The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 1981 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

Spend £5 get £10 on Leith Walk as business support scheme begins

A voucher scheme encouraging people to visit shops, cafes and restaurants on Leith Walk will launch on Monday (24 August) as part of the Trams to Newhaven project, the city council has announced.

The council is offering shoppers and diners £10 for the price of £5 to spend in a range of participating venues through the itison deal, which is part of our £2.4m Support for Business measures during construction works.

They will also be relaunching the offer for businesses on Constitution Street next month, where vouchers sold out within days when they were first introduced in November 2019.

Main Trams to Newhaven construction work began on Leith Walk in June, following a pause to comply with Government guidance and to protect the safety of workers and residents during the coronavirus outbreak.

The council says they have worked closely with local traders along the route to develop the Support for Business package, which aims to maintain the area’s appeal, drive footfall and minimise disruption throughout construction.

This includes logistics hubs to help businesses get goods into and out of their premises, on-street customer service staff providing advice to customers and businesses and a digital ‘Open for Business’ marketing campaign. They are also working with Sustrans to introduce cargo bikes for service deliveries and moving goods around.

Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “We’re excited to be launching this phase of the itison voucher scheme, which will give an added incentive to visit the range of independent shops, cafes, bars and restaurants on offer in the area.

“We know that any disruption can be challenging for businesses, particularly paired with the trying circumstances in which we find ourselves in now. We want to do everything we can to help them to continue to operate, and flourish, over the years to come.

“This project is critical for the city’s carbon neutral future, where transport is sustainable, connected and accessible. We want its benefits to be felt by everyone and we’re working hard to make this happen.”

Over 70 Leith Walk bars, restaurants, cafes and shops have signed up to the itison voucher scheme, which lasts until 31 August. Customers can buy up to three vouchers at a time to use in any of the participating businesses. Vouchers for Constitution Street must be bought separately, and for specific businesses.

Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said: “This is an excellent initiative to encourage customers to continue visiting businesses on Leith Walk and promote trade.

“Shops on the walk have been hit hard by the double blow of lockdown and the tram extensions, so making efforts to support businesses is very welcome.

“I encourage everyone to make the most of this offer and support local businesses.”

Find out more about Trams to Newhaven on the project website.

North Edinburgh Arts to become community-owned hub

North Edinburgh Arts (NEA) has been granted full community ownership in a community asset transfer from the City of Edinburgh Council. With the additional transfer of a plot of land to the north of the organisation’s venue, NEA is now in a position to lead on the development of an extended creative and community hub for the area, working in partnership with the Council.

Bringing the organisation, established in 1998, into community ownership and working to extend the facilities will make sure this dynamic community venue is fit for purpose for the next two decades.

New enterprise, workshop, learning space and creative studios are planned, alongside a dedicated youth area, expanded café, and shared atrium all working to complement the Council’s adjoining library and early year’s provision.

NEA carried out extensive consultation to gauge support for the project with 96% of respondents in favour. The organisation offers local residents a place to relax, explore, learn, meet, share, volunteer and have fun in. Last year over 40,000 visits were made to the venue once described by STV as ‘a bright bubble behind Muirhouse shopping centre.’

NEA is based in the heart of Muirhouse and their current venue incorporates two studios, a 96 seat theatre, recording studio, gallery, offices and the pop in community café with children’s play area leading onto a large garden. NEA offers a safe, comfortable and creative space for people of all ages to develop within.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic over 30 hours of creative workshops were on offer each week, most with a family focus, alongside a wide range of other events from singing groups to circus skills workshops, exhibitions, community theatre, film clubs, and festival events.

The venue is also home to Muirhouse Link Up, Firstport Social Enterprise, North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre, and the Tinderbox Orchestra, all working to serve the most disadvantaged children, families and individuals in the North Edinburgh area.

Chair of NEA, Lesley Hinds, said: “NEA has won five national awards in the last six years for place making and creative projects. This new capital project will allow the organisation to flourish, alongside Council provision, and bring a first class facility to Macmillan Square.

“NEA is a special place for the community of North Edinburgh and has been a trusted community anchor providing emergency food and support throughout the COVID lockdown. The granting of the Community Asset Transfer from the Council is the first step on our next exciting journey.”

Director Kate Wimpress added: “The bright blue NEA building has been a beacon of hope for many throughout the lockdown. Alongside our COVID activity of the last four months we have been working closely with Council colleagues to share and establish our vision of a world class creative hub for the next generation of North Edinburgh residents.

“Today’s endorsement from the Council takes us one step closer to this vision becoming a reality.”

