Police are appealing for information following a wilful fire at the Venchie Children and Young People’s Project in Craigmillar on Friday (15 January).
Between 8.30pm and 9pm, a wheelie bin was placed against a shipping container at the premises on Niddrie Mains Terrace and set alight. The container subsequently caught light and the contents within were destroyed.
The items included clothes, food and playground equipment and were estimated to be worth almost £10,000.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended and extinguished the fire. Nobody was injured during the incident.
Police are treating the fire as wilful and are appealing for information after three teenagers were seen in the area close to the time the fire occurred.
They are described as:
1) White, male, around 15/16 years old, slim build with short light brown hair. He was wearing a dark puffer jacket with hood, light coloured trousers and trainers.
2) White, female, around 15/16 years old, medium build with long blonde hair. She was wearing a dark body warmer over a light coloured jumper, light coloured trousers and shoes. She was also carrying a dark handbag.
3) White, female, around 15/16 years old, slim build with long blonde hair. She was wearing a dark jacket with light coloured trousers and shoes.
Constable Gareth Deering, of Craigmillar Police Station, said: “This completely reckless act has resulted in key equipment provided for children and young people in the community being destroyed.
“I am appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time and saw any suspicious activity, or three teenagers matching this description, to come forward. Information can be provided to police on 101, quoting reference number 3382 of 15 January, or to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you prefer to remain anonymous.”
A ground-breaking new collaboration will provide more educational opportunities for young people in areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow traditionally associated with social deprivation.
New learning centres will be established in Craigmillar and Govan, offering educational support to young people aged 7-18. The centres will provide after-school academic tuition, mentoring and programmes to enable young people achieve their ambitions.
The project is a collaboration between the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, in partnership with education charity IntoUniversity.
The initiative is based upon a shared concern for children growing up in poverty and a belief in the power of education to transform young people’s lives.
Working closely with local schools, colleges and other agencies, the centres will provide invaluable long-term support for young people, their education and their journey towards employment.
The centres will complement both universities’ widening participation activities, providing community-based support to young people on their doorstep.
A total of £2.7 million has been raised by the universities to fund the two centres for a pilot period of five years.
Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “We are proud to be part of this ambitious and important project. It is a major milestone in helping us unlock and nurture the potential of young people, regardless of their background.
“The impact will create a wider benefit not only for the individuals, but also for their families and communities, the universities or colleges they might attend, and for society as a whole.
“We are delighted that this new partnership with the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh is enabling IntoUniversity to serve young people in Scotland. The learning centres will use the power of education to lift young people out of poverty, opening up new worlds of possibility, said Dr Rachel Carr OBE, Co-Founder and CEO, IntoUniversity.
“We look forward to working in partnership with local schools, colleges, third sector organisations, businesses and councils, along with the Universities, to bring this project to fruition.”
IntoUniversity has carried out detailed feasibility work and consultation to ensure that the new centres will play a valuable role alongside other services for young people.
The centres will complement extensive work that both universities already do to widen access to higher education, by providing community-based support to young people on their doorstep. Through activities at the universities young people will develop their understanding of university life and awareness of the opportunities that higher education has to offer.
£2.7 million has been raised to fund the first two centres for a pilot period of 5 years. Further fundraising is underway to enable a third centre to open in Maryhill in Autumn next year.
Dr Rachel Carr OBE, Co-Founder and CEO IntoUniversity, said: “We are delighted that this new partnership with the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh is enabling IntoUniversity to serve young people in Scotland.
“Three new learning centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh will use the power of education to lift young people out of poverty, opening up new worlds of possibility. We look forward to working in partnership with local schools, colleges, third sector organisations, businesses and councils, along with the Universities, to bring this project to fruition.”
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor University of Glasgow, said: “The University of Glasgow is a proudly international institution, but we have never forgotten that our first duty is to the city we serve. A key part of that is ensuring opportunities are available to talented young people across Glasgow, regardless of their background.
“For the university and the city to thrive, we need to be able to empower people across our communities to meet their full potential and this ground-breaking collaboration – delivered in partnership with the University of Edinburgh and IntoUniversity – represents the next step in realising that ambition, with the potential to transform the lives of some of our most disadvantaged young people.”
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs welcomed the initiative. He said:“This is an excellent imitative between Edinburgh and Glasgow University to improve access to higher education for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Being from a less affluent background can put up barriers for young students to go on to further education and I am pleased that this partnership is looking to even the scales.
