Continue reading Castles set to celebrate life and works of Burns
Club ownership: football belongs to the fans, say Greens
The Scottish Greens are launching the latest stage in their campaign to deliver a fans’ right to buy football clubs in Scotland. Continue reading Fans’ right to buy? We’ll support you evermore, say Greens
Johnstone questions Marketing chief’s ‘patronising’ comments
Alison Johnstone, Scottish Green MSP for Lothian, has questioned comments by John Donnelly, chief executive of Marketing Edinburgh, in which he supported plans to turn the Royal High School into a luxury hotel and the controversial redevelopment of the St James Centre. Continue reading Out of character, out of touch
Culture Secretary visits Youth Arts Hub
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop toured Edinburgh’s Youth Arts Hub yesterday and met young people whose lives have been changed by the Government-funded scheme.
The Edinburgh Youth Arts Hub, called #artcore, received £289,087 of funding from Creative Scotland as part of Time to Shine, Scotland’s Youth Arts Strategy, and is one of nine youth arts hubs across Scotland designed to give young people from all backgrounds a chance to take part in the arts.
The hubs act as focal points for regional youth arts delivery, helping to nurture and celebrate ambition, enthusiasm and talent in Scotland’s young people by improving the regional infrastructure. Young people are given the chance to be involved in running of the hubs themselves.
Ms Hyslop visited the hub, based at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall in Dalmeny Street, and met apprentices working at #artcore as well as members of Youth Arts Voice Scotland, a national advisory group of young people aged 12 to 25 who ensure Time to Shine is informed by the views and needs of young people.
Ms Hyslop said: “It was great to meet some of the young people who have had a chance to participate in arts and culture thanks to Time to Shine, Scotland’s Youth Arts Strategy, and #artcore, and hear about the difference the hub is making to their lives.
“#artcore received £289,087 of funding from Creative Scotland to help it open up access to arts and creativity for children and young people in Edinburgh. We understand arts and creativity can have a huge positive impact in people’s lives, and Scotland’s nine Youth Arts Hubs aim to give young people all over the country the chance to take part.
“Culture, the arts and creativity play an important role in tackling inequality, and Time to Shine builds on the well-established links between culture, education, youth employment and personal development.
“It is not only about providing enhanced access opportunities for all of Scotland’s young people but it goes further to support meaningful career pathways for our talent of the future; be it on stage, the screen, behind the scenes or in our world-leading creative industries.
“Perhaps most importantly of all, our aim is that this engagement with culture will nurture personal qualities that will help our young people to grow confidently as citizens and towards realising their ambitions, wherever they lie in the arts or elsewhere.”
#artcore project manager Johnny Gailey said: “It’s great to have both the Cabinet Secretary, and young people from Youth Arts Voice Scotland, to visit to see how #artcore has progressed, since we got our Time to Shine funding to set up a youth arts hub in Edinburgh a year ago.
“In the past year, we have employed a team of four young apprentices to run our programme of multi-arts activity – we’ve worked with over 500 young people in a series of pilot projects involving gaming, animation, radio plays, circus skills, music, creative writing and self publishing. And we’re now at the exciting point of announcing our expanded autumn arts programme at sites throughout the city, as well as launching our new print social enterprise, Out of the Blueprint.”
Joan Parr, Creative Scotland’s Head of Creative Learning said:
“Placing young people at the centre of the strategy’s aims and ambitions is a core principle of Time To Shine and we are delighted by the extent to which the Time To Shine implementation programme has so far taken its lead from young people.
“#Artcore Edinburgh is very much a youth led Arts Hub and therefore provides the ideal setting for our national Youth Arts Voice Scotland group to reflect with the Cabinet Secretary on what’s been achieved through Time To Shine to date, and what can still be achieved in supporting Scotland’s young people to flourish and achieve in and through the arts and creativity.”
Blair Boyle, YAVS Member, said: “As YAVS we are delighted to be presenting the progress of Time To Shine to the Cabinet Secretary. We are playing a key role alongside Creative Scotland and Young Scot in the development of the strategy implementation programme and we think it’s vital that young people continue to have a strong voice at this level influencing policy and decision making.
“We are proud that Scotland has such a powerful arts strategy for young people and are excited to be at #artcore today to be able to share with the Cabinet Secretary the breadth and depth of the work that is now happenening across the country.”
Chief Executive of Young Scot Louise Macdonald said: “We are really lucky that there is such a wealth of creative talent right here in Scotland and that there are young people who are so passionate about championing it.
“The young people involved in Youth Arts Voice Scotland are nothing short of inspirational in their drive and ambition to make the arts more accessible to young people right across Scotland. Their hard work and enthusiasm is encouraging young people right across the country get involved in arts programmes, securing our future as a creative nation.
“I am proud that we, in partnership with Creative Scotland, have been able to bring these young people together, so they can meet, discuss and ultimately grow their passion together with other likeminded young people.”
With two free fun courses starting in October, The Prentice Centre in Granton Mains is the place to be for fans of Scottish culture this autumn …
‘Guid fer a Laugh’ takes a seriously funny look at Scottish comedy over the years. The course starts on Tuesday 6 October from 6 -8pm and runs for ten weeks (and maybe more if there are calls for an encore!)
A bit more highbrow (but only a wee bit!) is ‘An Introduction to the History of Scottish Theatre’. This free ten-week course starts on Monday 5 October from 1.30 – 3.30pm and includes theatre visits.
Both courses are free. To book your place or for further information call The Prentice Centre on 552 0485.
A pure cornucopia of Scottish culture, so it is!
