North Edinburgh News – Page 2922 – The NEN

Give a helping hand this Halloween

The Scottish SPCA is appealing to kind hearted people in Edinburgh to fundraise on Halloween weekend at their local Pets at Home store. Volunteers are urgently being sought to support the Scottish SPCA by raising funds at Pets at Home stores from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 October.

Scottish SPCA Senior Community Fundraiser Sharon Meiklejohn said, “We’re calling out to all of animal lovers with a bit of spare time during the Halloween weekend to get in touch.

“With support from our Halloween helpers, we’ll be able to rescue animals in danger and distress, find animals new homes, investigate cruelty, help take people responsible for abuse and neglect to court and prevent cruelty through our free education programme for Scottish schools.

“We’ll also provide all volunteers with their very own fundraising pack with everything they need to take part. Volunteers may even wish to get into the Halloween fundraising spirit by dressing up as their favourite animal and they can even bring a canine companion along.

“As a charity that receives no government or lottery funding, we rely entirely on donations to continue our work rescuing and rehoming thousands of animals in Scotland each year.”

John Murasev, a regular volunteer for the Society, said, “I enjoy raising money at my local Pets at Home store to help abused and injured animals in Scotland. It’s a great way to chat to people in my local area and you’ll be surprised at how generous people are!”

For more information on Scottish SPCA fundraising events please email fundraising@scottishspca.org

What a waste!

City becoming Auld Reekie once again?

A war of words is breaking out over the state of Edinburgh’s waste and refuse service. Council leaders are calling on businesses to do their bit to keep the city’s streets and pavements clear but business organisations say the council is using traders as a ‘smokescreen’ to deflect wider waste problems. Continue reading What a waste!

Free Born to Move sessions this Friday

If your child has bags of energy to burn off – then join Edinburgh Leisure for a FREE Born to Move roadshow at Meadowbank Sports Centre on Friday! Continue reading Free Born to Move sessions this Friday

Investing in junior savers

Credit unions will be encouraging children to manage their money through new Junior Savers Schemes, Communities Secretary Angela Constance has announced. Ten credit unions working in areas like Aberdeen, Dumfries and Galloway, West Lothian and Stirling are set to receive a share of nearly £200,000 to set up new projects in schools. Continue reading Investing in junior savers

First for Scotland as Hanover launches online discussion group?

Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association has launched a new Facebook group for their residents, their friends and relatives to share news, views and useful tips and to ask any questions they may have about Hanover’s services.

‘Hanover Blether’ went live on Monday 29 August 2016 and was made a reality after a resident suggested it would be beneficial to have an online ‘hub’ to connect with other Hanover residents and to share their experiences, news about the local community, events and group activities as well as allowing their friends and family to easily interact with their loved ones.

The group is thought to be the first of its kind in Scotland and although it is maintained jointly by Hanover staff and Hanover residents, the group is completely independent and residents are encouraged to share their views on the organisation and about life in Hanover properties, good or bad.

The group also provides another, more informal, way for residents to get in touch with Hanover directly and to ask anything about the organisation and their tenancy. Hanover noted that the group was not to be used in emergencies or to report a repair, when the usual channels should be used.

Hanover resident, Patrick O’Shea, the brains behind the group said: “I thought it would be a good idea to give Hanover residents a platform to raise issues that they may have and to find out about the problems and experiences of other residents. I also felt that there are many good reasons for staying in Hanover and we should talk about those as well.”

Helen Murdoch, Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association Chief Executive, said: “I’m absolutely delighted Hanover Blether is up and running and look forward to seeing the tremendous benefits it will bring to both ourselves and to our Facebook users.

“Resident engagement is a key strategic priority for Hanover. More and more of our service users, their carers and their relatives are online, and Facebook is a great way to communicate, which will in turn help us to work closely with those people we engage with to improve our services. It will also provide a great forum for our residents to share tips and get to know each other.”

Scottish Government welcomes hate crime report

Addressing hate crime should be a priority for the whole of society, according to a new independent report.

The Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime, Prejudice and Community Cohesion was set up by the Scottish Government last year to examine the issue and their report sets out a number of recommendations on how to help tackle hate crime and prejudice, and build greater community cohesion. This includes the need for stronger partnership working at a national and local level, better data collection on incidents and an approach that is based on prevention and education.

Speaking following the report’s publication on Friday, Cabinet Secretary for Equalities Angela Constance said: “I welcome the work that the Advisory Group has done in producing this report, which contains important messages that we should all reflect on.

“The Scottish Government is committed to doing all that we can to prevent and eradicate hate crime and prejudice, and build community cohesion.

“Let me be clear – there is absolutely no place for bigotry and prejudice in Scotland.

“As a nation, we have a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and faiths, and we are committed to supporting their integration into our communities. That has assumed even more importance in the aftermath of the EU referendum, when it is vital that we send a message that Scotland remains a welcoming place for all those who have chosen to make this country their home.

“And we will continue to celebrate the fullness of Scotland’s diversity – everyone in Scotland must be empowered to achieve their potential irrespective of race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

“Since 2012, we have invested over £100 million to promote equality and tackle discrimination and we are continuing to work closely with partner organisations to advance our vision of ‘One Scotland’.

“However, I recognise that there is still progress to be made, and we will be carefully considering the recommendations from the Advisory Group in full.”

Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson added: “Everyone has the right to be safe and to feel safe in their communities.

“We already have strong laws to protect against discrimination and I would encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of hate crime to report it to the police immediately.

“Our justice partners are doing important work to raise awareness, engage with communities, encourage reporting and ensure that perpetrators of these unacceptable acts are held to account.

