The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 3658 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

The show must go on!

Government commits over £2m to Edinburgh’s festivals

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, has confirmed £2.25m in funding to support Edinburgh’s festivals.

The latest round of the Scottish Government Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund will support twelve projects and the work of strategic umbrella organisation Festivals Edinburgh in 2015/2016.

The Expo Fund provides Edinburgh Festivals with £2.25 million to promote themselves to overseas audiences and invest in the work of talented Scottish artists and performers. Running since 2008, this year’s allocation brings the total invested close to £16m.

The focus of the 2015/16 Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund is new creative works by Scottish artists, international collaboration and the promotion of Edinburgh as the best festival city in the world.

Ms Hyslop said: “The Scottish Government Expo Fund is direct investment in the future of Edinburgh’s Festivals. The fund has given the festivals scope to deliver world class pieces and performances that have caught the imagination of international audiences. Thanks to the Expo Fund festivals are working more closely together boosting tourism and Scotland’s cultural ambitions.

“The investment in Edinburgh’s Festival is about creating long term benefits for Scottish artists, the economy and our country’s’ international reputation. The Edinburgh festivals contribute more than £250m in additional tourism revenue to Scotland’s economy but just as important is their international profile.

“Edinburgh’s Festivals have been defining and promoting Scotland’s identity as a confident, creative, welcoming nation for over 65 years. We are supporting their work through the Expo Fund to fund innovation, collaboration and artist development, all vital for future success of our festivals.”

Faith Liddell, Director at Festivals Edinburgh, said: ‘The Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund provides an incredibly powerful platform for Scotland and its artists, thinkers and companies to be showcased to the world at Edinburgh’s Festivals.

“As a direct result, not only have hundreds of performances and events of the best Scottish work been presented as highlights in our prestigious Festival programmes; many have also been taken to other venues and festivals around the world and new networks and opportunities have been delivered for Scotland’s artists and thinkers.”

All twelve of Festival Edinburgh’s members benefit from the Expo Fund. The funded projects develop the creative industries at home and showcase Scottish talent abroad. The projects included in this round of funding are:

‘A Bollywood Love Story’, a collaboration between the Edinburgh Mela and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. A forty-minute, full length show in the Bollywood tradition will be created for the Mela Festival. Key aspects of the show will also be presented as part of this year’s Edinburgh Tattoo in August.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival Short Film Challenge will profile new Scottish filmmakers from across the country and the EIFF Talent Lab and Animation Lab will work with emerging feature film writers, directors and producers during the 2015 Festival.
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival will use the funding to create new works by Scottish musicians and opportunities for them to perform internationally.
The Edinburgh International Festival will premiere a new stage adaptation of a classic Scottish novel with a leading Scottish theatre in 2015.
Expo Funding supports Edinburgh Art Festival’s commitment to opening up new and unexpected places across the city through its annual, city-wide commissions programme, providing a platform for leading and emerging Scottish artists to make ambitious publicly-sited work.
How a multilingual society influences literature in Scotland and elsewhere and how language and identity shapes the writers that Scotland produces will be examined in a dedicated strand for Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The Mela World Dance Feste continues this year as a platform for diverse arts within Scotland and will work alongside ‘A Bollywood Love Story’
Expo Funding makes the Made in Scotland Showcase, part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, possible.
The fund has already supported Scot_Lands during the 2015 Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations earlier this year.
Expo Funding will support, live and digital works as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival will bring some of Scotland’s oldest cultural resource to international audiences with explorations of global issues.
In celebration of Scotland’s year of Innovation, Architecture and Design in 2016, the Edinburgh International Science Festival will launch a major new programme that will combine a cutting-edge technology showcase with an innovative series of associated events for teenagers.
Imaginate Platforms will be a celebration and showcase of Scottish-based artists who consistently create work of a world class standard for children and young people.

Festivals Edinburgh receives £250,000 to continue to promote and position Edinburgh as the world’s leading festival city.

Since 2008 the Scottish Government Expo Fund has provided a legacy of important new work. This includes writing by Don Paterson, Ali Smith and James Robertson to installations by artists Callum Innes and Martin Creed at Regent Bridge and the Scotsman Steps as well as science installations and ambitious new performing arts commissions that have gone on to tour around the world.

