West Pilton death: next of kin appeal

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for help in tracing relatives of a man who was found dead at his West Pilton home on Thursday 31 May.

65-year-old David Barclay was found dead at his home address in West Pilton. There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, and a report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

It is believed that Mr Barclay has a sister called Paula Dixon, who may stay in the Buckinghamshire area. Police are appealing for any information that can assist them in tracing Paula Dixon, or any other friends or relatives of David Barclay.

Anyone with any information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131.

Scottish Robotic Games 2012: Carrying the torch for innovation

Cheered on by her mother Angela – who had just finished carrying the Olympic torch at Barrmill in North Ayrshire – Hazel Oakley, a winner at Saturday’s Scottish Robotic Games hosted by SELEX Galileo, demonstrated how easily children can perform leaps forward in innovation!

Hazel was just one of hundreds of children and air cadets from across Scotland to travel to Crewe Toll to participate in a range of challenges from obstacle courses, to football and sumo at SELEX Galileo HQ. Just before setting Kilsyth Academy’s robot,’George’, on the obstacle course, Hazel decided to attach her mobile phone to her robot, so that it could record its circuit around the Scottish Robotic Games obstacle course!

Allan Colquhoun, University Liaison and Emerging Technologies Manager said: ‘I’m often struck by the ease with which young people seem to be able to innovate, if given the right opportunity to do so. I was impressed by Hazel’s ingenuity, and throughout the day I saw children adjusting their robots, repairing them and really getting into the nuts and bolts of their functionality. It’s these little leaps forward that will give kids confidence to tackle bigger technical challenges.’

Peter Bennett, Director of the Rampaging Chariots Guild, and one of the founders of the Scottish Robotic Games added: ‘The day went like clockwork and every team had a superb time. The whole production was highly professional and was a tremendous credit to SELEX Galileo.’

The children watched Aris Valtazanos from Edinburgh University’s Infomatics team bring their robotic creation to life, as it managed to demonstrate its impressive football skills, shooting a series of goals using its sensor system, with the ability to scramble to its feet after falling down.

Peter Dillon, Deputy Vice President, Supply Chain UK, Edinburgh would like to thank all those who generously gave their time to support the event.

SELEX Galileo

Bogus workmen warning, Blackhall

Lothian and Borders Police are urging the public to stay vigilant to bogus callers following another incident in Blackhall.

The men have been targeting an elderly man in March Road over the past few months claiming they would work on his roof but so far, despite handing over thousands of pounds in cash, no work has been carried out on the house.

After providing an initial estimate, the men have gone back to the man demanding more money on the basis that they needed materials, that a VAT bill had to be settled, and finally to request a signature confirming the work had been done.

Door to door inquiries are underway in the area, with officers keen to speak to anyone else who may have been approached by these men. No description of the suspects is available.

A police spokesman said: “We would encourage anyone to fully check the credentials of anyone looking to carry out work or maintenance for you. Any genuine worker would be happy to provide details of their company, and would not have an issue with you calling their bosses and verifying their identity. In addition, we would ask people to stay vigilant, keep an eye on your neighbours and be alert to anyone acting suspiciously in your area. Anyone with any concerns, or seeking home security advice, should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or check our website for more information.”

Anyone with any information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or the charity Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.

Sneak peek at Olympic torch!

Can’t wait for the arrival of the Olympic torch this afternoon? Well, here’s a sneak preview to whet your appetite!

This version of the torch was on display at Bangholm Playing Fields for the culmination of the Active Kids Olympic events on 30 May. Local Active Schools Coordinator Ricky Karoyan (above, right) was joined by her Trinity Academy cluster colleague Nicky Wheatley for the big finale.

A great day was had by all, and special thanks to Johnny Martinez from Edinburgh’s Telford College, who with a team of Year 2 HND Events Management students, ensured the festival event ran without a hitch!

