Category: North Edinburgh News

Living Well welcomes new manager Sandra

Living Well North Edinburgh (formerly PROP Stress Centre) has warmly welcomed new manager Sandra Walkingshaw (pictured above).

Sandra said: “I am delighted to have joined the Living Well team as the new manager. I am really looking forward to working with all our members, staff and volunteers on continuing the excellent work that is currently going on and also planning for the future aims and goals of Living Well North Edinburgh.”

Living Well North Edinburgh are currently presenting ‘The Journey Within’, an exhibition of members’ arts and crafts, at North Edinburgh Arts Centre as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival 2012. The exhibition runs until 2 November.

PYCP happy to receive Wooden Spoon!

Scots rugby legend Chris Paterson was the special guest at Pilton Youth and Children’s Project (PYCP) annual general meeting on Friday 28 September. Chris was representing rugby’s Wooden Spoon charity, whose donation of £10,000 helped PYCP turn a little-used storeroom into an all-singing, all-dancing dance studio!

Unveiling a plaque to opening the new facility at PYCP’s Greenhouse, the record 109-times capped star said: “I’m an awful dancer with two left feet, but if I’d had something like this … well, I think I’d probably still be a pretty rubbish dancer!”

Thanking Chris and representatives of the Wooden Spoon charity, PYCP chairperson Clare Halliday said: “This really is a tremendous space for our young people to enjoy. The room has been transformed – it’s incredible to think that this was just a storeroom, more or less a dumping ground for lots of equipment. Many thanks to Wooden Spoon for supporting PYCP – we really do appreciate it.”

Young dancers from Edinburgh’s Dance Base were first to put the new Wooden Spoon studio to the test, entertaining guests with an energetic routine – Chris Paterson was not tempted to join in!

Some pictures:

PEP Talk

Pilton Equalities Project (PEP) annual general meeting will take place on Friday 26 October at 11am in PEP’s West Pilton Park office – and it’s time to get your nomination papers in if you want to be a director.

PEP is a community-run and managed organisation, with a voluntary management board, and welcomes nominations for membership of the Board of Directors from people who live in the community and representatives of local organisations who have an interest in the work of the project.

The maximum number of members of the Board is eleven, with a majority of members being elected from groups or activities associated with the Project.  If more than 11 nominations are received in time for the Annual General Meeting there will be a vote at the AGM. A further four co-opted places will be available for those who have experience and/or skills which could be of assistance to the directors.

Interested? For further information call 315 4466 or email pepequalities@btconnect.com

Completed nomination forms must be received by Friday 19th October.

Mela’s G-Code crew launch album

Edinburgh Mela is based at North Edinburgh Arts Centre, and the organisation has been working with young people in North Edinburgh on various projects that were first performed at the Mela festival in September. The Mela’s G-Code project has been running on Thursday evenings, working with young local musicians on developing new music.

The G-Code project has flourished over the past few months with the young people taking part in a variety of performances including performing alongside Tinderbox Orchestra at the Dalai Lama’s World Peace event.

The participants also wrote and produced two tracks – ‘Inner Peace’ and ‘Journey’ – and the young musicians showcased their musical achievements at North Edinburgh Arts Centre last Friday where they hosted an album launch, music event and exhibition before being interviewed by young people from Muirhouse Youth Development Group.

For more information about the Mela G-Code project contact Angela on 0131 315 2151.

North Edinburgh needs YOU tomorrow …

 … and maybe the next day, and the one after that … Robert Pearson explains why.

North Edinburgh Needs You!

Do you want to help your community? Are you free on Tuesday 9 October? Any hours between 10am – 3pm?

Yes, we hear you shouting – well read on and come join us on the day!

Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) and the wider North Edinburgh community are looking for as many volunteers to join us to complete an exciting brand new project which we started on 25 September at Gypsy Brae.

This exciting adventure was made possible when MYDG negotiated a lease from City of Edinburgh Council and they decided to turn this land into Cyclone, The Biggest Bike Track (360 mtrs) in Edinburgh! Since the work started over fifty volunteers have risen to the challenge and have worked through some challenging weather conditions.

