Residents and visitors to the Granton Waterfront area are being asked by the City of Edinburgh Council to vote on suggested names, or propose one of their own, for a new public square.
The square, to be built outside the historic former Granton Station which together with the restoration of the building has agreed funding of up to £4.75m, will be used for community events and recreation. This project is part of the Council’s wider £1.3bn regeneration project for Granton Waterfront.
Cammy Day, Depute Leader, the City of Edinburgh Council, said: The area is steeped in history and heritage and I’d encourage everyone with a connection to Granton Waterfront to read more about why each name has been suggested and cast their vote or offer a suggestion of their own.
“It’s important we get the right name for the new square as it’s our intention that it will become a focal point at the heart of our wider £1.3bn regeneration of the area for the community and visitors to enjoy for generations to come, while creating jobs and homes for citizens.”
GMB Scotland is pressing for proper employment status for more than 2,800 HM Coastguard rescue workers based at 310 rescue stations around the UK. About 900 of these workers are based in 116 rescue stations around the coast of mainland Scotland and the Islands.
The duties of HM Coastguard rescue workers include help rescue people trapped on the coast, for example on cliffs, stuck in mud or in the water, search for missing people, report and deal with pollution and other hazards and help emergency services and local authorities during emergencies, for example flooding.
These HM Coastguard rescue workers can be called out at any time of the day or night so they work irregular hours. They may have to work in hazardous situations for long hours and may have to carry out physically demanding tasks.
HM Coastguard rescue worker can have other employment. Required skills include: first aid, water rescue, map work, search techniques, communications and skills needed in for local area, for example rope rescue, mud rescue etc.
GMB Scotland is demanding that their status as workers is properly recognised and the work they do is properly valued and recognised.
Like for other recent high profile workers in irregular employment across the UK the union is prepared to litigate to obtain justice for these brave men and women.
Numbers of HM Coastguard rescue workers on irregular hours by Areas across the UK
Area 1 Scotland & Orkney Islands
137
Area 2 North Scotland
126
Area 3 East Scotland
97
Area 4 Inner Clyde to River Tay and East Scottish Border
134
Area 5 North East England
122
Area 6 East of England (Yorkshire, Humberside & Lincolnshire)
134
Area 7 East Anglia
155
Area 8 South East England
152
Area 9 : Southern England including Isle of Wight
202
Area 10 : South West England
175
Area 11 : Cornwall including Isles of Scilly
162
Area 12 : North Devon including Severn Estuary
176
Area 13 : South East Wales to Mid-Wales
203
Area 14 : North West Wales
162
Area 15 : Great Orme to West Scottish Border including the Lakes
152
Area 16 : Solway to Firth of Clyde including Northern Ireland
190
Area 17 : Kintyre to Mull, Isle of Arran and Inner Hebrides
159
Area 18 : Loch Linnhe to Outer Hebrides including Skye & the Small Isles
160
Gary Smith, GMB Scotland Secretary, said:“These 2,800 brave men and women who work in all weathers to rescue people and save lives are denied even the most basic rights of respect and recognition by their employer HM Coastguard.
“Staff with over 30 years experience are being axed without the basic right of being represented by their Union. The HM Coastguard rescue workers risk their lives to help and save others but are treated worse than any other Government worker. Urgent action needs to be taken to show respect for these unsung heroes.
“The union is prepared to litigate for these workers, so they can be properly recognised as part of the HM Coastguard rescue workforce and to ensure their basic employment rights are respected.”
The Walled Garden is reopening to the public this weekend!
The garden is coming into bloom and bursting into life and we would like to welcome the public back to this little haven. We will be opening our doors to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, 2 to 4PM, from 8th May.
Our enthusiastic team of volunteers and trustees have been hard at work preparing the garden for the coming year and we are investigating ways to restore our valued, historic structures. We have plenty of ideas for the garden, so many thanks to our supporters and funding bodies. When visiting the garden, we will have our donations box at the entrance, please feel free to support us if you wish so.
We are putting in place a one-way system and will have sanitising gel available to make our walled garden a safe, green, space to come and enjoy the open air.
Volunteers and staff will be on hand to answer questions and tell you about the exciting past, present and future of one of Edinburgh’s oldest walled market gardens.
Development Officer Appointment
The Friends have appointed their first Development Officer!
Georgia Forsyth Sijpestijn has worked and volunteered in north Edinburgh for almost a decade and is excited to have started last month. With a background in community gardening, organic farming and communications, we welcome her to the new role.
She will be on hand to answer any questions, manage social media and communications. You can find her most days in our Bothy, so please do come say hello!
AGM Date Set
We are holding our AGM online, open to all members for voting on 26th May at 5:30PM.
More details will follow but please get in touch if you would like to become a member of the charity or renew your membership and have your say in what goes on.
We are always growing and exploring new ideas, so please email us at grantongarden@gmail.com to request a membership form and sign up for free
Opening Hours for Visitors
2 – 4pm Saturday and Sunday.
Our Volunteer Hours
Please contact us through our Facebook, email or Volunteer Edinburgh to sign up.
