Students! Edinburgh College Wellbeing team have launched a Creative Mental Health Group and are looking for students to join to help explore mental health through a number of creative methods.
If you would to take part, please email matt.cormack@edinburghcollege.ac.uk
The first ever North Edinburgh Community Festival will be a free, family friendly community-led day full of fun and entertainment with the opportunity to find out about learning new skills in a relaxed and interactive way.
The day will feature performances from local groups and there will be stalls and activities for all ages. There will also be local organisations, the emergency services, Edinburgh College, community groups and employers giving young people and their families an insight into the work they do and the opportunities they have to offer.
The programme was launched this afternoon at an event in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.
Depute leader Cammy Day said: “This is going to be a great day for the North Edinburgh community to come together and learn more about what local groups and organisations can offer people of all ages in the area. They’ll be loads happening to make the festival fun as well as having educational elements with local employment opportunities being showcased.
“If you live in or around the area, I’d encourage you to come along to enjoy the local bands and find out more about local groups and organisations offering a whole range of activities from Arts for Grown-ups to nature play activities and storytelling.
“The day is being organised by the community and a dedicated group of local organisations and groups and I’d like to thank everyone involved.
“It’s also part of our £1.3bn project to regenerate Granton Waterfront and transform currently unused land to become a new sustainable neighbourhood.
“This will be a key part of our network of 20 minute neighbourhoods across the city, with affordable environmentally friendly homes, excellent transport and active travel links and access to lots of open and green space, arts, sports and culture.”
Willie Black North Edinburgh Community Festival Planning Committee Chair said: “I’m proud to be part of the planning committee for the Festival, creating a celebration of North Edinburgh and its place in our Capital city.
“The Festival is open to all ages. It’s going to be massive a boost to the area bringing our community together and is particularly welcome as we all start to recover from the Covid pandemic.”
Michael Jeffrey, Edinburgh College Vice Principal, said: “We are delighted to be a part of the North Edinburgh Community Festival and look forward to working with all the partners to showcase the fantastic talent, opportunities, and facilities on offer in the local community.
“We encourage everyone to come along and enjoy the day with us.”
Jed Milroy Assistant Director Tinderbox Orchestra said: “Tinderbox Orchestra is thrilled to add North Edinburgh Community Festival to kick off our Summer touring schedule.
“There is so much creativity in this brilliant community and it will be a real joy to see everyone coming out to celebrate it all together.
“We’re especially excited about young people from Tinderbox Music Club and Granton Youth performing on stage, many for the first time ever! It’s never been more important to come together as a community and look at all the positive things that are going on. Get it in your diary!”
Highlights of the programme include:
Festival Programme: Tinderbox Orchestra, Fischy Music, Big Fish Little Fish, Yer Local Bams, Granton Youth Mixtape Music Club, DJ Dynamite, Broughton Music School Jazz Quartet, Rai Williams, Newhaven Community Choir, St David’s R C Primary and Pirniehall Primary School Music Club, Forth Children’s Theatre, Ama-zing Harmonies, Pulse of Place Samba Band, Bookbug, arts and crafts, The Green Team, Super Power Agency, Moving Music, Play Rangers, Arts and Dance classes, Art Bugs in Muirhouse, Spartans Community Football Academy, Low Income Families Together Parade.
Community Stalls: West Granton Community Trust, Muirhouse Library, Project Esperanza, Lothian Breastfeeding Buddies, Pennywell Pantry, Community Renewal, Venture Scotland, Vocal, Fresh Start, Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust, Granton Goes Greener, NHS Lothian, Pilton Equalities Project, Learning Disability team and NHS Lothian, Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Active Travel Team, Police Scotland, U-Evolve, Wasps, Girlguiding Edinburgh, Pilton Youth and Children’s Project, ESES Communities, Muirhouse Housing Association, Grassroots Remedies and much more.
Jobs and Skills: Edinburgh College, Capital City Partnerships, Smart Works Edinburgh, Robertson Partnership Homes, CCG Construction, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, Royal Navy.
Food: Scran Academy, Empty Kitchens, Edinburgh Food Social, North Edinburgh Arts.
About North Edinburgh Community Festival Planning Committee: The event is being run in partnership with a consortium of organisations who meet fortnightly, including: The City of Edinburgh Council, West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre, North Edinburgh Arts, Edinburgh College, Police Scotland, Low Income Families Together (LIFT), Granton Youth, Tinderbox Orchestra and Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.
Funders and Sponsors: The City of Edinburgh Council, Police Scotland, Edinburgh College Development Trust, Muirhouse Resident Association and Immediate Waste.
Instagram : @northedinfest
Facebook : @northedinburghfest
Twitter : @northedinfest
Granton’s iconic gasholder was lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian national flag last night.
The Council in partnership with Edinburgh College hosted members of the local and Ukrainian communities to watch the switch on of the lights as a gesture of solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
This follows city leaders coming together at a summit held last week at the City Chambers to discuss Edinburgh’s ongoing response to the crisis in Ukraine.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Last week when we met at the City Chambers with the Ukrainian community, we made a commitment to offer support wherever we can. Lighting the gasholder is a symbol of our support and solidarity with the people of our twin city Kyiv and all of Ukraine.
