Work starts on Drylaw skatepark

‘This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active’ – Sarah Robertson, sportscotland

This week sees construction commence on a new £200,000 skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.

The new skatepark is the result of a collaborative project between the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust and local community organisations to develop, fund and deliver a new skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.

The project was initiated by young people from the local community and was then taken forward via consultation and first stage funding for the development of a feasibility study, by the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, closely supported by the local community council, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and sportscotland

The inspiration for the project came from the citywide skate park created in Saughton Park which has shown how successful a skatepark can be, and which has led to calls for a more local and convenient facility in the north of the city.

The new facility has received funding from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council and secured £100,000 match funding from the Scottish Government’s Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.

The Greenspace Trust (ELGT) has overseen the project management of the skatepark since planning permission was granted in early 2013, and has taken the lead in developing and securing funding to ensure the delivery of the project for the community. The final elements of funding were secured by ELGT earlier this year and the construction put out to tender in the summer. With the final design elements agreed, and necessary planning conditions met, such as drainage, work can now start.

50% of the costs of the skatepark are being met by an award from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. The £10 million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund has enable communities across Scotland to benefit from the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, by providing more and better opportunities to be active.

Sarah Robertson, Project Manager from sportscotland, said: “The new Drylaw skatepark is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by various organisations investing resources and working together and we are delighted to have invested £100,000 from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.

“Together with our partners, sportscotland are committed to building and supporting the development of a world-class sporting system at all levels, and this project will provide a great facility which will be available for the whole of the community to use.

“This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active”.

The match funding is from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and City of Edinburgh Council -Culture and Sport. The new skatepark helps deliver the Neighbourhood Partnership’s key priorities of engaging young people, increased opportunities for physical activity and encouraging better use of green spaces.

Local Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds, who chairs the skatepark working group, said:  “I am pleased the Drylaw Skatepark work has started. It has been a long road to get to this point and credit is due to the young people and local organisations who have worked tirelessly to make sure this project happened.”

Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT) works across Edinburgh and the Lothians to create, improve and promote parks and greenspaces, and to provide opportunities for communities to be more active for leisure and travel.

Ross Woodside, ELGT’s Projects Manager, said: “We are pleased that the much-anticipated skatepark has reached the construction stage. We are confident that it will be a well-used local asset and make real contribution to more sporting opportunities in the area.”

The park is being designed and built by Freestyle Skateparks, the UK’s oldest and largest skatepark design-and-build company. Construction is scheduled to last around ten weeks.

A helping hand: MSP Colin joins Muirhouse volunteers

‘I am humbled by the generosity and humanity of the local community in reaching out to help those in need.’ – Colin Keir MSP

Colin Keir MSP with volunteers Josh & Karma

Edinburgh Western MSP Colin Keir joined volunteers at the Muirhouse Community Shop yesterday to help collect and sort donations of clothing for Syrian refugees.

Mr Keir said: “I was overwhelmed by the support for this initiative from the local community in Muirhouse. It shows that Muirhouse cares for the plight of Syrian refugees and as winter approaches these donations will be much appreciated by those in need.

“This is a great partnership between the local community, its community organisations and Edinburgh Direct Aid to provide some comfort to those refugees now living in very difficult conditions in refugee camps. Once again I am humbled by the generosity and humanity of the local community in reaching out to help those in need.”

The initiative was organised by Tenants and Residents in Muirhouse (TRIM), Muirhouse Community Shop, Pilton Youth & Children Project and Spartans. The donations were sorted by the volunteers before delivery to Edinburgh Direct Aid.

Colin Keir MSP with TRIM chair Robert Pearson

Czech mates! Muirhouse welcomes European students

Czech students make Muirhouse Millennium Centre home

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Today we welcome our second group of students from the Czech Republic Students to the Centre ((writes James McGinty). Last week’s group stayed all week and included ‘Sunday Learning’ in the large Hall. Both groups planned to visit the Capital of the North – Inverness – with a ‘Nessie Hunt’ trip to Loch Ness!

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We would like to thank St Andrews & the Old Kirk for their help in catering to the educational needs of the students by providing ‘learning rooms’ due to the large number of Students, as our Centre continues to be ambassadors for both Edinburgh and Scotland.

