Tag: Stockbridge

Water of Leith cleanup and family picnic

 The Water of Leith Conservation Trust, in conjunction with the Inverleith Coordinated Summer Programme, is organising a cleanup and family picnic on Sunday 29 July from 10am.

Organiser Callum McLeod of Inverleith’s Community Learning and Development team (pictured below) said: “This is an annual event and we’re concentrating on the stretch between Canonmills and Dean Village. There should be something for everyone –litter picking, some tending of culture garden areas, clearing out invasive plant species along the banks or even clearing log jams after the floods for the more adventurous – all depending on folk’s skills and abilities of course! We quite a good turnout last year despite the rain and so I’m looking forward to it!”

Participants are encouraged to bring along some food, too. After all, all work and no play …

“If people and maybe even bring along a packed lunch and or picnic things we can sit and enjoy some friendly company in pleasant surroundings after all the hard work of the clean up. We’re hoping for some decent weather, of course!”

Interested? Meet by the bridge at Saunders Street at 10am, or for further information call Callum McLeod on 332 6316 or email callum.mcleod@ea.edin.sch.uk

 

 

Make your own Olympic mascot mobile in Stockbridge!

Excited yet? The London Olympics are only two weeks away, and to help get the children in the Olympic mood Stockbridge Library is holding workshops where the little dears can make their very own Olympic mascot mobile!

With Stockbridge Library still closed, the workshops – for children aged five upwards – will be be held in LifeCare’s Stockbridge House in Cheyne Street from 2.30 – 3.30pm on Tuesday (17 July). No need to book.

 

Public meeting to discuss Edinburgh Accies plans

Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council is to hold a public meeting to discuss Edinburgh Accies’ controversial plans to develop their Raeburn Place home. Campaigners have vowed to fight plans for the commercial development of the site which hosted the first ever rugby international, and the public meeting offers an opportunity to hear what exactly is being proposed for the site.

The meeting will take place in LifeCare House in Cheyne Street next Wednesday 18 July at 7pm – all welcome.

Local campaign group SoS Save our Stockbridge was established when the development plans were made public and now has almost 100 members. Explaining the reasons for the campaign on the group’s Facebook site, Ann Mcleod said: ‘This Group is for everyone who is against a 5000 seater stadium being built in Stockbridge in the centre of Edinburgh. The Stadium is to be built over the historic rugby grounds at Raeburn Place. These are the oldest rugby grounds in Scotland and the site of the first ever international rugby match. The area is surrounded by beautiful Victorian and Georgian buildings. It has a unique skyline across to Inverleith Park and beyond to Botanic gardens. I fear that a monstrosity of glass and steel would destroy this skyline and blight this historic area.”

She continued: ‘The current pitches are well used and well-loved by the community.  The proposed stadium will require thousands of parking spaces and room for the structure itself, so one of the two historic rugby pitches would almost certainly be lost.  Retail outlets are planned as part of the stadium. The Stockbridge area already has empty shops. I believe this massive development would destroy the character of the area. I believe this would adversely affect local businesses and reduce property prices. The chaos generated on the main road by the thousands of cars coming out of the stadium does not appear to have been considered. The drunken hospitality nights would also be unpleasant, there is already a problem with this. There is also concern about the historic walls and protected trees around this ground. This development is madness and totally out of proportion – Edinburgh Accies need to think again.’

However the rugby club believes that it must now ‘sensitively redevelop’ it’s existing facilities and that plans will bring benefits to both the club and the wider community. In an article posted on the club’s website before two pre-application consultation events held at the end of June, Edinburgh Accies said:

‘Raeburn Place is a sports ground with major historical significance. It’s home to the Edinburgh Academical Football Club, the oldest rugby club in Scotland, and the second oldest in the entire world. The first ever international rugby match between Scotland and England was held here in 1871. It’s a landmark of decades of sport and community, although in its current state you wouldn’t know it.

Finally the time has come to begin the sensitive redevelopment of this iconic sports ground and the Club is now in the final stages of the pre-application consultation, following which they will formally lodge for planning. Their main aim is twofold: to provide state of the art sports facilities and, in turn, to add to the vibrant Stockbridge community and benefit neighbouring schools.

The plans comprise two elegant double tiered buildings:

–  A clubhouse and function suite facing onto Comely Bank Road. These facilities will be located on the top tier with space for retail units below. Its main entrance will be next to the currently disused Raeburn House Hotel, which has been bought privately to be transformed into a boutique hotel.

