North Edinburgh News – Page 3680 – The NEN

Simply the best! Students’ union scoops top award

Edinburgh College Students’ Association is best in UK

Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA) has won the Further Education Students’ Union of the Year Award 2014, beating off competition from across the UK.

Up against some of the best students’ unions and associations across the country, ECSA came out on top in the National Union of Students (NUS) annual awards. It was the only Scottish college students’ association to be nominated in any category at the awards.

ECSA trumped category rivals from English and Welsh counterparts, including Sheffield College Students’ Union, South Eastern Regional College Students’ Union, Burton and South Derbyshire College Students’ Union and Coleg Gwent in Wales.

Kelly Parry, ECSA president for 2013/14, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win the NUS FE Students’ Union of the Year Award. It’s a huge credit to the work ethic, dedication and enthusiasm of everyone involved in making ECSA a success – students, student officers and staff – and it’s proof that college students’ associations can make a real and positive difference to the lives of thousands of students.

“Over the last year, Edinburgh College Students’ Association and Edinburgh College have been doing some fantastic work to empower students to give them the best possible learning experiences. Winning this award has been a brilliant note to end on as president and I’m very confident that the new president and student officers will be able to build on our successes in the next coming year.”

ECSA provides a strong and independent voice for students at the college, which has 26,000 student enrolments, and works closely with the college to ensure that all students have a life-changing educational experience.

The judging panel from the NUS – which recognises students and students’ unions who do incredible things for their colleges and universities – was impressed with several of the association’s initiatives. The judges were particularly impressed with ECSA’s efforts to ensure that the college is reaching, representing and supporting under-represented groups. For example, ECSA was praised for its support of students from care backgrounds, with an event to showcase the hard work and determination of young people in and leaving care and the great challenges they face.

ECSA was also recognised for successfully lobbying the Scottish Parliament on behalf of the student body. One of ECSA’s major achievements was getting MSP Kezia Dugdale to raise the question of discrepancies of further education childcare funding in the Scottish Parliament, ensuring that student support and funding is at the forefront of the political agenda. The ECSA president also met with MSP Mike Russell, cabinet secretary for education and lifelong learning, to discuss this issue, and he subsequently committed to reviewing childcare funding for students.

The NUS FE Students’ Union of the Year award follows a recent partnership agreement with Edinburgh College, giving ECSA more influence over the college’s strategic direction. The partnership agreement – which strengthens ECSA’s ability to develop and meet students’ needs – breaks new ground for the further education sector in Scotland. Under the new agreement, ECSA will have a stronger voice at all decision-making levels of the college.

Pictured: Raphael Lehmann (ECSA Vice President Welfare and Activities) and Graham Smith (Student Liaison Officer).

Veterans charity urges: turn those lights out!

Scotland urged to turn lights out to honour First World War heroes

Veterans’ charity Poppyscotland is calling for households in Scotland to join the rest of the UK in taking part in LIGHTS OUT, a new initiative to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

Communities across the country are being invited to switch off their lights between 2200 and 2300hrs on 4th August, the date Britain entered the War 100 years ago, and illuminate their homes with a single candle or light.

LIGHTS OUT is being delivered in Scotland by Poppyscotland and in the rest of the UK by its parent charity The Royal British Legion. It is hoped that candles will be lit at war memorials, community centres and homes in every village, town and city. LIGHTS OUT takes inspiration from the famous words of wartime Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, who remarked on August 3rd 1914: “The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our life-time.”

A host of celebrities including Jeremy Paxman, Twiggy, David Gandy and Louis Smith feature alongside veterans in a video to promote the initiative, which will complement a national candlelight vigil on the evening of Monday 4th August at Westminster Abbey.

Poppyscotland’s Head of Fundraising, Colin Flinn, said: “Scotland made a hugely significant contribution to the First World War and there was not a community left untouched by its devastating impact. LIGHTS OUT is a simple, yet powerful concept that will enable Scots to join the rest of the UK in a collective moment of commemoration to honour those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, while supporting those affected by the consequences of war today.”

