TER Edinburgh Castle (2)

Royal visit to Craigmillar – Honorary degrees at QMU – Cluedo – Wester Hailes Library today – Today at the Edinburgh International Magic Festival

While the Princess Royal was hosting a garden party in Queen Street yesterday evening accompanied by The Lord Provost, Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting another part of the city and a great charity this morning.

Scottish charity the Thistle Foundation will today welcome Her Majesty the Queen to mark the start of its 70th anniversary year.

The charity’s first scheme set up to provide housing for disabled veterans was opened by the Queen Mother who compared the charity’s new settlement and its work to that of ‘pioneers’.

Seventy years later The Thistle Foundation is one of Scotland’s leading providers of support services for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions.

The charity is delighted to receive Her Majesty, who is the charity’s Patron, to mark the start of its anniversary year, during Holyrood Week.

Through Supported Living and Health and Wellbeing services the charity works with over 300 people a year living with a long term health condition and helps more than a hundred disabled people to live the lives they choose in their own homes.

The visit from Her Majesty marks the start of the charity’s 70th anniversary year, which will celebrate the charity’s work in supported Living and Health and Wellbeing programmes – and its original beginnings in 1944 as a pioneering community housing scheme where veterans could live with their families.

The settlement for disabled veterans and their families was officially opened in 1950 by the Queen Mother, who praised the Thistle Foundation, saying:

“It gives me great pleasure to be here today, to open the settlement which has been created here at Craigmillar by The Thistle Foundation. The very word settlement suggests the work of pioneers and it is fitting in this case that it should do so, for the Craigmillar scheme is entirely new and largely experimental. Here we can see, I think for the first time, the fusion of hospitals and homes into one complete and living community.”

Two of the original residents of Thistle’s Craigmillar settlement, Win Scullard (88) and Doreen Martin (87), will welcome Her Majesty to Wighton House today, along with representatives of other groups Thistle works with – including veterans, volunteers, disabled people supported by Thistle, those that have been supported to better manage long term health conditions and Thistle Friends who volunteer to help raise money for the charity.

Win was one of the first arrivals to the settlement in 1951. She lived here with her husband Peter, who had served with the Royal Corps of Signals in the war. “Peter would go to work, then come home and have physio treatment and other treatment for his leg at night. It gave us freedom.”

Chief Executive Diana Noel-Paton said, “As we mark our 70th anniversary with this wonderful visit by Her Majesty the Queen, we start this anniversary year with renewed commitment to our goal – to ensure that everyone in Scotland can live the life they want regardless of their disability or long term health condition.”

“Win’s story was the reason Sir Francis Tudsbery and others set about building Thistle. He saw a gap in provision and moved heaven and earth to create something that didn’t exist.

“We’re doing the same thing here at Thistle today – coming up with solutions to fill gaps in services for people with disabilities long term health conditions and veterans.

She added: “Scotland’s health and social care services have changed dramatically over the years and are still changing. Thistle has been at the centre of some significant changes over the years, enabling people to live longer healthier lives at home.”

“In the early 1990s we made the then-radical move to supported living services that focussed on each individual and began to develop our successful lifestyle management courses – and are well placed to both continue this pioneering work and help share our approach more widely.”

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Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh is delighted to honour two inspirational individuals at its graduation ceremony today – one a gastronomic pioneer who is responsible for bringing authentic Asian cooking to Scotland, and the other, a leading composer who has used his musical ability to heal divisions in war-torn communities.

 

Shaheen Unis, the entrepreneur and business woman behind Mrs Unis Spicy Foods Ltd, is responsible for introducing the Scottish palate to the finest range of handmade, halal Indian foods. Her name is synonymous with deliciously spiced pakoras, bhajis, samosas and oven baked nan breads produced at her Edinburgh manufacturing base in Peffermill. However, she is probably best known for her vegetarian haggis samosa, which was launched on Burns Night in 2002 under the ‘MacUnis’ range – the concept of which was developed by students at Queen Margaret University.

 

Shaheen Unis, who came to Britain in the 1960s from Pakistan, opened her first restaurant ‘Nadia’s’ in Dalry in 1980. By the end of the 90s, she had expanded into retail, wholesale and catering markets with her establishment of Mrs Unis Spicy Foods Ltd and by 2006, many of her well-known Asian delicacies became widely available in grocery outlets all over the country.

