Uncategorized – Page 257 – The NEN

Scottish Children’s Book Awards shortlist announced

The Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2015 are on 4 March in Edinburgh. Check out who made this year’s shortlist:

The shortlisting panel also wanted to recommend the following titles as Highly Commended. When you’ve read the shortlist why not take a look at these too?

Bookbug Readers (3-7 years)

Lollipop and Grandpa’s Dinosaur Hunt by Penelope Harper, illustrated by Cate James

Share by Sally Anne Garland

Younger Readers (8-11 years)

The Day the World Went Loki by Robert J Harris

Winter’s Tales by Lari Don

Circus of Thieves and the Raffle of Doom by William Sutcliffe

Older Readers (12-16 years)

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

Mind Blind by Lari Don

Redhall Walled Garden Easter Open Day

Here you go … our first mention of Easter!

Easter Open Day – 5th April 2015

Edinburgh Compact: Time for Action?

Compact Partnership – The Next Ten Years: Time for Action

Help us shape a forward strategy for the Edinburgh Compact Partnership – to help make YOUR ambitions reality.

Ten years since the launch of the Edinburgh Compact Partnership, we are developing a new forward strategy – to enable the Third Sector and the Public Sector to grow Social Value together. Join us for a panel discussion to consider the draft strategy and how the Compact Partnership might support your work for the next ten years.

Find more information and book your place now.

Compact: The Next 10 Years

Take this opportunity to have a say on an early draft of the new Edinburgh Compact Partnership Strategy at this panel discussion with input from Shulah Allan, David Jack and Geoff Pearson.

Over the last 5 months, Compact 10 have consulted with over 120 Third Sector organisations to hear their hopes for the future, and their view of Compact’s role in this future. This event is your chance to see how the new strategy is shaping up, and have your views on it heard.

This will be the premier Edinburgh Compact Partnership annual event, which will open up the work of the Partnership for discussion with Edinburgh’s Third Sector.

We think the strategy reflects our shared ambitions, but come and see what YOU think.

Date: Tuesday 3 March 2015, 5-8pm

Venue: King Khalid Symposium Hall, Hill Square, EH8 9DS

Contact Sarah Wade (sarah.wade@evoc.org.uk) for more details or click here to book your place.

Motorists: Waverley Bridge diversions from Tuesday

Waverley Bridge one way only for four weeks

Vehicles heading south will be diverted away from Waverley Bridge from next week so that further work can begin on pedestrian access improvements around Waverley Station. For four weeks from 6am on Tuesday (24 February), Waverley Bridge will become one way to northbound traffic only.

This is to allow the construction of a setted raised table, or an elevated section of road, on Waverley Bridge between the north and south ramps of Waverley Station.

The works are part of a £1 million programme to improve pedestrian access around Waverley Station.

The first phase of works on Market Street was completed in mid-2014 and included the creation of a temporary taxi rank, new loading areas and a cycle lane.

The second phase, which is ongoing, involves carriageway resurfacing and the widening of footways on Waverley Bridge, as well as the installation of upgraded drainage, kerb realignment, laying of sandstone and Caithness paving and improved pedestrian crossing facilities.

The raised table is designed to act as an informal or uncontrolled pedestrian crossing, encouraging traffic to slow down and making it much easier for pedestrians to cross the Bridge to and from the Station ramps.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener, said: “We appreciate that these works will inevitably cause some inconvenience for traffic heading south and we would ask for the public’s patience while we get this much-needed improvement work completed.

“The new raised section will create an informal pedestrian crossing so that people leaving or arriving at the Station on foot can feel much safer about crossing Waverley Bridge.”

Diversion routes will come into effect for southbound traffic, namely:

Princes Street – North Bridge – High Street – Jeffrey Street – Market Street

Princes Street – South St David Street – Queen Street – Hanover Street – The Mound – Market Street

Advance warning signs have been installed on site informing the public of the upcoming works and local businesses have been informed.

The Airlink bus service will remain on Waverley Bridge and the tour buses will be relocated to Market Street.

The taxi rank on Waverley Bridge will remain in its current position with access and egress only in a northbound direction.

Universal Credit ‘makes work pay’

The national roll out of Universal Credit begins tomorrow

Jobcentres from the rural Highlands of Scotland, down through the Vale of York and into London are moving over to the new benefit on Monday 16 February, says the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Edinburgh is among the first tranche to move over to UC.

Universal Credit eventually replaces six existing income-based benefits – Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Working and Child Tax Credits and Housing Benefit.

As part of the accelerated roll out announced by the Secretary of State, Iain Duncan Smith in September, over 150 Jobcentres will come on board in the next 2 months. It will then be available in all Jobcentres by this time next year.

