Category: North Edinburgh News

The Muirhouse Centipede’s on the march!

The Centipede Project, the community regeneration initiative launched in Muirhouse in March, has received a welcome boost with news that the project has been awarded funding to help take plans forward.

Linda Dunbar, Locum Minister at Muirhouse St Andrew’s Parish Church, organised the initial consultation event held in the church. That event generated a number of great ideas – the favourite being a community gardens project – and now it seems that those ideas have taken a step closer to becoming a reality.

Linda said: ‘We have had great news at the Centipede Project – we have been awarded £5000 Pilot Project funding from the Church of Scotland’s Parish Development Fund, so we are now gearing up to develop some of the ideas for the Community Gardens project. We hope to send out more information by the end of the month, but in the meantime a new Facebook page – Marvellous Muirhouse – has been set up for people, groups and projects to promote their activities and to celebrate all the good things going on in Muirhouse and surrounding areas. You can find the page at https://www.facebook.com/MarvelousMuirhouse so please:

  • log on and ‘Like’ the page
  • post on the page to tell everyone about your activities.
  • pass the information on to all your contacts.

This has the potential to be a great networking resource; if you want to see a similar page and how the networking has taken off, have a quick look at Glorious Govan on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/#!/GloriousGovan.”

The Muirhouse Centipede is on the march!

The Muirhouse Centipede's on the march!

The Centipede Project, the community regeneration initiative launched in Muirhouse in March, has received a welcome boost with news that the project has been awarded funding to help take plans forward.

Linda Dunbar, Locum Minister at Muirhouse St Andrew’s Parish Church, organised the initial consultation event held in the church. That event generated a number of great ideas – the favourite being a community gardens project – and now it seems that those ideas have taken a step closer to becoming a reality.

Linda said: ‘We have had great news at the Centipede Project – we have been awarded £5000 Pilot Project funding from the Church of Scotland’s Parish Development Fund, so we are now gearing up to develop some of the ideas for the Community Gardens project. We hope to send out more information by the end of the month, but in the meantime a new Facebook page – Marvellous Muirhouse – has been set up for people, groups and projects to promote their activities and to celebrate all the good things going on in Muirhouse and surrounding areas. You can find the page at https://www.facebook.com/MarvelousMuirhouse so please:

  • log on and ‘Like’ the page
  • post on the page to tell everyone about your activities.
  • pass the information on to all your contacts.

This has the potential to be a great networking resource; if you want to see a similar page and how the networking has taken off, have a quick look at Glorious Govan on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/#!/GloriousGovan.”

The Muirhouse Centipede is on the march!

Hello, goodbye!

Crewe Toll’s cycling fire-fighters called in on a flying visit to Oaklands School this afternoon. The guys from White Watch are on the homeward leg of their Land’s End to John o’ Groats charity cycle challenge, and they stopped off at the Ferry Road school to present a cheque for £8000.

The cyclists were welcomed by Oaklands staff and pupils and colleagues from Crewe Toll also dropped in to Oaklands to cheer their mates on.

Oaklands Head Teacher Maureen Mathieson said: “This makes a huge difference and we are so grateful to the Crewe Toll team for making this tremendous effort for us. We’d also like to thank everyone who sponsored the fire-fighters. The money raised enables us to buy specially built cycles for the Oaklands children to enjoy. It’s terrific!”

The team are well on schedule to complete North Quest, their thousand mile challenge – averaging a hundred miles a day – and there was just time to present the cheque, enjoy a cuppa and get back in the saddle for the next stage.

Despite the aches, pains, chafing and sprains the Crewe Toll lads expect to complete their epic ride in three days time, and have set their sights on making another target – enjoying a pint in Inverness before closing time on Saturday!  Well done, lads – you deserve it!

A Ragged Trousered Appreciation

A Timely Reminder

On Saturday 21 April at North Edinburgh Arts Centre the audience was treated to a brilliant performance by two magnificent actors playing all the characters in Robert Tressell’s classic story ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’.

The subject, of grinding exploitation of workers employed by a building and decorating firm, was played with emotion, seriousness and a good deal of humour. The confusion and self-interest of some of the characters has its modern counterparts, but so does the message of what must still be done.

The actors, Rodney Matthew and Neil Gore, will be giving performances of the play at the Edinburgh Fringe at Venue 2 this August. It deserves to – and should – play to packed houses.

A Delahoy 

Weekend fire in West Pilton flat

Fire crews were called out to a fire in the kitchen of a flat in West Pilton Gardens, Edinburgh on Saturday evening.

Two fire engines and a height appliance attended the incident, caused by a cooker catching fire, after the call came in at 8.22pm. Two firefighters entered the ground floor flat in the three-storey block and extinguished the fire using a CO2 extinguisher and a high-pressure hose reel.

An ambulance attended and paramedics checked over a 20-year-old male, 19-year-old female and a 10-month-old baby, but none of the occupants required hospital treatment.

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service

Deal done: it’s Labour and SNP

The Labour Party and the SNP have signed an agreement to work together to run the City of Edinburgh Council following the local government elections on 3 May.

The agreement follows concerted efforts to reach an all-party alliance between all the groups that had councillors returned by the electors last week. The coalition partners said they hoped to continue to work with the other groups in the interests of the people of Edinburgh.

