Botanics left red-faced as plant fails to blossom

STAFF at Edinburgh’s world-famous Royal Botanic Garden have been left red-faced after the horticultural event of the decade fell flat.

The institution has been waiting eight years for its giant “corpse flower” to bloom and confidently predicted the event would happen this summer – the first time ever in Scotland.

So sure were staff, they printed T-shirts and set up a webcam, and even prepared to borrow a thermal imaging camera from the fire brigade to monitor the flower at night.

But all the 154kg monster produced was a giant, spindly leaf.

It is hoped that the plant will flower next time around which will be around March 2013.

Source: Edinburgh Evening News

NEVER GIVE UP! Social History Group launches book on North Edinburgh activism

For some, the names Muirhouse, Drylaw and Pilton conjure up images of run-down housing schemes, drugs and violence, but a group of local people are showing there’s a far more positive story to be told about life in North Edinburgh with the publication of a new book and accompanying DVD.

‘Never Give Up – A community’s fight for social justice’ took over two years to produce and highlights the campaigns and celebrates the achievements of community activists in North Edinburgh since the housing estates were built in the 1930s. The book and DVD, alongside a photo exhibition, were launched at North Edinburgh Arts Centre in Pennywell on 23 June.

The project has been a real labour of love for the members of North Edinburgh Social History Group, who have been meeting weekly in Granton’s Prentice Centre since December 2008. Over the months the group – Roberta Blaikie, Brian Eddington, Anna Hutchison, Ian Moore and Brian Robertson – sifted through thirty years of back copies of local community newspaper North Edinburgh News – which folded in March this year – and researched a wide range of other archive materials to build up their story. The group – all volunteers – also interviewed over twenty local people to record their recollections of the campaigns and events that have shaped North Edinburgh’s history.

The result – a beautifully illustrated 52 page publication which documents the struggle of local working class people over seventy years – was unveiled at a celebratory launch event at North Edinburgh Arts Centre last night. Around 100 guests – many of whom feature in the book and accompanying DVD – attended the launch, which was introduced by former Pilton councillor, Edinburgh District Council leader and Craigroyston High School teacher Alex Wood, who wrote the foreword for the book.

Welcoming the publication of the book, Alex Wood said: “This has been a hugely important exercise and the group has produced an enormously important piece of historical research. This is a great example of working class people telling their area’s story – it shows to all that our communities have a proud history and as they have a history they will have a future”.

The project was supported by the respected international Community Development Journal following an approach by Edinburgh University’s Mae Shaw. She told the meeting: “This book, and the DVD, are tremendously important and a deeply moving record of the struggles of working people to have a voice in their communities. The book will be reviewed by the Community Development Journal and I am sure that it will become a valuable educational resource not just in this country but across the world”.

Roberta Blaikie, an enthusiastic member of the social history group, explained: “We first got together because we thought it was important to record the history of activism in the area because this has not been documented anywhere else. During the course of our research more funding cuts made it even more important to create a record, as valued projects that are an important part of our area’s history were being slashed and some, like NEN, forced to close down. It’s been a fascinating project – going from the TB campaign, damp housing and rent rise protests right up to the present day Fairer Scotland Fund cuts – and we’ve learned an awful lot along the way. I think we really need to remind ourselves how capable we are as a community – we are organisers, campaigners and people with knowledge, experience and skills. In the past we had the confidence to take on the establishment when we were unhappy about things – and we can do that again!”

Community Learning and Development (CLD) worker Lynn McCabe, who has supported the Social History Group throughout the process, said: “I don’t think any of us knew the size of the task we were taking on when we set out all those months ago. The project has just grown and grown and while we’ve had our setbacks it really has been an incredible experience for everyone involved – there was so much enthusiasm. The launch of the book and video is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the many ordinary people – past and present – who have done so much to make North Edinburgh a better place to live. It’s a proud story and the group has told that story very well”.

The book is now being distributed to projects and schools in the area and copies of the DVD will be available soon. The group also plans to make their considerable research archive available free to all through the creation of a website – currently under development – in the near future.

Meanwhile, ‘Never Give Up’ may be written,but the story – and the fight – goes on. At the launch event local campaigner Willie Black announced the formation of North Edinburgh Fights Back, a new grass-roots community organisation which aims to tackle cuts being imposed on the area, while North Edinburgh Arts’ drama worker Stephanie Knight invited people to sign up to workshops for a new community drama based around the theme of community activism, due to launch in September. It’s clear we are far from reaching the end of North Edinburgh’s story, and local activists won’t be ‘giving up’ any time soon!

Dave Pickering

Secret Millionaire Comes To North Edinburgh

North Edinburgh News understands that the Channel 4 programme Secret Millionaire has been filming inNorth Edinburgh. We believe that 3 local projects have all received donations from the Secret Millionaire.