And on the eve of this national roll out, new research shows that Universal Credit is getting people into work more quickly and so helping them to earn more.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith said: “This government’s welfare reforms have saved the taxpayer £50 billion and restored fairness to the system.

“The centrepiece of these reforms – Universal Credit – begins national roll out tomorrow. This landmark event is a key part of our long term economic plan, which guarantees you will always be better off in work than on benefits.

“The evidence today shows that under Universal Credit, people move into work more quickly and earn more money, giving them increased financial security. It is very impressive that we have seen these results so soon and that this is having a real impact on people’s lives. This is a cultural change which will alter the landscape of work for a generation.”

The government’s research shows that, over a 4 month period, claimants are:

13% more likely to have been in work than those on Jobseeker’s Allowance
earning more money

Similar to previous findings, the report also confirms that new Universal Credit claimants in the expanded sites are more likely than Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants to:

believe the benefit system is encouraging them to find work
take any job they are able to do
spend more time looking for work

Th DWP says that once fully rolled out, Universal Credit will boost the economy by £7 billion every year.

The Research

Read Universal Credit at Work – spring 2015

The research was carried out by tracking claimants from July 2013 to April 2014 in the areas of:

Warrington
Wigan
Oldham
Ashton-under-Lyne

These results based on income data from Real Time Information (RTI) were compared to a similar group of Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants.

Universal Credit Claims

More than 50,000 people have already made a claim to Universal Credit. It is available in 96 jobcentres including all of the north-west and is available to couples too. Claims from families and lone parents are also being taken in 32 sites.

Read the list of places where Universal Credit will be available between February and July 2015

uc-national-expansion

Time’s running out for Postcode Community Grant applications

Deadline for applications is THIS FRIDAY (30 January)!

Postcode Community Trust has launched a Community Grants programme, through which charities can apply for anything between £500 – £20,000 to deliver projects that positively impact on their local community.

Funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, applications for £2,000 or under are open to organisations that are not registered charities (although registered charities may apply for this smaller amount if they wish). Applications for between £2,000 – £20,000 will be open to registered charities only.

The Community Grants Programme will be accepting applications for projects that meets one or more of the following funding themes:

Advancement of Community Development
Advancement of Health
Environmental Improvement

All regions in Scotland and Wales are eligible to apply for funding in each funding round. However, only certain areas of England may apply – please see the website below for full details.

For more information on how to apply, visit the Postcode Community Trust website.

Mair Scots music …

Free concert in Stockbridge this Sunday …

Macmillan tops 2014 charity poll

Macmillan Cancer Support was the top charity brand of 2014, analysis from YouGov’s CharityIndex has shown. Macmillan is named the research company’s best charity brand for the second year running.

YouGov’s 2014 CharityIndex, which is compiled using data on the public’s perception of charities on a daily basis, ranked Cancer Research UK in second place (up from third in 2013), and armed forces charity Help for Heroes in third (down from second).

The rest of the top five is rounded off by the British Heart Foundation in fourth position (which moves up from sixth place last year) and the Royal British Legion in fifth (which drops by one).

Across the top ten charity brands last year only one, the Royal British Legion, increased its average year-on-year ‘buzz score’. It’s score rose by 0.6 points following the hundredth anniversary of the start of World War One which generated heightened media coverage. One other, Marie Curie Cancer Care, stayed exactly the same. However, all of the other charities in the top ten had lower average scores across 2014 compared to 2013.

CharityIndex measures the public’s perception of charities on a daily basis across a range of measures. YouGov’s 2014 rankings were compiled using Buzz scores from across the year. Buzz scores measure whether people have heard good versus bad news about a charity in the previous two weeks.

YouGov’s 2014 end of year charity brand Buzz rankings (2013 rank in brackets):

1 (1) Macmillan Cancer Support – 18.3

2 (3) Cancer Research UK – 12.8

3 (2) Help for Heroes – 11.2

4 (6) British Heart Foundation – 7.6

5 (4) Royal British legion – 7.3

6 (8) British Red Cross – 6.7

= (5) RNLI – 6.7

= (9) Dogs Trust – 6.7

9 (12) Marie Curie Cancer Care – 6.6

10 (7) Guide Dogs– 5.8

Briony Gunstone, Associate Director at YouGov, said: ‘This is the second year we have released end of year charity brand rankings and Macmillan Cancer Support once again heads the list. It is notable just how stable the top ten is. Clearly these charities are all still engaging in activity that is achieving cut through among the public.

“One area that is worth watching over the next 12 months is that – with just two exceptions – there has been a small decrease in the scores across the charities on the list. It could be a small wobble that will right itself next time. If it continues into next year’s figures, though, it could speak to a wider problem among the sector.”

