charity – Page 83 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Where’s the burdz? Volunteer opportunity!

I am writing from RSPB Scotland, a UK conservation charity. We have a new volunteer opportunity that I thought members of the community might be interested in.

We would like to recruit some volunteers who are interested in helping us campaign for wildlife conservation. We will support them to write to, visit and lobby their local decision makers on our behalf as we prepare to launch a marine conservation campaign to protect seabirds at sea. We hope it will be a great opportunity for volunteers to meet people and gain new skills.

I attach the role description of the opportunity as well as the date of our welcome event. Although I realise that many of your members will already be involved in similar projects, if any of them would like to volunteer or attend the welcome event to find out more they can email champions.scotland@rspb.org.uk.

Please get in touch if you have any questions

Best wishes

Philippa Faulkner (Campaigns Co-ordinator Scotland)

RSPB Scotland

2 Lochside View

Edinburgh Park

Edinburgh EH12 9DH

Tel: 0131 317 4198

Mob:07568100922

Follow us on Twitter @RSPB Scotland

www.rspb.org.uk

Still time to register for St Columba’s Water of Leith Walk

Water of Leith Walk

While the countdown is on for the St Columba’s Hospice Water of Leith Walk on 12 May, there’s still time to register – registration is open until 10 May, so why not sign up to walk one of the most beautiful routes in Edinburgh to help build a new St Columba’s Hospice?

Sunday 12 May 2013
Start times between 9.30am and 11am

Walk the Big Yin
Balerno – Leith Links (12.25 miles)

Walk the Wee Yin
Murrayfield – Leith Links (5 miles)

We hope you will join us!

Taking a stroll along the Water of Leith is one of the must do things for any visitor to Edinburgh, yet how many of us have ever walked the whole 12.25 miles of it? Here’s your chance to do just that, and help build a new home for St Columba’s Hospice.

The St Columba’s Hospice Water of Leith Walk will be held on Sunday 12 May. Walkers of all ages are welcome, and participants can walk on their own, or enter as a family or a team with up to six members.

Starting in Balerno, the full 12.25 mile walk (the ‘Big Yin’) will follow the river as it winds its way through Colinton Village and Dell, the Union Canal, Saughton Winter Gardens, Murrayfield Stadium, the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, Dean Village, Stockbridge, the Royal Botanic Garden and finally, to our new finishing point at Leith Links.

For those that would find a shorter stroll more appealing, there is also the gentler ‘Wee Yin’ – a five mile route from Murrayfield to Leith.

Along the way you’ll get the chance to see stunning natural landscapes, remnants of Edinburgh’s industrial history, and a wide diversity of plants and animals, from orchids to otters.

This will be an unforgettable experience and help build a new home for St Columba’s Hospice.

To register please contact Sìne on 0131 551 7707 or sward@stcolumbashospice.org.uk or download the flyer/entry form on the right and email it to us.

You can also register on the day, the details are as follows:

The ‘Big Yin’

Registration location – Balerno Community Centre
Registration time – 9.30am – 10.30am
Official start time – 10.00am
End point – Leith Links

The ‘Wee Yin’

Registration location – Murrayfield Coach Park
Registration time – 10.30am – 11.30am
Offical start time – 11.00am
End point – Leith Links

Sainsbury’s Blackhall raises over £7000 for Comic Relief

The money has been collected and counted – and Sainsbury’s Blackhall have today announced that their fundraising for Red Nose Day 2013 raised a magnificent £ 7,116.00!

Local residents across North Edinburgh got in the spirit by raising funds, including Sainsbury’s customers, who made a huge contribution by donating money to fundraising events at the Blackhall store as well purchasing this year’s range of merchandise including the Nose with Toes, sold in-store.

Among the fundraising highlights at the Blackhall store this year were our colleague and local resident, Susie Booth’s Sponsored Silence, at her checkout – £ 464, a Ladies Night at Silverknowes Golf Club – £ 1,042 and the Cheeky Chopstick Challenge at Blackhall and Davidson’s Mains Primary Schools – £ 606. . Other activities which saw colleagues ‘Do Something Funny for Money’ included an in-store Zumba class.

Sainsbury’s Blackhall Store Manager David Bainbridge said: “Many of our colleagues were ‘reddy’ to go one step further this year to mark the 25^th anniversary of Red Nose Day. It’s been a great experience over the last few weeks and we wouldn’t have raised this much if it wasn’t for the generous donations from our North Edinburgh customers”.

Sainsbury’s supermarkets, including North Edinburgh customers were able to do their bit for the environment too by recycling their Red Noses in-store until the end of March. Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief have partnered for a second year with leading UK carpet underlay manufacturer, Ball & Young, to recycle the PU Foam Red Noses. The collected Noses will start a new life as part of Ball & Young’s award-winning Cloud 9 range of underlays, used mainly in British homes.

Katherine How, Sainsbury’s Comic Relief Partnership Manager, added: “It’s good news for the environment and it’s helping Comic Relief supporters make an even bigger lasting impact, so thank-you to everyone who wore their Red Noses with pride and have now given them a new home”.

