Category: North Edinburgh News

Dogs Trust encourages dog owners to go ‘Bark to School’!

Charity prepares for influx of dogs being given up as new school year begins

As millions of children across the country return to the classroom after the summer break, Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, is encouraging dog owners to head Bark to School with their pups in a bid to reduce the number of dogs potentially being handed into rehoming centres.

The charity, which is already experiencing its busiest period on record in terms of handovers due to the rise in the cost of living, is preparing itself for a possible further spike as families return to a post-holiday juggle of work and school, and their young dogs struggle to cope with being left home alone, causing them to exhibit bad behaviours.

Many pups acquired during the pandemic are now well into adolescence, a tricky stage for any dog owner, particularly those short on time and juggling family life, and many families may feel they are unable to cope with problematic behaviour. Many of these issues can be resolved through basic training and education of dog owners.

Last year on September 6th, the start of the new school year in England, Dogs Trust saw an uplift in enquiries from dog owners looking to rehome their dog. The charity received 163 enquiries to handover their dogs on the first day of term – more than any other day during September – and during the first week of September, saw an uplift in enquiries from struggling owners compared to the previous week.

John-Paul Maguire, Head Coach at Dog School Glasgow, explains: “Whilst the majority of dog owners see their dogs as much-valued family members and have loved spending time with their four-legged friends over the holidays, sadly we do see an uplift in handover enquiries as soon as children go back to school.

“In many cases, dogs are not equipped to deal with this sudden change in routine where they suddenly have to get used to having less attention which means they may start displaying undesirable behaviour.”

Aside from the rise in the cost of living, one of the main reasons dogs are handed over to Dogs Trust is because of behaviour-related issues that may have been prevented or managed with training. Which is why the charity is urging dog owners to go ‘Bark to School” and take action now by signing their puppy or adult dog up to training classes to avoid future problems so they can live happily together.

Dogs Trust runs affordable dog training and puppy classes in locations across the UK. Dogs Trust Dog School classes operate nationwide and are available throughout the year. At these classes, owners will learn how to teach their dogs how to meet and greet other dogs politely, walk nicely on the lead, come back when called, overcome chewing and mouthing as well as understand dog body language and what your dog is trying to tell you.

John-Paul adds: “Dogs Trust is always here to help families who are struggling to care for their dog, for whatever reason, but we hope that anyone that is finding their dog’s behaviour challenging after the summer holidays will consider heading Bark to School and sign up to Dog School classes to help their dog fulfil their potential and make sure families and four-legged friends can continue to live happily together.”

To find out more, including how to register for a place at Dog School classes in Glasgow, Edinburgh or West Calder, or to book a 1-2-1 session with a trainer, please visit Dog Training Classes, Courses & Help | Dog school | Dogs Trust

Scottish Child Payment pays out £84 million

Child poverty benefit helping 104,000 children

A total of £84 million has been paid to families since it was introduced less than 18 months ago.

The payment of £20 per week, unique to Scotland in the UK, began in February 2021 as a direct measure to tackle child poverty. It provides regular, additional financial support to parents and carers to help with the costs of caring for a child.

As of 30 June 2022, it is estimated that 104,000 children were actively in receipt of Scottish Child Payment and 1.4 million payments have now been made.

By the end of this year the payment will increase to £25 per week and extend to include all eligible children under the age of 16 when it is expected that over 400,000 children will potentially be eligible.

Responding to the latest official statistics on Scottish Child Payment published today Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “We are taking a number of urgent actions to address the current cost crisis.

“This includes efforts to maximise financial support to those most in need so that they get all the money they are entitled to. The ongoing work to extend eligibility for and increase the value of the Scottish Child Payment is a vital part of these efforts.

“We created our game changing Scottish Child Payment to provide direct financial support to tackle child poverty. Every penny of support is absolutely vital at the moment, which is why we are using our devolved powers and resources to make a difference for as many households as we can.

“We doubled the payment to £20 in April and will increase it to £25 when we extend it to under 16s by the end of the year – a 150% rise in this important benefit which is one of five family benefits we are now delivering.

“The Scottish Government want to support families during these difficult times.”

Scottish Child Payment is part of a wider package of five family payments including: Best Start Grant Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment, Best Start Grant School Age Payment and Best Start Foods

Save the Pride Bridge!

CAMPAIGNERS have launched a petition to save the Pride Bridge at Lindsay Road.

