PEP’s minibus fleet attacked by vandals

Drivers turned up at Pilton Equalities Project’s yard for work this morning only to discover the organisation’s minibus fleet had been wrecked by vandals overnight.

Minibuses were broken into and goods were stolen during the incident. At least three minibuses are now off the road awaiting replacement back windows – drivers and volunteers have made running repairs to others to ensure essential pickups can go ahead today.

PEP manager Helen Tait said: “I am angry and I am upset. This is so pointless, there is nothing to be gained by doing things like this. We now have to get three buses out to Newbridge today to get their windows replaced – if we don’t, we will be forced to cancel jobs and let people down next week.

“As well as the inconvenience, there is the cost involved – like all voluntary organisations money is tight and this is expenditure we could well do without. We’re now forced to spend a lot of money – hundreds of pounds – on repairs, that’s money that should have been spent on improving services for our clients. It’s sickening.”

If you have any information on the incident please contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Sessional work with Total Craigroyston

We have a part time temporary vacancy for a sessional worker to help us develop our Community Leadership College. I’d be grateful if you could circulate this information to any local staff or volunteers whom you think might be interested.

vacancy flyer

Christine Mackay

Manager – Total Craigroyston

Childcare Academy: recruiting now

We are now recruiting for the new Childcare Academy, which starts on Monday (23 February).

I have attached a poster and standard information for display and distribution.

Childcare Academy Standard Information

February 2015 CA Publicity Poster 16

Audrey O’Neill,

Training Administrator, North Edinburgh Childcare

Telephone: 0131 311 6931

www.northedinburghchildcare.co.uk

Community Chat Cafe opens next week

The Community Chat Cafe invites you to share food, language and culture. Join us for our free, friendly, sociable lunches and practice your English – all welcome!

Wednesday 25 February

Wednesday 11 March

Wednesday 25 March

12.30 – 2pm at Pilton Community Health Project, Boswall Parkway

A creche is available but must be booked by calling Rachel: on 07891 525663 or Julie on 07958 540 438.

chat cafe poster

Community Chat Cafe is organised by the Living in Harmony Group and North Edinburgh Timebank

Trinity man sees off gang of intruders

Police seek occupants of silver Vauxhall following Trinity robbery

A man fought off up to six intruders after they broke into his home in Trinity earlier this week.

The 36-year-old resident disturbed one of the robbers in his Afton Terrace home at around 9.30pm on Tuesday.

The pair struggled and were joined by more intruders – all are thought to be teenagers – who entered the house by the back door. The robbers then ran off and escaped in a silver Vauxhall which was parked at the front of the house.

It is understood a quantity of cash was taken.

The first robber is described as white, 5ft 10in, slim, around 17 years old, with short dark hair and was wearing a black woolly hat and a dark navy tracksuit with stripes and a gold logo on the arm.

The second was white, around 19 years old, 5ft 10in, slim, with short hair and was wearing a white and red scarf over his face, grey hoodie and grey trousers.

A third was white, around 19, 5ft 8in and chubby. The others are described as aged between 16 and 18 and wearing dark clothes.

Detective Constable Mark Seymour said: “This was a very frightening experience for the victim who discovered the suspects within his home and who was then assaulted.

“Anyone who was in the area of Afton Terrace and Granton Road at around 9.30pm and saw a silver Vauxhuall car or has information about who was responsible is urged to contact Police Scotland on 101.”

Edinburgh College in the running for marketing awards

Edinburgh College has been shortlisted for three prestigious marketing awards, recognising achievements in marketing courses, catering for students’ needs and communicating with staff.

The College Development Network (CDN) Marketing Awards 2015 – which take place next Wednesday (25 February) – are designed to recognise and celebrate the excellent marketing and communication practice taking place in colleges across Scotland.

The college is shortlisted for the following awards:

The Internal Communications Award, for communications around the college’s first staff conference in June 2014. The staff conference brought all the staff together to take part in workshops around the theme of innovation, covering technology, sustainability, teaching and learning, the workplace of the future and outward innovation.
The Customer Experience Award, for the college’s Centre for Creative Industries student Employability Day. The day was designed to develop students’ understanding of employers’ needs, give them insight into how they can make themselves as employable as possible, and promote positive destinations. Professionals from a wide range of creative industries ran workshops, talked to groups of students and shared their expertise.
The Integrated Marketing Campaign Award, in recognition of the success of marketing campaign held to promote, and increase, applications for college courses starting in January 2014. The campaign used the theme ‘Of course you can’ and achieved the highest attendance recorded for an open day at Edinburgh College or at any of its legacy colleges.

