Category: North Edinburgh News

Guide dog puppies to visit Sainsbury’s

Aawww! A wee Guide Dog puppy

Jasper and Sandy, two Guide Dog puppies sponsored by Sainsbury’s Blackhall customers, will be making personal appearances at the local store next Wednesday at 2pm. 

Sainsbury’s customers and staff chose Guide Dogs as their nominated charity for 2011/12 and Jasper and Sandy will be calling in to meet everyone and say thanks! Guests of honour will be Rebecca Law, a member of staff at Sainsbury’s, and Clermiston Primary School pupil Eve McCall – Rebecca and Eve won the store’s ‘Name the Puppies’ competition.

Jasper and Sandy – who is named after Guide Dogs volunteer collector Sandy Miller, a well-known face at Sainsbury’s – don’t have too far to travel to visit the local store. Jasper is being walked for his first year by a Guide Dog puppy walker who lives in Blackhall, while Sandy is learning his trade in Leith.

It costs £10,000 to adopt, name and train two puppies for their first year but through collections at checkouts, by volunteers and through a local ‘Go Walkies’ sponsored event generous staff and customers raised that amount and more – the local store is now well on the way to raising another £5000 to sponsor another puppy in the New Year!

Aawww! Another wee Guide Dog puppy!

Letter: Unity

Dear Editor

UNITY

Unity is strength – this truth us demonstrated in the struggle to defend the NHS by both users and those who work in providing the services.

Those who are trying to privatise the NHS have a glint in their eyes of making vast profits – what a disgusting attitude, when every penny is needed to treat people both old and young.

Unity also needs expressing by people in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, London – in fact everywhere, who have the same problems of needing regular work and wages and decent working conditions to be able to make life as it should be.

This unity of needs must be expressed as strongly as the unity in support of our NHS. Private companies aching to take over the NHS and other public services and their Tory and Liberal political supporters can and will be defeated.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

 

Transport’s the theme for Inverleith community conference

On the Move in Inverleith

Transport is the theme for this year’s Inverleith Community Conference, which will take place on 15 November from 6 – 9pm in Broughton High School.

Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership development officer Elaine Lennon said: “Our fourth annual community conference is coming up and this year’s theme is local transport in all it’s forms. We are formatting it as world café style with table discussions around themes of: public transport, road safety, winter weather, walking and cycling and road maintenance and we hope to have Officers leading on each table who are ‘experts’ in the subject.”

An evening of lively discussion, community cohesion, information sharing and fun is promised, so please tell your friends and neighbours about the event!

Organisers add:

On the theme of local transport, there will be opportunities to discuss issues and ask questions on various aspects of getting around Inverleith in small table discussions –

  • parking,
  • public transport,
  • road repairs,
  • road safety,
  • walking and cycling,
  • winter weather.

We hope that you can join us in person or live on twitter on the night, by following #inverleithconf

A finger buffet and live entertainment will be provided, and transport related stalls and information will be available for browsing.

You can book your place online through the Eventbrite website, but if you prefer to register off-line, or want more information, please contact Anne Brown on 332 6316, anne.brown@ea.edin.sch.uk or Elaine Lennon on 529 5270, elaine.lennon@edinburgh.gov.uk

 

Free movies in Muirhouse

Looking for something to do with the kids on Saturdays?

Well look no further, North Edinburgh Arts and Link Up Muirhouse are to host free family film days. Starting Saturday 3 November from 12.30 you’re welcome to come along and enjoy the film of the day in North Edinburgh Arts Centre’s fantastic cinema!

Films will be shown from 1pm, but children are more than welcome to arrive early and purchase goodies for the film from the tuck-shop. When the film finishes everyone is welcome to head into the library as they staff will be holding a film relevant fun session.

Sat 3rd November – 1pm                               Top Cat

Sat 10th November – 1pm                             The Muppets

Sat 17th November – 1pm                             Shrek 4

Sat 24th November – 1pm                             Brave

These films are totally free and we hope to see many families enjoying them, Parents and carers are more than welcome to come to the Arts centre if they wish and sit in the modern café area whilst younger children watch the film.

So rather than spend time on the streets when it’s cold and miserable why not come to the centre and enjoy the film?

More information please call in to the Arts centre or telephone: 0131 315 2151 or visit www.muirhouseresidents.org.uk/

Robert Pearson

 

Focus falls on over-fifties at West Pilton

 The spotlight falls on the seniors next month when West Pilton will be celebrating older people with a series of social and information events for the over fifties at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.

Tuesday 6 November 10.30am – 12.30pm: Fun and Fitness 

Come along for some fun and fitness, followed by a light lunch provided by the Centre.

