North Edinburgh News – Page 3631 – The NEN

Edinburgh Award: last call for nominations

You’ve just five days left to submit nominations for the next Edinburgh Award recipient. Votes for the Edinburgh Award 2014 must be submitted online or by post no later than Thursday 27 November 2014.

The Lord Provost, Councillor Donald Wilson, said: “The Edinburgh Award is the City’s chance to pay public tribute to an extraordinary individual whose work or achievements have brought positive attention to Edinburgh in the past twelve months.

“Whoever receives the award in 2014 will become the latest member of a very elite club indeed. If you haven’t cast your vote yet, fill out the nomination form right away and send it in to us to make sure your chosen candidate has a chance of gaining the recognition they deserve.”

To nominate, fill in the survey online or download and post the Edinburgh Award nomination form. Submissions are quick and easy to fill in and are available from

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/edinburghaward.

Completed nomination forms must be received by

Thursday 27 November 2014.

The 2014 recipient of The Edinburgh Award will be honoured at a ceremony to be held in Edinburgh early next year.

NEN annual general meeting

‘Local folk know and trust the NEN’

Despite the alternative attraction of a Scotland v England international football match live on TV fourteen people attended North Edinburgh News’ annual general meeting at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre on Tuesday evening.

Chairman Martin Hinds reported on what has been an ‘interesting and challenging’ year for the project and the meeting went on to discuss NEN’s role in Contact in the Capital, the city council’s community communication pilot project.

The pilot project ends next March, and there was further discussion on what happens to NEN at the end of Contact in the Capital. The NEN Board reaffirmed a reluctance to introduce a cover price for the community newspaper and treasurer Eddie Thorn said that plans to relaunch NEN as a social enterprise, first discussed last year, had been put on hold due to ongoing funding uncertainty and the volume of paperwork that a change to the company status would entail – the NEN’s board of directors are all volunteers who live in the community.

NEN board member Willie Black said recent events in North Edinburgh had shown that the community newspaper remains as important as ever. “Our community has faced serious challenges over recent months and one thing that has been very clear is that there is a desperate need for communication. Local folk want to know what’s happening and they know and trust the NEN”.

Willie Black, who is also secretary of West Pilton West Granton Community Council, went on: “Our role is to support the community and serve it well – we must keep a free community newspaper as long as we have poverty in this area, and we’ve got to campaign to make sure that happens.

“As for funding, support from community projects is important but the big players in this area’s regeneration should also be playing their part and supporting NEN. I know from many meetings I’ve attended that NEN is necessary, so I’m optimistic that we won’t see the end of the NEN in three months time – but we must keep up the pressure, step up the campaign and argue NEN’s case.”

Minutes of the meeting are attached (below)

Minutes NEN AGM mtg. 18th November 2014

Do they know they're carers?

Angela Dias joined North West Carers Centre in the summer. She talks about how the project supports local carers – and how NWCC could help YOU:

North West Carers Centre (NWCC) has been part of the furniture in the local area for nearly 20 years, and you might know us. You might be a Carer who has used our services, or you might be one of the many people who don’t know that they are Carers!

So what is a Carer? A Carer is anyone who cares, without pay, for a family member, neighbour or friend who cannot cope without this support. The person you support may have a disability or be ill, have age related conditions such as dementia, or mental health needs, or be addicted to alcohol or drugs.

There are many reasons people need this support, and Caring is not restricted to helping someone with tasks like bathing and going to the toilet – Carers could be giving emotional support, supporting someone to deal with letters and bills, helping with medication, shopping – the list is extensive.

Carers come from all walks of life, backgrounds and can be any age. NWCC supports Carers from the age of 5, and our oldest Carers are in their 90s!

We offer different kinds of support, from support groups for different ages (including Children who care for others), respite care, and can help you find services you need – if you need help in your caring role which we can’t provide, we usually know someone who can!

Carers also want to have fun, so we organise outings and activities, which some people like to come to with the person they support, others alone.

If you’re a Carer who would like to know more, or have some support, or maybe you’d be interested in volunteering for us, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!