School Streets initiative hits the road

Six city schools kick off safer school streets pilot

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Cramond Primary is among six city schools taking part in the School Streets initiative in Edinburgh, which aims to create safer travel to the city’s primary schools by banning cars from surrounding streets during certain times.

Colinton Primary School pupils celebrated the launch of the safety scheme this morning, when Super Cyclists and Wonder Walkers assembled at the front gates via newly car-free streets.

Traffic will now be prohibited on the roads surrounding the first phase of schools involved in the scheme at the beginning and end of the school day.

Aiming to create a safer, more pleasant environment the scheme promotes travel to school by walking and cycling, in turn reducing congestion and pollution in the area. The first couple of weeks will be education/raising awareness before enforcement starts.

City of Edinburgh Council Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “I am delighted to see School Streets in action and that so many pupils have taken this opportunity to walk, use scooters and ride their bikes safely into school.

“Promoting active and sustainable travel is one of our main priorities, and by creating a safe and relaxed atmosphere near our schools, we are encouraging this from a very early age.”

Final plans for the School Streets pilot, which is a commitment of theLocal Transport Strategy 2014-19, were approved by Transport and Environment Committee in August.

More than 30 schools across the city originally expressed an interest in participating in the pilot and eleven were eventually selected. All of the chosen locations had been experiencing road safety issues due to the number of drivers bringing cars too close to school gates.

Chris Thompson Schools and Projects Coordinator at Living Streets says: “It is vital that more children walk to school however traffic levels and safety are key concerns for parents. By closing the immediate streets outside school gates, the City of Edinburgh Council and participating schools are sending a resounding message that walking to school, even for the last few minutes, is good for health and the city’s environment. I expect other councils across the UK to follow this bold and imaginative approach to healthy school travel.”

Chief Inspector Stevie Dolan, from Police Scotland, said: “We are committed to working alongside our partners and the public to ensure the safety of all road users, including schoolchildren.

“Whenever a complaint is received in relation to motorists driving within the prohibited areas, without a valid reason for doing so, our officers will respond accordingly.”

Six primary schools are included in the first of two phases – Abbeyhill, Colinton, Cramond, Duddingston and St John’s RC with Sciennes starting in October. 

The second phase of the pilot is due to begin in March and will be implemented at Towerbank, St Peter’s, Clermiston and Bonaly Primary Schools.

Residents in streets next to participating schools need a permit to drive in or out of the street while restrictions are in place, which can be applied for on the Council website.

Lari Don opens Forthview’s ‘magical’ new library

‘There is nothing like a library to make you smile’: Forthview’s Patron of Reading opens school library

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‘I love being an author. The best bit is writing stories and adventures, but I love lots of the other bits of being an author too. I enjoy redrafting and I really love working with editors. I love meeting readers and talking about my books too. But the one bit of being an author that I really don’t enjoy is … getting my photo taken!’

Edinburgh-based author Lari Don called in to Forthview Primary School this morning to officially open the school’s new library. Award-winning writer Lari, who became the West Pilton school’s Patron of Reading in May last year, said the new library offers ‘endless possibilities’.

Before welcoming the Lari and guests, Forthview Head Teacher Eileen Littlewood explained: “One of the first things I wanted to do when I came to Forthview was to re-open the school library, which was being used for other purposes.

“We were able to do this thanks to funding from the Scottish Government’s Raising Attainment for All initiative along with a grant from the Foyle Foundation. Our parents have been so much help in planning and putting the library together, so we have a lot to celebrate today.”

Cutting a ribbon to mark the event, Lari told the children: “I always feel happy when I walk into Forthview, because I always meet kids with amazing imaginations so I’m always smiling.

“But today, I came into the library and I just couldn’t stop grinning. Because there’s nothing like a library to make you smile, to make you feel endless possibilities – and you have got the most beautiful, the most spacious, the most cheerful, the most colourful, the most magical library and I really hope you all enjoy it! And now, I’m so happy to declare the Forthview Library open!”

Official duty performed, Lari went on to host a workshop for Forthview’s young writers. And yes, she had her photo taken too!