Earlier this month Macmillan Cancer Care released a study that showed there will be a record high 2.5 million people living with cancer in the UK in 2015, an increase of almost half a million people over the last five years.

Edinburgh’s school cooks are top of the class

The City of Edinburgh Council has become the first council in Scotland to achieve the Soil Association’s Bronze Food for Life Catering Mark award for all its schools.

The award-winning menus feature even more freshly prepared meals, made with seasonal and local produce as well as only farm-assured meat and free range eggs.

The three organisations that cater for Edinburgh’s schools – the Council’s in-house catering service, Amey and Chartwells – have been working with Soil Association Scotland for several months to ensure that all school menus across the city meet the bronze standards. This ensures dishes contain no harmful additives and that at least 75% of dishes are freshly prepared.

school meal menu

The bronze award comes at an important time for school food in Edinburgh, with free school meals for P1 – P3 pupils having just been launched and school meal uptake higher than for many years.

Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener, said: “It’s so important for our young people to learn about how food relates to issues such as health, the economy and our environment.

“Schools in Edinburgh are already working hard to achieve this and the Food for Life Catering Mark award helps demonstrate the vital role cooks can play in helping pupils understand the importance of good food.

“The bronze award is a fantastic achievement, and I think it’s important to note that this has been delivered in conjunction with the service delivering a free school meal to P1-3s. Not only are we delivering free school meal to our youngest pupils, but a better school meal to all our pupils.”

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Environment Convener, added: “Achieving the Bronze Food for Life Catering Mark award for Edinburgh’s school food is an important way for us to reassure parents and pupils that school food providers in the city care deeply about the quality of the service they offer.

“I think there truly is no better option for lunch than a nutritionally-balanced school meal, and our cooks can be proud of serving fresh, tasty food to young people across the city.”

Soil Association Scotland’s Director, Laura Stewart said: “Achieving the Food for Life Catering Mark award across all Edinburgh schools has been a challenge for everybody involved, but what an achievement it is.

“How fantastic to think that every morning, in schools across the capital, hundreds of cooks are freshly preparing tens of thousands of meals using quality produce, helping to ensure that Edinburgh’s young people can benefit from fresh, tasty and nutritious food at school.”

Cardownie: ‘there is no place that can beat Edinburgh at Christmas.’

541,151 tickets were sold for shows and attractions at Edinburgh’s Christmas 2014/15 – a 40% rise since 2013/14

Over 1 in 10 people in the EH postcode area took advantage of the EH postcode discount offer
Nearly 1 in 5 tickets sold were sold with the EH postcode discount
3.6 million people visited the Edinburgh Christmas sites, increasing footfall by 37.6% on 2013
Footfall during the Edinburgh’s Christmas period was UP in the City Centre by 5.1% and on Princes Street by 8.6%, smashing the UK national average which was expected to be down up to 1%

People from Edinburgh and nearby towns have enjoyed big savings as they helped Edinburgh’s Christmas to a massive, record-busting year, Underbelly announced today.

A total of 541,151 visitors bought tickets for the festival’s many shows and attractions – up by 40.17% on the previous year when 386,045 were sold.

And 97,500 of these tickets were sold to EH postcode holders at a 20% discount. This means that over 18% of tickets were sold at a discounted rate.

With an estimated Edinburgh Area postcode population of around 870,000 (made up of Edinburgh, the Lothians and a part of the Scottish Borders) that means a number equivalent to around 11% of the population in the postcode area took advantage of the discount offer.

And the success doesn’t end with the numbers of tickets sold – with more than 3.6 million people visiting the two major sites, Princes Street Gardens and St Andrew Square, during the run of the Christmas festival, an increase of 37.6% on the 2013 festival, which had a footfall of 2,629,416.

The positive impact on city centre businesses is reinforced by figures released by Essential Edinburgh, the company which runs the city centre Business Improvement District, which shows footfall figures up the Edinburgh Christmas period by 8.6% on last year for Princes Street, and by 15.6% at St Andrew Square.

In general, the city centre footfall figures were up by more than 5.1% on the previous year, compared with a UK average of -1% for the same period (UK national figures are yet to be released for the month, but based on weekly figures which have been released, the average UK footfall is expected to be down by up to 1%).

Councillor Steve Cardownie, Edinburgh’s Festivals and Events Champion, said: “Our winter festivals are the envy of the world and rightly so. This has been another record-breaking year, and the huge boost to footfall is good news for city centre businesses and the local economy. I think residents will agree that the programme was even bigger and better this year, and I’m pleased so many local people have benefitted from the discount we launched especially for EH postcode holders, these results just go to prove there is no place that can beat Edinburgh at Christmas.”

The City of Edinburgh Council funds Edinburgh’s Christmas and it is also supported by Essential Edinburgh and Marketing Edinburgh.