North Edinburgh News – Page 3131 – The NEN

Showcase: Raising the roof to support cancer charity

Showcase25 Launches!

Last week saw the launch of Showcase25, with the cast of a hundred finding out what is going to be in the 25^th anniversary celebration of Showcase on 29 and 30 May in the King’s Theatre.

Showcase is a musical theatre company which has performed annually since 1990 to raise money for charity using the musical skills and talents of some of the best ‘non-professional’ performers in Edinburgh and the surrounding area. Their aim is to produce a highly entertaining and professional show incorporating a wide variety of musical styles.

Cast member Amanda Hendrie, said: “Showcase25 will be my ninth show performing with Showcase and I cannot wait to perform on the King’s Theatre stage in May! The programme for this show is very strong and I am excited to be getting into rehearsals and putting it all together.”

Showcase25 will be a musical extravaganza paying tribute to Showcase past, present and future. It will feature a selection of the very best of Showcase including songs by Queen and Adele, as well as musical numbers from Les Miserables and Wicked.

Director, Andy Johnston, said: “It has been very difficult compiling a show that accurately represents 25 years worth of Showcase hits – our first draft programme would have run for nearly four hours! – but we feel this show will be an accurate representation of where Showcase came from, and of where we are now.”

While everyone involved performs in Showcase because of their love of the theatre, there is also a very serious side. Showcase is an important fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland, having raised over £220,000 to date.

Andy Johnston added: “Each and every one of our cast gives so freely of their talents and time all to benefit Macmillan Cancer Support – I often remind the cast that as a company, we are in a very special position that we have a hobby than can genuinely change someone else’s life – and what can be more important than that?’

With 310,000 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year, many of the cast and supporters of Showcase have been affected by cancer and have first-hand experience of the support Macmillan gives.

Jayne Forbes, Macmillan Cancer Support Fundraising Manager, Edinburgh said: “We are extremely grateful to Showcase for their considerable support to date. They have raised an incredible amount of money which has helped us make a real difference to the lives of people affected by cancer.

“We help people in many ways, from specialist nurses and doctors, to help and advice for people who have financial worries as a result of their cancer diagnosis.

“In Edinburgh there are 53 specialist Macmillan nurses and health care professionals, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.

“None of this would be possible without supporters like Showcase. 98% of our funding comes from public donations. Quite simply, we couldn’t provide our services with support of local people.”

With over 100 voices singing in glorious harmony, it is bound to raise the roof of the King’s Theatre. Tickets are from £15 and are available at www.edtheatres.com/showcase.

Youth parliament candidate enjoys hustings event

The joint Edinburgh Central and Edinburgh Northern and Leith hustings that took place at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall was a fantastic night.

The questions asked from the audience were excellent and covered a huge range of issues. We heard questions raised regarding educational attainment, votes at 16 and homeless children, just to mention a few.

I even had a disagreement with Councillor Cammy Day on a Youth Parliament for Edinburgh Council, which I believe should be something that exists, whereas he doesn’t because he believes it was ‘a waste of time!’

It was a truly great experience to hear from young people on issues that mean something to them and an honour to be able to answer the questions to such an engaged crowd.

Kieran Reape

Candidate for Edinburgh Northern & Leith

Scottish Youth Parliament

Edinburgh College strikes gold

Gold for Edinburgh College at the College Development Network Marketing Awards

Edinburgh College scooped a top marketing award to recognise the success of a campaign to promote courses to prospective students this week.

The college won gold in the Integrated Marketing Campaign Award at the College Development Network (CDN) Marketing Awards 2015 on Wednesday (25 February), in recognition of a marketing campaign it ran to promote applications for college courses starting in January 2014.

The college also received two bronze medals at the awards, which celebrate the excellent marketing and communication practice taking place in colleges across Scotland.

The judges praised the college’s courses marketing campaign for its ‘bold creative approach and strong integration of messages and visuals tailored for different audiences’.

