Lord Provost unveils tribute to our city’s volunteers

‘again and again I see how important volunteering is to the social fabric of the city’ – Lord Provost Donald Wilson

Vol2 The Lord Provost with Betty Stevenson, Inspiring Volunteer of the Year 2014

A roll of honour celebrating Edinburgh’s inspiring volunteers has been unveiled at the City Chambers. Muirhouse tenants leader Betty Stevenson (above), who was Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteer last year, was among the guests of honour at the ceremony yesterday. 

In the event organised to mark National Volunteers’ Week, unpaid helpers from across the city joined the Chief Executive of Volunteer Centre Edinburgh Harriet Eadie and Lord Provost Donald Wilson to see the tribute unveiled for the first time.

The names of Edinburgh’s eight ‘Lord Provost’s Inspiring Volunteer of the Year’ award-winners have been inscribed on a bespoke Honour Board, which will be added to each year with the names of future titleholders.

The award is the top accolade at Edinburgh’s annual Volunteering Awards. This year’s ceremony will take place at the City Chambers on 16 June when the ninth person to join the roll of honour will be announced.

Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “A few years ago I had the idea that Edinburgh’s volunteers should be celebrated in just as high a regard as our most famous and important names from history with a public tribute. I am delighted to finally see the Honour Board in place.

“Each and every one of the names on this roll of honour belong to inspiring individuals whose volunteering efforts have changed people’s lives and earned them an award. One of those names is Betty Stevenson, Convenor of the Edinburgh Tenants Federation. She is a formidable champion of tenants’ rights and has worked tirelessly for years to make sure their voices are heard. I was delighted that Betty and so many other previous winners could join me for the unveiling.

“In my role as the city’s Volunteer Ambassador, again and again I see how important volunteering is to the social fabric of the city. By reminding people about Edinburgh’s outstanding unpaid helpers, I hope the roll of honour will help inspire more Edinburgh citizens to start volunteering for the benefit of others.”

Youth Forum focuses on crime in Forth

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North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum launched the third edition of their The Matter? newspaper at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre last night. It was an opportunity to catch up with what the group has been doing and their plans for the future.

The latest issue focuses on young people’s perception of crime in the Forth ward. Late last year NEYPF contacted over 150 young people across the area to find out what they thought about crime in their neighbourhood.

The conclusions? NEYPF is calling for more police patrols in the area and an improved working relationship between police and young people. There’s also a call for improved CCTV and better street lighting

The group’s findings were presented to the Scottish Government at a National Discussion Day event in April and NEYPF’s input will help to influence the Building Safer Communities programme.Matter2Stolen motorcycles and joyriding remain a big issue and the group announced exciting new plans to develop a community repairs workshop and garage. This project would encourage young people to gain new skills and qualifications.

NEYPF members have also recently undergone peer educator trainign and plan to create a peer education programme based around community perceptions of crime.

First up, though, it’s an invitation from local Inspector David Happs to visit to Drylaw Police Station and meet the local officers there, and also an opportunity to share their findings with #StrongerNorth’s Gold Team.

For further info contact NEYPF@hotmail.co.uk

visit the Facebook page

Twitter: @NEYPF

‘Eye-opening’ year for local community council

Excellent: West Pilton West Granton CC ticks the five ‘E’ boxes

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West Pilton West Granton Community Council (WPWGCC) was praised as being a great example of what a good community organisation should be at their annual general meeting in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre last night.

Eric Dobbie, chair of the recently re-elected Edinburgh Association of Community Councils, said the local community council ticks ‘all the boxes – all the five ‘E’s’: Engagement, Encouragement, Empathy, Environment and Enterprise.

He told the meeting: “We have some good community councils and, frankly, we have some rubbish community councils. We can create better and more effective CCs. What you are doing here is very exciting, and your work is a prime example of how it can be done. I’m really encouraged by how you have gone about this – it’s been quite an eye-opener.”

More than thirty people – including members from neighbouring community councils Trinity, Muirhouse Salvesen and Drylaw Telford – attended the meeting. Guest speaker was Councillor Maureen Childs, who talked about the changing role of community councils in community planning.