Angela Dias, Manager, North West Carers Centre

Picture: Young Carers at this summer’s Scottish Young Carers Festival

For further information visit:

www.northwestcarers.org.uk or telephone 315 3150

Local Health Project looking for leaders

We are looking for

VOLUNTEERS WITH ATTITUDE …

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE !

Are you the kind of person that sees a problem and wants to fix it?

Is your glass always half full? Do you have a skill that you can share with others or would you like to develop new skills?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions then read on…

Pilton Community Health Project is currently looking for Physical Activity LEADERS!

Would you like to lead a group of your own? Would you like to GET MORE INVOLVED in your community? Do you think you have what it takes to encourage others to get moving? If so, then we may have the perfect opportunity for you!

We have been encouraging and supporting local people to start up their own activities. So far we have a Bollywood dancing group and a weekly Walk/Jog Group. We would also welcome IDEAS and SUGGESTIONS for BRAND NEW ACTIVITIES.

Our walk/jog group is expanding fast and there is room for people to get involved in this activity. Here’s what some of our existing volunteers have to say about being an activity leader:

‘Becoming a walk/jog leader has given me something to focus on when not working and chance to contribute to society. It has also given me structure to my day so I have something to do.’

Phil (walk/jog leader)

‘I’ve been dancing Bollywood my whole life and I’ve always dreamt about teaching others to dance too. Volunteering as a dance leader with PCHP has given me the chance to share my love of Bollywood. Leading my own session each week has made me believe I have the skills to be a good teacher. I have met lots of new people from my community, people of all ages and backgrounds. I am proud to live in North Edinburgh.’

Savita Purran

Volunteering can be a highly beneficial and rewarding experience. It can increase confidence and self-esteem. It can also open the door to training and employment and there are great social benefits too!

Over the last year, our fabulous team of physical activity volunteers has grown from strength to strength. In fact, some of them are even award winning!

Pilton Community Health Project’s walking volunteers have just won the ‘Paths for All volunteer group of the year award’. The award recognised their dedication and team spirit that has been key to the success and expansion of the walking programme.

The ‘walking with us’ volunteers are passionate about walking and how being active can address health inequalities. Without volunteers, the project wouldn’t be able to offer an increasingly wide range of opportunities for local people. Together they effectively manage the walking groups and help others ‘take steps’ toward improving their health and wellbeing.

“I don’t volunteer to get awards, but I felt honoured that we were given our award in the Parliament – it felt that our work was really acknowledged even at the highest level,” said volunteer Liz.

If you are interested in finding out more about physical activity volunteer opportunities on offer you can:

telephone 0131 551 1671

email liannepipskyj@pchp.org

or claresymonds@pchp.org.uk

or visit www.pchp.org.uk for more information

#StrongerNorth – the movie!

Click on the link below to see a short film about last weekend’s West Pilton cleanup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYQPlJ4y9oQ (Preview)

And for more information about the #StrongerNorth initiative, follow:

https://www.facebook.com/edinburghcouncil?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/Edinburgh_CC

Auld Reekie's Magnificent Seven target World Cup glory

Lianne 'Crazylegs' Parry in action — Lianne ‘Crazylegs’ Parry in action

Edinburgh’s very own roller derby team, the Auld Reekie Roller Girls, are sending some of their finest skaters to compete for Team Scotland in the sport’s World Cup in Texas next month. The Scotland squad will be captained by local lass Lianne ‘Crazylegs’ Parry.

Skaters from leagues all over Scotland tried out earlier in the year to compete on ‘Team Scotland’, but only the best 20 skaters have been chosen to travel to Dallas, Texas, in a few weeks’ time.

Team Scotland’s final line-up includes players from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen, but Auld Reekie has contributed the lions’ share – an impressive seven capital players have made the squad.

Roller derby is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and has seen an explosion in popularity over recent years. It involves teams competing on an oval track in a series of “jams” – two-minute periods that see teams of five players racing to score points. During each jam, one player on each team is designated as the “jammer” who scores a point for every member of the opposing team she passes.

The tournament takes place in Dallas from 4 – 7 December, where teams from 29 countries will battle it out for the trophy. Scotland was one of only 13 teams to compete in the first ever roller derby World Cup held in 2011, so this year’s tournament shows just how much the sport’s popularity has increased.

