Edinburgh Leisure is looking for swim teachers who can turn people into fish!
There’s something magical about a good swim teacher. A person who can take ordinary men, women, children and people with special needs . . . and transform them into swimmers. Continue reading Could you turn people into fish?
There are still some places available for activities being run by West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre during the Easter holidays:
Friday 1st April
Museum Trip £1.00 per child P4-P7 10.30-2.30pm
Booking required as limited spaces
Monday 4th April
Cooking 50p per child P4-P7 2.00-3.30pm
Tuesday 5th April
Sports & Games 50p per child P4-P7 2.00-3.30pm
Booking required as limited spaces
Wednesday 6th April
Arts & Crafts (45 mins) 50p per child P1-P3 2.00-3.30pm
Dance & games (45 mins)
Have fun colouring, making, playing games, dancing
Thursday 7th April
Spartans Football 50p per child P4-P7 2.00-3.30pm
Football Training & games here at the Centre
Friday 8th April
Trip to Five Sisters Zoo £1 per child P1-P3 10.00-3.00pm
Please call into the Centre to book your place on any of the above activities
Clip’n’Climb, a new £500,000 ‘action attraction’, launched at Edinburgh’s International Climbing Arena (EICA): Ratho on Friday. Continue reading Clip’n’Climb opens at Ratho
With spring in the air, Edinburgh residents and organisations are being invited to get on their bikes this March for the Edinburgh Cycle Challenge. Continue reading Get on your bike in March!
Top Scottish authors on hand as Des McDonald opens his first Edinburgh edition
A new chapter opened on George Street yesterday when some of Scotland’s literary greats were the first guests at the official opening of the The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen.
To mark the opening of the new restaurant, respected restaurateur Des McDonald was joined by head chef Colin Fleming to serve some of Scotland’s literary elite, including leading Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin, Chris Brookmyre, Sue Lawrence, Doug Johnstone, Jenni Fagan and Lin Anderson.
Des, who has over 20 years’ experience running some of London’s most high-profile restaurants, has shaped every aspect of The Printing Press – including the concept design and menu – in what is his maiden venture in Scotland.
Housed in a Georgian townhouse on George Street, The Printing Press pays homage to the capital’s rich literary heritage: number 25 was home in the 1780s to the acclaimed novelist Susan Ferrier and in late 1840 records show one John Oliphant living there – Oliphant’s and Ferrier’s descendants founded Oliphant, Anderson and Ferrier, one of Scotland’s most prestigious publishing houses, best known for the series of Famous Scots books.
Now, a multi-million pound refurbishment has created an elegant, all-day, 180-seat restaurant and bar that restores many of the building’s original Georgian features alongside contemporary touches to create a series of rooms that are elegant and comfortable from morning though to the wee hours.
“We set out with a clear vision to create a warm, distinctive restaurant and bar in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town that nods to the heritage of the building and the city itself,” says Des. “We’ve worked with some of the most reputable suppliers in Scotland, as well as talented designers and contractors to bring this new restaurant experience to Edinburgh’s dining scene.
“It’s a great achievement to see The Printing Press officially open its doors and I can’t think of a group of guests more fitting to join us on our first day of business than the literary greats of modern-day Edinburgh.”
Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner – with a late bar serving food and drink till 1am – The Printing Press has already found favour with some of Edinburgh’s most influential food writers, including Alright Treacle’s Anna Hamilton, who loved the “quality of the ingredients” and “the incredibly flavoursome dishes”, which give the restaurant “all the makings of an Edinburgh gem.”
Pictures by Sandy Young
‘This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active’ – Sarah Robertson, sportscotland
This week sees construction commence on a new £200,000 skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.
The new skatepark is the result of a collaborative project between the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust and local community organisations to develop, fund and deliver a new skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.
The project was initiated by young people from the local community and was then taken forward via consultation and first stage funding for the development of a feasibility study, by the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, closely supported by the local community council, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and sportscotland
The inspiration for the project came from the citywide skate park created in Saughton Park which has shown how successful a skatepark can be, and which has led to calls for a more local and convenient facility in the north of the city.
The new facility has received funding from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council and secured £100,000 match funding from the Scottish Government’s Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.
The Greenspace Trust (ELGT) has overseen the project management of the skatepark since planning permission was granted in early 2013, and has taken the lead in developing and securing funding to ensure the delivery of the project for the community. The final elements of funding were secured by ELGT earlier this year and the construction put out to tender in the summer. With the final design elements agreed, and necessary planning conditions met, such as drainage, work can now start.
50% of the costs of the skatepark are being met by an award from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. The £10 million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund has enable communities across Scotland to benefit from the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, by providing more and better opportunities to be active.
Sarah Robertson, Project Manager from sportscotland, said: “The new Drylaw skatepark is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by various organisations investing resources and working together and we are delighted to have invested £100,000 from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.
“Together with our partners, sportscotland are committed to building and supporting the development of a world-class sporting system at all levels, and this project will provide a great facility which will be available for the whole of the community to use.
“This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active”.
The match funding is from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and City of Edinburgh Council -Culture and Sport. The new skatepark helps deliver the Neighbourhood Partnership’s key priorities of engaging young people, increased opportunities for physical activity and encouraging better use of green spaces.