 

Aside from being a successful business woman, Mrs Unis is a leading member of Edinburgh’s social and cultural community. She is one of the founders of the multi-cultural festival, the Edinburgh Mela. In 1990, she also jointly established ‘Milan’, an organisation which supports older members of the South Asian community, who are experiencing isolation or challenges living in Edinburgh’s retirement homes.

 

Queen Margaret University is also delighted to honour Professor Nigel Osborne, a talented composer and former Reid Professor of Music at the University of Edinburgh (1990 – 2013).

 

Born in Manchester, Nigel Osborne was schooled in Glasgow, and studied music at Oxford with Egon Wellesz, a former pupil of Arnold Schoenberg. After graduating he went to Warsaw to attend the Chopin Academy. He travelled extensively in Eastern Europe and during his career as a young composer won many prizes in the Netherlands, Switzerland, the USA and elsewhere.

 

While continuing to compose, Nigel turned to academic music, becoming Reid Professor of Music at the University of Edinburgh. During his 22 years in post, he founded the ‘Institute of Music, Human and Social Development’. His keen interest in links between music and neurosciences is lifelong.

 

Professor Osborne also used his musical gift to help heal the divisions in Bosnian society. The 1992 Bosnian war was an important turning point in Nigel’s life and he made many dangerous trips to besieged Sarajevo. He set up the ‘Mostar Sinfonietta’, the first organisation in the city to draw members from among Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs. To house the orchestra, he built an arts centre using a generous donation from Luciano Pavarotti. He has also worked tirelessly for children traumatised by war – in Bosnia, then in Kosovo and later in other conflict-torn places. His tireless efforts in this area were recognised when he received the ‘Freedom Award of the International Peace Centre’ in Sarajevo.

Professor Petra Wend, Principal of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, said: “Professor Osborne and Shaheen Unis have made a significant contribution to key sectors which QMU seeks to serve – creative industries and business. In addition, they exemplify aspects of Queen Margaret University’s mission of improving quality of life. We are also delighted that students at the graduation ceremony had the opportunity to hear about their lives and work. We hope that this inspires them to go into their new workplaces and their communities and continue QMU’s work of serving society and improving lives.”

Shaheen Unis, was presented with a Degree of Doctor of Business Administration, Honoris Causa by Queen Margaret University’s Deputy Principal, Professor Alan Gilloran. Professor Nigel Osborne was presented with a Degree of Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa by Keir Bloomer, Queen Margaret University’s Chair of Court.

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Edinburgh has landed Scotland’s very first regionalised CLUEDO board to be based on customised characters like ‘The Comedian’ and ‘First Minister’.

And the first regional UK board outside London could well see the First Minister wielding a Candlestick at Holyrood. Unthinkable? Well not now!

Edinburgh has bumped off a host of other UK cities – originally 10 in all, including Edinburgh – to land its own official board.

Last November the UK’s first regional CLUEDO board was unveiled – based on London – featuring modern day characters like Winnie White the Therapist replacing the likes of Miss Scarlett. The board was hailed as modern and hip: and the Edinburgh board is set for the same contemporary customised treatment say the board’s makers – all complete with an Edinburgh twist, flavor and feel.

It was announced last November that there would be a second edition produced for this year based on another British city. A shortlist of 10 was originally drawn up – and Edinburgh has come out top.

Ironically it was Edinburgh that in 1998 ended the monopoly on MONOPOLY when it landed the very first UK regional board outside of London and 15 years on the dice has landed a DOUBLE

And it’s also the very same company – Winning Moves UK – producing this board.

And as in 1998 they will be in the Scottish capital to officially announce on Thursday – as well as make a formal appeal to the Scottish public to suggest which characters should fill the board.

A one-week public email vote line is being set up from today. (details below)

Edinburgh CLUEDO will have characters like ‘The First Minister’, ‘The Comic’, ‘The Writer’, and ‘The Student’ and ‘The Tourist’ as playing counters.

“But it will be all down to the public,” says Mr Barnes.

