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?
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.
Saturday’s second and final Edinburgh Fringe roller derby game, hosted by Auld Reekie Roller Girls, will be a stellar all-Northern all star line-up (writes Lucy Glennie).
Fabulous skaters from teams across Scotland and northern England will pit their speed, stamina and agility against each other to determine the victor.
The two all-female teams will each field a jammer, who will strive to get past four opposing blockers to score points. The teams will aim to outwit, out sprint and hit their opponents out of play using only the power of their bodies and minds.
This Saturday’s game comes hot on the heels of Auld Reekie’s All Star Reserves’ incendiary head-to-head against Glasgow Roller Derby’s Maiden Grrders on 8 August. Active Edinburgh’s sponsorship of the first Fringe game really helped things go with a bang!
The next game will be a special evening event, building on the excitement of the last, with a stadium full of fans and a licensed bar. This is an inclusive, family-friendly event celebrating strength, teamwork and friendship for young and old, regular and brand new fans.
All welcome at Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh on Saturday 15 August, 7 – 9.30pm.
City to host third Festival of Cycling from 11 – 21 June
The third Edinburgh Festival of Cycling will be held from 11 to 21 June, and Scotland’s greatest cycling celebration promises to be a real showcase of all aspects of bicycle culture.
The jam-packed 10-day programme features not only bike rides and races, but talks, films, drama, art & photography exhibitions, family events, and workshops. Among the rides there are several new rides, including the inauguration of the Capital Trail a long distance mountain biking challenge, and two new Audax rides aimed at beginners and families. There will also be rides and events for children and families.
The festival will feature inspiring speakers such as: Shannon Galpin, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, talking about her work in Afghanistan using the bicycle as a vehicle for social justice. Juliana Buhring (the fastest woman to cycle round the world) will be giving a Q&A after the Scottish première of ‘Inspired to Ride’ the new film about the 4,233 mile Trans America race, in which was the first woman to finish (and fifth overall). Also, new at the Festival is the powerful new drama ‘The White Bike’ by Tamara von Werthern, who was inspired to write the play by the death of Eilidh Cairns who was killed as she cycled to work.
This years Festival of Cycling will see the return of the Original Edinburgh Night Ride, for its third year: this is a supported ride which has been described as a magical mystery tour from Edinburgh to East Lothian and back through the mid-summer night – this ride sold out for the last two years.
Then there’s the Bike Curious Family workshop – showing families how bikes can be the perfect transport solution for children of all ages. Also, returning this year is Women’s Cycle forum, an evening of discussion, inspiration and networking on how to build a better world.
In addition to all this there will be plenty more to do including a literary tour, rides and tours for all-abilities, novice riders, children and the elite, workshops, exhibitions of art & photography, various workshops, including one where you can build a bicycle from scratch using bamboo to make the frame, and public meetings.
Throughout June, ‘Pedalling past: Edinburgh’s Cycling Heritage’, explores Edinburgh’s cycling heritage in a free exhibition at the Central Library, through historic photographs and other material from the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries.
The Festival also caters to the increasing amount of people commuting in Edinburgh. The Spokes’ Bike Breakfast will be free to all who arrive by bike and features a range of stalls, speeches, security marking and servicing for bikes at the Edinburgh City Chambers. The Brompton Fold-Fest will have prizes for the quickest in town to fold a Brompton bicycle at Biketrax and at the SEStran Commuter Challenge participants will set off from Ferrytoll, Ingliston, Straiton and Newcraighall by car, bus, train, tram, bicycle, or jogging/walking and head for St Andrew Square, to see which mode is the fastest and causes the least environmental damage.
Louise Haston, Commonwealth Games double Silver medallist said: “Over the past few years cycling in Scotland has gone from strength to strength and it’s great to see events such as the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling taking place,
especially for the 3rd year running.
“Events like this are key to getting people of all ages and abilities involved in cycling whether it be for sport, leisure, to stay fit or have fun! There are some fantastic events on this year’s calendar – I can’t wait to be involved!”
Director of the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling, Kim Harding, says “This year we are bringing you our strongest programme yet: more rides, including the new Capital Trail and two new Audax rides. More films, including the première of ‘Inspired to Ride’ with a Q&A with one of the stars. Great talks, such as ‘Pedalling a Revolution’ by Shannon Galpin, founder of the nonprofit organisation Mountain2Mountain, on her social justice work in Afghanistan, a country where there is a cultural taboo against women and girls riding bicycles.