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“When a child connects to a book – even if it’s a book that we as adults might not care for – it can really change the course of that child’s life.” – Dan Pilkey, author

Hold Me Dear: Four Cities, [Extra]ordinary Places

It’s Here + Now! Outdoor exhibition, Rodney Street Tunnel

Here + Now launch event: Sunday 27 September, 12 noon – 2pm

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An open air photography exhibition, featuring unique pictures and stories of treasured city spaces taken by local people living in Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Istanbul, opens in the Rodney Street railway tunnel in Canonmills this Sunday. 

Curated by HERE + NOW, the exhibition provides a unique and exciting opportunity for people to share the places that matter most to them, building up a very personal insight into a residents’ view of their Edinburgh the places that actually matter personally to local people ­beyond the usual tourist landmarks.

Visit the ‘City Link’ section of www.holdmedear.co.uk to see the submissions.

PUBLIC LAUNCH PARTY- Sunday 27 September 12 noon

the exhibition will formally launch with a picnic event, talks, music performances and art-themed cycle tours around city.

The exhibition is created by HERE + NOW and supported by Sustrans, Edinburgh City Council, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and the Friends of King George V Park. The exhibition is free and runs until 20 October.

One in three will develop dementia, charity warns

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Alzheimer’s Research UK has renewed its call for urgent action on dementia as new analysis estimates that one in three people born this year will develop the condition during their lifetime.

The findings, revealed on World Alzheimer’s Day (21 September), foreshadow a looming national health crisis as the UK population ages, and underlines the need for global efforts to develop new treatments to succeed.

Dementia affects 850,000 people in the UK and is caused by brain diseases, most commonly Alzheimer’s, which result in the loss of brain cells and impair the brain’s ability to function properly. Early symptoms can include problems with memory and thinking, but as brain cell death becomes more widespread, physical functions such as walking and even swallowing can be affected. Currently there are no treatments able to stop or slow Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias in their tracks.

With age the biggest risk factor for dementia, the number of people living with the condition is expected to rise as the population ages and life expectancy increases. The latest research, commissioned by Alzheimer’s Research UK and carried out by the Office of Health Economics, set out to calculate the number of people born today who could be expected develop the condition during their lifetime. The analysis took into account life expectancy estimates for people born in 2015, as well as estimates of dementia incidence in men and women of different ages. The report estimates that:

  • 32% of people born in the UK 2015, or one in three, will develop dementia during their lifetime
  • 27% of males born in 2015 will develop the condition
  • 37% of females born in 2015 will develop the condition

Previous research from the team estimated that a treatment capable of delaying the onset of dementia by five years would reduce the number of dementia cases by a third. As the UK’s leading dementia research charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK has launched several major initiatives to help speed up the development of new treatments, including a network of Drug Discovery Institutes and a Global Clinical Trials Fund.

Amanda Franks, from Swindon, a Champion of Alzheimer’s Research UK, whose mum Cathy was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s six years ago, said:

“My mum was only 58 when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Up until then we had no idea this devastating disease could affect someone so young. Simple day-to-day tasks like making a cup of tea, getting dressed and eating soon became a huge challenge for Mum. Dad cared for her at home with family help for five years by which time things were getting out of hand with her violent behaviour and hallucinations – life became extremely stressful.

“As a mum myself, I would dearly love to see preventions and new treatments found to defeat Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, giving hope to people now and future generations. These new statistics are terrifying but they will open everyone’s eyes to the enormity of the situation. Research can beat dementia and, with more investment, Alzheimer’s Research UK can drive the next breakthrough so urgently needed.”

Dr Matthew Norton, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“These figures underline a stark reality: as people are living longer, more and more people will develop dementia in the future if action is not taken now to tackle the condition. It’s wonderful news that each generation is living longer than the last, but it’s important to ensure that people can enjoy these extra years in good health. Dementia is our greatest medical challenge and if we are to beat it, we must invest in research to find new treatments and preventions. If we could delay the onset of dementia by five years, we could reduce the number of people living with the condition by a third. Research has the power to transform lives, and our actions now will help determine the future for children born today. The hundreds of thousands of families affected by dementia now deserve to know that we are fighting for them.”