This campaign helped the college achieve its target for course applications and as well as the highest attendance recorded for an open day at Edinburgh College or at any of its legacy colleges.

The college also received two bronze medals in the following categories:

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 judges felt the project highlighted that the college management had made a major effort to communicate with all staff appropriately to build buy-in and involvement.

The Customer Experience Award, for the college’s Centre for Creative Industries Student Employability Day. The day, which involved workshops and talks from industry professionals, 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. The judges felt the event was well structured and that it gave the students access to industry practitioners. The project also enabled the college to engage with a number of employers.

The awards evening took place at The Caves in Edinburgh and featured two performances by the college’s HND Acting and Performance students, while attendees were treated to chocolates made by professional cookery students.

Edinburgh College interim principal Elaine McMahon said: “I am delighted that the efforts of our Marketing and Communications staff have been recognised with a gold and two bronze awards. It is satisfying to see that the judges recognised and appreciated the work put into planning and executing the extremely successful course marketing campaign, which resulted in the college meeting student recruitment targets for the year.

“It is also great to see the creative work put into supporting and communicating with staff and students recognised with two bronze awards.”

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.

Pictured: L-R Deborah Robertson, head of marketing, Moira Findlay, head of communications, Jon Buglass, head of the Centre of Creative Industries, and Lee-Anne Mackay, marketing manager.

John heads up service delivery

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has appointed John Miller as head of Service Delivery for the East of Scotland.

As the new Deputy Assistant Chief Officer (DACO) John (pictured) will oversee the Local Senior Officers (LSO’s) who work with individual Local Authorities and community partners to maintain dedicated local fire and rescue services across the area.

The three Service Delivery DACO posts – for East, North and West Scotland – were created in January to support the Director of Service Delivery for Scotland, Assistant Chief Officer Dave Boyle, in the delivery of fire and rescue services across the country.

John, who began his Fire Service career in 1992 said: “I’m delighted to have been given this opportunity and I look forward to working with colleagues in the East, including our fire board members, to help shape and deliver the best possible service to the communities in the East of Scotland.

“We work alongside various partners to ensure the best deployment of local frontline services and we have a commitment to build on the positive outcomes that have already been delivered through the antecedent fire and rescue services. In particular we will continue to focus on our prevention activities whilst ensuring an operational response where required.

“My role is to promote consistency and make sure we continue to deliver the excellent fire and rescue services that the public expect and deserve.”

John, who was the former LSO for North Lanarkshire, lives in Motherwell and has served 22 years in the service. He has had a number of national roles during his career including Road Safety with the Chief Fire Officer’s Association in Scotland (CFOAS) and a four year period in Fire Investigation where he helped draft the National Occupational Standards. He was also secretary of the Business Engagement Forum where he worked closely with key partners to help develop a national business plan.

John added: “I’ve been taken out my comfort zone and I’m looking forward to the challenges that come with this new role. I’m very fortunate in that I’m surrounded by a range of expertise across the east which I’m sure will be a great benefit to me. I’ll be out and about meeting staff and finding out what’s important to them during what is a huge period of change.”

John’s passion lies within Community Safety and with that he would like to remind everyone of FREE home fire safety visits.

“Our visits are designed to be a straightforward process for householders; the visits are easy to arrange and will be conducted at a time suitable for the individual.

“They only take around half an hour to complete and see local crews assess risks before providing advice to householders and families. The crews also fit smoke alarms where needed.

“Encourage those around you to get a free home fire safety visit. Call the SFRS freephone number 0800 0731 999 or text ‘FIRE’ to 80800. You can find out more by visiting

www.firescotland.gov.uk

or by contacting your local fire station.”

Communities: get stuck in to the Big Lunch!

The Big Lunch encourages Scots to get numbers climbing and boost community spirit!

Organisers of the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours are calling for at least 10% of Scots to get stuck into a day of food, friendship and fun on Sunday 7 June.

The call to action was launched on Thursday – the ‘100 days to go’ mark before the big day. It is hoped that millions of neighbours across the UK will again be getting together in an effort to boost community spirit where they live. A massive 4.83 million people took part in the lottery funded initiative in 2014.

