Annual General Meeting – Thursday 19th November 2020
Apologies for an error in the last mailing which wrongly stated the date of the AGM. This will take place on Zoom at 7pm until 9pm on Thursday 19th November 2020.
Papers will be available up to the meeting at EACC Documents on the website.
The Zoom details will be sent no later than 24hours before the meeting for those registered to attend.
We request that only the nominated Community Council representative plus one other attend to keep numbers manageable.
The Office Bearer nomination form is also available on the website in EACC Documents and also attached here in MSWord and PDF format.
Nominations close at midday on Tuesday 17th November 2020.
It is hoped that a presentation by a senior CEC officer informing on plans to take the City forward currently and after the pandemic will follow the business meeting. Further details to follow.
We have also published a document, On video conferencing: guidance from the Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) which is available to download HERE
A message to Community Councils from Living Streets Edinburgh Group:
Living Streets Edinburgh Group is very interested in working with community councils in any part of Edinburgh.
In particular, we would be keen to join in any local ‘walkabouts’ or possibly more formal street audits with the aim of identifying ways to improve streets for ‘everyday walking’. While this is obviously not a good time for such activity, please get in touch if your community council is interested in this some time in the future: edinburghgroup@livingstreets.org.uk.
We are also of course keen to hear from any individuals who would like to get more involved in our work or who may be interested in taking forward local walking projects of any kind.
David Hunter, Convenor, Living Streets Edinburgh Group
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is delighted to welcome Lisa Roet’s Golden Monkey installation to Inverleith House.
The hand-painted, 45-foot high sculpture takes the form of an endangered snub-nose monkey, highlighting the plight of these increasingly endangered primates and the urgent action needed on climate change.
Previous installations by the ecological artist have appeared on landmarks in Beijing, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Australia, but this autumn the sculpture is making its UK debut at RBGE Creative Programmes.
Discover more about Lisa Roet and the Golden Monkey installation at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh via: https://www.rbge.org.uk/goldenmonkey
– Supermarket launches a new meal delivery service to provide self-isolating school pupils with breakfast, lunch and snacks, seven days a week –
– Service is open to students who would normally be eligible for free-school meals –
– Morrisons Kids Meal Pack has been developed with Morrisons in-house nutritionist to ensure children have a healthy and balanced diet –
Morrisons has launched a new meal delivery service for schools that are feeding primary school children who are having to self-isolate.
The supermarket is working with schools to provide kids who would normally be eligible for free-school meals with breakfast, lunch and snacks, seven days a week – for as long as they are self-isolating.
Many school children are being asked to self-isolate due to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases within their school bubbles.
In recent weeks, schools have told Morrisons they had been struggling with the costs of food and delivery. They had also expressed concern some pupils were missing out on vital support as a result of self-isolating.
The Morrisons Kids Meal Pack was produced by Morrisons after reaching out to schools to establish their needs. It aims to provide healthy and balanced meals and has been developed in partnership with Morrisons company nutritionist.
The Morrisons Kids Meal Pack includes cereal, milk, bread, fruit, yoghurts, sandwich fillings, pasta and squash. It costs £12.50 for one child and provides breakfast, lunch and snacks for seven days a week. The cost is covered by the school as part of the Government’s free school meals programme.
Schools can order the Morrisons Kids Meal Pack directly from the Morrisons Doorstep Delivery Team. Orders are then picked and packed by local Morrisons stores, and sent to children’s homes via its ‘doorstep delivery’ service. This saves the school time and costly transportation fees.
Nicole Olive from the Morrisons Local Teamsaid: “Each of our stores is close to its local community to listen hard and understand its needs – and schools were saying they had difficulty getting free school meals to isolating children.
“We can put affordable and nutritious food on the table during this difficult time.”
Paula Duckworth, Head Teacher at Lammack Primary Schoolwhere the scheme was trialled said: “We were struggling to provide children eligible for free school meals with healthy and cost-effective food while they were self-isolating.
“So I was thankful to be contacted by Morrisons to see if this was something they could help with. The Morrisons Kids Meal Pack service has been such a lifeline for our kids.”
The Morrisons Kids Meal Pack is available nationwide now. To place orders, school should email Morrisons Doorstep Delivery Team on schoolbox@morrisonsplc.co.uk.
Top restaurant group, Kained, has teamed up with TiPJAR and Hospitality Action to kickstart a national charity campaign to help Scottish hospitality workers during the COVID-19 crisis.
If you take a stroll down Finnieston this month, you’ll spot an innovative window display that has been designed to support local hospitality staff who have been hit the worst during the pandemic.
The pioneering new ‘Support Local’ activation – the first of its kind in the world launches today (Monday, 2nd November), and is the first fintech project of its kind in Scotland to tackle challenges presented by the uncertainty of the current pandemic and help support local hospitality staff.
TiPJAR – the UK’s new cashless and contactless tipping platform will help raise emergency funds for the Kained 100-strong team, and thousands of others nationally, who like many in the hospitality sector are receiving reduced support for 67% of their regular income and in most cases, now facing no government support due to changes in the new tier system and furlough eligibility.
The revolutionary campaign sees contactless tipping boxes provided by TiPJAR in the Finnieston restaurant windows which you can support by giving a £2 cash-free donation that goes directly to Hospitality Action to distribute to hospitality workers across Scotland – including the Kained team.
Simply tap to tip on their window to support local workers, with half of the money distributed straight to the Kained staff and the other half donated to a national pot to help the most at-risk workers.
Graham Suttle, MD of Kained, said: “We are proud to kick off a national campaign to bring support and a much-needed lifeline for so many, in such difficult times.
“Our customers are as much part of the family as our team, and have asked so many times to help they now have a safe and direct way via this award-winning platform, to help support our amazing team and those most in need across the nation.”
TiPJAR is an award-winning cashless tipping platform that allows individuals and groups to receive tips from consumers directly and distribute them transparently and fairly amongst their team.
James Brown, founder of TiPJAR and retail director of to BrewDog, said: “Having started my hospitality career working in bars in the city, I couldn’t think of a better place to launch this campaign.
“As many staff and businesses now face their toughest challenge of the pandemic so far, we wanted to do what we can to help the staff at Kained and staff all across the U.K.”
All funds will be donated towards Hospitality Action who will distribute funds to hospitality workers in Scotland.
If you would like to support the initiative, you can donate by clicking this link, head to the Finnieston and tap to tip their windows or visit https://tip.wearetipjar.com/p/kh-finnieston
Police in Edinburgh have launched their annual campaign to keep the public safe during the period between Halloween and Bonfire Night.
Operation Crackle will see local officers throughout the Capital out on patrol during evenings and weekends to deter antisocial and criminal activity involving fireworks and keep communities safe from disorder and damage.
Halloween and Bonfire Night weekends are typically some of the busiest times for police, not only in Edinburgh, but across the city, and as always a partnership approach is being taken by the division.
Working alongside the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and City of Edinburgh Council, officers have been engaging with young people through school inputs and social media to highlight the risks associated with fireworks and the consequences of getting involved in any forms of crime using these items.
In addition, police have conducted joint patrols with council environmental wardens and SFRS personnel to carry out environmental audits and identify any debris or materials that could be used to start bonfires.
When found, these items have been removed.
While working to ensure the safety of the public within the city, Operation Crackle also looks to preserve the safety of all emergency service workers deployed during the coming weekends.
A zero tolerance approach towards violence and threatening behaviour is being taken and everyone is urged to act responsibly if handling fireworks.
Supporting Operation Crackle, Police Scotland’s national initiative, Operation Moonbeam is again in place to support local divisions with a range of additional and specialist resources.
These additional officers can be used if public disorder and violence takes place requiring a more robust response.
Dispersal zones will be in operation across Edinburgh again this year in an attempt to combat antisocial behaviour and disorder over the bonfire period.
This is the third year dispersal zones have operated across the city. The zones will run between 2pm and midnight on Wednesday 4th November to Saturday 7th November.
The areas covered by the zones include Muirhouse, West Pilton, Portobello, Loganlea, Saughton, Gorgie, Gilmerton, Moredun and Southhouse.
The dispersal zones enable police to instruct groups of two or more people who are congregating and behaving in an antisocial manner in these areas to disperse. Those who fail to comply, or fail to stay away for up to 24 hours, can face arrest.
Police are asking parents and guardians to have frank conversations with young people in their care and remind them to behave in a manner that does not put themselves, or others, at risk of harm.
Unlike previous years, organised Bonfire Night events have all been cancelled as a result of COVID-19. Police patrols will take place across the city to identify illegal bonfires, as well as deal with any breaches of current Scottish Government coronavirus restriction legislation.
Chief Inspector David Happs, who is leading on Operation Crackle, said: “We know that the vast majority of those who purchase fireworks do so in order to enjoy Bonfire Night responsibly. However, a small minority use the Halloween and Bonfire Night period to get involved in disorder and commit acts of violence and damage.
“Let me make it clear, that such behaviour is not acceptable and if you are involved in criminality involving fireworks, you can expect to be arrested. If not on the night, then as we carry out follow-up inquiries.
“I know many people will be really disappointed that they are unable to attend organised events this year, but I would urge everyone to be mindful of existing guidelines and legislation aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19. Please do not do anything that puts you in breach of the current restrictions.
“For the past three years, we have been able to call upon additional specialist national resources to assist local officers. Once again, these officers are available if they are needed and I’m grateful to have them as an operational consideration.
“We want everyone to have a great Halloween and Bonfire Night, but please enjoy these events responsibly and help us keep you, and everyone else, safe throughout.”
Kenny Rogers, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Local Senior Officer for the City of Edinburgh, said: “This Bonfire Night will be a different experience for many of us.
“We know that many organised public displays have been cancelled due to COVID-19 and that some may consider private use of fireworks in their gardens.
“We would urge caution over the private use of fireworks and remind people that these items can pose grave dangers.
“If you are planning on using fireworks in a private setting, please familiarise yourself with our Fireworks Code before purchasing. It is designed to help keep you and your loved ones safe.
“I would like to stress that this is our busiest night of the year and that we must maintain a capacity to respond to emergencies.
“Last year we saw a large spike in deliberate fire-setting and this can divert firefighters away from genuine emergencies, where lives may be at risk.
“We do take a zero-tolerance approach to fire-setting and will work with police to identify those responsible, but we also realise it’s a very small minority of people involved.
“Ultimately, I would urge those who are marking Bonfire Night to help us by reading all safety advice before using fireworks and by helping protect Scotland’s emergency services.”
“For more information visit our fireworks safety page at ww.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety/fireworks-safety.aspx”
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Chair of Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership said: “Protecting our communities from harm is a priority for us all in the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership and we will continue to work with our partners to prevent anti-social behaviour in the lead up to Bonfire Night to ensure that Edinburgh remains a safe place for its residents.
“It’s important that we all look after each other. Fly tipping during the Bonfire and Fireworks season can be a major cause of fire and we ask that if anyone sees fly tipping or notices an area where there is a build-up of refuse or combustible material to please let the council know.”
Courageous student gets her degree and the job of her dreams
A former prison officer and bank worker whose eyes were opened to the possibilities of a career in nursing by her own serious illness has graduated from Edinburgh Napier University.
Ellie Lamb was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer five years ago while working at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian.
Following surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she struggled to keep up with the demands of the prison job, and decided to retrain as a nurse – partly motivated by the quality of care she had herself received in hospital.
Ellie completed a distance learning Higher in human biology to add to her earlier HND in psychology and criminology, and, armed with these qualifications, she was accepted at Edinburgh Napier in 2017. However, her path to a Bachelor of Nursing degree in adult nursing, which she successfully completed this week, has been far from plain sailing.
Last year she was re-diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, leading to more chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but she refused to abandon her summer placement with a West Lothian district nursing team.
Mother-of-three Ellie, 49, of Armadale, said: “Apart from the time off to have my treatment I never missed a day, and I also developed a love for wound management. By the end of my placement I was given a run of my own, attending patients with minor injuries.
“I often thought about giving up – it was hard, with the treatment, my placement, and my family and study commitments. I was exhausted and in so much pain but my love of nursing and my desire to carry on and get my degree drove me on.”
This year’s Covid-19 pandemic brought fresh concerns. As a shielded patient, Ellie had to seek special permission to complete a ‘low-risk’ community hospital placement to remain on target to graduate.
Now she has been rewarded for her outstanding courage and perseverance with both a degree and a permanent job as a staff nurse at Tippethill House Hospital in Armadale.
Ellie said: “I chose to be a nurse, and that was a commitment to care for people who needed it regardless of the risk to myself.
“My new job at Tippethill offers everything I enjoy – care of the elderly, wound management and also end-of-life care which I am really enthusiastic about.
“I’m not sure what the future holds for me. I will fight and work for as long as I can, doing a job I love. It’s just a shame that it took my own illness to open my eyes to nursing. I wish I had done it years ago.”
Emma Trotter, Edinburgh Napier’s field lead in adult nursing, said: “I have personally and professionally been moved and inspired over the last three years by Ellie Lamb, not only as a brilliant student nurse but as a role model for the nursing profession.
“Ellie’s determination, enthusiasm, energy and hard work to achieve her goal to be a trained nurse while facing her own health concerns were all an example of her passion to make a difference to the lives of the people she cares for.
“Her story has touched all our hearts within the BN programme, both staff and students, and we would like to take this opportunity to wish her the very best for her future career as a staff nurse.”
Aberdeen saw the biggest fall in job vacancies, followed by Edinburgh and Belfast
Covid restrictions and rise in remote work dragging down jobs recovery in cities across the country
Deserted high streets and city centres are hampering Britain’s jobs recovery with urban areas in Scotland and south England bearing the steepest declines in vacancies.
New research by the Centre for Cities think tank and global job site Indeed found that seven months after the nationwide lockdown was imposed, job vacancies have failed to return to pre-Covid levels in all 63 towns and cities they analysed.
The rise in people working from home has dried up demand for local services in big cities, with London, Manchester and Edinburgh – cities where remote work has been most feasible during the pandemic – among the places with the slowest recovery in job postings in local services businesses compared with last year.
In London 10.7% of job postings mention ‘remote work’ and in large cities with a population of over 600,000 the rate is 9.7%.
While no place or sector has escaped the labour market crisis, those where high street footfall returned to normal more quickly – Birkenhead, Chatham and Hull – have seen a faster recovery in posted job vacancies. Public sector jobs have also been relatively sheltered from the crisis compared to private sector ones.
Andrew Carter, Centre for Cities’ Chief Executive, said:“While unemployment continues to rise, the number of jobs available to people who find themselves out of work is far below its level last year in every single large city and town in the UK. This could have potentially catastrophic long-term consequences for people and the economy.
“The Government has told us to expect a tough winter and, while local lockdowns are necessary to protect lives, it is vital that ministers continue to listen and reassess the level of support given to help people and places to cope with the months ahead.
“The Chancellor made welcome amendments to the JSS which should help save jobs, but many places across the country didn’t have enough jobs before the pandemic hit so creating more will be vital to prevent long-term economic damage to their local economies.”
Pawel Adrjan, EMEA head of research at the global job site Indeed, said:“The timid recovery in job vacancies is a portent of the distress towns and cities could face if restrictions continue to spring up in parts of the country already reeling from imposed lockdowns and reduced footfall.
“With the remote work trend showing no sign of abating – and entire regions being placed under stricter control – service jobs in large towns and cities could become scarcer still and pull the UK into a jobs spiral. That could mean a very long winter ahead for the millions of people currently unemployed.”
Ground-breaking Augmented Reality Communications spin-out recruits as it prepares to go to market
A NEW Edinburgh Napier spin-out business is expanding as it seeks to market a product which brings real-world objects to life in mobile devices.
3FINERY uses ground-breaking Augmented Reality (AR) technology which can boost customer engagement with remote marketing campaigns by portraying goods, services and venues in innovative ways. It is expected to appeal strongly to businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new twist on traditional AR methods was developed at the School of Computing over a three-year period by Professor Kenny Mitchell (above) and his former PhD student Dr Llogari Casas.
Intermediated Reality technology enables uniquely efficient communication via animation of real objects. It has been showcased at international conferences and trade shows, and the growth of 3FINERY has been supported with major cash injections from the ICURe programme and Innovate UK.
Now the start-up is looking for Graphics Software Engineer and Technical Artist talent with the intention to grow the team rapidly in readiness for the final push to get the product market-ready.
Co-founder Llogari (above) said: “The technology provides a novel way of interacting with products both around you and far away, and can be easily integrated with existing software, offering unique interactive experiences.
“It is very exciting to have got the project to this stage, with the backing of the University, and we are now looking to press on with commercialisation.”
Augmented Reality allows brands to create fun interactive experiences for their customers with a few taps on their mobile phone, but the 3FINERY technology goes a step further than competitors, who use AR to overlay content on the screen, and can bring any desired object to life remotely and realistically.
Intermediated Reality, the technology behind the company, is a framework for highly efficient distributed communication. It was developed by Llogari and Kenny through an EU Horizon 2020 project entitled ‘DISTRO’. 3FINERY enables play and collaboration via remote channeling of voice and motion through objects that come to life in mobile Augmented Reality.
The ICURe programme – Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research – made a grant of £45,000 to support six months of intensive market assessment and engagement with prospective customers, suppliers, partners and regulators to test the project’s commercial potential.
3FINERY raised a further £150,000 to develop the product for the market by winning a highly competitive Innovate UK funding competition.
