Uncategorized – Page 270 – The NEN

Feeling sheepish about the referendum!

Voters ‘flock’ to see referendum artwork!

With Thursday’s independence vote the only topic of conversation all around the country, Leith-based artist Elaine Forrest has created a timely ‘discussion piece’ – a referendum sheep’s skull!

The sculpture is studded with 20,5000 Swarovski crystals and features both a Saltire and Union Flag. The price? £3500 – a real baa-rgain!

The artwork was commissioned by George Pirie Antiques for a referendum window at their Howe Street showroom.

George Pirie said: “It only went up last week but I’ve already had lots of customers come in to say how much they like it. It’s not meant to be political at all – it’s about history and celebrating an event.”

The skull, alongside other referendum-themed pieces, will be on display until this Friday – the day we’ll find out where Scotland’s future lies.

So hurry – ewe don’t want to miss it!

Health and travel advice for Hajj pilgrims

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office offers advice ahead of the Hajj

With thousands of British Muslims expected to attend this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, predicted to fall between 2 – 7 October, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is urging those travelling to Saudi Arabia to be fully prepared and follow up-to-date travel advice before embarking on their trip.

The Hajjis or pilgrims are advised to take out fully comprehensive Shariah compliant travel insurance and travel with a reputable tour operator. Cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in people who have visited Saudi Arabia continue to be reported so getting the right vaccinations is critical as is travelling with the relevant vaccination card.

The Foreign Office, West Midlands Police and the Council of British Hajis are working together to support British Nationals undertaking the Hajj. Sher Houston from the Know Before You Go team at the FCO said: “The annual Hajj pilgrimage is one of the largest gatherings of Muslims in the world. Despite the vast numbers, there is relatively little disruption and most pilgrims travel trouble free.

“However, as with all overseas trips, we strongly recommend that the necessary precautions are taken and the trip is carefully planned. We advise all British pilgrims to check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s travel advice and the requirements set out by the Saudi Government.”

Detective Sergeant Nadeem Hameed of West Midlands Police said: “We are pleased to support and promote this campaign and recognise the importance of this religious pilgrimage and seek to promote safety awareness and safer travel among all pilgrims.”

Rashid Mogradia, CEO of the Council of British Hajjis said: “It is imperative that pilgrims seek good travel tips before they embark on a Journey of a Lifetime. As a council, we are actively supporting and promoting the FCO’s Know Before You Go Campaign and urge travellers to consult its travel advice pages before travel.

“We wish the pilgrims a “Hajj Al-Mabroor – An Accepted Hajj” and would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the FCO’s Hajj support team who will be present in Jeddah and Makkah should anyone require consular support while in Saudi Arabia.”

The FCO will provide the full range of consular services and will be sending the British Hajj Team – a team made of regional FCO consular staff – to Saudi Arabia during the Hajj.

Travellers’ checklist

In addition to the requirements from the Saudi government, the FCO recommends that all pilgrims use the following travellers’ checklist:

Check the FCO travel advice

Make sure that you are up to date with the current situation in Saudi Arabia atwww.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo.

Travel with a reputable tour operator

make sure that you book your tickets through an ATOL registered tour operator to avoid unnecessary difficulties – for more information please visit www.atol.org.uk
have contact details for your tour operator in the UK and their representatives in Makkah

Get comprehensive travel insurance

ensure it covers all aspects of your journey
check health requirements
which vaccines do I need?
when do I need to get them?
is there anything else I need to be aware of?
if you require medication check that you have adequate quantities

Check passport and visa are valid

do I need a visa, or to renew an existing one?
copy passport and travel documents
take a copy with you and store online using a secure storage site
leave copies with family and friends, along with your itinerary and contact details
research local laws and customs
country specific laws and customs can be found at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Pack suitable footwear

You may have to walk long distances and make sure you have all the necessary clothing and items as advised by your Hajj tour operator.

Make a note of Hajj Delegations contact details

The Hajj Delegation and local consulate will be based at the Makkah Hilton between 4 – 18 Dhul-Hijjah:

Tel: 00966 125 34 0000 (Hilton switchboard and ask for British Hajj Team)
Mob: 00966 501 00 4268 (Available 24 hrs a day)

NEN back on the streets next month

North Edinburgh’s own community newspaper will be printed again next month. The North Edinburgh News (NEN) will be delivered to thousands of homes across Forth and Inverleith, with copies of the newspaper available in community venues across the area too.

NEN is leading the Contact in the Capital – North pilot project and we plan to print three editions before the first year of the initiative ends next March. The first of these will be published in October.

Deadline for all copy is Friday 26 September

Like to contribute? A community newspaper is by, for and about the community it serves – so be involved!

