SATURDAY 31 AUGUST – meet 2pm MIDDLE MEADOW WALK
Ahhh, the sun is shining, the fringe is ending, and we’re off to Portobello this Saturday with a bunch of pals, some great music, and smiles 🙂
Looking forward to it – 2pm Saturday!
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have updated their advice on bathing at Portobello Central after the latest water quality samples showed no risk to the public.
Results of a sample taken at Portobello Central bathing water on Thursday, 11th July showed water quality had returned to satisfactory levels and signage advising against bathing will be removed.
Signage was changed on Wednesday, 10th July to advise against bathing as a precautionary measure after analysis of routine samples indicated a high bacterial result. SEPA liaised closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Water.
A spokesperson for SEPA said: “Following visual checks of the beach and water sampling by our officers, SEPA have confirmed there is no impact on water quality at Portobello Central bathing water and will remove the signs advising against bathing.
“Water sampling will continue to take place throughout the bathing season as part of routine testing.
“We continue to work with our partners to improve Scotland’s water environment and make our summer visits to the beach safer and more enjoyable.”
As a result of analysis of routine samples, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have indicated a high bacterial result in the water at Portobello Beach.
SEPA are temporarily advising against bathing and paddling, at Portobello Beach from Pipe Lane to Joppa Rocks, due to the potential risk to human health. SEPA have activated electronic signs and the Council is arranging additional signs to be posted to support this.
SEPA are working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Water to investigate and will continue to monitor the situation.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “We’re aware of SEPA’s current advice against bathing and paddling at Portobello beach and I’d request that people follow the advice.
“The matter is currently under investigation, and we’ll continue to liaise with SEPA and our partners to monitor the situation.”
New Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP Chris Murray said: “Horrible to see Porty beach is closed due to a threat to human health.
“Please take care in the coming days and stay out of the water. As the local MP, I will be pushing to get this issue dealt with.”
Further information on Scotland’s Bathing Waters is available on SEPA’s website.
SATURDAY 22nd JUNE from 10.30am – 1.30pm
in PORTOBELLO TOWN HALL
Further engagement is taking place on the regeneration of #Seafield in #Edinburgh.
To have your say on the emerging masterplan, take part in the survey at https://tinyurl.com/2tk2rnef, or come to Portobello Town Hall tomorrow.
Glasgow-based, award-winning architecture firm Loader Monteith has been appointed to lead a design team undertaking detailed feasibility work on a community cinema project in Portobello,
The commission, by The Friends of George (FoTG) group, is supported by the award of a grant from The Architectural Heritage Fund.
The design team’s work will dovetail into an in-depth commercial and operational assessment being undertaken by independent cinema consultants, Mustard Studios, whose work is being funded by a grant from the Scottish Land Fund.
Loader Monteith approached Stefanie Fischer, a leading cinema architect within the UK’s independent cinema sector to join their team as a subconsultant. Her expertise as a cinema architect complements the expertise of Loader Monteith Architects as conservation architects.
The appointment of the Loader Monteith led team builds on a long running campaign by FoTG who have been working to save the art deco former cinema from demolition. With strong support from within their community, FoTG hope to acquire and restore the C-listed building, and operate it as a cinema for the community. These latest commissions will develop and refine the group’s ambitious plans and will also include input from educational and film industry partners.
Mike Griffiths, Friends of the George Chair said: “We are delighted to be able to appoint such an expert team of professionals to develop and refine our proposals as we continue to point the way towards a positive future for The George not only in the heart of the community of Portobello, but more broadly, to play a role in the cinema sector in Scotland.
“The consultants we have working on this bring extensive expertise and experience to the project and will be led by a firm of architects with a burgeoning reputation for exciting contemporary architectural design, deployed to breathe new life into historic buildings.
“We’re extremely grateful for the financial support we have received from the Architectural Heritage Fund, the Scottish Land Fund and our benefactor Victoria Schwab.”
Iain King, Specialist Conservation Architect and Director at Loader Monteith, said: “We are pleased to have been selected as the lead architects, alongside our expert team of consultants, to support the Friends of The George in developing the proposal for the George Cinema.
“Despite the building currently being on the Buildings at Risk Register, it benefits from strong community support and the dedication of the Friends of The George, a group committed to preserving this Art Deco gem and restoring it as a sustainable, independent cinema.
“We look forward to collaborating with them on this important project.”