Local resident Jodie Schofield said: “I’m really concerned an important community space which connects the Leith and Newhaven will be lost, not to mention the fact the ‘diversion’ has a dug up pavement at a busy junction.

“The Council have condemned it (only recently was used as a parking and heavy storage space for the Trams of Newhaven project) and have built an ugly heavy concrete wall across the Lindsay Road end without any community consultation – if the bridge is so dangerous how can it sustain this weight?

“If the bridge is so dangerous how can it be safe to walk and cycle underneath on the Hawthornvale Path? Why did they leave repairs left undone for so long? it’s a disgrace and nearby residents are very unhappy.”

See below for details of the petition:

The Pride Bridge is a community art project and public space. Painted by a diverse group of local volunteers, it marks the boundary of Leith and welcomes visitors with a rainbow that incorporates the colours of both the Pride and Trans Pride flags. 

As well as being a much loved LGBTQ monument (the first of its kind in the city), the bridge is an important pedestrian and cycle thoroughfare, connecting the residential area to the main road, shops, public transport and schools.

It is also a much valued community social space, where people can meet in the beer garden and children can play in a safe, pedestrianised area which has been thoroughly weeded and litter picked to remove hazards. The bridge is also an important part of Leith’s industrial history. 

The council has earmarked the bridge for demolition due to their failure to maintain it which has led to it becoming structurally unsound. Repairs are possible, and for less than the price of demolition. However, they are currently reluctant to pursue repair as an option, despite support from local Councillors, business owners and the wider community. 

Please sign and share, and show your support for maintaining safe community spaces and preserving the first LGBTQ landmark in the city and certainly the only one that is visible from the plane when you fly into Edinburgh.

Thank you for your support. 

 https://www.change.org/p/save-the-pride-bridge 

Super Starbank!

STARBANK PARK VOTED ONE OF SCOTLAND’s LOCAL FAVOURITES

Earlier this summer you nominated 364 local parks and green spaces for UK’s Favourite Parks. You then voted in your tens of thousands, demonstrating the immense love that we all have for our local parks, and Fields in Trust is delighted to announce that the UK’s Favourite Park 2022 is Penrhos Coastal Park in Holyhead, Wales.

Over 30,000 votes were cast for parks across the UK which represented the wide diversity of green spaces we all use and enjoy, from large country parks to major city parks to small neighbourhood pockets of green. Penrhos Coastal Park emerged as the overall UK winner having attracted the most votes from the public.

Across the Home Nations, Blackpool’s art deco Stanley Park has been named England’s Favourite Park 2022, attaining prestigious ‘National Treasure’ status having now been named as the public’s favourite park in England three times.

In Scotland the national title went to Seaton Park in Aberdeen, whilst Craigavon City Park in County Armagh took the title in Northern Ireland, the second time it has scooped its national accolade.

Fields in Trust are also delighted to announce the parks to have achieved ‘Local Favourite’ status, having placed in the top 20% of the public vote, demonstrating the love that their local communities have for them.

The full list of local favourite recipients can be found here and each will receive a special certificate to denote its success.

LOCAL FAVOURITES

Edinburgh’s STARBANK PARK features proudly on the list of Scotland’s Local Favourite parks. Also commended are Aden Country Park in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire; Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline; Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick and Grangemouth’s Zetland Park.

This is the first time that the overall winner of UK’s Favourite Parks has emerged from Wales, with Cyfarthfa Park in Merthyr Tydfil, Roath Park in Cardiff and Pontypool Park in Torfaen having taken the national title in recent years but not the overall honours.

Attracting close to 100,000 visitors each year, Penrhos Coastal Park is near Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales.

The 200-acre park has everything from beaches to woodland walks and is extremely popular with both locals and tourists alike. With a rich history dating back to 1553, the green space is also home to several features of historical interest, including original Tudor-era buildings.

Commenting on the announcement of Penrhos Coastal Park as the UK’s Favourite Park 2022, Fields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, shared: “We’re incredibly excited to announce that Penrhos Coastal Park in Holyhead has been voted as the UK’s Favourite Park 2022 by those who use and love it.

“It is clear that this park is a very special place to a lot of people, and we are thrilled to officially crown it the UK’s favourite. We’ve had a fantastic response to the competition from all across the UK and I’d like to thank everyone who nominated and voted for parks over the past few weeks.

