Drylaw Telford Community Council AGM.
We will hold our AGM on Thursday 29th June at 7pm.
Where: Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre
There will be a short presentation on our greenspace consultation so come along to find out more.
We are also looking for local people to join us and help shape our community!
To find out more, contact us on the details below.
Refreshments will be provided.
We hope to see as many people as possible.
Inverleith SNP councillor Vicky Nicholson has organised a walk round in Drylaw with council officers from the parks team and police on Thursday 29 June at 1pm, meeting at White Church.
Cllr Nicholson said: “This is in response to a few requests by local people and hopefully any questions people have about maintenance of green spaces, areas where people store motorbikes and also other Drylaw issues can be asked and, if not answered during the walk round, followed up by officers and police”.
WEDNESDAY 29 JUNE at 7pm in DRYLAW NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE
Come along to our AGM on June 29 @DrylawNC at 7pm and hear from @greenspacetrust about our consultation on parks and open spaces and have your say on how these can be improved.
We are also looking for new members so if you want to help improve the local area please get in touch.
ELREC is pleased to announce our new small project, The Creative Kitchen, thanks to the cost of living part of The Lottery Community Fund. And in partnership with Cyrenians who give us fresh ingredients.
The project aims to deliver free weekly workshops on sustainable cooking, making simple yet nutritious and fresh meals from whatever you have left in the fridge.
The sessions will be delivered in different locations, with the first one held at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, by our staff member and chef, Shana.
You can find out more by following us on Instagram:
THECREATIVEKITCHENCOMMUNITY
The sessions are free, to sign up please email: bolyn@elrec.org.uk
POLICE in Edinburgh are appealing for information to help trace Angel McDaid who has been reported missing from the Drylaw area.
The 13 year old was last seen on Princes Street around 1pm on Monday 22nd May 2023.
Angel is described as being a white female, around 4ft 10in, of medium build, with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes.
When last seen she was wearing a black jumper, black trousers, a thin black faux leather gilet, white trainers and grey tote bag.
Sergeant Alison Lawrie said: ‘Our enquiries are ongoing to trace Angel and I am appealing for anyone who has any information on her whereabouts to contact us. I would also appeal to Angel directly to get in touch with local officers’.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101, quoting incident number 3921 of 21 May 2023.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING
DRYLAW TELFORD Community Council’s next meeting will be held on Wednesday 24 May at 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre (enter via rear of building).
Open to all and we would love to see some new faces.
For more information, please email pamhigginsdtcc@gmail.com or just turn up on the night.
Hope to see you then 
A MEMORIAL BENCH – WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS
Last Thursday, we were delighted to welcome a group of volunteers from Natwest Bank NatWest to Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre. The volunteers, who were organised by The Conservation Volunteers TCV Scotland, spent the day helping us in the gardens and preparing the area for a Memorial Bench.
The volunteers worked hard to prepare an area at the rear of the centre and plant new flowers. They also helped us to install the Memorial Bench, which was built by Penny and Andrzej in memory of a much-loved member of our staff and community,
Dawn Taylor will always be remembered for the amazing impact she had on so many young lives. The materials for the bench were donated by North Edinburgh Arts – Shed Project. If not for their help, this would not have been possible.
We are very grateful to Natwest Bank and The Conservation Volunteers for their support. Their hard work has made a real difference to our gardens, and we are sure that the Memorial Bench will be a popular spot for people to come and reflect and remember.
Thank you!
Brian Eddington died last month at the age of 74 years. A North Edinburgh man through and through, he was born in Leith but spent most of his childhood and early years in West Pilton after his family were rehoused there (writes LYNN McCABE).
Brian lived in Drylaw for a number of years and then moved down to Muirhouse where he lived for more than 2 decades. He returned to Leith a few years ago when he was unable to return to his flat in Muirhouse after having part of his leg amputated.
Brian loved his community and was involved in many different groups, classes and local initiatives over the years. He was a creative person and found a second home in Muirhouse Festival Association (MFAC) where he developed a passion for community arts.
He was a member of the local drama group and was actively involved in the annual panto and gala. Brian was also involved in the Greater Pilton Print Resource (GPPR) (later Greater Pilton Design Resource/Source) and North Edinburgh News (the NEN), which provided so much rich source material for the Never Give Up project which Brian helped to produce along with fellow activists.
Brian had a passion for photography and history and he was able to bring together his local knowledge and his skills to document the ongoing changes and developments in Muirhouse which he witnessed first hand as a local resident. His photographs tell their own story about the process of regeneration and the impact this has had on his community.
In 2009, Brian joined North Edinburgh Social History Group along with Roberta Blaikie, Anna Hutchison, Brian Robertson and Ian Moore with a mission to record the history of activism in North Edinburgh.
Brian was a great person to have on board and relished trawling through 40 years worth of back copies of the Commune and the NEN and long forgotten photos, leaflets and posters which had been stored in dusty store cupboards and filing cabinets in local projects waiting for someone to find a use for them.
During the project, Brian was sufficiently movitated to get over his aversion to computers and managed to pick up some IT skills along the way which enabled him to access photographs of the area which had been digitalised by the Scotsman.
The project was a long hard slog and took 2 years to complete but the Never Give Up publication, exhibition and film gave Brian, the group and the wider community a great deal of pride in seeing their community accurately represented for a change.
It is an important piece of work documenting the rich history of North Edinburgh and the important role played by local people in their fight for social justice – a fight which continues until this day.
Following the launch of the Never Give Up project, Brian was involved in helping to establish a new adult education class called Power to the People : an introduction to the history of Protest in Scotland.
The class ran for a number of years and brought together new activists alongside people who had been involved in local and national politics. Inevitably perhaps, the focus of the class moved from studying politics and protest to actually doing it!
The Power to the People group were involved in many local issues over the years including cuts to local services and the campaign to stop the eviction of local families from their homes.
Brian’s love of history and politics continued until the end with his daily blog on facebook about important Scottish figures and events.
I’ll finish with a wee quote from Brian from the Never Give Up publication where he is talking about his time in Muirhouse drama group:
“We used to do street theatre about different issues. We did a thing about the poll tax where someone got arrested for not paying their poll tax. They got sent to a privatised jail.
“We basically done it any place where we could find people standing about. Folk thought it was hilarious. We handed out leaflets about the poll tax at the same time – that was the serious part of it. It was a good way to get across a serious message”.
Brian’s funeral service takes place this morning at 11.30 at Warriston Crematorium’s small chapel.
TASTER session! Come along and try out Freda’s Drama Group next Tuesday 23rd May!
This group runs EVERY Tuesday 10:30-12:30. Open to ALL, no matter how much experience you’ve had. A fun and friendly way to spend your Tuesday morning.
Chat… Stories… Games… and a cuppa. 
UPDATE: POLICE HAVE REPORTED THAT JAMIE HAS BEEN TRACED
POLICE are appealing for the public’s help as part of our efforts to trace a child reported missing in Edinburgh.
There are growing concerns for the 12-year-old, who lives in the Howden Hall area. .
Jamie is described as, 5 ft 5 inches tall, slim build, short fair blonde hair, Navy tracksuit, white Adidas trainers and trainers.
Jamie has been missing for some time, and concerns are growing for his welfare.
Jamie McEwan has links to the Drylaw area where he may have travelled by bus.
Anyone who may have seen Jamie or who has any information on his whereabouts is urged to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 3323 of 11/05/20223