Last year, Friends of The George Limited had the cinema building formally valued by a firm of professional surveyors and made an offer to purchase it as a “restoring purchaser”, based on that valuation. Funds for purchase were very generously offered by benefactor, writer V.E Schwab.
This offer was rejected by the current owners of the building who have tried – and failed – twice in recent years to secure consent to substantially demolish The George and develop the site with luxury flats.
Most recently, last October, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) published their decision notice on the application by the current owner to have The George ‘delisted’. HES confirmed that the building continues to meet the criteria of special architectural and historic interest and so there will be no statutory change to the current ‘C’ listing designation.
Recent silent, community protests, independent of the FoTG group, have called on the current owner of the building to clear up the mess outside of the cinema and to address the continued neglect and dereliction of the building.
POLICE are appealing for help to trace an 88-year-old woman reported missing from Edinburgh.
Joyce Shand was last seen around 7.15am this morning (Wednesday, 12 June) in the Moira Terrace area of the city.
She is described as 5ft 4ins, slim, with short white/grey hair.
She is believed to be wearing dark coloured trousers and a light blue jacket. She uses a walking stick.
Sergeant Leigh Inglis said: “Concerns are growing for Joyce’s welfare and we need to make sure she is safe and well.
“Joyce has a bus pass but we do not know at this stage what direction she may have taken so I am asking the public to keep an eye out for her.
“If you see Joyce or know where she might be then please get in touch with us.”
Scottish Green co-leader and Lothian MSP, Lorna Slater joined Edinburgh East and Musselburgh candidate Amanda Grimm for her election campaign launch at Portobello Promenade today.
The launch took with Lorna Slater, Amanda Grimm and local members at Straiton Place Park on Portobello Promenade.
Amanda lives and works in the constituency as a researcher at the Scottish Parliament. She has also worked in the culture sector and was a professional ballet dancer in Washington DC before moving to Edinburgh in 2007.
Lorna Slater said: “I’m really pleased to be supporting Amanda. She is a really excellent candidate and would be a fantastic voice for people in Edinburgh East and Musselburgh.
“I’ve known Amanda for years. She is grounded in her community, and would bring so much to Westminster. I have seen first hand how committed she is to her work and her values. She has a real interest in expertise in what is happening locally and around the world.
“I wish Amanda every success and will be working hard to get the highest vote possible for her campaign.”
Speaking ahead of her campaign launch, Amanda said: “I’m delighted to launch my campaign today as the Scottish Greens candidate for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh.
“We need real change at Westminster. 14 years of Tory austerity has worsened inequality and brought our public sector to its knees. Labour promises little change, even refusing to cap bankers’ bonuses.
“Different choices are possible. While the Scottish Greens were in government we doubled the child payment to support thousands of families, made bus travel free for everyone under 22 and secured record investment in nature and green jobs.
“We are the only party that is serious about tackling the climate emergency. Voting Green will send a strong message to Westminster: voters want real action on climate, not empty promises and U-turns.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are encouraging visitors to “check the weather, check the water” via SEPA’s bathing waters website before heading to one of the country’s designated bathing waters this season.
Scotland has 89 designated bathing waters around the country, from Dunnet in Caithness to Brighouse Bay in Kirkcudbright, and 98% will meet or exceed the Sufficient classification for 2024, with 84% achieving the higher standards of Excellent or Good.
Last year Scotland started the season with the highest number of bathing waters ever, after the designation of Wardie Bay in Edinburgh and the re-designation of Fisherrow Sands in East Lothian. In 2024 the country starts with the best water quality on record as both begin the season rated as ‘Good’.
The full list of bathing water classifications is available on SEPA’s website.
Check the water
The season begins on the 1st of June and runs until the 15th of September. During this time, SEPA’s specialist teams will be checking the water by collecting and analysing around 1,500 water samples from all designated bathing waters. These provide regular water quality information which is published on online.
The results also form part of the four-year rolling data set that determines the classification for each bathing water every season.
SEPA’s website and electronic messaging signs, which operate at 30 bathing waters, are updated at 10am every day with real-time water quality predictions. Although generally of a high quality, the bathing waters can be affected by heavy rain and results can be accessed at sepa.org.uk/checkthewater so people can check before they travel.
SEPA can also make people aware of any abnormal pollution events that may impact water quality via this page, as well as using the network of electronic signs and physical signs posted by local authorities and other partners at all other beaches.
