Parents and carers are being urged to find out more about the exciting education on offer at their local primary school as part of the annual open day event this week. Every primary school in Edinburgh will be opening their doors to prospective parents and carers with pre-school age children on Wednesday. Continue reading Explore your local Primary School tomorrow
Its attractive leaf colouring and unusual shape makes Holly a popular plant in the garden. You can also have fun clipping your Holly into all sorts of shapes, from a hedge to a beautiful standard ball and more. Some species are particularly valued for their foliage colour, others because they bear attractive berries. In autumn, birds love the Gardenplant of the Month for November.
Prickly but colourful
There are over 400 different species of deciduous and evergreen Holly (Ilex), the plant native to southern and western Europe, north-west Africa and south-west Asia. The green or variegated foliage and the bright red berries make it an attractive plant all year round in many gardens which can be used on its own, as part of a group planting or as a hedge.
Caring for Holly
The Holly plant will remain healthy and attractive by following a couple of simple tips. Holly is particularly hardy and a very easy plant to have in the garden. It can tolerate both full sun and partial shade and enjoys a normal humus-rich soil that is neither too wet nor too dry. Give the plant a mixed fertiliser in spring and autumn to keep it healthy.
Holly pruning tips
The best time to prune natural Holly is the end of February or beginning of March. Any sooner than this and you run the risk of frost damage. In fact, it’s only really necessary to prune if the plant grows too big, or if it has unsightly or dead branches.
If the Holly is used as a hedge or other clipped form, prune it in June and September. Cutting back to the ‘old wood’ will give poor regrowth with few young shoots so it’s a good idea to tend to the hedge every year!
More information about Holly and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk.
Andy Wightman MSP, Local Government spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, has highlighted a report showing the social impact of the 2016-17 local government budget. The MSP says the report highlights a need to re-address the way councils are funded.
The SPICe/Glasgow University/Heriot Watt University report shows most council expenditure is on services used by less affluent communities – services such as social work, public transport and citizen’s advice – but that most cuts have also landed on these services.
Andy Wightman, Local Government spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “Local authorities provide a lifeline for many communities struggling to make ends meet. Good quality education, social care, public transport, libraries and citizen’s advice are essential if we want a fair society.
“I welcome this new social impact methodology which, although not ideal, is very useful in understanding the impact of cuts to local government budgets.
“Ultimately this report shows the negative impact on local services from the Scottish Government’s cuts to council funding and underlines the need for a fiscal framework between the Scottish Government and local authorities and the need to scrap the Council tax and provide greater fiscal autonomy to local government.”
A hard hitting play focusing on the antisocial use and dangers of fireworks will be performed in nine secondary schools in Edinburgh in the run up to Bonfire Night. TOAST has been staged in Edinburgh schools for a number of years and will be performed to over 1,000 S2 pupils this week leading up to 5 November. Continue reading School play highlights fireworks danger
Following the nominations period to join the Capital’s 44 community councils in September, a poll was required in Leith Links Community Council area where 17 valid nominations were received for 12 seats.
Voting opened on Thursday 20 October 2016 and closed at 8pm on Thursday 27 October 2016. Eligible voters were able to vote online throughout this period and in person at a polling station on Thursday 27 October 2016.
A total of 588 people voted and a list of the successful elected members has been published on the Council website.
Councillor Maureen Child, Convener of the Communities and Neighbourhood Committee, has congratulated everyone who took part in the election process. She said: “Community Councils are an ideal way to support communities to thrive, to allow people from all backgrounds to meet and share ideas and to make change happen.
“My congratulations go to all of the candidates who were successful in the 2016 Leith Links election. I wish them all the very best and look forward to working with them on the issues which matter in the Leith Links Community Council area.”
The first community councils were established in Edinburgh in 1980 in Merchiston and Longstone, and more than 500 people are now members across the city.
They each receive a grant to cover running costs and training is available for the members. They are represented on each of the city’s 12 Neighbourhood Partnerships and work alongside elected members, representatives from NHS Lothian, Police Scotland, the voluntary sector and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Police continued with their search effort for missing French student Antoine Maury over the weekend. On Saturday, specially trained officers were assisted by Antoine’s parents, Pascal and Laura Maury, as well as a team of around one hundred public volunteers. The search concentrated on Holyrood Park. Continue reading One week on, search for missing student continues
The Prime Minister has sent her best wishes to everyone celebrating Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas. Continue reading Prime Minister’s Diwali message
Scotland’s Citizens Advice service gave 1 million pieces of advice last year, helping over 310,000 individuals – equivalent to over 1 in every 14 adults.
