city centre – Page 145 – The NEN

Exciting new chapter for Edinburgh Printmakers

New £6 million HQ in Fountainbridge will ‘place creativity at the heart of the community’

The former headquarters of the North British Rubber Company – birthplace of the Wellington boot, the modern motor car tyre and the first ever traffic cone – is to be saved from demolition and transformed into a world-class visual arts centre and creative hub thanks to Lottery funding of over £6million.

Creative Scotland has confirmed £1,728,075 funding and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is investing £4,994,000 towards Edinburgh Printmakers and the transformation of the historic former North British Rubber Factory HQ into a new centre for printmaking and creative industries.

The HLF grant is inclusive of a first stage award of £500,000 already received by the visual arts charity to develop the project and engage the community with the vast local heritage through creative activities.

The funding from Creative Scotland is in addition to an initial stage one capital funding award committed in 2012 of £60,000 to enable Edinburgh Printmakers to develop their proposal. The funding from Creative Scotland will support artistic excellence and engage audiences in diverse and inclusive exhibitions and education.

The project proposed by Edinburgh Printmakers will save a 19th century category C-listed building of significant architectural and historical value in Fountainbridge from decay and eventual demolition.

Once part of a vast industrial complex manufacturing goods such as rubber boots, hot water bottles and the car tyre, the Castle Mill Works building is now the only remaining physical reminder of what was once a world-renowned rubber factory that, for many years, was at the forefront of innovation and integral to the expansion of the city.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs said: “Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland to preserve the building, and Creative Scotland’s investment in setting up the new arts centre, Castle Mill Works will be an exciting addition to Scotland and Edinburgh’s cultural scene.

“The money raised through lottery contributions will be used to get this important project off the ground. Edinburgh Printmakers will transform this historic building and in its new form it will deliver a new home for Scottish printmakers and help shape the future of our country, as well as preserve its past.”

Iain Munro, Deputy Chief Executive, Creative Scotland, said: “Creative Scotland is delighted to be supporting the creation of a world class centre for printmaking for Edinburgh Printmakers, an organisation of considerable experience and repute. Edinburgh Printmakers plays an important role in the infrastructure for contemporary art in Scotland.

“This new facility will enable the organisation to build on this reputation by creating a state of the art, fit for purpose building which will be a more visible, accessible, facility appropriate to their needs and aspirations for the 21st century.

“The relocation of the Printmakers to Fountainbridge will unlock many opportunities for the organisation to engage with new and different communities and to partner with a range of schools and community groups.”

In August, Historic Scotland (Now Historic Environment Scotland) announced that they would be awarding £500k of grant funding to the project to restore this important part of Edinburgh’s built heritage.

Commenting from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Dame Seona Reid, Deputy Chair of HLF and Chair of Committee for Scotland, said: “We are delighted that thanks to players of the National Lottery, we are able to unlock the potential of this much-loved building. Not only will it provide a thriving cultural centre, benefitting many hundreds of national and international artists, but it will breathe life back into Foutainbridge. The community is justly proud of its industrial heritage so it is fitting that Castle Mill Works, which once supported so many families, will be the catalyst in its regeneration.”

The ambition to save Castle Mill Works stemmed from Edinburgh Printmakers’ search for the ideal home in which to build a contemporary arts centre specialising in Printmaking and Creative Industries, offering a year-round public programme of exhibitions, events and learning.

Opening to the public in 2018, Edinburgh Printmakers’ new home will be an international centre for printmaking with a state-of-the-art open access workshop, galleries, education spaces, a deli/wine bar with terrace, art retail area and production spaces for a wide range of creative industries. The total cost for the project will be £10 million.

Edinburgh Printmakers will continue to present a public programme of exhibitions, events and activities at its Union Street premises until summer 2018.

Chair of Edinburgh Printmakers, Alastair Snow, said: “We are delighted to have support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Creative Scotland for this project. These awards will allow us to bring Castle Mill Works back from the very dilapidated state it has fallen into and transform it into a vibrant cultural resource.

“Castle Mill Works was once a powerhouse of industry and invention, our plan will bring production back to Fountainbridge and place creativity at the heart of the community. This neglected area will become a vibrant place to work or visit, foster a sense of community, and offer opportunities for everyone to engage with creativity.

“These awards provide a substantial amount of the funds required to realise the project and are a real vote of confidence for Edinburgh Printmakers as a leading arts organisation. But, just over £2M still needs to be raised. As well as applying to trusts and foundations, we are asking the public to join us on this new and exciting journey and help us reach a target of £10m.”