Contact: Kate Wimpress director@northedinburgharts.co.uk

www.northedinburgharts.co.uk

Twitter @northedinarts

Facebook facebook.com/northedinarts

Pictures: Robin Mair

Morrisons Launches Tommy’s Afternoon Tea Food Box to Mark WW2 Anniversary

Morrisons has added to its collection of Food Boxes with a special ‘Tommy’s Afternoon Tea Box’ to help customers celebrate the anniversary of the end of World War II on Wednesday 2 September.

Shoppers have two options when ordering the box: £15 will get you all of the traditional teatime treats including scones, clotted cream, cakes and ingredients for sandwiches and for an additional £5 your box will come with a full-size bottle of Prosecco.

Both boxes support the Royal British Legion Industries’ Tommy Tea campaign, with £1 from every box going to the charity, as well as an additional £10,000 that has been donated by the supermarket. Each box will also contain a leaflet with information about the charity and a free car sticker.

Amy Bishop, Manager of Food Boxes at Morrisons said: “We’re proud to continue supporting our veterans and the RBLI’s Tommy’s Tea Campaign. Our new food box is packed full of ingredients for customers to host their own celebrations to mark this historic occasion.”

The box is available to pre-order now and will be delivered to customers over the bank holiday weekend.

A typical box contains:

• Morrisons The Best All Butter Sultana Scone 4 Pack

• Rodda’s Classic Cornish Clotted Cream

• Mini Tiptree Strawberry Jam – Glass 42g

• Morrisons Lemon Bakewells 6 Pack

• Morrisons The Best Chocolate Cake

• Egg Mayo Sandwich Filler 250g

• Cheese & Onion Sandwich Filler 250g

• Medium White Loaf

• Morrisons Red Label Tea Bags 40s 125g

• Cravendale Semi Skimmed Milk 1L

+ optional Morrisons The Best Prosecco DOC 75cl

For more information or to purchase the Morrisons Tommy Tea Box visit https://www.morrisons.com/food-boxes/boxes/all-boxes

Coronavirus: danger at work

Nearly 600 people in Scotland are thought to have caught coronavirus at their place of work, new figures show. The data includes eight people who died from the virus since April.

Care home workers account for nearly two thirds of the suspected occupational exposures, according to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) data, but many other groups – hairdressers, funeral directors, beauty therapists and NHS workers among them – are also believed to have been exposed to the virus at work.

STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “These figures confirm our view that undervalued key workers in care and the NHS have borne the brunt of workplace transmission of the virus with some, tragically, dying as a consequence.

“These figures are almost certainly the tip of the ice-berg. We suspect that there has been significant under-reporting, not to mention a significant incidence of transmission from workers without symptoms.

“Even taken at face value these figures shine a light on the failures we have witnessed in the delivery of adequate PPE and the slow response to the provision of testing for suspected Covid infection.

“Now, more than ever, government and every employer have the responsibility to get things right. Workplaces have been at the centre of localised outbreaks. We need the utmost vigilance, full engagement with unions and an open door for union roving health and safety reps in non-recognised workplaces.”

Gary Smith, secretary of the GMB Scotland union, said there is likely to be significant under-reporting of the suspected workplace coronavirus cases. He said: “The events of the last six months simply do not give any confidence in these figures.

“In sectors which predominately employ women, such as social care and food manufacturing, we are talking about industries notorious for the under-reporting of workplace incident and injury pre-Covid.

“We now know that many of the workers in these industries have been failed on basic health and safety issues, from the delay in the delivery of proper PPE provision to the ability to access testing for suspected Covid infection.”

SHE Scotland Mentoring Award

Are you looking for a new challenge? Would you like to be the person you needed when you were young?

SHE Scotland and Edinburgh College are running their new SQA Mentoring Award at the beginning end of September.

Mentoring programme delivered on Edinburgh College Granton Campus on Monday mornings from 10am -12.30pm.

Get in touch for more information.

Lockdown puts Edinburgh’s love of walking in the frame

A story of the life-changing way walking helped an Edinburgh man during lockdown is the focus of a new photography-led campaign.

‘Humans of the Walk’ features portrait photography and personal accounts of people from across Scotland who found walking to be a stimulating relief while the country was placed on pause for over four months.

Scotland’s walking charity Paths for All is sharing the inspirational stories which encapsulate the physical and mental benefits walking had on those coping with a variety of challenges during lockdown.

The charity hopes the 10 moving tales will encourage people to keep walking and convince others to take up walking every day.

Inspired by the famous digital photography project, Humans of New York, the campaign brings to life stories of love, strength, health, family and friendship – and are all connected by one thing: Walking.

One of the 10 individuals, Thomas Ferguson from Edinburgh, believes walking has made him physically and mentally stronger. He said: “Walking has saved me. I could feel myself getting weaker and weaker, growing older, and for a period I would struggle to move anywhere without feeling pain in my legs.

“Yet, through perseverance and self-intervention I began walking again and I can feel myself recovering physically and mentally – it was like a medicine for me.