Stories and Articles

Doing something you’d like to share with the North Edinburgh community? Won something? Achieved something great? Starting something new? Let us know – we welcome contributions from individuals and organisations.

Advertising

Want to advertise your service or a forthcoming event? Use the NEN – a copy of our advertising rates can be found below.

Ad Rate Card NEN

Community Directory

NEN’s Community Directory has always been an important section of the paper, listing schools, groups and organisations’ names, addresses and telephone numbers. It’s probably about time we revised this to include website addresses, Facebook details and Twitter info too – it seems this social media thing is catching on …!

Send us your contact info and we’ll include your details it in our bright new Community Directory – and there’s NO CHARGE for this service!

How to get in touch:

If you have articles for inclusion, would like to place an ad or just want more information, email us at northedinnews@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you, but remember that copy deadline:

Friday 26 September!

Local band to release debut EP

Twin City Records are pleased to announce the forthcoming release of the debut EP from Edinburgh five piece The Indos.

The band – Michael Knowles (Guitar/Lead Vocals), Jamie Gilchrist (Guitar/Backing Vocals), Robbie Gilchrist (bass guitar), Dando Myrillas (guitar) and Greg Atkinson (drums) – all grew up together in North Edinburgh and got together through their mutual love of early 2000’s bands Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes. The local band also name The Yardbirds, The Kinks and The Who among their their influences.

Since forming, the band have been playing various venues throughout Glasgow and Edinburgh including Sneaky Pete’s, Cabaret Voltaire, Electric Circus, QMU & Ivory Blacks and they have caught the eye of several promoters.

‘Fifty Shades of Blue’ was written and composed by The Indos and recorded, mixed and mastered by Mark Morrow in his Edinburgh studio last month.

The EP will be available on CD from www.twincityrecords.com and to download from all good digital stores from 3 Novenmber. The EP will be launched at Edinburgh’s Cabaret Voltaire on Friday 31 October.

Table Sale next Saturday

The Old Kirk & Muirhouse Church (formerly Muirhouse St Andrew’s) on Pennywell Gardens is holding a table top sale on Saturday (20 September) from 10am – noon.

Tables are £5 – call Helen on 312 8113 to book your table.

An opportunity to have that clearout and sell your stuff – or come along on the day to buy, buy, buy!

Weekend Hub: the movie!

North Edinburgh Alcohol Initiative Collaborative (NEAIC) will present their film ‘The Weekend Hub‘ at Pilton Youth & Childrens Project this Saturday evening at 7pm.

North Edinburgh Alcohol Initiative Collaborative (NEAIC) is a partnership project involving the areas’s main youth groups: Granton Youth Centre, the Junction in Leith, Muirhouse Youth Development Group & Pilton Youth & Children’s Project.

NEAIC”s Streetbreak initiative offers diversionary activities for young people aged from 12 -21. The main clubs are the weekend hubs based in PYCP on Friday and Saturday evenings, sessions where North Edinburgh’s young people can enjoy a safe space and take part in fun activities.

What did they get up to? The Weekend Hub will tell you all – and also showing are ‘Ruffin’ it in Muirhouse‘ and ‘Just a Girl?’

On your marks for Festival of Sport

The annual action-packed Festival of Sport kicks off in the Capital next weekend, showcasing a huge variety of sport and physical activity opportunities between 20 September-5 October.

Beach volleyball is heading for Porty!

A host of free events will run during the two week festival across Edinburgh, including taster sessions, demonstrations and competitions to encourage people of all ages to discover the benefits of an active lifestyle.

Now in its sixth year, the 2014 programme has been designed to embrace the summer buzz of the Commonwealth Games and appeal to all age groups, activity levels and abilities.

Launching on the first day of the Beach Volleyball Continental Cup on Portobello Beach – the Festival will kick off with a selection of free activities on the beach to celebrate Portobello paving the path to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games! (But wrap up warm, people, it’s Porty not the Copacabana!)

Building on the success of previous years, the Council is working to drive interest and membership of local clubs. A Club and Coach Development Workshop Series will also be delivered as part of this year’s Festival, featuring workshops designed to support club volunteers and coaches.

Coaching highlights include a one-of-a-kind seminar with Werner Kern, world renowned coach for Germany’s Bayern Munich Football Club. Kern will address a host of football industry professionals – including representatives from Edinburgh’s Hibernian and Hearts of Midlothian Football Clubs – about nurturing young sporting talent.

This event is being held in partnership with the Scottish Football Association and forms part of Edinburgh’s 60th anniversary celebrations of being ‘Twinned’ with Munich.

The City’s Festival and Events Champion, Councillor Steve Cardownie, expects the excitement of this summer’s Commonwealth Games to create an extra buzz around the Festival. He said: “I fully expect this year’s festival to prove the excitement of the Commonwealth Games has really boosted interest and participation in sport and physical activity in Edinburgh.