Team Scotland is captained by the Auld Reekie Roller Girls’ own Lianne Parry, who has been skating for over five years. Lianne, who’s from Cramond, said: “I think we’re all just really proud to be representing Scotland. I really believe in this team, a lot of the skaters inspire me with their attitude; there is a lot of talent and oodles of passion – Scottish roller derby looks seriously good for the future.”

Go, Team Scotland!

Team Scotland are fundraising by selling specially designed merchandise, designed by the team’s own Admiral Attackbar.

You can also help Team Scotland get to Dallas by donating via this link: http://gogetfunding.com/project/get-team-scotland-to-dallas

talking about regeneration

Muirhouse residents invited to take part in regeneration focus group

Ashley McDonald is a final year Geography student at the University of Edinburgh. As part of her final year study, she is undertaking research on the regeneration taking place in Muirhouse and she’d like to hear from YOU!

If you live in Muirhouse or Pennywell and you’d be interested in taking part in a small focus group to discuss your opinions on the regeneration and the area’s future, email Ashley for further details at: amcdonald1168@gmail.com

Ashley has booked Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre next Tuesday -(25th November) from 6.30pm – 8.30pm.

Keir welcomes New York flights

Flights from Auld Reekie to Big Apple next summer

Colin Keir, the MSP whose Edinburgh Western constituency covers Edinburgh Airport, has welcomed the news that American Airlines will be launching daily flights between Edinburgh and New York’s JFK Airport.

Mr Keir said: “This is great news for Edinburgh Airport and more widely for Scotland. I congratulate the management of Edinburgh Airport for securing this direct service to one of the world’s leading financial centres. One of the benefits of direct flights is that the Air Passenger Duty (APD) is less for travellers who don’t have to fly to another UK hub airport such as Heathrow or Gatwick. It will be a huge boost for business and tourism and I am sure this will prove a very successful destination.”

The new service will launch next summer and run between May and September.

Winter Wellness Event in Muirhouse

Tenants and Residents In Muirhouse (TRIM) is absolutely delighted to once again work in partnership with Energy Scotland

Many residents will recall Dagmara from Energy Scotland in the community shop a few months back, giving out free advice and arranging home visits etc. For the past few months we have been in talks about bringing the advice sessions back and we want them BIGGER!

So why not pop in to North Edinburgh Arts for free advice on all things home related: how to keep your home warm the cheapest way, what are the best deals out there, can you get support for your fuel, is out of date food really that bad for you? And it is hoped that Fire Scotland will also be in attendance!

Wednesday 10 December
10am – 2pm
FREE Refreshments provided

TRIM Poster

Robert Pearson, TRIM

Cheers! Local MP votes for fair deal for publicans

Lazarowicz supports clause to protect community pubs

Mark Lazarowicz MP has voted to protect local publicans from the predatory practices of large pub owning companies (known as pubcos) by backing a new cross-party clause to the Small Business Bill earlier this week.

Following a report into the industry by the cross-party Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee in 2010, Labour has campaigned alongside a broad coalition of groups in the industry – including the Federation of Small Businesses, the Forum of Private Business, CAMRA, FairPint and the GMB and UNITE trade unions – to call for greater protection for local pubs and put a stop to unfair treatment and restrictive practices by pubcos.

The government’s provisions to regulate pubcos in the Small Business Bill, debated in Parliament this week, but these fell some way short of Labour’s plans and campaigners’ demands. Labour therefore supported a cross-party clause to strengthen the Bill. The government opposed this change but were defeated by 284 votes to 269.

The North & Leith MP said: “27 pubs close every week and 57% of landlords who are tied to a large pubco earn less than £10,000 a year. These are scandals which must be addressed, and so I was proud to support the new clause which gives licensees the option of going free of tie – so that they can buy their beers on the open market – whenever they negotiate a new contract.

“This is the best way to ensure that large pub companies offer fair terms to their licensees and to finally address the scandal of so many valued community pubs shutting. The cooperation of the Scottish government will now be required for the proposals to be fully implemented in Scotland, and I hope that they will do this.”