Andrew Burns, Labour Group leader, said: “After listening to the will of the electorate and after intense negotiations over the last few days I am delighted that we have managed to reach an agreement to lead the city of Edinburgh for the next five years. Edinburgh electors gave a very clear mandate to Labour and the SNP, delivering 38 out of 58 councillors. A Labour-SNP coalition will now provide the stability and certainty needed to move Edinburgh forward.”

Steve Cardownie, SNP Group leader, said: “The SNP looks forward to working in partnership with the Labour group with a progressive and exciting agenda to meet the challenges the city faces. With this strong partnership we are best placed to ensure Edinburgh serves its citizens well and emerges from the recession quickly and strongly. Our groups’ economic policies are almost one and the same and we are confident they will deliver for the people of the city.”

Chief Executive Sue Bruce, who was notified of the agreement today, said: “I look forward to working with the new administration, and indeed all councillors, over the next five years.

“A successful Council needs a partnership between the elected members who set the direction and policies, and the officers charged with putting that into practice. Together, our responsibility is to ensure that we take Edinburgh forward and make a real difference to the people who live and work here.”

The coalition parties have agreed the following division of positions: the Labour Party will nominate candidates for the positions of Leader and Lord Provost; the Scottish National Party will nominate candidates for the positions of Deputy Leader and Deputy Lord Provost.

The first meeting of the new Council is on Thursday 17 May, at which it will appoint a new Lord Provost. It is intended that the other aforementioned positions will be agreed at the same meeting.

Deal done: it's Labour and SNP

The Labour Party and the SNP have signed an agreement to work together to run the City of Edinburgh Council following the local government elections on 3 May.

The agreement follows concerted efforts to reach an all-party alliance between all the groups that had councillors returned by the electors last week. The coalition partners said they hoped to continue to work with the other groups in the interests of the people of Edinburgh.

Andrew Burns, Labour Group leader, said: “After listening to the will of the electorate and after intense negotiations over the last few days I am delighted that we have managed to reach an agreement to lead the city of Edinburgh for the next five years. Edinburgh electors gave a very clear mandate to Labour and the SNP, delivering 38 out of 58 councillors. A Labour-SNP coalition will now provide the stability and certainty needed to move Edinburgh forward.”

Steve Cardownie, SNP Group leader, said: “The SNP looks forward to working in partnership with the Labour group with a progressive and exciting agenda to meet the challenges the city faces. With this strong partnership we are best placed to ensure Edinburgh serves its citizens well and emerges from the recession quickly and strongly. Our groups’ economic policies are almost one and the same and we are confident they will deliver for the people of the city.”

Chief Executive Sue Bruce, who was notified of the agreement today, said: “I look forward to working with the new administration, and indeed all councillors, over the next five years.

“A successful Council needs a partnership between the elected members who set the direction and policies, and the officers charged with putting that into practice. Together, our responsibility is to ensure that we take Edinburgh forward and make a real difference to the people who live and work here.”

The coalition parties have agreed the following division of positions: the Labour Party will nominate candidates for the positions of Leader and Lord Provost; the Scottish National Party will nominate candidates for the positions of Deputy Leader and Deputy Lord Provost.

The first meeting of the new Council is on Thursday 17 May, at which it will appoint a new Lord Provost. It is intended that the other aforementioned positions will be agreed at the same meeting.

West Pilton Gardeners planting this weekend

No plans for the weekend? Like to get out in the fresh air and enjoy some gardening? Why not support the West Pilton gardeners?

The group will be planting tatties,  strawberries and wildflowers over the weekend and all ‘budding’ gardeners are welcome to help with the planting. Sessions are taking place today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday) from 1 – 3pm.

Green-fingered Kirsty Sutherland explained: “All are welcome to come along and get involved. The garden is being created on part of the grassland behind the youth centre at West Pilton Brae. It was started this spring by a handful of women and their children from the streets beside Pilton Youth and Children’s Project as a place to grow fruit and vegetables and get together for barbeques in the summer. Volunteers from around Pilton, Granton and Muirhouse have also helped with the work. We are forming a gardening group to take care of the garden and build it together. Please come along and join in or just blether with everyone, find out what has been happening and how you can join in.”

For further information contact Kirsty – email kirsty@piltonresidents.org.uk

 

They think it’s all over …

Final declaration from Meadowbank:

PORTOBELLO/CRAIGMILLAR: Child (Lab), Bridgman (SNP) and Walker (Lab) elected.

The composiiton of the new council is:

LAB – 20 (+5), SNP – 18 (+5) , CON – 11 (no change), GRN – 6 (up 3), LD – 3 (down 13).

So the count is over, but now the work begins to establish a new administration. That new administration could take a number of forms – Lab/Lib Dem/Green is one, but would Labour want to be associated with a ‘toxic brand’ like the Lib Dems? Or what about a Lab/Con coalition? Could Labour supporters stomach a union with the ‘old enemy’?

Negotiations will have already begun and all will become clear. In the meantime, congratulations to the successful candidates – all that hard work has been worthwhile. Enjoy the day, the real hard work starts soon. To the unsuccessful ones, commiserations – particularly to those good, hard-working ward councillors who found their party was just too unpopular. It’s tough, but it’s politics.

I’m signing off now, it’s been a long, long day and it’s time for a drink … and thanks to (both the) readers who have stuck with us!