North Edinburgh News – Page 3777 – The NEN

Happy anniversary, State Street

It’s forty years since State Street moved to the UK, and the corporation’s 750 Edinburgh staff will celebrate at Crewe Toll today with a giant barbecue attended by Olympic silver medallist Roger Black.

Sate Street purchased Deutsche Bank’s securities division and moved into the 146,000 sq. ft. Crewe Toll complex in 2003, and since then the banking giant has played a significant role in supporting local community initiatives, both through staff volunteering and through the organisation’s Foundation Community Support programme.

Among the many local organisations with particular reason to wish their Crewe Toll neighbours a happy birthday are Stepping Stones, North Edinburgh Childcare, Oaklands School, PROP Stress Centre, Drylaw Rainbow Club and Craigroyston Community High School – and there are more.

Speaking ahead of today’s celebrations (fingers crossed for a little sunshine!) State Street’s senior vice-president Jeanette Patrizio said: “This is a time to feel a little more optimistic, and to share that with people. It is up to us as business leaders to remind people that it is not all doom and gloom.”

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership meets on Tuesday

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership’s next public meeting will be held on Tuesday 21 August from 7 – 9pm in Craigroyston Community High School, Pennywell Road.

The Total Craigroyston initiative will be the main agenda item.

For further information visit the website www.edinburghnp.org.uk/neighbourhood-partnerships/forth or telephone 529 5082. All welcome.

Teenager stabbed in Trinity

A teenager was stabbed as thieves robbed two friends in Trinity last night.

The 16-year-old victims were walking under East Trinity Road, near Bangholm Recreation Grounds at around 9pm when they approached by two men. One of the thieves, described as 18 to 19 years old with a local accent, was carrying a knife and demanded the girl and boy hand over their belongings.

One of the vivtims was stabbed as the thieves made off with a phone and a handbag containing an iPod, purse and other personal belongings.

Lothian and Borders Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Both of the suspects are described as white males, aged between 18 and 19 years old and had Edinburgh accents. One is thought to be about 5’9″ tall and of a slim build with short dark hair. He was wearing a dark or black-coloured hooded top. The other suspect thouoght to be 5’8″ tall, with short blond or fair hair. He was wearing a light-coloured hooded top.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131 or call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

Total Craigroyston – update

Manager Christine Mackay gives an update on the Total Craigroyston initiative:

TC1 — Consultation meeting at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre

I hope you have all had a good summer in spite of the dreary weather.

Many thanks to all of you who contributed to our consultation events. In total, 215 local residents and front line staff, from 37 different teams and organisations were involved in nine events.

We had expected to be ready to share the outcome with you earlier in August but in the end, processing all the information we received took longer than we thought. However, we now have a draft ‘Road Map’, which will set the direction for the Total Craigroyston Initiative. The information and insights that we gathered have been grouped into themes and we have identified a range of short and long term actions that we would like to achieve over the life of the initiative.

What is obvious is that there is a real strength within the community and a desire to build on the good work that is already going on. Of course, some challenges were identified and we hope that we can make progress on these in order to achieve the kinds of changes that people would like to see.

We have organised a range of meetings to present the findings of the research back to people who were involved and other stakeholders.

The meetings will take place on the following dates:

Tuesday 4 September at 2pm in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre

Wednesday 5 September at 7pm in Craigroyston Community High School

Thursday 6 September at 10am in North Edinburgh Arts Centre.

Everyone is welcome but please book a place by contacting Julie Innes by telephone on 469 3162 or by email on julie.innes@edinburgh.gov.uk. Childcare can be arranged for those who need it. Please let Julie know when you book a place.

The draft Road Map will be available on Monday 20 August from the Total Craigroyston Blog at totalcraigroyston.wordpress.com and if you have any comments or observations please let us know.

As well as the meetings above, there will be a short presentation to the Forth Neighbourhood Partnership on Tuesday 21 Aug at 7pm, which is open to everyone.

PlayOut1 — Two Play Out days were organised by Total Craigroyston

Letter – Stairwell fire

Dear Editor

You might be aware of the fire that took place on Tuesday (14 August) in the back stairwell of the middle block of houses in Royston; a stairwell I may add that is populated by families with small children – we can all just be grateful that it happened during the day and was spotted and contained.

Although I am not aware of how the fire started it would have required materials for it to get going.

Last year I complained to the Edinburgh North office of how a culture of tipping and the accumulation of materials was taking over the back gardens of Royston and it would not be a leap to surmise that the stairwells might be affected by this culture of people getting rid of an excess of materials from their houses into the bottom of stairwells.

Given the demographic of people in the Royston area there will be people who can not afford for items to be uplifted by the council or hire vans to take them away or have no cultural awareness of the etiquette of living in a communal stair in a city.

It would be interesting for someone in the council to do the arithmetic on how much it takes to do a free uplift compared to how much it is going to cost to fix a back stairwell that has been fire damaged? Or how much it takes to fix the problem of a culture of fly tipping taking over?

Maybe some sort of inspection of the state of the stairwells is required throughout that area to asses the potential to prevent any future incidents like this happening again.

I make this suggestion as it would appear by the nature of the questions asked by the police officer who knocked on my door and the neighbours’ doors that the police are looking for someone who was seen running from the scene at the back of the gardens shortly after the fire was started.

Secondly there is now a culture of people smoking at their back stairwell doors in the last few years and if they are not extinguishing cigarettes properly there is the potential for more fires as well if people are storing or tipping materials.

Padraig O’Neill

Pilton Drive North

Royston Wardieburn women go global!

