The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 3610 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

Facebook drive for foster carers

City council to use social media to reach potential foster carers

The City of Edinburgh Council will conduct a Question and Answer session on Facebook tonight in a drive to recruit more foster carers. This will be the first time the Council has used the social media tool in a bid to attract more people to become carers.

The session will take place tonight (Monday 1 June) between 6pm and 7pm as the city council marks the start of Foster Care fortnight. The Council currently has 350 carers but is always trying to recruit more.

Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Children, Education and Families Vice Convener, said: “Using social media is a great way of interacting with the public so why not use it to try and recruit potential foster carers?

“We have a real shortage of foster carers across Edinburgh and by using Facebook we’re hoping to encourage more people to consider becoming carers for children and young people. I’m sure the event will prove to be a real success.

“Fostering is a hugely rewarding and really important job as it benefits some of the most vulnerable children in our society, helping them build a bright and confident future.”

Elaine McGill has been a foster carer with the City of Edinburgh Council for seven years. She will be taking part in the Facebook event along with other experts and carers in the field, including one carer who has recently transferred to the Council from another agency.

She said: “I’m really excited about tonight’s Q and A as it will give people a chance to ask us what fostering is really like and how it has changed our lives.”

If you are interested in taking part in the Facebook Question and Answer event please visit the Foster Edinburgh Facebook page between 6pm and 7pm tonight.

The Council is also holding a double drop in session for anyone interested in being a foster carer on Thursday (4 June) at Waverley Court between 12pm and 2pm and then at 5pm to 7pm.

For more details about becoming a foster carer go to the Foster Edinburgh website or call 0800 174 833 or 0131 529 2773.

Listening to Forth’s young people

Can you spare a couple of hours to help our local young people influence local services?

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership and Total Craigroyston have been working with the North Young People’s Forum and local services aimed at young people to gather views and opinions of local young people.

This has already involved over 1,200 young people through a flash poll and many services are currently engaging with young people to map facilities and activities. The outcome will let us all know what young people think about their community and importantly, how we can help make positive change so that more young people can be involved in the future.

The next stage of the process is the YouthTalk event. This brings together young people and key adults to understand the outcomes to date and help shape future actions for improving how we deliver a wide range of services.

The YouthTalk event will take place on Wednesday 24 June from 9am – 12 noon at Pilton Youth & Children’s Project and it would be great if you can sign up to come along and help young people identify creative ideas to improve local provision.

We have approximately 100 places and we aim for this to be 50/50 young people and adults so if you are interested, I would encourage you to sign up using this link as quickly as possible!

Scott Donkin, Partnership & Information Manager (Tel 529 5001)

scott.donkin@edinburgh.gov.uk

Lorraine gies it laldy for STV Children’s Appeal!

Lorraine Kelly will be taking to the dance floor in aid of the STV Children’s Appeal this September, as she dons her kilt for a 24 hour ceilidh extravaganza!

After the success of last year’s Shimmy across Scotland which raised £100,000 for the Appeal, the ceilidh challenge will see Lorraine ‘do-si-do-ing’ her way around the country with the support of her friend Maxine Jones and sponsor Optical Express to raise money for children living in poverty across Scotland.

From the Gay Gordons and Strip the Willow to the Pride of Erin Waltz, Lorraine will be getting Scotland moving with 24 hours of ceilidh dancing. Working alongside the Royal Scottish Country Dancing Society (RSCDS), Lorraine will be encouraging groups not only in Scotland, but also internationally, to host their own ceilidh events on the 11^th-12^th September to help Scotland’s young people.

Lorraine Kelly, trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: “Last year I took on a 24 hour shimmy for the Appeal and this year I’ll be putting my dancing shoes back on. Over 24 hours I’ll be challenging myself by taking on a series of ceilidhs to raise money for children and young people in Scotland affected by poverty. Maxine and I will be travelling across Scotland in September and also encouraging other groups across the globe to join us and host their own fundraising ceilidhs to help raise as much as possible for this vital cause. It’ll be a challenge to keep going but hopefully with support from fellow dancers around the world, I’ll get through.”

Lorraine’s 24 hour ceilidh will be captured by STV’s cameras for the STV Children’s Appeal programme to be broadcast later this year.

Elizabeth Partyka of the STV Children’s Appeal said: “We are thrilled Lorraine will be embarking on another exciting fundraising challenge this year. With support from local communities, the RSCDS and sponsor Optical Express, we are sure Lorraine’s 24 hour ceilidh will help make a real difference to the lives of children and young people affected by poverty.”

