POLICE have recently received a number of reports of youths throwing objects at buses in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh. This behaviour is extremely dangerous and has the potential to cause serious injury.
Lothian Buses provide an essential public service. Removing damaged buses from service and diverting public transport from the area has a negative impact on the local community.
Police Scotland will continue to work in partnership with Lothian Buses to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour and identify those responsible.
If you see or know of anyone engaging in this reckless behaviour, please contact police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.
Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
POLICE are appealing for information following a fatal crash on Gorgie Road yesterday (Tuesday 14 November 2023).
The incident took place around 1.05pm, involving an HGV and a pedestrian.
The pedestrian, a 62-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick, from the Edinburgh Road Policing Unit, said: “At this time, our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of the man who died.
“We are carrying out enquiries to establish the full circumstances of this incident and would appeal to anyone who was in the Gorgie Road or Calder Road area around the time of the crash to please come forward.
“If you have any information, or potential dashcam footage, which could assist our enquiries, please call police on 101, quoting incident 1457 of 14 November.”
SOCIAL Security Scotland are making essential improvements to their IT systems, which means some online services will unfortunately be unavailable at certain times this week:
Our Telephony and Webchat service will close early at 4:30pm on 17 November.
Online applications for the following benefits will be unavailable from Friday 17 November at 5:00pm until Monday 20 November at 8am:
Adult Disability Benefit
Best Start Grants
Best Start Foods
Child Disability Payment
Funeral Support Payment
Job Start Payment
Scottish Child Payment
Young Carer Grant
Our document upload service will also be unavailable during this time, meaning that supporting information for applications cannot be uploaded between 17 November and 20 November. However we encourage members of the public and stakeholders to send supporting information by post during this period.
People applying for benefits are still able to fill out a PDF application form and post it to us.We are continually looking to improve our IT systems to make applying for benefits as easy as possible. This means we do occasionally have to have downtime on our systems to allow us to make improvements.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
We will return to full service at 8am on Monday 20 November when clients will be able use our Telephony and Webchat service, make online applications and upload supporting information as normal.
Experience a festive feast like no other this year from family-run Craigies Farm in South Queensferry. Fourth generation farmer and owner John Sinclair promises a selection of high-quality, locally grown produce alongside largely Scottish-sourced food and drink items for a greener Christmas celebration this year.
Craigies is committed to reducing food miles by growing their own produce or sourcing from local suppliers as much as possible. The Sinclair family raises their own pork and lamb on the farm, guaranteeing the highest standards of quality and provenance. Highland beef comes from the neighbouring Dalmeny Estate, just a stone’s throw away. To guarantee freshness, all meat is prepared by Craigies highly-skilled on-site artisan butchers.
Customers can shop an array of delicious vegetables including potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and carrots – all cultivated on Craigies Farm. Buy them loose or oven-ready as Christmas sides with options like traditional roast potatoes and maple-roasted root vegetables. You’ll find homegrown ingredients in the popular Craigies range of homemade condiments, including windfall apple chutney, red onion marmalade and festive spiced cranberry sauce.
Satisfying sweet tooths, Craigies have a mouthwatering selection of home-baked goods with traditional Christmas cake, indulgent chocolate yule log, and mince pies all on offer.
Craigies Farm Shop proudly stocks a range of products from local Scottish producers such as Ramsay of Carluke bacon, Mellis artisan cheeses, and Cairn O’Mohr craft wine.
For the main event, this year Craigies has opted to stock free-range, organically reared turkeys from fellow family-run farm, Northumberland Poultry.
Striving to locate the best in poultry as close to Scotland as possible has not been easy due to widespread shortages, but Craigies are confident their turkeys from the North East are the very best in quality and taste.
Lastly, in addition to its wide range of delectable food and drink, Craigies Little Farmers on-site toyshop stocks a menagerie of wonderful toys and unique gifts like high-quality Bruder farm toys, Orange Tree wooden toys, and adorable Keel cuddly toys.
Key deadlines:
Christmas orders can be made up until Sunday 10th December for delivery up till 24th December, or customers can book for click & collect for a convenient festive shopping experience.
John Sinclair, owner of Craigies Farm, commented:“At Craigies our focus is always on quality. We want to give our customers the very best produce for a memorable Christmas. We raise our own meat and grow our own veg where possible, and only choose suppliers that are as committed to quality as we are.
“We’re thrilled to be offering our own pork and lamb as well as beef from our neighbours. With a focus on quality and provenance, we’re confident that a Craigies Christmas offers the very best for festive feasting this year!”
Recognised the world over as platforms of creative excellence, festivals in Edinburgh have received a total of £633,396 of additional funding from the Scottish Government through Creative Scotland to support continued strategic development activity.
diversify their year-round partnerships with the culture sector across the city and Scotland
drive transformation and creative innovation through long-term programming approaches
increase career and skills development capacity for creatives and young people
build new and lasting relationships with less engaged communities.
An independent evaluation report from BOP Consulting has found that PlaCE funding played a significant role in festival resilience through the pandemic and 97% of community partners reported high levels of satisfaction from engagement with the festivals.
Culture Minister Christina McKelvie said: “The Scottish Government’s commitment to investing in arts and culture remains strong, which is why we have continued to provide support, through Creative Scotland, to Edinburgh’s festivals.