Completing this bike track will let children, families and adults practice their mountain biking and downhill skills on a great  one-way circuit, with purpose-built tight bends, bumps and humps. Open all year round, members of the public can use it at their own risk but MYDG will also run regular sessions to develop the riders’ skills.

If you’re able to spare the some time on Tuesday we are meeting at Craigroyston Community High School on Pennywell Road for 10am. Lunch will be provided – hope to see as many people as possible on the day!

For more information please contact peterairlie@mydg.org.uk

Dads Rock’s coming to Granton!

Dads Rock, the free fun playgroup for dads and their kids, is coming to Granton. It’s almost a year to the day since Thomas Lynch and David Marshall dreamed up the idea of starting a playgroup for dads and their kids, and Dads Rock has since gone from strength to strength.

Dads Rock’s weekly fun sessions for under-fives at Sighthill’s Gate 55 have been very popular since they were launched last November, and the group has gone on to attract both local and national press coverage – last month the group was featured in a photo exhibition at the Scottish Parliament. Dads Rock is now very excited to be coming to The Prentice Centre on Saturday mornings – the big launch is Saturday 27 October from 10 – 11.30am.

Group founder Thomas Lynch said: “It’s amazing the difference a year makes! We’ve had brilliant meetings at The Prentice Centre and it’s a great venue. We’re really looking forward to starting there on Saturday  27th at 10am – we’re hoping for a great turn out, so spread the news!”

No sooner said than done …

 

 

Lean on Me: North Edinburgh Time Bank launches this Thursday

North Edinburgh Time Bank will be launched in song by the Time Bank’s very own choir at North Edinburgh Arts Centre this Thursday evening – and everyone’s invited! 

Time banking is a scheme where people earn time credits for every hour they spend helping someone in their community. People sign up and offer whatever skill, knowledge and experience they have – from doing DIY to teaching guitar – and in return they get help for what they need from other members.  The North Edinburgh Time Bank has been up and running since May 2012 and has 13 members to date.

Julie Smith, the time bank broker who co-ordinates the project explained: “It’s a simple idea which people really get into. We don’t all have cash, but we all do have time – and what we do with that time can be extremely valuable to others and our communities. Time Banking uses time as a means of exchange instead of money. So, for every hour you spend say, helping someone move house, you get the equivalent in time credits. Which you can then exchange for a favour from someone else – or donate to someone else who might need a hand. Timebanking says, look, we all need someone to do wee things for us at different times in our lives. And we all want to be useful and help other folk out. This scheme lets people be useful and puts them in touch with folk who can help them when needed.”

One of the first people to join was local mum Karma Lennon, who said: “It’s not always easy to get to know folk, especially if you’re new in the area. A time bank is a way of folk getting to know their neighbours – of trusting the people around you. I got help  with my garden – we discovered  a hawthorn tree growing in it which I didn’t know was there!”

Jan Moore is another timebank member, and also the volunteer administrative worker with North Edinburgh Time Bank. She says: “It’s really easy to feel useless because you’re not in a job that pays well, or you’re looking after people, or you’ve been ill yourself. You can feel you’ve got nothing to offer. Time Bank is brilliant because it clearly says everyone has something to offer. If you can offer company to someone for an hour, help someone fill in a form – be a good listener –  we are all valuable to our communities. And we’ve formed a timebank choir to get the message out there in song – so come along to the launch and hear our anthem!”

How can you resist?

Thursday October 11

6pm – 8pm

North Edinburgh Arts Centre, 15a Pennywell Court Edinburgh

And as the great Sir Cliff Richard himself may just have sung: ‘Congratulations!’

Body discovered at Silverknowes Beach

Police attended Silverknowes beach this morning following the discovery of a body on the shoreline.

A Police Spokesperson said “I can confirm that a body of a male has been discovered on the beach at Silverknowes. An investigation is underway and we will release more information when we have it available”

Coastguard and Paramedics remove the body from the beach. (Picture: Robert Pearson)

One local who was in the area said “It was horrible; the body was on the beach and the police were using a sheet to keep it covered, but you could clearly see what it was.”