To mark the occasion, the RSCDS have devised a bespoke ceilidh dance for Lorraine – Kelly’s Kaper, with a video and dance instructions available for individuals and groups who want to participate!

Elizabeth Foster, Executive Officer of the RSCDS said: “We are delighted to partner STV Children’s Appeal for 2015. We are pleased to be associated with this worthwhile cause and to play our part in helping to raise money for disadvantaged children and young people in Scotland. In many ways this follows on from the successful Commonwealth Ceilidh in 2014 which saw thousands of people around the globe taking part in one massive ceilidh. With some 14,000 RSCDS members worldwide we expect the STV Children’s Appeal to resonate far beyond Scotland.”

Optical Express will be supporting Lorraine Kelly’s Ceilidh Challenge.

David Moulsdale, Chairman and Chief Executive of Optical Express, said: “We are extremely proud to be increasing the support we provide to the STV Children’s Appeal. Being part of the STV Children’s Appeal is very important to Optical Express. We’ve been involved with the Appeal since it launched back in 2011 because we passionately believe that tackling child poverty in Scotland will help to ensure that young people have the best possible opportunities while growing up.

“We can’t wait to see Lorraine dance her way across the country and we look forward to undertaking our own fundraising challenges throughout our network of Optical Express clinics in Scotland.”

If you’re an individual or group that would like to get involved with Lorraine Kelly’s Ceilidhs in aid of the STV Children’s Appeal and help raise funds for children and young people living in poverty in Scotland, please get in touch with Ami Anderson on ami.anderson@stv.tv.

To support Lorraine’s fundraising challenge and make a donation to the STV Children’s Appeal, visit Lorraine’s JustGiving page on: justgiving.com/KellysCeilidh2015

North Edinburgh Arts looking for Board Members

Like to be at the heart of something good?

Leith’s darkest day: still time to see Quintinshill exhibition

Gretna Railway Disaster 22 May 1915

Leith Local History Society has produced an exhibition on the Quintinshill rail disaster in which 228 people – many of them soldiers from the local 7th (Leith) Battallion Royal Scots – lost their lives.

You can visit the exhibition at Ocean Terminal from noon – 5pm daily until 12 June. Admission is free.

News from Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre

James McGinty with all the latest from Muirhouse Medway:

Community Helping Community

The centre was presented with a cheque for £205 from Edinburgh College on Friday. It was raiaed during the Fun Day the students organised in May. This turned out to be exactly as the title said it would be and was enjoyed by families from all over the area. Our grateful thanks to the Tourism and Hospitality Academy and to all the families concerned.

Mother & Child Play & Art Sessions (New Venture)

Do you have a Child Under 5 Years? Then come along to our Mother & Child Play & Arts sessions!

Starts: Tuesday 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd June – 10 am till 11.30 am.

New MP

Michelle Thomson M.P. has chosen our centre to conduct Advice Surgeries to anyone who comes along. You can contact Michelle at 0207 219 6626 or you can email Michelle.thomson.mp@parliament.uk

As we see it: Youth Forum looks at local crime

Read all about it! North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum newspaper investigates attitudes to crime in Forth

North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum would like to invite you along to the launch of our new newspaper which focuses on the perceptions of crime in the Forth Ward through the eyes of young people. We shall also be seeking opinions on ways we can develop this work and our future plans and ideas.

NEYPF`s Crime Perception Newspaper Launch

@ West Pilton Neighborhood Centre

Wednesday 3^rd June 2015

5:30pm – 7:00pm (Registration from 5pm)

Refreshments are provided

All at the Forum hope to see you on the night!!

Life on the edge: fears over latest austerity cuts

Proposed round of welfare cuts could plunge many more into crisis

Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil today expressed concern at the further suffering and negative impact that will be caused if the UK Government carries out proposed £12 billion cuts to benefits.

Mr Neil spoke following the publication of the Welfare Reform Tracking Study, which showed that many people accessing benefits are living in constant fear of further cuts. The Social Justice Secretary said he is worried that Scotland’s most vulnerable people would be pushed further into poverty and desperation.

The Scottish Government commissioned Edinburgh Napier University to carry out the Welfare Reform Tracking Study with interviews with participants carried out between September 2013 and March 2015. The aim of the study is to explore the impact of on-going welfare changes on a range of households in Scotland over time.

The study, which looks at on-going changes to working age benefits, revealed all respondents, including those in work, found themselves in very difficult financial situations and therefore felt an underlying sense of ‘precariousness’. Many were anxious that changes to their circumstances or entitlements would push them into crisis situations.

Many participants also said they received poor and sometimes conflicting communications from benefits agencies and that there is often a lack of clarity over information provided, causing more stress and uncertainty.

