Hello. As most of you will know, Davidson’s Mains Gala will take place on Saturday 18th June this year.
We are super excited and have already filled all stall holder spots, secured both Mordor Gundogs and Drakes of Hazard display teams, as well as the fair ground rides returning.
However, we desperately need volunteers to help us put on this historical community event. If you can donate some time to any of the following, please let me know.
Your help would be very much appreciated:
Friday 17th June 1.30pm – putting up tents.
Saturday 18th June –
•11.30 – 17:00 Help to run stalls
•17:00 Take down of tents, clear up of field and returning tents, tables etc
Enquiries are continuing following a housebreaking in Silverknowes on Monday evening (7 February, 2022).
Around 8pm, police received a report of a house in Silverknowes Gardens being broken into. Officers attended and the rear door to the property had been smashed. No-one was within the house at the time and an assessment of what has been taken is under way.
Enquiries carried out so far have revealed that following the break-in the suspect(s) got into a beige or gold coloured Nissan Note car. The registration of the car is GF60 XZH but it is possible the registration plate has been changed.
The Nissan Note was stolen from the Davidson Mains area last month and officers are appealing to anyone who may have seen it to contact them.
Door-to-door enquiries are being carried out and officers are gathering and reviewing relevant CCTV footage for any further information on the suspect(s) and the Nissan Note.
Detective Sergeant Steven Dick said: “It appears the Nissan Note is being used by the suspect(s) to leave the scene and transport any stolen items.
“We should all feel protected in our homes, and know that our personal items and objects are safe from thieves. I am asking for the public’s help in trying to locate this vehicle. If anyone has seen it or noticed it parked up somewhere then please do get in touch with us.
“Your information could help us trace whoever is responsible and allow us to return any stolen items to their rightful owners.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 3026 of 7 February, 2022. Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where you can give information anonymously.
FoE Scotland: Pollution rebounds to illegal levels in 2021
Scotland breached legal air quality limits in 2021 after a historic low in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Hope Street in Glasgow recorded an annual average above the legal limit for diesel pollution, while many streets across Scotland saw pollution spike back up despite Covid-19 restrictions like working from home continuing through the year and the country being in lockdown for the first few months.
Friends of the Earth Scotland analysed official air pollution data for 2021, looking at two toxic pollutants which are primarily produced by transport. Legal air quality standards came into force in 2010, yet have been broken every single year since except 2020.
As traffic levels increased through 2021, air pollution rose correspondingly. While Hope Street in Glasgow once again breached legal air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide, other streets such as Salamander Street in Edinburgh and Atholl Street in Perth experienced increases in particulate pollution.
Campaigners say this data shows governments and councils have not done enough to reduce car traffic. Measures such as Spaces for People – brought in during lockdown to ease social distancing and create temporary cycle lanes and pedestrian spaces – were soon ripped out by councils like Edinburgh while other councils, such as Falkirk largely ignored the funding.
Air pollution kills 2,500 people in Scotland each year and puts the population at risk of serious health conditions, like asthma, heart attacks, and strokes. It’s especially harmful to children, the elderly, and people living in poverty or made vulnerable from other health conditions.
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Dirtiest streets for Nitrogen Dioxide
The European Ambient Air Quality Directive set a limit for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) of 40 micrograms per cubic metre. The deadline for this limit to have been met was 2010.
Location / NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide Annual mean (µg/m3)
Glasgow Hope Street 45.411
Dundee Lochee Road 31.840
Falkirk West Bridge Street 31.219
Perth Atholl Street 31.077
Dundee Seagate 30.136
Edinburgh Queensferry Road 29.625
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Dirtiest streets for fine particles (PM10)
The Scottish annual statutory standard for particulate matter (PM10) is 18 micrograms per cubic metre.
Location PM10 annual mean (µg/m3)
Edinburgh Salamander St 15.439
Perth Atholl Street 14
Glasgow Kerbside 13.138
Fife Cupar 12.955
Aberdeen Wellington Road 12.314
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Friends of the Earth Scotland’s transport campaigner, Gavin Thomson, said:“Scotland once again has illegal air quality in 2021, which is shocking but not surprising given the lack of political action on the issue.
“2020 was an outlier for obvious reasons and we witnessed unprecedented changes to all areas of public life. But for traffic emissions, it was back to business as usual in 2021. From the evidence we have, virtually every street in Scotland experienced higher levels of pollution in 2021 than the previous year.
“Air pollution from transport is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in Scotland every year, and causes serious heart and lung issues. The growing evidence base showing the links between air pollution and vulnerability to Covid-19 is only the latest reason why we have to act to protect public health.
“The Low Emission Zones being introduced will not restrict private cars until summer 2024. Meanwhile, with pollution spiking in Perth, we should be asking why only four cities in Scotland are introducing LEZs.
“The temporary improvements in air quality in 2020 arrived at an enormous cost to our communities and societies. There was no intention or concerted political action to reduce emissions, which is why the falls were not maintained when restriction eased.
“We need a just transition for transport, including taking control of our public transport to run comprehensive services that serve passengers not profit, and more options for safe walking and cycling, to improve the air we breathe permanently.”
Felicity Neyme runs the Clean Air & Active Travel group at Davidson’s Mains primary school in Edinburgh. The group works to make routes to school safer and actively campaigns in the community for measures to monitor and improve air quality.
She said: “These days we all know about the dangers of smoking and even plastic in waterways but I am concerned about the lack of awareness amongst parents and grandparents about the impact of air pollution on children’s lungs.
“I regularly see cars idling at pick-up and drop-off whilst collecting the children they love, dearly ignorant of the fact that they are complicit in creating dangerous levels of pollution around school. We need publicly available data on air quality at schools, safer routes to school so parents don’t feel they have to drive and we need stricter regulation banning vehicles near school.”