The Coastguard assisted Paramedics in recovering the body from the beach to a waiting ambulance.

Missing medication appeal

Lothian and Borders Police are appealing for information after a packet of prescription painkillers were lost in Edinburgh on Wednesday (October 4). The box of MST continus were lost around 2pm on Telford Road near the entrance to the Western General Hospital.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: “This medication should only be taken by the person it is prescribed to, and could have significant health implications if taken by anyone else. Anyone who finds this box of seven tablets should contact police immediately, or hand them in to their local pharmacy or police station.”

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

A story worth telling: Library Link celebrates twenty years

‘A special milestone for a special service’

A local library success story was shared yesterday as the Library Link service celebrated it’s twentieth birthday. This popular service helps people who have difficulty getting out to access books and other library services, and it’s fitting that the celebrations centred on Muirhouse Library – for it’s there that the Link service was first established all those years ago.

Culture and Sport convener Councillor Richard Lewis and Head of Library and Information Service Liz McGettigan were among the guests who joined yesterday’s anniversary celebrations.

Library Link is a bus service for anyone who has difficulty getting to the library because of age, disability or ill-health. The free minibus picks you up from home and takes you to your local library. The bus has wheelchair access and trained staff and WRVS volunteers are on hand to give assistance on and off the bus. Readers can choose their books, and then sit down to enjoy a coffee and a chat before being taken home again.

Launched in Muirhouse Library in 1992, Library Link has proven so successful that it has been adopted by nearly every       library in the Capital and is now regarded as a core part of the Libraries and Information Service. Some libraries have more than one link service, catering to those who prefer to visit on a different day of the week or time of day.

The service forms a unique partnership between City of Edinburgh Council Library and Information Services and the voluntary sector. The WRVS recruit and support volunteer escorts to accompany the link members and transport is provided by organisations such as PEP (Pilton Equalities Project) and SEAG (South Edinburgh Amenities Group).

Ellen Fisher joined Library Link while Morningside Library was closed for its recent refurbishment. She said: “It gets you out of the house and lets you meet people. Everyone is very helpful. I was finding it difficult  to cope with getting the books to and from the library. The advantage is that you can borrow as many books as you want and they are carried home for       you.”

For crime novel enthusiast Mary Anderson the club has become one of the few occasions she gets out and about. “I enjoy meeting everyone and it also keeps the brain active, which is very important when you get to my age,” she said.

Thursday’s celebration also saw the introduction of a new Edinburgh City Libraries brochure, ‘My  library keeps me out and about’ – Library services for older people, is a new booklet from Edinburgh City Libraries providing information about the various activities and services that are available to older people in Edinburgh, or anyone who finds it difficult to use their library through disability or illness.

There are lots of ways to access the library services  available, and the booklet provides information on the Library2go service, Get Up and Go, and Your Edinburgh – all services designed to keep people up to date with what is happening in their community. The booklet also outlines how library users can get involved in events and activities in their community, including the popular book groups, IT courses and activities for children and grandchildren.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Today marks a very special milestone for a very special service. Library Link has helped many, many residents over the past two decades, ensuring they can access the wide range of services on offer at their library while interacting socially with fellow service users and volunteers. I would like to pay tribute to all the volunteers, past and present, whose hard work and enthusiasm mean Library Link continues to go from strength to strength.”

Library Link’s 148 volunteers provide an incredible 10,280 hours annually to support the service, and Councillor Lewis presented awards to David Colvin and Patrick Watson, two long-standing Link volunteers. Guests were also entertained by a short film on the local Link service produced by Muirhouse Library’s Rehan Yousuf, and there were also special thanks to local Library Link member Mr Wong – the Chinese Moon Festival falls this week, so Mr Wong shared Moon Cake with Library Link guests to make it a double celebration!

Doesn’t everyone love a story with a happy ending?

Some party pictures: