Archaeology & History of Cammo Estate – All – (18/3) – OUT57986M
Cammo Estate was built in 1693 for John Menzies , and the house is considered to be the inspiration for the House of Shaw in Kidnapped written by Robert Louis Stevenson. The grounds are a nature reserve with walled garden, hot walls and a Pinetum. Many visitors are unaware of the history surrounding them as they walk past the ruins.
Archaeologists have uncovered a stash of personal items that used to belong to the housekeeper in the grand lost mansion and lots of interesting stories are being unravelled through further excavation.
This one day course looking at the history and archaeology will offer fascinating insights into the particular site as well as broader guidance about archaeology in general.
Enjoy a fun day out with the very friendly and knowledgeable tutor able to answer queries and generate interest in local history.
The course takes place on Saturday 18th March from 10.30-3.30pm
Standard fees for the day £21.75 and £17.25 for senior citizens, students and benefits.
A new report by the Scottish Housing Regulator highlights that some councils are finding it increasingly difficult to fully meet their statutory duties on homelessness, particularly providing temporary accommodation to people experiencing homelessness.
The report highlights that councils are making considerable efforts in very challenging circumstances to deliver effective services and some have had success in moving toward an approach with rapid rehousing at its centre.
The Regulator also found that there is an emerging risk of systemic failure in their homelessness services.
The report sets out three main strategic challenges facing councils in providing services to people experiencing homelessness: dealing with the number of people in temporary accommodation; maintaining an adequate supply of temporary accommodation; and ensuring homeless people have sufficient access to permanent housing.
John Jellema, Assistant Director Of Regulation, said: “Some councils are finding it increasingly difficult to meet these challenges, and so to fully meet their statutory duties. This includes difficulties in ensuring that people with particular equality characteristics – such as single women and children – have temporary accommodation options that meet their needs.
“There are actions councils can and should take to respond to these challenges, and there are other improvements to services they can make. All councils should continue best efforts to meet their statutory obligations.
“The Scottish Government has put in place a wide range of policy actions aimed at achieving the goal of ending homelessness in Scotland. Having said that, the Scottish Government may need to consider what further urgent measures it can take to support councils to respond to the immediate challenges they face in delivering services for people who are homeless.”
Shelter Scotland has responded to yesterday’s report by the Scottish Housing Regulator, outlining the emerging risk of systematic failure within local authority homelessness services, particularly in securing temporary and permanent accommodation.
The report supports Shelter Scotland’s continued messaging that Scotland is in a housing emergency, and that the supply of more social homes must be prioritised by the Scottish Government.
It shows that councils are making considerable efforts in very challenging circumstances to provide homelessness services, however, are finding it increasingly difficult to meet their statutory duties in the provision of temporary and permanent accommodation.
The report highlights three major strategic challenges councils are facing: dealing with the significant numbers of people currently in temporary accommodation; maintaining a sufficient supply of appropriate temporary accommodation; and ensuring access to the number of permanent homes that are needed.
The report calls on the Scottish Government to consider what further urgent measures it can take to support councils to respond to the challenges they face in delivering services for people who are homeless.
It also notes that some households do not always receive a service that meets their specific needs, further demonstrating that the system is broken and biased.
In its Scottish Housing Emergency Action Plan last year, Shelter Scotland outlined three key priorities as the most critical to tackle the housing emergency: buy and build 38,500 social homes by 2026, fully fund local authority homelessness services and guarantee the right to a permanent home for every household.
Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said: “The Scottish Government know how to fix homelessness and the wider housing emergency in Scotland.
“As indicated in this report, an adequate supply of permanent, affordable housing provided by councils and RSLs is vital in ending homelessness.
“Over the years they have been presented with endless evidence and testimony that investing in social housing ends homelessness, tackles child poverty and is crucial in fighting the housing emergency. Yet, they are choosing to look the other way as thousands of families continue to struggle.
“If ever there was a clearer message from the sector that the time to act is now, this is it. The Scottish Government must recognise that its choices to ignore the housing emergency will have devasting consequences for the fight against homelessness.”
Following a campaign initiated by Edinburgh Central SNP MSP, Angus Robertson, the City of Edinburgh Council has agreed to pay for the installation of a Stolperstein or ‘stumbling stone’ memorial to Jane Haining.