“As the humanitarian crisis escalates in Ukraine, the people of Edinburgh have been extremely generous in offering support and donating to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal to help those facing terrifying circumstances as they defend their country.
“We’ll also continue to fly the Ukrainian flag at the City Chambers and take local actions to support Ukraine further and condemn Putin’s illegal war.
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “There’s more people of Ukrainian descent living in the Capital than anywhere else in Scotland and so we’re lighting up the gasholder as a display of our support for them.
“I’d like to offer my thanks again to the people of Edinburgh for their outpouring of support at this time of crisis for the people of Ukraine. We welcome Ukrainian citizens to Edinburgh and we will do whatever we can to support them.”
Edinburgh College Principal and CEO Audrey Cumberford MBE FRSE said: “By lighting the gasholder in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, we, together with council colleagues, are demonstrating our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
“At Edinburgh College, we stand with all of those who are suffering as a result of this war and are providing direct support to staff and students who are affected. We will continue to do what we can to support the local Ukrainian community in the city and are proud to play our part in Edinburgh’s collective effort to help.”
Edinburgh’s sustainable food producers and suppliers are being called upon to apply to have their details registered in a new directory.
The Sustainable Food Directory is designed to help people find out where they can source sustainable food locally and to support the promotion of the capital as a leading food destination in Scotland.
Managed by Edible Edinburgh, and supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, the directory will aim to showcase the best places to find local, sustainable food in Edinburgh, for residents and visitors.
Local food growing projects, community food organisations, shops, markets, cafes and restaurants are all being asked to apply to become part of the directory – with the aim of gaining recognition as the most sustainable food places in the city.
Applicants are being asked to complete a short form, detailing why they should be included in the directory, along with a sustainability statement outlining how they’re actively working towards sustainability in their services; supply chain, packaging and recycling.
Councillor George Gordon, Chair of Edible Edinburgh, said: As a food partnership, we want to promote the breadth of sustainable, healthy, local food choices on offer to residents and visitors to Scotland’s capital city. Food that’s grown locally has less distance to travel to get to our plate, meaning less carbon emissions from things like transportation and storage.
“We know that Edinburgh’s amazing local food and drink producers work hard to bring high quality, sustainably produced food to people’s plates. So, we’re calling on sustainable food businesses, growers, suppliers and producers in the city to apply to be listed on our new directory, highlighting their business action and ambition, to make it easier for people to support local food producers, shops and communities in Edinburgh.”
The project to create a Sustainable Food Directory was announced as part of Edible Edinburgh’s Inspiring Food event at Edinburgh College Granton Campus on Friday.
The college event promoted some of Edinburgh’s leading food businesses, charities, growing projects and pantries.
Business can find out more about the directory and how to register by emailing Edible Edinburgh on hello@edible-edinburgh.org.
The directory is scheduled to go live to the public in early summer.
Thirteen ‘emerging leaders’ from the Scottish Parliamentary Service (SPS) staff were recognised yesterday at a certification event hosted by the Presiding Officer.
The staff were the first group to attend a new course created by Edinburgh College and the Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators (SAMEE). The course supports minority ethnic employees in achieving their full potential now and in the future.
The scheme also aims to ensure the Parliamentary Service more closely reflects Scotland’s population by developing existing minority ethnic talent within the organisation.
While the 2021 election saw a more diverse group of MSPs elected, diversity monitoring within the Parliament as an employer found an ethnicity pay gap caused by a lack of minority ethnic staff in more senior positions.
Speaking after the certification event, Presiding Officer, Alison Johnstone MSP said: “Diversity matters, and I am proud to recognise the achievements of our first intake of colleagues participating in this innovative and progressive scheme.
“I am very pleased to encourage them as they advance their careers at the heart of Scottish public life.”
Find further details about the emerging leaders scheme.
Want to find out more about what goes on in Edinburgh’s local food scene & find more sustainable options?
Join @EdinComFood at the @EdibleEdin Inspiring Food event on Friday 25th February at @edinburghcoll Granton campus!
Sign up here: https://bit.ly/3GNCQFr
Edinburgh-based water retailer Business Stream has delivered nearly £100,000 of funding to nine public sector initiatives, including two in the capital through its annual Public Sector Scotland (PSS) Water Efficiency Fund.
The fund is part of a commitment made by the company to support public bodies across Scotland to deliver water efficiency projects designed to deliver environmental and financial savings.
One of this year’s successful candidates is Edinburgh Council, which will use the funds to purchase portable flow meters to help proactively manage water use at its sites and help drive a business case for purchasing additional automatic meter reading (AMR) equipment.
The Council will also commission a project to install urinal controls at one of the Local Authority’s secondary schools to help reduce water wastage and increase efficiency.
Edinburgh College also received funding, which it will use to undertake a full water efficiency audit at one of its sites to help identify water conservation solutions to help reduce overall consumption levels.
In addition to providing the funding, Business Stream will also support the delivery of each project.
