Pick your vantage point for tomorrow’s Grand Depart

With Edinburgh and the Borders set to host Stage One of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, which takes place from the 3rd-10th September, take the time plan your vantage point. Tomorrow, riders will head from Edinburgh’s Royal Mile through East Lothian and into the Scottish Borders with the finish in Kelso.

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Charity fundraising event at Festival Village

Residents and business-people from across Edinburgh and beyond are invited to come together for a special evening of food, drink and live music to raise money and awareness for local charities Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, Kindred, and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH). Pop-up venue Festival Village: Waverley, located on the roof of Waverley Mall, is hosting the charity event supported by AIB (GB) on Tuesday 5thSeptember from 5pm. Continue reading Charity fundraising event at Festival Village

Western General Macmillan nurse receives British Empire Medal

A Macmillan nurse from Edinburgh has been presented with the British Empire Medal on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Fiona Haston, a registered nurse for 34 years, received the honour for her work helping and treating people affected by Head and Neck cancer.

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The Power of Laughter: Fringe ‘LOL’ could power a home for six days!

  • Energy produced from laughter at the Edinburgh Fringe could power a home for around six days
  • New research conducted by Scottish Gas used smart meter data to calculate how much energy and laughter was needed to power household electrical items
  • Scottish Gas has installed more than 30,000 smart meters in homes across Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe closed its doors on Saturday having had the most popular run in the event’s 70-year history. Today, new research has revealed the power of the Fringe’s laughter levels. The analysis, carried out by Scottish Gas, discovered that the energy generated from laughter at this year’s festival would power the average home in Edinburgh for nearly six days!

Statistically, the average person burns 100 calories if they laugh for an hour, and this year the Fringe featured 21,292 performances focused solely on comedy.  Using data from smart meters, Scottish Gas has also worked out that 2017 Fringe laughter would produce enough energy to power:

  • 20,800 charges of a smart phone
  • An LCD TV continuously for around almost 21 days

Scottish Gas also calculated that the laughter would power:

  • 83 rotations of the Falkirk Wheel
  • 2 return trips on the Edinburgh Trams from York Place to Edinburgh Airport

A lifetime of LOLs

With the Fringe marking its 70th birthday this year, Scottish Gas analysed the power of a Lifetime of LOL (Laughing out Loud). They found that if the current population of Edinburgh laughed for an hour a day for 70 years, it would produce enough energy to power a home in Edinburgh for nearly two years.

Scottish Smart Energy Expert, Stephen Cosgrove, who installs smart meters across Edinburgh for Scottish Gas, said: “Everyone enjoys a good laugh, but it’s interesting to imagine how our chuckles and chortles could power a home!

“I’m sure monitoring your energy use will be the last thing on your mind when you’re out having fun. But simple steps – such as switching appliances off at the wall rather leaving them on stand-by before you go out – can help keep energy use in check.

“Having smart meters installed for free can help too. They automatically send meter readings to your energy supplier so you don’t have to. And they come with a smart energy monitor that shows you how much energy is being used and how much is being spent, in pounds and pence, in near real time.”

Scottish Gas has installed more than 30,000 smart meters in homes across Edinburgh. To find out more visit www.scottishgas.co.uk/smart

Persevere: Victory for Leithers as Registrar’s stays open!

Brock welcomes rethink on Registry Office closure – but says the fight isn’t over yet

Deidre Brock MP has hailed “victory for the Leithers” over news that Edinburgh Council has backed down over its plans to close Leith Registrars Office, putting them on hold until a public consultation has been  held. A petition to save the Registrar gathered 4000 signatures in just a couple of days, showing the massive support from Leithers for the service. Continue reading Persevere: Victory for Leithers as Registrar’s stays open!

September’s garden plant of the month: cushion chrysanthemum

 

Chrysanthemums are often thought of as cut flowers, but there is also a wide range of other chrysanthemums. In autumn in particular the range features cushion chrysanthemums, which flower when the days are short. The plant responds to the short days by creating buds. They’re branched, bushy plants in many different colours and flower shapes. Cushion chrysanthemums are very suitable for use outdoors in the garden or on the balcony, patio, garden paths or by the front door. The plants flower so profusely that the foliage is completely hidden. The attractive floral domes provide weeks of pleasure, which is why they’re deservedly the Garden Plant of the Month for September!

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Greens reveal extent of benefit cap carnage

GREEN REPORT: EXTENT OF HOUSEHOLDS HIT BY BENEFIT CAP REVEALED

The City of Edinburgh Council area has seen a rise of 302% in the number of households being affected by the UK government’s new benefit cap, new analysis by the Scottish Greens has revealed. Continue reading Greens reveal extent of benefit cap carnage