The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 3881 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

Benefits advice for carers

Are you a carer living in North West Edinburgh? Do you know all the benefits you, or the person you care for, may be entitled to claim – or do you find the whole benefits maze too complicated and confusing? Well, help is at hand!

North West Carers Centre will be holding free advice surgeries at their base in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre on the second Tuesday of every month – next one is 12 March.

So if you’d like advice on what you, or the person you support, can claim or some help with completing forms call the Carers Centre on 315 3130 to make an appointment.

Drylaw Telford Community Council meets this week

Drylaw Telford Community Council will meet on Wednesday 27 February at 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre. Main items on this month’s agenda are the Thomas Tierney Award and a possible new website for the organisation. All welcome.

AGENDA:
1 Welcome (Chair)
2 Attendees
3 Apologies for Absence.
4 Minutes of the last meeting (30th January 2013) & matters arising.
5 Reports :-
• Police Report.
• Councillors Report.
• Treasurer’s Report.
• EDRA (Easter Drylaw Residents Association).
5a INP Action Groups:
• Clean, Green & Safe.
• Health & Leisure.
• Neighbourhood Environment Project.
6 Thomas Tierney Award (Selection of 2012 recipient)
7 Website for DTCC?
8 Any other Business.
9 Date of Next Meeting (27th March 2013).

Man charged over Gumtree assaults

An eighteen year old man has been arrested and charged in connection with alleged robberies from people who posted items for sale online.

The man was held by police investigating a series of alleged incidents at McDonald’s car park off Telford Road, where three people have had electrical goods stolen after arranging to meet a “buyer”.

The man will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow.

Stockbridge steps into Fairtrade Fortnight

Stockbridge Primary School pupils ‘took a step in 2013’ with Lord Provost Donald Wilson and Scotmid’s Malcolm Brown to mark the start of Fairtrade Fortnight yesterday.

Running from Monday 25 February until Sunday 10 March, the campaign will see a series of themed events taking place across the city, including food and drink tastings, talks, presentations, fairs, fetes and the presentation of the Lord Provost’s Fair Trade Awards 2013.

Fairtrade Fortnight brings together consumers, retailers, licensees, businesses, producers and campaigners nationwide to promote awareness and sales of Fairtrade products and to campaign on issues of trade justice.

The theme this year is ‘Take a Step in 2013’, encouraging shoppers to go further by supporting Fairtrade farmers and workers by purchasing products with the FAIRTRADE Mark or encourage their local shop, school, church or even MP to do the same.

Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “The packed programme of events planned for the next two weeks is testament to how far Fairtrade Fortnight in Edinburgh has come since we were awarded Fairtrade status in 2004. Through this campaign and the Lord Provost’s Fairtrade Awards we are aiming to encourage more and more people to become ethical shoppers while also recognising the fantastic contribution that individuals and businesses are making to fair trade throughout Edinburgh.”

Scotmid Co-operative hosted the launch in their Raeburn Place store and will be promoting Fairtrade with local schools and supporting a range of community events over the coming fortnight.

Malcolm Brown, Head of Corporate Communications for Scotmid Co-operative said: “Fairtrade Fortnight is all about raising awareness of the difference we can make to millions of people in developing countries by simply supporting Fairtrade. Scotmid is proud to have been a champion of Fairtrade for many years. This fortnight we’ll be giving talks at local schools, holding Fairtrade events in our stores and supporting many other initiatives to educate people of all ages about why Fairtrade is so important.”

Recruitment Fair at Granton Campus next week

Employment Fair A5 Flyers_FEB 13

Edinburgh College will be hosting a Recruitment Fair at the Granton Campus next Wednesday (27 February) from 11am – 2pm in The Hub, and while the event is primarily geared toward students members of the local community are more than welcome to go along too.

It’s an opportunity to meet employers, get careers and volunteering advice and you also can get your CV checked over at the CV Clinic.

Interested? For further information contact Emma Hill at Jobzone, telephone 559 4869 or email jobzone@edinburghcollege.ac.uk

Granton gasometer to go?

National Grid has lodged another application to demolish the last remaining Granton gasometer, and company representatives will attend a public meeting organised by Granton and District Community Council to discuss the proposals next week.

The meeting will be held on Monday (25 February) from 7 – 9pm in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. All welcome.

Do you care about the Granton gasometer? Is it an important reminder of Granton’s industrial heritage or a rusting, dangerous heap of scrap metal? Let us know!

101 – the new non-emergency number for the Police

101 is the new number to contact the police when it’s less urgent than 999.

The 101 non-emergency number will make it quicker and easier for you to contact the police when you don’t need an emergency response, for example to:

•speak to your local police officer
•report a crime that’s already happened, such as a theft or damage to property
•get crime prevention advice
•make us aware of any policing issues in your area

101 will replace our current non-emergency number/s and provides one easy-to-remember number to contact the police wherever you are in Scotland, or elsewhere in the UK.

The 101 non-emergency number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It costs a flat rate of 15p per call from both landline and mobile networks, no matter how long you are on the phone or what time of day it is.

When you dial 101, the system will determine your location and connect you to the service centre covering your area.