Sarah Price, CEO of Edinburgh Printmakers added: “The vision for Edinburgh Printmakers as a cultural provider has evolved hugely as a result of this project and in response to the heritage of the building. We can’t wait to get going on delivering artistic exhibitions and activities that will benefit local people and bring visitors to the area. Art has the power to transform lives and places and that is our aim, we have spent many years planning and now with these decisions we can start to make those dreams a reality.”

In the lead up to the opening of the arts centre, Edinburgh Printmakers will showcase a series of temporary artwork commissions at Castle Mill Works that respond to the unique heritage of the grand industrial building and its rich cultural environs.

The heritage of the building will also be a permanent feature within the complete arts centre as the legacy of the building is explored through newly commissioned artwork installations, each uncovering the past and creating a conversation between new and old that can continue into the future.

The project has already attracted widespread support and endorsement with local community groups keen to save the building for future use as a cultural venue.

The announcement of this award coincided with the launch of Edinburgh Printmakers public appeal for donations. The public can help Edinburgh Printmakers reach the £10m target by texting CMWS001 to 70970 to give £5, or by visiting www.edinburghprintmakers.co.uk to donate any amount.

Edinburgh’s Eat the Good Stuff campaign’s on track!

Rail commuters tuck into Britain’s biggest jeely piece!

The Monster Jeely Piece Challenge pulled into Waverley station yesterday as Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network (ESEN) teamed up with Breadshare and Tiphereth in a Jar to stage the creation of the biggest jeely piece (that’s a jam sandwich, visitors!) to date in the UK.

Sandwich construction started at 11am and the muckle piece was ready for munching at lunchtime, with tasting from 1pm. The challenge marked the launch of the “Eat the Good Stuff” campaign, which aims to promote the range of high quality food social enterprises in Edinburgh.

The event took place at Waverley Station’s LocalMotive Markets site alongside platform 2, where the new Borders Railway now comes in.

Speaking before the build of the mighty sandwich ESEN Coordinator Linsay Chalmers, said: “Weeks of preparation and logistical planning have gone into this world first ‘monster jeely piece’ attempt. There has been a lot to consider for the Breadshare and Tiphereth social enterprise teams who have calculated the jeely piece will be 1.8m x 1.6m in size and will need 12 kilos of strawberry jam to make it possible.”

The team worked against the clock to create the monster ‘master-piece’, which was then cut into 768 individual sandwiches for sharing with commuters, railway staff and passers-by.

Lindsay added: “We are keen to promote Edinburgh’s food social enterprises through our “Eat the Good Stuff” campaign and be the first in the UK to create a giant jeely piece – especially as it is Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink – we felt we had to mark the occasion with some great local and organic foodie, social enterprise produce.”

“And next year we hope to have a ‘monster scone bake-off’ with some of our other social enterprises.”

Juliet Donnachie, Station Manager, Waverley Station said: “Edinburgh Waverley is Scotland’s largest station so it’s only fitting it should also be home to the country’s biggest jeely piece. The market has been a popular addition to the station over the past year and events like this add a little unexpected fun to passengers’ journeys.”

Edinburgh is home to food social enterprises of all shapes and sizes including cafes, pubs and fair trade distributors. The campaign aims to place the spotlight on these food organisations and introduce the people of Edinburgh to the top quality and socially good products that they offer.

There are now over 200 social enterprises in Edinburgh with a wide range of products from culinary and craft to recycling, wellbeing, and sport – and new products are coming to the fore each week.

The “buy the good stuff” sticker campaign indicates to shoppers and visitors the wide range and diversity of businesses promoting social enterprise whilst highlighting the beautiful and unique products on offer and the stickers will help recognise those businesses with ease.

Be a Potter spotter!

Harry Potter competition launches at the magical Museum of Childhood today

Visitors to the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh will picture the magic of Harry Potter as part of a nationwide competition with Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

Launching today to celebrate the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Kay, the competition will challenge people of all ages to seek out and photograph an image from the new book placed in locations around the country and share via social media.

Working with children’s charity Kids in Museums and The Telegraph newspaper, Bloomsbury has placed 12 Jim Kay prints in 12 different museums around the UK and Ireland, including the City of Edinburgh Council owned and managed Museum of Childhood on the Royal Mile.