“The UK is home to such a diverse range of green spaces, and we hope that this award has encouraged people to truly appreciate their local parks. Our work to legally protect green spaces for good means we’re well aware of the threats they face and how important it is value and celebrate them.”

The campaign has illustrated how appreciation of our local parks has grown since the pandemic. As concerns mount over the climate crisis, green spaces have been proven to improve air quality and significantly limit the impact of heatwaves, by lowering urban temperatures.

With the annual Green Space Index revealing that 2.8 million people are not living within a ten-minute walk of a local park and that only 6% of green space provision in Britain is legally protected, the campaign has also highlighted the financial and developmental threats to green spaces.

By demonstrating our love for local parks, we can champion what they mean to communities and in turn help make the case for their long-term protection. Without legal protection our local parks can so easily be lost. And once lost, a green space is lost forever.

You can play your part in this protection of treasured local parks by making a donation to support Fields in Trust’s work.

Police seek woman following vandalism and theft at Greyfriars Kirk

Police are appealing for information following the vandalism of a headstone and theft in Greyfriars Kirkyard.

The incident happened in Greyfriars Kirk, Candlemaker Row between 10.30am and 4.30pm on Sunday, 21 August, 2022.

Police Sergeant Charlotte Crerar of Gayfield Police Station said: “We are appealing for information following the vandalism and theft of a marble facing stolen from the headstone.

“We are keen to trace a woman who was seen in the area. She is described as being around 5ft 6 inches tall, with red/ginger hair and of slim build. She was wearing a striped purple and white top, black bottoms, lime green socks and trainers and spoke with an American accent.

“The headstone is of historic significance and is irreplaceable and anyone with any information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 0834 of Thursday, 25 August, 2022.”

COLLECTIVE: Upcoming exhibitions

As Collective’s summer exhibitions draw to an end, make sure you don’t miss your last chance to see them: Camara Taylor’s backwash and Annette Krauss’ A Matter of Precedents both close on 4 September, and Ruth Ewan’s The Beast closes on 18 September.

As our summer programme draws to a close, we are delighted to announce two new exhibitions opening in the coming weeks, featuring new work by Stephanie Black-Daniels and Katie Schwab.

Position & Attachment | Stephanie Black-Daniels

EXHIBITION

17 September – 20 November 2022

PREVIEW

16 September 2022, 6–8pm 

Position & Attachment is a new exhibition by Glasgow-based artist and researcher Stephanie Black-Daniels, a participant in our 2021 Satellites Programme.

The artist draws on her experience of navigating breastfeeding practice in manmade public spaces during lockdown, whilst also reckoning with the medical language used to describe and instruct a feeding journey.

The new performance-based works for Collective build upon two years of performative and collaborative research with a group of women, and consider the potential for breastfeeding bodies to reclaim public space. 

Join us for a preview on 16 September 6–8pm, to celebrate the launch of the exhibition. 

The Seeing Hands | Katie Schwab

EXHIBITION

8 October 2022 – 5 March 2023

In October 2022, Collective’s City Dome will be a site of play, filled with a large-scale interactive exhibition by artist Katie Schwab, who participated in Collective’s Satellites Programme in 2015.

With a special interest in early-mid twentieth-century design and craft, Schwab’s practice is emphatically hands-on, collaborative and participatory. In the City Dome, she will layer textures, touchable surfaces and sculptures to create an exhibition that will invite tactile engagement and learning through play.

People of all ages are welcome to drop-in to play, look and gather in the exhibition with facilitated sessions during our regular Friday drop-in Play sessions.

Schools, nursery or community groups are welcome to contact Collective to book time to experience the exhibition.

This artwork is a joint commission in partnership with Bluecoat (Liverpool).

That’s a wrap! theSpaceUK ends the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in style

With 440 shows, 4400 artists, and 155,000 tickets, theSpaceUK has helped new artists and audiences experience the Fringe

theSpaceUK is one of the largest venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with 19 theatres across 7 venues. Every genre in the Fringe programme is represented and there’s a strong focus on new-writing and new companies with a wide-range of support provided for artists bringing work to the Fringe for the first time.

155,200 tickets were issued for shows at theSpaceUK this year, only a 1.5% fall since 2019 (157,700) – a remarkable achievement given this was the first year the Fringe has fully returned since Covid-19. This year saw 440 shows featuring 4395 artists at theSpaceUK representing over 35 different countries.