“Communities right across the city will benefit from almost £640,000 in PLaCE funding. We hope this will allow Festivals to continue their development and deliver more fantastic work in our schools and with our local communities.”
This additional funding on top of the transformative PlaCE programme will allow festivals in Edinburgh to continue delivery of this strategic development activity into the next year and beyond.
The following festivals have received this funding:
HRH The Princess Royal has officially opened a museum celebrating the remarkable history of Scotland’s firefighting tradition in Edinburgh.
Her Royal Highness is now one of more than 7,200 visitors who have visited the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage since it opened its doors to the public in McDonald Road at the end of June.
The Rt. Hon Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, was one of several dignitaries to greet The Princess Royal. He said: “It was a pleasure to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to the city and the McDonald Road Community Fire and Ambulance Station on behalf of the people of Edinburgh.
“To have the opportunity to learn more about the rich history of firefighting in Scotland was also an extremely interesting and proud experience.
“I would like to thank the team at McDonald Road for accommodating us today and pay tribute to our fantastic firefighters, alongside our other emergency services, who make sure we are all kept safe.”
Ross Haggart, Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was at the museum to extend a warm welcome to Princess Anne. He said: “We are deeply honoured to have the opportunity to show Her Royal Highness the fascinating exhibits that chart the remarkable history of our firefighting tradition.
“This special building is home to an array of artefacts dating back almost two hundred years, including fire appliances, uniforms and equipment.
“Next year, our service will be marking the bicentenary of the world’s first municipal fire service founded in Edinburgh by James Braidwood.”
As part of the visit, The Princess Royal was also given a tour of McDonald Road Community Fire and Ambulance Station, which has been newly refurbished as an emergency hub building alongside the Scottish Ambulance Service. HRH was greeted by a contingent of firefighters and ambulance crews.
Chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service, Tom Steele, said: “I was delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness to McDonald Road Community Fire and Ambulance Station alongside our colleagues at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“The museum is a fantastic celebration of the fire service’s history. As well as sharing a number of co-locations with the fire service, including here in Edinburgh, we share a strong history of caring for and improving the lives of the people in Scotland.
“We look forward to many more years of working together to provide life-saving work.”
After watching a demonstration of how firefighters use a high reach appliance, HRH was presented with a posy by Crew Commander Blair Muir, who carefully manoeuvred the vehicle so he could hand deliver the flowers from onboard the appliance.
The Princess Royal spoke with staff and volunteers, including Jim McDonald, a museum volunteer. Mr McDonald said: “It was a truly remarkable and humbling experience to meet Her Royal Highness. Her genuine interest in our exhibits left a lasting impression on all of us.”
At the end of the visit, The Princess Royal officially unveiled commemorative plaques, marking the official opening of the museum.
McDonald Road Community Fire and Ambulance Station has undergone renovations and modernisation and last month won a Commendation in the Large Projects and Regeneration/Strategy Award Categories for the 2023 Edinburgh Architectural Awards.
A dedicated Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Ward has been established at East Lothian Community Hospital helping to support individuals across Lothian to get ‘back on their feet’ following orthopaedic surgery at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary.
The development of the in-patient orthopaedic rehabilitation provision in East Lothian is part of NHS Lothian’s Orthopaedic Recovery Plan to reduce waiting times for elective surgical cases.
The pandemic significantly impacted waiting lists across NHS Scotland due to postponements and cancellations. By ring-fencing dedicated orthopaedic recovery beds at East Lothian Community Hospital, NHS Lothian can increase the number of elective arthroplasty surgeries (hips and knees) that can be performed at the Royal Infirmary, knowing there is ample post-surgery and rehabilitation care available for patients.
Reducing waiting times helps to prevent patients’ conditions deteriorating and health and social care needs escalating whilst awaiting surgery. As a result, this delivers better outcomes for individuals, as well as preventing further growth of pressure on community resources, including care at home services.
It also enables East Lothian patients to benefit from post operative in-patient rehabilitation closer to home, making access and visiting, easier, and supporting local planning and provision for discharge.
Aris Tyrothoulakis, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Site Director, said: “We are delighted that East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (ELHSCP) has been able to extend their provision and create this dedicated rehabilitation ward to support Lothian residents following orthopaedic surgery.
“With the Haddington-based hospital featuring an extensive rehabilitation service, it was the obvious venue of choice for this service provision, and it is very much hoped this initiative will pave the way for the hospital to become a ‘centre for excellence’ in orthopaedic rehabilitation.”
Patients who have spent time within the dedicated ward have only praise for the staff and quality of care: “It’s so lovely, it doesn’t feel like a hospital. I’m already well on my way to recovery. The staff are always on hand, to back you up and give you confidence. It’s a very special place, and everyone in it is special.”
Fiona Wilson, Chief Officer for ELHSCP, added: “We were incredibly grateful to NHS Lothian for the opportunity to establish this dedicated service and support the people of East Lothian and beyond to receive post-surgery rehabilitation.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to pass on my thanks, admiration and appreciation to the incredible teams within the East Lothian Community Hospital, the Rehabilitation Service, and our colleagues at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for the extensive planning and organisation that has gone into the set-up of this dedicated ward.
“It has been an amazing team effort, delivered in a very short timescale, and I’m incredibly proud of what has been achieved to date. I’m sure this will pave the way for further success to come.”
