Tag: update

Scottish National Gallery project set for Summer 2023 completion

A ‘transformative project’ to deliver an inspiring new space for Scotland’s renowned collection of Scottish art has passed a series of crucial milestones and the main construction work is on track to complete this winter.

With all the major engineering challenges now successfully overcome, the project is entering its final phase. This means that members of the public can look forward to experiencing a brand-new suite of world-class galleries at the Scottish National Gallery in the summer of 2023.

The Scottish National Gallery Project will create a beautiful space for Scotland’s art right in the historic heart of Edinburgh, with striking displays drawn from the National Galleries of Scotland’s (NGS) broad-ranging collection alongside special loans from other leading arts institutions.

Large windows will offer spectacular light-filled views across Princes Street Gardens, inviting visitors to come in and discover the work of pioneering Scottish artists such as Phoebe Anna Traquair, William McTaggart, Anne Redpath, Sir Henry Raeburn and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Stunning exhibition spaces will enable visitors to experience Scotland’s greatest art anew and feel pride in their national collection. Scotland’s artistic legacy will be revealed through innovative presentations, with much-loved Scottish Colourist paintings appearing among other major works from the first half of the twentieth century, bringing to life key aspects of Scottish art and society.

New ways of looking at Scotland’s built and natural environments will be on offer, with early photographs of Scotland’s cities shown in the same spaces as grand paintings of majestic Highland and island landscapes.

Reimagined displays of drawings and sketches will celebrate artists such as Glasgow Style pioneer Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and David Allan, whose depictions of ‘Edinburgh Characters’ will allow visitors to get up close to street life in the capital in the late eighteenth century.

The teams working on the Scottish National Gallery project have been dealing with an incredibly challenging location, situated within a World Heritage Site which comprises an iconic A-listed nineteenth-century building with several major modern additions from the late 1960s onwards.

The creation of new Gallery spaces has entailed extensive excavation underneath the existing building and its setting on the Mound. Unexpected remnants from previous developments added significant complexity to the building work.

These include deeply buried layers of dense concrete and other undocumented obstructions which had to be extracted before major waterproofing works could be completed to protect the new development for the future.

In addition, the location of a key area of the site directly above the three Mound rail tunnels, some of the busiest in Scotland, posed distinct logistical challenges. These challenges have all now been successfully overcome and the construction work is entering its final phase.

Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland, Sir John Leighton, said: “We are excited to be looking forward to a summer 2023 opening for the magnificent new spaces that will be delivered by the Scottish National Gallery Project.

“They will enable our visitors to discover and enjoy Scotland’s greatest art in a fully accessible suite of world-class facilities right in the centre of Edinburgh. Reaching this stage has been no mean feat, given the unique set of construction challenges faced by the Project all within the very difficult context of the global pandemic.

“With these now largely overcome, our attention can now focus on preparing the new Galleries for a joyous and celebratory unveiling next year.”

While construction has been ongoing, a wide programme of engagement and outreach for the Project has also been delivered, taking in schools in Fife, Orkney and West Lothian, social groups for older people experiencing loneliness in Edinburgh, and youth groups in the Borders.

Digital activity has further extended the reach of the Project through a rich and engaging series of videos about star works of art from the Scottish collection, and a painstaking monumental conservation project gripped online audiences during lockdown.

The first phase of the Scottish National Gallery Project was completed successfully in 2019. This included a new entrance area in East Princes Street Gardens, a new café, refurbished restaurant and shop, an elegant sandstone terrace, and new landscaping and paths to improve access to the gardens and the Galleries.

Corstorphine Community Centre update

Statement from the CCC Management Committee (25/2/22):

We can now confirm that as of 23rd June 2022, CCC will be vacating their current premises at 191 St John’s Road after being served formal notice by the site’s owners. This is in line with neighbouring units.

We are currently in the process of assessing alternative sites for the continuation of  activities currently undertaken by the various groups who use the Hub and are consulting with the group leaders.

In respect of the charity shop, this will continue to operate as usual up until the end of the lease and in the meantime we are also looking at alternatives as to where the shop may be based in the future. We are also communicating with the shop supervisors.

We will continue to update the local community, our members, volunteers and staff as we make progress to identify and hopefully secure other premises.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for alternative premises for the shop or activities please let us know via admin@ccchub.online’

Battered: Storms impact update

Power companies working at pace to reconnect affected households

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon chaired a further meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) last night to co-ordinate the response to Storm Malik and Storm Corrie.