Check the weather
While sunny weather always draws more people to bathing waters, it’s important to not just check the weather on the day you go. It is recommended that users do not bathe for one to two days after heavy rain – and beaches with SEPA electronic signs will warn against bathing when poor water is predicted.
Our climate impacts on water quality, and heavy rain can wash contaminants off both rural and urban land and can cause overflows from sewage systems. These overflows prevent systems being overwhelmed with rainwater and backing up into homes and businesses.
Altogether the combination of water quality predictions and information about abnormal pollution events shared by SEPA, plus awareness of recent rainfall events and the potential impact allows people to check the water at any bathing water they plan to visit to make an informed decision whether to bathe or enjoy on-land activities.
Ruth Stidson, SEPA’s Principal Scientist for bathing waters, said: “Scotland has the highest ever number of designated bathing waters, with the best water quality since 2015, when tighter standards first came into force.
“We know there’s many physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors and beaches can offer great spaces for that. They are regularly used by coastal communities, as well as by groups for water-based activities. Scotland has a mixture of urban and rural bathing waters, and many are accessible by walking or public transport, often making them a budget-friendly option. Visitors often plan a whole day around being at the water, which can also benefit local economies.
“We encourage everyone planning to visit our beautiful bathing waters this summer to check the weather, check the water before they leave for their day out and ensure they have the best information possible to enjoy their time in our stunning Scottish environment.”
Mairi McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy said: “We now have the highest number of designated Bathing Water sites ever, with 98% of Scotland’s bathing waters currently achieving the bathing water quality standards and 84% being rated “good” or “excellent”.
“However, we are not complacent and we continue to work closely with SEPA and Scottish Water to monitor and improve water quality on our designated beaches and in our designated lochs.
“We want to ensure that as many people as possible are able to continue to safely enjoy them throughout this summer and beyond and I would encourage everyone to make use of SEPA’s resources and information to help make an informed decision about where and when to bathe.”
Protecting and improving water quality
SEPA’s monitoring data provides crucial evidence to drive investment and improvement in both rural and urban areas. We regulate and work with businesses, farmers and land managers across the country protect and improve water quality. This approach will continue to deliver real progress in the coming years for the future of our water environment.
Communities and visitors can help to protect our water environment, including beaches and bathing waters.
Visitors are encouraged to bag and bin dog poo, bin litter or take it away, and avoid feeding gulls as that can attract them to areas in higher numbers.
Every year Scottish Water teams deal with around 36,000 blockages, costing customers about £7 million annually, and around 80% of those are caused by people flushing the wrong items down the toilet – particularly wet wipes – or pouring fats, oil and grease down the sink. These meld to cause blockages in the sewer system and can contribute to spills of pollution into the environment.
Professor Simon Parsons, Director of Environment, Planning and Assurance at Scottish Water said: “We would echo SEPA’s call for people to check the weather and the water before swimming at a designated bathing water.
“Scottish Water is committed to continuing to support the protection and improvement of Scotland’s rivers and coastal waters and we are very pleased that almost all bathing waters meet or exceed the “sufficient” classification and that 84% are “excellent” or “good”.
“We check almost 500 of our assets before and during the bathing season to ensure they are delivering the level of service we expect.
“We look forward to playing our part in ensuring bathing waters become destinations for people to enjoy Scotland’s fantastic coastal waters.
“Scottish Water has invested £2.7 billion in improving and maintaining the country’s public drainage system and infrastructure over more than the past decade to help improve our waters.
“Our Improving Urban Waters Routemap, which supports the national River Basin Management Plan objectives (92% good water quality by 2027), commits us to additional investment of up to £500m to further improve water quality.”
Full list of 2023/24 classifications
Thousands of protesters will take to coasts and rivers across the UK today to protest against the state of the nation’s waterways. The protests have been coordinated by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), who are calling for an end to the sewage discharges plaguing the UK’s rivers and seas, as sewage overflows continue to have a devastating impact on ecological and human health.
Over 30 protests are set to take place at local beaches and rivers, spanning locations from Edinburgh to Cornwall. Flagship protests are taking place at West Pier in Brighton and at Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth, with Olympian and keen paddle-boarder Dame Kelly Holmes set to join protesters on the south coast.
Edinburgh protestors will gather on Portobello beach at 10.30am.
Charlie Allanson-Oddy, founding member of the Porty Water Collective and SAS regional representative, who is helping to organise the Portobello protest, said: “Walking the beaches in Portobello, the reality of sewage scandal is clear with thousands of baby wipes washed up weekly.