Local Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds, who chairs the skatepark working group, said: “I am pleased the Drylaw Skatepark work has started. It has been a long road to get to this point and credit is due to the young people and local organisations who have worked tirelessly to make sure this project happened.”
Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT) works across Edinburgh and the Lothians to create, improve and promote parks and greenspaces, and to provide opportunities for communities to be more active for leisure and travel.
Ross Woodside, ELGT’s Projects Manager, said: “We are pleased that the much-anticipated skatepark has reached the construction stage. We are confident that it will be a well-used local asset and make real contribution to more sporting opportunities in the area.”
The park is being designed and built by Freestyle Skateparks, the UK’s oldest and largest skatepark design-and-build company. Construction is scheduled to last around ten weeks.
Have your say on Drylaw Skatepark
Wednesday 9 September, 5 – 6.30pm
Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre
Partnership serves up new free sports facilities
Councillor Lesley Hinds opened new tennis courts and a basketball court in Victoria Park yesterday. The Environment Convener was joined by Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn and Culture & Sport Convener Councillor Richard Lewis to open the new sports facilities, which came about following a consultation organised by Trinity Community Council.
Cllr Lesley Hinds said: “We have many wonderful parks and green spaces throughout the city and Victoria Park is a fantastic example of an excellent outdoor space that is enjoyed by the whole community.
“The consultation showed us that there is demand for free local sports facilities so the opening of these new tennis and basketball courts is great news. I hope it will encourage even more people to make the most of this beautiful park.”
The new courts are thanks to a £95,000 investment jointly funded by the City of Edinburgh Council and Sportscotland via the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.
A community consultation found that some local residents were discouraged from using local sports facilities due to financial barriers and that there was a lack of quality free sports provision in the area. The results of the consultation led to the development of the courts, which will also benefit the three schools located nearby, Trinity Academy, Trinity Primary and Holy Cross Primary.
Culture and Sport Convener, Cllr Richard Lewis, said: “I am delighted that these new facilities are now open and the fact that they are free and accessible to everyone makes them an excellent resource for the community.
“A key priority for the Council is to provide more opportunities for people to get active and encourage greater participation in sports as part of healthy lifestyle. The new courts will help us to achieve this and will be a real asset for local people of all ages.”
Victoria Park was first awarded a Green Flag in 2011 and forms part of the North Edinburgh Cycle Network, National Cycle Network and North Sea Route.
Summertime is here and what could be better than strawberries and cream, the epitome of the British summer! Not only do they taste delicious but they are also great to have in your garden. The strawberry (Fragaria), is an incredibly easy plant to grow and it will soon be yielding its first sweet, succulent fruit of the season.
For this reason, our Garden Plant of the Month of Thejoyofplants.co.uk has to be the scrumptious strawberry, whose eye-catching fruit and sensational taste has also been linked to having great medicinal powers from as long ago as the Roman times.
Getting Started:
What could be more satisfying than picking strawberries fresh from you own garden? All that love and attention that has been lavished upon them makes the home-grown variety so much tastier than any strawberry bought from a shop! For a bumper harvest, why don’t you choose perpetual plants such as the ‘Ostara’, ‘Rapella’, ‘Selva’ and ‘Toscana’ that bear fruit all summer long?
Strawberries are not only easy to grow but they are also very versatile – they can be grown virtually anywhere, in borders, pots, even hanging baskets. Simply chose a bright, sunny spot, plant them 30 to 40 cm apart with the crown at soil level and water them regularly and well.
Why don’t you try planting your strawberries alongside some redcurrants, blackberries and raspberries to create your very own fruit salad, smoothies and jams straight from the garden!
Did you know?
It’s an age-old rivalry that stretches back as far as anyone can remember – and the latest in a long line of sporting battles between Edinburgh and Glasgow will be fought out at Meadowbank later this month. LUCY GLENNIE explains …
The ‘derby derby’ rolls back into the capital in an all-Scottish battle of all-female fitness, strength, and speed on skates later this month when Edinburgh’s Auld Reekie Roller Girls (ARRG) will take on their greatest Scottish rivals Glasgow Roller Derby (GRD) at Meadowbank Stadium.
The latest roller derby game will see ARRG fighting to regain their crown from GRD, who came out on top in their last battle.
GRD are the finest they’ve ever been right now, having swept to the top spot in the latest UK Roller Derby Association rankings for the first time too. The slip from #1 ranking for ARRG has seen them training harder and smarter than ever in the last few weeks to be on peak form to snatch back the gold.
Will the mighty ARRG be able to reclaim their top spot, or will the Glaswegians opposition be too strong and hold the lead?
It’s sure to be a fiercely-fought battle between the two highest-ranking teams in the UK. This is an incredible chance to see the love-hate rivalry of these Scottish opponents – come and see why people are getting so excited about the fastest-growing women’s sport in the world!
Auld Reekie Roller Girls v Glasgow Roller Derby
2pm, Sunday 28 June: Meadowbank Sports Centre, London Road
Tickets:
Tickets available from: http://www.brownpapertickets.com
Advance tickets – £5.00
On the door tickets – £7.00
Free for children aged 14 and under.
