Severe Weather – Midday Update

Scotland continues to be lashed by gale force winds, causing widepsread travel disruption.  As at midday, this is the picture in Edinburgh, where a gust of 102mph was recorded earlier this morning:

Forth Road Bridge – closed due to high winds

Waverley Station – all rail services currently suspended

Edinburgh Airport – all incoming flights cancelled and outgoing flights severely disrupted

Local Roads:

M9 City Of Edinburgh – M9 closed in both directions between J1, A8 (Newbridge) and J2, B8046 (Old Philpstoun), because of an overturned lorry. Police directing traffic.

A720 City Of Edinburgh – A720 Edinburgh City By-Pass in Edinburgh closed and slow traffic westbound between Calder Junction and Hermiston Gait, because of an overturned lorry. Diversion in operation – A71. Travel time is 20 minutes.

A71 City Of Edinburgh – A71 Calder Road in Edinburgh partially blocked in both directions between Calder Junction and the B701 Wester Hailes Road junction, because of fallen street light. Police directing traffic.

City Of Edinburgh – North St David Street closed in both directions between the Thistle Street junction and the Queen Street junction, because of unsafe building. Police directing traffic.

Lothian Buses have also issued the following information:

Due to the severe weather the following services have been diverted

Service 1 (Fountain Bridge  Closed) diverted via angle park West approach road, Lothian Road

service 2  hermiston gate closed operating via South  Gyle access

Service 3 diverted via A7 via Hardengreen, Dalhousie road into Newtongrange onto route

service 7 via Pilrig Street Ferry Road

service 10 terminate at Duke street

service 14 operating via Pilrig st, Ferry Road and North Junction Street

service 15 terminting at Fairmilehead

service 16 operating via Pilrig Street, Ferry Road and North Junction Street.

service 19 will operate via Portobello Road in both directions

service 20 will not operate through the Calders

service 21 (to Royal Infirmary ) diverted via  Fillyside Seafield Road.

service 22 Via Pilrig Street North Junction Street

service 23 to terminate at Greenbank

Service 25 will operate via Fillyside-Seafield road onto route at Leith Links

service 34 and 35 diverted via Angle Park Terrace,West Approach Road and Lothian Road and also will terminate at Duke Street

service 44 — Eastbound diverted from Jock`s Lodge via PiersHill Terrace; west Bound via NorthField Broadway and Portobello Road

Service 49 diverted via Seifield Road-Leith Links also not operating through Dalkieth Centre (via Melville road to Hardengreen. (not able to serve Tesco Hardengreen)

North St David Street Closed — All Services diverted Leith Street

West Approach Road Closed West Bound – all servoces diverted Morrison Link Haymarket,Dalry Road onto Gorgie.

Services 12 26 31 48 X48 100 and N26 diverted eastbound at Haymarket, click here for details.

Service 41 diverted both directions at Queensferry Road, Queensferry Terrace. Buses diverted via Craigleith Crescent, Ravelston Dykes and Queensferry Terrace due to a road closure.

For details of Princes Street diversions click here.

All other services operating on normal routes.

 

Conditions are expected to ease later this evening but in the meantime Lothian and Borders Police advise that only absolutely necessary journeys should be made.

 

An A – Z of 2011: Part Two

More milestones and miscellany from 2011

N

N is for News of the World.  Rupert Murdoch’s pride and joy, once the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, printed for the last time in July as a result of the phone hacking scandal.  The final headline: ‘Thank You & Goodbye’.

N is also for Names.  Jack was the most popular choice of boy’s name in 2011 while Sophie topped the list for the girls.

O

O is for Oscars.  The King’s Speech was the big winner in 2011, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay Oscars.

O is also for Old Firm. While the Glasgow giants continue to dominate Scottish football, the ‘ugly sisters’ haven’t had their troubles to seek in 2011.  Rangers have a huge tax demand hanging over them and new owner Craig Whyte came under the spotlight for past business practices. Celtic, meanwhile, had the dubious distinction of being dismissed from European competitions no less than three times before Christmas.  There were also letter bombs to prominent Celtic figures and manager Neil Lennon was assaulted.  New legislation to tackle sectarianism and bigotry was introduced but will changes to the law have any impact on the behaviour of some of the more ‘diehard’ fans?