Disabled participants also felt they had to present themselves in a negative light and focus on their limitations rather than their capabilities, while the challenges of work capability assessments and repeat assessments for people with permanent disabilities were also highlighted in the study.

Mr Neil said the findings of the study outlined exactly why the UK Government should urgently rethink their plans to further cut the welfare budget.

He said: “The UK Government’s austerity agenda and benefit cuts are having a very damaging effect on people in Scotland. Their approach is slashing the incomes of some of our poorest households and pushing 100,000 children into poverty.

“The Welfare Reform Tracking Study is further evidence that people are living in constant anxiety about changes to their entitlements and are already suffering from the effects of around £6 billion of cuts taken from Scottish Welfare expenditure over the last five years. This is hugely concerning as the UK Government should be looking to lift people out of poverty not push them further into it.

“Despite these frustrations we will do all we can to use our new powers to make our system fairer and simpler and work to improve the experience for people.

“We will work quickly to implement these changes and base our social security system on how best to support people and tackle inequalities and not on crude opportunities to save money.”

The report is available at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/7394 and the appendices:http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/6817

Support your Community Council!

Do you care about what’s going on in your community? Would you like to help make your neighbourhood a better place to live? Yes? Then join with others who feel the same way at West Pilton West Granton Community Council’s annual general meeting on Tuesday evening!

Community Council agm poster note 2 6 15

West Pilton West Granton Community Council AGM

Tuesday 2 June 7 – 9pm

West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre

Community Council secretary Willie Black is keen to see the while community getting involved. He said: “Our AGM is an opportunity to meet with other concerned residents and tenants who are working for the improvement of the area. Do you feel you can make a difference? Come along to the meeting and have your say. With your help we can all make the area a place where everyone can be proud to live and work.”

Councillor Maureen Child, who chairs the city council’s Communities and Neighbourhoods Committee, is guest speaker at the event and will talk on ‘The Changing Role of Community Councils’.

Community councils are only as strong and effective as their members make them, so why not play your part?

For further information call Community Council secretary Willie Black on 0751 568 6421 or email w.black@blueyonder.co.uk

wpwgcc agm agenda 2 6 15

Edinburgh prepares for a Big Lunch!

Edinburgh residents are busy with final preparations for The Big Lunch (www.thebiglunch.com) next Sunday (7 June), which helps people get to know their neighbours better and create closer communities.

In the seventh year of the UK-wide initiative, lots of Big Lunch events are taking place across the city, including in Willowbrae, Newhaven, Trinity and Gorgie.

The Big Lunch is the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours, an idea from the Eden Project made possible by the Big Lottery Fund and supported by Halifax and Asda. It is the perfect recipe for having fun with neighbours, feeding community spirit and helping to build stronger neighbourhoods.

Elaine, who is helping to organise a fiesta themed street party with her neighbours in Trinity, explains: “We decided to give The Big Lunch a go in 2009 when we realised we didn’t know everyone in our stair of 8 flats – we’ve now held one every year since!

“We ended up meeting people who had lived in the street for over 40 years but who I had never even seen before as they rarely come out. They had seen previous year’s events through their window and decided to come down. It has been a real icebreaker for us, bringing our community closer together, breaking down barriers and providing a chance to socialise.”

Halifax Princes Street branch will be hosting a Big Lunch at Gorgie City Farm from 10am – 3pm next Sunday.

The Halifax Edinburgh Big Lunch event will host a range of activities for the community to get involved in to raise money for Gorgie City Farm and three other local charities. There will be a gazebo with free sandwiches, music throughout the day and fun activities including face-painting, tombola, bouncy castle, a ‘beat the goalie’ event, egg and spoon races and sack races. From 11am-12pm, the Lord Provost will be attending the event.

The Halifax Edinburgh Princes Street Branch is working with Asda, who will be providing sandwiches on the day.

Esther Clark, Branch Manager at Halifax Princes Street said: “We’re really excited that Halifax Princes Street is hosting a Big Lunch event at Gorgie City Farm on Sunday 7 June. There will be lots of fun activities for all the family to raise money for charity and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone from the local community along. The Big Lunch provides a great opportunity for us to talk to people on a more personal level and really helps strengthen relationships in the community”.

It’s never too late to host a Big Lunch! Anyone who would like to host one on Sunday 7 June (or another date if they prefer) can request a free planning pack from www.thebiglunch.com or call 0845 850 8181.

In 2014 over 4.83 million people took part in Big Lunches across the UK, including thousands from Scotland, who held street parties, picnics in the park and community hall gatherings.