David Dickson: an appreciation

DAVID DICKSON 26.12.1950 – 8.8.2016

image_share1082159790

David was Manager of North Edinburgh childcare for over 10 years.  He joined as the founding manager and developed the organisation from an ambitious local project to a thriving social enterprise with partners and connections across the city and beyond.

He lived and breathed youth and community work and had a wide and varied background from a range of both voluntary and statutory provisions. He developed many strong connections during his time at the Centre – some becoming lifelong friends, including his Chairperson Betty McVay.

In his latter years as Manager, David “commuted” to his home in Skye and took early “retirement” at the age of 55.  He was a keen hillwalker and traveller and planned to mix spending time with family with heading further afield for adventures.  It was during one of these adventures that David took ill unexpectedly in New Zealand and after an emergency operation found out that he had cancer and his time may be limited.

Once home, in true David fashion, he pushed boundaries and even after being told he couldn’t travel outside the UK, managed a trip to the Scilly Isles – a place he had always wanted to visit at almost the furthest he could go without leaving the UK.

He is survived by his wife Pat, (who he met while working at the Childcare Centre), his children Jenny and Justin and grandchildren Ossian and William.

David was a great story teller over a good meal and a bottle of wine and had many interesting stories and fond memories of his time with the centre.

PAT ARMSTRONG

DAVID DICKSON

20160506_205106

I am saddened to have to pass on news of the death of David Dickson, who many may remember as the first manager and driving force behind North Edinburgh Childcare Centre (now North Edinburgh Childcare). David sadly passed away last Monday.

A quietly determined, always courteous man, David played a huge role in shaping North Edinburgh’s very own dedicated childcare facility, a centre of excellence which seen as a model for others to follow.

It’s hard to over-emphasise the importance of the Childcare Centre to the people of North Edinburgh. The Centre not only offered an opportunity that enabled local  people to return to education and employment, but also offered training and employment opportunities too.

Children were cared for and educated in a warm, loving and learning environment, which meant that parents and carers could happily leave their bairns knowing they were in safe hands. Crucially, the childcare costs were affordable and many thousands of local people children and their families – have benefited over the years from the marvel that is North Edinburgh Childcare.

At the helm over the crucial early years was David Dickson, who worked closely with his management committee and created, shaped and nurtured a very special – indeed, unique – facility. David’s legacy is a North Edinburgh Childcare which continues to thrive and develop today.

So many people have so much to thank David for: in his own quiet and determined way, he has made a real difference and improved the quality of life for thousands of local people. How many of us can say that?

A quiet and modest visionary. Goodbye, David.

David’s funeral will be held on Thursday at 3pm at Warriston – and afterwards all invited to Dalriada at Portobello

Port of Leith summer fayres raise £2000

1512487_10203400847079493_1119063382624539894_n[1]

Two of Port of Leith Housing Association’s (PoLHA) sheltered housing complexes have raised over £2,000 at their summer fayres.

St Nicholas Court, on Ferry Road, and Hermitage Court had an array of stalls, including a raffle, tombola, home baking, bric-a-brac and books. The funds raised will go towards supporting activities for all tenants to enjoy, such as day trips, theatre trips, exercise classes and lunch clubs.

Maureen Tait, PoLHA’s Sheltered Housing Services Manager, said: “Our summer fayres are fast approaching their 20th anniversary and have always attracted a good turnout. We’re very fortunate to have the support from the local community, and our tenants and their family and friends as they know how important the activities are in getting our tenants out and about.”

Pictured: May Vanhagen, Michelle Vanhagen,  Bertha Glancy and John Ross

Newsagent seriously injured in Trinity robbery

A man has sustained serious injuries following the attempted robbery of a Trinity newsagents

police hat

Police are appealing for witnesses following a failed robbery involving a significant assault in Trinity. The incident happened around 5.20pm on Friday (12 August) at a newsagents on the corner of South Trinity Road and Cargill Terrace.

Two men entered the store and demanded money, before attacking the shopkeeper and running from the store. The shopkeeper sustained serious injuries and the suspects were last seen running along Cargill Terrace.

The first suspect is described as 20 to 25-years-old, medium build, with a pale complexion and unshaven.

The second suspect is described as 35 to 40-years-old, slim build, pale complexion with gaunt features and unshaven.

Both suspects were wearing dark clothing and dark woollen beanie hats and one was wearing a dark body warmer.

Detective Sergeant Todd Rutherford, of Corstorphine CID, said: “This was a cowardly attack, and the shopkeeper bravely fought off the attackers despite a shocking level of violence and the serious injuries he sustained.

“At the time of the incident, it is likely there would have been pedestrians and drivers in the Cargill Terrace area and we know the suspects were loitering nearby the shop before the incident took place. If anyone has seen these men before, during or after the attack, please contact us.”

Those with any information should contact Police Scotland on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Common Weal’s social media platform launches today

Scotland’s new social media platform goes live at midday

flags

‘Think and Do tank’ Common Weal launch their new social media platform today. Two years in the planning, organisers say the space offers opportunities for debate, discussion and ideas about Scotland’s future.

In an email issued to supporters yesterday, Common Weal said:

When Common Weal first started, it was suggested to us by many that what we needed most was a space to bring everyone together, to stay connected, to share ideas and plan for our future. Well, nearly two years later, we’ve finally done it.