The service also put £120m into the pockets of Scottish citizens, though improving their financial health by helping them to access benefits entitlements and manage debt effectively. This helped some to avoid crisis situations like poverty, debt and homelessness.
Continue reading Thanks a million – CABs suppport one in 14 adult Scots
Miss out on a ballot space for the London Marathon? Sign up to a charity space and help animals in Scotland! The Scottish SPCA is offering runners the opportunity of a lifetime to experience one of the world’s largest running events while supporting Scotland’s unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals.
With the ballot for the race closed, this could be the final chance for people to take part.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity is inviting local people to take up the challenge of running 26.2 miles while making a real difference to the lives of animals.
Alison Macbeth from Newton Mearns, who recently took part in the Loch Ness Marathon in September, has already signed up to the London Marathon in April to help save animals like her beloved dog Oatis.
Alison (pictured above) said, “Oatis was found as a stray with a badly deformed back leg and was in a terrible state.
“I’m looking forward to running the London marathon for the Scottish SPCA as I’m so grateful to them for saving my dog’s life.
“The Scottish SPCA nursed him back to health although sadly he had to have his back leg amputated.
“Oatis is now incredibly fit and healthy and loves nothing more than swimming at the beach and chasing his ball. We cannot imagine life without him.”
Balerno Centre Manager, Diane Aitchison, said, “We have a huge amount of respect for anyone who sets themselves the goal of training for and running a marathon, as it’s a massive achievement.
“By taking part in fundraising events like this, people are helping us to care for more unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals.
“We don’t receive any government or lottery funding which means we rely on the public to be able to continue our work rescuing and rehoming animals in desperate need of our help.
“Anyone who takes a Scottish SPCA charity place at the London Marathon will be helping save lives.”
For further information on the Virgin London Marathon 2017 please call the Scottish SPCA’s fundraising team on 03000 999 999 (option 4), email fundraising@scottishspca.org or visit the website: https://www.scottishspca.org/events/london-marathon-2016/
ENDS
· Many people in are Edinburgh hoping for a sprinkling of snow this festive season, but aren’t actually ready for extreme weather
· Almost one third of people don’t check that their central heating is working ahead of the winter months
· Almost three-quarters don’t insulate their pipes and one in 10 don’t know how to bleed a radiator
With the clocks going back and the countdown to winter weather under way, new research has revealed that more than 50 per cent of people in Edinburgh are pinning their hopes on a white Christmas this year – but many are not really prepared for a cold snap.
The survey found one third of people don’t check their central heating is working before it’s time to turn it on, and almost half fail to get their boiler serviced ahead of winter, leaving them open to a potential Christmas disaster.
According to the research by Scottish Gas, 25 per cent of people in Scotland have had to endure a cold shower in the past five years and more than half have gone without heating for more than a day* because of a breakdown at home.
Scottish Gas engineers in Edinburgh are urging people to check their homes before the cold really sets in and get themselves snow-ready as temperatures are set to dip below four degrees.
Martin O’Neill, Customer Service Director at Scottish Gas, said: “Our top priority is to keep our customers’ homes and businesses warm, safe and working during the winter months. As the UK prepares for a cold snap, our engineers are on standby to help if anything goes wrong.”
Danny Stuart, a Scottish Gas engineer in Edinburgh, said: “Our top priority is to help keep our customers’ homes and businesses warm, safe and working during the winter months, and as the UK prepares for a cold snap, our engineers are already on standby if anything goes wrong.
“Simple things, like blocking draughts to stop heat escaping, or bleeding your radiators, can help keep your home warm, yet our research shows that very few people actually do them to prepare for the winter months. It’s things like this that can really make the difference in getting your home snow-ready, so everyone can focus on enjoying that white Christmas they’ve been hoping for!
“To avoid even bigger problems, getting your boiler serviced annually can help detect issues, so is really worth looking into now, before the winter weather takes hold.”
Last winter, Scottish Gas completed nearly 200,000 plumbing jobs, and with meteorologists predicting a cold snap this November, its engineers are expecting to visit more than 70,000 homes in the next week.
Getting snow-ready
Scottish Gas engineers have some smart, simple advice on how to prepare homes and businesses for colder snaps and help protect against potential costly damage as a result of burst pipes, damaged water tanks or overflowing gutters.
