Edinburgh North East Scouts has opportunities for volunteers

Sign up for the online information evening on Tuesday 29th November at 7.30pm here https://sesscouts.org.uk/edinburgh-north-east-scouts-information-event/ 

We know everyone is busy, so this event is taking place online to fit in around family, work and life. It’ll only take 1 hour and will be informative.

Did you know Edinburgh North East Scouts has almost 100 young people on a waiting list to join?

And they need new helpers to support their 14 Scout Groups in Portobello, Craigentinny, Craigmillar, Duddingston, Calton, Joppa, Stockbridge, Pilrig, Broughton, Trinity, Leith, Newhaven, Wardie and Willowbrae. 

Sign up for this event to find out about the exciting things the Scout Groups get up to and flexible volunteering opportunities.

Demand by young people to join Scouts in the Edinburgh North East area is good with youth waiting lists growing. However, they need new adult volunteers to reduce the waiting list and enable more local young people to benefit from Scouting. 

Edinburgh North East Scouts is looking to the local community and organisations to help change the lives of local young people. They are appealing for help to reduce the youth waiting list and support 100 more young people to benefit from Scouts. 

Scouts is only possible thanks to superstar volunteers – ordinary people, like you, making an extraordinary difference in young people’s lives. They are looking for new adult volunteers to assist their existing leader and executive team.

So please consider what you can do and if you know anyone who may be willing to get involved and ask them to come along to the event too. It is possible that they may consider a job share if that was of interest to you?

Scouting has a reputation for helping young people to develop resilience, a positive character, respect for others, good community skills, as well as physical and mental fitness. Can you help inspire the doers and give it a goers of the future?

FACT 1: There are 14 Scout Groups in the Edinburgh North East area and they all want to provide more Scouting to more local young children.
FACT 2: You don’t need to have any specific skills or be Bear Grylls to lend a hand.
FACT 3: They have a collective youth waiting list of almost 100.
FACT 4: If you volunteer as a Leader to get involved now then they can look at how your child could get automatic entry into their preferred Scout Group.
FACT 5: You don’t have to have previous Scouting experience to get involved. 

As a District, they want to offer your child and other local children across the Edinburgh North East area the chance to participate in all the fun experiences and adventures they do in Scouting week to week such as, camping, fire-lighting, climbing and abseiling, and yes, learning how to tie and use knots (these will come in handy in later life!). 

Are you passionate about seeing local young people succeed? Are you a team player with a positive, can-do attitude? Do you enjoy fun activities? Do you want to do more in your community?

Are you more of a ‘behind the scenes’ person? Do you have a skill or hobby you can share? Then this event is right up your street.  Scouts has the opportunities – you just show up, get stuck in and make memories for life! 

We all have the power to help young people to realise their potential.  You don’t need to have been a Scout when you were younger.

You don’t even need to know how to put up a tent. Their door is open to people of all ages, genders, races and backgrounds, and they’re only able to change lives because people like you lend a hand.

There’s lots of ways you can get more involved with Scouts as a parent, carer or family member. From helping out occasionally on a family rota or as part of their Executive Committee to stepping up as a leader, their volunteering activities are as varied as you. 

The good news is you shape what you do and the time you have to give. Scouts happens when a lot of us give a little … and no, you don’t have to be a Scout or outdoors expert to volunteer.

Most of their volunteers work directly with young people aged 6-18 through their Beaver, Cub and Explorer groups – helping young people gain skills for life through fun activities.

District Commissioner, Rob Whitelaw, said: “This isn’t a job application, and you certainly don’t have to be an adventurer like Bear Grylls to get involved with Scouting and in fact not many of our volunteers are!

“Do you have first aid knowledge? Are you good with numbers? Handy in the kitchen? Or are you a DIY whizz? We all have useful skills, and you can volunteer and help in many ways.

“Are you ready to inspire a generation of young people to experience fun, friendship and real adventure? The opportunities to volunteer with us are flexible. Think of something you’d like to do, and chances are it’s just what we require.

“Whatever your skills, experience and interests, we can find a role for you!”

Sign up for the online information evening on Tuesday 29th November at 7.30pm here:

https://sesscouts.org.uk/edinburgh-north-east-scouts-information-event/

Councillors to debate new parking controls proposed for Leith, Gorgie and Shandon

The next steps will be taken toward introducing new Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) to help alleviate parking pressures around Edinburgh, if approved by councillors this week.

On Thursday (28 January), Transport and Environment Committee will consider the results of an informal consultation on proposals for new controls in Leith, Gorgie and Shandon, as well as details on the operation of measures. Designs for parking controls have been amended following consultation and, if approved, we’ll commence the legal processes for introducing them.

This is the first of four phases of implementation of parking controls around the city, developed as part of the Strategic Parking Review, which was originally approved in 2018. The review has taken a holistic approach to parking pressures across Edinburgh, assessing the city on a street by street basis.

This has led to the identification of areas where parking controls may be required to resolve challenges facing residents, in particular from non-residential parking.

The report also updates on timescales for phase two (Roseburn, Corstorphine, Willowbrae and Saughton), phase three (Southside and Fettes) and phase four (Newhaven, Trinity, South Morningside, Portobello, Stenhouse and Saughton), which have been impacted by COVID-19.

Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “This review responds to the concerns of residents across the city, many of whom have told us that they want to see controls introduced to help limit the impact of non-residential parking.

Thanks to an in-depth, citywide analysis we have been able to identify the areas most in need of restrictions. Of course, the way we travel has changed immeasurably over the last year, but the introduction of new CPZs will be extremely beneficial to managing parking pressures when we eventually return to some sense of normality.

Not only do these controls help residents to park near their homes, but they can encourage those travelling into and around the city to consider alternative, sustainable modes of transport.”

The city council began the Strategic Parking Review in 2018 in response to comments from residents, community councils and ward councillors across the city, which demonstrated increasing support for new parking controls to limit non-residential parking.

An in-depth review split the city into five areas, further subdivided into 124 investigation areas, helping to generate heat maps for each location showing relative parking pressures by street. As a result, a series of new parking controls were approved in 2019, to be implemented in four phases.

On Thursday, committee members will also be asked to agree proposals to commence the legal process for introducing limited parking controls in Sighthill Industrial Estate to help manage parking demand there, as well as restrictions on the availability of permits for new or redeveloped properties.

The report details an approach to consultation for future phases in light of COVID restrictions, with virtual drop-in sessions, detailed plans online and opportunities to feed back on proposals via websites, interactive plans and questionnaires.

Consultation on phase two of the Strategic Parking Review is expected to begin in February.

Read the full report, Strategic Review of Parking – Results of Phase 1 Consultation and General Update, on the Council website.

You can watch Transport and Environment Committee live via webcast from 10am on Thursday (28 January 2021).