Emily Watts, Communications Manager for The Big Lunch in Scotland encouraged more people in Scotland to get involved this year. She said: “C’mon Edinburgh! We want to see the number of people taking part in Scottish communities climbing to 10% of the population. Year on year, feedback from previous participants is very positive, with people feeling more connected to their communities after a Big Lunch. People start new relationships that continue after the day too.

“We know Scots are friendly but we all recognise the feeling that we could make more effort with our neighbours. The Big Lunch is an excuse to chap the door and ask if they’d like to get together.”

The Big Lunch, partnered by Halifax and ASDA, is now in its seventh year. Big Lunches can be big or small, take place on a street, park or community venue and be as simple and inexpensive as you like. There are no rules to getting involved besides that people are the key ingredient!

In 2014, thousands of communities from all across the country took part in the big event. Lou, who organized her street’s first ever Big Lunch street party in Edinburgh last year, said: “Before our Big Lunch I knew the neighbours near our house to speak to, but not further up the street. Now we all know each other and feel able to stop and say hello, which I wouldn’t have done before.

“Our neighbours really got into the spirit of contributing something on the day, bringing lovely food to share and helping with party tunes and activities for the kids. This made it really easy and inexpensive to pull together. Looking back, it felt like a day from a bygone era and I’m glad we put the time aside to get to know our community better. I really recommend getting involved in 2015!”

Edinburgh neighbours who are interested in getting involved this June can register for a free pack, now available from www.thebiglunch.com or on 0845 850 8181. Packs include invitations, posters, recipes and activity ideas, as well as lots of information to get events off the ground. All pack materials are undated so communities can have Big Lunches when best suits them if they can’t join in on Sunday 7 June.

Footage from previous year’s Big Lunches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un-ooSya828

The Eden Project started The Big Lunch in 2009 with the belief that we’re better equipped to tackle the challenges we face when we face them together.

The Big Lunch is led by the Eden Project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and supported by Halifax and Asda.

Find out more about The Big Lunch at www.thebiglunch.com

LOOPS survey

LOOPs – Care at Home

Over recent months EVOC has been working with a range of organisations to analyse the possibility of a Care at Home Collaborative.

As part of this work we have put together a survey and we would be very grateful if any Third Sector organisations were able to complete it. This will help us to understand three main things:

What are the prevailing terms and conditions for front line staff within the sector at present?
What kinds of community assets might be available to support a Collaborative of the kind we are suggesting?
What training and services are provided within the sector?

The Care at Home Collaborative Survey can be accessed by clicking here. This survey should take about 20 minutes to complete, and will be available for 2 weeks.

Closing date for completed surveys is Friday 13th March 2015.

We will soon be hosting the next meeting of the main group to feedback on what we have learned so far. That meeting will take place soon and we will keep you posted about the date.

Keir concern over PFI costs

Edinburgh Western SNP MSP Colin Keir says he is ‘seriously concerned’ over the costs of PFI schemes – not only within his constituency, but nationally.

With local authorities having difficulties in balancing the books Mr Keir’s questions to the Deputy First Minister show how much pressure they are under thanks to the now highly discredited funding system.

Mr Keir said: “The figures are eye-watering. £39.2 million paid last year alone in PFI payments all because the previous Liberal Democrat-Labour coalition at the Scottish Parliament didn’t have a clue about value for money.

“When you take the national figures into consideration you can see exactly why local authorities struggle with funding. It’s time the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats admitted that, thanks to their financial incompetence as well as their support for the current Tory austerity programme, local authorities will struggle to find extra capital funding for new assets such as schools.”

“ At least in Edinburgh Western the SNP Scottish Government have provided extra money for new dining halls at East Craigs Primary School, Cramond Primary School and Blackhall Primary School – and not using PFI. This is why we need not just a strong SNP government running Scotland but a powerful SNP presence at Westminster fighting for Scotland”

PFI and PPP Costs Questions 26th February

Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP)

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is an up-to-date estimate of private finance initiative and public-private partnership costs in the Edinburgh Western parliamentary constituency. (S4O-04058)

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy (John Swinney)

Information on the cost of PFI and PPP projects is updated annually and made available through the Scottish Government website.