“I will never again underestimate the power of walking.”

In the search for the 10 participants, Paths for All asked members of the public to take part in a short survey and share their lockdown walking stories. The survey found 93% of people walked during lockdown to look after their physical health.

The charity’s survey also found 77% of people found walking helped them connect with nature, while 61% explored new paths for the first time.

This is Paths for All’s second Humans of the Walk campaign. The first launched in May 2019 to coincide with Edinburgh’s first Open Streets event which closed city centre roads to cars to encourage more walking and cycling.

Ian Findlay CBE, Chief Officer at Paths for All, said: “Our 10 participants in this year’s Humans of the Walk campaign have shared their personal challenges through a period of time which have been arduous for us all.

“Lockdown has impacted our lives in ways we could not have imagined and these stories highlight how walking can help relieve the worries and stresses we feel every day.

“The Humans of the Walk campaign encompasses how walking can improve physical and mental health as well as keeping Scotland happier, healthier, and greener.”

Paths for All’s aim is to significantly increase the number of people who choose to walk in Scotland, whether it’s walking for leisure or walking to work, school or to the shops.

The charity works to create more opportunities and better environments not just for walking, but also for cycling and other activities to help make Scotland a more active, more prosperous and greener country.

Paths for All’s focus is clear: it wants to get Scotland walking: everyone, every day, everywhere.

To keep the celebration of walking going, Paths for All is giving everyone the chance to win a prize bundle worth up to £200. To enter the competition, members of the public should post a portrait photo celebrating walking in some way, on Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #HumansOfTheWalk.

The competition runs until September 18 and multiple entries are allowed.

For more information on Humans of the Walk and the competition visit the Paths for All website.

Students urged to ‘stay alert’ when moving into rental accomodation

Students across Scotland heading off to university next month are being urged to stay alert and check that correct safety measures have been followed before moving into rental accommodation.

The advice follows A-Levels results day as students across the country begin to finalise their accommodation decisions. The impact of COVID-19 means an expected rise in those living and studying from home through e-learning, but for those moving into accommodation it is important not to rush into contracts.

A recent survey of students revealed over two-thirds of renters’ biggest problems included damp, lack of water or heating and living in dangerous conditions. *

There are fears that the increased uncertainty of COVID-19 might lead to students signing contracts for cheaper housing in a bid to save money without properly inspecting the property first.

This could result in students living in potentially unsafe conditions which might put their health at risk, or create significant disruption if they must move out halfway through the year because the house becomes uninhabitable. Of particular concern are poorly maintained heating systems that could be life-threatening if they emit harmful carbon monoxide fumes.

To help students know what to look out for when deciding on accommodation, OFTEC, the trade association for liquid fuels, has issued a safety checklist for students in Scotland which outlines the legal requirements landlords must follow and the key red flags to look out for:

1. Check that every floor of the property has a working smoke alarm. Carbon Monoxide alarms are also mandatory in rooms which use solid fuel (such as an open fireplace).

2. Make sure there is always clear access to a fire escape route.

3. Upholstered furniture such as beds and sofas must have appropriate fire safety labels attached.

4. Check all electrical appliances (kettles, TVs, light fittings etc.) are working correctly as it is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure they are in a good condition. Electrical Safety First also recommends portable electrical appliances provided by landlords are tested at regular intervals.

5. For a mains gas heating system, the boiler must have been serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer. If you are moving into one of the 135000 oil heated homes in Scotland, an OFTEC registered technician should service the system. When viewing the property, ask to test the heating and check the radiators warm up.

Malcolm Farrow from OFTEC, commented: “It’s that time of year again for students in Scotland as they prepare for university and many move into rented accommodation.

“Whilst most landlords are fully responsible, unfortunately there are some unscrupulous owners who will try to dupe students into living in potentially unsafe accommodation full of problems.

“With the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can also be an incredibly nervous time for students so it would be easy to forget some of the vital property checks. But, staying alert and spotting any issues before you move into your chosen accommodation will help you avoid further problems that might affect your stay. In addition, check your tenancy agreements for any clauses around COVID-19 to get a full grasp of what you are agreeing to.”

For further advice and information, visit www.oftec.org.

To see the latest government guidance and advice for landlords and tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit https://bit.ly/31PzzDe

Fresh Start looking for Volunteer Coordinator

✨✨ FRESH START ARE RECRUITING ✨✨

We are looking for a Volunteer Coordinator for our Cooking classes.

This is a great chance to join the team as we develop the community kitchen and social spaces.

Please apply through Goodmoves 👉https://goodmoves.com/…/Volunteer-Coordinator-Cooking-Servi…

Please note, applications can only be received through Goodmoves.

CLOSING DATE: Monday 24th August.

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