P

P is for Minimum Pricing for alcohol.  The SNP government failed to get this through parliament during their last term but now, with a working majority at Holyrood, the way is clear for legislation to be passed to tackle one of Scotland’s biggest and most entrenched social problems.  Health chiefs are delighted, the licensed trade and supermarket chains less so.  Farewell, two litre bottles of strong cider for 99p.

P is also for Pensions.  Public sector trade unions took to the streets in a series of well-supported strikes to protest about changes to pension provision.  Workers are being asked to work years longer and to contribute more to their pension schemes.  Unions say it’s wrong that workers – including many low-paid – should pay the price for banker’s greed and mistakes.  The government remains unmoved and pensions will remain a live issue in 2012.

Q

Q is for Queen Elizabeth.  The Royals had a very successful 2011 with two weddings (see below) and a well-received tour of Canada.  The only concern was the hospitalisation of Prince Philip in December with a heart problem.  The 90 year old Duke of Edinburgh was forced to miss the traditional Boxing Day shoot at Sandringham, which was a disappointment for Philip but good news for the pheasants.  Prince Philip has since been discharged and is ready to tackle a full programme of events to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 – much, much more on this story in the months ahead.

R

R is for Riots.  England was hit by a series of riots in August, initially sparked off by the shooting of a young man in Tottenham.  Just what his death had to do with the subsequent looting, arson and vandalism wave which spread like wildfire across the country is unclear, however.

R is also for Rugby World Cup.  The event was held in New Zealand this year.  New Zealand won – Scotland and England under-performed.  No surprises there, then.

S

S is for Alex Salmond, Scotland’s foremost politician by a distance in 2011.  The SNP’s historic victory in May initiated the resignation of three party leaders in Scotland – Labour’s Iain Gray, Tory Annabel Goldie and Lib-Dem Tavish Scott.  The three main opposition parties now have new leaders in place – Johann Lamont, Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie – but will any of them be able to land a telling blow on Wee Eck?

S is also for St Paul’s Cathedral, scene of an anti-capitalist protest camp which brought about the resignation of a number of senior church figures in November.  So far protests have not brought about the resignation of any penitent bankers, though.

T

T is for Trams.  Edinburgh’s longest running story was never far from the headlines again in another turbulent year for the beleaguered project.  However a ‘milestone’ was reached in December when the tram depot at Gogar was finally completed and handed over to the city council.  Still no trams on the streets of Edinburgh, though – completion date of the now much-truncated route is 2014.

T is also for Tsunami.  Japan was struck by an earthquake and massive tsunami in March, killing over 18,000 people and making tens of thousands more homeless.  The cost of rebuilding the stricken area is expected to reach over £150 billion.

U

U is for unemployment.  UK unemployment reached a 17 year high in August with 2.57 million people registered unemployed.  The jobless total for 16 -24 year olds was particularly high at 991,000 – a jobless rate of 21.3%.  It’s expected that the unemployment rate will reach 2.85 million in 2012 as more jobs are lost in the pubic sector, with little sign so far that the private sector will be able to provide more job opportunities.

V

V is for racing driver Sebastian Vettel.  The young German carried all before him in 2011, gaining eleven Grand Prix victories for his Red Bull team over the course of the Formula One season.

W

W is for Wedding.  Not one but two Royal Weddings in 2011 – the nation’s sweethearts Kate and Wills were married at Westminster in April, while Zara Phillips wed rugby player Mike Tindall in a relatively ‘low-key’ ceremony in Edinburgh’s Canongate in July.  The public cost for policing that ‘private family affair’ – a ‘low-key’ £400,000!

X

X is for X Factor.  Girl band Little Mix won it this year.  End of story – move on.

X is also for Xmas (well, nearly).  This year’s Christmas Number One was The Military Wives with Gareth Malone’s ‘Wherever You Are’.

Y

Y is for YouTube.  The most watched video of 2011 was Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby ft. Ludacris’ with 468, 272, 752 hits.