Secretary Willie Black told the meeting: “It’s been an eventful year for our community council. We’ve had some criticism but we’ve made quite a difference to the area.”

He went on to detail the active role WPWGCC has played in local initiatives over the last twelve months: bringing community councils together with the North team to stage a regeneration conference was one notable example, and community councillors have been active members of other local groups and organisations. There have been community clean-ups too – local folk have cleared ten tonnes of rubbish in four separate area cleanups!

“This sort of activity is being rolled out across the whole area – it’s a different kind of engagement but local people see the benefits and it gives people some pride”, Willie said. “We are lucky to have a lot of experience on our community council. We have members who work with young people and other members who have vast  experience of community activities. That’s a real plus – we know what is happening on the ground.”

However the year was dominated by a rise in criminality and antisocial behaviour across the neighbourhood – and this escalated to reach a peak which saw the attempted murder of a local takeaway owner. The community council again came to the fore.

“Following that incident our usual monthly meeting was changed to become a public meeting to discuss community safety and for local people to voice their fears and concerns. There’s no doubt the senior police officers present at that meeting felt the anger of local people – the #StrongerNorth initiative was born out of  this and the community council is still playing a leading role there.”

There’s still a lot of work to be done – Willie referred to the ‘Hanging Gardens of Pilton’ – rooftop vegetation on poorly maintained rented properties – and said the community council is working with others to bring landlords together to discuss issues of common concern. Access to Forthview School is another issue for the community council and WPWG also have some exciting plans to improve job prospects for local people – particularly young people – through the establishment of a community factoring service as a social enterprise.

The community council will be taking meetings out to a variety of venues and locations over the next year in a hope that this will generate more interest, and members will also undertake training to make them even more effective at representing their communities.

“The CC has made a marked difference in our area; we have achieved a lot that we can be proud of over the last year. There is momentum and we will build on that”.

Garden Plant of the Month: Strawberry

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Summertime is here and what could be better than strawberries and cream, the epitome of the British summer! Not only do they taste delicious but they are also great to have in your garden. The strawberry (Fragaria), is an incredibly easy plant to grow and it will soon be yielding its first sweet, succulent fruit of the season.

For this reason, our Garden Plant of the Month of Thejoyofplants.co.uk has to be the scrumptious strawberry, whose eye-catching fruit and sensational taste has also been linked to having great medicinal powers from as long ago as the Roman times.

Getting Started:

What could be more satisfying than picking strawberries fresh from you own garden?  All that love and attention that has been lavished upon them makes the home-grown variety so much tastier than any strawberry bought from a shop!  For a bumper harvest, why don’t you choose perpetual plants such as the ‘Ostara’, ‘Rapella’, ‘Selva’ and ‘Toscana’ that bear fruit all summer long?

Strawberries are not only easy to grow but they are also very versatile – they can be grown virtually anywhere, in borders, pots, even hanging baskets. Simply chose a bright, sunny spot, plant them 30 to 40 cm apart with the crown at soil level and water them regularly and well.

Why don’t you try planting your strawberries alongside some redcurrants, blackberries and raspberries to create your very own fruit salad, smoothies and jams straight from the garden!

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Did you know?

  • Around 28,000 kilograms of strawberries are consumed during Wimbledon, along with 7,000 litres of cream and 28,000 bottles of champagne!
  • The acid in strawberries can actually help whiten your teeth – smile!
  • The strawberry (as well as the raspberry) is actually a member of the rose family
  • Strawberries contain more Vitamin C than an orange
  • The delicious strawberry is actually very good for you – it can help reduce cholesterol and can even help fight cancers

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Searching for Stacey

Can you help trace missing woman?

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Police in Edinburgh are appealing for information in an effort to trace a 33-year-old woman who has been reported missing. Stacey Ann Ellis was last seen leaving work in St John’s Road, Corstorphine, at around 7:45pm last night.

Since then she has not made contact with friends or family and police are growing increasingly concerned for her wellbeing.

