A rare ‘micropig’ has been discovered in a Drylaw garden. The tiny beast is barely two inches long, and it’s thought that ‘Babe’ may have journeyed for days to reach his destination.
A Drylaw man, who asked not to be named, said: “I was out early to start work in the garden this morning when I came upon what I thought at first was a snail. On closer inspection it turned out to be a tiny pig – I was astonished!”
Micropigs have become very popular as unusual family pets and it’s thought that this is one who got away.
“I understand there’s a bloke over in Ravelston who breeds micropigs and it could just be that this wee chap escaped from there”, said the pig’s finder. “If I can’t track down the owner, I’ll keep the pig and I’m calling him – or her, it’s too wee to tell – Babe. I’m hoping to teach the pig how to do wee tricks. I don’t think they grow very big so for the moment I’ll make up a wee bed in a matchbox and take it from there”.
A local vet said: “This is quite fascinating. If the animal did indeed travel from Ravelston all the way to Drylaw, that’s a huge trek for such a wee beast – it could have taken weeks and would have been fraught with danger. The Drylaw micropig certainly has a fascinating ‘tail’ to tell!”.
The Craigroyston Primary School community celebrated last week when participants in the FAST programme received certificates following the completion of the project. Friends and families were joined by senior Children and Families officer Maureen Bryce and Save the Children’s Douglas Hamilton at the ‘graduation ceremony’.
Craigroyston was first school in the city to launch FAST, an innovative eight week programme which aims to help children to succeed at home, in school and in their communities by building strong relationships.
FAST – Family and Schools Together – is an evidence-based programme that has been shown to help children become successful learners. The FAST programme provides learning opportunities for children to develop confidence, take responsibility and contribute to the family, school and the wider community. The programme promotes an ethos of acceptance, trust, and respect and research has shown that FAST activities promote family communication, stability and cohesion.
Craigroyston Depute Head Teacher Ann Gallagher explained: “The team who run FAST is made up of school staff, parents, community workers and volunteers. The team goes through two days of training before running the eight week programme – the final week is a ‘Graduation ceremony’ to which special guests are invited. The idea comes from America and the sessions are made up of activities which involve families doing things together. The children then have ‘kids time’, where various activities are organized only for the children – things like sports activities, arts and crafts, ICT, and story time – and this means the parents can then have ‘parents time’ where the adults have a chance to talk together.”
She went on: “The main activity after that is called ‘special play’ when the adult has 15 minutes of uninterrupted one-to-one time to enjoy playing with one child in their family with special play resources. Groups are focused round 3 ‘hubs’ which have approximately 10 families in each, and one family each week provides a meal for their ‘hub’. It is targeted at children between the ages of three to eight but siblings can come along too.”
The programme proved very popular with participants. Mum Tina has two boys at Craigroyston and she really enjoyed the experience. “It’s really been amazing”, she said. “You spend time with the bairns and time with other adults too. I think I enjoy it more than the kids do! It’s so important to be able to spend time ‘one on one’ – it’s helping us a lot”.
Kerry – who has children at nursery and in school – agreed. “It’s been great, really good fun. I’ve had a lot of laughs with the other mums and I’m really glad we have taken part. We’ve all learned quite a lot and I hope they run the programme again”.
Save The Children’s Douglas Hamilton said: “The project has clearly been a great success and it’s been a pleasure to have been here to join in the celebrations. Well done to everyone who has been involved in the programme – it’s a fantastic achievement”.
Plans to revitalise derelict land on the waterfront will collapse without the support of the local community, organisers have warned. JUMP (Joined Up Master Planning) organised a public meeting in Telford College last week to harness support for their plans – but only six members of the public attended.
JUMP’s vision for Granton’s waterfront – plans include a lido, a garden festival and an artist’s village – have been on the table for two years now, but it’s been a saga of frustration with no tangible progress. JUMP received lottery funding last year to conduct a local consultation exercise, and Thursday’s meeting was seen as an opportunity to update the local community and take the project on to the next stage. With only a handful of people attending, however, organisers are being forced to rethink their strategy.