Z

Z is for Zoo and the arrival in Edinburgh of two pandas from China in December.  Yes, unemployment’s rising, everybody’s feeling the pinch, the Euro’s in crisis and the trams are nowhere to be seen but hey – we’ve got Tian Tian and Yang Guang!  It’s pandamonium!

 

Happy New Year!

An A – Z of 2011: Part One

Some highlights and lowlights of things that made the news in 2011 …

A

A is for Arab Spring, the biggest story of the year.  Starting in Tunisia, a series of popular uprisings engulfed the Middle East with regimes toppled in Egypt and Libya.  This story will continue to develop well into the New Year.

A is also for Afghanistan.  US forces are now leaving the country, but it remains doubtful that democracy will flourish there in the aftermath of a ten year conflict that has cost the lives of almost 400 British troops.

B

B is for Berlusconi.  With his country’s economy in crisis, the colourful Italian politician was finally forced to resign in November following a succession of scandals – remember Bunga, Bunga?  It’s unlikely we’ve heard the last of ‘Il Cavaliere’, however.

B is also for Bin Laden, finally captured and killed by US forces in Pakistan in May following a manhunt that lasted for over ten years.

C

C is for cyclist Mark Cavendish, surprise winner of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.

D

D is for Defection.  Forth councillor Elaine Morris jumped from the Lib Dems into the arms of the SNP in July.  Councillor Morris said:   “Leaving the Lib Dems has been one of the most difficult decisions I have made but the SNP offer a clear political leadership, principled policies and vision for Edinburgh that I know I and many other Lib Dems across the city support”.

D is also for Diamond Jubilee.  Her Majesty celebrates 60 years on the throne next year and we’ve all been invited to join in the celebrations which centre on a June weekend.  We’ve certainly not heard the last of this – prepare for saturation coverage as the media goes into Royal overdrive.

E

E is for Europe and Eurozone.  The Eurozone crisis was one of the biggest stories of the year and promises to remain so this year too.  Put simply, too many countries have too much debt and can’t agree the best way to tackle the crisis.  This story will run and run in 2012, and it’s unlikely there will be a happy ending.

F

F is for Forth Bridge.  Thanks to advances in technology, they have at last stopped having to paint and repaint the Forth Bridge.  The ‘never-ending’ paint job finished in December.

F is also for Fireworks and one of the quirkiest news stories of the year.  Oban’s Guy Fawkes celebrations went badly wrong when a scheduled twenty minute fireworks display lasted barely a minute due to a ‘technical hitch’, with all the fireworks going off at once!  Happily for the people of Oban the show was reran later in the month, and lasted a good bit longer!

G

G is for Ghaddafi.  The Libyan dictator was captured and killed in October

G is for Gerry Rafferty, the talented but troubled Scottish songsmith whose classic songs include ‘Baker Street’ and ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’.  Gerry finally lost his battle with the bottle and died in January.

H

H is for Hearts and Hibs.  Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov seems to have fallen out of love with the game, leaving Hearts players waiting months for their wages.  And with Hibs languishing perilously close to the foot of the SPL despite changing their manager (again), have Edinburgh teams ever had a worse year?

I

I is for Inflation.  Despite efforts to control it, inflation remains stubbornly high at 4.8%.  Prices continue to rise while most people find their income – pensions and wages – falling in real terms.  Economic recovery?  Not any time soon.

J

J is for Jimmy Savile.  It’s many years since Jim fixed it for anyone, but the irrepressible DJ passed away in October.  Among many other achievements Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile OBE was the first and last presenter of BBC’s ‘Top of the Pops’.

J is also for Steve Jobs.  The Apple founder who gave us the Ipod, the Iphone and the Ipad also died in October.

K

K is for North Korea.  ‘Dear Leader’ Kim Jong-Il died last month and was replaced by his son Kim Jong-Un.  Will that mean policy changes in the world’s most secretive country?  No.  Increased tension around the South Korean border? Most definitely.