To support LIGHTS OUT and as part of a special partnership with Marks & Spencer, limited edition Centenary candles will be available to purchase from Friday 4th July in stores and online. Profits from sales in Scotland will be donated to Poppyscotland to support the charity’s vital work with members of the Armed Forces, past and present, and their families.

Robert Swannell, Chairman of Marks & Spencer said: “The extraordinary work that The Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland do to support serving and ex-Servicemen, women and their families across the UK is really important to M&S’s employees and customers, and we are very proud to be participating in this national moment of commemoration. Lighting a candle is a small but significant gesture to honour those who bravely served, and continue to serve, and we encourage all of our customers to take part. All the profit from the LIGHTS OUT candle will be used for the Legion and Poppyscotland grants initiatives, which assist current and former Service personnel and their families in need of support.”

Letter: Normandy and the lessons learned

Dear Editor

So many important anniversaries occur in 2014, being recalled with differing emotions. As a Normandy veteran I hope the following words will contribute to a peaceful world …

To remember and celebrate is not to glorify militarism but to show the united will of people for a peaceful world.

It is so important that the events of the 1930s and 1940s are told to each generation so they can avoid the mistakes made during that period: the mistake of tolerating discrimination, the mistake of letting vested interests ignore the aspiration of Fascism to expand their domination over all, leading to World War.

It was the ordinary people of all lands who finally defeated evil: it is the ordinary people of all lands, armed with the knowledge of the past, that will safeguard our futures.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Accies redevelopment gets go-ahead

The redevelopment of Edinburgh Academicals’ Raeburn Place home has been given the green light following Wednesday’s decision to approve the club’s plans.

In a statement, the club said: ‘We are delighted to announce that planning permission for the development was formally granted on Wednesday 2 July 2014.

Although the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) confirmed that it was minded to grant planning permission for the development plans on 31 July 2013, this decision required that a legal agreement (known as a Section 75) was entered into with CEC. The S75 has now been signed and the Council issued planning permission on 2 July 2014.’

The next steps for Edinburgh Academicals are:

Finalise the leasing arrangements.
Consider preferred internal layouts for the new facilities, refining the design and layout of the internal spaces.
Prepare drawings and apply for the necessary building warrants.

Fancy being a zombie?

Do you want to be a zombie in the ‘most exciting show ever to hit the Edinburgh Festival?’

Have you got what it takes to be a zombie? The Generation of Z hurls you head first into a world ravaged by the undead. The survivors will fight for their future as they journey through a battle against extinction. Set within a maze-like security containment depot swarming with zombies, the audience are in the thick of it until the bitter end, be it rescue … or death. Inspired by the movies and video games of the zombie genre, The Generation of Z is a multimedia horror play on steroids that takes a chainsaw to the fourth wall

After two hugely successful seasons in New Zealand , Royale Productions are bringing their fully interactive immersive Zombie Horror experience to the Edinburgh Festival.

The Generation of Z is a site-specific, immersive, theatrical event set within the maelstrom of a zombie apocalypse. There are no seats, no stage, no niceties and definitely no “fourth wall”. As a zombie you’ll play an integral part, you are in the thick of it from the first gunshot to its violent and thrilling finale. You will be made up in Hollywood style zombie make up and trained on how to be a zombie by our friends at ScareScotland. You will be trained by some of the best professional scare actors in the country at the Undead Academy.

All zombies will be volunteers, and we can guarantee you a whole lot of fun as you scare the audience witless.

We ask that you attend the “Undead Academy” on the 20th July( venue tbc) and fill in the registration form that will be emailed to you.

No performance experience is required. This event will be running for three weeks from the 31 July -25 August with two performances a night. We don’t expect you to be able to take part in the full run, but to perform when you can. The more you perform the more fun you can have.

