ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) classes start at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre next month. For further information call into the Centre in West Pilton Grove or call 551 3194.
The Prentice Centre’s guid fur a laugh!
With two free fun courses starting in October, The Prentice Centre in Granton Mains is the place to be for fans of Scottish culture this autumn …
‘Guid fer a Laugh’ takes a seriously funny look at Scottish comedy over the years. The course starts on Tuesday 6 October from 6 -8pm and runs for ten weeks (and maybe more if there are calls for an encore!)
A bit more highbrow (but only a wee bit!) is ‘An Introduction to the History of Scottish Theatre’. This free ten-week course starts on Monday 5 October from 1.30 – 3.30pm and includes theatre visits.
Both courses are free. To book your place or for further information call The Prentice Centre on 552 0485.
A pure cornucopia of Scottish culture, so it is!
Inverleith Youth Forum: get involved!
Inverleith Young People’s Forum is starting up again and looking to recruit new members (see poster below).
Interested or like to find out more?
Contact Callum McLeod, Community Learning & Development Worker on 332 6316 or email Callum.mcleod@ea.edin.sch.uk
Free walking and cycling festival at Inverleith Park
Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership presents:
Inverleith On Foot and By Bike
Don’t miss this opportunity to have fun, try new things, get out and about in fresh air, win some great prizes and get fitter!
Sunday 13 September in Inverleith Park, 2.30-5.30.
Finalé of the event is the live screening of the Tour De Britain. Come watch it on large screen in our bike powered cinema!
Communities: seize the day!
‘giving communities the power to make their own choices is one of the most effective ways to tackle poverty and address inequalities.’ – Local Government & Community Empowerment Minister Marco Biagi MSP
Development Trusts Association (DTA) Scotland, the national organisation for development trusts, says the introduction of the Community Empowerment Act presents communities across Scotland with an ideal chance to ‘seize the day’ as their rights and opportunities in relation to assets, land and participation increase.
Development Trusts, community groups and representatives who gathered for the Associations’ two-day Annual Conference in Inverness yesterday heard that there has never been a better time for community-led regeneration, as more and more communities look to take control of their future through the acquisition of assets.
Ian Cooke, Director of DTA Scotland (pictured) said: “The introduction of the Community Empowerment Act brings with it ground-breaking opportunities for communities across Scotland in the acquisition, development and management of land, buildings and other physical assets.
“Often driven by the need to save community services and iconic heritage assets, community groups have historically had to work against the odds and with minimum support to take on assets and services.
“However, now, more so than ever before, communities have an opportunity to stimulate sustainable growth and lasting change thanks to favourable policies like the Community Empowerment Act which encourage, support and help resource this kind of community-led activity.
“We would urge that anyone considering taking on an asset, however early the stage, gets in touch with the team at the Community Ownership Support Service to find out how they can help support the process.”
Under some of the notable provisions of the new Act, most of which are expected to come into effect in the summer of 2016, communities throughout Scotland will:
- Have the right to request to purchase, lease, manage or use land and buildings belonging to local authorities, Scottish public bodies or Scottish Ministers;
- Have extended Community Rights to Buy Land in Scotland incorporating both rural and urban settings through amends to the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and;
- Have the right to put forward their ideas for how services could be changed to improve outcomes for their community through a participation request. This could include community bodies taking on delivery of services.
In his Ministerial address at the DTAS Conference today, Minister for Local Government & Community Empowerment Marco Biagi MSP is expected to say: “These are remarkable times in Scotland to be an active citizen. We have almost unprecedented levels of participation and engagement from people in communities the length and breadth of the country and the Scottish Government wants to build on the enthusiasm that people have been showing and get them more involved in local decision making, so that we can release at a local level the energy that comes from employing those talents, and allowing communities to guide the changes and improvements that they want to see in their local areas.
“In June this year the Scottish Parliament passed the Community Empowerment Act, the focus of which was to put forward legislation that helps give communities the means and ability to greater control their futures. Communities in the driving seat, that is the aim of the Act.
“We want to go beyond consulting, go beyond engaging and get into the true participation and partnership that is the only way communities can be empowered. We know that giving communities the power to make their own choices is one of the most effective ways to tackle poverty and address inequalities.”
Also addressing conference today will be Rob Hoon, manager of the successful Out of the Blue arts and education trust based in Dalmeny Street.
Entitled ‘Assets, Enterprise & Creativity‘, DTA Scotland’s conference – the organisations’ twelfth – has brought together Scotland’s experts on community-led regeneration, along with the development trusts and community organisations and groups looking to deliver innovation and sustainable change on the ground.
Topping the agenda is ensuring that delegates are aware of the opportunities available to them as a result of the introduction of the new legislation. Once again a sell-out, the Conference is providing an invaluable forum for the sharing of ideas, experience and good practice.
Join Easter Drylaw residents at September meeting
Live in Easter Drylaw? Do you have any issues or concerns about your local area? Than why not join other like-minded people and attend the next meeting of Easter Drylaw Residents Association (EDRA)?
Meetings are held on the first Monday of every month from 7 – 9pm in Drylaw Parish Church, Groathill Road North.