Edinburgh College interim principal Elaine McMahon said: “Being shortlisted for these awards is a great achievement and our staff deserve huge congratulations. It’s fantastic to see the creative work put into supporting, encouraging and communicating with students and staff being recognised in this way.

“The Creative Industries Employability Day was a fine example of the focus college staff put upon preparing students for working life in a competitive market and was so successful that the event will run again in February.

“The nomination for the staff conference is a welcome credit for the work done to build a sense of community in the still newly merged Edinburgh College.

“It is also satisfying to see that the work of our marketing and communications staff to promote the range of courses on offer at the college has been recognised. Their hard work led to a highly successful open day and the college meeting student recruitment targets for the year.”

Last year, Edinburgh College achieved a silver award in the Internal Communications category and bronze in the Event category in the CDN Marketing Awards 2014.

Support not stereotypes, says Lazarowicz

Young people looking for their first job: Mark Lazarowicz MP calls on Government to offer support not stereotypes

Mark Lazarowicz MP is highlighting a new scheme run by the voluntary sector EY Foundation that will offer paid work experience, advice and support to young people in Edinburgh looking for their first job.

Youth unemployment (amongst 16-24 year-olds) is still running at 18.1% in Scotland and 16.9% in the UK as a whole. In Scotland it has increased by 4.5% since 2008.

The North and Leith MP is urging young people in Edinburgh to apply for the Foundation’s Smart Futures scheme, a ten-month paid work experience programme.

He said: “Schemes like Smart Futures and the City Council’s Edinburgh Guarantee are priceless opportunities for young people to get experience and the skills to succeed in finding their first job.

“Labour is committed to introducing a compulsory Jobs Guarantee that would ensure young people who are unemployed start gaining vital work experience and skills.

“Too often the Government resorts to negative stereotypes, talking of the well-worn path from school gate to Jobcentre and on to a life on benefits.

“The reality is that the vast majority of young people desperately want to work and are eager to apply for schemes like Smart Futures – the Government should learn from it and the Edinburgh Guarantee because too often it’s the Government that’s failing not young people.”

The scheme gives young people work experience and the chance to meet with people in business and get valuable tips on writing CVs, application and interview advice, as well as an EY Foundation mentor throughout Sixth Year.

The City Council’s Edinburgh Guarantee aims to ensure that every school leaver goes into employment, further education, or training by bringing them together with employers. There is more information on how it works at

https://www.edinburghguarantee.org/about-us/

Applications for the EY Foundation’s summer 2015 Smart Futures scheme are now open until 1 March 2015 and anyone keen to apply can find more information on it at http://ukcareerguide.ey.com/schools/ey-smart-futures

Sign up for Teen Scream

Teen Scream
Your local youth magazine

Graffiti & Art Workshops, Creative Writing, Digital Layout Workshop, Photography, Trips, Interviewing Skills

Every Thursday from 26 February, 3.15pm – 4.45pm at Muirhouse Library

10-18 years

FREE with snack

For more information call: 0131 529 5528

Muirhouse Library: 15a Pennywell Road, EH4 4TZ

Get directions here.

Any questions?

Opportunities to get your questions answered at hustings events

PCHP_ELECTION_A4_LR

Pilton Community Health Project has organised hustings in both local constituency seats in the run up to the Westminster election in May.

Candidates for Edinburgh North and Leith have been invited to answer questions from local community on Thursday 19 March from 6.30 – 8pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre (soup will be available from 6pm).

Candidates for Edinburgh West have been invited to answer questions from the local community on Thursday 26 March from 6.30 – 8pm at Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre (soup will be available from 6pm).

http://pchp.org.uk/news/2015/your-questions-matter

February NEN’s out now!

The February NEN is with our distributor now and will be delivered over the coming week.

If you just can’t wait to see a copy of your community newspaper, click on the link below for the electronic edition … hope you enjoy it!

NEN February15