Paul Wilson, 47, social care worker based in Ayrshire, said:“I’ve had serious asthma since I was a young child, and have been admitted to hospital over 50 times throughout my life. I have the condition in good control now through medication and lifestyle, but air pollution is something that can be really hard to avoid.
“I live in a small village in Ayrshire now, but when I lived in Glasgow I had far more attacks. Whenever I’m in the city now I’m aware of my chest being tighter, and I make sure to avoid certain streets like Hope Street in the city centre which are especially polluted.
“I always take my inhaler when I’m going through too. I’m incredibly aware of what affects my asthma because I have to be, but some people don’t realise what’s causing it to get worse when it’s something invisible like air pollution, and it must be very hard for people who can’t avoid these really polluted areas because of work or where they live.
“Tackling air pollution will obviously make a huge difference for asthma sufferers like me, but it’s also affecting everyone’s health so I think it needs to be prioritised more than it is currently.”
Caitlin Smyth, 24, a nurse based in Paisley said:“I’m really concerned about the damage done to people’s health from air pollution. Things like engine idling outside hospitals and schools needs to become a thing of the past. Your car fumes might be harming someone who is vulnerable.
“That air quality is getting worse, year-on-year, is shameful. We need to make our towns and cities safer and healthier. I’d like to see a big focus on public transport, but also we need to stop cars running their engines for no reason.”
At the close of business today, Sunday 23rd January, we pulled down the shutter and unfortunately I have decided that it must remain that way and that TurtleDove Play Café will cease trading with immediate effect.
It is a very sad day, but due to low levels of sales since early December, the business is no longer viable to run in the long term and I must take the hard decision to do what is right for the business.
I would like to thank our many loyal customers from over the years, all staff who have worked for us and suppliers who have helped us produce what was once a vibrant, thriving café.
Live Music Now Scotland (LMNS) bring Live performance to Edinburgh with world premiere of ‘What’s for you…’ by composer Jennifer Martin
The piece will be performed by clarinettist Calum Robertson and pianist Juliette Philogene who will also perform the second LMNS piece commissioned from Jennifer, ‘Bi-Cycle’
The concert will take place at 3pm on Sunday 24 October at Holy Cross Church, Davidson’s Mains
Live Music Now Scotland (LMNS) is delighted to announce its next public, live and in person performance this coming Sunday (24 October).
Taking place at Holy Cross Church in Davidsons Mains, this one-off concert will feature a world premiere of a new piece for clarinet and piano by Jennifer Martin, performed by and commissioned for clarinettist Calum Robertson and pianist Juliette Philogene.
Entitled ‘What’s for you…’ the piece is one of two commissioned by Live Music Now Scotland and written by Jennifer Martin, who recently published a book Creative Composition for the Classroom co-written with composer Sir James MacMillan.
‘What’s for you…’ is a reflective piece that was inspired by the hopes, joys and fears that must come with motherhood; joyous, irregular, humorous, difficult, but always looking on the bright side.
Jennifer Martin, author of Creative Composition for the Classroom and Chief Executive of the Cumnock Tryst, said:“It is a huge honour to have been asked to create two bespoke pieces for Live Music Now Scotland, an organization whose work is so vitally important when it comes to getting live music to those who may not otherwise get a chance to hear it, and in the career development of musicians.
“Both ‘Bi-Cycle’ and ‘What’s for you…’ examine the relationship between mother and daughter in a myriad of ways, and I can’t wait to hear them in the beautiful surroundings of Holy Cross Church, performed by the brilliantly talented Calum and Juliette.”
The concert is free of charge although booking is required, and the concert will also feature Nocturne by Ronald Stevenson and Three dances by Germaine Tailleferre.
The location of this exciting performance is no coincidence. Throughout lockdown Holy Cross Church was incredibly supportive of LMNS, engaging artists to sing and play as part of worship when live performances were not allowed elsewhere.
Not only that, but the costs were also covered by the congregation, meaning a live world premiere seemed like a fitting tribute. The concert will slot into a new series of afternoon events in the church.
Carol Main MBE, Director at Live Music Now Scotland, said: “We are so excited to see a public LMNS performance, and a world premiere no less, return to the wonderful surrounds of Holy Cross Church in Edinburgh. Not only is a beautiful space, but one we feel a deep affinity with after the support they have shown our musicians throughout the pandemic.
“We also feel incredibly lucky to be able to hear these two pieces, commissioned especially for our musicians by the amazingly talented Jennifer Martin and performed by the equally talented Calum and Juliette, surrounded by a live audience.”
The two LMNS commissions were made possible by funding from Gavin McEwan.
Detectives are appealing for information after a shop was robbed in Davidsons Mains.The robbery took place at a tanning salon in Main Street at around 11.40am yesterday (Wednesday, 1 September).
A man entered the shop and presented a knife at the shop assistant and demanded money. No-one was injured and he made off with a three-figure sum of money.
It’s the second tanning shop robbery in Edinburgh within days – a salon on Summer Place in Inverleith was robbed on Friday evening.
Detective Inspector Kevin Tait of CID said: “Thankfully the member of staff working within the shop was unhurt, but extremely shocked by the incident.
“We are looking to trace a man described as being around 5’6” tall, of thin build. He was wearing a black beanie style hat, a black face mask, a black hooded top, black trousers rolled up to the knees and blue trainers.
“He left the shop on a BMX style bike, heading in the direction of Ferry Road.“We are carrying out a review of CCTV and I would appeal to anyone who was in the area to come forward. We would like to hear from motorists who have dash-cam, you may have captured something that could be of assistance to us.
“Anyone who has information that will assist this investigation is asked to contact us through 101 quoting reference number 1172 of 1 September, 2021. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”
