City set to mark Armed Forces Day

The Grassmarket will welcome a parade of serving personnel, veterans and their supporters tomorrow as Edinburgh marks Armed Forces Day.

Armed Forces Day

Celebrations for the Waterloo parade will begin with a salute at 10:25am from HRH The Duke of Kent on the Royal Mile.

At 11:30am, a spectacular Armed Forces Day parade of up to 500 serving personnel and veterans will march from Johnston Terrace via Candlemaker Row to the Grassmarket, culminating in an afternoon of live music and dance right up until 3:00pm.

Highlights include a welcome from Edinburgh’s Veterans Champion, Lord Provost Donald Wilson, and a flashback to the forties with retro dance troupe The Kennedy Cupcakes, ska music from the Pork Pie Band, and a traditional Scots military band.

Earlier this week the Armed Forces Day flag was presented to the Deputy Lord Provost Councillor Steve Cardownie and raised above the City Chambers to honour Armed Forces personnel past, present and future. The flag will remain in place until after the weekend.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost and Veterans Champion, Donald Wilson, said: “This city has a long and proud tradition of supporting the Armed Forces and our veterans. Holding a day in their honour provides a great morale boost for the troops and their families and the parade and live entertainment is the city’s way of saying thank you.

“This year’s celebrations promise a great day out and the perfect opportunity for Edinburgh residents to show their support of serving troops, service families, veterans and cadets.”

Kevin Gray MM, Chief Executive Officer at Legion Scotland, said: “Legion Scotland is proud to once again play a major part in the Edinburgh Armed Forces Day parade to honour Armed Forces personnel and show our thanks and support for our veterans. It is so important to come together and spend a little time to show our gratitude and respect to the members of our Armed Forces and veterans who have made enormous sacrifices to help protect our freedom.

“We hope that serving personnel, veterans, families the Edinburgh community and visitors to the City will stand together and join us on the day in showing our heartfelt thanks to all those who protect us.”

Colonel Martin Gibson, Executive Chairman of Veterans Scotland, said: “The City of Edinburgh has been a garrison town for many centuries and has a long tradition of military involvement, so it is very fitting that the contribution of those serving in the Navy, Army and Air Force is being marked in this way. The City, along with its partners, is a leader in honouring the Military Covenant which commits councils to ensure that both the serving and their families and our veterans are not disadvantaged by their service.

“Service personnel offer highly desirable transferable employment skills, which have been recognised by hundreds of employers in Edinburgh and the Lothians; this is good news. The veterans’ community is very grateful to the City for once again holding this event in the heart of the Old Town.”

Armed Forces Day is the annual UK wide campaign that allows everyone to show their support for the men and women of the Armed Forces past and present, including currently serving troops, service families, Reservists, veterans and cadets.

Find directions and event information at the Legion Scotland website

Care students cash in for cancer charity

Cold juice sells like hot cakes! 

Chque Lo-res

Edinburgh College lecturer Alan Laing set his Access to Care students a fundraising challenge: take this £20 and make a profit for charity. The seven students proved to be well up to the task and earlier this week presented Cancer Research UK with a cheque for £270!

Incredibly, the students raised the money in just four hours! Showing true entrepreneurial spirit, the students bought cakes, snacks and soft drinks at discount prices and sold them on to fellow students at a healthy profit. Lord Sugar himself would surely have been impressed!

The soft drinks in particular were an inspired idea – the day of the sale proved to be one of the hottest of the year so far and the juice ‘flew off the shelves’.

Enterprising students Sophie, Kerry-Anne, Jackie and Niamh are pictured with College Principal Annette Bruton, course lecturer Alan Laing and Cancer Research shop volunteer Elaine Lennon,who accepted the cheque on behalf of the charity.

Fellow fundrasing students Connor, Fraser and Lorraine couldn’t attend the cheque presentation – maybe away pitching an idea or making a few quid on a market stall somewhere!

 

Tonight’s the night for KABO boxers

jewel

It’s been a lot of hard work for everyone involved, but they’ve made it. Tonight’s the night for ‘The Jewel of the North’, KABO’s biggest ever boxing event.

Some seats are still available for the show at Edinburgh College Granton Campus: there’s one ringside table left at £20 per seat, and you can also pay on the door (£15).

Doors open at 6.30 and the action starts at 7pm

Seconds out …

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Muirhouse Millennium walkers set to hit the streets

walk 2

The annual sponsored walk to support the biggest Summer Play Scheme in this area – supported and made possible by the parents, other third sector supporters and the Centre itself – gets underway at around 1pm today (writes James McGinty).

. This walk is becoming an ‘annual pilgrimage’ for people who do their best to support their communities. Refreshments will be available at the end of the walk as everyone returns to the Centre.

A bridge too far?

Locals vow to fight Earthy demolition at Canonmills

stop the demolition

Campaigners in Canonmills have vowed to fight the demolishing of a much-loved local resource to make way for a new four-storey development. The campaigners plan to step up their action with a weekend of awareness raising on the bridge.

Led by local resident Jan Anderson and architectural/urban designer and lecturer Ross McEwan, the current campaign has seen a phenomenal response from the community who feel that they have been left in the dark over plans for the 18th century bridge in Inverleith Conservation Area.

And being left in the dark is exactly what will happen if the demolition goes ahead – as a four storey new build is due to be put in it’s place, overshadowing the area, blocking the views of the waters and wildlife and destroying the iconic skyline for residents and tourists to the area alike.

The traditional single-storey building at 1 – 6 Canonmills Bridge has found a place in the hearts of locals and visitors to the area, serving as an attractive and popular hub for social life around a busy junction. An online petition has attracted almost 2500 signatures in just two weeks and the momentum is set to continue with a weekend of partying and petitioning on the bridge to raise awareness this Saturday and Sunday.