With a clue to solve at each venue participants must find these images, take a photo of themselves with it and share via Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #HarryPotterSpotter.

Jim Kay has always been a fan of museums, saying: “Museums are one of my favourite places to visit. The objects they contain tell the story of ourselves and our world, and I find them endlessly inspiring and fascinating. My illustrations owe so much to museum collections, it’s an honour to know they will appear in the places that made me want to become an artist.”

Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Culture Convener, added: “This is a great draw for our free-to-visit Museum of Childhood and a unique chance to celebrate the magic of Harry Potter in Edinburgh. Potter Spotters will find JK Rowling’s hand-prints just a stone’s throw away from the Museum at the City Chambers, and it’s also just a short walk to the Elephant House where she famously penned parts of her novels. With the October School break almost here, this is also a perfect opportunity for families to make a day of it and revisit the Museum.”

One overall winner will receive a family ticket to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter plus a Harry Potter tote bag, a Jim Kay signed print and a copy of the Deluxe Illustrated Edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (RRP: £150). Twelve additional prize winners, one from each museum, will receive a Harry Potter tote bag, a Jim Kay signed print and a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Illustrated Edition (RRP: £30). Participants only need to spot one print to enter.

The Harry Potter Spotter competition launches today and closes at midnight on Sunday 1 November.

Click here for full details of the competition or find out more about a visit to the Museum of Childhood.

All the fun of the fair

Scotland’s biggest volunteer recruitment fair takes place in Edinburgh tomorrow

For most people at this time of year thoughts are turning to pumpkins and fireworks, but for Volunteer Edinburgh there’s only one thing on our minds – and that’s the annual Volunteer Recruitment Fair at St Paul and St Georges Church!

As usual the hall will be filled with stalls from charities and volunteer involving organisations from across the city representing the wide range of volunteering opportunities Edinburgh has to offer.

There are environmental groups; arts organisations; opportunities to work with people from both ends of the age spectrum; charities who deal with poverty and exclusion both here and abroad; animal welfare groups as well as organisations campaigning to raise awareness and funding for a variety of health issues.

With over 50 diverse groups taking part the chances of finding something to get involved with are pretty good and the opportunity to speak to directly to volunteers and organisers helps develop a much greater understanding of the organisation’s work and passion and commitment involved.

As well as the stalls, volunteer advisors will be on hand to help you with any questions you might have about volunteering and, for those looking to volunteer as a step towards employment, there will be workshops to help improve employability skills, C.V. writing and job hunting techniques.

There will also be special workshops on equality rights, and volunteering opportunities for older people.

And If all this information gets too much there will, as always, be delicious food and (non-alcoholic) drink on hand in the café, so you can rest and digest!

So if you want a break from thinking about ghosts, bonfires and premature tinsel and you’re looking to give a present a little more substantial than a pair of socks, then here’s the perfect opportunity to give some very grateful organisations the gift of you!

For more about the Volunteer Recruitment Fair, visit the Volunteer Edinburgh’s website, orFacebook page. You may also want to have a look at the photos from last year’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair here.

IT & Tea tonight

A free informal learning event for older people this evening

Breakthrough? UNISON postpones lobby of crunch finance meeting

‘Our mandate from our members remains. Industrial action remains a real possibility in the event of compulsory redundancies.’ – UNISON lead negotiator Tom Connolly

UNISON has postponed its lobby of Edinburgh Council’s Finance and Resources Committee tomorrow following assurances from senior councillors that privatisation plans will be dropped and redundancies delayed for further talks.

Amanda Kerr, Edinburgh UNISON branch secretary, said: “Following concerted UNISON pressure, we welcome this re-think and the dropping of privatisation plans. We also welcome the delay on redundancies, however we still have a long way to go and we will be building for a lobby of the next Finance and Resources Committee on 29 October.

“Our campaign has brought this to the public eye and that campaign will continue. We warned that the level of cuts envisaged would be devastating for services. After years and years of cut after cut, no council can sustain even more massive cuts.”

Lead negotiator Tom Connolly added: “This is an important victory. The damage privatisation would have caused cannot be overestimated. The union will focus on protecting jobs and conditions, engaging with our members and building towards the lobby on 29 October. Our mandate from our members remains. Industrial action remains a real possibility in the event of compulsory redundancies.”

Last week, UNISON warned that up to 3000 jobs could be lost as the council aims to balance it’s books, and councillors are set to consider a number of key proposals to address a £126m budget shortfall over the next four years at tomorrow’s meeting.

