Author: northedinburghnews

Activists from across the city will meet to thrash out the future of the Edinburgh Community Representatives Network on Saturday (19 March).  ECRN has received financial support from Capital City Partnership since it’s formation, but with Capital City Partnership’s own future in doubt ECRN members must now decide the way forward for the group.

ECRN’s ‘Big Event’ will take place at the SYHA Edinburgh Central Youth Hostel on Haddington Place from 9.30 to 4pm.

ECRN Development Worker Alison Miller said:  “Existing funding comes to an end on 31 March, and while new sources of funding are being investigated it may take some time for this to come to reality.  Reduced resources will undoubtedly be a challenge for the ongoing work of the Network, but with every challenge comes opportunity and members feel that now might also be a good time to reassess what ECRN is or should be about, and whether it’s activities continue to reflect the changing context in which it now operates”.

For further information on the Edinburgh Community Representatives Network (ECRN) or to book your free place at the ‘Big Event’, call Alison at North Edinburgh Trust on 0131 625 0045.

Dave Pickering

As I write, NEN’s March issue should be dropping through letter boxes all across North Edinburgh – our dogged distributors are battling through rain, hail and snow to deliver your community newspaper!

As you will be aware, this edition is a very special one for us and sincere  thanks to everyone who took the time to contact us and who contributed to the paper this month.  It’s greatly appreciated, and we hope you like the finished product.

If you don’t receive your copy over the next few days, please let us know – email or call us on 467 3972.  There were a few distribution problems last month and we want to put that right.

Finally, two important dates for your dairy.  The Save The NEN campaign is holding a public meeting at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on March 17 at 7pm, and on 30 March West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre is the venue for NEN’s AGM/EGM.  That meeting starts at 2.30pm.

All local people are welcome to attend both events – hope to see you there!  

Dave Pickering

Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership is to write to council leaders expressing disappointment at decisions taken on Fairer Scotland Funding at last month’s council budget meeting.  The local neighbourhood partnership will also write to Board of North Edinburgh News to express its ‘strong support’ for the continuation of the community newspaper following a meeting of Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership on Tuesday (8 March). Continue reading Support for NEN at Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon expects infection control standards at the Western General Hospital to be improved ‘as a matter of urgency’ following a critical report published by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate this week.  The 23 page report, based on an unannounced inspection carried out on 24 January, highlights a number of areas of infection control where improvements are required.  These include:

– Having a designated healthcare associated infection (HAI) education lead to oversee education and training

– Fully implementing the sharps management policy for disposal of used needles

– Having a robust risk management system in the Acute Receiving Admissions unit (ARU) with appropriate numbers of sinks, bed spacing and isolation practices

– Reviewing the risk assessment for activities in Ward 11 (which is a Dermatology ward). Continue reading Western urged to clean up its act

The Edinburgh launch of the Trees4TwoNations project took place in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on  3 March when two rare trees were planted by Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, and Dana Linnet, the US Consul General in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

The trees, an Arran Whitebeam representing Scotland and a Rock Chestnut Oak representing the United States were planted to represent the deep historical and cultural roots, and the friendship between, the people of Scotland and the United States of America.  The initiative aims to bring about positive change in environmental understanding and co-operation through a collaborative process and organisers say that with growing evidence of global climate change, nations must work together to try to tackle the environmental and social challenges facing us for the benefit of future generations. Continue reading Trees for Two at Botanic Garden!

Sadly staff at NEN are now in the process of putting together our final edition.  We want to mark this occasion by including the comments and views of local people and groups who have worked with us over the years.  Whether you have used NEN as a means to promote your project, raise awareness of a particular campaign or if you just enjoy reading about local activities and events through your community newspaper – we want to hear from you.

Please send your comments to mary@northedinburghnews.co.uk or call into our office at 222 Crewe Road North.  Feel free to post your comments here in our blog or in our Facebook page or Twitter stream.   The deadline is 25 February.

Staff at NEN will be made redundant on 31 March 2011 and directors of the project are in the process of winding up the current project with the sale of NEN’s office and the EGM/AGM on 30 March at 2.30pm in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  Directors will continue to meet and hope to work with local campaigners to find a way forward.

If last week’s Council budget decision was grim – and it was – yesterday’s NEN Board meeting finally brought it home that we’ve almost reached the end of the road.

Our board of directors will issue a formal statement shortly, but we can say now that the March NEN will be our last, and NEN’s Crewe Road North office – our home for twelve years – will be put on the market with immediate effect.

There will be more time later to talk about other things, but for the moment there are two pressing issues.  Firstly, to get out a final edition that’s as good as it can be, our swansong.  The deadline for this is next Friday (25 February) so if you have any comments, adverts or other contributions you’d like to make – do it now!  Take this last opportunity to have your say;  your chance to be part of a wee piece of local history, our final edition.

And then, it’s winding down the operation, archive and save what needs to be retained (or can be found a caring and loving home!) and clearing out the office.  I can’t say any of us as looking forward to that – so many memories being consigned to the bin; that part is going to be very difficult.  It’s probably then that the enormity of what is happening will really bite.

In the meantime, though, it’s back to the next edition.  Where was I?  Oh yes, budget cuts!

Dave Pickering

No real surprise when the City of Edinburgh Council voted through its cuts to community newspapers at last Thursday’s budget meeting but the community is determined to fight on to save its newspaper.

Strong deputation’s from North Edinburgh News and The Chronicle emphasised the measures taken by both publications to meet emloyability criteria yet councillors refused to listen and cut funding completely from NEN, The Chronicle and The Speaker, in Restalrig. Continue reading Council cuts community newspapers