As the weather situation improves across the country, the amber warning for Scotland has now come to an end. A yellow warning is still in place covering Lewis, the Orkney Islands, much of the Highlands, Grampian and Tayside areas.

Of the 115,847 households that lost power as a result of both storms, all but around 7,000 are expected to be reconnected this evening. Power companies are confident that the vast majority of those affected should be reconnected by tomorrow, but recognise that there may still be some outages going into Wednesday.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Today we have seen an improving situation across Scotland following the two very serious storms over the weekend. The power companies have drafted in a large number of additional engineers and are making significant inroads into reconnecting customers, with work continuing at pace this evening.

“I want to thank all those who are working in difficult conditions to keep people safe and maintain our lifeline services.

“For those who will unfortunately not have power tonight, support with alternative accommodation is available to anyone who needs it. Those who have found their own accommodation can seek reimbursement from their suppliers.

“Special arrangements remain in place for vulnerable customers and local resilience partnerships continue to work together to provide welfare support.”

Members of the public can track estimated power restoration times on the SSEN and SP Energy Networks websites.

Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online.

FM to update Holyrood as Omicron cases DOUBLE in a week

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will update MSPs on the battle to contain the Omicron variant when she addresses Holyrood this afternoon. Despite a huge push to get more people ‘boosted before the Bells’ and the introduction of tighter restrictions, COVID case numbers continue to rise.

Provisional data for 28 December indicates a continued high level of cases of COVID-19 being recorded. The daily totals for each of the 25, 26, 27 and 28 December are the highest recorded in Scotland since the start of the pandemic. 

Given that not everyone with symptoms books a test, and that some people can be infected and not have symptoms, the true number of infections is likely to be higher still.

The figures are:

25 December 2021: 8,252 cases

26 December 2021: 11,030 cases

27 December 2021: 10,562 cases

28 December 2021: 9,360 cases

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “While these figures remain provisional, the significantly increased transmissibility of Omicron is reflected in the steep increase in cases now materialising, and we would expect to see case numbers rise further in the days to come.

“I am grateful for the continued efforts of the public in complying with the guidance issued in the run up to Christmas. Without this, it is likely that the figures would have been even higher.

“These figures serve to underline the importance of people continuing to get ‘boosted by the Bells’ and following the guidance to help slow the spread of COVID while we complete the accelerated booster programme.

“I know it is hard, but it is really important people continue to comply with the guidance over the New Year period. We must not underestimate the impact of Omicron.

“Even if the rate of hospitalisation associated with it is lower than past strains of the virus, case numbers this high will still put an inevitable further strain on the NHS, and create significant levels of disruption due to sickness absence across the economy and critical services. 

“In addition to observing good hand hygiene and wearing face coverings, please limit your contacts as much as possible, keep any essential indoor gatherings to a maximum of three households, and get boosted by the Bells.”

Ms Sturgeon with address members of the Scottish Parliament at 2pm this afternoon. Those looking for stronger action are likely to be disappointed, however …

Cramond Campus Update

Update from the CRAMOND ASSOCIATION

The mediation process between Cramond and Barnton Community Council, the Cramond Association, the Brighouse Owners’ Association, the Friends of Cramond Campus and the Almond Ward councillors, on the one hand, and the developers, AMA (New Town) Ltd, on the other, is under way.

The purpose of the mediation, as specified by the Council’s Development Management Sub-committee, is to try to agree a long term future for the site, with the early delivery of at least some element(s) of it.

The mediator has had three initial meetings: with the community organisations, the councillors, and AMA. As a result of them he has issued a brief update and agreed that we may share it with the local community.

It reads as follows:”I have now met with representatives of the Community Council and residents’ associations, AMA and Avison Young, and ward councillors. All the meetings were friendly and constructive. They did not, however, reveal enough common ground for me to see a basis on which a way forward might be agreed.

“A number of points of agreement did, however, emerge:

• The main use of the vacant land should be some mix of sports facilities and green space

• The sports facilities will require to be set up on a basis that ensures their sustainability

• This is likely to require some financial subsidy

• Any subsidy may need to be generated through some form of commercial development on a small part of the site

• Further unnecessary delay in completing the development should be avoided

• However, there is no agreed and consented scheme that can be started immediately

“The different parties placed differing emphases on the separate points but there is general agreement on the overall position.