11am – 1pm: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Harbour (common) seal numbers are declining in some parts of Scotland by up to 95%. The Fife Seal Group counted just 100 individuals in the Firth of Forth in 2019 and have stated a decline here of 40% since the 1990s (writes KAREN BATES of WARDIE BAY BEACHWATCH).
Numbers did not improve in 2021. Over the Covid-19 crisis, we have seen a notable increase in wildlife disturbance at Wardie Bay and Granton Harbour.
Indeed, the story is the same all around the coast, prompting Marine Scotland to publish new guidance for interacting with seals. We are understandably reconnecting with nature on our doorstep and may not be aware of the effect of getting too close to wildlife such as seals.
At Granton Harbour and beyond, the situation for harbour seals has become serious enough that signage has become necessary to help inform those not aware of the consequences of their actions.
Our pontoons are designated for wildlife conservation in this special protection area. Local people have responded by collaboratively creating a sign to help inform visitors and nudge away from behaviour that is causing the ‘flight’ response in the local seal population.
There is enough danger out there for this species. We do not need to cause them more harm. They clearly want to use the designated platform provided for them, but not when humans threaten to get too close.
The #SaveOurSealsSign challenge was sent out to four local primary schools: Wardie, Granton, Trinity and Victoria. 117 children returned some amazing and fun designs.
The public and a panel of seal experts were invited to vote on their favourites to be made into a final sign, which was installed yesterday – May the 4th, Star Wars Day.
The final #SaveOurSealsSign is a collage of the top three voted for designs. Congratulations to Sumaira (Trinity P7), Ella (Wardie P3) and Izzie (Trinity P7) and all the children and teachers for their fantastic work.
Huge thanks go to Kevin of TRAC engineering for coordinating the installation, to Steve and Sarah at Glasgow’s Logo Labels Ltd for their experience and for making the sign for us, and to Sam, Marion and Gregory of P1 Solutions for installing it!
They definitely get the Seal of Approval!
Logo Labels said, “We are proud to help bring awareness of issues in the greater community.
“As a lover of wildlife, owner Stephen McNeil jumped at the chance to help manufacture a sign to support this cause and make people aware of the issue for seals that inhabit the area”.
Wardie Bay Beachwatch said: “We now hope that people will see what local kids have to say, so that we can all enjoy these amazing animals – from a distance – for many years to come. May the 4th be with you!”
Fresh Start, with the Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership, are running online events on 12th & 13th May to allow residents to discuss how our services can adapt to fit what matters to you, the people that live and work in the area!
Join the conversation on Wednesday 12th May, 1-2.30pm by registering here:
We have received funding from the management committee of Royston Wardieburn community centre to offer some one to one activities to local folk in North West Edinburgh, who might be struggling a bit as we ease out of lockdown.
The aim is to support people engage/re-engage with the many social and learning opportunities on offer in North Edinburgh.
As you know, it’s not going to be easy for many people to take the first step – it never is. However, the impact of lockdown is likely to have magnified people’s concerns and anxieties about getting involved in something new.
Many people may be feeling a bit anxious about what life is going to look like in the coming months and the challenges that lie ahead. Some people may struggle physically due to the loss of mobility during last year and might need a bit of support to get out and about safely again.
One to One Activities
We’ve put together a programme of one to one activities which we hope will address these issues and we will adapt the programme to reflect people’s interests. The programme includes supported local walks, visits to places of interests such as community gardens and galleries and museums.
We are also planning to offer individuals the opportunity to work on their digital, literacy or language skills in a local café once the restrictions are lifted. For some people just meeting up with someone in a public space for a coffee and a chat will be sufficient.
Working together
We would be really grateful for your help and support with this project.
1. Can you send us information about any activities you are planning?
2. Can you could let us know if you have a space that we might be able to use for meet ups (inside and outside)?
We would also be grateful if you could help to promote the project by displaying our leaflets (which will be dropped off next week) in a public space and if you could pass on the information to anyone you know who you think might benefit from the project.
We are aiming to work with people who have been particularly badly affected by lockdown, particularly those who might have been shielding due to health conditions but also people from the BAME community and people who might be struggling with their mental health or finding it difficult to get out due to mobility issues.
If you know someone who might be interested, please let us know how best to get in touch with them.
Please get in touch if you want to know more about the Time for Change Project or if you would like to become involved in some way.
PureGym expects 120,000 workouts in Scotland over the course of next week
PureGym, the UK’s largest gym operator, is delighted to be re-opening its 25 clubs in Scotland on Monday 26th April, bringing back affordable fitness to the nation. This follows the successful re-opening of its gyms across England in mid-April, which saw over 1 million workouts at its clubs in the first week alone.
The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of maintaining peoples’ health and wellbeing and that gyms are essential community facilities. Gyms have a vital role to play in improving the health of the nation and our members have been hugely excited to get back into their fitness routines, as demonstrated by the strong demand seen in England when PureGym welcomed back members last week.
