Home News Five things you need to know today

Five things you need to know today

December 10, 2012 9:13 am

Mortonhall investigation – Fatal collision – Wester Hailes Totem Pole – Pantomimes – Christmas competition

The City of Edinburgh Council has announced the start of the fact-finding investigation into the historic practices at Mortonhall Crematorium.

The report on the findings will be made public and is expected to be reported to a Council committee as early as possible in the new year. A key aim of the report will be to establish the facts regarding historical practices and try to identify best practice for the future. This will involve interviewing former and current staff members of Bereavement Services, speaking to families through the support group Sands and looking at procedures in other facilities.Councillor Lesley Hinds, Environment convener, said: “A key aim of this report will be to see what lessons can be learnt for the future and identify what is best practice. We want to be open and honest about the historic practices at Mortonhall Crematorium and I have asked for a swift report to establish the facts. We will of course work closely with Sands on the investigation and continue our discussions with them over some form of permanent memorial.”The report will be made public and I hope that we will be able to do that next month. It is only right and proper that a senior officer from a completely separate service leads this investigation.”

Mike Rosendale, Head of Schools and Community Services, will lead the enquiry and report directly to the Chief Executive.

A dedicated phone line, 0131 200 2383, and an online form has been set up for anyone who has concerns and wants to contact the Council.

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Lothian and Borders Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses following a fatal collision in Edinburgh, in the early hours of Saturday morning (December 8).

Forty-three-year-old Gavin Fulton from Edinburgh died after being injured in the collision as he walked along the pavement in Dundas Street around 1.20am.

Gavin is described by his friends and family as “one of life’s really good guys”.

His father, Bill Fulton, said: “Gavin lived for his family, he was much loved and we will all miss him very much.”
His wife, Jill Fulton, said: “Gavin and I taught our children to be road wise and stay on the pavements where they are safe. Mia, Faye and I along with Gavin’s family are devastated that he was not safe on the pavement. We have lost the most amazing husband, father, son and brother.”

A 50-year-old man has been charged and is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (December 10) in connection with the incident.

Officers are particularly keen to trace a man who was wearing a mustard-coloured jacket or shirt who was seen in the area around the time of the collision.

Anyone with any information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or alternatively the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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A carved wooden Totem Pole, featuring designs by local residents, has been sited in the heart of Wester Hailes and is to be launched by the Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh this morning. The pole hosts QR codes that when scanned with a smart phone, link people passing to websites featuring local stories and images from the past and the present. The Reporter hopes to bring you a full report later today.

The pole was designed and carved by artist Robin Wood, working with children and adults from the community in workshops organised by WHALE Arts. This is part of a suite of digital media projects that use QR codes to link residents to their social history and to a new online community newspaper and noticeboard. These are the result of a collaboration between community organisations – WHALE Arts, Prospect Community Housing and Wester Hailes Health Agency – and academic and public institutions – University of Edinburgh, Heriot Watt University and RCAHMS.

The end result is a 4.5m high Totem Pole, to be sited between the Westside Plaza shopping centre and the Union Canal, with QR codes attached. The aspiration is that local people will use the pole to scan through to digital media that has a direct relevance to them: community news, small ads and information about local services. Codes also link to social history collections, such as the facebook page ‘From There to Here’ which posts archive material from the West Edinburgh Times and Wester Hailes Sentinel.

The Totem Pole has been installed by hub South East Scotland along with its contractor, Morrison Construction, who are currently working on the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre project. A joint development between NHS Lothian and the Council, it will include the Wester Hailes Medical Practice, NHS Lothian community health services and Council services, together with the Wester Hailes Health Agency, a local voluntary sector organisation. The project is the first joint agency project to be developed by the hub SouthEast ScotlandTerritory programme.

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We have two reviews for you of two of the pantomime offerings in the city. If you go to another and would like to review it for us then please use our Submit Your Story feature here. You can read our review of The Lyceum’s Cinderella here and Mother Goose here.

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For the first time in many years, St James shopping (SJS) is home to the city centre’s only grotto. Rudi the Reindeer, SJS’s Christmas helper and Santa are welcoming children and families to share their Christmas wishes.

To celebrate SJS are launching two exciting online competitions today with the help of mischievous Rudi.

#WhereisRudi competition on TWITTER:

Rudi the Reindeer is on the loose and has been photographed at various well-known locations around Edinburgh. One image per day will be posted on SJS’s Twitter feed @stjamesshopping for 14 days. The first 10 people to correctly guess where Rudi is each day will be entered into a prize draw to win a Nikon Coolpix camera.

TWITTER SUGGESTION FOR w/b MONDAY 10 DECEMBER 2012: “Win a Nikon Coolpix camera with @stjamesshopping. Help them find Rudi the Reindeer who’s on the loose in Edinburgh #WhereisRudi”

Tag yourself with Rudi on FACEBOOK:

Rudi is frequently escaping from the grotto to have a look around the shops at SJS and anyone who spots him, takes a picture and posts it on the SJS Facebook page will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a family trip to the grotto.