And good news comes in three’s – the Name the 3^rd Guide Dog Puppy also raised £ 100 for Red Nose Day and £ 100 for Guide Dogs – the winner will be announced shortly!

Help Poppy the Hamster find her way home!

The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after a hamster was found loose on a Leith street during the recent blizzards. The animal welfare charity was contacted on Monday evening (18 March) after a member of the public spotted the little rodent on Spey Street, just off Pilrig Street. Now named Poppy, the female Syrian hamster is being cared for at SSPCA’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre.

Animal Rescue Officer Duncan Robertson said, “Poppy is around a year old and in good condition. It’s very lucky she was found by someone who helped her as there was a severe blizzard on Monday evening and it was bitterly cold. Poppy was found in Leith, which is a built up area with lots of flats nearby. Hamsters are fast creatures and can wriggle through small spaces so there is a chance she has escaped from home.

“However, we are keeping an open mind at this stage and can’t rule out the possibility she may have been abandoned by her owner. Poppy could have easily come to harm so we’re really glad she’s now safe. We’re keen to hear from anyone who recognises Poppy and, in the meantime, we’ll ensure she receives the care she needs. “If no-one comes forward, we’ll be looking to find Poppy a loving new home.”

Anyone with information is being asked to contact the SSPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.

Sainsbury’s support for St Columba’s Hospice

Just a quick update on how we are getting along with our Local Charity of the Year 2012/13 – St Columba’s Hospice.

The staff at Sainsbury’s in Blackhall are big supporters of St Columba’s Hospice, as are all their customers. Since 2012, the store and its shoppers have raised over £6000 by collecting loose change at the checkouts and bag packs. Thank you to everyone for their support.

Shay, Sainsbury’s Blackhall

Charity challenge cash for Maggies Centre

Buccleuch Property has raised £17,000 for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres following fundraising efforts at the Buccleuch Property Challenge.

More than 150 property professionals from across the UK took part in the annual outdoor adrenalin challenge, at the Duke of Buccleuch’s Drumlanrig Castle and Queensberry Estate. Participants – who entered in teams of three – endured a six-hour test of mental and physical endurance, split into three stages of running, mountain biking and orienteering.

The Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) property team raised the highest individual amount for the Challenge and were rewarded with three bottles of Champagne for their efforts.

Maggie’s was chosen as this year’s nominated charity by the Buccleuch Property team. Maggie’s offers free emotional, practical and social support to people with cancer and their families and friends. Maggie’s is there for people at any stage of any type of cancer and no appointments are necessary. Maggie’s Edinburgh was the first Maggie’s Centre, opened in 1996, and is located at Western General Hospital.

Buccleuch Property managing director David Peck said: “We have supported Maggie’s as part of a year-long fundraising campaign. The centres provide unrivalled support to anyone affected by cancer and are helping thousands of people each year. It is hard to imagine what it would be like without charities, such as Maggie’s and we hope our fundraising efforts will go some way to helping them continue to provide this essential support.”

Aoife McDonogh, Corporate Relationship Manager at Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, said: “We rely on the support of organisations such as Buccleuch Property, in order for us to continue to support those affected by cancer. The Challenge raised an exceptional amount and we are extremely grateful to Buccleuch Property and all the teams who took part for their fundraising efforts.”

Bank interest in North Edinburgh News

The NEN has received a cheque for £500 from The Royal Bank of Scotland. The banks’s charity committee agreed to support an application by NEN board member Eddie Thorn.

Kevin Havelock, Regional Director for Corporate and Institutional Banking at Royal Bank of Scotland, explained: “Following the difficulties that RBS experienced in recent years we are looking to reconnect with the communities that we all live and work in.”

He went on: “We are very fortunate at RBS to have many staff who have been with us for twenty, twenty-five even thirty years and many of them are active in their communities. We established a system of grants to support local charities and community initiatives nominated by our staff.

“The Edinburgh Community Partnership Board has representation from every division of the bank – there are eleven people in all on the committee, each with an equal vote. We were delighted both with the volume and the great variety of nominations that came in, and we agreed our first round of grants in October. We are supporting a very broad spectrum of good causes, from supplying sports equipment to groups to helping local health charities.”

Royal Bank of Scotland will donate £100,000 in a rolling programme in the East of Scotland, and one of the first forty grateful recipients is North Edinburgh News.

North Edinburgh News treasurer Eddie Thorn said: “The Royal Bank of Scotland is to be commended for their wide contribution to local communities. It is particularly pleasing that they recognised all that the NEN strives to achieve, and we are very grateful for the bank’s generous support – it’s much appreciated.”

Kevin added: “We will be offering practical and sometimes even physical support, too – we want the charity to get more from the bank than just a cheque. Working with and providing support to the charity is a natural progression.”

NEN’s Eddie Thorn and RBS’ Kevin Havelock are pictured outside the NEN’s base at Edinburgh College Granton Campus.