“Also, Emily Chappell a cycle courier taking on the world, and Swiss mountain biker Gian Liesch. The powerful new drama ‘The White Bike’ by Tamara von Werthern, plus books, photographs, workshops, rides and more. Did I mention the rides?”
Held across different venues around Edinburgh, more information on all events of the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling and tickets are available online at www.edfoc.org.uk.
The Festival can also be followed on Twitter at @edfoc, on Facebook at EdinburghFestivalofCycling, on Instagram at @edfoc and on Flickr at edincyclefest. The hashtag for the event is #edfoc2015.
The Edinburgh Festival of Cycling is supported by Sustrans, Sestran, The City of Edinburgh Council, Spokes and the Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative. Booking information and contact details for all events can be found on www.edfoc.org.uk, the online brochure can be browsed at goo.gl/TYrM6z.
‘Improving the facility in this way will undoubtedly enhance our school, and wider community’ – Jackie Reid, Head Teacher at Leith Walk Primary School
The Friends of Montgomery Street Park are celebrating a £40,000 grant from Biffa Award, a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects across the UK.
Montgomery Street Park will get a major upgrade after a group of local residents were successful in their funding bid. The grant from Biffa Award means that the hard-surface sports area, which is currently cracked, uneven and pot-holed, will be completely refurbished. The area will be levelled and resurfaced with rubber, then painted with lines for both football and basketball. New goal posts and basketball hoops will be installed and new seating added, in the form of long-lasting and low-maintenance recycled plastic benches.
The work will start in mid-March and should be finished by the end of April.
The application was the result of a public consultation exercise and several local groups, including schools, churches and youth organisations, wrote letters of support.
Jackie Reid, Head Teacher at Leith Walk Primary School, said: “Many of our pupils make excellent use of the park, which has become a hub of our community. As a school, we use the park extensively to ensure our pupils are active and healthy. We also hold our Nursery Sports Day there each year in June. Improving the facility in this way will undoubtedly enhance our school, and wider community.”
Rev. Gordy Mackay, Minister of Abbeyhill Baptist Church and local resident, said:“Montgomery Street Park is a vital and very valued space within our community. Over many years Abbeyhill Baptist Church has benefitted from our close proximity to the park. We have used the park for picnics, participated in fun days and enjoy taking groups of children and teenagers there to play games. These improvements to the park and the facilities within it will bring significant benefit to the park’s many users and will be greatly welcomed.”
Gillian French, Programme Manager at Biffa Award, said “Biffa Award is delighted to support this project, which has been led by local residents and involved local children. Outdoor spaces are incredibly important; the improved area will be a fun, stimulating and engaging place where children and their parents can meet and socialise.”
The funding from Biffa Award will go directly towards creating a safer and more usable space for park users, in what is the most densely populated area of not just Edinburgh, but Scotland (Census 2011). The upgraded sports facilities will be free to use. The improvements will promote active living and sports engagement, directly benefiting the health and wellbeing of local residents, who – having small or no private gardens – make good use of the park.
For more information about the Friends of Montgomery Street Park or to get involved in the group, visit
website montgomerystreetpark.org.uk
and Facebook page facebook.com/montgomerystreetpark
High Streets Minister Penny Mordaunt today urged town and cities across Britain to get their applications in for the Great British High Street competition before it closes on 30 August.
The minister has written to all town teams and the local community to encourage them to take part in the competition, run by the Future High Street Forum, to find Britain’s best high streets. Many town teams have already entered the 7 separate categories: city centres, town centres, market towns, coastal communities, villages, parades and London.
The minister said this national competition was a fantastic way to celebrate the nation’s greatest high streets and it was essential that all parts of the United Kingdom are represented.
The winners will win £50,000 of prize money and dedicated support and mentoring from industry experts. This could range from one to one coaching to advice on creating business plans to attending workshops on digital marketing.
The government is committed to high streets as part of it long-term economic plan. It is supporting local shops and businesses with a billion pound package of investment that includes targeted business rate discounts, sensible planning changes and action that reins in over-zealous parking practices.