The next meeting takes place on Monday 7 September at 7pm. Why not go along and have your say? All welcome!
CAP to open debt help centre in Comely Bank
Debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is launching its third Edinburgh debt help centre in Comely Bank next month.
CAP has partnered with St. Stephen’s Comely Bank Church (above) to extend its award-winning free service to those in need across the city. It joins two other busy centres at Central Church and Holy Trinity Wester Hailes, and brings the total number of CAP centres in Scotland to 22.
Manager of the new Edinburgh centre Claire Baggaley said: “The Church has always been about offering hope and we’re really pleased to be able to give more people a tried-and-tested route out of debt alongside other great free debt agencies in the area.”
“There is a lot in the Bible about looking after the poorest. In our society, a lot of poverty is debt-related so our congregation at St. Stephen’s Comely Bank Church has been working hard to open a CAP centre to help get people back on track.”
CAP offers a uniquely in-depth, caring service to people with spiralling personal debt regardless of their age, gender, faith or background. Every client is visited in their own home; the charity does all the negotiating with creditors and local volunteers offer support to each person face-to-face until the day they are debt free.
Statistics show that one in three callers seeking debt help are feeling suicidal but find huge relief through the non-judgemental service that treats every person as an individual.
The new service will be launched at St Stephen’s on Comely Bank Road on Thurday 10 September.
For debt help call 0800 328 0006 or visit capuk.org
Something Fischy’s going on at North Edinburgh Arts!
Two things that help people of any age get through the ups and downs of life are friendship and music.
A pioneering two-year project, led by acclaimed Edinburgh charities Fischy Music and The Sunflower Garden, to build friendship groups and promote musical creativity for Edinburgh children with family issues, will culminate in a celebration concert at North Edinburgh Arts Centre on Friday (4 September) at 6.30pm.
Weekly after-school projects for four groups of 8-12 year olds have been run since October 2013. These groups have focused on song-writing, discussion and music games as a way of building confidence, making friends and expressing deep emotions about life circumstances that the children may struggle with.
These four moving, quirky and original songs have been recorded onto a special CD, and will be showcased by a professional live band along with selected favourites from Fischy Music – in front of an audience composed of the song-writing children, their families, staff from the two organisations and other invited guests.
“Excited when there’s presents, or going on holiday
Confused when I don’t understand the things that people say
Scared when it gets dark, or going somewhere new
In my house, there are feelings, lots of feelings
Lots of feelings all the time, is that the same for you?
(extract from ‘My House’ composed by project group 2, May 2014)
Scottish Gas hires thirty Smart Meter apprentices
- British Gas is set to recruit up to 200 Smart Energy Experts taking the total recruited up to 1,000 this year
- Scottish Gas will recruit around 30 apprentices into roles across Scotland
- 1.5 million smart meters have been installed in homes by British Gas – they are now being fitted at a rate of one every sixty seconds!
British Gas will hire up to 200 apprentices in smart metering across Britain, taking the total recruited to approximately 1,000 this year, it’s been announced. Of those new roles, around 30 will be with Scottish Gas.
The apprentices will join the 1,400 British Gas Smart Energy Experts already installing smart meters in homes across Britain. British Gas expects to continue recruiting in smart metering to complete the nationwide roll-out by 2020.
The apprentices will install smart meters, explain to customers how to use the smart meter in-home display, which shows how much energy is being used in pounds and pence, and provide energy efficiency advice.
Customers will benefit from an end to estimated bills, accurate meter readings and the ability to better understand their energy usage, resulting in potential savings on bills. British Gas is currently trialling Smart Pay As You Go with customers who have prepayment meters. The company is also creating new apps that give smart meter customers information about their energy use on their phone.
British Gas has installed over 1.5 million smart meters in homes across Britain, and is now fitting them at an average rate of one every sixty seconds. More than 117,000 smart meters have been installed by Scottish Gas in Scottish households.
John Craig, Director of Smart Operations, British Gas, based in Edinburgh, said: “This year, we will recruit around 1,000 apprentices in smart metering. We’ve taken the lead in giving our customers more control and insight into their energy use through smart meters. The new recruits will mean we can help even more people benefit from smart meters.”
The new Scottish Gas recruits will receive technical training and will study for the City & Guilds Level 2 QCF Diploma in Smart Metering Dual Fuel. Once they have qualified, they will be ready to go into customers’ homes across Scotland to install smart meters. They will each have their own fully-equipped van, and be supported by the latest tablet and mobile phone technology.
Pictured: Smart meter apprentice, Sam Gibb from Edinburgh – who recently started training as part of this new recruitment drive in the initial 70 Scottish Gas roles.
Pictures by Chris Watt
Creating a more inclusive community? That’s Positively Diverse!
Is your group or organisation fully engaged with the BME community? Would you like to think about ways to do this more effectively?
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership and Pilton Community Health Project’s Living in Harmony Group are staging a Positively Diverse, a free one-day learning event for local workers to encourage and support them to think about how to include a more diverse section of the community in their activities.
The event takes place at
Spartans Community Football Academy at Ainslie Park
on Thursday 1 October from 10am – 3.30pm.
To book your place call PCHP on 551 1671 or email admin@pchp.org.uk