“The Festival of Sport is an important part of the Council’s legacy programme, and this year’s programme looks set to be another great year with so many free local opportunities on offer for everyone to take part.

“It is especially exciting to be marking the launch by supporting a world sporting debut for Portobello Beach, as it plays host to the qualifying rounds for the upcoming Beach Volleyball event as part of the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.”

As an integral part of the Activcity year-round programme, the 2014 Festival encourages residents and visitors to have a more active and healthy lifestyle. The key partners in delivering the event include Edinburgh Leisure, ClubSportEdinburgh and sportscotland.

How to get involved:

For further information and to register, visit Festival of Sport.

To find out more about the Beach Volleyball Continental Cup taking place at Portobello Beach, visit the Scottish Volleyball Association website.

To see what coaching and club workshops are taking place, and attend an event, visit the Coaching Edinburgh website.

Enjoy your sport!

Memories of playtimes past

Do you remember playing in North Edinburgh when it was fields?

North Edinburgh Grows is holding a meeting on Tuesday (16 September) from 11am – 12 noon at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre to share memories and look at photos of North Edinburgh back before it was built on.

All welcome. Free coffee and cake!

Picture (top) supplied by George Hunter – Pilton folk at Silverknowes beach 1954

Postal voters: act NOW to have your say

City’s schoolchildren to attend historic count

A pupil from each of Edinburgh’s 23 High Schools will attend the capital’s referendum count overnight next Thursday – and postal votes are being urged to act NOW to ensure they have their say in the historic vote.

The pupils, who are all first time voters, will be the guests of Edinburgh city council’s Chief Executive and Counting Officer Sue Bruce. They will all be first time voters and will attend the count at Ingliston between 22:00 on Thursday and 07:00 on Friday 19 September.

The pupils will have access to all areas so they can watch proceedings, and Sue Bruce said: “This will be an exciting, once in a lifetime, opportunity for these first time voters and an experience they will never forget.”

More than 76% of Edinburgh’s postal voters have already had their say in the Scottish Independence Referendum – of the 81,648 people who applied to vote in the poll by post, 62,310 have already been returned to the Counting Officer.

City of Edinburgh Council postal vote staff began verifying the returned postal votes on Thursday in preparation for the count next week – but the 24% of people still to return their postal voting pack are being urged to send it as soon as possible, to ensure it arrives with the Returning Officer by 10pm on Thursday, 18th September.

Sue Bruce said: “I am pleased see such a high turnout of postal voters with less than a week to go until the Referendum, but it is essential that all those who have not yet returned their postal voting packs do so as soon as possible.

“It is important that people plan ahead and don’t leave it until the last minute – in order to have your say you must make sure your vote is posted in time to arrive with the Returning Officer by Thursday.”

Those who applied to vote by post should have received a postal voting pack, which includes a ballot paper, a postal voting statement, an ‘A’ envelope to put the completed ballot paper in and a ‘B’ envelope in which to return the ‘A’ envelope.

Postal voting statements must be completed with the correct date of birth and signature and returned with the ballot paper or the vote will not be counted.

The Scottish Independence Referendum will take place across Scotland on Thursday, 18 September. For those planning to vote in person, information on where and how to vote is available on polling cards and on the Council website.

Members of the public who are unsure of whether they have registered to vote can also find further information on the Lothian Valuation Joint Board website.

A total of 377,413 people in Edinburgh have registered to vote in the Referendum.

Book your place at Forth regeneration event

An opportunity to find out more and have your say on the area’s regeneration …

Regeneration Event Poster

If you live, visit or work in the north of the city, you may be aware of regeneration activity underway. Here in the Forth Neighbourhood, a number of projects have started or are under development. The Forth Neighbourhood Partnership and local Community Councils feel that this is a good time to bring together as many of those involved with managing or developing local regeneration to engage with the wider Forth community.

The Forth Regeneration event will take place on Saturday 27 September in Edinburgh College – Granton Campus from 10:00 – 14:00.

The event has been designed to be interactive and allow people the opportunity to fully understand and influence, where possible, current regeneration activity and future proposals. Information and discussion groups will take place around:

· New homes, improved public space and health facilities in Pennywell/Muirhouse

· Proposals for Granton Waterfront

· Wider investment across Forth, identifying challenges and opportunities.

An overview of the Second Proposed Local Development Plan will help set the scene before we head into discussion groups around the above three key areas.

A light lunch is available. Please let us know if you require any childcare arrangements.

To book a place, please use the link below. If you have already booked, there is no need to re-book.

BOOK A PLACE

Scott Donkin

Partnership & Information Manager | North Neighbourhood