By having one easy to remember number, 101 should make the police more accessible while reducing pressure on the 999 system.

Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech-impaired callers can access the service via TextRelay on 1 800 1 101.

In an emergency always dial 999 – when a life is in danger, a crime is in progress or a suspect is nearby.

Frequently asked questions:

1. What is 101?

101 is the new number for you to call to contact the police when it’s less urgent than 999.

101 replaces our (insert current non-emergency number(s) for your force) number and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2. What should 101 be used for?

You should call 101 if you want to talk to your local police officer, get crime prevention advice, or report a crime that does not need an emergency response, for example:

•if your car has been stolen
•your property has been damaged
•you suspect drug use or dealing
•you want to report a minor traffic collision, or
•you want to give the police information about crime in your area

3. Why is 101 being introduced?

101 is being launched to improve public access to the police by giving you a single, easy-to-remember phone number, for when it’s less urgent than 999.

4. How does 101 work?

When you call 101, you’ll hear a recorded message announcing that you’re being connected to your local police service centre. The system will determine your location and connect you to a call handler in the service centre for your local area. This ensures staff with local knowledge answer and deal with your call in a way that best meets your needs and the needs of your community.

If you are calling from the boundary between Scotland and England then you may be offered a choice of force to be connected to. If the system cannot locate where you are calling from, then you’ll be connected by the operator to the appropriate service centre, where the call will be handled in the normal manner.

Calls to 101 will be prioritised in the same way as calls to existing non-emergency numbers.

5. If I am deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, can I call 101?

If you are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech-impaired then you can access the service via TextRelay on 1 800 1 101.

6. If English isn’t my first language, can I still call 101?

Service centre operators have access to professional interpreters who can quickly translate if you cannot speak, or have difficulty speaking, English.

7. How much does it cost to call 101?

Calls to 101 will cost 15p, no matter how long the call, what time of day it is made or whether it is from a landline or mobile phone.

8. Why is there a charge for calls to 101?

There has always been a cost associated with non-emergency calls. Introducing 101 allows this cost to be standardised across the country and in many cases the single, flat rate charge of 15p replaces previous higher charges. The police do not make any money from calls to 101.

9. Does 101 replace existing direct dial numbers?

If you want to speak to someone specific – for example your community officer – and you have their individual contact details, their direct dial number is still the best number to contact them on.

10. Does 101 replace 999?

No. 101 is the number to use to contact the police in situations that do not need an immediate response. 999 is still the number to call when an immediate response is needed – when a crime is in progress, when someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when a life is in danger or when violence is being used or threatened.

11. What happens if I call 101 but it is an emergency situation?

If you call 101 and it is deemed to be an emergency, or during the call your situation becomes an emergency, service centre staff are fully trained to deal with all emergency and non-emergency situations.

Always dial 999 when an immediate response is needed – when a crime is in progress, when someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when a life is in danger or when violence is being used or threatened.

12. Is 101 available outside of Scotland?

Yes, 101 is a national service that is also available across England and Wales.

13. What are the benefits of 101?

•101 provides one easy-to-remember number to contact the police anywhere in Scotland
•For the first time there will be a single flat rate charge
•The cost of the call will be transparent to the public and, in many cases, cheaper than current non-emergency numbers
•101 can potentially reduce pressure on the 999 system, allowing the police to prioritise the most urgent calls for help.

Dates set for Centipede photo exhibition

12.12.12 was a particularly special date, and it’s a day in history that has been captured for ever thanks to the Muirhouse Centipede Project. Muirhouse folk were encouraged to get out and about with their cameras on that memorable date, capturing images on four seasonal themes. Reverend Linda Dunbar of Muirhouse St. Andrews’s explains what happens next:

“We received a good number of entries of photographs taken during the 24 hours of 12/12/12 that captured something of the Advent themes of Love, Joy, Hope and Peace. The submissions are going on display in the North Edinburgh Arts Centre from 26 February – 3 March, Muirhouse Millennium Centre 4-10 March, Muirhouse Library 11-17 March (to be confirmed) before ending up at Muirhouse St Andrew’s Parish Church on the 18 March where they will find a permanent home.

The official launch of the touring display will be on

Tuesday 26 February at 11am in North Edinburgh Arts Centre

with free coffee and scones on offer too! The winners of the children’s and adults’ entries will be on display – it would be great to see folk there.”

Funding for Leith community group

Leith-based community project Saheliya has been awarded almost £43,000 after Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) secured funds from the Scottish Government’s Community Fund.

Saheliya will receive £42,482.00 over the next two years to provide learning activities to improve language and communications skills to over 90 ethnic minority women living in the North Edinburgh area. A number of PoLHA’s tenants use the service.

Mary Hastie Business Development Co-ordinator at Saheliya, said: “This funding is vitally important and allows us to reach out to women and young girls who are disengaged and feel disempowered and give them a voice. This money will allow us to provide vulnerable women with the confidence and skills needed to access additional services to support and encourage integration within the wider community.”

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive at PoLHA, said: “We are committed to supporting communities and creating a sense of purpose and belonging for our tenants. Saheliya is a fantastic initiative and I am delighted we have been able to support them through access to the Scottish Government’s Community Fund.”