That funding in full:

Funding (2015/16)

Edinburgh Art Festival	£150,000
Edinburgh International Book Festival	£110,000
Edinburgh International Film Festival	£115,000
Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Made in Scotland	£590,000
Imaginate	£89,700
Edinburgh International Festival (EIF)	£200,000
Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival	£110,000
Edinburgh Mela	£80,000
Edinburgh International Science Festival	£100,000
Scottish Storytelling Festival	£95,300
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo & Edinburgh Mela	£160,000
Hogmanay Festival	£200,000
TOTAL	£2,000,000

Money well spent? Is the government right to support arts and culture to this extent when so many public services are under severe pressure? Or do you think our festivals are a key element in Edinburgh’s quality of life and deserve to be supported?

Let us know!

Laing’s jewellery robbery: arrests made

Two in court on Monday – watches still missing

A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the armed robbery which took place at Laing the Jewellers in Frederick Street on Monday morning.

The man is in custody after police carried out a search of a property in Chesser Grove on Thursday.

Officers also recovered a significant quantity of heroin with a street value of about £47,000, two firearms, ammunition and a quantity of cash during the raid.

A second man, 26, who is not believed to have been involved in the armed robbery, was arrested at the property for firearms and drug-related offences.

Both men are now due to appear in Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.

A man and woman from Easter Drylaw were detained by police in connection with the incident on Tuesday but were subsequently released without charge.

Police Scotland’s Detective Inspector Grant Johnston said: “Following an investigation officers have arrested and charged a 24-year-old man in connection with an armed robbery at Laing the Jeweller. As part of our inquiries we also recovered a quantity of drugs and firearms, and a second male has been arrested for these offences.

“I would also add that police are still attempting to trace the Rolex watches that were stolen from the jewellers and I would ask anyone who can provide information on their whereabouts to call us immediately.”

If you have any information call Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

A sporting chance for Victoria Park?

New basketball court and upgraded tennis courts in Victoria Park could be ready by in time for school summer holidays

Under-used outdoor sports facilities could soon be brought back into play if funding for upgrades to pitch facilities and new courts in Trinity, Sighthill and Queensferry is agreed by councillors next week.

Members will be asked to agree investment of £130,000 into pre-existing rugby and football facilities and new tennis and basketball courts at Tuesday’s Culture & Sport Committee meeting.

The Sport Partnership Projects: capital contributions by Culture and Sport report has outlined a funding package designed to boost participation in outdoor sport in the Capital.

Under the proposals, Councillors will be asked to allocate £50,000 as the Council works in partnership with Scottish Rugby and Edinburgh Napier University to locate the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy in Sighthill.

The project will enable a stream of selected young players to follow their performance pathway, alongside hosting rugby skills camps through contacts with local schools. The changing pavilion in Sighthill Park will be upgraded as part of the works being undertaken for the Academy, and Edinburgh Leisure will continue to manage the bookings for the pitches which will remain accessible to local people and clubs.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture & Sport Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We have a range of outdoor courts and pitches in Edinburgh but some sites are being better used than others. By upgrading and adding to the facilities we already have, we will hope to inspire more people to get into outdoor sport and physical activity.

“The BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy will support young and aspiring rugby players as they develop their skills and aim to reach their full potential, whether at a club or professional level, but we are also conscious of the needs of local pitch users. In Sighthill Park we have five football pitches but they are being under-used. By partnering with the University, we could offer a new home for Napier’s pitch sports teams, while also offering better facilities for local users, schools and community groups.”

The Council will also be asked to provide £10,000 to complete the re-instatement of two tennis courts and creation of a new basketball court in Victoria Park, to be opened in time for the school summer break with free taster sessions. The rest of the cost is being met by the North Edinburgh Partnership and sportscotland.

Under a Section 75 Agreement with developers of the former Agilent site in Queensferry, £70,000 is available to the Council to be reinvested in local sports facilities in the area. Councillors will consider using the funding to convert grass football pitches into all-weather 3G pitches which can accommodate rugby as well as football training.

To find out what Councillors decide, watch the meeting webcast live from 10am on Tuesday (10 March).

Edinburgh youth nominees up for awards

Edinburgh will be well represented at the annual National Youth Worker of the Year awards dinner in Glasgow next week. Five city-based nominees are among the finalists.

Citadel Youth Centre’s Karen Anderson has been nominated in the Youth Worker of the Year category and Kerry Reilly of YMCA Edinburgh is on the shortlist for Youth Work Manager of the Year. Leith-based Sikh Sanjog is in the running for Team of the Year for their Heritage Inclusion project and both Kerry Smith (Prince’s Trust)and Graeme Stewart (Police Scotland) have received nominations for their collaborative work on a programme based in Edinburgh College .

