The sun always shines on Drylaw’s Fun Day (well, nearly always) so don’t miss it!
Summer’s flying by (or maybe floating by!) and one of the highlights of the summer youth programme is now just a week away. The Quest is the annual event enjoyed by hundred of local young people, and the final destination this year is , as always, a closely-guarded secret.
Muirhouse Youth Development Group’s (MYDGs) Joanne Stewart explained: “The Quest is an area-wide event – a scavenger hunt across Edinburgh ending in a secret location with a barbecue and fun activities for around 100 young people and volunteers, which promotes team work and sportsmanship. The Quest aims to include each youth agency in the North Edinburgh area and is one of the most popular area-wide activities – it’s been taking place for many years, always with a great turn out. We are very proud to say that we won an award from the Edinburgh Evening News last year for ‘the best youth initiative’, voted for by Evening News readers, which I think shows the popularity of the event in the community. We’re hoping this year’s Quest will be even better!”
The Quest starts from Scottish Gas HQ on Waterfront Avenue next Friday (27 July) at 11am and finishes … well, who knows?
The Edinburgh Legionnaires’ disease outbreak is officially ‘over’. The outbreak, which struck in May and has so far taken the lives of three people, was declared over following a review meeting of the Incident Management Team (IMT) on Tuesday.
To date, there are a total of 101 confirmed and suspected cases. All of these cases have links to the south west of Edinburgh and fit the timescales of exposure and the incubation period for developing Legionella-related illness.
Detailed investigations into the source of the outbreak continue with further testing and analysis of the environmental samples taken from potential sources being carried out.
Lothian and Borders Police and the Health and Safety Executive are jointly investigating the circumstances of the deaths under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) Health and Safety Division, and research is also underway to better understand the full extent of the outbreak.
Dr Alison McCallum, Director of Public Health and Health Policy, NHS Lothian said: “As we have seen over the last week, we can expect further cases who have been ill for some time to continue to come forward and our increased surveillance will continue.
“However, all the evidence is suggesting that the action taken when the outbreak was first identified was effective and all cases fall within the expected incubation period, so the decision has been made to declare the outbreak over.
“Laboratory work is ongoing to try and identify the source conclusively but, as we have said from the start, it may not be possible to do so.
“There is also more work to be done to gain a better understanding of the scale of the outbreak and how to manage outbreaks in the future. We hope that people who are approached to participate in these studies will come forward and help us with this significant piece of research.”
A full report into the outbreak detailing the epidemiological, environmental, meteorological and microbiological investigations and recommendations for the prevention and control of future outbreaks will now be produced.
Welcoming the announcement, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “It is good news that the outbreak has been declared over, and as we have already seen, the number of new cases has been dropping off over recent weeks.
“We have worked closely with NHS Lothian to ensure the outbreak was well managed, and I would like to pay tribute to NHS staff who have coped extremely well with this situation.
“However, we have to remember that there are some patients who remain extremely ill, and NHS staff are maintaining high quality care for those patients.
“The Health and Safety Executive and Edinburgh City Council are continuing their investigations into the source of the outbreak.”
With weather warnings now lifted, and today’s forecast showing signs of improvement, it looks like the worst of the weather is over – for the timebeing at least.
The city council was well-prepared for Wednesday’s deluge. Speaking yesterday, city transport convener Councillor Lesley Hinds (pictured above) said: “Our roads teams have been fully prepared to deal with predicted heavy rainfall and we are keeping in regular touch with partner organisations. A Flood Control Coordination Centre has been set up as part of the Council’s Emergency Flood Plan. Drains and waterways have been cleared of debris, while river levels and hot spot areas have been continually monitored throughout the day. Around 7,000 sandbags were ready to be deployed, some of which were delivered to households in response to residents’ concerns. Residents can be assured that the situation will continue to be monitored over the next 18 hours while the amber alert is still in place.”
Some local scenes yesterday:
While today’s forecast is for improving weather, it may be prudent to keep those wellies handy just in case …!
At least 200 people – and probably more – crammed into LifeCare House in Cheyne Street this evening to hear plans for the redevelopment of Edinburgh Academicals’ Raeburn Place site. A BBC film crew was also in attendance.
At least twenty more people were unable to get into the main hall to hear speakers or to pass comment on proposals (pictured below). The meeting was arranged by Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council to enable local residents to get more details on the controversial plans.
The Water of Leith Conservation Trust, in conjunction with the Inverleith Coordinated Summer Programme, is organising a cleanup and family picnic on Sunday 29 July from 10am.
Organiser Callum McLeod of Inverleith’s Community Learning and Development team (pictured below) said: “This is an annual event and we’re concentrating on the stretch between Canonmills and Dean Village. There should be something for everyone –litter picking, some tending of culture garden areas, clearing out invasive plant species along the banks or even clearing log jams after the floods for the more adventurous – all depending on folk’s skills and abilities of course! We quite a good turnout last year despite the rain and so I’m looking forward to it!”
Participants are encouraged to bring along some food, too. After all, all work and no play …
“If people and maybe even bring along a packed lunch and or picnic things we can sit and enjoy some friendly company in pleasant surroundings after all the hard work of the clean up. We’re hoping for some decent weather, of course!”
Interested? Meet by the bridge at Saunders Street at 10am, or for further information call Callum McLeod on 332 6316 or email callum.mcleod@ea.edin.sch.uk