Thursday 8 November 1 – 3pm: Information Sessions 

Get up to date information on energy efficiency

Have a basic health check

Find out about benefits you may be entitled to (with Granton Information Centre)

Meet your local Councillors

Learn about personal safety from community police officers

And enjoy a buffet lunch courtesy of the Centre!

Friday 9 November 12 – 4pm: Afternoon Social

 Join in with dancing and singing to 50’s, 60’s and 70’s music

Play a game of Bingo or just enjoy the company and entertainment

A buffet lunch will be provided by the Centre.

For further information telephone 551 3194.

 

 

What’s The Matter?

Well, The Matter is a new way for young people to tell their councils and governments what they think about issues that concern them and a group of local teenagers unveiled the first edition of a new publication and presented their findings at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre last night.

Commissioned by the Total Craigroyston initiative, six young people from North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum spent six manic weeks researching, consulting, interviewing, writing and producing their very own newspaper – The Matter – to articulate younger people’s views on how their voices can be heard in the Forth community planning process.

And what were their findings? Well, you’ll have to wait for those – the young people have clearly developed a taste for journalism so they are going to write an article about The Matter themselves for the NEN. Watch this space!

The Matter is supported by design agency Snook in partnership with Young Scot and Firstport, who support new and emerging social entrepreneurs in Scotland.

Police activity stepped up in Stockbridge

Lothian and Borders Police investigating a sexually motivated assault in the Stockbridge area have carried out a weekend of activity, a week after the attack.

A 23-year-old woman was returning home from a night out in Fredrick Street and had walked onto St Vincent Street when a man grabbed her from behind. The victim was forced to the ground but screamed loudly during the struggle and the suspect made off.

Over the past weekend plain-clothes and uniformed police patrolled the area between 11pm and 4am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.

Officers spoke with members of the public who were returning home or travelling through the New Town and Stockbridge area to establish if they’d been there the previous week and witnessed anything suspicious.

High-visibility reassurance patrols were also deployed throughout Stockbridge to engage with the local community and over 60 questionnaires were issued relating to last week’s assault.

As part of the policing activity, basement areas and secluded spots in and around Stockbridge were searched for anything of evidential value.

The area in and around Cumberland Street was also included during police patrols, as officers continue to investigate whether a similar attack, which took place on Saturday 29 September, is linked to this incident.

Detective Sergeant Lynsey Thomson praised the assistance of the public so far, but urged anyone who can help bring the suspect to justice to come forward.

DS Thomson said: “It’s now been a week since the victim was subjected to this terrifying ordeal and so it seemed appropriate to re-visit the area in the hope of talking to people who may have been there last week.

“Local residents, dog walkers, early morning commuters and taxi drivers were all spoken to during this time to determine whether they were in or around St Vincent Street in the early hours of last Sunday morning and whether they remember seeing or hearing anything suspicious.

“The response from those we spoke to was positive and we will now go through the statements and questionnaires we completed and progress the enquiry from there.

“Our reassurance patrols were undoubtedly a comfort to those who live in and frequent the Stockbridge area and these will continue for as long as is required.

“I would urge anyone who has yet to speak to police, but who may have vital information that can help identify the man responsible for this attack to contact us immediately.”

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

Open doors at Muirhouse Shopping Centre

The doors are being taken off Muirhouse Shopping Centre today,  21st Century Homes – the team behind the area’s regeneration – has announced. Robert Pearson reports …

Residents are delighted to learn today that the doors of Pennywell Shopping Centre being taken down, It was confirmed on Friday afternoon in an email from newly appointed senior project manager John McDonald of the city’s 21st century
regeneration project.

An email sent to local groups advised that work will start today (Monday 22 October) to remove the doors and glass fronts on the shopping centre, with local shops and residents advised on Saturday about the intended work.

Since the shopping centre was roofed and these doors were put in place many
local residents and shop keepers have highlighted concerns with anti-social
behaviour  over recent months many people have taken shelter within the
area and continued to consume alcohol, throwing rubbish, and generally causing
a nuisance. Many find this behaviour intimidating and Lothian & Borders
police are often seen within the shopping centre tackling the issues.

I spoke to a shopper this morning and asked their opinion in the doors coming
off, she told me that is brilliant and might stop the drunks gathering within
the centre. She also added that they should have never have been put up in the
first place.

Just now walking through the enclosed centre can be very intimidating, but with
the doors removed it will hopefully feel a lot more open and more welcoming.
There have also been talks of the roof being removed; this has been delayed due
to structural.