Victoria Park is a fine park – it could be great with an active Friends Group.
Friends Groups
• directly involve the community in park events and changes
• increase access to funding – crucial during Council cuts
• make parks better
There are almost 50 friends of park groups in Edinburgh. Each is dedicated to improving their Park and increasing community involvement.
Come along and help us get a Victoria Park Friends Group off the ground!
“We are a nation which has welcomed and will continue to welcome many people from across the world over the years” – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Ms Sturgeon said: “St Andrew, who is renowned as the “fisher of men’, is a perfect embodiment of the warm welcome and kindness which we extend to all who come to Scotland.
“St Andrew spoke up for the less privileged. He was responsible for drawing attention to the existence of the loaves and fishes which eventually fed the 5,000. He championed the minority and saw that they were included.
“At this time, when the world is touched by terror and people are fleeing their homeland in search of peace, Scotland can draw from its patron saint and continues to be a place of safe haven.
“We are a nation which has welcomed and will continue to welcome many people from across the world over the years. From China to Poland, from Syria to India, people have brought their cultures and traditions to this country. Our communities have benefited and so has the richness of our lives, making Scotland the thriving country it is today.
“Let’s use today, our national day, to reinforce that warm welcome.”
I’m very sad to to convey the news that Roberta Blaikie passed away at St Columba’s Hospice yesterday.
Roberta was an incredibly dedicated activist who spent decades campaigning for her community and fighting for the causes she held dear to her heart.
Roberta was at the heart of community activities and a hugely influential figure in Greater Pilton and North Edinburgh. To highlight just a few achievements, Roberta was a founding figure of Pilton’s ground-breaking Health Hut (now the much-respected Pilton Community Health Project) and a mainstay and driving force of Royston Wardieburn Community Centre from the outset.
Many local activists benefitted from Roberta’s experience and wisdom and in recent years she has dedicated her drive and enthusiasm to North Edinburgh Fights Back, North Edinburgh Social History Group and Women’s International Groups based at Royston Wardieburn. She also loved the arts and was a member of arts and culture groups including Mama Rag.
But this is only scratching the surface: there is so much more to say, so many stories to be told – Roberta was a warm, funny, thoughtful and caring person who gave so much to her community. She enriched community life. She made a difference – and those of us who were lucky enough to have known Roberta and have worked alongside her on campaigns will know that she is simply irreplaceable. They just don’t make many people like Roberta any more and communities are all the poorer for it.
Roberta sat at the top table during a recent event staged by the Women’s International Group. The event was organised to celebrate the achievements of women in our community – and Roberta, who was by then suffering from the illness that ultimately took her life, was presented with a bouquet of flowers as a special recognition of her tremendous contribution over many years. The warmth in the room as the flowers were presented – the appreciation, the respect, the love – was almost tangible and is something I will never forget. I hope will be of at least some comfort to Donna and her family in the difficult days ahead.
Others will say more about this remarkable woman in the days to come. For now I will simply say: Roberta, I feel privileged to have shared some time with you and I wish it had been more. I will miss you – and your community will miss you even more.
We will share details of the funeral arrangements when we have them