Interested? Tthen contact Stevie Douglas of ScareScotland at

fellinidays@hotmail.com

and a registration form will be sent to you with the time,date and venue of the Undead Academy.

One million Scots are living in poverty

One million people in Scotland – one in five of our population – are living in poverty, according to latest statistics published today.

The report produced by National Statistics (attached below) covers the period 2012 – 13, and takes into account welfare reforms introduced in April 2012. The report defines relative poverty as having a household income of less than 60 per cent of the average, and this is calculated both before and after housing costs.

The largest rise in poverty was for families with children, showing:

• 19 per cent of children were living in relative poverty in 2012/13.
• This amounts to 180,000 children in poverty, 220,000 after housing costs are taken into account.
• Both have increased by 30,000 since 2011/12.

The increase in child poverty in the latest year is driven by a fall in incomes for working households with children. The reduced entitlement to tax credits has contributed to a fall in household incomes for those with lower earnings. At April 2013, there was a 26 per cent decrease in the number of households with children in receipt of in-work tax credits, compared with April 2012.

The report also shows that:

• Scotland’s poorest households have seen the largest decrease in income – with a reduction of eight per cent in 2012/13 – the equivalent of £20 a week.
• In-work poverty in Scotland increased in 2012/13. Now six in ten children living in poverty are from households where at least one adult is in employment.
• In total across 2012/13, 820,000 people were living in poverty, 110,000 more than in 2011/12.
• This rises to one million people in poverty in Scotland when housing costs are taken into account.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Scotland is one of the richest counties in the world and there is no reason for children to be living in poverty in our society.

“The fact is that the reduction in poverty seen in recent years is now being reversed. Westminster welfare reforms, such as the reduction in in-work tax credits, are reducing incomes for some of our poorest households.

“The Scottish Government has focused on doing everything we can to mitigate the harmful effects of Westminster welfare cuts – and we will continue to do so – but the impact is still being felt by the most vulnerable in our society. What is even more worrying is that 70 per cent of the welfare cuts are still to come – Scotland will see its welfare budget reduced by over £6 billion by 2015/16.

“And some estimates suggest that up to 100,000 more children could be living in poverty by 2020 if we continue with Westminster policies. In other words, the unacceptable increase in the number of children living in poverty revealed by today’s statistics could be just the tip of the iceberg.

“These figures show incomes are falling for families in Scotland. Our ‘social contract’ policies and our efforts to mitigate the impact of welfare cuts are designed to help, but we need the powers to do more. In an independent Scotland we would have the powers to provide one of the most comprehensive child care packages in Europe which would allow more parents to work.

“We would also be able to set up a commission to consider a new ‘Scottish Minimum Wage’ – which would at least rise in line with inflation – and ensure that benefits, allowances and tax credits keep rise with the cost of living.

“Today’s figures demonstrate just how vital the full powers of independence now are, to enable us to create a different approach – one that supports our most vulnerable, encourages people into the workplace and provides a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.”

NS Poverty and income inequality

Orchid extravaganza at The Botanics

Three in one: orchid extravaganza marks hat-trick at the Botanics

With a 344 year record of bringing exotic, rare and beautiful plants to Scotland, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has witnessed some stunning sights.

But nothing has ever been quite on the scale of the 2,500 spectacular orchids now gracing the John Hope Gateway visitor centre. Sponsored by the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, Edinburgh Office, this awesome month-long display celebrates three significant anniversaries and highlights the Garden’s strong research and conservation links with Taiwan.

Tropical botanist Dr Mark Hughes, the man responsible for bringing the display to Edinburgh, explained: “This exhibition arrives at a particularly special time. Not only are we celebrating the 50th anniversary of our ‘new’ herbarium building – which holds our precious archive of three million preserved specimens – two other anniversaries collide: the 150th of the first specimen to reach us from Taiwan and the 50th anniversary of Taiwan’s designation of the plum blossom (Prunus mume) as its national flower.

