Five things you need to know today
Panda news – Saddle Up for the Mercat’s Charity Race Night – Edinburgh Reporter Rewards – Call for evidence on nuisance calls – Fire stations open their doors
It is often said that no news is good news. But we are all anxious to know what is happening with the female giant panda Tian Tian.
The zoo know this and have issued an update:-
“In terms of Tian Tian’s possible pregnancy, we’re not out of the game yet although she’s keeping us on our toes. Her hormones are following an atypical pattern, with lots of rises and dips, which make timings much harder to predict. We are continually analysing hormone and protein samples and, based on the latest results, our external experts now believe Tian Tian may have experienced her secondary progesterone spike two weeks later than the results previously available suggested. Predicting pregnancy in giant pandas isn’t straight forward and we’re all rapidly learning that Tian Tian is a panda whose behaviour and physiology appears to be more complicated than most! We are continuing to review results with international colleagues through the course of this week who are joining us for our Giant Panda Research Symposium.”
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On Friday 25 October, at Edinburgh’s award-winning Mercat Bar & Restaurant, the owner is holding a charity race night, in aid of the very worthy CLIC Sargent, which supports children and young people with cancer.
So why not jump out the office that Friday and hoof it down to the Mercat, where for only £5, this covers the entrance fee and a good feed! Bets can be placed from £1 upwards and all proceeds will go to CLIC Sargent. The first race will be just after 6pm.
Graham Blaikie, owner of the Mercat Bar & Restaurant said: “We want to get as many people involved as possible to raise vital funds for CLIC Sargent. It’s a charity very close to my heart, which I’ve supported since my god daughter had leukaemia. Over the next year, I plan to raise £10,000 from a series of events I’ll be running at the Mercat Bar and at our new sister venue, the Mercat Grill in East Lothian.
“We’d love people to get groups of friends or work colleagues together and come down for what should be a TOTE-ally brilliant evening, whilst helping raise vital cash for this excellent children’s cancer charity.”
Tickets can be booked in advance by contacting the Mercat manager Colin via info@mercatbar.com or 0800 124 4112.
The Mercat Bar & Restaurant 28 West Maitland Street Edinburgh EH12 5DX t 0800 124 4112 www.mercatbar.com
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In August 2013 The Edinburgh Reporter hit a huge milestone. The number of hits on our site went through the roof. To thank those of you who are our regular readers we have some Edinburgh Reporter Rewards to hand out over the next while. Today you will find the reward in an article under our Culture Section……You just need to look around!
Good Luck! The reward must be claimed by email before Friday 13 September 2013 at 5:00pm.
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Edinburgh’s Liberal Democrat MP, Mike Crockart, is calling everyone affected by nuisance calls to submit evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Nuisance Call’s inquiry into the unsolicited marketing industry.
The APPG, which is made up of MPs from across the UK and the political spectrum, has been set up to help the many thousands of constituents plagued by nuisance calls by investigating existing unscrupulous practices and identifying deficiencies in the current legislation. The Group launched a call for evidence into nuisance calls in July with the aim of finding a solution to the menace affecting everyone in the UK.
The written evidence will complement the oral evidence sessions in October when the APPG will hear from regulators, telecoms providers, consumer groups and solution providers.
Commenting on the inquiry, Mr Crockart said:-“I have been running a ‘No 2 Nuisance Calls’ campaign for over a year and have been contacted by many thousands of people who are sick of nuisance calls and texts. It is obvious that people are tired of being pestered by nuisance calls day in and day out. Whilst my Private Member’s Bill will go some way to reforming and improving the industry, it is not the full and permanent solution.
“I am delighted with the response to the inquiry so far. But I want to encourage as many individuals, organisations and companies as possible to submit evidence to the inquiry by Friday 13th September; the more evidence we have the stronger the final report and its recommendations will be.
“If you want to submit evidence but you’re not sure how to there are tips on the nuisance calls help page on my website at www.mikecrockartmp.com.”
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The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service tell us that they are taking part in Doors Open Day this weekend 14-15 September 2013 by opening up Dalkeith fire station to the public.
Dalkeith fire station is opening its doors for visitors to look round the station and get the opportunity to see displays and demonstrations for free.
Doors Open Days gives free access to hundreds of fascinating buildings across Scotland. Every weekend in September visitors can explore places that are normally closed to the public. Some open up once a year, some just once in a lifetime. This is your chance to discover the architecture, design, buildings, places and spaces right on your doorstep or explore a new part of the country.
Dalkeith fire station will be open on Saturday 14 September between 10am and 4pm.
There will be various attractions during the day including a rope rescue exercise, a road traffic collision demonstration and a simulated rescue using a height appliance. There will also be the opportunity to wear a breathing apparatus (BA) set and enter our BA training pod, allowing people to get a taste of navigating in zero visibility to rescue a casualty.
There will also be members of the of the Phoenix Crew (junior fire-fighters) helping out and giving a demonstration of the skills they have developed and The British Red Cross will be on hand to offer first aid advice and show off their Fire and Emergency Support Service Vehicle.
They will be raising money for the Fire fighters Charity from donations for tea, coffee and biscuits. There will also be plastic fire helmets, toys, etc. on sale. Parking is available in Dalkeith town centre, only a short walk from the fire station.
Staff will available to provide fire safety advice and offer free Home Fire Safety Visits.
Free Home Safety Visits, including the free supply and fitting of smoke alarms where required, are available to all households. If you cannot make it along to the Doors Open Day, you can arrange a Home Fire Safety Visit via the following:
Text ‘check’ to 61611
Call 0800 0731 999
Also taking part in Doors Open Day later this month is the Museum of Fire which will be open on 28-29 September from 10am – 4pm.
The Fire Service Headquarters in Lauriston place opened in 1900 serving as an operational station until 1986. It continues today as an administrative centre and home to the ‘Museum of Fire’. The museum holds ‘James Braidwood’s High Street appliance’ and the last remaining ‘Halley’ fire appliance in the world, which served in Leith. The building also houses a mock- up of an Edinburgh close allowing visitors to experience conditions during the great fire of Edinburgh.
Visit www.firescotland.gov.uk
Please note that the fire station is in operation throughout the day, so please do not park in front of the fire appliance bay doors.