NEN understands that the Millionaire, whose identity has still not been released, was living in West Pilton Rise and that he volunteered with local projects.

Its reported that one local project received a donation of £20,000 towards the work they deliver inNorth Edinburgh.

Rachel Davison from Zodiak Media, the company behind the programme, said “At this early stage we are not in a position to give out any details, but a press release will be sent out in due course”.

Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership Funds Summer Programme

The Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership agreed a grant of £3,274.00 to support the Inverleith wide Summer Programme for Children, Young People and Families. The decision was made at the Partnership meeting that took place on Tuesday night in Stockbridge Library.

The grant will be used to pay for staffing, tutors, entry fees, refreshments, publicity and fuel. The Inverleith Summer Programme is available to local people living in the Inverleith Ward and includes various opportunities for local people that include outdoor education, family trips, art sessions and much more.

The remainder of the estimated £11,000 programme will come from Community Learning & Development who are contributing £3,000 and other local projects who are making in-kind contributions.

The programme will be advertised through local schools, community centres and various websites. A registration night will take place on Wednesday 22nd June 2011 in Broughton High School starting at 6.00pm.

This Weeks Community Councils Meetings

This weeks Community Council meetings in north Edinburgh are:

Granton & District Community Council meets on Wednesday 25th may 2011 7.00pm at The Spartans Football Academy and on the same night its the AGM of the Drylaw & Telford Community Council at 7.00pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.

Eddie Thorn from the North Edinburgh News is a guest speaker at the Drylaw & Telford Community Council AGM. Come along and hear all about the exciting news from the NEN.

Are you going along to either of these meetings? if so would you be willing to report on the what has happened? If yes then please get in touch with us.

What else is going on in North Edinburgh this week? Please leave a comment below and we will try and get along to cover it.

Botanics Net Building Prize

THE John Hope Gateway Centre at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has been named the most sustainable building in Scotland in this year’s prestigious Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland awards.
The judges said the design of the visitor attraction “enhanced the wider environment and in the process formed an environmentally-friendly building”.

It is the latest in a string of awards for the £15.7 million building, which has been a great success with visitors since it opened at the Botanics in October 2009.

Plans For New Youth Centre In Inverleith Ward

Fet Lor Youth Club is set to be demolished rebuilt as a purpose build state-of-the-art facility which has been designed with the help of local young people.

The club works with youngsters between the ages of eight and 18 in the local area, offering them a wide range of activities, opportunities and experiences they may not otherwise come across such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Outdoor Education programmes and various other worthwhile initiatives. The existing much-loved and well-used centre inNorth Edinburghis a wooden building which was built in the early 1960s. It has been looked after well over the years but it won’t last forever and it has been a dream of the club for some years to replace the building.

Architects began work on the plans four years ago after which Fet Lor launched their ‘Big Project’ to raise the projected £1.5 million cost for the rebuild. A figure that the club cites as a “significant challenge” on their website. Centre manager, Mark Foster is enthusiastic about the proposed new building. He said: “It is potentially a huge step up from the facilities we have at the moment and will offer new variety for the members. The current centre has been struggling on for 40 to 50 years and it has reached the end of its useful life, now we have the opportunity to get a brand new facility. Having it purpose-built will be a significant advantage. We don’t have a whole lot of space here that is not for sport. There is not much room for small group work and the new building will hopefully tackle that.

“The area tends to be dominated by the boys playing football, but there will now be a dance area which the girls were keen on having in the new facility. It will also give us designated areas for the more messy activities like bike maintenance and it means we do not have to constantly tidy up areas so these can be used for different activities. Within the plans for the new centre there will also be a low-level climbing wall in the corner of the sports hall. This again will allow us offer new experiences to the young people who attend the provision”

Architect, James Robertson worked collaboratively with Pippa Swan to design the new building. He said: “We spent time talking with the members of the club asking them what they liked about the current building, what they didn’t like and what they would like to see in the new place. We had thought that they would want to have lots of light flooding in and for it to look really futuristic in style. But they didn’t want people to be able to see in, they wanted it to be their space so we worked on the concept of a fort to protect. The whole design was driven by this and once we had that, the rest of it just fell into place.

“The new design will offer various different spaces, at the moment there is really only one main hall and if the boys are playing football then it is hard for Mark and the other leaders to be heard. The exterior will be made up of jigsaw cladding which will allow light in from different angles throughout the day this will mean that the space will always be changing with different shadows inside the building. The lighting on the outside of the building can also vary meaning that it is always changing. They wanted to have their jewel and that’s what we have tried to do.”

