Potholes – School’s Out! – Scotrail using rainwater to wash the trains! – Mary, Queen of Scots – Martyn Bennett Prize
The Edinburgh Reporter was delighted to be instrumental in getting a pothole fixed in Dundas Street. Not that we actually wielded a shovel, but we did draw the problem to the attention of the council, and they fixed it. They would be happy to hear from you too.
There is a form on the council website which you can use to report potholes and street lighting problems.
The council decided in February 2013 to add another £12m to their budget for repairing roads and pavements across the city.
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Edinburgh schools are on holiday from today.
All term dates are shown on the council website here but it is probably worth reminding you that the future dates are as follows:-
Autumn term
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Monday 13 August 2012 – Staff resume (Five In-Service days for all schools)
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Tuesday 14 August 2012 – Staff only (Five In-Service days for all schools)
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Wednesday 15 August 2012 – Pupils resume
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Schools closed Monday 17 September 2012 – Autumn Holiday
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Tuesday 18 September 2012 – All resume
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Friday 12 October 2012 – Mid-term, All break
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Monday 22 October 2012 – Staff resume (Five In-Service days for all schools)
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Tuesday 23 October 2012 – Primary, Nursery and Special pupils resume (In-Service for Secondary Schools only)
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Wednesday 24 October 2012 – Secondary School pupils resume
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Thursday 20 December 2012 – Term ends
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ScotRail is harnessing Scotland’s damp climate to help reduce costs and its carbon footprint – by collecting rainwater for use in washing trains.
The train operator has installed an innovative system which allows it to collect rainwater from over two thousand squared metres of roof area at Corkerhill depot in Glasgow to clean the underside of its trains.
The company believes it is the first rail operator in the UK to introduce the ‘rainwater harvesting’ system at a depot.
The facility was installed at Corkerhill depot earlier this month and can collect 72,000 litres of rainwater, which is more than half of the water required to clean the underside of three trains every day for a year.
Steve Montgomery, ScotRail’s managing director, said: “The new facility removes the need for us to use more than 3.5 million litres of fresh water every year – helping improve the environmental performance of Scotland’s railways.
“If the pilot project is successful, we may consider introducing rainwater harvesting at other depots in the future.”
Rainwater harvesting technology is already used on Indian railways, where fresh water is at a premium.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “I am delighted ScotRail has introduced the rainwater harvesting system as a pilot project at its Corkerhill depot. This innovative system will help to deliver further reductions in its carbon footprint and maintenance costs.
“This will be another milestone as we work towards improving Scotland’s railways’ environmental performance, and I look forward to seeing this system rolled out at other locations in the future.”
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From today until November there is a new exhibition on show at the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street. Arguably one of the most enigmatic figures in Scottish history, the story of Mary, Queen of Scots can still arouse strong emotions: was she betrayed by those she trusted, condemned to die a Catholic martyr, or a murdering adulteress with her husband’s blood on her hands? This major exhibition, only showing in Edinburgh, provides a unique opportunity to re-evaluate much that has been written and speculated about this charismatic monarch, drawing together surviving relics intimately connected with Mary and wider Renaissance material, such as documents, portraits, jewellery, furniture and textiles.
28 June – 17 Nov 2013
Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
Cost: Adult £9, Con £7.50, Child (12-15) £6, Under 12s free, National Museums Scotland Members free, National Art Pass holders receive 50% discount.
Poster from NMS ©Blairs Museum Trust
Mary, Queen of Scots from National Museums Scotland on Vimeo.
Also on the theme of Mary Queen of Scots, a new book written and produced by Historic Scotland is being published today, Friday 28thJune 2013 to tie in with the opening of the major Mary Queen of Scots exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland.
Mary Was Here, subtitled ‘Where Mary Queen of Scots went and what she did there’, is a fast-paced and very accessible guide to the travels of Scotland’s most famous historical figure.
Extensively illustrated, it charts Mary’s life from just before her birth at Linlithgow Palace to the months after her execution at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire.
Andrew Burnet, Publications and Information Manager at Historic Scotland and one of the co-authors said: “Mary Queen of Scots is a key figure in our history who continues to fascinate people from around the world. She has connections with more than 20 Historic Scotland properties including Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Craigmillar Castle, Lochleven Castle, Castle Campbell, Dumbarton Castle, Dundrennan Abbey and of course, her place of birth, Linlithgow Palace.
“The book is based around specific events on specific dates at specific locations, however its main focus is on Scotland, where Mary travelled widely during her brief reign. It also features plenty of colourful imagery, including superb photography, and more than 120 images from art collections in Scotland, England, France, Spain and Italy.”
The book includes sections on Mary’s childhood in France and her long imprisonment in England. It also looks at key themes such as food and drink, sickness and health, marriages, costume and jewellery
The book has been written by Historic Scotland’s Andrew Burnet, Nicki Scott and Sally Gall.
More than 35 Scottish sites connected with Maryare covered in the book. Additional properties include: Inchmahome Priory, Spynie Palace, Edzell Castle, and Whithorn Priory.
The book will be available from today, retailing at £7.95. It will be for sale at the National Museum throughout the run of the exhibition (until 17th November). It will also be sold at Historic Scotland’s shops at selected sites, including Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Linlithgow Palace, Dumbarton Castle, Lochleven Castle, Craigmillar Castle, Inchmahome Priory and the Abbey Strand bookshop next to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh
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The Queen’s Hall and Traditional Music Forum have launched the inaugural Martyn Bennett Prize for traditional music composition with total prize money of £3000. Supported by funding from Creative Scotland, the Prize will seek to raise the profile and reward the vital role that composition plays in Scotland’s traditional music. Named in honour of the acclaimed composer/multi instrumentalist Martyn Bennett, the competition is open to all Scottish-based musicians to create a new 5 – 10 minute long composition that shows its roots in traditional music.
The winner will be selected by a judging panel led by leading Scottish composer/musician Jim Sutherland at a concert at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall on Saturday 14 September 2013. All the shortlisted finalists’ compositions will be performed live by a band led by acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Anna Massie (Blazin Fiddles/The Unusual Suspects). The winner will receive £2000 and a unique award created by Edinburgh glass artist Karen Akester. The runner up will receive £1000 and all the finalists’ compositions will be professionally recorded for future broadcast on The Queen’s Hall’sYouTube and SoundCloud channels.
Full information and the application form can be found on the website:
www.themartynbennettprize.com
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