“The characters will reflect the essence of Edinburgh. Potential murder settings could be The Castle or Holyrood. The board is a blank canvas at the moment. We would like to hear from the great Scottish public – and beyond bearing in mind its world renown – on how this board should look. We are extremely excited about – and honoured at – producing it. A big congratulations to Edinburgh for bumping off the opposition!”

Convenor of Economy Committee
Convenor of Economy Committee

Councillor Frank Ross – Edinburgh City Council’s Convener of the Economy Committee Cllr Frank Ross, Convener of the Economy Committee, said:-

“I am sure everyone with links with Edinburgh will have great fun choosing the new characters for CLUEDO as there is a wealth of material available.

“Edinburgh is a multi-award winning city which is steeped in culture and history. As well as being the seat of the Scottish Government and having world famous visitor attractions such as the Castle and the National Museum of Scotland, there are also many internationally renowned festivals and events held every year.

“The city’s strong financial sector could also spark some creativity for the game!

“This really is great news for Edinburgh as the buzz around choosing the characters and the launch of the game will be a welcome reminder to potential visitors everywhere that Edinburgh really is a world class tourist destination.

In all there will be six brand new characters and nine themed locations. The weapons will stay the same.

The board will include the following:- 

  • SIX EDINBURGH THEMED CHARACTERS. In traditional CLUEDO the characters include Colonel Mustard (a yellow piece) and Miss Scarlett (red).
  • NINE POTENTIAL MURDER SCENES In the traditional CLUEDO the rooms include the Study, Ballroom and Billiard Room.
  • SIX MURDER WEAPONS: These stay the same from the original board: The candlestick, dagger, lead piping, revolver, rope and wrench.

In CLUEDO – the classic and ultimate murder mystery game – there is one murder victim (not the characters as outlined above). ALL six of the characters like Professor Plum and Colonel Mustard fall under suspicion, with each having equalling compelling murder motives. The room is where the murder takes place. The weapon is the means. The idea of the game is by skill and deduction to name in one fell swoop the character, weapon and room. There are 324 different combinations.

CLUEDO: Edinburgh Edition will be available from this October in time for Christmas at all good toy and book stores, as well as very extensively online including atamazon.co.uk. Stores stocking it include: amazon.co.uk, Blackwells, Jenners, The Works, Toys R Us, Waterstones and WH Smith.

Voting starts at 00.01am today  and ends next week at midnight on 11th July 2013. Votes to: cluedo@winningmoves.co.uk

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TER Wester Hailes Library sign

If you live in the Wester Hailes area then you can take your 8 to 12 year old along to the library this morning for them to take part in the creepy Mummy competition!

This is what their Facebook page says:-

That summer holiday boredom kicked in yet? Why not join us at 2.30 this Friday to see who can make the best Mummy (ages 8-12) or sort yourselves out a set of skeleton hands this Sunday afternoon at 2pm (ages 6-10)? Give us a ring on 529-5667 to find out more or drop us a message here!

Aurasma__CTA_IMAGE_Positive_ColWhile you are at the library you may like to know that one of our ‘auras’ is located there…..This is called Augmented Reality – We have been introducing you to our use of Aurasma over recent months. For those of you who have not read our earlier articles about this then here is what you need to know about our use of augmented reality

Download the Aurasma Lite app  which is available for iPhone or Android.

Follow The Edinburgh Reporter channel by using the search facility in the app.

Find our trigger images and use your phone to watch our added content automatically. And one of those is the opening hours sign at the front door of the library….

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It appears that the final event at the Edinburgh International Magic Festival takes place tonight with the Four Nations Magic-Off

Fri 5 July 10.00pm

Voodoo rooms • £16/£14 conc

Duration: till late!

Over 18’s only

If you can’t stay up till then there are FREE Street Shows Summer

Street shows will be taking place throughout the Festival on the Royal Mile and surrounding areas subject to the unpredictable (even for magicians) Edinburgh weather! Check www.magicfest.co.uk for more information.

HOW TO BUY TICKETS

Online: www.magicfest.co.uk

Telephone: 0131 473 2000

In person: Hub Tickets (The Hub, Castlehill EH1 2NE)

 

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.