Testing has repeatedly found dangerous levels of E.coli and chloroforms in the Figgate Burn, a freshwater source that runs through Scotland’s capital. Unlike England and Wales, Scottish Water is publicly owned: however they continue to ignore us.
“We are united in protest in Edinburgh to raise awareness of the shocking pollution of our waterways and demand change. Sewage dumping in our waters must stop.”
Giles Bristow, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, said: “Once again, the public face a grim choice this summer – risk swallowing shit or forgo a dip in the water.
“This year offers an opportunity to turn our collective anger into action and end the sewage scandal, with panicked politicians in listening mode, desperate to ride the waves of popular sentiment.
“A general election is imminent, and the public are out on the beachfronts and riverbanks making it clear that the issue of sewage pollution is at the top of the agenda. Ahead of the election, all parties need to show people genuine and quantifiable commitments to eliminate sewage pollution, or suffer the consequences.”
This year is a huge opportunity for action on sewage pollution. Water quality is predicted to be a core issue influencing voters in the next general election, which must happen before January 2025.
Meanwhile, in June, regulator Ofwat – whose role is to challenge and scrutinise water companies to ensure they deliver safe and reliable water to people and protect the environment – will deliver recommendations on water companies’ investment plans for the next five years (2025 – 2030).
Water companies have proposed plans for £11 billion in investment for reducing sewage discharges for this period, with customer bills increasing in tandem – a move that has sparked outrage among the public, particularly in the context of the profits paid out to water company bosses and shareholders year on year.
According to analysis by the Financial Times, water companies in England and Wales paid out £2.5bn in dividends in the two financial years since 2021 and a total of more than £78bn in dividends in the 33 years since privatisation.
Giles Bristow added: “Thousands are protesting on the water this weekend to let politicians, regulators and water companies know that the public aren’t going to let them wriggle out of demands for clean seas and rivers.
“We’re calling for plans that are ambitious enough to end sewage pollution in high-priority nature sites and the waters we surf, swim and paddle in by 2030, putting people and nature before profit. We won’t tolerate this broken system any longer.”
Double Gold medal-winning Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes, who will be paddling out with protesters in Brighton, said:“I love nothing more than getting out into the open water on my paddle-board – it does wonders for my mental health, and there’s such a sense of community amongst those who use our wild waterways for sport and recreation.
“But this incredibly special pastime has been tainted for all of us by the persistent risk of getting sick from pollution. The poor state of our rivers and seas is shocking and infuriating.
“Whole generations are being deprived of the right to safely enjoy the benefits that blue spaces offer. Our waterways are for us and should be here to enjoy as they are so important for our collective health and wellbeing. Events costing thousands are getting cancelled. To see our rivers and seas being treated so appallingly by those responsible for looking after them is nothing short of a national scandal.
“I’m paddling out with Surfers Against Sewage and thousands of water-lovers across the country because I’m passionate about our waterways, I’m angry about what’s being done to them, and I want the polluters and those in power to hear our demands to end sewage pollution now.”
In 2023, there were 584,001 recorded discharges across England, Scotland and Wales – a 51% increase on the previous year – with sewage released into waterways for a total of 12,966,322 hours.
Of the 11 water companies with monitoring in place, United Utilities was the worst offender, reporting 97,537 discharges in 2023. Yorkshire Water and Severn Trent Water were hot on its heels, reporting 77,761 and 60,253 discharges respectively. SAS analysis has found that Welsh Water had a total of 108,860 discharges, although this is not directly comparable to England due to differing methods of reporting.
Paddle-outs will be taking place in the majority of water company catchments this weekend – including Scottish Water, where there were 15,289 spills last year, and Northern Ireland Water, where discharge figures are unavailable due to a lack of monitoring.
The Environment Agency boasts that 100% of storm overflows in England are now fitted with monitoring devices. However, analysis of this year’s Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) data by SAS has revealed that EDM monitors at 1,930 storm overflows, 13.3% of the total monitored overflows, are operating at less than 90% capacity – which means the discharge figures for England in 2023 are an underestimate.
Sally McGee, Tynemouth protest organiser and SAS supporter, said: “Every surfer across the UK knows that they run the risk of getting sick if they surf. Many beaches on the beautiful coast around Tynemouth are subject to the discharge of raw sewage immediately after or during storms.