Because of the investment from our partners – our regular donors – we have been able to take all the great things about social media and create a space where we can come together, to discuss the immense challenges we face in our social, political and economic future. It is a place for debate, to learn and educate, to share our experiences, and plan and strategise.

Making change isn’t easy. It takes hard work. But isn’t that the most exciting part? The more effort we put in now, at a grassroots level, the greater the results will be. The wealth of knowledge in Scotland is astounding, but it’s frustrating when we don’t know how to put that knowledge into action. Let’s become the media, become the experts, let’s be the powerful ones shaping our future.

I hope you will join us on by setting up a profile for the launch tomorrow – Saturday 13th August. We created it together. Let’s utilise it in the best possible way.

CommonSocial video with instructions: https://vimeo.com/178482743

CommonSocial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommonSocial/?fref=ts

CommonSocial Twitter: @commonsocia

Good luck with the launch – let’s keep talking!

granton:hub history meeting rescheduled

madelvic

Dear All,

Please find attached the notes from the first meeting of the history sub group, granton:hub.

You will see that the meeting agreed to a second meeting for this Saturday coming. However we are unable to meet then so the date of the next meeting is Saturday 20th August 10am – 12 noon.

I do hope you can make that and please invite others that you may feel would be interested in making this a success.

The meeting will be as before in Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, upstairs in the big room. There will be tea and coffee.

Barbara Robertson

Notes 1st meeing 23 07 16

Violence Reduction Unit set for RIE

emergency department is being extended to Edinburgh

RIEd

A successful violence reduction project based at a Glasgow hospital emergency department is being extended to Edinburgh. The Scottish Government is providing £70,000 to extend the Navigator project, run by the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, to Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary.

The Navigator programme at Glasgow Royal Infirmary helps patients who have been the victims or perpetrators of violence to make the changes they need to improve their lives.

Continue reading Violence Reduction Unit set for RIE

Back to skool!

closed

All 17 schools closed because of structural concerns back in March will welcome back city pupils next week. The final remedial works on Drummond Community High and The Royal High have now been completed by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership which means all pupils will be back in their own schools as normal for the start of the new session next Wednesday.

The confirmation will be a huge relief to pupils, parents and school staff and brings to an end a saga that has dragged on since April.

The first sign that something was wrong came in January, when hundreds of bricks were dislodged from a wall at Oxgangs Primary School during Storm Gertrude. Repairs were carried out and the school reopened within a few days – but was closed again weeks later when an inspection revealed serious concerns about the way the external wall had been constructed when the school was first built 10 years ago.

Oxgangs was part of the controversial Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme that saw 17 schools built or refurbished in a £360m deal between the council and a private finance consortium.

Days later, three more schools – St Peter’s RC Primary, Firrhill High and Braidburn Special School – were also closed after being deemed to be unsafe for pupils and these were followed in April by the remainder of the PPP1 schools, including local primaries Pirniehall, St David’s, Craigroyston and Forthview as well as Rowanfied Special School.

The schools were all built by Miller Construction, which was bought over by Galliford Try in 2014..

In total 17 schools were closed with 7,600 pupils affected as the Council put in place a huge logistical plan to provide alternative arrangements. More than 5,000 children were educated at over 70 different schools and education facilities during the three months until the summer holidays.

Council Leader Andrew Burns said yesterday: “I’m delighted that all of our pupils affected by the closures will be back in their own schools next week as we promised parents we would try to achieve this. We stressed to the Edinburgh Schools Partnership that they should bring forward school reopening dates where possible which has happened.

“Our priority has always been the safety of our pupils and staff and we insisted that ESP and their contractors ensure all our schools are 100% safe to reopen. All the relevant paperwork has been published on our website having been reviewed by an independent expert on behalf of the Council.

“I want again to thank parents and pupils for their patience and understanding and teaching staff for their commitment and flexibility during these difficult past few months.

“The next steps now are to establish exactly what went wrong with these schools. The Council has appointed respected construction and procurement industry expert John Cole CBE to lead an independent inquiry.

“Clear and thorough terms of reference set out exactly what we are aiming to achieve through this inquiry. We want to find out what went wrong and are determined to see what lessons can be learned, not just here in Edinburgh but across Scotland and the UK.”

The independent inquiry is underway and is expected to finish before the end of the year.

 

Free Fringe with North Edinburgh Arts

Free visit to the Edinburgh Fringe!

unnamed (1)

North Edinburgh Arts has partnered up with the Fringe Society to offer 20 free places on a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe. This is a fantastic opportunity, so book now before places fill up.

The trip will be on Wednesday 17th August and will leave NEA between 6-7pm, depending on which show is chosen. The choice of shows all have a political theme.

The choice of shows to vote for are:

Mark Thomas: The Red Shed
The Inspectors Call
Faslane
Discretion Guaranteed

 

TO BOOK:

Telephone 0131 315 2151

Email admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk

or in person at North Edinburgh Arts.

When you book, please state which show you would prefer to see. The show with the most votes is the show that everyone will go to see.

Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The trip is free, including the cost of your return bus fare.

Please note: This trip is only suitable for adults