L

L is for Landslide.  The voting system meant it should never happen, but the SNP won 69 seats to gain a clear overall majority when they swept to victory in the Holyrood elections in May.

L is also for Leveson Inquiry.  The investigation into press standards and ethics  began in August following phone-hacking revelations and will run well into the New Year.  It’s already clear that phone hacking was not the work of just one rogue reporter but was widespread among tabloid newspapers.  Expect some more murky details of dubious practices to emerge.

M

M is for March, the month that saw the final publication of North Edinburgh News after thirty years following council budget cuts. The NEN was perhaps the highest profile casualty of the cuts, but March was a miserable month for all local voluntary projects as budget cuts brought about redundancies, reduced services and curtailed opening hours.

N-Z follows tomorrow

What were your highlights of 2011?  Email us at northedinnews@gmail.com

Patient dies following hospital fire

A patient has died following a Fire in the Western General Hospital. North Edinburgh News understands that the male patient had gone to the toilet on his ward to have a cigarette when the fire started.

The Fire Brigade were called to extinguish the fire.

A spokesperson for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said “We attended a call at the Western General Hospital on Wednesday to deal with a Fire.  We understand the male had been taken for treatment prior to our arrival, this is now one the Police will deal with following the subsequent death”

Despite this NHS Lothian remain tight-lipped and are keen to separate the Fire at the Hospital from the patients death, Chief Operating officer, Jackie Sansbury said “A small fire broke out in a ward at the Western General Hospital. Thanks to the quick response from staff, all patients were evacuated and returned to the ward”

Sansbury added, “Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service were called to put out the fire and are investigating the cause”

PEP's Christmas Showtime

This year, the weather stayed clear for PEP to host the ‘Christmas Good Old Days’. The event was compered by the ‘devilishly dashing and debonair’ Ian Mason (complete with bow tie and moustache). A last minute cancellation from some entertainers, resulted in PEP’s staff gamely standing in to perform and started the show off with ‘Staff Stocking Fillers’. Theodora played some pieces on her harp, with the audience joining in on ‘The First Noel’; before reciting the Christmas poem ‘The Night Before Christmas’. Frances then read out ‘A Chocolate Christmas’ accompanied by ‘PowerPoint’. The chocolaty pictures had everyone chuckling away.

Pep Christmas Show 2011 (Picture: PEP)

There was then some festive singing from the Neighbourhood Group including ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Winter Wonderland’, White Christmas’; finishing off with ‘Amarillo’. Louise then read out a poem created by the group about all the things they get up to through the week. Well done to the group!

During the ice-cream break the free raffle was drawn with manager Helen and the compere giving away many prizes.

The ‘phenomenal flirtatious’ Frances kicked off part 2 with an amazing mind reading act. She stunned her audience with her amazing ability and left them rolling in the isles. She then sang a song before the Weekend Resource finished with an ‘old-time medley’ of music hall songs. The audience joined in having a whale of a time. The evenings entertainment ended with all the acts coming together to sing ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’.

PEP Christmas Showtime 2011

A buffet meal was then served by staff and volunteers before the final drawing of the raffle for four prize hampers. A wonderful evening was had by all and a special thanks must go out to; all the staff and volunteers of PEP; service users who worked so hard on the entertainment; staff of the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre who always make us feel welcome; and of course to all the people who came along to join in the fun of ‘The Good Old Days’

Pilton Equalities Project

Oaklands brings Christmas cheer to cancer charity

Oaklands School’s fantastic festive show ‘A Magical Christmas Dream ‘ has brought some Christmas cheer to Macmillan Cancer Support.  Money raised through admission and the sale of refreshments was donated to the cancer charity and Macmillan Fundraising Manager Jayne Forbes called in at the school on Ferry Road this morning to pick up a cheque for £317.

Oaklands Head Teacher Maureen Mathieson explained:  “The show was a huge success – the school hall was packed and it was great to see so many people coming along to support our event.  We had talked about which charity we would like to donate to and our staff chose Macmillan Cancer Support.  Visitors to our show were very generous so we are really pleased with the total we are able to give Macmillan Cancer Support”.