90 years ago, Jane Haining left Edinburgh for Budapest to help Jewish children in the Hungarian capital. She was killed in Auschwitz in 1944 and subsequently recognised as ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ at Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem. Ms Haining is the only Scot to be given the honour.
The motion was passed by city councillors yesterday.
‘Stolpersteine’ or ‘stumbling stones’ are small brass plaques set in pavements with the inscription of the name and life details of victims murdered by the Nazis. Across Europe, there are now over 75,000 brass plate memorials outside the homes or places associated with victims of the Nazi Holocaust.
The proposals were welcomed by Councillor Vicky Nicolson and Professor Joe Goldblatt, Chair of the Edinburgh Interfaith Association and prominent member of Scotland’s Jewish Community, who brought a motion to the City of Edinburgh Council to have the Stolperstein paid for and installed by the City.
Angus Robertson MSPsaid: ‘Jane Haining is Scotland’s most prominent Holocaust victim and is Righteous Amongst the Nations at Yad Vashem.
“A ‘Stolperstein’ to her memory would be fitting, perhaps outside Edinburgh’s St Stephen’s Church, where her mission to help Jewish children was dedicated. As well as being a proper commemoration, it will also serve as a warning to never forget the lessons of history.”
Professor Joe Goldblattsaid: “I hope that in the years to come when children and others pass the Stolperstein stone and plaque they will feel pride because of this daughter of Edinburgh whose courage and bravery saved so many Jewish lives.
“I hope that the Church of Scotland and Jewish community will work closely together to plan a meaningful and memorable unveiling of the stone.”
SNP Councillor for Inverleith Ward, Vicky Nicolson, said: “Before Jane Haining left for Budapest, a dedication service was held for her at St Stephen’s Church in Stockbridge.It was presided over by the chair of the Jewish mission committee, Dr Stewart Thompson.
“Jane Haining left for Budapest the next day, seven months before Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933. She went to her dedication service as an everyday citizen and left as a missionary to Budapest where she looked after and saved many Jewish children’s lives until her extermination at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
“Edinburgh was the last place Jane Haining chose to be prior to her mission and it is time we, the Capital City of Scotland, commemorate her incredible humanity, bravery and kindness.
“Her Stolpestein will be a marker and a reminder of the Holocaust and what that did to the world. Jane Haining was an incredible woman and for Edinburgh not to have recognised her yet is wrong and we want to right that wrong.”
Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotlandsaid: “We are delighted that Edinburgh City councillors have voted in favour of buying and installing a ‘Stolperstein’ in memory of Jane Haining, who showed tremendous courage in the face of intolerable evil during a dark period of history.
“A woman of deep Christian faith, she was fully aware of the risks she was taking but repeatedly refused Church of Scotland pleas to leave Budapest and return home to Scotland as the war engulfed Europe.‘
“Jane was determined to continue doing her duty and stick to her post, saying ‘If these children need me in days of sunshine, how much more do they need me in days of darkness?’.
“She was simultaneously an ordinary and extraordinary woman and her story is one of heroism and personal sacrifice and reminds us that when we feel powerless, there is always something that we can do.
‘Her story is moving, humbling, heart-breaking and inspirational and we hope that this honour will help keep her memory alive for generations to come.’
Investment includes £19 million awarded to British entrepreneurs to develop greener technologies
Five Scottish projects are among the next generation of energy innovators who will receive a £24 million cash boost from the UK Government to develop new technologies that will decarbonise UK industry, build home-grown energy supplies and help prepare for a net zero future.
Thirty-seven British companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, will get a share of the £19 million Energy Entrepreneurs Fund. And there’s to be a further £5million available through the Local Industrial Decarbonisation competition which will launch this summer.
The Energy Entrepreneurs Fund will drive forward innovations to reduce carbon emissions, develop clean energy and improve energy efficiency in people’s homes.
The UK-wide projects will allow industry to play its part in helping the country meet its 2050 net zero target by delivering decarbonisation solutions, as well as potentially creating hundreds of green jobs and triggering private sector investment worth millions.