As well as re-opening its 230 clubs in England last week the business opened 10 brand new sites, demonstrating its commitment to UK expansion at a time when many leisure and retail businesses are shrinking their estates, especially on the high street.
PureGym has ambitions to further increase its gym estate across the UK and have an important role to play in sustaining vibrant high streets as they adapt to new uses. A typical PureGym has 3,000-5,000 members who visit day and night, bringing much needed footfall to the immediate vicinity.
PureGym’s 25 Scottish gyms will re-open under the now well-established TrainSafe protocols which were developed and instigated last year, following close consultation with the gym industry, and are compliant with all Scottish Government Guidelines and the health authorities.
When PureGym was open last year these protocols, which include social distancing, a highly sanitised training environment and controlled access and numbers to ensure social distancing in its already spacious facilities, ensured very low levels of Covid-19 cases in gyms.
There was little or no evidence to suggest the virus was being caught or transmitted in PureGym clubs thanks to the consistent implementation of these procedures which were reviewed hundreds of times by EHOs last year.
Rebecca Passmore, UK Managing Director of PureGym, commented: “After 18 weeks of closure we are absolutely thrilled to be opening up our gyms in Scotland on Monday and expect 120,000 workouts over the course of next week.
“The lockdown has been incredibly tough both for our members and our passionate teams. We have 25 clubs with 105,000 members in Scotland and we know how much they have missed the gym these past few months.
“I know I speak for the whole team in saying we are so excited to be welcoming them back. For millions of people going to the gym is an essential part of their daily health and wellbeing routine and we are committed to ensuring it is a safe and enjoyable experience enabling people to be fitter, healthier and happier.
“We know there is huge appetite to return to the gym in Scotland, both amongst our existing members and the broader population as people want to resume active lifestyles to manage their physical and mental wellbeing. Gyms are great additions to the high street and retail parks and we look forward to welcoming new members and opening more sites as the year progresses.”
Sir Chris Hoy, PureGym Ambassador and Scotland’s 6x Gold Olympian, said: “The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of exercise in protecting the nation’s physical and mental well-being and during this health crisis we have sorely missed the crucial role that gyms play in peoples’ daily routines.
“PureGym’s flexible and affordable proposition makes the gym accessible to everyone – now more than ever gyms will help our society continue to recover and will be vital in the long-term health of our nation.”
As nominations close, Scottish Liberal Democrats have announced their list of candidates for Lothian and are pledging their commitment to make recovery from the pandemic their number one priority as MSPs.
Today the Scottish Liberal Democrats submitted their nomination papers for the upcoming Scottish parliament election to be held on the 6th May.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh Northern and Leith will be Rebecca Bell (above). She is also the mental health spokesperson for the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
Rebecca Bell said:“People are under huge pressure from the pandemic. There’s a lot of work to be done to recover from this crisis. It will not be easily done and we will need our complete focus on the project at hand.
“As an MSP, I want to focus on cutting mental health waits, a bounce back plan for education, creating jobs and tackling the climate emergency.
“After years of arguing about independence and Brexit, the last thing we need right now is another independence referendum.
“As the MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, I will put the recovery first.”
Willie Rennie said: “This election is about priorities. Liberal Democrats will put recovery first. After the dreadful year we have endured, people want a needle-sharp focus on jobs, mental health, our NHS, schools and the climate crisis.
“With ten years of experience as leader I have won support for areas like mental health, education and nursery education. For me it has always been about investing in people so they can do great things.
“For the next five years the divided nationalists will put independence first, dividing the country too.
“For the next five years I will put the recovery first, cut mental health waits, help pupils bounce back, create jobs and take action on the climate. The SNP will prioritise another independence referendum.
– The eggs will be distributed to local food banks, schools and community groups via Morrisons Community Champions –
– Morrisons customers can also donate Easter Eggs in-store –
Morrisons has announced it will be donating 100,000 chocolate eggs to those in need in the run up to the Easter weekend.
Morrisons Community Champions at all stores nationwide will be working with local food banks, schools and community groups to distribute the Easter treats to individuals and families who would benefit most.
Each of Morrisons 497 stores will receive a dedicated delivery of more than 200 Easter eggs, including household favourites Smarties and Creme Egg, which will be set aside, ready to donate.
Customers also have the opportunity to get involved as Morrisons is setting up ‘Easter Egg Donation Stations’ in every store where customers can drop off additional eggs they have purchased.
The supermarket wants to raise the spirits of the nation and spread some hope and joy across local communities as lockdown restrictions are set to be eased by the government this week.
Rebecca Singleton, Customer & Community Director at Morrisons said: “We know that celebratory occasions can come at an additional cost to families, but we want to make sure that no-one goes without Easter eggs this year.
“Across the UK we’ll be donating 100,000 eggs to local communities where they are needed most.”
The Easter egg giveaway is part of Morrisons £5 million drive to keep the nation’s food banks stocked by manufacturing additional products which are then donated directly to local communities.
The £5 million donation, announced in January, adds to the £10 million worth of food that Morrisons donated in 2020.