Architect Ross McEwan, JUMP’s project manager, said: “Granton Sur Mer is a real opportunity to do something creative with derelict land that is currently lying idle. We have come forward with these ideas – ideas that will bring employment, money and leisure opportunities not just to North Edinburgh but the whole city. Our business plan stacks up and it’s so frustrating that we have been unable to take these ideas forward”.
Ross and partner Shaeron Averbuch recently visited Chaumont sur Loire in France and have seen what can be achieved. He is convinced that, with community support, Granton Sur Mer can become a reality.
“We are a very small community group and we just don’t have the resources for big marketing and public relations campaigns. There are things we could maybe have handled better but it has been very hard to get our message out. We really want to work with local people on these plans – nothing is written on tablets of stone, the project name could change if people don’t like it, our ideas for the land could be adapted if the community comes up with alternatives. But what we really need now is for local residents to show their support for the project – if they don’t, the idea is basically dead and we believe that would be a massive missed opportunity for this community”.
JUMP needs to attract local members to keep their waterfront vision alive. If you support the project’s aims or would like further information, telephone 551 2341 or email info@jump-projects.co.uk. An on-line petition can also be accessed at www.granton-sur-mer.co.uk
Level Three Hairdressing students let their hair down and imaginations run wild when they took part in a creative theme day at Edinburgh’s Telford College earlier this week.
Students planned their themes using ‘mood boards’ then set to work to create their styles on live models with the help of make-up artist student colleagues. Themes on the day included Tribal, Urban, Fashion, Weddings, Alice in Wonderland – and even the Eiffel Tower! The students’ work was then photographed for their portfolios.
Instructor Karen Dyer said: “This is a popular unit and a lot of work and imagination goes in to these themes. Today’s session helps students to plan and develop ideas and we have some very creative hairdressers here at Telford”.
Forthview Primary School will celebrate the culmination of the year-long Pathways to Pilton project with a video and photo exhibition at the school next month (12 March). The event will mark the end of what has been a remarkably successful project which has captured the imaginations of the young and not so young alike!
The Friends of Forthview parents group received Lottery funding last year to ‘create new opportunities for local children and their families to acquire new skills and develop confidence and self-esteem through participation in exciting and innovative creative activities.’ Since then, groups have been working on three different elements.
Forthview Family Support Worker Tracey Berry, who has worked with the group throughout the project, explained: “We carried out three projects which were geared towards the development of a caring tolerant and creative school and community. Adults and children worked together in an intergenerational and multicultural context to explore cultural similarities and differences with a focus on equality. The three projects were:-
Family Storytelling: We had two groups – one group for dads and their children, the other mums and their children. Each group worked to create a story book which can be used as a resource in our school. The adults and children were extremely enthusiastic and have produced three fabulous story books, with amazing themes – children shrinking the dads, children being rescued by mums from Volcano Island and Fairyland! An award from “Cash for Kids” allowed us to print many copies of each book.
Family Photography: Carers and children worked together to produce fun and unusual family portraits.
Film Making: This part of the project introduced Carers to using digital media as a means of expression. A film called “Pathways to Pilton” has been produced which follows the diverse roads our children & their carers have travelled to reach Forthview School.”
It’s a fascinating journey, and all roads will lead to Forthview next month when the school will host a 12 March event to share what the families have learnt and celebrate the success of these projects with the school and the wider community. The families will talk about the project and there will be a screening of the ‘Pathways to Pilton’ Film.
Edinburgh’s latest business hub was launched in Stockbridge Library in Hamilton Place last night. The new facility was officially opened by entrepreneur Sir Tom Farmer and it’s hoped that the hub will prove every bit as successful as it’s predecessor at McDonald Road library.
The hub will provide free training and advice to existing local businesses and new starts. A range of courses delivered by professional tutors will cover topics ranging from the principles of how to finance and market your business to classes on how to master social media and develop a competitive edge.
This is the first roll out of the groundbreaking business hub at McDonald Road Library on Leith Walk which has held 68 Business Gatewaycourses with 768 attendees since its opening in May 2010.
This work is part of the Council’s commitment to ‘Building Stronger Town Centres’ through the Economic Development team’s three dedicated Town-Centre Coordinators who work on a variety of projects across the city.