“You can smell and taste the difference in the water. It’s really upsetting and feels like we are going backwards in time.
“As a surfer, I believe we have a beautiful relationship with the ocean – we see it in all its glory, and we see it suffer. Up here, we share the ocean with bottlenose dolphins and common seals, whilst fulmar birds fly above us.
“When I surf and the water is brown from pollution as untreated sewage leaves the Tyne, I can only imagine how marine life endures it. We can choose if we surf, but it’s their everyday habitat.
“We are protesting in Tynemouth because we are outraged that water companies and our politicians have allowed this to happen. They have a vital role in society and are abusing their position. They must stop the greed, invest and do better. We demand an end to sewage discharges in our bathing waters by 2030.”
SAS is calling for an end to sewage discharges into all bathing waters and high-priority nature sites by 2030.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Williamson Trust have given their support to three community research projects in Edinburgh, aimed at promoting healthy living.
The RSE and Williamson Trust have given their support to 12 new community-led research projects, which will promote the health of individuals by fostering healthy communities, healthy environments, and healthy food.
This is the first year that the Healthy Planet, Healthy People awards have been given out. Originally only ten awards were planned, however the strength of the applications was such that a further two projects will now be supported.
The Community Renewal Trust in North Edinburgh has received £4,600 of funding. The Trust is part of the R2 network of organisations that collaborate to achieve better outcomes in local communities.
Through the project, the group will explore the feasibility of establishing a food buying group for local organisations that would achieve economies of scale, improve the quality and quantity of food available in the area, reduce food waste and reduce the time, energy and food miles that local organisations are spending in procuring food in north Edinburgh.
R2 co-ordinator Anita Aggarwal said: “Local people and organisations have been at the forefront of finding dignified solutions to food insecurity in the area.
“This award will help us work towards our vision of sustainably produced food being affordable and available in the area. As a network of organisations, we know we can achieve more if we work together, but finding time to collaborate can be hard, so this helping hand will go a long way and have a wide impact in the long term.”
Art Walk Projects based in Portobello is set receive £5,000 to develop a series of public conversations with artists, scientists, farmers, landscape architects and climate scientists to establish a strategy for coastal communities to achieve net zero.
Founder and artistic director Rosy Naylor said: “We are so very delighted to receive the support from RSE and Williamson Trust enabling us to develop our new project ‘Thrift: Climate Conversations’ involving local coastal communities in conversations around issues of food production, farming and coastal ecologies of northeast Edinburgh.
“It will provide for a rich multi-disciplinary approach engaging local publics around possible future food environments.”
Nourish Scotland’s “Our Right to Food” project is the third in Edinburgh to benefit from funding, receiving £5,000. The project aims to develop ways to measure the progress towards the right to good quality affordable food in Scotland.
Senior project officer Irina Martin said: “We are delighted to have been successful to get the ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People’: Community-led Award. The Our Right to Food project aims to learn what people in Scotland would choose as a healthy and enjoyable way to eat so that rights holders and decision makers can better identify how to make this accessible for all.
“It does this by working with people from the community to create and then price “shopping baskets” for typical households across Scotland – the idea being that these baskets can be used to measure whether a “good enough” diet is affordable.
“This funding will support the next phase of the project which will focus on a typical Pakistani household in Scotland. This is to explore whether a “good enough” diet is more or less affordable for different groups within Scotland, and in doing so, show the functional value it could have when it comes to measuring progress toward achieving the right to food in Scotland.”
Aside from the three food security projects in Edinburgh, funding has also been awarded to a number of other projects in the west of Scotland, the Highlands and Islands, Fife and Perth.
Professor David E Salt FRSE, chair of the Williamson Trust said: “I speak for all the trustees when I say we were incredibly excited to see the very strong response we got from communities across Scotland.
“From food waste, the right to food and cooperative local growing, to rebuilding biodiversity and land rights, community street play, urban forests, and climate conversations as street theatre.
“The Trust hopes this seed funding will deliver real change and lead to larger impacts going into the future. We are very excited to be working with these communities across Scotland to help them make a new and better future.”
RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE said: “This is the first time that the RSE has supported this type of research, as the Society broadens its range of research awards, and I feel that it is vital that we do so.
“The health of the individual and the health of the environment are inextricably linked, and it is my hope that these awards will now provide a boost to these exciting research groups which will lead to improvements in both.
“I very much look forward to following their progress and achievements over the next 12 months.”