Preparations are in the final stages for this year’s event on Thursday (12 March) at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow. Winners will be chosen in nine different categories from twenty-seven nominees and there is also a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Minister for Children and Young People Fiona McLeod MSP will present the winners with their awards. She said: “The National Youth Worker of the Year Awards are a great platform for celebrating the fantastic and often unseen work done by young people in our communities. I congratulate all twenty-seven of the selected finalists and wish all of them well ahead of the big night.”

These are the eighth annual awards and this years event will be hosted by broadcaster and DJ Arlene Stuart.

The event is sponsored by Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, One Awards, Young Scot, CLD Standards Council for Scotland, Generations Working Together, The Scottish Community Safety Network, The D of E, SQA, Youth Scotland and Education Scotland – quite a list!

YouthLink Scotland Chief Executive Jim Sweeney said: “The awards are a true celebration of our unstinting belief in our young people”.

New homes in Pennywell: information events

The Council’s 21st Century Homes team are holding information events next week. Find out more about the new homes planned for Pennywell Phase 2, the site located behind Craigroyston Community High School.

Come along to the information sharing events:

Event 1: Murhouse Library
Tuesday 10 March, 4.30 – 7.30pm

Event 2: Craigroyston Community High School
Thursday 12 March. 1.30 – 4.30pm

This Phase will be a follow on from the development of the new housing on Phase 1 currently on site in the location of the old Craigroyston High School.

For further information about the events, please contact Ann Wilson, Senior Project Manager for 21st Century Homes on 529 7429, email ann.wilson@edinburgh.gov.uk

Making it clear: Holyrood committee proposes improved transparency of MSPs financial interests

‘This is a piece of work that our Committee has been examining over the course of this session and before developments elsewhere have come to light.’ – Stewart Stevenson MSP

Measures to improve the transparency of information about MSPs’ financial interests are today being proposed by the Scottish Parliament’s Standards Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.

The report comes just two weeks after former Foreign Secretaries Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind were suspended by their respective political parties at Westminster following allegations of financial wrongdoing – but Holyrood committee chair Stewart Stevenson stressed that his committee had been working on the report long before the Westminster revelations surfaced.

In its report, the result of a detailed inquiry conducted over the course of this session, the Committee proposes a committee bill to amend the Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006 which sets out requirements for Members to register and declare certain financial interests.

The new bill is aimed at streamlining the reporting requirements for MSPs so that all their registrable financial interests are reported in one place, in the Parliament’s register of interest. Currently MSPs have to report financial interests both to the Electoral Commission and to the Parliament.

The proposals would also strengthen the sanctions available to the Parliament to deal with breaches to Members’ interests rules as well as widening the definition of paid advocacy.

Committee Convener, Stewart Stevenson MSP said: “The Scottish Parliament prides itself on its openness and accountability and nowhere is this more important than in relation to the conduct of its Members. Our proposed bill will not only build on the existing robust regime, but will also streamline reporting for MSPs, ensuring all information about MSPs’ financial interests is in one easily accessible place for the public.”

“We have also suggested broadening the definition of paid advocacy. Whilst no MSP has ever been found to have breached the current rules, the Committee is clear of the gravity with which paid advocacy should be treated. This is why our Committee is proposing an expansion to the scope of the criminal offence.”

Mr Stevenson added: “This is a piece of work that our Committee has been examining over the course of this session and before developments elsewhere have come to light.”

Other recommendations contained within the Committee’s report include:

Lowering the threshold limit for registering gifts to 0.5% of a member’s salary (currently 1% or £570)
Amending the threshold for registering remuneration received solely as expenses from 1% to 0.5% of a member’s salary.
Increasing the range of sanctions available if a member breaches the Interests Act, to include withdrawal of salary or privileges as well as exclusion from Parliamentary proceedings.

Benji’s coming to North Edinburgh!

Benji the PlayTalkRead bus is coming to North Edinburgh next week:

You can catch Benji at

West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on MONDAY 9 March

Muirhouse Library on TUESDAY 10 March

Pennywell Road Shops THURSDAY 12 March

Don’t miss the bus!

Benji-Edinburgh-March-2015-Poster-Small

Jewellery robbery: latest developments

A man has been detained in connection with an armed robbery at an Edinburgh jewellers during which watches worth about £100,000 were taken.

The robbery took place at Laing the Jewellers in Frederick Street on Monday.

The man is being held after police carried out a search of a house in Chesser Grove earlier.

