culture and leisure – Page 4 – The NEN

Orchid extravaganza at The Botanics

Three in one: orchid extravaganza marks hat-trick at the Botanics

With a 344 year record of bringing exotic, rare and beautiful plants to Scotland, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has witnessed some stunning sights.

But nothing has ever been quite on the scale of the 2,500 spectacular orchids now gracing the John Hope Gateway visitor centre. Sponsored by the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, Edinburgh Office, this awesome month-long display celebrates three significant anniversaries and highlights the Garden’s strong research and conservation links with Taiwan.

Tropical botanist Dr Mark Hughes, the man responsible for bringing the display to Edinburgh, explained: “This exhibition arrives at a particularly special time. Not only are we celebrating the 50th anniversary of our ‘new’ herbarium building – which holds our precious archive of three million preserved specimens – two other anniversaries collide: the 150th of the first specimen to reach us from Taiwan and the 50th anniversary of Taiwan’s designation of the plum blossom (Prunus mume) as its national flower.

“This orchid fair is not only a celebration of all these events, it is a significant public demonstration of an important partnership researching plant systematics in Southeast Asia”.

Running until 20 July this display of floricultural excellence is free to the public and will include additional family events at weekends throughout the four weeks.

Orchid Events coming up:

Sunday 6 July 1 – 4pm, John Hope Gateway

Chinese Flower Painting and Face Painting

Come along to learn about Chinese flower painting, and get your face painted. Free.

Friday 11 July 2pm, Patrick Geddes Room

Life in The Trees

Everything you wanted to know about orchids but were afraid to ask! Join Kerry Walter on his fabulous tour of the largest family of plants on earth, the orchids. What do they get up to when nobody’s watching? Come and find out! Free.

Sunday 13 July 1 – 4pm, Patrick Geddes Room

Tea ceremony & tea tasting

If you don’t know your oolong, you don’t know tea!. Come and join Denise Leishman as she explains how the climate and geography of Taiwan produce some of the finest teas in the world, and taste them as prepared by her expert hands. Learn how the tea ceremony still has a place in today’s culture, and discover the stories behind our tea-related gems in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s herbarium and archives. Free.

With Taiwan Floriculture Exports Association and the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, Edinburgh Office.

Dads Rock in (friendly!) Father’s Day museum takeover

Free Father’s Day Family Takeover of the Museum

This Father’s Day (Sunday 15 June) Dads Rock and friends are taking over the National Museum from 11am for tons of free fun for all the family!

See below for the full programme of events:

DADS ROCK Father’sDay

Central Library pumps up the volume today

Still have an image of libraries as dark, sombre, serious and – above all – silent places? Well, think again – there will be lots of noisy fun activities at Central Library today …

The City of Edinburgh Council will turn up the volume at the Central Library as it opens its doors to live music and book readings for an Open Day celebration.

The Open Day will mark the recent refurbishment of the Library, which has brand new spaces to house the children’s and music collections. For the first time in 40 years, all of the Central Library facilities will be housed in the same building.

Highlights of the Open Day include live music throughout the day from choir Octavoce, Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin’ and the Scottish Fiddle Festival Group, plus a visit from award winning author Catherine Rayner (external link) whose animal illustrations decorate the new ‘under 5s’ area of the children’s collection, and Janis Mackay, author of the ‘Magnus Fin’ trilogy.

Visitors to the Open Day will have the chance to view some of the library’s most precious treasures, which include a copy of the first bible ever printed in Scotland. Experts will also on hand to help guide people through their own WW1 family history or to help explain the background behind any family memorabilia from WW1 they may have.

Central Library staff will also be on hand to offer visitors an overview of library e-resources including the new Naxos service. The streaming service provides access to a back catalogue of over one million classical and jazz tracks, with latest releases added every week. A soundproof acoustic pod for musicians to practice in is also available to book, and visitors will for the first time be able to try a CD before borrowing.

Councillor Richard Lewis, the city’s Culture and Sport Convener, said: “The new children’s and music collections have transformed the Central Library and will offer visitors a unique space for relaxing, reading, and so much more.

“The new areas have been designed as welcoming spaces for people to visit and feel inspired to discover music and reading in their own way. I am especially excited to welcome live music and collaboration between performers to the library Open Day, which will include a set from the fantastic Octavoce vocal group, young local musicians, and the fantastic Scottish Fiddle Festival Group.

“The refurbishment allows the Council to house all of the Central Library facilities under one roof for the first time in 40 years and I am sure the City will enjoy all that the building has to offer.”

The Open Day kicks off at 10.30 – SOUNDS LIKE FUN!

Open doors at Inverleith House

Inverleith House is hosting an Open Weekend on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 May from 10am to 5pm.

Events include talks by exhibition staff, performance, live music and special offers on limited edition exhibition catalogues and posters.

Events are free but booking is essential, so to reserve your place email

ihouse@rbge.ac.uk

Letter: Attacks on quality of life must be resisted

Dear Editor

In the past, many things were struggled for to enhance the quality of life. National Parks, Green Belts, local parks, sports fields, libraries, museums, rights of way, etc, etc.