WIG (Women’s International Group) is a new group for local women interested in issues affecting women. The group was established in March this year after a successful event organised by local women to celebrate International Womens’ Day.

Since then the group has organised a number of local events including a hustings before the Council elections in May, a public meeting on housing issues and a film show. The group meets every second Thursday from 1.30 – 3pm in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on Pilton Drive North.

First meeting this term will be on Thursday 6 September – new members welcome. For more information, contact CLD worker Lynn McCabe on 552 5700 or email Lynn at lynn.mccabe@ea.edin.sch.uk.

Criminal profits from communities – no more!

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill joined the Proclaimers and young musicians who are developing their career skills thanks to cash seized from crime.

North Edinburgh Arts Centre is one of eighteen studios from across Scotland to have received investment to allow 12 to 25 year-old musicians to record their first demo tracks and allow them access to professional standard recording and rehearsal facilities.

It’s part of Creative Scotland’s Cashback for Creativity project which uses crooks’ cash to benefit young people of Scotland through a series of cultural diversionary activities. Over three years £2.25 million is being invested into dance, film and music programmes.

During 2012 in the Year of Creative Scotland, the CashBack for Creativity programme will create opportunities for over 8,000 budding young film-makers, dancers and musicians to develop their skills.

The CashBack for Communities Programme takes funds recovered from the proceeds of crime and invests them in back into communities, putting young people on a positive path in life by providing opportunities for them to take part in thousands of free activities and projects – over £46 million has been reinvested to benefit over 600,000 young people since CashBack began.

Mr MacAskill (pictured above) said: “CashBack gives young people the chance to get creative and broaden their horizons. I was delighted to meet Jack Hincks and his Band from Biggar who have been given the chance to record professional music at CP Productions in Edinburgh and develop their personal, social and career skills. And who better than the Proclaimers – one of the most successful and popular Scottish bands of all time – to be on hand to share their skills and some of the secrets of their success.

“Jack Hincks and his Band are some of scores of young musicians from across Scotland who will benefit from professional standard recording facilities – and some might follow the likes of the Proclaimers in making a successful career in the music industry.

“Providing opportunities for young people to get involved in the arts, theatre and cultural activities can help improve confidence and give them a sense of achievement whilst also demonstrating that there is more to life than petty crime. Investment in our young people and their communities will always be money well spent.”

David McDonald, Youth Arts Manager at Creative Scotland, said: ‘The CashBack for Creativity programme has allowed recording studios across the country to open their doors to over 161 young bands and acts. The experience of recording in a professional recording studio with experienced producers at such an early stage in their development will hopefully inspire them to achieve their potential in their future careers, perhaps even the music industry.

“The CashBack programme has also given thousands of young film makers and dancers the opportunity to shine and express themselves creatively. Taking part in creative activities can make a real difference to the lives of our children and young people, it can help build confidence, enable them to make friends and teach them how to work as part of a group.”

The Proclaimers’ Charlie and Craig Reid (below) added: “We are delighted to continue to support the Scottish Government’s imaginative policy on community based funding for worthwhile projects, using the confiscated funds from criminal activity.”

Local History Workshops

Power to the People!

North Edinburgh Social History Group and Community Learning and Development have developed a new training course looking at the history of protest in Scotland. ‘Power to the People’ will run on Tuesday mornings from 9.45 – 12 noon at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre in Pilton Drive North.

The free course, which is supported by Workers Education Association and North Edinburgh Arts, is for anyone who has an interest in Scotland’s history and the fight for social justice.

The course will use film, literature, photography, song and theatre to explore many of the struggles waged by ordinary people – from the Highland Clearances and Red Clydeside to the Poll Tax and the road to the Scottish Parliament.

If you’d like to find out more about the course and meet some people who will be involved, why not attend an Information Session on Tuesday 28 August from 9.45 at the Centre?

Alternatively, call CLD worker Lynn McCabe at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on 552 5700 or email lynn.mccabe@ea.edin.sch.uk

Adult Education enrolment now open

CCHS — CRAIGROYSTON a wide range of courses available

With the kids back to school today, what better time to think about going back to school yourself? The city council’s adult education programme offers a wide variety of courses geared to suit your circumstances – and, with venues that include Craigroyston High School and Edinburgh’s Telford College, often right on your own doorstep!

No less than 48 venues are offering courses over the next academic term, and the ever popular programme has some exotic new additions this year – how about some Bollywood dancing or Mexican Cooking to spice up your life?

With day, evening and weekend courses on offer across the city, there is a variety of subjects to choose from, including art, computing, languages, fitness, genealogy, crafts, yoga, belly dancing, wine appreciation, gardening or stress management.

Councillor Paul Godzik, Convener for Education, Children and Families said: “The amount of classes and subject matter on offer this year is absolutely fantastic, there truly is something to suit all tastes. Some will see these classes as an opportunity to try something new or take on a hobby but they can also be a stepping stone on to further education or indeed into a new career.

“I would advise anyone who has some time to spare over the coming autumn and winter to look into what’s on offer and to secure your place sooner rather than later.”

Rajni Ravikunar, who is teaching a Bollywood Dancing class this year, says she is looking forward to classes starting and is encouraging the public to have a go: “The classes are great fun and will give participants a chance to get fit too. We’ll be bringing a taste of Bollywood glamour to Edinburgh, I’m really excited.”

There are a number of Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) at Higher and Unit levels being run by Stevenson College Edinburgh and Edinburgh’s Telford College. These can be taken as formal qualifications for work, college or university or simply for personal development or interest.

Courses start on 24 September except Highers which begin on 03 September. Enrolment is now open.