“This orchid fair is not only a celebration of all these events, it is a significant public demonstration of an important partnership researching plant systematics in Southeast Asia”.

Running until 20 July this display of floricultural excellence is free to the public and will include additional family events at weekends throughout the four weeks.

Orchid Events coming up:

Sunday 6 July 1 – 4pm, John Hope Gateway

Chinese Flower Painting and Face Painting

Come along to learn about Chinese flower painting, and get your face painted. Free.

Friday 11 July 2pm, Patrick Geddes Room

Life in The Trees

Everything you wanted to know about orchids but were afraid to ask! Join Kerry Walter on his fabulous tour of the largest family of plants on earth, the orchids. What do they get up to when nobody’s watching? Come and find out! Free.

Sunday 13 July 1 – 4pm, Patrick Geddes Room

Tea ceremony & tea tasting

If you don’t know your oolong, you don’t know tea!. Come and join Denise Leishman as she explains how the climate and geography of Taiwan produce some of the finest teas in the world, and taste them as prepared by her expert hands. Learn how the tea ceremony still has a place in today’s culture, and discover the stories behind our tea-related gems in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s herbarium and archives. Free.

With Taiwan Floriculture Exports Association and the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, Edinburgh Office.

Fracking hell: new report ignites energy debate

‘No place for fracking in Scotland’s energy future’ – Patrick Harvie

$frack$ Scotland is sitting on enough shale oil and gas to meet our energy needs for the next half-century, according to a new report by the British Geological Survey – but environmentalists are warning that ‘fracking’ to get at shale gas deposits would have serious consequences for local communities.

The British Geological Survey’s report of the resources in the Midland Valley, Scotland, suggests a ‘modest’ amount of gas and oil in place. The central estimate of shale gas in place is 80 trillion cubic feet, the central estimate for shale oil in place is 6 billion barrels of oil.

However ‘modest’, the Department of Energy and Climate Change believes ‘ the complex geology of the area and historic mine workings means that exploratory drilling and testing is even more important to determine how much can be recovered.’

Business and Energy Minister Michael Fallon said: “Making the most of Britain’s home grown energy is crucial to keep job and business opportunities, widen tax revenues and reduce our reliance on foreign imports.

“We know that shale gas alone won’t be able to supply all of our energy needs, but the environmentally responsible exploration of shale gas could contribute to our energy mix.

“Only the broad shoulders of the United Kingdom can attract investment in new energy sources and maintain the UK’s position as one of the world’s great energy hubs – generating energy and generating jobs.

“The UK’s energy security is among the best in the world, backed by a large consumer and tax base that can afford to support our world-leading energy industries and make us such an attractive place to invest.”

Professor Mike Stephenson, Director of Science and Technology at the British Geological Survey said: “The central estimate of shale gas in place is 80 trillion cubic feet and the central estimate for shale oil in place is 6 billion barrels of oil but reserves cannot be calculated at this stage before drilling and testing take place. The Midland Valley of Scotland has complex geology and a relative lack of data compared to the previous DECC-BGS Bowland-Hodder and Weald Basin studies”

However Green MSP Patrick Harvie says the study by the British Geological Survey shows that ‘potentially modest’ reserves of shale oil and gas prove that fracking shouldn’t figure in Scotland’s energy future.

He pointed out that the estimated 80 trillion cubic feet of shale gas in central Scotland is just six per cent of the reserves thought to be present in northern England and said a huge swathe of Scotland – from Argyll to Aberdeenshire and from Ayrshire to East Lothian – has been earmarked as ‘ripe for fracking’ by the UK Government.

Mr Harvie, Green MSP for Glasgow and Co-convener of the Scottish Greens, said: “This study puts paid to all the hype we’ve been fed about a shale bonanza. Not only would fracking divert attention from our undoubted renewables potential but any economically viable extraction would be modest and short-term. Greens want a long-term energy plan for Scotland, and we have abundant clean sources to do this.

