For over 76 years, we have been at the heart of theatre in the city, with several notable (and now famous) names working with us.
As a registered charity, we work hard to not only put on shows that our members and patrons love, but to safeguard the future of our club. This has been tricky over the years, with increasing maintenance of our club premises and higher production costs.
For the last two years, however, things became even more difficult as COVID-19 removed our main source of funding – the ability to put on shows and make a profit. Now, in May 2022, our latest production of The Odd Couple has been cancelled at the last minute due to COVID within the cast.
We love theatre and we love our club. We want, more than anything, to be around for the next 76 years to do what we do best.
Please please support us in protecting our future. Every small donation will help. Please help us spread the word.
Victoria Manor care home in Leith has benefitted from an exciting £750k refurbishment and upgrade resulting from a major investment programme launched by owners HC-One.
Residents of the 118 bed, friendly care home are able to enjoy sustainable, modernised and enhanced living environments – including in the new Saxe Coburg accommodation which offers a home from home state of the art care environment. Upgrades were also made to the Balmoral communities, reception building and Windsor and Holyrood communities.
The nursing and nursing dementia care home refurbishment forms part of HC-One’s £54.5 million refurbishment and upgrade programme. This programme will benefit 221 HC-One homes, including Victoria Manor, and forms part of HC-One’s mission to be the UK’s first choice care provider in the communities it serves.
As the largest care home refurbishment programme in the UK, HC-One is transforming its homes for the benefit of the Residents and Colleagues who live and work in them, and for the local communities they serve.
The upgrades mean that every HC-One home will be equipped to meet the needs of an ageing population with increasingly complex care needs – including dementia care needs.
The works at Victoria Manor began in June 2021 and were completed earlier this year.
Heather Leighton, HC-One’s Area Director said:“We are committed to fostering an environment that really feels like home, and décor and facilities are an important part of this.
“We’re really excited that the plans for Victoria Manor Care Home have now been safely completed, and we look forward to welcoming more visitors to see our new look.”
MAKE IT A DOUBLE: TWO AWARDS FOR NORTH FORT STREET PUB
It will be a proud moment for licensee Toby Saltonstall on Monday 23rd May (7.30pm) when he will be presented with the CAMRA local branch (Edinburgh and SE Scotland) Edinburgh Pub of the Year2022 award.
Not only that, the Dreadnought has also been adjudged Overall Branch Pub of the Year 2022.
CAMRA Branch Chair Pat Hanson, who will be be handing over the two framed certificates, said: “In a few short years Toby and Roisin at the Dreadnought have won numerous CAMRA awards with their top quality real ale and banter and it’s now fitting that they should add the coveted Overall Branch Pub of the Year award to their collection.”
In a Facebook post, the popular North Fort Street pub announced: “The Dread is CAMRA Edinburgh Pub of the Year for the fourth consecutive time. There was no winner in 2021 but we can call it five years straight, right? Not too shabby for a single-room battlecruiser out in the sticks.
“This one is for the team, who have been nothing short of sensational over the past two years.”
The multi-award winning Dreadnought is branching out. They have just bought The Wee Leith Shop – the Dread Shed cometh!
If you can’t come this Friday, and you need assistance from me as your local MSP, you can also contact my office via phone on 0131 600 0134 or email me at ben.macpherson.msp@parliament.scot
Edinburgh4Europe will mark Europe Day by launching two new EuroWalks in Edinburgh, highlighting connections with our European neighbours.
What will you do on Europe Day this year? The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) will mark the day by celebrating Scotland’s historic, and contemporary, links with our European neighbours. They have created a series of EuroWalks across Scotland to take in local landmarks with connections to European figures, places or historical events.
Edinburgh4Europe, the local EMiS group, is delighted to welcome Ben Macpherson (MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith) for the official opening of their Leith EuroWalk on Saturday, 7th May, at 11am outside the Custom House in Leith (65-67 Commercial Street).
The EuroWalk highlights a variety of Leith’s links to Europe, including Mary of Guise, Norwegian whalers and trades with the Baltic states.
On Monday, 9th May, a group of EMiS volunteers will lead a guided tour on a EuroWalk around Calton Hill.
The walk will start at 5.30pm from the Paolozzi Statues on Picardy Place:
The walking routes, with photos and information, can be found at this link: link: https://eurowalks.scot/, so these can be followed in person or investigated from your own home.
Looking to the future, the plan is to continue the growth of EuroWalks in collaboration with organisations such as Visit Scotland and to create a network of walks across Scotland, in cities, towns and the countryside, which collectively help us to celebrate our rich European heritage.
EMiS hopes these will achieve the twin aim of educating local residents (including the tens of thousands of European citizens who live in Scotland) and teaching visitors more about the connections between their own countries and Scotland.