Councillor Alasdair Rankin, Finance Convener, said: “We are very clear about the scale of the financial challenge that the Council is facing. The Council is experiencing greater demand for services than ever before, with a growing population in Edinburgh and increasing numbers of older people and younger people, while our overall budget remains the same.

“We need to take action in order to achieve the necessary savings to meet this demand, and we are making every effort to do this in a way that will safeguard frontline services for the people of Edinburgh.

“We want to invest in the services that are important to the public but must also look to rationalise our spending where appropriate. We recognise that some of these proposals may involve tough decisions, including a reduction in Council jobs, particularly in middle management. But while this won’t to be easy, savings will allow us to prioritise the things that matter most to people.

“Our aim, as ever, is to improve and enhance the city for residents, and this package of measures is the next step to achieving this. Councillors will consider these proposals and we are looking forward to the discussions. ”

Hold Me Dear: Four Cities, [Extra]ordinary Places

It’s Here + Now! Outdoor exhibition, Rodney Street Tunnel

Here + Now launch event: Sunday 27 September, 12 noon – 2pm

An open air photography exhibition, featuring unique pictures and stories of treasured city spaces taken by local people living in Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Istanbul, opens in the Rodney Street railway tunnel in Canonmills this Sunday.

Curated by HERE + NOW, the exhibition provides a unique and exciting opportunity for people to share the places that matter most to them, building up a very personal insight into a residents’ view of their Edinburgh the places that actually matter personally to local people beyond the usual tourist landmarks.

Visit the ‘City Link’ section of www.holdmedear.co.uk to see the submissions.

PUBLIC LAUNCH PARTY- Sunday 27 September 12 noon

the exhibition will formally launch with a picnic event, talks, music performances and art-themed cycle tours around city.

The exhibition is created by HERE + NOW and supported by Sustrans, Edinburgh City Council, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and the Friends of King George V Park. The exhibition is free and runs until 20 October.

What should we do with George Street?

Have your say on the future of George Street

Edinburgh residents are being invited to help shape the future of one of the city’s best-known streets. An open day to be held tomorrow will offer an opportunity to meet the designers working on a long-term vision for George Street.

Participants can give their views on a year-long trial in the street, which has seen the introduction of a dedicated two-way cycle lane and a one-way system for general traffic and buses.

They will also be invited to contribute ideas and opinions on a permanent layout, with the drop-in session featuring four themes for George Street: A Civic Place, A Place for Living, A Place for Enterprise and A Place for Movement.

Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “Throughout this trial we have involved the public to ensure changes take into account the users of the street, and I think that’s reflected in the positive feedback we’ve received along the way.

“Now, as the trial draws to a close, we want to include those who live, work and travel on George Street to help us decide its future, and that’s why it’s so important that people come along to our open day to give their views on a long term plan.

“Making the city centre a great place to be is about striking a balance between work and leisure, practicality and atmosphere – and I think that by working together we can achieve that.”

Throughout the trial, regular ‘stakeholder engagement’ and on-street interviews with passers-by (approximately 100 per month) have gathered feedback from the public.

Amongst the findings were the importance of cycling facilities to the future of the street to respondents, the need for George Street to be accessible to all and the preference for symmetry in any long-term designs.

Ironside Farrar have been appointed until October 2015 to turn the information gathered into design principles, which will be presented with the concluding report on the George Street Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to Committee in November.

The George Street ETRO finishes on 6 September, when the street’s layout will revert to that of pre-September 2014, when the trial began. This means both sides of carriageway will be open and the cycle lane removed, as will all marquees and decking. An interim cycle facility will then be introduced, as approved by Transport and Environment Committee on 2 June.

The open day will be held at the Roxburghe Hotel

on Thursday 13 August, from 3pm to 7pm.

Have your say on proposed electoral arrangements

Five more city councillors under latest proposals

The independent Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland (LGBC) has announced a 12 week period of consultation with the public on proposed electoral wards as part of the Fifth Review of Electoral Arrangements.

Its proposals contain recommendations for councillor numbers in each of Scotland’s 32 council areas and the number, boundaries and names of wards.

Proposed changes in Edinburgh would see an increase in councillor numbers: the city would have 63 elected members instead of the current 58.

Both Forth and Inverleith would retain four councillors under the latest proposals, but neighbouring wards Almond and City Centre would both gain an additional elected member to ‘address forecast disparities’.

