Lottery funding for ELREC’s Routes to Roots project

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The Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) has received £74,300.00 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Routes to Roots: Adopting Scotland as a Homeland project, it was announced yesterday. The two year project aims to mainstream the heritage of minority ethnic communities and explore the intertwining histories of Scottish and diverse communities in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Continue reading Lottery funding for ELREC’s Routes to Roots project

#KeepOctoberFree – Edinburgh Leisure launches September Campaign

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Edinburgh Leisure has unveiled their September offer, designed to help thousands of new customers to try new activities and get more active this autumn. With recent research highlighting the dangers of inactivity, the not-for-profit company which manages City of Edinburgh’s Council leisure services is offering new members joining in September a free month in October.

With 30+ venues offering 9 swimming pools, 14 gyms and 700+ fitness classes per week, Edinburgh Leisure is the ‘biggest club in town’ providing the widest range of fitness classes, state of the art facilities and community based programmes across the capital, creating opportunities for everyone to get active, stay active and achieve more.

Catherine Wilson, Marketing Officer at Edinburgh Leisure said: “With the Paralympics just around the corner and with the Olympics recently finished, we hope it’s inspired people to sit less and move more. We’re passionate about providing opportunities and support for people to participate in physical activities and sport, whatever their age and stage.

“And for those joining in September, they’re going to be so busy with all the wonderful facilities that Edinburgh Leisure has on offer across the city centre that we’re urging them to keep October free, as well as giving them that month for free.”

From 26 August, new joiners will get one month free (October) when they join before the end of September. Existing members who refer a friend, who then joins, will receive £30 cash back.

With adult memberships starting from as little as £29.90, there is a range of packages, including swim, fitness, gym and climbing.

Many of Edinburgh Leisure’s gyms have had a recent refurbishment including Glenogle, Portobello, Craiglockhart, and The Royal Commonwealth Pool. Drumbrae Leisure Centre is also undergoing a major refurbishment, and is due for completion in October 2016. At the end of last year, Edinburgh Leisure had invested £1 million in fitness equipment in five of its 15 gyms.

Edinburgh Leisure gyms have the latest state of the art equipment including some of the newest cardiovascular machines; offer over 750 fitness classes per week including Les Mills Programmes; and have five modernised Victorian pools and the Royal Commonwealth Pool in their portfolio. They also recently launched Clip ‘n Climb at Edinburgh’s International Climbing Centre at Ratho, the first of its kind in Scotland.

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Edinburgh Leisure is also running a weekly competition on their Facebook page to win one of five ‘My Zone’ belts. Visitors will be encouraged to tell Edinburgh Leisure what they are going to do to #SitLessMoveMore and #KeepOctoberFree. Winners will be picked at random on 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 September.

My Zone uses new technology and is a motivational belt which straps to the chest during exercise and tracks physical activity in real time and online.

The device measures the customer’s My Zone Effort Points (MEPs), a unique way of measuring activity and the results of exercise. It calculates calories burned, duration and time of activity, as well as factors including weight, muscle mass, body fat and heart rate.

For further information about the offer and to be inspired with hundreds of ways to get active, visit www.edinburghleisure.co.uk, like Edinburgh Leisure on Facebook (www.facebook.com/EdinburghLeisure/)  or follow on Twitter (@Ed_Leisure)

One year on: did you see Saima Ahmed?

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City police are distributing posters to festival visitors and rail users in an effort to uncover fresh information into the death of a London woman whose body was found on the outskirts of the city earlier this year.

Saima Ahmed was discovered on the afternoon of Saturday, January 9th, off Gogarstone Road. It is believed the 36-year-old had travelled by rail from her home in Wembley to the Scottish Capital a year ago this month.

Detectives from Edinburgh CID are continuing with their investigation regarding Saima’s death and are hoping to gather new information from rail passengers who might have seen or spoken to her.

Police will be distributing posters and leaflets to visitors to the Unofficial Fringe Venue 999 in East Princes Street Gardens until the end of the festival next week. In addition, officers from Police Scotland, assisted by officers from British Transport Police and the Metropolitan Police Service will be handing out posters on Tuesday 30th August in the Wembley area of London, train stations in Hemel Hempsted and Birmingham as well as Waverley station and elsewhere in Edinburgh.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin MacLean, Head of Crime Operations for Edinburgh CID, said: “There are several outstanding lines of enquiry in what has been a painstaking investigation. We still need to establish why Saima came to Scotland and Edinburgh and the circumstances that led to her death.

“The information gathered thus far certainly indicates that Saima left her home on Sunday, August 30th, last year and travelled by train to Edinburgh. Now, almost one year on, Edinburgh is again in the midst of hosting the International Festival and there will be a number of people returning to the city who may remember Saima. It’s my hope that these posters might help jog some memories and we can gain vital information to assist with our investigation.”

He added: “We continue to provide Saima’s family with regular updates and I again thank them for their patience and assistance in helping us keep Saima’s case in the public eye.”

Saima Ahmed’s exact movements as she journeyed to Scotland remain unconfirmed however detectives believe she bought a Birmingham to Edinburgh rail ticket at Birmingham New Street Station at around 5pm on Sunday, August 30th, 2015. 

Thereafter, there is a strong possibility that she boarded one of two Edinburgh bound services scheduled for later the same day:

–  Either the 5:15pm Virgin service due to arrive at Edinburgh Waverley at 10:22pm

This stopped at the following locations: Sandwell & Dudley, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Warrington, Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster. Passengers travelling onto Edinburgh then switched services and boarded the 7:14pm stopping at Oxenholme Lake District, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Haymarket and Waverley.

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–  The 5:30pm Virgin Cross Country Network (via York), which was due to arrive at 10:21pm.

This service stopped at: Derby, Sheffield, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Waverley. Continue reading One year on: did you see Saima Ahmed?

Andrew Burns: ‘respectful, positive and constructive’

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UNISON City of Edinburgh Branch has reacted to the news that Edinburgh Council leader Andrew Burns is to stand down at the next election. The local UNISON branch said Andrew Burns has been ‘respectful, positive and constructive’ in his dealings with trade unions. Continue reading Andrew Burns: ‘respectful, positive and constructive’

Letter: Political Assassination

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Dear Editor
The anti-Jeremy Corby campaign is relentless. It is to the shame of those labour members of parliament who have not only joined in but have and are actively taking part.
Jeremy Corbyn was elected as the leader of the labour party on policies supported and expounded by him.So what has happened ?, Jeremy Corbyn still supports and campaigns for those policies he was elected on, it is his opponents who have changed their minds and claiming that he, Corbyn, is splitting the party
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This allegation is denying reality in that far from splitting the labour party it has grown to over 500,000 since he was elected the leader, This number being larger than all other party memberships put together!
The conclusion must be it is the policies the anti-Corbyn campaigners disagree with but have not the honesty to say so,Further,, their course of action should have been to debate policies in the democratic structures of the party instead of choosing to act as they have.
A. Delahoy (by email)