Recent times have seen all of the things mentioned above – and more – threatened, closed, built on, sold to developers. Added to that, laws are shamefully being passed enabling this to continue.

Very many thousands of people are worried and are resisting, despite their incomes and employment being under pressure, and it is vital that this resistance is greatly increased.

Local ideas and schemes must be pursued and developed and local authorities must assist their communities in enhancing the quality of life now and for the future.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

City makes a splash with affordable swimming

A £125,000 investment by the City of Edinburgh Council is to make swimming more accessible and more affordable for hundreds of young children and families across the Capital. A range of measures will be introduced over the next two years that will increase swimming provision and access to pools and schools for those who need it most – with free swimming for primary school children during the October school holidays!

The programme involves a ‘raft’ of measures including:

· free swimming during school holidays,

· top up swimming classes for P2-3 pupils,

· free family splash time sessions

· swimming classes for women and children from BME communities.

Councillor Richard Lewis, the city’s Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Swimming is a fantastic activity that is not only fun but keeps you fit and healthy too. The purpose behind providing a free programme of swimming is to open up our pool facilities to those that may never have tried swimming before or to encourage parents to take their children along for a fun family swim.

“We’ve worked closely with our partners in Edinburgh Leisure and sportscotland to produce a programme that specifically targets children and adults who need support the most and also benefits the most number of people for the money available. It builds on what was proposed by Splashback and, I believe, goes even further to ensure that children from all over the city have the opportunity both to learn to swim and enjoy it at the same time.”

Between Saturday 12 October and Monday 21 October, free swimming for primary school children will be available between 12-4pm in four city pools every day during the school holidays (with some exceptions – see Edinburgh Leisure website and Wester Hailes Education Centre websitefor details). The pools are Leith Victoria Swim Centre, Gracemount Leisure Centre, Dalry Swim Centre and Wester Hailes Education Centre.

These free swim session for juniors will be repeated during school holidays until April 2015 and will also include the pool at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre when it reopens after rfurbishment and upgrading later this month.

Further to this, from January, the Council will also provide additional swimming lessons for P2/3 pupils in eighteen schools designated as ‘positive action’ schools (where over 40% of pupils are entitled to free school meals). These will be run with Edinburgh Leisure who will provide additional teaching support to help these children develop early aquatic skills, knowledge of pool safety, and in many cases, introduce them to swimming for the first time.

Also early next year the Council will launch a ‘Family Splash Time’ programme which will provide parents and their children with eight weeks of fun, two-hour, swim sessions funded as part of this investment.

The Council also proposes to extend the successful ‘Female Only Swim’ sessions held at Leith Victoria to other parts of the Capital next year. These sessions are targeted specifically at the BME community where cultural and religious barriers may prevent women from participating in swimming.

The £125,000 funding for accessible and affordable swimming was agreed by the Capital Coalition earlier this year in recognition of Splashback’s commitment to increasing swimming opportunities for young people.

Graeme Gardiner, Director of Operations at Edinburgh Leisure said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting this swimming initiative. We passionately believe in the positive impact that sport and physical activity can have on individuals and communities and we want to inspire everyone in the city to be more active and healthy. This swimming initiative provides a great way of encouraging people to get active and try out swimming.”

Eleven month lifeline for Leith Waterworld

Councillors today voted to further explore the feasibility of reopening Leith Waterworld. Campaign group Splashback will now have council support during an 11-month development phase to establish whether the facility can be operated within the parameters of a finalised business plan.

The continuation of the bid beyond this phase is dependent on the community group securing the necessary capital funding to invest in the facility and, further, on their business plan meeting with the approval of an independent third party.

The council will release a maximum of £100,000 to help fund the feasibility study and a dedicated Councillor/ Officer Working-Group will be set up to support Splashback in developing their bid. A report on the results of the study will be considered by councillors once the development phase ends, following which a decision on the facility’s future will be taken.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Leisure Convener, said: “I want to acknowledge the considerable time and effort that Splashback have committed to their bid thus far. While there remains a tremendous amount of work to be done in the months ahead, we want to give the community the best possible chance of success by providing the necessary funding and support toward taking their proposals to the next phase. We owe it to the people of Edinburgh to do everything we can to preserve this valuable community asset.”

On 20 September, councillors had granted Splashback additional time, plus dedicated support from council officers, to present a more robust business case, and today’s decision has given the campaign group renewed hope that the facility can now be saved.

However Johnny Gailey, a founder member of the campaign, says the council decision is only a reprieve and there’s a lot of hard work to be done. “What’s been voted on today is a reprieve if you like – the council could be much more pro-active about exploring all the options, so we do feel this is an achievement but it’s not a result”, he said. “This is not our preferred option – our first choice was always that the pool should remain in public ownership. That’s been denied, and so we’ve been forced to think about second choices. We now have to put a call out to people in the wider community, and also to other third sector partners to help us with a bid. That call out will also be to Edinburgh Leisure and to the city council – they are part of the community too, and they need to be part of this process.”