“We are continuing to work closely with our key partners and community leaders to ensure people feel protected in Scotland, and anyone found to be engaging in hate crime will feel the full force of the law.”

Duncan Morrow, Chair of the Independent Advisory Group: “We are very pleased to present our report to the Scottish Government. The Government’s commitment to exploring this issue with people who experience hate crime and its effects has been a very welcome and important indicator of its leadership in this issue.

“We found that hate crime remains an all too real issue with real effects on individuals, families, communities and social cohesion. Attacks spread fear to all those who know that they too could face the same violence, and isolates the victims from the rest of society. This in turn fuels prejudice.

“We know that this issue is taken very seriously in Scotland but we heard from too many that reported hate crime is only part of the story. Our recommendations include recommendations to the Government and for criminal justice agencies, including the police.

“However, addressing the underlying issue means sharing the responsibility more widely. Schools and teachers are often in the front line. Community services at local level can have an important influence. Youth workers, transport providers and community organisations are often in a position to act more immediately and more effectively. Political and community leadership is important. Identifying ways for people to act without putting themselves at risk is important. And exploring the opportunities for restorative justice may also be important.

“We hope that the report allows the Scottish Government to continue with its work in this area by providing positive avenues for action and opportunities for partnership working to address this vital issue.”

The full report can be viewed at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/09/3565

West Pilton West Granton: your community needs YOU!

Please get your application to be a Community Councillor form in to our Returning Officer, Councillor Vicki Redpath immediately!!

A nomination form is attached (see below)

You have to get it signed by 2 other residents who propose and second your nomination.

Please send the completed form to Vicki. Her email address is below but your form has to be actually signed.

Either give it to her directly or leave your form at the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre early on Monday where I will pick it up and deliver it to Vicki.

Vicki is on 0131 529 3262 or vicki.redpath@edinburgh.gov.uk

Vicki will leave some blank forms at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre at about 11 o’ clock this morning. Forms can be filled in and then left at Muirhouse Library for her to collect when she does her surgery on Monday at 6pm.

Please tell anyone else you know would be interested in becoming a Community Councillor. We only have till Monday night to get nominations in!

Please make this a priority, we need you!!

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Barbara Robertson

See St Columba’s tomorrow on Doors Open Day

St Columba’s Hospice is pleased to be taking part in Doors Open Day Edinburgh on Saturday 24^th September …

For one day only, buildings across Edinburgh with a fascinating story to tell will be open to the public, so come and join us to see what goes on at St Columba’s Hospice. Our doors will be open from 11am – 4pm.

We’ll be opening our doors to the general public, giving you a chance to meet our staff and volunteers who will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about the Hospice, palliative care, the services we provide and there’s even an opportunity to meet our therapets.

As part of Doors Open Day at St Columba’s Hospice, you can:

visit our Day Hospice which is where patients spend one day a week for peer support, nurse-led clinics, appointments with complementary therapists and other health and social care staff
spend time in our Information Hub which is part of the original Challenger Lodge building
view the original Challenger Lodge building and rooms which are not normally open to the public, which have stunning views over the Firth of Forth
tour the Centre for Education & Research where you can visit our lecture and seminar rooms
admire a scale model of the Hospice
find out about the impact our care has had across Edinburgh and the Lothians
visit historical areas of the building and artefacts which have been incorporated into our buildings such as the railings outside the Centre for Education & Research
have lunch and refreshments in the Iona Café
Spend time in our gardens (if the weather allows!), home to our Tribute Garden which is part of our Tribute Fund initiative.

On Doors Open Day, you will be able to learn about the Hospice, the services we provide and the architecture of our building – both the historical Challenger Lodge and also the multi-million pound newly built extension.

Guided tours will be offered by our team of volunteers throughout the day.

Edinburgh riding high among world’s top universities

The University of Edinburgh is among the leading lights in the world of higher education, featuring 27th on the list of the world’s top learning establishments.

The University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of St. Andrews, University of Dundee and the University of Aberdeen remained in the top 200 universities for 2016-17 in the world’s most comprehensive global league table of higher education.

The new rankings mean Scotland has more institutions per head of population in the top 200 than any other country except Luxembourg.

The THE rankings examine a university’s strengths including research, knowledge transfer, international outlook and the teaching environment. Oxford University tops the league and both Cambridge and Imperial College London also feature in the top ten.

Minister for Further Education and Higher Education Shirley-Anne Somerville said: ““I welcome these figures which underline our strength in higher education and the value with which the Scottish approach is held globally. Credit is due to the staff and students at all five universities for their hard work to achieve this.

“Scotland continues to punch above its weight, having more institutions per head of population in the top 200 than any other country except Luxembourg. This continued strong performance is against a backdrop of other European universities suffering in the rankings due to the ascent of Asian institutions.

“The Scottish Government is investing over £1 billion in our higher education institutions in 2016-17, ensuring that all of our institutions receive financial support to enable them to deliver high quality teaching, world class research and knowledge exchange and remain internationally competitive.”

The five Scottish universities are ranked:

University of Edinburgh – 27^th

University of Glasgow – 88^th

University of St. Andrews – 110^th

University of Dundee – 180^th

University of Aberdeen – 188th

End of summer and time for new faces at Trinity CC

Here’s your first update of the autumn together with details of how to join Trinity Community Council. It’s really very simple. Just get two other residents who haven’t already nominated someone to sign the attached form (below) , fill in your own details, sign the second side of it and return both to Cllr Allan Jackson at Edinburgh City Chambers by 4pm on Monday 26th September.

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nomination-form-side-2