Chief Executive of Business Stream, Jo Dow said: “As a responsible business, we are passionate about reducing our impact on the environment and helping our customers to do the same. It’s fantastic to be able to offer this fund to public sector bodies that are committed to reducing their water use and generating environmental savings.
“The judging panel members were incredibly impressed with the ingenuity of the applications and we’re now looking forward to supporting these projects to help deliver environmental and, in many cases, financial benefits too.”
A spokesperson from the Scottish Procurement Utilities team added: “Scottish Procurement and Property acknowledges the Business Stream approach to pro-active water management.
“The annual Water Efficiency Fund has identified projects which will deliver water resource savings and education opportunities. The Water Efficiency Fund supports the opportunity to reduce water consumption and provide financial savings for public sector customers of the ‘Water and Waste Water Framework.’”
The fund allocation process was overseen by a judging panel comprising representatives from Business Stream, the Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC), public sector bodies and Scottish Procurement.
Edinburgh College’s Board of Management has appointed two new non-executive members to support it in leading the strategic direction of the College.
The new members are experienced figures in Scottish public life and have an extensive background in digital, data analytics and IT infrastructure, within the private sector. The new Board members are former Chief Executive Officer of Vianet Group PLC. Stewart Darling and Kerry McCormack, Head of IT at First Sentier Investors.
As Chief Executive Officer of Vianet Group PLC, Stewart Darling led the transformation of the business from a service provider to a technology company, and established new revenue streams that delivered multiple years of growth which saw the value of the business double as it became a leading player in the Internet of Things and data analytics industry.
Stewart has also served as a Non-Executive Director of the governing body for golf in Scotland.
Kerry McCormack is an experienced IT professional, leading a Global IT team at First Sentier Investors. Prior to taking up the Global Head of IT role in 2018, Kerry had joined First Sentier Investors as an Application Developer in 2001 before progressing to become a member of the IT Leadership team.
Kerry has been involved in a broad range of global strategic projects reflecting her specialist IT knowledge and experience of the investment management industry.
Interim Chair of Edinburgh College’s Board of Management Ann Landels said: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to welcome Stewart and Kerry to their new roles. Both have a vast wealth of experience in both digital and IT infrastructure, as well as strong links within important areas of our curriculum.
“Their respective experiences and skillsets will serve the College and the Board well as we aim to continue maximising experiences and opportunities for all of our students.”
Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “I am delighted to welcome Stewart and Kerry to the Board of Management as we work to achieve our ambitions for the future.
“Their industry experience and knowledge and, in particular, expertise in the use of technology will undoubtably support the College in delivering for our students, communities, local businesses, and employers at a time when using technology to develop new ways of working and learning have never been more pertinent.
“The depth and breadth of experience of our Board is hugely important and I look forward to working with our new members.”
Find out more about the Edinburgh College Board of Management.
Businesses have the opportunity to learn about free professional training available for their staff at an information event hosted by Edinburgh College later this month.
The College is hosting the event both online and in-person at its Sighthill Campus from 8.30am with the aim of showcasing training opportunities available to SMEs and large companies through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF).
The information event, taking place on Thursday 24 February 2022, will see business delegates learn about the FWDF from Edinburgh College’s Business Development Advisors, as well as meeting expert lecturers who will discuss the range of subjects available to businesses and employees.
Attendees will also hear from Tracey Bork, Head of People at Lothian Buses, about her experience of applying for fully funded training with Edinburgh College.
If delegates cannot attend in person, the College is streaming the presentations and interview taking place during the event via Microsoft Teams.
A link for the live stream and joining instructions will be available soon after registering for the event. Online delegates will have the opportunity to ask questions through a Q&A function within Teams.
The College encourages anyone who intends to attend the event in person to take a lateral flow COVID-19 test before they arrive.
The Flexible Workforce Development Fund, offered by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council, facilitated by Scottish colleges, offers larger organisations and SMEs, across the private, public and third sectors, an opportunity to apply for fully funded training for their teams.
The funding provides SMEs with up to £5,000 of free training; and larger employers (those with an annual payroll bill of £3m+) with up to £15,000 of free training.
To register your attendance either in person or online, please book via the Edinburgh College website.
See the full event agenda below:
| Time | Activity |
| 8.10am | Network, coffee and morning roll. |
| 8.30am | Introduction to the College, training opportunities and funding options. |
| 8.50am | Interview with Tracey Bork, Head of People at Lothian Buses, about the client’s experience of accessing the fund through Edinburgh College. |
| 9.05am | A presentation from Edinburgh College and the Training Development team about professional training courses and management soft skills (CMI, CIPD, ILM, bespoke). |
| 9.15am | A talk on ‘Adapting to new working conditions during the pandemic’ from John Chalmers – Learning and Development Manager at Business Stream. |
| 9.35am | Networking opportunity. |
| 9.50am | Round-up and close. |
Edinburgh College Open Day on Friday 4 February is for school pupils looking at their options at college.
You will have the opportunity to book a place on our live Q and A sessions to find out more about the different subject areas you can study.
Book your place now:
https://edinburghcollege.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/open-days
