The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 3684 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

On the buses: Concessionary travel scheme secured

ALL ABOARD: £414 million investment secures nationwide free bus travel for over 60s and people with disabilities.

Building on an agreement reached in January last year , Transport Scotland and Scotland’s bus industry have agreed terms for reimbursing operators for providing concessionary travel from April 2015. The new deal reflects expected growth in demand, fares and costs, and falling fuel prices.

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “Concessionary travel is a key part of the Scottish Government’s social wage and makes a real difference to many of the 1.2 million national entitlement card holders, including our elderly and disabled.

“Research shows the National Concessionary Travel Scheme is greatly valued by users. Card holders themselves say it helps them financially, gives them a greater sense of independence, reduces feelings of isolation and gives them more confidence in their own ability to travel.

“The £250 million we provide every year for the bus industry is not only helping the industry provide services and invest in new greener fleets, but also benefits concessionary travel scheme users by an average of around £250 every year.

“The latest reimbursement terms are based on a formula agreed with the industry in 2013. They will help provide stability for the industry, with recent energy forecasts also taken into account to help manage the costs of the scheme – welcome news for taxpayers.”

The current reimbursement rate is 58.1% of the adult single fare, with a budget of £192 million.

Based on the agreed formula and recent authoritative forecasts on industry costs and consumer prices, and following technical discussions and agreement with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), the new rates will be 57.1% in 2015/16 and 56.9% in 2016/17. The budgets for each year will be £202 million and £212 million respectively.

George Mair, Director of CPT Scotland, said: “Today’s agreement signifies the end of a thorough and fact-based look at National Concessionary Travel Scheme reimbursement which should ensure that the budgets for the next two years more closely mirror actual costs.

“This gives bus operators a welcome degree of certainty and signifies a pathway for future such discussions. We thank Transport Scotland for its constructive and positive approach throughout this process.”

Road rage!

A section of busy Pilton Drive will be closed for four weeks from Monday – but the local community council wasn’t even informed!

Pilton Drive will be closed to through traffic between Morrison’s and Ferryfield House from Monday morning to allow work to start on utility connections to the development site on the former City Park. Work is expected to last until 20 February.

Granton and District Community Council secretary Dave Macnab said last night: “I have just heard that Pilton Drive between Morrisons and Ferryfield House is closed. I did not know about this and we were certainly not advised.

“This is for four weeks – this during the period of course when Spartans have their cup match! There is also the issue of traffic from The Strada having to use local routes with the inherent dangers to pedestrians. Where was the communication with the community?”

Granton and District Community Council
http://grantonanddistrictcommunitycouncil.com/
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantonDistCC

Hair today …!

Edinburgh College students help George Watson’s pupils donate hair to charity

Edinburgh College hair and beauty students have been using their scissor skills to chop George Watson’s College pupils’ hair to help make wigs for children with cancer. The students visited George Watson’s to cut the pupils’ hair in aid of the charity the Little Princess Trust.

The Little Princess Trust provides real hair wigs to children with hair loss due to cancer treatment. Two members of staff and 12 pupils from P6, S4, S5 and S6 each donated seven inches of their hair to the charity. Each girl’s hair was braided into a seven-inch ponytail to be cut off and made into a real hair wig.

Thirteen Edinburgh College hairdressing students cut the ponytails off in front of the whole Senior School, before providing each volunteer with new hairstyles with the help of lecturers Adelle Smillie and Nicky Heneke.

The pupils had been inspired by an assembly in early December, where PE Teacher Kerry McNaughton and S1 pupil Ella Hopley had their hair cut in front of the school for donation to the charity.

Forth Bridge Raid exhibition opens

The story of the first German air attacks to hit Britain, The Forth Bridge Raid, will be chronicled at a new exhibition which opened today at the Queensferry Museum.

The pop-up display features photographs, film footage, and eyewitness accounts of the deadly air raid, which saw German bomber planes attack three ships on the Firth of Forth – HMS Edinburgh, HMS Southampton and HMS Mohawk.

During the attack, passengers on the train crossing the Forth Bridge at the time could witness explosions over the waters. The raid left 24 men dead and 44 injured, and four German airmen were captured and taken as prisoners of war to Edinburgh Castle.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The Forth Bridge Raid was a dark moment in Queensferry’s history. It also struck a chord across the country and people felt the impact of the war in Britain as the losses were reported. It’s important this story isn’t forgotten and The Forth Bridge Raid exhibition is a reminder to those local people who know about the events that took place, and an interactive way to introduce the history of WW2 in Scotland to younger generations.