– Changing rooms located along Portgower Place. More excitingly, part of the top tier will be dedicated to a rugby museum focused principally on the historical significance of the ground and the Edinburgh Academical Football Club.

– Players can enjoy a full-sized rugby pitch and two smaller training pitches. The plans also provide for the relocation of the cricket pitch which has been absent from the ground for the past 5 years.

The benefits of the development are numerous:

– Income from the development will go to supporting sport at junior and youth levels throughout North Edinburgh.

– Schools, residents and clubs can enjoy high standard sports facilities.

– It’ll be one of the few sports facilities not owned by the council or a school and so will enjoy flexibility of use.

– It will also provide a top quality function space for Stockbridge.

– The museum will add culturally to the area as well as going towards preserving the history of the site, brining in new visitors to the area.

– The trees running along Comely Bank Road will remain.

– Perhaps most importantly though, the development is required to ensure the longterm survival of this iconic and historic club, not to mention the survival of sport at this 157 year old sports ground. Although there will be some space (only 5% of the development) allocated for retail units, this is nothing compared to what could materialise should the Club not be able to secure its future as proposed. These retail units will be a modest yet effective addition to Stockbridge business, and will provide the income to the Club to sustain the high standard of the sports facilities.’

Representatives of the club have been invited to attend next week’s meeting, and members of the SOS Save our Stockbridge group have confirmed their attendance. For more information about the meeting email: contact@stockbridgeandinverleithcc.org.uk

Waters subside but flood warnings remain in place

Stockbridge, Cramond and Warriston were among the areas hardest hit by flooding today, and at 9pm SEPA flood warnings remain in place for those areas and Roseburn.

Around forty homes in the Stockbridge colonies were affected by flooding from the Water of Leith. The city council’s Flood Prevention team worked with emergency services to provide sandbags to affected households and Stockbridge Primary School was set up as a standby rest and information centre.

River levels are now dropping and rain has eased, but light rain is forecast to continue overnight.

Anyone with concerns about flooding should contact the Council’s Emergency Contact Centre on 0131 200 2000 and you can get information on flood alerts by calling the SEPA Floodline on 0845 988 1188.

Helping hand for The Yard

A local adventure play project designed for children with additional support needs is to benefit from an innovative partnership with Edinburgh home emergency firm, First Call Home Assist.

The Yard, based at Eyre Place Lane in Stockbridge, aims to improve the lives of children and young people with learning difficulties while also providing support to their siblings, parents and others responsible for their care.

The partnership is the latest effort by First Call Home Assist to cement its strong commitment to helping the local community and with every sale of a home emergency policy made through a dedicated link on The Yard’s website, 15% of the monthly fee will go to this fantastic cause.

Celine Sinclair, Chief Executive of The Yard, said: “We are delighted to be part of First Call’s community partnership scheme.  All the money we raise through this new initiative will go towards improving the quality of service we can provide for the 1,500 young people who use our centre regularly.”

Just over ten per cent of the funding received by The Yard comes from the City of Edinburgh Council and all its other income is raised through approaches to Trusts, Foundations and private companies, which means that 90 per cent of funding needs need to be sourced by the service itself.

First Call chose to help The Yard after their managing director, Paul Greaves (pictured below), witnessed first hand the fantastic care they provide for his niece Cissie who regularly attends the centre.

Paul said: “My niece Cissie was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at the age of six and she can be unpredictable, inflexible and anti-social. At the yard these difficulties are met with understanding, support and often a much needed sense of humour! The Yard is an amazing service which our family, and many others, rely upon heavily. It is the only place where we can truly relax, free of anxieties and of judgement from others; somewhere we don’t have to explain or defend our child. The Yard also acknowledges the tough position that siblings of children with additional support needs are in, and it is as much a service for them as it is for others.”

Services offered by The Yard include open play family sessions, holiday play sessions, free play and curriculum linked sessions for special schools. The venue is also used for a variety of youth clubs and training courses designed to teach others about the principles of inclusive play.

For more information about The Yard, telephone 476 4506 or email susans@theyardscotland.org.uk. You can also visit their website at www.theyardscotland.org.uk

Driver has lucky escape

An 81 year old driver had a lucky escape in Stockbridge yesterday when the car he was travelling in flipped over and landed on its roof.

A Police spokesperson confirmed “The 81 year old driver of the vehicle was taken to hospital with minor injuries. We were called the to the accident at 9.40 and the road remained closed until 11.15”.

