Tag: Stockbridge

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

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.

Leapers and Creepers! Craigroyston’s art exhibition is moving!

Craigroyston Primary School’s annual art exhibition is one of the highlights of the school calendar, and this year the childrens’ remarkable artwork will be seen by an even wider audience – it’s being displayed in a Stockbridge art gallery!

Craigroyston Head Teacher Lorna Stewart explained: “Every year we celebrate our pupils’ work with an Art Exhibition where every child has work exhibited.  We invite parents and carers, other professionals and visitors who have worked with the children as well as prominent local people. This year, thanks to the support of Joyce Gunn Cairns MBE, we are fortunate to be able to exhibit in the WASPS Gallery where Joyce has her studio.  We are also grateful to Joyce for arranging for musician John Sampson to open the exhibition for us.”

She continued: “We are very pleased and excited at the prospect of using this space and it will be an excellent opportunity for the children to have their achievements celebrated and recognised beyond their immediate community.”

This year’s theme is ‘Leapers and Creepers’ and the exhibition opens at the WASPS Studios in Hamilton Place on Friday 23 March at 4pm.  Don’t miss it!

Support for Stockbridge hotel restoration

It’s been an eyesore for Stockbridge residents for too long, but The Raeburn House Hotel could be brought back to life if new owner Archie MacLean gets planning permission to restore the run-down building into a boutique hotel.

A public meeting held in Lifecare House last week heard that council officials do not support Mr MacLean’s plans to add two storeys to the existing B-listed building, creating an up-market ten bedroom hotel.  The new owner – who paid £1.2 million for the hotel last November – organised the public meeting to gauge local feeling and to harness support for the plans.

Mr MacLean said: “Council officials have suggested a single storey extension that becomes two stories further back, but that wouldn’t work for us. Guests would have to go through the restaurant to use the lift and from an operational point of view that is implausible. We feel that with local support we have a chance of getting planning permission”.

Mr MacLean estimates that restoration work would cost from £1.5 – £2 million.

There was widespread support from the 150 people who attended the 16 February meeting – a show of hands was unanimous.

Architects Aitken Turnbull Architects Limited will submit a planning application later this month, and if permission is granted it’s thought that the revamped Raeburn House Hotel could open in August 2013.