High Streets Minister Penny Mordaunt said: “This competition is about celebrating the work local people do to make their high streets great places to live, work and shop. Our high streets are bustling again and we want to find the hidden gems the country has to offer and share their tips for success.
So if your area hasn’t entered already then get cracking – don’t miss the chance to be named the Great British High Street.”
A community campaign to reopen Leith Waterworld has voiced concerns over a late £1 million bid to buy the building and reopen it as a soft play centre. Splashback are urging councillors to show conviction and to stick with commitments made in January.
Councillors voted to give further support the community initiative in January, and since then Splashback have been working with the city council to progress the feasibility of reopening Waterworld as a social enterprise – so news of a fresh bid for Waterworld has not been welcomed.
In a statement, the group said: “We were delighted when, on 31 January this year, the city’s Councillors overwhelmingly voted to work with Splashback and to establish a working group to develop the business plan for a community-run Leith Waterworld. This reflected the administration’s desire to work cooperatively with the citizens of Edinburgh, as set out in the Capital Coalition agreement. Over the last three and a half months, we have worked with Councillors and officials in good faith, and while there remains much still to do, we have made significant progress, including developing a fundraising plan and applying for charitable status.”
The statement continues: “The development of Leith Waterworld as a community-led social enterprise would support the first two partnership commitments of the coalition, namely ‘ensuring every child in Edinburgh has the best start in life’ and ‘reducing poverty, inequality and deprivation’. The coalition agreement acknowledged the breakdown in trust between the residents of Edinburgh and their elected representatives, and that the city will be able to judge the Council against the promises it makes in the agreement.
“Splashback understands that this new bid leaves Councillors with a decision to make at next week’s Full Council meeting – whether to continue working with us to achieve a revitalised Leith Waterworld, or to pursue the new bid at this stage. However, we have faith in the letter and the spirit of the amendment carried on 31 January, and believe that the conviction displayed by Councillors on that day will guide their decision. We look forward to continuing to work with the Council to deliver on the commitments they made in January.”
Councillor Richard Lewis, the city’s Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Over the last few months officials and elected members have been working closely with Splashback to progress the feasibility phase of their community bid to run Leith Waterworld. I’d like to thank Splashback for their continued commitment to developing their community bid.
“The council had agreed in January to re-market the property whilst we were supporting the feasibility phase of Splashback’s bid and in the intervening months we received two new unsolicited notes of interest in purchasing Leith Waterworld, one of which is being taken to council for consideration.”
Councillors will discuss the bid – and receive a progress report on the Splashback initiative – at next Thursday’s full council meeting.
From Forthview’s superheroes to a French Spiderman … sacre bleu!
Edinburgh Leisure-managed Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA:Ratho) is preparing to welcome internationally renowned ‘French Spiderman’ Alain Robert on Friday (8 March) for an evening of stories from his career in urban climbing.
Having conquered many of the world’s tallest and most recognisable buildings without the use of safety equipment,Alain has been described as one of the greatest daredevils of all time.
In 2011, Alain completed the assisted ascent of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – the World’s Tallest Building at 828m/2717ft. During his career in urban climbing, the Frenchman has also climbed unassisted to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, Sears Tower in Chicago, the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, both Petronas Towers in Malaysia and One Canada Square in London’s Canary Wharf.
On the 8 March, EICA:Ratho will host an evening with the legendary climber, during which Alain himself will tell stories from his incredible life of climbing. He is set to fascinate and amaze the audience through tales of fears and injuries he has had to overcome, and he will share photos and memories from some of his most famous climbs. There will also be a chance for the audience to ask Alain any questions they may have.
Marc Stalker, Events and Hospitality Supervisor at the EICA commented: “It truly is an honour to be able to welcome someone of Alain’s stature to the EICA, and it has been amazing for our centre to attract such a world-wide star. It will be a great night, and I’m sure everyone in the audience will leave amazed at some of the stories that Alain will tell!”
Alain’s spectacular career has been widely shared via social media, notching up several million views via video sharing site YouTube.
Tickets are available directly from the EICA Reception priced at £18 – either in person or by phoning 0131-333-6333. More information is available via www.eica-ratho.co.uk or by emailing events.eica@edinburghleisure.co.uk