Artists at theSpaceUK were recognised for their work including a Fringe First for And then the Rodeo Burned Down, a Broadway Bobby award for Trial by Jury, The Carol Tambor Incentive awards for Burn, Hotel Elsinore and The Mistake, who also were awarded the Mervyn Stutter Spirit of the Fringe award.

theSpaceUK’s programme saw critical acclaim with numerous shows picking up multiple five-star reviews. Sugar (Mabel Thomas) was a one-hander masterpiece from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate Mabel Thomas and played to rapturous audiences. Assisted (Oxia Theatre) was a five-star smash-hit featuring a next-generation voice assistant alongside an impressive cast and was nominated for the BBC Writer’s Award. 

Press and media were instrumental in helping artists achieve their success with over 800 reviews published during the Fringe. An array of reviewing organisations from across both the globe and different media helped ensure that artists were supported at theSpaceUK. We offer them our eternal gratitude.

Charles Pamment, Artistic Director of the SpaceUK said: “We’re delighted by the success that artists & companies have had at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe with theSpaceUK.

“Our programme supports new-writing and new artists and is forward looking, building a relationship for the future. We are thankful to the audiences & artists who come to theSpaceUK and experience festival as it’s meant to be.

“There’s a range of reasons that have made 2022 audiences have been broadly in line with 2019. Sensible ticketing prices have meant that shows at theSpaceUK have been affordable to audiences.

“Extensive support with press and marketing have allowed companies to promote their shows and attract audiences. Being one of the few venues to return in 2021 with a full programme meant that strong relationships with audiences and artists have continued develop positively.”
And then the rodeo burned down publicity imageThe Mistake publicity image
And then the Rodeo Burned Down and The Mistake

About theSpaceUK
Established in 1995, theSpaceUK hosts the largest and most diverse programme at the fringe. Companies, both professional & amateur, are given an affordable, supportive and professional platform to showcase their work. 

About the venue
theSpaceUK operates 19 venues across 7 sites including: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, theSpace @ SymposiumHall, theSpace on North Bridge, theSpace on the Mile, theSpaceTriplex, the Space @ Venue45.

Follow us
www.thespaceuk.com
@theSpaceUK         
facebook.com/thespaceuk

Stirling Castle crypto event raises £13,500 for Maggie’s

A ground-breaking gathering of crypto enthusiasts and Bitcoin Angels at Stirling Castle has raised £13,500 – and counting – for cancer charity Maggie’s. 

In addition to the £5000 donated directly from artist and organiser Trevor Jones he is also willing to match contributions up to 5 Ethereum, as more continues to come through in donations of the crypto currency. 

A fine art graduate and traditional painter, Trevor has worked at the intersection of art and technology for more than a decade, experimenting with QR code paintings and augmented reality (AR). When he invested in Bitcoin in 2017 it inspired a new creative direction, leading to his crypto-themed AR paintings and his emergence as a pioneer of non-fungible tokens (NFT) in art. 

He staged the Grand Party at the historic castle last month (July) as a celebration of art, tech innovation and community, bringing together hundreds of NFT art enthusiasts from across five continents. 

Billed as the year’s most exclusive crypto event, with an exclusive Special Edition Castle Party 2022 NFT available only at the gathering, it featured acts including magicians, drum and pipe bands, Highland warriors from Combat International, a caricaturist and musicians. 

Trevor said: “We’re over the moon that the event already raised £13,500 for Maggie’s cancer charity, a cause close to the heart of the NFT community since the passing earlier this year of the well-loved crypto artist Phillipe Fatoux aka Alotta Money. 

“The Castle Party was an unforgettable experience – even the temperamental Scottish weather was on our side with blue skies followed by a beautiful sunset.  And we’ve already begun organising Castle Party 2023!” 

Anyone who wishes to support the 2022 initiative can donate to Maggie’s  or donate through this ETH address until the end of the year. 

Mark Cooper, Fundraising Manager at Maggie’s says: “Everyone at Maggie’s is so grateful to the NFT community for their support.

“The funds raised will make a transformational difference to people with cancer and their friends and family living across Edinburgh.” 

The event was also supported by a number of sponsors: 

NFT whisky marketplace Metacask, Nova Finance digital asset investments, Tokenframe digital screens for NFT artwork, Saga cigars hand crafted in the Dominican Republic, Apollo NFT, a leading NFT consulting firm and production studio, and wilderness foragers and flavour alchemists, Buck & Birch.