“The grading fiasco last academic year, where pupils from less affluent backgrounds were marked down by a greater extent than pupils form more affluent backgrounds, highlights the need to improve access to higher education.
“I fully support this new partnership between Edinburgh and Glasgow University, and will support it in whatever way I can.”
Girlguiding Edinburgh are opening a brand new Brownie and new Guide unit in the Craigmillar area this week.
Girls aged 7-10 are invited to join Brownies and girls aged 10-14 are invited to join Guides. If you’re a girl or you know a girl who likes going on adventures, trying something new and meeting new friends then what are you waiting for?
Come along and take part in all the fun that guiding has to offer!
Time and Location
The new units will open on Thursday (30 January). Brownies and Guides will run between 6-8pm at St Teresa’s in Craigmillar, 120 Niddrie Mains Rd, Edinburgh EH16 4EG. The units will then meet on a weekly basis.
For more information and to register please contact www.girlguiding.org.uk and choose the 82nd City of Edinburgh Brownie or Guide unit or call 0131 226 4511.
Leading Lothians wellbeing charity, Thistle, celebrated it’s 75th anniversary with a special community event hosted at the Thistle Centre of Wellbeing in Craigmillar.
A HOUSING and care provider in Edinburgh made sure that no-one was left feeling lonely this Christmas. Staff and tenants at supported housing accommodation in Craigmillar organised a lonely scheme, which runs all year round, and this year the scheme made sure that its users had somewhere to be on Christmas Day.Continue reading Not lonely this Christmas at Castlebrae Glebe
It’s not only Muirhouse that’s changing – the regeneration of Craigmillar continues apace …
Glasgow-based construction firm CCG (Scotland) Ltd is continuing to deliver affordable housing for the city of Edinburgh with a sustained focus in the east of the city where the company is currently building 111 new affordable homes as part of the first phase of the Craigmillar Town Centre Masterplan on behalf of Dunedin Canmore – part of Wheatley Group. Scheduled for completion in summer 2018, sites 19 and 20 will consist of 54 new homes for social rent and a further 57 for mid-market rent.
The Craigmillar Town Centre Masterplan will see this entire area in the East of the city transformed through the creation of more affordable homes and a new retail centre, along with a public square and neighbouring community play park.
The new development at sites 19 and 20 builds on other work CCG has delivered in the area over the past three years, including the development of the former Niddrie Mill Primary School into ‘The Schoolhouse’ – a mixed-tenure development of 66 homes, as well as the creation of the Thistle Foundation Centre for Health and Wellbeing.
CCG Director, Calum Murray said: “These 111 new homes will provide high quality, affordable housing for the community of Craigmillar as well as contributing toward the city’s affordable housing supply. These are not the only benefits as through this development CCG is also creating valued work placements and apprenticeships with four trade apprentices currently based on site, as well as donating money and resources to local initiatives such as the Craigmillar Literacy Trust, Grass Roots Clothing and the Castlebrae School Memorial Garden.”
The new homes are being constructed using a timber frame system that is manufactured in CCG’s bespoke off-site manufacturing facility in Cambuslang. Delivered to site complete with insulation, internal wall linings, windows and doors pre-installed, the system brings assurances of quality and a faster speed of construction – the entire development was completed wind and water tight in just 29 weeks. Also highly energy efficient, the thermal performance of the timber frame system will bring long-term energy savings for future residents who will begin to move in early 2018.
As Craigmillar 19 and 20 has progressed, CCG has also worked with the City of Edinburgh Council on an additional development in Craigmillar, sites 12-15, as well as a new 75-home residential development in Greendykes.
Mr Murray continued: “The Craigmillar Town Centre Masterplan is a project for the long term as we hope to deliver a further 194 homes at Craigmillar 12-15 in 2018. In addition, we are continuing to work in other areas of the city and the new development at Greendykes will bring much needed affordable housing to the area. Our developments team has worked tirelessly to bring this site forward and we hope to have our spades in the ground in summer 2018.”
Housing and Economy Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, Cllr Gavin Barrie added: “These new developments at Craigmillar town centre will provide much needed new housing in the east of Edinburgh, with homes for social and mid-market rent.
“The developments in Greendykes and Craigmillar are a brilliant example of how the Council and our housing association partners are delivering on the joint commitment to build 20,000 new affordable homes in Edinburgh over the next 10 years.
“The Council’s commitment alongside Dunedin Canmore won’t just deliver new homes – we expect our investment to deliver community benefits, provide opportunities for local businesses as well as allowing apprentices to continue their training.”
