LINDA GARCIA: A Tribute

Despite leaving North Edinburgh for the bright lights in London when she was only 17, Linda never forgot where she came from and was  very proud of North Edinburgh , its people and the community’s long history of  fighting injustice (writes LYNN McCABE).  

She felt very strongly about inequality and social justice and although she had a  comfortable life  and could have spent her retirement years with her feet up, she chose to  get involved in her old  community and do what she could to try to improve things.

She  was  passionate about education and was a great advocate for   lifelong learning  and  signed up for a variety of  courses which covered some of the topics she was interested in including Scottish history,  politics, the Scots language  and the arts.   Even when she wasn’t attending a   class, she was always researching something and was  keen to share  her learning with others.

She joined the Power to the People group in 2012, a new project developed by local activists who wanted to study  the history of protest in Scotland through the  arts.  It was a perfect fit for Linda with her passion for politics, Scottish history and the arts. 

The class ran for  a number of years and brought together people who were new to activism as well as people who had been involved in community  politics and the trade unions.  

Linda  was really interested in listening to everyone’s views  but  was more than capable of  holding her own  during the  many heated debates that took place each week!

Through the years,  the focus of the class moved from studying the history of  protest to actually taking part in protests!  Members of the  Power to the People group got involved in many local issues   including cuts to local services and the campaign to stop the eviction of local families from their homes.  

Linda was at the heart of these protests helping to design placards and banners  and was actively involved  in a sit-in at the local housing office and  a protest that ended up  taking over   Ruth Davidson’s constituency office.    She also took part in numerous protests  outside the city chambers every year in response to proposals to cut vital local services.   

Having exhausted the subject of the history of protest in Scotland over a 2 year period, Linda and her class mates from the Power to the People group decided it was time to undertake another research project where the focus was closer to home. 

This project  was going to focus on North Edinburgh’s  history  and would cover some of the big industrial, housing and political changes in the area over the last century.  It turned out that  there was too many interesting things which they felt  could not be missed out so the history timeline began  with the Roman encampment in Cramond!

The information the group unearthed was fascinating and highlighted how central North Edinburgh was  to Scotland’s history.   

On the completion of this research, Linda and a few other folk from the group decided their next priority would be to promote  North Edinburgh’s  hidden  history and over a number of years they  developed heritage walks, a history hub down at Madelvic and  led a successful campaign to protect and restore the Granton Castle Walled Garden.   

Linda remained actively involved in all these  projects  even as her health deteriorated  and was instrumental  in helping to preserve the area’s  cultural heritage.

Another passion of Linda’s was arts and culture.  She  felt strongly about the need for the arts to be accessible to everyone.  She was a regular visitor at the city’s art galleries and  kept her eye out for new exhibitions  and cultural events which were heading  to Edinburgh. 

She was quick to share this information with all the  groups and projects she was connected with  which ensured that  local folk from  didn’t miss out.

Linda was very good with her hands and was one of the  stitchers involved in creating the Prestonpans tapestry, The Diaspora Tapestry for the Homecoming and the Great Tapestry of Scotland. 

She almost succeeded in convincing  her friends from North Edinburgh to embark on a new project called the Great Tapestry of North Edinburgh which was going to cover key historical events  and famous people associated with  North  Edinburgh.  Everyone was really excited about the idea of this project, until they realised that they were going to have to be involved in doing the stitching! 

Despite a really positive meeting with Andrew Crummy who had designed the other tapestries, the consensus amongst the group was that it was a good idea but none of them were likely to be alive to see the tapestry completed so sadly that project didn’t come to pass! 

Another  passion  of Linda’s was womens’ rights and so on Wednesday afternoons she would catch up with her pals from the Women’s International Group (WIG) who ran   a programme of informal learning opportunities  for local women. 

The group also  organised numerous events including womens’ health and well-being days, hustings, and public meetings on local issues and made history when they  became the first singing deputation at a full council meeting.   

Being local women, the  Women’s International Group were well aware of all the strong  North Edinburgh women who had came before them  and made a point of  celebrating their achievements and the achievements of inspirational women from  around the world at their annual international womens day events. 

Linda was always  at the heart of these gatherings and did presentations,  took her turn at  chairing the event, read poetry but  was equally happy to do the register or  make the tea and coffee.  

 Linda’s  passion for her community continued through the last few years of her life.  She would regularly email me funding information or links to materials which she thought would be useful. 

Despite her  health issues, she remained interested in what was happening in North Edinburgh and regularly shared words of support and encouragement to the  friends  she had made in the community over the years. 

Linda was most definitely a North Edinburgh ‘wummin’ through and through and will be missed by all who knew her. 

Lynn McCabe

Community Learning and Development Worker

Royston Wardieburn Community Centre

Professor Peter Higgs

University of Edinburgh Statement on the death of Professor Peter Higgs

It has been confirmed that Professor Peter Higgs has died at the age of 94. He passed away peacefully at home on Monday 8 April following a short illness.

Peter is renowned the world over for his prediction of the existence of a new particle – the so-called Higgs boson – which he first proposed in 1964.

It would be almost 50 years before the particle’s existence could be confirmed, with experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern finally confirming Higgs’ theory in 2012. He was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work in 2013, along with Francois Englert.

Peter was also a great teacher and mentor, inspiring generations of young scientists.

“Peter Higgs was a remarkable individual – a truly gifted scientist whose vision and imagination have enriched our knowledge of the world that surrounds us.