Stacey is described as around 5ft 6in tall, medium build with long dark brown hair. She has tattoos on both wrists and was last seen wearing a black jacket, black jeans and black boots.

She drives a grey-coloured Vauxhall Zafira with the registration DY11 ZGD, which was seen in Dundee on Tuesday night.

Inspector James Sinclair of Police Scotland said: “Stacey’s disappearance has come as a shock to her friends and family and we are keen to find her as quickly as possible.

“We believe Stacey has driven to Dundee and may still be in the city however we are keeping an open mind to the possibility that she may have moved on.
“I would urge members of the public in the city and wider Tayside area to contact police immediately if they have seen Stacey or the grey-coloured Vauxhall Zafira.

“Anyone who can assist us with our investigation is asked to contact police on the 101 or, alternatively via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Sick kids ‘sew’ happy with new bead bags!

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Cancer patients at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children got a big surprise recently thanks to the generosity of local volunteers. Hundreds of ‘bead-bags’ hand-sewn by well-wishers have arrived for youngsters on Ward 2 following a call for donations!

The children are taking part in the ‘Beads of Courage’ scheme, an initiative which allows young patients to create a unique record of all the treatments and procedures they’ve been through during their time in hospital, using colourful beads.

In order to keep the beads safe, each child is also given a bead-bag but supplies had been running low.

Jenny Tomes, Clinical Psychologist, explained: “The children like to thread all their beads on to strings to represent all the experiences they have been through in hospital. To give the children somewhere to keep their precious beads safely, they are given a bead bag, a little cloth draw-string bag. We were getting low on supplies and so we put the word out to see if anyone could help.”

Jenny contacted the hospital’s Voluntary Services Manager, Denise Claxton, who set about recruiting some sewing volunteers.

Denise said: “We couldn’t believe it when parcels kept arriving! In the space of a few weeks around 150 bead bags in all different colours and patterns had been sewn and not just by our loyal NHS Lothian volunteers – but also by their friends and families, who were keen to help too.

“We’re really grateful to all those kind people who spent time making the bags so lovingly for the children on Ward 2.”

The ‘Beads of Courage’ programme is run by the charity Be Child Cancer Aware. To find out more visit http://www.bechildcanceraware.org/

We need your help, say fire chiefs

SFRS asks for public’s help after 28th fire death in five months

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People will die in fires that could be prevented unless their friends, relatives and neighbours help them get the support they need to stay safe in their homes. The stark warning from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) makes clear firefighters across the country need the public to put them in touch with those who are at greatest risk.

It comes after confirmation that a man firefighters removed from a blaze at a flat in East Renfrewshire last Thursday later succumbed to his injuries. He was the 28th person in Scotland to die as a result of a fire this year.

Among the factors identified as having contributed to the fatalities were age, living alone, physical and mental health conditions, chaotic lifestyles, smoking, alcohol and drugs use.

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, the SFRS director of prevention and protection, said: “To lose someone through fire is utterly devastating and it always leaves a lasting impact on the families, friends and communities touched by the tragedy.

“The sad reality is many fatal fires could be prevented. We know very simple steps are often the difference between life and death.

“Every one of us can make that difference just by talking to people we know who might be vulnerable and putting them in touch with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“Fire threatens every home – we all need to understand it can happen to us and the people around us, consider the risks and live up to our responsibility to do what we can to save lives.”

Older people, those with physical or mental health issues and others with issues involving the misuse of alcohol or drugs are all at increased risk of experiencing a fire in their homes and suffering injury or death as a result.

Firefighters throughout Scotland actively work to help individual householders stay safe but many of those most at risk can be reluctant to contact SFRS for support.

As part of the Join Scotland’s Fight Against Fire campaign, SFRS has called on anyone who looks out for the well-being of a friend, family member, co-worker or neighbour to discuss fire safety with them.

Mr Ramsay explained: “Our crews always do everything they can but unfortunately their courage and professionalism in responding to a fire won’t always be enough. Even where a fire has remained small, the smoke and heat produced can very quickly spread through a home and threaten the life of anyone inside.

