Is your New Year’s resolution to manage your money better? Would you like to find new ways to save money? ‘Money Matters To Me’, a new course starting at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre next week, could help you to save those precious pennies.
The free, fun and informal course starts on Wednesday 25 January and runs from 10am – 12 noon. To book your place or for more information call Nicola Ross on 332 6316, email nicola.ross@ea.edin.sch.uk
A 45-year-old man was pulled unconscious from a house fire by firefighters in Muirhouse last night. The rescue took place at nine-storey Gunnet Court shortly before 6.30pm.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they discovered a fire in the lower level living room of a two-storey maisonette. Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and pulled the unconscious occupier to safety. The man was given oxygen at the scene for smoke inhalation before being passed into the care of ambulance crews and was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment.
Six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and using two main jets extinguished the blaze within the hour.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Local organisation Pilton Equalities Project is looking for help with an unusual request. PEP is seeking … binoculars! No, they haven’t lost one of their minibuses – the binoculars are needed for a project they are currently planning.
So if you have any binoculars tucked away somewhere – large or small, any condition – PEP would like to hear from you. If you can help, call PEP on 315 4466 or email pepequalities@btconnect.com
Scotland has a proud history of producing internationally renowned writers, from Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson to contemporary talents like Hugh MacDairmid, Liz Lochhead and Irvine Welsh. If you’d like to learn more about modern Scottish literature there’s a free course starting at The Prentice Centre later this month that’s just ‘write’ for you!
Starting on 23 January, ‘Modern Scottish Literature’ is a 8 – 10 week course that will run on Monday afternoons from 2.30 – 4.30pm in The Prentice Centre. Supported by the Workers Education Association and Prentice Centre’s Adult Education Group, the course is free to all participants.
The course tutor is Derek Suttie (pictured), who is no stranger to The Prentice Centre. Derek was formerly Senior Community Education worker based at the centre in Granton Mains Avenue until he retired last year.
For further information on ‘Modern Scottish Literature’ or to book your place on the course please contact The Prentice Centre on 552 0485 or WEA on 225 2580.
A seventy-five year old woman has been mugged at the entrance to Ferryhill Primary School on Groathill Road North. The incident happened at about 6pm on Sunday night.
A Police spokseperson said “A seventy-five year old female had her handbag snatched from her with such force it caused her to fall to the ground. As a result of this fall the elderly lady has sustained serious injuries which have resulted in her having to be admitted to Hospital.
Officers of Lothian and Borders Police are appealing to the public to help them identify the male responsible who is described as being in his early twenties, six feet tall with a skinny build, wearing dark clothing and a cream coloured hat.”
Officers were at the scene until about 10.30pm and carried out a thorough search of the area.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Police on 311-3131 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
The finishing touches are being applied and it’s all systems go as staff gear up for the official opening of the magnificent new Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on Monday. Full report next week.
Have you got news for us? If you have – get it in now!
This weekend is the deadline for contributions for our relaunch issue, so if you have news you’d like to share with the people of North Edinburgh email northedinnews@gmail.com or telephone 0792 540 5972.
The NEN is your community newspaper – use it!
The Granton Community Gardeners now have a Tuesday morning gardening club. We meet at 10.30 at the Salvation Army building on Wardieburn Drive for a cup of tea and to pick up tools. Then (weather permitting) we go to work on the community gardens at either end of Wardieburn Road. All very welcome! You don’t need to know anything about gardening to join in. For more information and updates you can now follow us on Facebook at: http://tinyurl.com/grantoncommunitygardeners
Tom Kirby
Granton Community Gardeners
PYCP’s Christmas party was a spectacular end to a busy year!
Over 80 children attended our Christmas party and were entertained by Alexander the great with his magic tricks and balloon skills. The children enjoyed a fabulous buffet and participated in party games enjoying all the old favourites such as musical statues, bumps and pass the parcel. We had some amazing disco dancers who boogied the day away and were awarded a fantastic prize for their hard work and energy levels!
To end the party all of the children who attended met Santa and received a wonderful gift! The project applied to Radio Forth’s cash for kids who provided us with toys and a grant to buy all the children a gift for Christmas!
We would like to thank all the children who attended, our volunteers who helped out and radio forth. The day would not have been as successful without the support of all of these agencies and people.
Lesley Ross
Pilton Youth & Chidren Project
ATTACKS on firefighters attending blazes in the Lothians are on the rise with crews reporting everything from assaults with beer cans to thugs trying to steal appliances.
At least 46 violent attacks were launched against firefighters tackling blazes in the last year, a rise of more than 25 per cent since 2010 and the first increase in four years.
Crews have been attacked with bricks, eggs and even berries as they responded to emergency incidents. They have also been threatened with pool cues and have experienced youths stubbing out cigarettes on their uniforms, spitting at them and trying to cut up hoses.
Today fire bosses blasted the “senseless” attacks.
David Lockhart, community safety manager at Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, said chiefs would not hesitate to prosecute anyone who carried out such anti-social behaviour. He said: “Any attack on operational firefighters is totally senseless. They play a vital role in the community, protecting the public from fire and other emergencies.
“We now have added legislation in the form of the Emergency Workers Act, which has been used to successfully prosecute people who have impeded firefighters and other emergency service personnel from carrying out their duties.
“Although we have seen an increase in figures this year, over the longer term attacks are down and in part this is due to our continued efforts to educate the public about the need to respect firefighters and the risks of prosecution should they choose not to.”
He added: “We’re always alert to the possibility of these kind of incidents, and as alcohol can often play a part, this is something we are very aware of over the festive period. We get a lot of support from the police if we attend an incident.”
Throughout the course of 2011 firefighters endured dozens of call-outs where they were showered with rocks and bricks and abused in the street. During one incident, on Niddrie Mains Road, small children ambushed a fire crew.
It followed a previous incident when a large gang of children aged between six and 16 attacked firefighters, leaving one injured. They targeted six firefighters from Bathgate, pelting them with stones while their backs were turned, resulting in a leg injury.
Earlier this year, a 15-year-old schoolboy was charged with trying to steal a fire engine while up to 30 children pelted firefighters with eggs at West Pilton Children’s Centre.
In 2010 one home owner tried to attack crews with a pool cue. Children later attacked them with full beer cans, eggs and berries.
The number of attacks was at its highest in 2006, when nearly 80 incidents were recorded by the service. Firefighters were punched, kicked, spat on and dog excrement was thrown at them. There were around 50 attacks in 2007, 45 in 2008 and 45 in 2009.