Ronnie Hinds, Chair of the Commission, said: “Consultation is a vital part of our work and having completed our consultation with councils, and amended a number of our proposals in the light of these, we now want to hear from local residents, community groups and organisations.

“We have a statutory obligation to conduct reviews and we are required to ensure that the number of electors per councillor in each ward in a council area is as nearly as may be the same – but subject to that we also need to take account of local ties and the public are best placed to tell us about these.

“We look forward to positive engagement with communities across Scotland over the next 12 weeks and have today launched our consultation portal which will allow people to see our proposals and submit their comments to us online including suggested revisions to the maps setting out ward boundaries. Paper copies of our proposals are available at display points across council areas.”

When reviewing electoral arrangements the Commission is required to take account of the following factors:

 the interests of effective and convenient local government;

 within each council, each councillor should represent the same number of electors as nearly as may be;

 local ties which would be broken by making a particular boundary;

 the desirability of fixing boundaries that are easily identifiable; and

 special geographical considerations.

The proposals for consultation with the public:

 provide for 1,219 councillors in 352 wards: a decrease of 4 councillors and 1 ward relative to existing arrangements.

 preserve 120 existing wards.

 contain 95% of wards that are forecast to be within 10% of parity (only 83% of existing wards are within 10% of parity).  contain only 3 wards that are forecast to be 15% or more from parity (19 existing wards are forecast to be 15% or more from parity).

 mean that councillors will, on average, represent electorates that are forecast to be 4.6% larger or smaller than the council average – under the existing arrangements councillors would represent electorates that are forecast to be on average 6.0% larger or smaller than the council average.

Proposals for Edinburgh

LGBCS’ proposals for wards in City of Edinburgh council area present an electoral arrangement for 63 councillors representing five 3-member wards and twelve 4-member wards, increasing councillor numbers in the area by 5. The proposals:

improve overall forecast parity;
increase the number of councillors by 1 in ward 1 (Almond), ward 2 (Pentland Hills), ward 11 (City Centre), ward 14 (Craigentinny / Duddingston) and ward 17 (Portobello / Craigmillar);
address forecast disparities in ward 1 (Almond) and 11 (City Centre);
re-name ward 10 to Morningside and ward 16 to Gilmerton but make no changes to other ward names; and
make changes to ward boundaries throughout the council area to reflect the change in councillor numbers and to align with “natural communities” (a local geography used by City of Edinburgh Council).

A summary of ward boundary proposals is available in this Guidance Booklet part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6.

You can respond to this consultation by using the Consultation portal, or by email or post (details on this webpage). The consultation period ends on 22 October 2015.

The Guidance Booklet for this review contains a summary of the whole process.

LGBC has made material on the proposals available at Display Points agreed with the council across the city. They are:

City of Edinburgh Council, City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1YJ
Central Library, 7-9 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EG
McDonald Library, 2 McDonald Road Edinburgh EH7 4LU
Portobello Library, 14 Rosefield Avenue, Edinburgh EH15 1AU
Newington Library, 17-21 Fountainhall Road, Edinburgh EH9 2LN
Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road, Edinburgh EH13 9LY
Kirkliston Library, 16 Station Road, Kirkliston EH29 9BE
South Queensferry Library, 9 Shore Road, South Queensferry EH30 9RD
Blackhall Library, 56 Hillhouse Road, Edinburgh EH4 5EG

LGBC expect to submit recommendations to Ministers in 2016. The resulting wards will be available for the local government elections in May 2017.

National Minimum Wage offenders named and shamed

Edinburgh hairdresser guilty of unkind cuts

Business Minister Nick Boles has today named 75 more employers who have failed to pay their workers the National Minimum Wage. Among them is Edinburgh -based hairdresser Saks, who neglected to pay over £413 owed to one worker at their Jeffrey Street salon.

Between them, the named companies owed workers over £153,000 in arrears, and span sectors including hairdressing, fashion, publishing, hospitality, health and fitness, automotive, social care, and retail.

This brings the total number of companies named and shamed under the scheme, which was introduced in October 2013, to 285 employers, with total arrears of over £788,000 and total penalties of over £325,000.

Business Minister Nick Boles said: “As a one nation government on the side of working people we are determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage receives it. When the new National Living Wage is introduced next April (2016) we will enforce robustly. This means that the hard-working people of the UK will get the pay rise they deserve.”