Inverleith Park green flag success

Inverleith Park retained it’s prestigious Green Flag Award for 2011/2012, passing assessments on a number of national criteria, such as environment, cleanliness, safety and accessibility and a flag raising ceremony took place today.

The formal raising of the flag was conducted by ward Councillor Tim McKay and he was also delighted about the award. He said “The Flag gives the public a way of realizing their parks are something to be proud off, its an indicator of a local facility being appreciated by the wider community. All our parks are important to everyone in Edinburgh, its not just your neighborhood park its good to know there are parks all over the city.”

When asked about the potential sale of the depot site Councillor McKay said “I think the sale is without doubt kicked into the long grass if not killed off. There is a paper that is due to come to Policy and Strategy committee in the future, which will kick the issue into the long grass for just now, the agents that were involved are no longer involved they were involved in proposal for some housing but that proposal is getting dropped and I cant see anything happening for the next few years.

Ritchie Fraser from the City of Edinburgh Council said “The green flag means a great deal for Inverleith Park, the award is internationally recognised award which means that the park will generate a great deal of publicity. We had to create a management plan for the park and this included, safety of the park, cleanliness of the park and whether or not everything you achieve in the park is sustainable. We are always look at ways to improve the park and toilets are something that we are looking at but as they require to be cleaned its an additional cost. We have looked at semi automated toilets but its all budget dependent”

Councillor Tim McKay (second from left) prepares to raise the Green Flag

Members from the Friends of Inverleith park group came along on the day and were delighted that the park had achieved this award for the coming year. Tony Cook, convener of the groups said “This is excellent news for the park, there is lots of activities taking place in the park from football to rugby and many more. Our group are concerned about the potential selling off of the depot site for the purpose of creating 8 luxury houses. I would now like to see real progress made in creating a toilet facility as well as a café and something that could be a youth facility in the evening.”

Click here to listen to our interview with Councillor Tim McKay and Ritchie Fraser

A bit of oomph

“You can go a long way on a bit of oomph”. This was the advice given to the graduating students of Edinburgh’s Telford College by guest speaker Jenny Eclair. Jenny had been invited to the College’s 2011 Graduation Celebration to honour the many students who had graduated after years of hard work.

Friends and family came together last night (Monday 12 september) to see hundreds of students receive their degrees, diplomas and certificates and we were treated to a flavour of the kinds of ability the College nurtures from dancers, actors and musicians. Principal Miles Dibsdall, in his usual enthusiastic and voluble way, paid tribute to the hard work of all the students there.

Jenny Eclair, who admitted to being a bit of an “illiterate goth” at school, told us that she finally achieved her success through writing. The underlying message was that, whatever your ability, you can achieve your goals through identifying what you are good at and going for it.

Despite the well-deserved celebration of achievement, this year’s graduation followed controversial and unpopular cuts in the College’s budget, which resulted in courses being axed and staff made redundant, after the Scottish Government imposed a 10% cut in funding. Shortly we will, coincidentally, also see the publication of the Scottish Government’s pre-legislative paper on the future of further education, which may well result in the merger of colleges throughout Scotland. Telford College attracts 40% at least of its students from the north Edinburgh area. If it is forced to merge with another college, what will be the impact on courses offered and therefore on the number of local students. How local will local colleges be then?

Spartans u19’s see off Dumbarton in tough Scottish Cup tie.

Local football side Spartans u19’s played host to Dumbarton on Sunday at Ainslie Park.

Despite the strong wind and heavy rain showers both teams played some attractive football, but unfortunately this game wont be remembered for the football it will be remembered for the ten players that were yellow carded and six players were sent off, all this despite there hardly being a bad challenge in the game.

Spartans took the lead in the opening ten minutes after some great play for James Cuthbertson, he went on a run down the wing and when he broke into the box his powerful shot was pushed away by the Dumbarton keeper Ryan Malley, Cuthbertsons’s persistence was rewarded and he had the simple task of heading the ball into the empty net.

Cuthbertson got his second of the afternoon when he was played in and as he broke away from the defence his perfectly placed shot nestled low in the corner of the net. On the half hour mark Cuthbertson got his hat-trick when he again broke away from the Dumbarton defence and the cool headed striker slotted the ball home.

Just as it was looking as if it was going to be Spartans day they were reduced to ten men when Daniel Shields was sent off for a deliberately tripping the Dumbarton striker Ryan Metcalf as he was bearing down on the Spartans goal. From the resulting free kick Dumbarton pulled on back when the ball was whipped in and fell to the feet of Gary McKell who smashed the ball past Ian McTurk in the Spartans goal.

Despite this setback Spartans still managed to sneak another goal before the halftime interval thanks to Callum Donnelly, he got on the end of a long ball forward and slotted the ball past the advancing keeper. Dumbarton felt they should have had a penalty just before the interval when the ball appeared to hit the hand of Lawrence Kidd but referee Ralph Gordon judged it to have been accidental.

On the hour mark Dumbarton were also reduced to ten men when Metcalf appeared to take a dive in the Spartans box and the young striker gave the referee no option having already been cautioned earlier in the match. Dumbarton started to get on top for a spell and Reece Pearson picked the ball up in midfield and his powerful shot beat McTurk but crashed of the woodwork before the danger was cleared.