Councillor Tom Buchanan, Economic Development Convenor, said: “In these tough economic times, it is important that we as a Council do as much as we can to support local businesses. Giving them the opportunity to enhance their business skills can only help them develop stronger foundations and therefore a more secure future.”
He went on: “The overwhelming success of the first business hub at McDonald Road Library has demonstrated the high demand for these types of workshops and I hope that we will eventually be able to roll out hubs across the rest of Edinburgh.”
Sir Tom Farmer CVO CBE KCSG DL, said: “I am delighted to be opening the second of Edinburgh’s dedicated business hubs. It can often be very difficult for small businesses to get off the ground and it is centres like these that can help give people in the area the opportunity to come to discuss their various issues and the opportunities that arise. This centre will give businesses a good foundation for success, by not only learning the basics of business but also how to market themselves properly.”
The first nine free weekly workshops at the Stockbridge Business Hub consist of four dedicated to business growth and five dedicated to those wanting to start-up their own business. Full programme information, including booking details, can be found on the Business Gateway website.
One Leith business, GM Cleaning, was started after owner Grant MacCusker attended a Business Gateway seminar four years ago. Now the successful entrepreneur holds talks of his own at the Leith Business Hub in MacDonald Road Library and believes the workshops are proving really popular amongst the local business community.
He said: “Business gateway was a great help in the starting and growing stages of my business. I find it rewarding talking to new and established entrepreneurs, passing on my knowledge and valuable information. With business gateway opening up more hubs and running more workshops it can only be an upwards climb for Scotland and our entrepreneurs coming through.”
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Councillor George Grubb received a warm welcome to Fresh Start last week as the local charity held a double celebration. The Lord Provost officially opened Fresh Start’s newly refurbished warehouse in Ferry Road Drive on Friday and the project also received the coveted Investing in Volunteers Award from Volunteer Development Scotland chief executive George Thomson.
George Thomson presents award to Fresh Start volunteer Caroline Stewart
The event was also a great opportunity to say thanks to the project’s 200 volunteers, many of whom attended the celebration. Fresh Start director Keith Robertson (pictured below) said: ““Providing a roof over a family or an individual’s head is the first step in ending homelessness but making sure they keep it is the next challenge. Our services are volunteer driven and sometimes just the human touch of a volunteer can help combat the isolation felt by those who have been homeless. As well as our Starter Packs and Hit Squads, we also help provide employment opportunities. For some people, without these things, homelessness can become a recurring problem. Our volunteers make it possible for us to continue to help the numbers of people we do.”
A 35-year-old man has been arrested and charged following an alleged assault and robbery in Groathill Road North on 15th January 2012.
He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (January 27).
HAPPIER TIMES: Evelyn Crawford pictured with Drylaw Church minister Pat Watson at the Tierney Award reception in 2007
Police have confirmed that the victim of Sunday’s attack in Groathill Road North was 75-year old Evelyn Crawford of Wester Drylaw. Mrs Crawford remains sedated in hospital with serious injuries including broken ribs, a punctured lung and broken fingers following the vicious attack – thought to be a handbag snatch that escalated – which took place at around 6pm near Ferryhill School.
Evelyn Crawford is a much-loved figure in the local community. A Drylaw Parish church elder and a willing helper at Girl Guiding and youth clubs, she has also been an enthusiastic member of Drylaw Telford Community Council for many years. Her dedication to her community was rewarded in 2007 when she was awarded the community council’s Thomas Tierney Award for Good Citizenship.
News of the attack on a much-loved local pensioner has left the community stunned. A spokesman for Drylaw Telford Community Council said: “We are all shocked and sickened at this news. So many people knew and liked Evelyn – put simply, you couldn’t meet a nicer or more helpful person. Our heartfelt best wishes for a speedy and full recovery go to Evelyn, and we appeal to anyone who has any information at all about this horrific attack to urgently contact the police. This person must be caught”.
The attacker is described as in his early 20s, around 6ft tall with a skinny build. He was wearing dark clothing and a hat. It’s understood that he tried to seize Mrs Crawford’s handbag in the attack which took place in Groathill Road North, near the junction with Easter Drylaw Avenue. The attacker was then pursued by a member of the public who chased him towards Telford Road before losing him in Easter Drylaw Drive.
Anyone with information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