Photo: Michael Lindsay

Stockbridge hosts rugby festival on Saturday

If you’re a fan of the oval ball game – or just enjoy a sociable day out – Stockbridge is the place to be this Saturday when Edinburgh Accies’ Raeburn Place ground hosts the Edinburgh 10s Rugby Festival.

Tens rugby is very popular and this years’ event sees ten local teams being joined by two international sides for the first time – Stockholm Exiles from Sweden and Les Kebabs from France!  Rugby aside, there will be lots of entertainment on offer for all the family and the event, sponsored by Hunters Residential, promises to be a lot of fun and a great day out.

Former British Lion and 61 times Scotland cap Dodie Weir said: “I’m pleased to support the Edinburgh Rugby 10s Festival at Raeburn Place this year – whether you are a rugby enthusiast or just looking for an entertaining day out it promises to be a fantastic spectacle”.

D Day for Raeburn

Councillors will make a decision on renovation plans for the Raeburn House Hotel when the Development Management sub-committee of the Planning Committee meets this morning. Council officials recommend that the refurbishment plans are rejected despite wide public support for the project.

A 19 page committee report for this morning’s meeting states: ‘ … the proposals are contrary to the development plan and non-statutory guidance. The proposals will not preserve the character or appearance of the conservation area and will adversely impact on the listed building and its setting. It will not have any effect on residential amenity, road safety or biodiversity. The refurbishment of this building, to restore it and maintain it into the future, is not disputed as being a desirable outcome. However any proposals must be of good quality and sensitive to the existing building to ensure that our built heritage is conserved.’

The report concludes: ‘It is recommended that the Committee refuse this application, for the reasons stated relating to its detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area and the setting of the listed building.’

Councillors will make their decision at a 10am meeting of the Development Management Sub-Committee in the City Chambers.

 

LEAP celebrates 250 success stories

LEAP (Lothians & Edinburgh Abstinence Programme) has celebrated its 250th patient graduation since launching in September 2007. Thirty-four year old Dawn Fee is the 250th patient to complete the three-month, community-based, rehabilitation programme, and Dawn was presented with a certificate by Roseanna Cunningham, Minister for Community Safety, at a ceremony at LEAP’s Malta House base in Stockbridge yesterday.

LEAP, the first abstinence programme of its kind in Scotland, operates seven days a week and provides aftercare support as well as access to self-help groups for people dependent on substances who want to achieve drug and alcohol-free recovery.

Dawn has tried to beat her addiction over the last three years but was unable to address the issues of negative thoughts and constant fear that caused her to drink and use. She started at LEAP in January, and for the first time in eight years she is now hopeful about her future. After more than one detox Dawn says she sought help from LEAP as “I knew what was coming and I didn’t want to die”.

Dawn described LEAP as intense and amazing, saying: “Everything the staff told me just clicked in my head. I learnt about my brain, the disease of addiction, my feelings and how all these things impacted on my drinking. One of the best things LEAP has done for me is introduces me to mutual aid and support groups. I feel safe at LEAP and in those groups.”

Talking about her graduation Dawn said: “I’m delighted to be the 250th patient to have completed the LEAP programme. I’m so thankful to the LEAP team”. Dawn is now very positive about her future. Her commitment to recovery is clear, as she attends the LEAP aftercare programme and six mutual aid meetings each week.

Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs Roseanna Cunningham said: “On what is a happy occasion, I congratulate everyone associated with LEAP – staff, volunteers, supporters, current patients and especially today’s graduates who are continuing on their own roads to recovery. I wish them and their families and friends well.”

She went on: “Recovery is a priority for the Scottish Government and it is our firm belief that recovery from drug and alcohol addition, through services such as LEAP, is possible. We are investing £28.6 million for drug treatment and support services in 2012/13, enabling faster access to recovery-focused services that place the individual at the centre of care and treatment. We are ensuring help is there for people who want to access it”. ‪

Dr David McCartney, Clinical Lead of LEAP, NHS Lothian, said: “I’m very proud to be celebrating our 250th graduation as we enter our fifth year. Since the programme began in 2007, I’ve seen the life-changing impact recovery has on our patients and their families. As we reach such milestones, we must recognize the courage and determination of all our graduates, and also the dedication and professionalism of the team I work with. Today’s graduation ceremony is very special for LEAP, Dawn and her family as it marks the end of her treatment and a key point in her recovery”.

LEAP is funded by NHS Lothian and three local Alcohol Drug Partnerships and is operated in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, Access to Industry (Transition) and the Serenity Café.