“I have asked the planners to check a number of matters on my behalf and anticipate that this might take a fortnight or so. Thereafter, I hope it will be possible to hold a second round of meetings.”

Gyle Centre break-in update

Detectives investigating a break-in at The Gyle Centre in Edinburgh, that took place around 2.50am on Wednesday, 10 November, are appealing for any information on the whereabouts of another vehicle involved.

The two suspects tried to force entry to a shop using a silver Suzuki Celerio.  That car was left at the scene and the two men made off in a silver Audi A5 or S5 model.

Both men involved are described as being of slim build and wearing dark clothing with a hood up and face covered.

Detective Inspector George Calder said: “Our investigation is progressing and we believe that the car may be a silver Audi S5, five-door model that was reported stolen from the Drylaw area of Edinbugh around 8pm on Friday, 5 November.

“We are carrying out enquiries to trace the movements of this car since it was stolen, and indeed where the car is at the present time.  The information we receive from the public is vital in assisting our investigation and we would appreciate any information you hold. 

“If you have seen a car matching this description since last Friday, or know where it may be parked then please contact us.

“We would also be keen to speak to anyone who may have dashcam or private CCTV footage which could help our investigation.”

Anyone with information can call 101, quoting 0246 of 10 November, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

News from the Fringe

We are pleased to announce that show registration for Fringe 2021 will open on Wednesday 05 May. 

Artists and venues will be able to register Fringe shows right up until the end of the festival. The Fringe’s world-class programme will be available to browse and book at edfringe.com, with tickets going on sale for audiences in early summer.

As Scotland navigates its roadmap out of lockdown, much is still unknown about what the Fringe will look like this August. However, a range of scenarios are being prepared for, from socially distanced live events to digital offerings. 

The Fringe Society is supporting artists and audiences to find and book work online across a range of platforms, including the brand-new Fringe Player.

This online platform aims to bring some festival magic into homes across the world, while providing a secure platform for artists, companies and venues to host their shows. The platform is available to any registered 2021 Fringe show or venue to use if they wish.

Any live performance registered as part of the 2021 Fringe will be expected to adhere to public health guidance from the Scottish Government. 

Audiences can search, browse and buy tickets to both online and in-person work through edfringe.com. More details on individual shows and Fringe 2021 will be available in early summer.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Fringe Society, said: “We’re delighted to be able to open registration for 2021. Of course, we’re still very much in planning mode as we await further updates from the Scottish Government, but this feels like a hugely positive step in the right direction.

“Through the work being created across the various digital platforms, including the Fringe Player, artists have a brilliant opportunity to reach audiences and communities all over the world. I look forward to seeing how our Fringe creatives use these platforms in 2021 and beyond.”

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will take place from 06 – 30 August 2021. 

SEPA: Cyber Attack update

  • SEPA issues further update on cyber-attack, data theft, service delivery and recovery.
  • Ransomware attack remains ongoing as SEPA reiterates it will not engage with criminals intent on disrupting public services and extorting public funds.
  • Data likely to be stolen by international serious and organised cyber-crime groups has been illegally published online.
  • SEPA working to recover and analyse data then contact and support affected organisations and individuals over coming days and weeks as quickly as identifications confirmed.
  • Dedicated data loss support website, Police Scotland guidance, enquiry form and support line available for regulated business and supply chain partners.
  • Priority regulatory, monitoring, flood forecasting and warning services continuing to adapt and operate.
  • Broader update on service delivery and recovery to be confirmed early next week.
  • SEPA continuing to work with Scottish Government, Police Scotland, the National Cyber Security Centre and cyber-security specialists to respond to what remains complex and sophisticated criminality. Subject of a live criminal investigation.
  • The latest information on the cyber-attack, limited data loss and how to contact the agency is available at sepa.org.uk/cyberattack

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has provided a further update on the ongoing ransomware cyber-attack which has significantly impacted the organisation since Christmas Eve. 

The organisation reiterated that it will not engage with criminals intent on disrupting public services and extorting public funds.

As part of a broad update on data theft, service delivery and recovery, the environmental regulator confirmed that data stolen by what was likely to be international serious and organised cyber-crime groups has now been illegally published online.