“His pioneering work has motivated thousands of scientists, and his legacy will continue to inspire many more for generations to come.” – Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh

Albert Bartlett thanks Fareshare volunteers with potato-inspired lunch

Leading potato supplier Albert Bartlett has hosted a special lunch for the Edinburgh-based FareShare volunteers who selflessly package, cook and serve food for the UK’s biggest charity tackling food waste for social good.

Albert Bartlett has donated the equivalent of over 12 million meals to FareShare.

The potato people were on site at Cyrenians Kitchen in Bonnington on Thursday (7th March) where Albert Bartlett Chef, Graham Wilson cooked a potato inspired menu* for the 30 local volunteers to thank them for their hard work and dedication.

Cyrenians, an Edinburgh-based homelessness charity, is responsible for delivering FareShare’s operation in central and southeast Scotland.

During its 14-year relationship with FareShare, Albert Bartlett has made a significant difference with generous food donations. In 2023 they donated 1,200 tonnes of food which provided three million equivalent meals*, helped 3,453 charities and prevented 3,000 tonnes of CO2e from being wasted.

Sales Director at Albert Bartlett, John Heginbottom: “Community is hugely important to Albert Bartlett, so giving back and saying thank you to the dedicated volunteers at FareShare is really important to us.

“It’s crucial that we continue to help FareShare towards its mission of tackling food waste and hunger – potatoes are rich in nutrients.’’

Stevie Murray, Volunteer at FareShare: “Yesterday we were treated to a special lunch on site from Albert Bartlett.

“The food was amazing, and the company was great. I have been volunteering at FareShare for the past five years, following my retirement I decided to spend my time helping others, which is fantastic and so rewarding.’’

The volunteer lunch follows the recent Albert Bartlett Golden Ticket giveaway which saw local charities in the FareShare network receive a voucher worth £100 in the 62 tonnes of surplus potatoes.

The charities included: 

  • Laurence’s Larder and Open Kitchen, Northwest London
  • The Food Chain, North London
  • Kellands School, Aberdeenshire
  • Dundee Survival Group, Dundee
  • Faifley Community Council, Glasgow

Director of food at FareShare, Simon Millard: “We are enormously grateful to Albert Bartlett for their ongoing support for FareShare.

“Their surplus potatoes are redistributed across our nationwide network of 8,500 charities and community groups and make a valuable contribution to getting good food to people in need, rather than letting it go to waste.

“Regular supplies of potatoes enable these groups to create hearty, nourishing meals for the people they support, bringing people together and helping them access other vital support services.

“Volunteers are absolutely crucial to FareShare’s operation, making sure good food gets to people and groups that need it. The meal was a wonderful opportunity to say thank you for their hard work and dedication, and we are grateful to the team at Albert Bartlett for making it happen.”

*The menu consisted of Spicy Buffalo and Vegan Blue Cheese loaded Crispy Albert Bartlett Mini Hash Browns, Luxury Mash Potato loaded with Tennessee BBQ Pulled Pork, Dill Pickles, and Crispy Nacho’s along with many other delicious dishes.

*The equivalent meals calculation is based on WRAP’s guidance around reporting the amounts of surplus food redistributed.

National Volunteers Week: Edinburgh Leisure

National Volunteer Week starts tomorrow (Thursday). Stephen Hughes, Volunteer Development Manager, tells us why National Volunteer Week is an important celebration for Edinburgh Leisure:

This week is National Volunteer Week, celebrating the tremendous impact volunteers have on communities around the UK. Volunteers’ Week is a UK wide campaign that takes place from 1-7 June every year. The Volunteers’ Week campaign started in 1984 making this the 39th year.

Edinburgh Leisure is proud to be supported by 113 volunteers who run or support 91 Active Communities sessions each week. We thank all our volunteers for the continued support and effort they put into volunteering with us.

“Volunteers are crucial to helping Edinburgh Leisure achieve outcomes such as improving physical and mental health while making more people more active.

“Without them, our Active Communities programme would not be the same. I would also like to thank our volunteer managers who play an integral role to provide an enjoyable and rewarding experience for our volunteers.

“In my new role working with volunteers, I am excited to bring the volunteer celebration event back for the first time since 2019. It will take place later in the month at Norton Park Conference Centre.

“The volunteer celebration is a fantastic opportunity to bring our community of volunteers together to thank them for their hard work, hear about the positive impact their volunteering has on Active Communities participants and provide a space for volunteers to spend time together to talk about their experiences.

“If you would like to find out more about volunteering opportunities with Edinburgh Leisure, we’d love to hear from you. There are lots of ways to get involved.  However, you choose to donate your time, you’ll be making a difference to local people’s lives.”

Find out more: https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/work-with-us/become-a-volunteer

ELREC’s big thanks to volunteers

ELREC Volunteer Appreciation Lunch

ELREC organised a lunch for their team of volunteers to say thank-you for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

ELREC’s chair Foysul Choudhury MBE MSP explained: “We wanted to show our appreciation to all our volunteers who have helped us deliver vital work during Covid 19.

“The volunteers came together every Friday to collect Fareshare food, prepare food boxes, order and include halal chicken and then deliver to local communities in Edinburgh.

“Since June 2020 we have supported over 250 families with food boxes. The demand is still high however due to end of funding we have had to reduce our supply to 25 boxes per week.

“The event was attended by 32 of our dedicated volunteers and staff members. We had lovely lunch and provided gift bags and certificates to everyone involved.”

The lunch was organised by Foysol (above left), ELREC secretary Ragnish Singh and Honorary President Sir Geoff Palmer OBE.