For those who insist on seeing the ‘real thing’, however, times this evening are as follows:

18:15 – Depart Chesser Avenue along Slateford Road to Shandon Place

18:35 – Colinton Road at Gray’s Loan

18:40 – Bruntsfield Place at Holy Corner

18:55 – Lauriston Place at Tollcross

19:00 – George IV Bridge

19:05 – Lawnmarket at North Bank Street/The Mound

After that, the Flame will travel up to the Castle for the ticket only Evening Celebration event – NOTE tickets have all been allocated.

On the morning of Thursday 14th June, you will be able to see the Flame at the following locations:

07:00 – Festival Square at the Big Screen

07:12 – The Grassmarket

07:20 – George IV Bridge at the Royal Mile

07:30 – Scottish Parliament

07:45 – Pleasance

08:00 – Scottish Widows building opposite Royal Commonwealth Pool

08:15 – Duddingston Village on Old Church Lane

08:25 – Milton Road West

The torch will then leave Edinburgh and continue on to Musselburgh.

NB all timings are approximate and subject to change.

St David’s gets bright!

This article was written last winter but we’ve only just received it. The road safety message is as relevant in summer as it is in deepest winter, though, so:

Despite the miserable weather, St David’s was bright on Wednesday 23 November because the pupils and the staff all wore bright clothing to raise awareness of how important it is to dress brightly when crossing roads or going around after dark.

Students did their best to dress in bright colours, and the teachers did too. They wore everything from bright scarves to luminous safety vests. They were dressed in many different colours including yellows, greens, oranges and blues.

The Junior Road Safety Officers ran this fun event and it was a great success, like many of their previous events. They have been educating the students at St David’s all about road safety during Road Safety Week.

Around 160 8-11 year olds are hurt or even killed on the roads each week in Britain. One of the reasons for this is that children are not dressing brightly enough.

Road Safety Week presented the children and the staff with a great opportunity to learn about all aspects of road safety because during the writing classes, art, and Circle times the children have learnt key skills and to share their knowledge.

The children created many road safety based items: posters, leaflets and even board games just to celebrate Road Safety Week.

We ourselves, the community Liaison Officers, had great fun interviewing some of the children; here are some of the things they said. We asked Chantele in primary six how important it is to dress brightly, she said “It is very important to dress brightly” but when we asked her how brightly she dressed normally her reply was “I don’t actually dress brightly”.

Leah, in primary seven, was asked what she thought about dressing brightly. She said “I might look stupid but at least I’ll be safe!”

We, The Community Liaison Officers and the Junior Road Safety Officers and all the staff and pupils at St David’s are more aware now of how very important it is to be BRIGHT at all times so that drivers can see you.

Laura Hulbert and Dana Guthrie, Community Liaison Officers, St David’s Primary School.

St David's gets bright!

This article was written last winter but we’ve only just received it. The road safety message is as relevant in summer as it is in deepest winter, though, so:

Around 160 8-11 year olds are hurt or even killed on the roads each week in Britain. One of the reasons for this is that children are not dressing brightly enough.

The children created many road safety based items: posters, leaflets and even board games just to celebrate Road Safety Week.

Leah, in primary seven, was asked what she thought about dressing brightly. She said “I might look stupid but at least I’ll be safe!”

Laura Hulbert and Dana Guthrie, Community Liaison Officers, St David’s Primary School.

More flaming tickets available today!

Organisers of the Olympic Flame Evening Celebration at Edinburgh Castle are delighted to announce the release of 500 extra tickets. More than 8,000 tickets were snapped up in just six hours when they became available last month – now additional tickets for the two-and-a-half-hour concert on Wednesday 13 June will be available on a first come first served basis through Ticketmaster from 10am today.

Tickets can be collected from the Usher Hall Box Office between 3pm and 6pm on Wednesday 13 June.

The Evening Celebration begins at 5.45pm (doors from 4.45pm) and will feature a headline performance from top Scottish artist Emeli Sandé.