Invite to bfriends at Prentice Centre!

Paul Burke writes:

“As the Project Development Worker for CHILDREN 1ST bfriends service in North and West Edinburgh, I would like to invite you along to an Open day on Friday 12 October from 12 – 2pm at our base in The Prentice Centre at 1 Granton Mains Avenue.

In April 2012, CHILDREN 1ST re-opened its bfriends base in North Edinburgh and we feel this will be a nice opportunity to meet with local agencies and let everyone know more about our service, volunteers and the young people we work with. Please try to pop along any time between 12-2pm – as we are meeting over lunch time, we will provide a small buffet so you won’t miss out on lunch!”

If you plan to attend you can contact Paul at paul.burke@children1st.org.uk or telephone 552 8265.

Doggie delight as Bark in the Park is rescheduled!

disappointeddug — Disappointed dug – but the event’s been rescheduled!

Bring your pampered pooch to St Columba’s sponsored dog walk at Inverleith Park, with a dog show, agility course, doggy manicures and lots more!

The Bark in the Park event to raise funds for St Columba’s Hospice has been rescheduled. The doggie extravaganza was due to take place on 29 July, but following the summer deluge the event had to be postponed. However organisers have set a new date for Bark in the Park and it will now take place on Sunday 26 August at Inverleith Park.

Edinburgh’s four legged friends are invited to put their best paw forward and come along to Bark in the Park on Sunday 26 August – a doggy-themed day out at Inverleith Park in aid of St Columba’s Hospice.

Registration from 9.30am

Wufts dog show starts at 10.30am

Activities run from 10am – 1pm

Dog walk starts at 11am.

As well as a sponsored dog walk around the park, there will be lots of extra activities guaranteed to get tails wagging. Back again, after its ‘barking’ success last year is the ‘Wufts’ dog show, judged by experienced judge and breeder Fiona McKinlay.

Owners who think their canine is Crufts material have a chance of walking away with one of five prizes:

Most Handsome Dog

Waggiest tail

Best Six Legs

Best small dog

Best large dog

For playful pups there will also be an agility course to try out, while for more pampered pooches, doggy manicures and grooming will be available.

Entry costs just £7.50 per dog in advance or £10 on the day and St Columba’s requests that all entrants try to raise at least £25 sponsorship. Entry to the Wufts dog show competition is £5 per dog. So come along for a great day out and give your pampered pooch a real treat!

To sign up, contact St Columba’s Hospice fundraising team on 0131 551 1381 or email fund@stcolumbashospice.org.uk

Bark in the Park 2012 is kindly sponsored by Batchelor, Davidson and Watson Veterinary Surgeons.

Inverleith Park gears up for Moonwalk 2012

The Arabian Nights will come to sedate old Inverleith Park tomorrow night with all the exotic mystery of the East – yes, it’s Moonwalk 2012!

Thousands of women – and more than a few men, too – will walk either the Full Moon (26.2 miles) or the Half Moon. As always, everybody will be wearing brightly decorated bras and this year’s theme is ‘Midnight at the Oasis’; organisers breast cancer charity Walk the Walk are looking forward to seeing some exotic and exciting creations!

Since the first MoonWalk Edinburgh in 2006, this iconic night has brought together ordinary women and men, not just from Scotland but from all over the World, to achieve an extraordinary personal challenge, whilst raising money to improve the lives of cancer patients in Scotland. With the support of over 60,000 walkers over the last 6 years, this one evening has raised in excess of £14 million and over £2 million in 2011 alone.

One in eight women in the UK are expected to experience some form of breast cancer, and statistics show that this type of cancer has accelerated faster in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK. Reports also show that 42% of all breast cancers could potentially be prevented by reducing alcohol intake, making changes to diet, becoming more active and, most mportantly, maintaining a healthy weight. Joining a Walk the Walk challenge for many is often that first, all-important step towards making vital life changes.

Organiser and founder of Walk the Walk, Nina Barough, said: “The MoonWalk Edinburgh is a very special night, not only for all the wonderful Scottish energy that unites us in this common bond, but I love and cherish the fact that we are making such a difference to the lives of so many people in Scotland with cancer, not just in the main cities but from coast to coast including people living in the Highlands and Islands. It really is a night when everybody can help to make a difference, not only towards their own health but the lives of many. It is probably the most dynamic and awe-inspiring night that you could experience.”

Walk the Walk’s volunteer team could use some extra help on the big night. Their appeal:

‘We really need your help to recruit more smiling faces to act as route marshals to guide, cheer and encourage our walkers round the route. We are also looking for some early morning drivers to patrol the route and respond to calls to pick up and transport marshals or walkers who can no longer continue their walk. Finally, perhaps you are a keen cyclist – you could be part of one of our cycle teams, supporting the static marshals and lending comfort and safety to walkers who may find themselves on their own or struggling. If you can help please come along to Inverleith Park from 2 pm on Saturday and we’ll sign you up. Whatever time you can come, we’ll find you something to do!! AND it’s great FUN!!’