“As communities across Scotland realise the risk to their local environments from the prospect of fracking, and as climate science tells us we must start to leave unburnt fossil fuels in the ground, it’s clear that any such developments will face strong opposition.

“It all serves as a reminder that Westminster controls energy policy in Scotland. The chance to pursue clean, long-lasting power rather than polluting, finite fuels is a compelling reason to vote Yes in September.”

Have you seen Kirsty?

Police officers in Edinburgh are appealing for information to help trace a woman reported missing from the Leith area. Kirsty Heggie, who is 23, was last seen near to Holyrood Palace at around 9.35am on Sunday (29 June).

She was wearing a brown/black blazer jacket, a black vest top, black trousers and black trainers. She was carrying a black bag that had pink/orange flowers on it and may have in her possession a purple blanket with flower stitching on it.

Described as white, 5ft 6in, of slim build and with short curly blonde hair, Kirsty resides in the west of Edinburgh and often busks in the city centre.

Inspector Murray Tait said: “We are becoming increasingly concerned about Kirsty as she has not made contact with friends or family since 29th June. If anyone has any information that can assist with our enquiries, they are urged to contact Police Scotland immediately on 101.”

Anyone for tennis? Murray mania to hit Muirhouse!

Tennis is popping up in Muirhouse!

Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) has been selected as part of a nationwide programme to bring Pop Up Tennis to disadvantaged young people.

The programme was established by national sports charity, StreetGames with one hundred Pop Up Tennis Clubs across the UK being funded by Lawn Tennis Association. This activity will enable the young people of Muirhouse to emulate the excitement of Wimbledon and get involved by playing tennis this summer.

Last summer, Andy Murray became Britain’s first men’s winner in 77 years and the country exploded with Murray-mania. This partnership aims to harness that excitement and help disadvantaged young
people get involved by creating clubs that are fun and vibrant. By holding the sessions on their doorsteps, the programme aims to help encourage a sporting a habit for life.

The programme follows on from the success of the 2013 partnership between StreetGames and the Lawn Tennis Association where 25 Pop-Up Tennis Clubs were created, engaging 720 young people from around the country. This year, the LTA has backed StreetGames to extend the programme so that thousands more will get the chance to play the sport with the Lawn Tennis Association funding the activity taking place in the UK, including young people from MYDG.

This partnership is a continuation of StreetGames’ work to make sport more accessible to young people living in disadvantaged communities. Currently there are 1.6 million young people who live in disadvantaged areas of the UK; recent research shows lowest-income households are most likely to have least active children, with the poorest households spending less than £2 a week on sport. StreetGames hope to combat this by getting young people engaged with Wimbledon and developing a sporting habit.

Ali Grant of MYDG said, “We’re really excited to be given a StreetGames Pop-Up Tennis Club. We now have a ‘sport-in- a- bag’ that we can take out onto the streets and green spaces of Muirhouse. Our Pop-Up Tennis Club has all the kit we need to get young people started playing tennis. So, look out for us over the summer holidays. Who knows, we might find the next Andy Murray right here in Muirhouse!”

Jane Ashworth OBE, CEO of StreetGames said, “Andy Murray’s triumph showed how sport can bring the nation together, we aim to take that inspiration and ensure disadvantaged young people can experience it on their own doorsteps. We know that the Pop-Up Tennis Clubs makes tennis fun for all and bring the excitement of Wimbledon to Muirhouse, Edinburgh.”

Michael Downey, Chief Executive of the LTA said: “Last year the StreetGames Pop-Up Tennis programme was a resounding success, bringing tennis to the doorstep to hundreds of young people across the country. We want to see more people playing more often which is why we’re very excited to extend the programme further, so even more young people can enjoy tennis this summer.”

Babolat, a leading global manufacturer of premium tennis equipment is also helping bring the Nadal touch to the young people’s lives by supplying rackets, balls and mini tennis nets for this year’s Pop Up Tennis programme.

Come on, Andy …!