If the demolition of the one-storey building is approved the space will be used to erect a mixed use development of two restaurants, six flats and three townhouses. The approval of that building was granted in 2009, but the applicants did not get the necessary permissions and approval needed to demolish a building in a conservation area – and the new development cannot go ahead unless the current building is demolished.

earthy

Jan Anderson said: “We want to ensure that this time everyone is aware of the plans for the area as to date it certainly hasn’t been made clear to the wider public what is happening with this beautiful historic, conservation area. We need people to know that it’s not too late and we can still stop the demolition by writing to the planning sub-committee, the local councillors and spreading the word.”

The demolition is due to appear on city council’s Planning sub-committee agenda on either 27 July or 12 August and the locals are gearing up to spend the coming weeks ensuring that Edinburgh council realises that this particular proposal is seen as a ‘bridge too far’.

 

Funded childcare: take your place!

toddler

Around 20,000 two year olds are now eligible for funded early learning and childcare – and parents and carers are being reminded to take up a place for their child.

The entitlement to 600 hours of annual funded early learning and childcare has been extended to two year olds from low income households. This comes into effect from August and adds to the entitlement for all three and four year olds and around 15 per cent of two year olds.

Acting Minister for Children Fiona McLeod reminded parents of eligible children to register for their funded places as she met staff and children at Dens Nursery in Dundee yesterday. Ms McLeod said:

“We know the early years are a crucial point in a child’s life where they develop essential skills. This is especially true for more vulnerable or disadvantaged children and I’m pleased they will be able to benefit from this extra provision.

“This is not simply about childcare; it is about ensuring all three and four year olds and those two year olds who would benefit the most, have access to high quality early learning and education in a nurturing environment. This will allow them to develop vital skills including literacy and numeracy from an early age.

“I’m encouraging all parents and carers to check if their child is eligible for funded early learning and childcare and register now so they can get their place in the autumn term.”

A public information campaign with advice for parents and carers on the eligibility criteria for funded early learning and childcare will begin next month.

Play time at children’s hospitals

Get Well Gamers donation

Young patients undergoing treatment at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC), the CAHMS Inpatient Unit at the Royal Hospital in Edinburgh and the Children’s Ward at St John’s Hospital in Livingston have received a host of special gifts to help fill the hours spent in hospital.

Get-Well Gamers, a charity dedicated to bringing electronic entertainment to children’s hospitals for the benefit of entertainment and pain relief, has donated a number of gaming consoles and games to the West Lothian ward, including Xbox 360s, PlayStation 3s and Nintendo Wiis.

Originally donated to the charity from Microsoft, the consoles have now been redistributed to children’s hospitals across the UK.

Jordan McDonald, Play Specialist at St John’s, said: “Our brand new Xbox has already been well used. Four boys who were at the ward for theatre used the console to play FIFA together, with one little boy even saying it was the best day of his life! This sort of reaction from children is truly priceless – we can’t thank Get-Well Gamers and the Sick Kids Friends Foundation enough their generosity in making these distractions possible.”

James Stewart, Director of Get-Well Gamers UK, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to donate to St John’s Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Play Specialists do fantastic work and have next to no budget for video games and consoles. 

“Having access to electronic entertainment is of great benefit to children in hospital. It helps them with pain management, encourages socialising with other children and alleviates boredom. We’re very grateful to The Sick Kids Foundation for making this donation possible.”

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF), which is responsible for funding the best facilities, equipment, distractions, emotional support, training and research in the RHSC and its surrounding facilities, has worked closely with gamers over the last six years to raise money for these extra comforts.

The charity’s Sick Kids Save Point – now the biggest video gaming marathon in the UK – has raised £72,000 to date and continues to champion gaming as a welcome distraction for sick kids spending hours on hospital wards.

Rachel McKenzie, head of fundraising at the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “Get-Well Gamers’ donations have already made a fantastic difference to the children’s hospital experience.

“We’re always looking for people to help support the work of the Foundation and make life a little easier for our young patients. I would encourage any gaming fanatics keen to do something different for the cause to sign up to our 24 hour Sick Kids Save Point gaming marathon taking place later this year.”

Sick Kids Save Point event takes place from 9 until 11 October, 2015. For more information visit www.sickkidssavepoint.com.

For more information on Get-Well Gamers visit www.getwellgamers.org.uk.

 

Enjoy some razzmatazz at Redhall Walled Garden’s Open Day

Razzmatazz 2015 - A4 Poster

Enjoy a fun-filled day for all the family at Redhall Walled Garden’s Razzmatazz Open Day Event on Saturday 18 July (12-5pm).

Run on organic principles, the six acre site on the banks of the Water of Leith in Colinton Dell was originally the kitchen garden for Redhall House. Redhall Walled Garden now offers horticultural & computer/admin training and support for people recovering from mental health problems.

The Razzmatazz event promises to be a great day out for all the family featuring:

· Live Music
· Quiz and trail
· Traditional Games
· Pond Dipping
· Chickens (Wing & a Prayer Hen Rescue charity)
· Face Painting
· Badge making
· Raffle
· Plants for sale
· Historic Garden
· Food (meat & veg)
· Cream teas

At: Redhall Walled Garden, 97 Lanark Road, Edinburgh, EH14 2LZ

On: Saturday, 18th July 2015 from 12noon until 5pm

Entry by donation.

Wheelchair accessible; Disabled parking & toilets (otherwise parking at the site is restricted to drop off only with free parking available on Lanark Road). There is a frequent bus service, number 44, to and from the city centre.

Come along and enjoy the day!

Razzmatazz 2015 – A4 Poster

The garden is open to the public Monday- Friday 9am -3:30pm