For anyone without a ticket to the Evening Celebration, the event will be screened live on the Big Screen in Festival Square, with seating provided. The Screen will show live coverage of the Torch Relay from lunchtime until the start of the Evening Celebration.

Deputy Lord Provost Deidre Brock said: “The Evening Celebration at Edinburgh Castle is going to be a once in a lifetime experience and we’re delighted to have these extra 500 tickets to release. The event will be a spectacular finale to the journey of the Olympic Flame through Scotland’s historic Capital. We’re expecting big crowds of people to turn out to welcome the Torch and cheer on the Torchbearers – it promises to be a great occasion and a wonderful opportunity to showcase Edinburgh to the watching world.”

The Evening Celebration event at Edinburgh Castle will see the arrival of the Olympic flame on stage along with music and entertainment from the Torch Relay’s presenting partners: Bank of Scotland, Coca Cola and Samsung. Emeli Sandé will be performing a short set during the Evening Celebration, while Kim Edgar and The Big Project, featuring young people from Edinburgh, will perform two 10-minute sets during the show. Towards the end of the event, the Olympic Flame will arrive at the Castle and the cauldron will be lit on stage.

The timings for the event are:

16:45 – Doors open

17:45 – Show starts

19:20 – Arrival of the Olympic flame

20:15 – Show ends

Please note that there will be no re-admission. Alcohol is not permitted, nor are open containers or bottles, although sealed plastic bottles of soft drinks are allowed. Bottled water will be available within the arena (provided free).

Legionnaires’: the worst may be over

Health experts are hopeful that we now may be in the latter stages of the Legionnaires’ outbreak. As of the latest update at 4pm yesterday the number of cases stands at 82, with indications that the number of cases presenting is slowing down.

The latest reports from the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) on the Edinburgh Legionnaires’ disease outbreak show that there are now 37 confirmed cases and 45 suspected cases: an increase of one in the total number of confirmed cases and an increase of one suspected case.

As at noon yesterday, of those cases being treated in hospital, 15 are in intensive care and 26 are on general wards. A total of 16 cases are being treated in the community, 19 have been discharged from hospital and one person has died.

Five cases are being treated outwith the NHS Lothian area. One patient is being treated in the north of England, two in NHS Tayside, one in NHS Lanarkshire and one patient from NHS Highland is now being treated in Glasgow. At this stage all these cases are considered to be linked to the south west Edinburgh outbreak.

The ages of the confirmed cases ranges between 33 and 76, with more males than females affected.

NHS 24 has received 630 calls to the dedicated helpline for Legionnaires’ disease, and the Health and Safety Executive and City of Edinburgh Council are continuing investigations into the possible source of the outbreak.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “These latest figures are reassuring and in line with expectations, and although it is too early to be definite they do suggest we are now in the later stages of this outbreak. All those involved are responding extremely well: NHS Lothian services are coping with the demands on them and the City of Edinburgh Council and the Health and Safety Executive continue to make significant progress in their investigation to identify the source of this outbreak.”

Dr Duncan McCormick, Chair of the IMT and Consultant in Public Health Medicine at NHS Lothian, said: “We are pleased with the slow down in the number of cases presenting and we hope this will continue over the coming days. The risk to the general public is low but anyone with concerns should contact their GP or NHS 24’s dedicated hotline on 0800 0858 531.”

Legionnaires': the worst may be over

The ages of the confirmed cases ranges between 33 and 76, with more males than females affected.

We’re not having it! Campaign groups organise public meeting

North Edinburgh Fights Back and Muirhouse Womens Group are holding a public meeting in North Edinburgh Arts Centre on Wednesday (13 June) to organise a joint campaign against cuts to local services – an opportunity to ‘hear the case against poverty and join the fightback’.

Speakers confirmed include representatives from Shelter Scotland and the Poverty Alliance.

The meeting starts at 6.30pm – all welcome.

For further information visit www.northedinburghfightsback.org.uk

See poster for details:

poverty-not-having-it-2