“We would much rather take the time to do a free home fire safety visit and help someone prevent a fire than respond to a blaze where they may have already suffered life-changing, or even life-ending, injuries.”

He added: “Protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities isn’t something we can do alone. Reaching people who need some help to stay safe is always a challenge and we need the public’s help to meet it.”

Free home fire safety visits are available from SFRS by calling the freephone number 0800 073 1999, by texting ‘FIRE’ to 80800 or by filling in an online form at www.firescotland.gov.uk.

Conducted by local crews at times convenient for the householder, the visits also see firefighters provide and install free smoke alarms where these are found to be needed.

Mr Ramsay added: “We’ll probably never know just how many lives have been saved because someone had the presence of mind to arrange a free home fire safety visit, whether for their self or for someone close to them.

“It doesn’t take long for a local firefighter to show someone the common hazards that many people just don’t realise are in their home.

“Our crews help residents take very easy steps to address these risks and they also make sure the property has working smoke alarms and that everyone knows what to do if a fire does start.

“It’s a service that can make all the difference. I’d urge anyone who thinks they or someone they know could benefit from it to get in touch with us today – before another tragedy happens.”

The Tattoo’s heading down under

‘If I had to name one world event that I wanted to attract to Melbourne it would be The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’ – Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Robert Doyle 

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The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will take place in Australia and New Zealand next February.

The Tattoo is a major fixture in the global events calendar providing upwards of £100m into the UK economy every year. Last year marked the Tattoo’s sixteenth successive sell-out season at Edinburgh Castle, generating approximately £10 million in box office receipts.

The news that the Tattoo will be on the road next year has already received an overwhelmingly positive reaction in Australia and New Zealand. Ticket sales for Melbourne and Wellington are already breaking expected targets, with 50% of tickets sold in the first week and an additional Melbourne show announced yesterday. These two offshore Tattoos are expected to draw millions into their respective local economies.

Brigadier David Allfrey MBE, Chief Executive and Producer, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo said: “The Tattoo provides a wonderful excuse for people to come together for an enjoyable and inspirational evening and to reflect on where their interests and influence might coincide. We are so proud to play our part in these international endeavours.

“Our project to take the Tattoo to Wellington and Melbourne has been more than three years in the planning. It has involved a huge number of partners across all three countries, never mind in those nations getting ready to contribute to the Show. It is, however, a much wider story than us doing a show. The Tattoo’s integrated approach provides our wide ranging stakeholders with an exciting, high profile platform which can deliver a plethora of interesting and beneficial opportunities.”

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: “The UK enjoys a very close international relationship with Australia and New Zealand across a wide range of areas including an extraordinary shared heritage in culture, history and military alliance. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo overseas programme represents an exciting platform in this rich relationship.

“It brings together a unique blend of music, ceremony and entertainment that showcases a stunning array of Scottish heritage & culture and the precision and expertise of the British Military combined with a colourful mix military and cultural groups from around the world.”

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Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: “This is great news for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and for Scotland. The Tattoo is a firm favourite in Edinburgh’s world famous festivals and I am sure the Australian and New Zealand audiences will be delighted by the unique blend of music and entertainment that only The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo can provide. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a world renowned Scottish brand and reaching out to people who are interested in Scotland and our heritage is important to tourism and our image overseas.

Kerry Prendergast, Executive Chair, New Zealand Festival, said: “The New Zealand Festival and the Tattoo, with the support of the New Zealand government, sought to bring this iconic event back to Wellington because we were sure Kiwis would come out in force to support it. We’re thrilled that audiences have responded so enthusiastically, and can’t wait to welcome the Tattoo to what’s on track to be a sell-out season in Wellington.”

The Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle said: “If I had to name one world event that I wanted to attract to Melbourne it would be The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and we are delighted to be hosting it for the first time in 2016. Melbourne is renowned for our world-class events calendar and I’m delighted that Melburnians have embraced the event and that it will have major flow-on effect for our tourism industry.”