In a previous update on 14 January (one of a series since the attack on Christmas Eve), SEPA confirmed the theft of circa 1.2 GB of data across four broad categories.  To provide some context, by comparison the theft was the equivalent to a fraction of the contents of an average laptop hard drive.  Nevertheless, it still means that at least 4,000 files may have been stolen by criminals. 

“Supported by Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the National Cyber Security Centre, we continue to respond to what remains a significant and sophisticated cyber-attack and a serious crime against SEPA” said SEPA Chief Executive, Terry A’Hearn. 

“We’ve been clear that we won’t use public finance to pay serious and organised criminals intent on disrupting public services and extorting public funds”, he added.

“We have made our legal obligations and duty of care on the sensitive handling of data a high priority and, following Police Scotland advice, are confirming that data stolen has been illegally published online.  We’re working quickly with multi-agency partners to recover and analyse data then, as identifications are confirmed, contact and support affected organisations and individuals.”

The agency reiterated that whilst stolen data had now been illegally published and work was underway to analyse the data set, it does not yet know, and may never know the full detail of the 1.2 GB of information stolen. 

Some of the information stolen will have been publicly available, whilst some will not have been.  It confirmed that staff had been contacted based on the information available, were being supported and that a dedicated data loss support website, Police Scotland guidance, enquiry form and support line was available for regulated business and supply chain partners.

The agency also confirmed that priority regulatory, monitoring, flood forecasting and warning services were continuing to adapt and operate and that a broader update on service delivery and recovery would be confirmed next week.

Mr. A’Hearn added: “Sadly we’re not the first and won’t be the last national organisation targeted by likely international crime groups.  We’ve said that whilst for the time being we’ve lost access to most of our systems, including things as basic as our email system, what we haven’t lost is our 1,200 expert staff. 

“Through their knowledge, skills and experience we’ve adapted and since day one continued to provide priority regulatory, monitoring, flood forecasting and warning services.  Whilst some systems and services may be badly affected for some time, step-by-step we’re working to assess and consider how we recover. 

“We’ll issue a broader update on service delivery and recovery early next week, with weekly updates to be clear on what those we work with can expect and how we’ll prioritise progress.”

The agency stressed firm Police Scotland advice that organisations and individuals should not seek to search for the stolen information, as accessing the host site may place organisations, individuals and their computer infrastructure at risk.

Detective Inspector Michael McCullagh of Police Scotland’s Cybercrime Investigations Unit said: “This remains an ongoing investigation. Police Scotland are working closely with SEPA and our partners at Scottish Government and the wider UK law enforcement community to investigate and provide support in response to this incident.

“Enquiries remain at an early stage and continue to progress including deployment of specialist cybercrime resources to support this response.

“It would be inappropriate to provide more specific detail of investigations at this time.”

Jude McCorry, Chief Executive of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, added: “There are many ways including ransomware a business can experience a cyber security incident, with varying levels of complexity and disruption. Cyber incidents can occur through deliberate targeting like we have seen with SEPA, or even human error, the end result is the same, a disruptive effect on business operations.

“At SBRC we are working in partnership with Police Scotland and Scottish government running the UK’s first collaborative cyber incident response helpline for organisations in Scotland.

“If you feel that you are a victim of a cyber attack your first call should be to Police Scotland on 101 to report the crime (whilst respecting your IT systems as a crime scene) and our incident response helpline on 01786 437472, we will assist you with immediate support and expert guidance,  and ensure you are speaking to the correct agencies and organisations to help you feel supported and get you back in operation securely.”

SEPA will provide further updates as quickly as possible at www.sepa.org.uk/cyberattack as more information becomes available.

Whilst the agency continues to work hard to understand and resolve the issues, members of the public, regulated businesses and suppliers can find additional information and contact options via:

Heart of Newhaven: Now what?

NOW WHAT?

Both words are important in answering that question.

This 20 day Update is always about where we are now. It is not about where we hope to be one day when the keys are delivered and, like any prospective purchaser, we move in to see what state the previous owner has left us to clear up before we can move our own things in.

Don’t worry: that is not being neglected, but it would be boring to describe all the steps that are being taken to get us to that point. You can safely leave the tedious things to the SCIO board, who will make sure all the necessary tasks are done in the right way.
There are much more exciting things to share now, not least because we know that moving-in day could be around a year away.

So what? What about now? What can you be expected to do other than to wait patiently? Is there a child in your house – or can you imagine a child after being cooped up with nothing to do – saying, “I’m bored! I don’t know what to do.” Well be bored no longer: There is something to do. It really will make a difference to the future and it will make it better.