The winning Scottish projects include:
Decommissioning oil wells: Clearwell Technology Ltd, based in Aberdeen, received £223,872 to design a thermal pipe milling tool for well plugging – a green tech that could transform how oil and gas wells are sustainably decommissioned
Tidal turbine testing – Glasgow based, Flex Marine Power Ltd, received £968,205, towards a lower cost tidal turbine for coastal power generation within a microgrid which will be tested with community partners on the island of Islay
The other Scottish recipients are Innovatium Group Ltd (£324,413.71) and Synaptec Ltd (£829,220.41), both based in Glasgow and Power Enable Solutions Ltd t/a REOptimize Systems (£660,854.40) in Edinburgh.
Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero Grant Shapps said: “The UK is a nation of innovators, and this funding will help the next generation of energy pioneers develop cheap and green technologies of the future.
“This will not only deliver more green jobs and cheaper energy but also create world-leading solutions to help us reach net zero and economic growth.”
Welcoming the announcement Minister for Scotland John Lamont said: “I am delighted that five Scottish projects have received funding from the UK Government.
“Energy innovation is a vital part in helping the UK reach our net zero target by 2050 and these Scottish projects will be key to discovering decarbonisation solutions as well as helping to boost green jobs and economic growth.”
Also announced today, the government will launch a £5 million Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans competition this summer. The competition will support groups of industrial businesses such as glass, cement and ceramics manufacturers, join together in ‘clusters’. Along with other key stakeholders including local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), these ‘local industrial clusters’ will develop coordinated and collaborative decarbonisation plans that will kickstart their journey towards a low-carbon future.
The Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans competition will take a similar approach to how existing clusters like Teesside and Black Country are tackling industrial carbon emissions. Representing a major step forward in helping dispersed industrial sites begin their journey to decarbonise in the 2020s, this builds on one of the key commitments the government set out in their Net Zero Strategy. Winners are set to be announced later in 2023, and further detail about the competition will follow in the spring.
The Energy Entrepreneurs Fund and Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans competition will not only help to supercharge the UK’s move to domestic renewable energy – they also form part of the government’s wider plans to bring down the cost of energy by enabling the development of green global solutions of the future.
Bruce Cardo, Director of Clearwell Technology said: “We are thrilled to have the support of the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund which will allow us to bring our thermal pipe milling technology for oil and gas well decommissioning to market faster, helping us to achieve our goal of delivering step change in the cost of decommissioning of legacy oil and gas infrastructure.”
A joint statement by business owners on the Jock’s Lodge site in relation to proposals to develop purpose-built student accommodation by Alumno:
“We write as owners of our relevant establishments on the Jock’s Lodge site and have noted recent media attention focusing on the loss of these premises to the community.
“It should be noted that we have all come to an agreement with Alumno to sell our properties as part of the site redevelopment, should planning permission be granted for its proposals. Clearly it is disappointing to note that we appear to be being used as a means to try and prevent the site from being developed, when we want to sell.
“For those of us who own commercial property on the site, it has been a challenging experience to operate and manage in this location, exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis. Many of the tenants have changed hands a number of times over the years, and this demonstrates that it is not a sustainable location.
“Following a chequered and difficult trading history, and a detailed review of the sustainability of the Jocks Lodge pub, Star Pubs & Bars identified The Barrelhouse for disposal, in lieu of this agreement to sell and recognising the timeframes required to go through the planning process. It was agreed to let the pub for a limited tenure/timeframe and on a below market, minimum rent/utility free basis. This was all agreed with the current tenant (The Willow), and they understood fully this arrangement. This is not a viable long-term arrangement.
“The Willow have agreed to relocate to Musselburgh and on a more sustainable longer-term arrangement.
“Alumno has a strong track record of developing on similar sites across the UK and particularly on challenging sites, such as Jock’s Lodge. The overall plans for the site will see the delivery of high-quality purpose-built student accommodation, including ground floor commercial space.
“The intention is that a new community ‘local’ food/drink use will be created in place of the neighbouring Limelite, which will have the same ownership, providing continuity and a venue for the community to come together and socialise in.
“The Limelite owners have high aspirations for refreshed and improved facilities, which will include gourmet food and an outside space.
“We hope that this clarifies our position and our support and desire to sell can be respected.”
POLICE are appealing for information following a high-value house breaking in the Liberton area on Thursday, 2 February 2023.