A mural art map of Leith has been produced for residents and visitors to take a tour of mural art in the area as part of the LeithLate Festival15.
The map, funded by the City of Edinburgh Council, will feature the following murals and artists:
· Leith History Mural by Tim Chalk & Paul Grime, by Leith Library
· Swanfield Mill Mural by David Wilkinson, Bonnington Road
· Eduardo Paolozzi Mural by Russell Ian Dempster, Henderson Street
· Untitled Mural by Tim Chalk, opposite Links View House, Tollbooth Wynd
· Leith Dockers Club Mural by Tom Ewing, Academy Street
· The Leith Aquatic Mural by Blameless Collective, Halmyre Street
Cllr Frank Ross, Convener of the Economy Committee, said: “This is a great opportunity for residents and visitors to learn about Leith’s mural history, past and present.
“We are supporting this project as part of our work on our ‘Building Stronger Town Centres’ programme and we are committed to the economic growth of Leith which includes nurturing it as a creative hub. I would encourage anyone interested to pick up a map and go on a tour as Leith is steeped in history, has many other hidden gems and is packed full of interesting shops, cafes and restaurants.”
Morvern Cunningham of LeithLate, said: “I’m thrilled to present these tours as part of the LeithLate15 festival, which aims to bring more contemporary art onto the streets of Leith. The tour includes two modern murals facilitated by LeithLate, as well as one not by us, alongside a number of historic murals that were produced in Leith in the 1980s. We’ve researched the background to all the murals involved and hope that participants find the information contained in the guides interesting and useful.”
*Please note that the organised tours with the artists are now sold out.
No, it’s not 1 April – Edinburgh Castle really is turning green …
Castle gesture ‘symbol of mutually important relationship’.
Edinburgh Castle will be bathed in green light to mark St Patrick’s Day, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop has announced during a visit to Dublin.
Ms Hyslop said that Scotland and Ireland greatly valued their relationship, and that it was fitting that one of Scotland’s most iconic buildings would turn green for Ireland’s national day.
The Castle joins a host of global landmarks celebrating Ireland’s national day, including the Colosseum in Rome and the Sacre-Coeur Basilica in Paris.
Ms Hyslop has travelled to Ireland to address the British Irish Chamber of Commerce on the importance of Scotland and Ireland’s membership of the EU, which facilitates trade to take place between the two nations and gives Scottish companies access to the fastest growing economy in Europe.
Scotland also benefits from significant Irish investment – with 85 Irish owned companies operating in Scotland, employing nearly 6,000 people with a turnover of £2.4 billion.
Ireland is Scotland’s 8th largest export market with £815 million exported to Ireland in 2012, and trade from Ireland to Scotland has been estimated at around £300 million and growing. Ireland was the EU’s fastest growing economy in 2014 and is expected to be so again in 2015. Both countries value their membership of the European Union, and the two have worked together to secure EU funding for 19 joint projects, with a joint value of £30 million.
Ms Hyslop said: “Turning one of Scotland’s most iconic buildings green for St Patrick’s Day is a fitting way to show the importance we place on our relationship with Ireland, and a celebration of the friendship which exists between our two nations.
“Our economic links with Ireland, our work together in the European Union, and the shared value we place on our membership of that union, show how much we have to gain from strengthening our relationship.
“Irish investment makes a substantial contribution to Scotland’s economy. Irish-owned companies in Scotland are responsible for nearly 6,000 jobs and turnover of £2.4 billion, while Scottish exports to Ireland are worth £815 million a year.
“Ireland and Scotland have different identities and experiences, but we are united by elements of shared history, culture and language – and so it’s appropriate that Edinburgh Castle, with its important place in Scotland’s history and culture, goes green for St Patrick’s Day.”
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, who visited Edinburgh just a fortnight ago, warmly welcomed the announcement that Edinburgh Castle will be illuminated in green to mark Ireland’s national day.
He said: ‘I very much appreciate this generous gesture from the Scottish Government. The addition of such a landmark to the already impressive list of iconic locations going green on St Patrick’s Day is another important moment in the friendship between Ireland and Scotland and literally highlights our ever-strengthening links. The theme for my recent visit to Edinburgh was embarking on a ‘new chapter’ in Irish-Scottish relations. Today’s announcement is a really significant and visible way to underline that.”
I’m not convinced the ‘greening’ of Edinburgh Castle will go down too well with some sections of Scottish society. What do you think?
UK’s largest amateur cultural award opens for nominations
RUN by Voluntary Arts, the Epic Awards recognise and reward excellence and innovation in the amateur cultural sector. The 2015 Epic Awards are now open for entries and groups have until 16 March to nominate themselves.
Previous Scotland Epic Award winners include a Paisley drumming group set up to promote good mental health, an arts festival in Braemar that encouraged new people to get creative, a craft group on the Isle of Barra that invited people around the world to send bunting, and a tapestry created by 1,000 volunteer stitchers.
Across the UK and Republic of Ireland over 60,000 voluntary arts groups provide regular opportunities for cultural engagement in their local areas – the Epic Awards shine a spotlight on their achievements.
All voluntary-led arts groups are eligible to apply. Entries might include:
Application forms can be downloaded from www.epicawards.co.uk
Closing date for entries: 16 March 2015.
The Living in Harmony Forum meets tonight
Tuesday 25 November from 5.30 -7.30pm
at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.
The group has also set a date for a Chat Café at Granton Youth Centre next month – see below
community chat cafe poster december
Rachel Farrier (Development Worker, Living in Harmony)
Pilton Community Health Project
