The NEN – North Edinburgh News

The Edinburgh launch of the Trees4TwoNations project took place in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on  3 March when two rare trees were planted by Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, and Dana Linnet, the US Consul General in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

The trees, an Arran Whitebeam representing Scotland and a Rock Chestnut Oak representing the United States were planted to represent the deep historical and cultural roots, and the friendship between, the people of Scotland and the United States of America.  The initiative aims to bring about positive change in environmental understanding and co-operation through a collaborative process and organisers say that with growing evidence of global climate change, nations must work together to try to tackle the environmental and social challenges facing us for the benefit of future generations. Continue reading Trees for Two at Botanic Garden!

Sadly staff at NEN are now in the process of putting together our final edition.  We want to mark this occasion by including the comments and views of local people and groups who have worked with us over the years.  Whether you have used NEN as a means to promote your project, raise awareness of a particular campaign or if you just enjoy reading about local activities and events through your community newspaper – we want to hear from you.

Please send your comments to mary@northedinburghnews.co.uk or call into our office at 222 Crewe Road North.  Feel free to post your comments here in our blog or in our Facebook page or Twitter stream.   The deadline is 25 February.

Staff at NEN will be made redundant on 31 March 2011 and directors of the project are in the process of winding up the current project with the sale of NEN’s office and the EGM/AGM on 30 March at 2.30pm in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  Directors will continue to meet and hope to work with local campaigners to find a way forward.

If last week’s Council budget decision was grim – and it was – yesterday’s NEN Board meeting finally brought it home that we’ve almost reached the end of the road.

Our board of directors will issue a formal statement shortly, but we can say now that the March NEN will be our last, and NEN’s Crewe Road North office – our home for twelve years – will be put on the market with immediate effect.

There will be more time later to talk about other things, but for the moment there are two pressing issues.  Firstly, to get out a final edition that’s as good as it can be, our swansong.  The deadline for this is next Friday (25 February) so if you have any comments, adverts or other contributions you’d like to make – do it now!  Take this last opportunity to have your say;  your chance to be part of a wee piece of local history, our final edition.

And then, it’s winding down the operation, archive and save what needs to be retained (or can be found a caring and loving home!) and clearing out the office.  I can’t say any of us as looking forward to that – so many memories being consigned to the bin; that part is going to be very difficult.  It’s probably then that the enormity of what is happening will really bite.

In the meantime, though, it’s back to the next edition.  Where was I?  Oh yes, budget cuts!

Dave Pickering

No real surprise when the City of Edinburgh Council voted through its cuts to community newspapers at last Thursday’s budget meeting but the community is determined to fight on to save its newspaper.

Strong deputation’s from North Edinburgh News and The Chronicle emphasised the measures taken by both publications to meet emloyability criteria yet councillors refused to listen and cut funding completely from NEN, The Chronicle and The Speaker, in Restalrig. Continue reading Council cuts community newspapers

At NEN we have been really encouraged and heartened by the response of the local community to the proposed closure of their newspaper.

It really shows just how much NEN means to local people and the sense of ownership they feel for the local paper. It is great to see the community mount its own campaign to save NEN.

A Facebook campaign group has been initiated by local activist, Anna Hutchison – and has over 270 members already!

Anna is planning to make a deputation to the Council’s Budget meeting on Thursday on behalf of the local community.

Anna writes in the February edition of NEN:

“The NEN is part of our heritage.  Councils have taken enough out of our area. This must stop.  NEN has provided placements for journalism students at Telford College so it is more than just a newspaper but also a valuable training resource.  NEN belongs to our community and yet the community has not been consulted.  What happened to democracy? The staff at the NEN have tried their utmost to keep the paper going.  It is now time for the community to act and save our local paper.”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/10257304″]

http://twitter.com/#!/aoifemaria/status/33452584945729536

I  always thought Twitter was something for people with too much time on their hands. But Tom Allan has encouraged me into this online society and I must say it’s really useful and great way to make contacts.

It’s the quickest way to get your message out there and given that NEN is facing closure we really need to highlight our plight in an immediate and interactive way.  That instant impact is something extra we can now bring to local news – something which the monthly newspaper cannot achieve.

NEN has only had a Twitter presence for a couple of weeks and we’ve already achieved quite a following.  It’s really encouraging to know that there is a real support for the community newspaper.

http://twitter.com/#!/tomallan/status/34927852793102337

http://twitter.com/#!/danfrydman/status/28540831375826944

http://twitter.com/#!/lumpinthethroat/status/28083183652175873

http://twitter.com/#!/aoifemaria/status/33452584945729536

I  always thought Twitter was something for people with too much time on their hands. But Tom Allan has encouraged me into this online society and I must say it’s really useful and great way to make contacts.

It’s the quickest way to get your message out there and given that NEN is facing closure we really need to highlight our plight in an immediate and interactive way.  That instant impact is something extra we can now bring to local news – something which the monthly newspaper cannot achieve.

NEN has only had a Twitter presence for a couple of weeks and we’ve already achieved quite a following.  It’s really encouraging to know that there is a real support for the community newspaper.

http://twitter.com/#!/tomallan/status/34927852793102337

http://twitter.com/#!/danfrydman/status/28540831375826944

http://twitter.com/#!/lumpinthethroat/status/28083183652175873

This video, produced by the NEN’s Dave Pickering, and Paul Chan (formerly of Pilton Video) highlights some of the amazing community organisations operating in North Edinburgh, some of whom are now facing funding cuts at this weeks council meeting on Thursday.

The film examines the services they provide, and their hopes and fears for the future.

[vimeo vimeo.com/18737319]

The film was shot on one very wintry December day and expertly edited by Paul in record time. The documentary was first screened as a presentation to Forth Neighbourhood Partnership’s public meeting held at Spartans Community Football Academy on 15December 2010.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed and participated, and particular thanks to Paul for his technical expertise.