Green Councillor for Leith Chas Booth supported the Splashback campaign and he is delighted with the council decision. He said: “I am delighted that the Council has seen the wisdom of backing community ownership of this much-loved asset and has seen the social, health and economic benefits of re-opening the pool. We now have a period of almost a year to finalise the business case and get children and other pool users back in the water.”

Well, well, well – appeal for St Bernard’s

A fundraising appeal to help complete the restoration of an historic well on the Water of Leith has been launched. A revamp of St Bernard’s Well, which sits inside a Roman-style temple near Dean Village, will cost over £230,000 – and after contributions from Edinburgh World Heritage and Edinburgh City Council, £50,000 is still needed.

St Bernard’s Well has a fascinating history. The natural spring was discovered by three boys from Heriot’s School in 1760 and it soon became a popular visitor attraction. The spring minerals were believed to have healing powers and people flocked to “take the water”.

Lord Gardenstone, a rather eccentric Law Lord with a pet pig and an excessive fancy to snuff, bought the well and commissioned Alexander Nasmyth to design a building for it in 1789. Nasmyth drew inspiration from the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli and placed a sculpture of Hygieia, the roman goddess of health on the upper level.

Lord Gardenstone also appointed a keeper for the well who would be responsible for charging the visitors their due fees for the water, and control the specified opening times. Subscribers were welcomed in the morning and the afternoon, all others in the hours between. However, “Upon a proper certificate from any regular physician surgeon, or apothecary of Edinburgh, the keeper shall supply poor persons with water at any time prescribed.”

Some claimed that the water could cure everything from a bruised leg to ‘total blindness’, but others described the taste as having the ‘odious twang of hydrogen gas’ or even like ‘the washings from a foul gun barrel’!

Now over 220 years old, St Bernard’s Well is in need of some care and attention and it’s hoped the appeal can restore the iconic site to it’s former glory.

Richard Lewis, Edinburgh City Council’s culture leader, said: “By restoring this unusual and quite beautiful well, we will be preserving a significant Edinburgh landmark for future generations.”

Adam Wilkinson, director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said: “St Bernard’s Well has to be one of Edinburgh’s most picturesque and tranquil locations, an elegant classical temple in a charming bucolic setting only minutes from Princes Street. We hope that people will come forward now to help us restore this important part of Edinburgh’s heritage for future generations to enjoy.”

Council urged to ‘dive in’ to save Waterworld

Campaigners plan a springboard for success?

Splashback, the Edinburgh residents’ campaign seeking to re-open Leith Waterworld, will this morning submit a bid for a community-led re-opening of the leisure pool. Waterworld was closed in January and subsequently put up for sale by the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC).

Back in February, councillors postponed a decision on the sale for six months following the submission of a 6500 signature petition by campaigners.

The community bid, which comprises a detailed business case and offer letter, will be handed in by campaigners to council headquarters at Waverley Court this morning. the site.

Campaigner Johnny Gailey said: “Today we’re taking our community bid to the Council, handing over the torch to the Council. It is only fitting that, during this exciting Olympic time, the future of such a well-loved and accessible pool is secured for the people of Leith, all of Edinburgh and beyond. We are providing a proposal, a springboard, for a new beginning for Waterworld, and we hope the Council will take a leap of faith and dive in.”

Fellow campaigner Ida Maspero said: “We believe our business case and supporting documents demonstrate that best value – in the broadest sense, not simply financial – will be achieved by giving the community a chance to re-open this unique and much-loved leisure pool.”

The business case draws heavily on the results of an extensive user survey run by Splashback between mid-May and end-July. The survey, which saw over 800 responses, is part impact study and part market research. It reveals the damaging impact of the closure in January, with 74% of respondents saying that they are now swimming less since Leith Waterworld closed.

Maspero continued: “Waterworld’s unique features – particularly its warmer water temperature and shallow beach area – made it particularly popular with parents of young children to gain early water confidence, and for those with disabilities to enjoy the freedom of water. The survey has seen a good number of responses from people with disabilities or their carers, identified by respondents as a user group for whom Waterworld was particularly important.”

One respondent wrote: ‘I attended Leith Waterworld almost every saturday and sunday for the last 5 years. I am a carer for a young man with Down Syndrome and we loved coming along every weekend, sometimes both days. Then I had my daughter 2 years ago and brought her every weekend too. It is very badly missed!’

For more information on the Splashback campaign visit their blog www.splashbackedinburgh.blogspot.com or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook/com/SaveLeithWaterworld

Council urged to 'dive in' to save Waterworld

Campaigners plan a springboard for success?

Back in February, councillors postponed a decision on the sale for six months following the submission of a 6500 signature petition by campaigners.

The community bid, which comprises a detailed business case and offer letter, will be handed in by campaigners to council headquarters at Waverley Court this morning. the site.

For more information on the Splashback campaign visit their blog www.splashbackedinburgh.blogspot.com or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook/com/SaveLeithWaterworld