There are two things that fit together:
What troubles you as you cope with Covid 19?
What ideas do you have that are worth sharing in order to help others cope?

As simple as that. Here is how we propose to match the need with the thought. It’s about sharing, which is the hallmark of community.

This Community, as you know by now, has a HEART. ❤️

Not merely a lot of boxes called houses or flats, in which we all keep ourselves to ourselves and suffer in silence.

We are about to launch an interactive programme of questions and suggestions, ideas and activities, encouraging you to become involved NOW with other people like you, helping each other create a better normal around our three themes you may know by heart:

Well-Being
Learning & Enterprise
Culture & Heritage

Health Business Leisure Sport Puzzles Gardening Entertainment Advice

You can add to the list which is as long as you want to make it, because above all it is about YOU – which is US, ALL TOGETHER, helping each other.

Invite your friends to join in as well. Look out for details about to appear on our website and social media channels.

And don’t forget:   if you have not already responded to the invitation to become a member of our Charity Heart of Newhaven Community SCIO making all this possible, do that NOW too, using the link here and following instructions.

Also keep checking the website and socials!
In another 20 days we’ll tell you more precisely what we are going to do next.
 
Rodney Matthews
Chair and Vision Facilitator
The Heart of Newhaven Community

Be sure to sign up to our newsletters at www.heartofnewhaven.co.uk

There’s so many ways you can get involved with the project and we’d love to have as many of you on board as possible!

Heart of Newhaven’s on the box!

An STV item about our plans went out on the 6 O’Clock news bulletin on Friday (11th September).  It included an on-site interview filmed outside Victoria primary School and was very upbeat.

Please pass the word around so that those who haven’t seen it can watch it on whatever catch-up services they have available.

We need you! Now the Hard Work Begins !

Anyone under the impression that it’s all over bar the shouting must think again. We’ve barely started!

In my last Update I was delighted to confirm that the City of Edinburgh Council had agreed to our request for the Community Asset Transfer of Victoria Primary School. But that word request is crucial. Without the Council’s agreement under the Community Empowerment (2015) Scotland Act no one could do anything.

Now no one can prevent us succeeding unless we ourselves fail – and we certainly don’t intend to fail. The important word here is WE because that includes YOU.

Why has the Council granted our request? The official statement on their website says:The community benefit is substantial compared to the value of the asset.The request will make a significant positive contribution to The City of Edinburgh Council’s aspirations and values.

We can now reveal “the value of the asset” – £785,000. But the Council can’t give it away. They need money from its sale to build the new school in Western Harbour. However, before they could put it on the open market they were required by the 2015 Act to offer it first to “the community”.

If we could show we would use it to meet their aims they would give us a discount. So they reduced the price by £85,000. 

The £700,000 we will pay will help build the best Primary School in the Edinburgh whilst we go on to create Scotland’s first specifically dedicated Multigenerational Community Hub. That should make YOU feel very proudand very determined to succeed in the huge challenge ahead. 
We’ve already started fundraising. We had to begin our Business Plan long before we succeeded in our CAT application – and before the challenge of a global pandemic.

Our charity, The Heart of Newhaven Community SCIO, has already applied to the Scottish Land Fund for the entire cost of purchase and fees. This Fund is provided by the Scottish Government to make grants for exactly the kind of thing we are doing.

But it is not a bottomless purse and there are many applications. We will know the degree of our success before the end of November but in addition to buying the site we need money for changes – including a lift to make the imaginative Heritage Suite more accessible. 

We are working NOW so that if by next March the purchase is complete, an arrangement can be made for the children to continue to use it until their new school is ready.

Every stage needs planning, so we are preparing ways for the Heart of Newhaven Community to grow together, supporting each other to create that Better Normal that is going to characterise life after Covid19.

You will shortly receive a personal invitation to become closely associated as a MEMBER of our dedicated SCIO SC04419.  But you needn’t even wait for that.
A growing number of people are volunteering and asking “Is there anything I can do now?” You won’t be left waiting for long for an answer!

In fact, you could answer the question for yourself and tell us what you would like to do. Look at our developing website heartofnewhaven.co.uk to get a bright idea and tell us what you think.

Rodney Matthews

Chair and Vision Facilitator, The Heart of Newhaven Community