Between 5pm and 5.30pm a house on Greenpark was broken into and a five-figure sum of cash and a four-figure sum of jewellery stolen.
There was no one in the house at the time of the break-in and officers are keen to trace two men seen at the time. They left on foot in the direction of Burdiehouse Burn.
The first suspect is described as white, aged in his 40s, with grey hair. He was wearing glasses, a dark coloured jacket, blue jeans and dark trainers.
The second is described as white, aged in his 20s. He was wearing a baseball cap, black Puffa style jacket, black jeans, black trainers and was carrying a dark coloured rucksack.
Detective Constable Scott Lynas, of Corstorphine CID, said: “Officers have been carrying out extensive enquiries, including checking CCTV.
“We believe the property was targeted and we are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen these men, or anyone else acting suspiciously before and after the break-in. It is near an area popular with dog walkers so anyone with information is asked to get in touch.
“In addition, if you have private CCTV or dash-cam footage that could assist with our investigation then please also contact us.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101, quoting reference number 3009 of Thursday, 2 February 2023. Alternatively, details can be passed anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Communities across Scotland will be able to prepare and take action sooner to protect themselves from flooding as a new three-day Scottish Flood Forecast launches.
Developed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Met Office, the Scottish Flood Forecast provides the earliest indication possible of when and where flooding is expected over the next three days, and whether the source is from rivers, surface water or the sea.
In addition, the colour coded map on SEPA’s website describes the potential impacts on communities and links to advice and information on what protective action people can take if required. It also offers reassurance when significant flooding is not expected.
The Scottish Flood Forecast was developed following extensive research involving the public, community flood groups, emergency responders, partner organisations and both SEPA and Met Office employees. Feedback from more than 200 users was also gathered during a trial phase from May last year.
Gail Walker is from the Tillicoultry, Devonside and Coalsnaughton Flood Group (Tideco): “The Scottish Flood Forecast is an important information source for Tideco. Advance warning of flooding supports us to work out how we can best respond to weather events with the resources we have.
“Tillicoultry has a number of flooding issues and is a known flooding ‘hot spot’. This can include surface water and sewage flooding within residential streets, as well as flooding from the Tillicoultry Burn and the River Devon, which both have a history of having flooded out homes in the past. Whilst we have some flood defence measures in place, we still have areas that are vulnerable.
“The Scottish Flood Forecast is a useful trigger for the group to plan, prepare and to make sure volunteers are in areas where we know there is the potential for flooding. The key role of Tideco is to warn, inform and offer support to those at risk of flooding or who may have been impacted.”
The forecast is produced every morning, 365 days a year, and published on SEPA’s website. It is an additional tool for the public to use alongside the current Floodline service, which issues shorter notice Regional Flood Alerts and Local Flood Warnings to those signed up, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said: “Flooding can cause utter devastation to people and communities, as we saw again in several parts of the country in November and December last year.
“The impact of the climate emergency, across the world and here in Scotland, means that flooding will be more frequent. That is why it’s so important that we increase community resilience and take action to manage flood risk.
“The Scottish Flood Forecast will give people a three day look ahead to help make plans for travel and ensure safety and is a product of the excellent partnership working between SEPA and the Met Office.
“This new three-day forecast is a helpful addition to the other important services, such as Floodline, that the Scottish Flood Forecasting Service provides.”
Nicole Paterson, SEPA Chief Executive, added: “The Scottish Flood Forecast has been the biggest change to SEPA’s flood warning service in the last decade and is a major step forward in helping communities become more resilient to flooding.
“This winter we were reminded why that is so important, as parts of Scotland experienced damaging impacts from flooding – notably Aberdeenshire and Angus in November and Dumfries and Galloway in December.
“While the Scottish Flood Forecast currently displays information at a national level, work will continue on the forecast to gradually introduce localised information.”
Ian Cameron, Met Office Markets Director, said: “Every day the Met Office and SEPA teams work in close partnership to publish the Scottish Flood Forecast, providing guidance to the flood forecasting team at the Scottish Flood Forecasting Service (SFFS) with the latest weather information.
“Working together in the SFFS Partnership enables the Met Office and SEPA to achieve more together and create a more resilient environment.”