The proposed plans which have been submitted to the City ofEdinburgh Councilinclude the demolition of the existing youth club structure and the removal of the existing nursery structure. The new youth club would be built on the same site along with the relocation of the nursery building. The plans are currently pending consideration by the City ofEdinburgh Councilplanning department.[slideshow]

Police Welcome Progress As Crime Rates Fall

THE number of crimes recorded in Lothian and Borders has fallen by more than seven per cent during the last year, with around 5000 fewer offences being reported. New figures showed that sex crimes and crimes of dishonesty both fell between last April and March, but violent crime rose.

Police

Police chiefs welcomed the overall reduction in offending after revealing the 7.2 per cent drop, which followed on from an 8.3 per cent decrease the previous year.

The force also recognised the rise in violent crime, which included a soaring number of murders, and pledged to ensure those responsible were brought to justice. For the 11-month period between last April and February, violent crime climbed by 15 per cent across the force area, including a nine per cent rise in serious assaults. In Edinburgh during the same period, crimes of violence increased by 11 per cent, but there was an overall five per cent decline in reported offences. Across the city, sex crimes were down by 13 per cent while crimes of dishonesty were reduced by three per cent.

Assistant Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: “We are pleased to report a 7.2 per cent drop in overall recorded crime over the last year.”The launch of our Community Commitment, which puts community policing firmly at the heart of what we do, has given added impetus to the progress in reducing crime.”

Police launched 11 murder investigations in the Capital between last April and March, compared with six for the previous year. ACC Livingstone added: “While our figures reflect a rise in the most serious types of violent crime, it is relevant to point out that incidents of minor assaults – by far the most common type of assault – have dropped significantly over the past year”

Councillor Paul Edie, the city’s community safety leader, said: “We still have to crack the alcohol problem which has always been at the root of violent crime. But I’m very pleased with the overall drop in crime in Edinburgh.”

Inspirational MYDG

Bike Club Development officer amy Hickman said “Muirhouse Youth Bike Club is an inspirational project which will enhance employability and increase physical activity levels in the area” Speaking at the official launch of the MY Bike Club and MY Adventure.

Young people, members of the public, staff and volunteers from other organisations all packed into the Klub to find out more about the programme of activities Muirhouse Youth Development Group is now able to offer

The afternoon kicked off with everyone coming down to The Klub in Muirhouse shopping centre where they were welcomed by staff and volunteers from MYDG.  Amy Hickman, Bike Club officer, welcomed everybody to The Klub. Jonny Kinross, MYDG development worker, gave an overview of the two projects.

Bike Club funding has been used to become a City & Guilds accredited centre delivering bike maintenance courses to young people. Young people will also be trained up to deliver Scottish Cycle training and GoMountain Bike courses. This will allow MY Adventure to deliver a variety of outdoors activities to groups across Edinburgh, including cycling activities and Dr Bike surgeries.

Councillor Cammy Day attended to show his support for this project.  He finished proceedings by officially opening the workshop and congratulating MYDG on becoming the first Bike Club in Edinburgh, and the first organisation to deliver the City & Guilds qualification in the city!

Young people and visitors were invited to have a look around the new workshop and to have a go on their obstacle course. Everyone admired the new tool boards and fetching Bike Club overalls purchased through Bike Club funding.  They also had Bike Mechanics on hand to fix any bikes in need of some TLC.  All in all a pretty good afternoon, well done to everybody at MYDG!

Amy added “Muirhouse is showing Edinburgh the way forward by becoming the first project in the capital to join this UK-wide initiative. The new Bike Club project will play a key role in the regeneration of Muirhouse by providing local children and young adults with skills and qualifications for the workplace and by switching them on to learning.”

Amy Hickman and Cammy Day look on as Bike mechanic gets to work. Picture: Amy Hickman

“Through the project, young people from Muirhouse will be trained to deliver bike maintenance, Scottish Cycle training and GoMountain Bike Skills. Once qualified, they will go on to deliver bike safety courses and GoMountain Bike Courses to primary and secondary school pupils. The project also lets young people contribute to the local community.”

“Muirhouse Youth Development Group is working with Bike Club,ActiveSchoolsand Muirhouse Youth Adventure to roll out this programme. Bike Club is a UK-wide organisation that offers grants and expert support to youth clubs, schools and other groups to promote health and learning among 10 to 20 year olds. It is operated by a consortium of three charities: UK Youth, ContinYou and CTC – The UK’s National Cyclists’ Organisation, with Youth Scotland as a development partner. Bike Club is funded by the ASDA foundation.”

If you would like more information please contact MYDG on 332 3356

Well done to all at MYDG

Councillor Cammy Day with Bike Club Officer Amy Hickman and MYDG Youth Worker Peter Airlie. Picture: Amy Hickman