The Edinburgh schools PPP bundles 1 and 2 include provision for schools within the Edinburgh Western parliamentary constituency. The revenue cost of both bundles in 2014-15 is anticipated to be £39.2 million.

Colin Keir MSP

Does the Deputy First Minister agree with me that local authorities such as the City of Edinburgh Council would today have far more money to spend on local services if they were not saddled with billions of pounds of debt because of the failed PFI agenda of the previous Labour and Liberal Executive? Is it not about time that those parties owned up to their part in creating this mess?

John Swinney MSP

As I shared with Parliament during the budget process, the total repayment on PFI contracts in 2014-15, for the whole of Scotland, is £952 million. It will breach the £1 billion level in 2017-18.

What I cannot understand is why my predecessors in office decided to saddle the country with PFI debts when they were leaving budgets unspent in the possession of Her Majesty’s Treasury at exactly the same time. When we came to office, £1.5 billion of expenditure was unspent by our predecessors. That demonstrates a lack of financial competence by our predecessors, and it shows their lack of interest in investing sustainably in the interests of our country.

Granton Community Council rejects marina plan

Granton & District Community Council Meeting has opposed the latest plans to redevelop Granton Marina. At their February meeting the community council agreed that the revised plans will not best serve Granton residents and they also called for improved community engagement.

Their response to the application reads:

“This community council notes the planning application by Granton Central Development.

Whilst we recognise that the Granton harbour area does require to be developed for the betterment of the local community we do not consider that the current application does this. In particular we are concerned about:

Density and scale of the housing that does not provide a sense of place
Lack of green space for children to play
Insufficient transport modelling with a focus on car use
Centralisation of retail outlets

We believe that achieving an environment in which people are encouraged to participate in the community and enjoy the city’s streets has a number of secondary long-term benefits of immense importance – for example, increased economic activity, better health from more active lifestyles and enhanced sense of personal safety and community. The current application does not do this and we agree to formally object to the current plan.

We further call on the Planning Department of CEC to arrange a Charettesplus community planning event. Charretteplus builds upon the traditional charrette model of engagement, promoted and supported by the Scottish Government through their Charrette Mainstreaming Programme. Charretteplus delivers more, to a greater number of people and provide the whole community input on what they would like to see in their community.”

The meeting discussed a wide range of issues as well as the marina planning application – on a busy agenda 20mph zones, the waterfront development and the city council’s budget were all discussed; see below for the Secretary’s report.

Secretary Report_Feb2015_v01

Dave Macnab (Secretary)

Granton and District Community Council
http://grantonanddistrictcommunitycouncil.com/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantonDistCC

Lazarowicz calls for fair treatment for Equitable Life policyholders

Speaking in a debate at Westminster, Mark Lazarowicz MP highlighted the need for compensation to Equitable Life members to be increased and greatly speeded up to reflect the reality that many of those who lost out as a result of the maladministration are now advanced in age.

Speaking after the debate, he said: “Under the current scheme, the vast majority of Equitable Life policyholders will only receive less than a quarter – 22.4p in the £ – of what they lost after investing in what was to all appearances a safe, well-established and regulated scheme: it was anything but.

“I want to see the compensation properly reflect what all policyholders lost and be speeded up: the Government should act in the upcoming Budget.

“These were people who tried to make provision for their retirement and they should receive compensation while they can benefit from it: many who lost out have already died before receiving anything at all.

“This highlights why it’s also such a concern that the Government is so behind schedule in providing advice to people on how to make use of the new freedom to take some or all of their pension pot early.”

Even though official estimates of the losses suffered by policyholders at Equitable Life put the total figure at £4.3 billion, the Chancellor allocated only £1.5 billion in October 2010.