Macmillan’s Jayne Forbes enjoyed a school assembly where senior kids performing their own version of an Eminem rap, first performed at the Christmas show.  She told the children:  “We are really grateful for your support – we couldn’t do our work without your help.  Thank you so much”.

TRIP to the Doocot anybody?

Tenants and Residents in Pilton (TRIP) are holding their annual general meeting in The Doocot tonight at 7pm.  The AGM will be followed by a Christmas dinner.

TRIP’s Jon Black said:  “It would be great to see residents of West Pilton/West Granton there for the AGM, and you will get a Xmas dinner. Anyone from further afield is most welcome to join us after the AGM part of the evening for food and a drink!”

For further information give Jon a call on 0790 191 4829.

Could you be a Volunteer Snow Warden?

The Council has sent out the following advert:

Join the snow clearing effort

During severe weather the Council will do all it can to keep the city moving.  However, our focus has to be on priority routes for buses and emergency vehicles and giving access to hospitals, health centres and schools.

The Council want local people to help clear snow. (Picture: Thomas brown)

In previous years, we have been encouraged by the number of residents who contact us to see how they can help.  There is a lot you can do by clearing pavements in your area and checking on neighbours.

We are enlisting some volunteer snow wardens to be our eyes and ears in their community.  They can tell us about specific problems and help residents with the local effort to clear snow and ice from pavements.

 

To find out if you could be a Volunteer Snow Warden call 0131 529 3687 or email winter.maintenance@edinburgh.gov.uk

Spartans Woman's FC celebrate excellent season

Spartans FC Women’ Premier League side gathered at the Academy on Saturday night to celebrate the 2011 season. Finishing in runners up spot to worthy champions Glasgow City was a great achievement and full credit must go to the full squad of  players, coaching staff and volunteers for their hard work and determination throughout the season. 

Hayley Lauder collecting both awards. (Picture: www.spartanswfc.com)

It was time for the Spartan players to recognise there team mates contributions and the Players Player of the year awards were as follows: –

In 3rd place was central midfielder Kirsty McLaughlin who has really excelled in her first season at the club with terrific performances, 2nd Place went to striker Sarah Ewens who has blossomed as a player this season and is fulfilling the potential she displayed when she joined the club in 2009 scoring 21 goals in 2011. 

Spartans Players Player of the year and also the Coaches Player of the Year was awarded to Hayley Lauder for a fantastic season for both Spartans and Scotland, the young midfielder played a huge part in Spartans success and all involved at the club are extremely proud of her individual achievements and we are all excited for her future. 

To honour the contribution made to Spartans and acknowledge the achievement of scoring 100 goals during the 2011 season the final award of the evening was made to Diana Barry, a special award to a special player. Diana has now scored 118 goals in 94 games for the club and as she continues to score goals she will continue to set records that will be very difficult to match. 

All the players receiving awards also received a generous gift from our fantastic sponsors Scott + Co and all pass on their gratitude for such a kind gesture. 

www.spartanswfc.com

Pensioners attacked in Davidsons Mains

Lothian and Borders Police are appealing for witnesses after a couple were assaulted and robbed in Davidsons Mains over the weekend.

Police are appealing for witnesses following the attack.

The incident happened around 2.10am on Sunday 18 December. A 71-year-old man and his 68-year-old wife had just left the Maitland Bowling Club in Davidsons Mains and were walking along the High Street when a man approached and grabbed at the woman’s bag.

A struggle ensued and the woman’s bag strap snapped causing her purse to fall out, which was then stolen by the suspect who made off from the area.

The victim’s husband tried to pursue the man and suffered minor facial injuries after being struck to the face.

Police are now urging anyone who can assist with their enquiries to come forward.

The suspect is described as white, 20-25-years-old, 6ft 2ins tall with a slim build and wearing a patterned woolen hat with earflaps.

A police spokesman said: “This incident has left both victims incredibly shaken, although neither required treatment in hospital.

“Anyone who was in or around Davidson Mains High Street in the early hours of Sunday morning and witnessed the robbery or can help identify the suspect is asked to contact police immediately.”

Anyone with any information can contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or the charity Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.