Three people have been arrested and charged after heroin worth a six-figure sum was recovered within a flat in Edinburgh.
On the evening of Tuesday, 7 May, 2024, officers executed a search warrant at a property in Magdalene Way where a quantity of the Class A drug worth an estimated street value of £199,000 was discovered.
Two women, aged 19 and 42, and a 20-year-old man were arrested and charged in connection and were released on an undertaking to appear before Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.
A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
Community Renewal Lifting Neighbourhood Together is a ground-breaking project, which is currently testing a new approach in lifting a whole neighbourhood out of poverty in five years. It has received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund and is being delivered in Bingham, Magdalene and The Hays.
The official launch took place in October 2020. However, lockdowns and Covid safety measures stalled the team’s visits to the local residents, so they have decided to host a fun day and picnic to officially launch the project to the community.
The event will take place at Bingham Park on Sat 4 September 1 – 3pm
During the day, residents will enjoy family friendly events, entertainment and much more. And along the way, the team will be talking to residents to find out more about their aspirations for the neighbourhood.
All residents from Bingham Magdalene and The Hays are welcome.
A team of amateur footballers from an east Edinburgh neighbourhood are seeking a permanent place to call home and are asking the council for help.
Bingham Athletic Football Club has submitted a bid to The City of Edinburgh Council to take over the lease of the Bingham Pavilion, and are crossing their fingers for a positive result next week.
The Pavillion’s lease is currently held by a private club who have refused to share the facility with the local Bingham lads. But the Bingham team believe that people from the local area should have access to and ownership of this local resource.
Team manager Reece Taylor explained: “The team currently has no access to the Pavilion as the lease is exclusively held by a private football club which charges fees to join. That means we have had to lead quite a nomadic and precarious existence, practising in places that just aren’t fit for purpose.
“As most people know, Bingham is one of the most deprived areas in Scotland, so it isn’t an option for most of these lads to pay membership fees or travel further afield to other areas. By gaining permanent access to the Pavillion, the group will have the opportunity to practice in a proper area and play games which friends, family and the local community can actually attend.”
The club is being supported by the Scottish charity Community Renewal who have been active in the area since 2016.
Community Renewal’s Cris Thacker said: “Everything we do in the neighbourhood starts with listening to what the community of Bingham, Magdalene and The Hays want for their area and then supporting them to achieve those aspirations themselves.
“We have been working closely with the football club and have assisted them in writing the bid. We will also provide ongoing support should their bid be successful.”
The bid has also received a massive show of support from Scottish international footballer, local lad Marc McNulty.
Marc said: “As a budding footballer growing up in Bingham, I know how important it is to have something that is accessible, so I fully support the bid.
“I hope that maybe some of these young guys can go on to have the career I have enjoyed.”
Reece, Cris and all the team now have their fingers crossed that the tender will be awarded in their favour: “It would mean the world to us to have this great resource for the local club. But they won’t be the only ones who benefit.
“This will be a place for the whole community to meet socially and come and support their local team. Plus, we will work with other local clubs and organisations in the hope that they too can make use of the premises.
“We really believe that we can make this a real asset for the community of Bingham.”
Community Renewal: Lifting Neighbourhoods Together, which is being launched this month in Bingham, Magdalene and The Hays by charity Community Renewal, has received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.
The initiative has already been strongly endorsed by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission* who described that it “exemplifies many of the features we are challenging the city to implement across all publicly funded services in Edinburgh.”*
“We want see if we can re-organise current resources to wrap around the needs and aspirations of people and stick with them for as long as it takes to lift them completely out of poverty.”
“We are partnering with an ever-growing number of public and third sector services, as well as private companies, to join forces as together we can provide the coordinated, multi-faceted and practical support people need.
“What is different about this is that we will work street by street and door by door to engage everyone in every household. We are, thanks to the National Lottery funding, putting the whole community in the driving seat.
“We will listen to every person and decipher how to increase their income by helping them access better work and maximise their benefits and pension entitlements.
“We will reduce their costs, by obtaining better deals for households on their monthly bills and help them access fresh food that is locally available and cheaper. We will support people in securing more affordable housing, adequate to their needs.
“We hope to close the attainment gap for young people in this neighbourhood and build a bridge to the best job opportunities the city has to offer.
“After months feeling isolated in lockdown, we will be tackling loneliness and bringing the community together.”
As soon as 2024, Community Renewal hope that by everyone working together, they will have permanently lifted the neighbourhood out of the 15% most deprived category in the Scottish Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation.
By making use of existing resources, the project will also be delivered without any extra cost to the taxpayer.
Paul McColgan adds: “The project is a culmination of 20 years working in 17 Scottish neighbourhoods. We have conducted over 40,000 community conversations and helped lift them out of the 15% of most deprived index.
“Lifting Neighbourhoods Together will place transformative power into the hands of the residents to address key issues in their community, such as mental health and wellbeing, housing, education and training, as well as isolation and loneliness.”
Kate Still, Scotland Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund, added: “Thanks to National Lottery players, Lifting Neighbourhoods Together will put the aspirations of local people front and centre and will build upon these to bring about positive change in their lives.
“We understand that when people are in the lead, communities thrive and so we are delighted to be able to support this person-centred approach to tackling poverty and inequality.”
The project launches this month and Paul invites anyone interested in collaborating or discussing the project to get in touch. Details can be found on the Lifting Neighbourhoods website.
Read Community Renewal’s Towards a Britain Without Poverty brochure here
*From A Just Capital Actions to End Poverty in Edinburgh – Edinburgh Poverty Commission Report, September 2020
The Local Conversation Community Forums in Bingham and Magdaleneare inviting residents of Bingham and Magdalene to have their say on what the top priorities are in their area and what action should be taken on these in 2020 and beyond.
Local Conversations is aPeople’s Health Trust’s initiativewhich involves supporting residents to develop a shared vision for their community and take local action on issues that matter to them.
The project, supported by Community Renewal, has been ongoing since 2016/2017 and has already made significant contributions to the two neighbourhoods.
Funding will continue into 2020/2021 and Community Renewal and People’s Health Trustare inviting the residents to sharetheir views on what has been achieved and set the priorities for the year ahead.
Community Renewal’s Project Lead Cris Thacker reflects: “The community has achieved so much since the Local Conversations began in 2016. Together we have refreshed the area,supporting the development of two community gardens, reviving a local newsletter, creating a mural in the bridge that connects Bingham with Niddrie and establishing a community cafe.
“We have also established a community chest which has funded activities and events that have brought the community together. We are now ready to build on those successes and can’t wait to hear what the community want to do next.”
Alex Kearney, who supports the Local Conversations at People’s Health Trust’s added: “The Local Conversation in Bingham and the Local Conversation in Magdalene are at an exciting point; ready to build on theachievements residents in both communities have made so far.
“This event will be a great opportunity to check in with local people about what their top priorities arefor their neighbourhood,anddiscuss how they can work together in 2020 to make Bingham and Magdalene an even better place to live.”
The event will take place on Saturday 1 February 10am – 1:30pm at the Jewel Miners Welfare Club.
All are welcome and refreshments and a creche will be provided. Attendance is free but per-booking is required.
Three people have been convicted of the murder of Stephen Grant at a flat in Magdalene. Ashleigh Wallace (27), Shaun Wallace (19) and Patrick Herbert (37) were found guilty following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.Continue reading Magdalene murder: three convicted