Pearson did get one back when he got on the end of a cross and his shot beat McTurk and landed up in the net. A melee then ensued in the Spartans goals and Dumbarton’s Gary McKell lashed out at McTurk leaving the Spartans goalkeeper lying on the ground and the referee had the simple task of producing the third red card of the afternoon.

Pearson got his second of the afternoon when he broke into the Spartans box and as the danger looked to be cleared by the defender the ball came off Pearson’s leg and over the McTurk and into the net.

Chris Keddie was then played but the assistant referee had judged the ball was out off play, Keddie made his feelings about the decision clear and after a verbal tirade at assistant referee Peter Peace promptly became the fourth player to be dismissed.

With only a few minutes remaining Alan Longmuir almost levelled it when he got the end of a cross and his powerful header from close range went just wide of the target.Into injury time and just as it appeared all the action was over Dumbarton’s Glen Campbell put in a wild tackle on Paul Henderson leaving the player requiring treatment and Campbell became the fifth player to be set packing. After his challenge there was a coming together of a few players and on receiving advice from his assistant referee, Ralph Gordon produced a sixth red card to Spartans Isaac Imrie.[slideshow]

Spartans will now face St Johnstone in the next round of the Scottish Cup.

Embarrassed patients 'putting lives at risk'

MEN and women in the Lothians are putting their lives at risk because of embarrassment, a bowel cancer charity has warned.
Research by Bowel Cancer UK found that 40 per cent of residents would rather not talk to their GP about a concern, despite the risks of staying quiet. It is an issue that is proving a huge obstacle to health chiefs, who say the cancer is highly treatable if caught early.

Chief executive of the organisation, Deborah Alsina, said: “I can’t stress enough how important early diagnosis is. It saves lives.” Last week the Evening News reported how a project to send self-testing kits to everyone in the Lothians aged between 50 and 74 has potentially saved more than 150 lives – the number of people who began treatment having not known they had the disease.

NHS launches online help for addiction

HELP on drug and drink addiction is now available online thanks to investment from NHS Lothian.
The health board has revamped its Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership (EADP) website, which it runs with the city council. The resource provides in-depth information about addiction and recovery, as well as links to support in the area.

Nick Smith, EADP’s joint programme manager, said: “We have made the most of the partnership and drawn all the available knowledge together on to one site.

“People concerned about their drinking, or that of a family member or friend, will find advice on the issues caused by alcohol and drugs and, importantly, information on the wide range of local agencies which offer help to aid recovery.”

Kids aged ten set fire to flats in city’s ‘Wild West’

CHILDREN as young as ten are said to have set fire to a derelict building in Muirhouse – as besieged locals tell how the area is fast becoming the “Wild West” of the Capital.A gang of 15 youths was seen scaling the disused building in Muirhouse Avenue on Friday afternoon before breaking through metal security shutters on the first floor and running amok inside.

Residents reported hearing the yobs ransacking empty homes on their way to the top floor, where it is thought they started a fire. Fire crews said it was the second suspected fire-raising incident in the building in as many days, while locals told how the external wall of a neighbouring building, which is also abandoned, had been torn down by vandals.

In May, yobs set fire to a block of flats in nearby Muirhouse Parkway while continuing to search for scrap metal as the building burned.
One Muirhouse resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the area was blighted with relentless antisocial behaviour and called for the two derelict buildings to be demolished.”This kind of this has been going on for months,” he said. “And it seems there’s nothing to stop them, they aren’t afraid of anything. “When these yobs managed to get access to the building, they did so in full view of everyone but they just didn’t care.

“They took the side of a house down the other week and the hole was so big you could have driven a van through it. It’s like something from the Wild West or maybe even Monty Python, because it’s so crazy.”

The unnamed resident, who has lived in Muirhouse for 40 years, said he watched youths climbing to the first floor balcony at around 4pm before breaking in and sparking a blaze. “There were about 15 of them aged between ten and 16 breaking in,” he said. “The next thing a neighbour came up and asked me to call 999 because they had set fire to it.

“There had been a lot of smashing and banging coming from the rear of the building but then there was thick black smoke pouring out from the top floor. My house is only about 30 metres from the flats and I could smell the smoke inside my own house. “As soon as they heard the fire brigade sirens they scarpered.”

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Border Fire and Rescue Service said: “We had already attended a small fire at the property on Muirhouse Avenue the previous evening.

“We are yet to establish whether it was started deliberately but derelict properties often attract a rogue element.”

Ward councillor Steve Cardownie called on residents to help police identify the culprits but said the vast majority of the community were “law-abiding and hard-working” people.

“There is obviously a distinct lack of parental control if parents are letting ten-year-olds get up to such wilful acts of fireraising and vandalism,” he said.

“It beggars belief that kids as young as ten are putting themselves and others in great danger by getting involved in this kind of activity and we need to nip this in the bud before something tragic happens.”