“Queensferry Museum is free to enter and it’s great to be able to work with local people and organisations like Queensferry Tours to chronicle the history and customs of the local area. We are also trialling a small display called War Time Queensferry in the local library, and should these partnerships prove a hit with visitors we will look at introducing more pop-up exhibitions.”The display has been curated by Mark Taylor from Queensferry Tours, which provides historic walking tours through the old Royal Burgh town of Queensferry. Mark was struck by how little isknown and has been told about the Forth Bridge air raid. He said: “This pop-up exhibition will be displayed in Queensferry Museum and I am delighted that the Council’s Museums Service has allowed me to tell the story of the Forth Bridge Raid. For such a landmark event at the beginning of WW2 it seems to me a story that merits re-telling. It was the first time Spitfires were ever used in combat – an important event that should not be forgotten and it all happened here, above our Forth Bridge.”

Edward Thomson, an eye witness who was 10-years-old and travelling by train over the Forth Bridge at the time, said: “I was a passenger on the Dundee section of an Edinburgh to Aberdeen train which had just entered the first arch at the southern end of the bridge. The next stop was to be Leuchars Junction. I was in the corridor with an older boy called Jack Thomas from Edinburgh. We were looking downstream to the right of the carriage and were trying to identify some of the fleet at anchor below the bridge. Almost simultaneously there was a giant waterspout as high as the bridge alongside one of the capital ships and a barge tied up alongside; it seemed to fly up in the air! The German bombers were in plain sight only a short distance away flying parallel to the bridge.”

The exhibition, The Forth Bridge Raid, will be on display until 1 June 2015. The Queensferry Museum is free to enter and open Thursday through to Monday (closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

Photographs: Queensferry Museum

Give it a try? Game On with Edinburgh Rugby

Edinburgh Rugby’s Game On project has now been running for two years and the project is now beginning to expand and seeks new partners to work alongside.

Game On aims to help young people aged 16 to 19 who are not currently in employment, education or training to find their way in life, to get into a training programme, find a job or apprenticeship or return to education.

The participants will learn new skills both on and off the field; on the field participants will take part in introductory rugby sessions at BT Murrayfield Stadium, the home of Edinburgh Rugby and the Scotland team. Throughout the rugby sessions the core values of Scottish Rugby will form the backbone of the content, aiming to instil the values of Respect, Leadership, Achievement, Engagement & Enjoyment.

Our expertise are the values of the sport, both on and off the field. Encouraging teamwork, confidence, increased activity and the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle (both physically and mentally).

Some of the topics cover throughout our sessions are:

Goal Setting
Drugs and Alcohol awareness,
Nutrition and Hydration,
Interview Practise(s)
Rugby’s core values
Learning to coach and the different principles of fitness along with the basics of how to train them.

Meeting the professional players who play for the team is also a very inspiring experience for the young people.

If you feel that working with Edinburgh Rugby would benefit your programme, in any way from one off sessions to weekly sessions please get in touch, we can come to you or use our magnificent home at BT Murrayfield stadium.

Mark Coull (Edinburgh Rugby – Game On Project Development Officer)

Telephone 0131 346 5076 | Mob: 079 682 505 30 | Mark.Coull@edinburghrugby.org |

www.edinburghrugby.org

Mair Scots music …

Free concert in Stockbridge this Sunday …

Hot Air!

Keir hits out at UK Government’s inaction on aviation

Edinburgh Western MSP Colin Keir accused Westminster of treating Scotland’s air passengers ‘with contempt’ when PM David Cameron visited Edinburgh Airport yesterday.

The Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed yesterday’s announcement of the £50 million redevelopment of the airport’s immigration and baggage reclaim facilities – a move that will triple capacity for bigger long-haul aircraft – but SNP MSP Colin Keir, whose Edinburgh Western constituency includes Edinburgh Airport, has hit out at the Prime Minister and his UK government coalition’s lack of action on aviation issues.

Mr Keir said: “Every long haul passenger arriving at Edinburgh Airport will appreciate this investment. I do find however the Prime Ministers audacity in welcoming investment into an industry which has been improving despite mismanagement from Westminster. The London Treasury has been fleecing travellers who fly through Scottish airports for years to the tune of millions of pounds thanks to Air Passenger Duty (APD). His government because of electoral reasons hasn’t made a decision regarding which airport in London will be upgraded to act as a modern UK hub. The effect of this is that when there is poor weather or emergencies its Scottish flights that are cancelled first because of space issues at Heathrow and Gatwick”.

“Travellers to and from Scotland deserve a better deal that’s why I commend the management at Edinburgh Airport in bringing more direct flights to the city. It is obvious the UK have done very little to improve the plight of those who have to use London such as local business people. Mr Cameron’s government cannot keep treating Scottish passengers with the contempt they have shown over the past years”.

The 50 million expansion to Scotland’s busiest airport will see Edinburgh triple its space for long-haul aircraft.