EMiS wants this to be a truly collaborative, grassroots venture, drawing on ideas from people and communities across Scotland. Most of all, they hope to demonstrate the rich variety and scope of Scotland’s ties to the European continent. Because Europe is our past, Europe is our present and Europe is our future.
If you want to join in this enjoyable volunteer-led initiative, or have ideas or knowledge about a local European connection to include, please contact the EuroWalks team at walks4europe@gmail.com.
Edinburgh4Europe:
Edinburgh for Europe is a group that came together during the campaign in 2018 for a People’s Vote on the deal secured by the UK government to leave the EU. We are made up of people who are Scottish or EU citizens or both.
We are affiliated to the European Movement in Scotland, a movement which started after World War II and before the economic union began. We work to maintain good relations with citizens of European countries and to mitigate the effects of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
Edinburgh-based housebuilder Cruden Homes is to hold a digital consultation event on its exciting proposals to deliver much-needed housing in Leith.
Located on the site of the Edinburgh Carpet and Flooring Warehouse, on the corner of Salamander Street and Salamander Yards, the proposed development will aim to comprise 99 apartments.
Including a range of different sized apartments, the development will range from four to six storeys, with the added bonus of ground floor retail fronting onto Salamander Street.
A web-based community consultation event, in line with Scottish Government Covid-guidelines, will allow the community to provide feedback on and shape the proposals.
This online public consultation event, where the development team will be available via a live chat function to answer any questions, will take place on Thursday 28th April between 3.30pm and 7.30pm at www.orbitconsultations.scot/salamanderstreet
Further information relating to the proposed development may be obtained at the above website, or if unable to view material online by contacting:
The event follows extensive engagement locally with key stakeholders.
Commenting on these proposals, Rory Stephens from Cruden Homes said: “We are delighted to be bringing forward these exciting proposals for consultation with the local community.
“This ambitious scheme regenerates the current brownfield site, delivering much-needed sustainable housing, including affordable homes, as well as providing a retail offering on the ground floor.
“We’re keen to hear community views, allowing us to further shape and refine our proposals for the site, and would urge those able to do so to participate.”
Police are asking for help to trace a 17-year-old teenager last seen in Leith. Aaron Strachan was last seen around 5pm in Leith Walk on Thursday (21 April). He is described as around 5ft 11, of average build, with short brown hair.
When last seen he was wearing a green/blue puffer style jacket, grey jogging bottoms and black Nike trainers.
Anyone who has seen Aaron or knows where he might be is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting reference number 0696 of Thursday, 21 April, 2022.
A vibrant social enterprise based in Leith’s Ocean Terminal has won one of the UK’S most prestigious business accolades, recognising outstanding achievement in social and environmental sustainability, coupled with significant and responsible business growth.
The Edinburgh Remakery, an environmental social enterprise based in Scotland’s capital, has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, recognised for its excellence in Sustainable Development.
The Edinburgh Remakery teaches and adopts sustainable practices around repair and reuse to prevent valuable materials and resources, such as electronic devices, from going to waste, and reducing pollution and carbon emissions. In this way, the social enterprise aids the urgent need to change the UK’s economy to one that is more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.
Elaine Brown, CEO of The Edinburgh Remakery said:“Receiving the Queens Award for Enterprise is an amazing achievement for us. We’re delighted to receive this recognition for our work in sustainability, and it is a great testament to the role of social enterprises in creating positive change in our communities.
“Putting people and planet first is at the heart of our operations, and this award is a triumph for the circular economy and its vital role in helping Edinburgh and the UK hit their ambitious net zero targets, ending waste and pollution, and helping people to Waste Less, Live More.”
In 2021, the Edinburgh Remakery collected 39 tonnes of electronic waste collected from businesses and individuals across the UK, 352 people were taught repair and reuse skills to help them mend and extend the life of their belongings, and 412 free electronic devices were gifted to people in need across Edinburgh to tackle digital poverty and social isolation.
Now in its 56th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country, with winning businesses able to use the esteemed Queen’s Awards Emblem for the next five years. The Edinburgh Remakery is one of 31 organisations across the UK to be awarded recognition in Sustainable Development.
The Edinburgh Remakery team will head to Buckingham Palace next month to formally receive their Queens Award for Enterprise.
This year, 232 businesses representing every part of the United Kingdom and a range of sectors have been recognised by Her Majesty The Queen on her birthday as among the best in the country.
Awards have been won in the categories of:
International Trade (141 winners)
Innovation (51)
Sustainable Development (31)
Promoting Opportunity (9)
Small Business Minister Paul Scully said: “This country is renowned for its entrepreneurial achievements and there is no greater showcase for it than The Queen’s Awards. It’s vital we celebrate the success of our businesses and recognise the contributions they make to communities across the country.
“I congratulate this year’s winners for their hard work and commitment over the last year and I wish them every success for the future.”
WE NEED YOUR HELP 