Source: Edinburgh Evening news

Botanics left red-faced as plant fails to blossom

STAFF at Edinburgh’s world-famous Royal Botanic Garden have been left red-faced after the horticultural event of the decade fell flat.

The institution has been waiting eight years for its giant “corpse flower” to bloom and confidently predicted the event would happen this summer – the first time ever in Scotland.

So sure were staff, they printed T-shirts and set up a webcam, and even prepared to borrow a thermal imaging camera from the fire brigade to monitor the flower at night.

But all the 154kg monster produced was a giant, spindly leaf.

It is hoped that the plant will flower next time around which will be around March 2013.

Source: Edinburgh Evening News

It's stall kicking off in Stockbridge.

A NEW twice-weekly open-air food market could soon be established in Stockbridge, despite fears raised by residents over rodent infestations, noise and the impact on local businesses.
The Stockbridge Market will feature a range of food products, with confirmed producers including Ridley’s Fish and Game, Cheesee Peasee and Au Gourmand Artisanal Bread.

It is also set to sell non-food items, including crafts, vintage clothes, jewellery and CDs.

Proposals for the market, to be held in Jubilee Gardens, have been recommended for approval by city planners, but still have to be approved by councillors next week.

• Do you support the plans for a twice-weekly food market in Stockbridge? Vote here

If granted permission, it will be held every Thursday from 2pm to 8pm, and on Sundays from 10am to 6pm, and will feature a total of 26 stalls.

However, the plans – submitted by the French Food Company – have been met with resistance from some local residents who believe the Jubilee Gardens site, which is bordered by Saunders Street and Kerr Street, is unsuitable for such a market.

Anne Harrison, a resident of Saunders Street, wrote in a letter to the council: “Last year there was a major infestation (of rodents] resulting in the seated area at Jubilee Park being stripped out to eradicate rodents.

“The proximity of the park to the Water of Leith also contributes to this problem.

“I fear that a food market will only exacerbate the rodent problem.

“There are serious health and safety implications here.”

She added: “Stockbridge already has many local businesses providing the types of food the market will offer.

“In the current climate their business might suffer drastically from a regular market event.”

Concerns have also been raised about the loss of the gardens as a public space during the market’s operating hours.

Saunders Street resident Helen Walker added in an objection to the proposal: “The site of the proposed market is one of only a few open landscaped gardens available to the public in this area and the accessibility of this area would be greatly reduced by the operation of the market.

“Jubilee Gardens is closely overlooked by the bedrooms of the first block of residential dwellings in Saunders Street.

“The market is to be opened on a Thursday evening and Sunday morning and will increase the local noise levels and disturb the sleep patterns of local residents, especially those of young children and shift workers.”

A statement on the website for the Stockbridge Market says it plans to start operating “really soon”.

Heritage group The Cockburn Association backed the plans.

Director Marion Williams said: “We support the proposal of an open-air food market in this location and believe it could contribute to the vitality of the Stockbridge neighbourhood shopping streets.”

Source: Edinburgh Evening News

Local Youth Work Praised

Local youth work in North Edinburgh was today praised as being Outstanding and Sector Leading according to a government report which was published today following the inspection on the Broughton High School Learning Community by HMIe earlier this year.

The report has concluded that the Voluntary Sector and Community Learning & Development (CLD) scored an excellent in the section Impact On Young People. 

HMIe inspectors spent a week visiting local projects and meeting with various activists and community representatives to gather evidence about the services that are being offered in the local community not only on Youth Work but on Adult Work, Capacity Building, Improving Services and Improvements in Performance.

In the other areas of their work the HMIe has graded them as  Very Good. The report has highlighted certain areas of work as good practice and and in particular mention to the wide range of activities and opportunities available to young people as well ensuring that young people are involved in the local decision making process. Local project Stepping Stones was mentioned for the excellent and vital support they offer to young parents. Fet Lor Youth Centre was also highlighted for its excellent work in delivering the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme to local young people who attend their youth clubs and also within the Broughton high School.

The work that Pilton Equalities Project  does with adults with additional support needs and assisting them to mange their money independently was also praised by the Inspectors. Pilton Community Health Project are making life-changing differences to the health, wellbeing and resilience of vulnerable women and their families said the report.

The HMIe have agreed that CLD and the local service providers need to improve the following areas:

Clarify and simplify the roles and functions of strategic and operational partnerships.

Further develop accredited learning opportunities for adults.

Develop use of Experiences and Outcomes within youth work practice.

Overall this was an excellent report for the Learning Community and highlights some of the excellent work that is being carried out in the Broughton Learning Community area.

You can get a copy of the report here: http://tinyurl.com/3kaxujb

Farewell to Ian Stewart and Alison Miller

North Edinburgh lost two long standing community workers last month when Ian Stewart and Alison Miller were both made redundant from their posts at North Edinburgh Trust, the former Pilton Partnerhsip. Both of them have supported many groups and have been influential on various projects and campaigns over the past 10 years.

North Edinburgh News understands that both were made redundant as a result of the North Edinburgh Trust losing its core Council funding.

Ian and Alison hosted a social gathering at the Prentice Centre prior to leaving their posts.

North Edinburgh News wishes both Ian and Alison all the best for the future.