An annual book festival aimed at boosting literacy among children from an under-resourced Edinburgh community has been given a £1,000 boost thanks to a regional builder. Persimmon Homes East Scotland was so impressed with the work of the Craigmillar Literacy Trust that it was chosen to receive a match-funding donation through the builder’s successful Community Champions scheme.Continue reading Cash boost for community book festival
Congratulations to Edinburgh’s first Reading Community
Claire Askew pictured with fellow Reading Champions Donny O’Rourke and Alex Patience
Edinburgh’s Craigmillar has been named as one of Scotland’s first ever Reading Communities. The new initiative, which was announced by Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop at Craigmillar Library yesterday, also kicked off local celebrations for Book Week Scotland 2015.
Set up by the Scottish Book Trust, special “reading champions” will lead the country’s four Reading Communities and will be tasked with delivering innovative projects with local communities to encourage interest in books from all ages.
Claire Askew, a poet, writer and creative writing teacher, has been appointed as Craigmillar’s champion and will take up her post in March next year. Claire said: “I am so pleased to have been selected and I’m especially pleased that I’ll get to work alongside the brilliant team at Craigmillar Library – I can’t wait to get started!”
Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Craigmillar being named as one of the first Reading Communities in Scotland is excellent news – congratulations to our new champion. This is a fantastic initiative and I am sure that it will help us to encourage people to make books an even bigger part of their everyday lives.
“Reading is such a wonderful pastime and thanks to the Capital’s public libraries, you can take books home free or read them online, I would encourage everyone to visit their local library today and find out just how much they have to offer people of all ages.”
Edinburgh’s libraries will host an array of authors throughout Book Week, who will be giving free talks about their work – times and places are on the website. Writer Cathy Rentzenbrink and Douglas Lindsay will be reading copies of Journeys, which is being given out free during the Week, on a tram at Edinburgh Airport this Friday.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, added: “I am delighted to announce our Reading Communities for 2016. We had a really high standard of applicants but I am sure the four areas we have chosen will deliver some really creative and collaborative projects with their dedicated Reading Champions, to involve and inspire their local communities.
“Scottish Book Trust also looks forward to working with the Champions and the libraries to engage local people with our programmes including our annual story gathering campaign and Book Week Scotland.”
The four Reading Communities, each to be led and nurtured by a dedicated Reading Champion and supported financially and practically for nine months by Scottish Book Trust, are Craigmillar in Edinburgh, Dalmuir in West Dunbartonshire, Thurso in the Highlands and Shetland.
People living in Craigmillar are being asked how changes to the benefits system have affected them as the Scottish Parliament visits the regeneration area on the south east side of the city tomorrow (Monday 18 May).
Holyrood’s Parliament Day initiative, introduced by the Presiding Officer, Rt Hon Tricia Marwick MSP, aims to take the Parliament out into communities around Scotland, encouraging local people to take an interest in and engage directly with the Parliament and its work.
The Welfare Reform Committee, which was set up to examine the impact of changes to benefits and welfare introduced by the UK Government, will hold a ‘Your Say’ session from 2 – 4.30pm.
Members of the local communities, including those from Craigmillar, Niddrie and Portobello are invited to come along and get involved.
In the evening, local people are also invited to a relaxed, informal Q&A session at 5:30pm, hosted by the Presiding Officer, where they can quiz MSPs about how their Parliament works for them. MSPs Gavin Brown, Kezia Dugdale and Kenny MacAskill will also be in attendance.
The Presiding Officer said: “We know that the people of Scotland want to be involved in the political process and that is why the Parliament is going out across Scotland and right into our communities.
“I would like to encourage as many people as possible to join us at the Jack Kane Centre. Together with my fellow MSPs we are looking forward to hearing about what matters to local people.”
Committee Convener Michael McMahon MSP said: “The Welfare Reform Committee was set up to examine the welfare reform programme and its impact on Scotland. Our research has shown Portobello/ Craigmillar to be the worst hit area of Edinburgh in terms of the welfare changes.
“Our Committee has put personal experiences at the heart of our work and we want to sit down with local people who have been affected by or are worried about changes to the benefits system.”
Jack Kane Community Centre, 208 Niddrie Mains Road
From 2- 4:30pm
Free entry, free refreshments
Local residents are encouraged to come along and talk to MSPs and others in an informal, welcoming setting about the changes to benefits that matter to you.
Public Meeting with the Presiding Officer and local MSPs
Jack Kane Community Centre, 208 Niddrie Mains Road