Fiona Mason, Head of Business Engagement and IP Commercialisation at Edinburgh Napier, said: “3FINERY is a really exciting new technology emerging from our School of Computing.
“As a follow-on from the EU Horizon 2020 funding where the idea was developed, we were delighted to receive backing from ICURe to help us with our commercialisation journey – this is a highly competitive funding programme and well sought after, and the team found the support invaluable.
“The recent award from Innovate UK is further testament to the ingenuity of the idea, the expertise and skillset of the inventors, and the market readiness of the idea.
“Over the last 10 years, our School of Computing has achieved three successful cyber spin-outs – ZoneFox in 2010, Symphonic in 2013 and Cyan Forensics in 2017. We are delighted to be including 3FINERY in our venture portfolio and believe this magical technology will be a welcome disruptor in a fast-paced marketing landscape.”
The search is on for neighbours who go that extra mile as nominations open for the City of Edinburgh Council’s Good Neighbour Awards.
Established in 2016, the award is a way for residents to pay tribute to Council tenants who make an outstanding contribution to their local community.
Councillor Kate Campbell, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “This year, we want to hear about Edinburgh’s lockdown legends – those incredible neighbours who have gone above and beyond to support others in their community during what has been one of the most challenging years many of us have ever faced.
“I am always amazed at the inspiring stories I hear from our tenants and blown away by the selfless acts of our Good Neighbour Award winners. Please give back by taking the time to put forward your good neighbour for the recognition you know they deserve.
Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, added: “At the height of lockdown, things we once took for granted became difficult or impossible for many of us. Yet we very quickly saw big-hearted residents from all over the city give their time and energy to help others get through this challenging time.
Maybe you know someone who helped deliver shopping for someone who was shielding, or collected their prescriptions, or maybe just made sure people didn’t feel alone. Whatever difference your local lockdown legend made to you or your community, get nominating now.
Last year’s Good Neighbour Award winner was Council tenant Gilbert ‘Gibby’ McIntyre, who sadly passed away before he learned of his win. A donation to the RSPB has been made in his name, on the request of his family.
Speaking about his kind-hearted Dad, Gibby’s son Scott said: “Dad was very much interested in enhancing his, and others’, surroundings through his hard work in the garden.
“A big part of this was to attract birds and other wildlife and he made a point of positioning feeders and nesting boxes so that his neighbours could also enjoy the many visitors to the garden. This was particularly appreciated by those who were less able to get out and about.”
Nominations for this year’s awards should be emailed to the Council by 1 January 2021 at housing.research@edinburgh.gov.uk or by phone on 0131 529 7805.
The winners will be announced on the Council’s social media channels and in an edition of the Tenants’ Courier, the Council’s newsletter to all tenants.
Nominees and those who cast nominations will also be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a £100 shopping voucher.
Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, conducted cyber reconnaissance against officials and organisations at the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games due to take place in Tokyo this summer before they were postponed, the UK has revealed.
The targets included the Games’ organisers, logistics services and sponsors.
The attacks on the 2020 Summer Games are the latest in a campaign of Russian malicious cyber activity against the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The UK is confirming for the first time today the extent of GRU targeting of the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.
The GRU’s cyber unit attempted to disguise itself as North Korean and Chinese hackers when it targeted the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Games.
It went on to target broadcasters, a ski resort, Olympic officials and sponsors of the games in 2018.
The GRU deployed data-deletion malware against the Winter Games IT systems and targeted devices across the Republic of Korea using VPNFilter.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assesses that the incident was intended to sabotage the running of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the malware was designed to wipe data from and disable computers and networks.
Administrators worked to isolate the malware and replace the affected computers, preventing potential disruption.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “The GRU’s actions against the Olympic and Paralympic Games are cynical and reckless. We condemn them in the strongest possible terms.
The UK will continue to work with our allies to call out and counter future malicious cyber attacks.
The UK has already acted against the GRU’s destructive cyber unit by working with international partners to impose asset freezes and travel bans against its members through the EU cyber sanctions regime.
Today (Monday 19 October), the US Department of Justice has announced criminal charges against Russian military intelligence officers working for the GRU’s destructive cyber unit – also known by the codenames Sandworm and VoodooBear – for conducting cyber attacks against the 2018 Winter Games and other cyber attacks, including the 2018 spear phishing attacks against the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).
The UK attributed the attacks against DSTL, which followed the Salisbury poisonings, to Russia in 2018.