That has to cover the cost of administering the scheme and the £620m for full compensation to be paid to the 37,000 holders of with-profits annuities leaving the rest to be shared out amongst the remaining 945,000 policy holders.

Mark Lazarowicz’ contribution to the debate can be found here.

SNP candidate takes swipe at ‘double-jobbing’

SNP launch Edinburgh West general election campaign tomorrow

Michelle Thomson, SNP candidate in Edinburgh West, has spoken out against ‘double jobbing’, and condemns current LibDem MP Mike Crockart for backing the Tories and rejecting a ban.

The LibDem MP for Edinburgh West voted with the Tories to reject a ban on MPs carrying lucrative directorships alongside their parliamentary commitments.

“If I win this seat at Westminster, I will commit full time to the constituents of Edinburgh West rather than simultaneously act as some kind of adviser, director or business manager. I know women are great at multi-tasking but constituents deserve better than a part-time MP”, she said.

“Mr Crockart clearly has no such reservations and believes that it is perfectly viable to have a couple of jobs at once. I think voters deserve more than that.

“As a party, the SNP has made it very clear that we have no truck with Rifkind, Straw and all the others who back the idea of double jobbing. The LibDems are once again in bed with the Tories protecting the interests of the wealthy and elite.”

Following a Channel 4 programme that exposed Messrs Rifkind and Straw offering their services to a fictional Chinese company for rates of £5000-£8,000 a day, Labour moved a House of Commons motion to ban the practice. The Westminster SNP MPs voted in favour Labour’s motion, while the Tories and LibDems voted together to defeat it.

“The current position is, to my mind, ludicrous,” says Michelle Thomson. “Surely a salary of £67,060 a year plus generous expenses is enough for anyone to live on? I believe that those in elected office have an absolute duty to their constituents’ interests.

“Even apart from the row over ‘cash for access’ and the conflict of interests that can follow, I do not understand why any MP would have either the time or the need to earn additional money. If you want to earn millions, then don’t go into politics. You need to be absolutely committed to the job, not your pay packet.

“I grant that there are particular situations, such as family-run businesses for example, where elected representatives in either the Scottish or the Westminster Parliament retain a connection.

“That is a very different scenario from additional earnings such as Gordon Brown’s, currently almost a £1m a year. Is he representing the interests of his constituents in Fife?”

Comedian and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli will be in Edinburgh West tomorrow morning to officially launch SNP candidate Michelle Thomson’s bid for a seat at Westminster.

Hardeep says: “Michelle is a fantastic person and so right for this task. She is completely without the pretensions you find in so many politicians. She genuinely cares and wants to bring real change.

“She has the endorsement of some very influential people like Angela Constance, Fiona Hyslop, Jim Sillars and Alex Neil. And, of course, me!

“I know she can do it. This is a great Campaign Hub and she has a fantastic team of committed folk around her. I wish her all the very best.”

Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, will also join tomorrow’s launch. She said: “Michelle has a proven track record. She’s an organiser, she gets things done and she is a great presenter on TV and radio.

“She knows and understands the challenges of running a small business and is an ideal candidate for Edinburgh West. She’s a warm and engaging person who genuinely cares and is committed to the community in which she has lived for more than 20 years.”

Michelle Thomson said: “Scottish politics has changed forever since last September and now is an incredibly exciting time to be involved so directly.

“We need to make sure that we have the strongest possible team of SNP MPs to hold the Westminster Government’s ‘feet to the fire’ on the big promises made before the Referendum.

“The people of this community have been let down by elected representatives doing one thing and saying another. Whether it is on tuition fees for students, the Bedroom Tax or paying down the debt, the UK parties seem unable to present any positive polices that help the voters of Edinburgh West.

“I want to see a Scotland that is growing stronger, more prosperous and fairer. Come 7 May, people in Edinburgh West have the opportunity to vote for integrity, honesty and real change for the better.”

The launch takes place at the SNP ‘Campaign Hub’ at 183 St. John’s Road from 10am.