The man and a woman who had been detained earlier in the week in Easter Drylaw were later released without charge.

Council Chief Executive Sue Bruce stepping down

City Council Chief Executive Dame Sue Bruce has announced she is to retire from local government.

Dame Sue Bruce has informed Council Leader Andrew Burns and his deputy Steve Cardownie of her plans to leave her post when she turns 60 in October. She will formally give notice at next Thursday’s council meeting.

Sue took up her post as Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council in January 2011 having previously held the same role at both Aberdeen City Council and East Dunbartonshire Council. She began her local government career 39 years ago.

She said: “From my first job as a Youth and Community Worker for Strathclyde Regional Council back in 1976, I have been hugely proud to dedicate my entire working life to local government and public service.

“Serving as Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council, particularly during such a challenging and exciting time for the Capital, has undoubtedly been the pinnacle of my career and I am proud of what we have achieved together during my time here. There is still much to do and I will continue to focus on that until I handover to my successor. ”

Councillr Andrew Burns said: “Sue has successfully tackled some key challenges during her time as Chief Executive and has achieved real progress for the Council.

“Of particular note was her leadership in resolving the tram dispute, paving the way for the completion of the project and successful launch of passenger services last May, and her decisive yet sensitive handing of the Mortonhall baby ashes investigation.

“From the outset, she has worked tirelessly and well beyond the normal expectations of the role. This is particularly true of her support of charities, building relationships with the business community and other key partners and improving the job prospects of young people across Edinburgh.”

Cllr Steve Cardownie added: “Our attention now turns to finding a high calibre replacement; an individual capable of building upon the platform laid by Sue during her years in post while taking on the undoubted challenges we face as a council in the years ahead.”

In November 2013, Sue was awarded the Chief Executive of the Year in the Hr NETWORK National awards. October 2014 saw her named the UK City Leader of the Year in the prestigious MIPIM UK awards for her work in driving the city’s economic development achievements and most recently, Sue was made a Dame Commander of the order of the British Empire in the 2015 New Year’s Honours list.

The search for a replacement will begin immediately.

You need friends: Montgomery Street Park to be transformed

‘Improving the facility in this way will undoubtedly enhance our school, and wider community’ – Jackie Reid, Head Teacher at Leith Walk Primary School

The Friends of Montgomery Street Park are celebrating a £40,000 grant from Biffa Award, a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects across the UK.

Montgomery Street Park will get a major upgrade after a group of local residents were successful in their funding bid. The grant from Biffa Award means that the hard-surface sports area, which is currently cracked, uneven and pot-holed, will be completely refurbished. The area will be levelled and resurfaced with rubber, then painted with lines for both football and basketball. New goal posts and basketball hoops will be installed and new seating added, in the form of long-lasting and low-maintenance recycled plastic benches.

The work will start in mid-March and should be finished by the end of April.

The application was the result of a public consultation exercise and several local groups, including schools, churches and youth organisations, wrote letters of support.

Jackie Reid, Head Teacher at Leith Walk Primary School, said: “Many of our pupils make excellent use of the park, which has become a hub of our community. As a school, we use the park extensively to ensure our pupils are active and healthy. We also hold our Nursery Sports Day there each year in June. Improving the facility in this way will undoubtedly enhance our school, and wider community.”

Rev. Gordy Mackay, Minister of Abbeyhill Baptist Church and local resident, said:“Montgomery Street Park is a vital and very valued space within our community. Over many years Abbeyhill Baptist Church has benefitted from our close proximity to the park. We have used the park for picnics, participated in fun days and enjoy taking groups of children and teenagers there to play games. These improvements to the park and the facilities within it will bring significant benefit to the park’s many users and will be greatly welcomed.”

Gillian French, Programme Manager at Biffa Award, said “Biffa Award is delighted to support this project, which has been led by local residents and involved local children. Outdoor spaces are incredibly important; the improved area will be a fun, stimulating and engaging place where children and their parents can meet and socialise.”

The funding from Biffa Award will go directly towards creating a safer and more usable space for park users, in what is the most densely populated area of not just Edinburgh, but Scotland (Census 2011). The upgraded sports facilities will be free to use. The improvements will promote active living and sports engagement, directly benefiting the health and wellbeing of local residents, who – having small or no private gardens – make good use of the park.

For more information about the Friends of Montgomery Street Park or to get involved in the group, visit

website montgomerystreetpark.org.uk

and Facebook page facebook.com/montgomerystreetpark