Edinburgh Airport, which currently handles 10 million passengers a year, will build a second baggage reclaim area and immigration hall to cater for hoped-for further growth in long-distance flights.

The work, which starts next week, will also include new stands for aircraft to park with ‘air bridges’ to link them to the terminal. The expansion will take four years and is expected to create up to fifty new jobs.

Airport chief executive Gordon Dewar said: “The work we’ll be carrying out over the next four years will transform our airside facilities, tripling our capacity to handle bigger aircraft and paving the way for the next ten years of increased international connectivity.

“We’ll effectively be creating a new international facility for our airlines, and underpinning our future aspirations to increase passenger numbers, enhance their experience and be one of the leading European airports for our size.”

Letters: Different Class: by hand or by brain

Dear Editor

When the UK had massive industries like coal mining, ship building, steel works and many others the term ‘working class’ was generally used to describe manual workers, although that work often involved great skill and use of modern technology. It was, and still is, an honourable description of the majority of the people – although the type of work has changed, not being manual, it is still wage earning.

Opportunities for some, such as the chance to take further study or to train – sometimes with financial support – has given them a more comfortable life, but it soesn’t take them into a different class: they remain wage earners. The interests of 90% of the population are similar, secure work giving them a stable and comfortable life with opportunities to develop interests and skills.

The capitalist system under which we all live is the cause of economic crisis: it is not possible for that system to give permanent security. It is an illusion, carefully nurtured, that an individual can be one of the 10% for whom everything is fine.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Burns Night Community Ceilidh: Get ready to rock at Royston Wardieburn!

We are delighted that the Burns night community ceilidh will happen again tomorrow (Saturday 24th January) from 5 – 9.30pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.

The event is a celebration of diversity and talent in north Edinburgh. It is organised by a wide range of groups – including Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP), Granton Community Gardeners and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre – under the banner of Living in Harmony. Living in Harmony is about bringing local residents together to share their experiences and cultures and get to know each other better.

Pilton Community Health Project’s Rachel Farrier said ‘The joy of this event is what happens afterwards, once people have danced with each other, it’s difficult not to say hello on the street!’

This year’s ceilidh will include a traditional haggis supper served up by Granton Community Gardeners giving us all a chance to sample produce from the gardens. We’ll be reliving the highlights of last year with ‘turns’ from residents from around the world – including wee Sarah reading Burns poetry, some highland dancing from Dakota Hay and Nepalese dancing from Sushma and her friends. The homecoming string band will lead the dancing and we’ll all get the chance to strut our stuff.

Last year’s ceilidh was a massive success – over 200 people attended and over 40 volunteered to make it such a brilliant event. You can see photos from this event on PCHP’s facebook page [photos by Anneleen Lindsay].

Local people really enjoyed the event: ‘nice to see some community spirit’ one said. This year tickets are going fast and it looks to be a great event.

Tickets available NOW from Royston Wardieburn Community Centre and only cost £1.

Get yours before they are gone!

Mind your language: Adult Education Programme launched

From learning about Animals, Arabic or Archery to Walking, Creative Writing and Yoga there’s something for everyone in the new Adult Education programme …

A five week holiday language course is one of the highlights of the new Adult Education Programme launched by the City of Edinburgh Council.

It’s the perfect way to learn some local phrases before jetting off for your summer break. With more than 400 new day, evening and weekend courses available, the Council’s Adult Education Programme has something for everyone.

Most classes resume at the end of January with some beginning in February, and weekend classes in March. The holiday language course starts in April.

But if learning a new language isn’t for you, then how about a cooking class? There are courses in Italian, Indian and Spanish cuisine and many more. Or what about trying digital photography, creative writing, guitar, fitness classes or one of the many other subjects on offer?

For a full list of Adult Education Programme classes click here or phone 0131 556 7978 to get a brochure or pick one up from your local library, community centre or GP surgery. Classes can still be booked by post, phone or in person as well as online.

Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Vice-Convener for Education, Children and Families, said: “Every year, thousands of people of all ages and in all areas of the city take part in our adult education classes. Learning should always be enjoyable, and we hope the wide range of courses will inspire people to learn something new or in more depth.

“Taking up a class can help people develop confidence and keep mentally and physically active as well as acquiring new skills. Research shows that people who are in lifelong learning are more likely to be employed, to remain in work and to be involved in their communities. It truly is about learning for life and it’s never too late to start.

“I would advise anyone who has some time to spare over the coming weeks to look into what’s on offer and to book a place sooner rather than later.

“After listening to customer feedback we rolled out online booking last year and we’ve had a huge response with more than 15,000 places booked since September.”

Many other classes are held all over Edinburgh in schools and community centres. You can find full details at joininedinburgh.org/enrol