City of Edinburgh Council Private Bill passed – Juniper Green Market – Wildlife Count – Marchmont & Sciennes Community Council – The Mews Edinburgh
The Scottish Government passed The City of Edinburgh Council (Leith Links and Surplus Fire Fund) Bill yesterday at Holyrood.
This is an important bill – although curiously it has two separate purposes.
Conservative MSP John Lamont explained these two strands to the new legislation in his speech:-
“The first purpose of the bill is to amend section 22 of the schedule to the City of Edinburgh District Council Order Confirmation Act 1991, to allow for the erection of a statue of John Rattray on Leith Links in Edinburgh. Section 22 currently prohibits the erection of buildings, including monuments or statues, on the links.
“The subject of the statue, John Rattray, was the first captain of the Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which staged the first official golf match at Leith Links in 1744. That came about when Rattray and his fellow golfers asked the city council for a silver club to be awarded annually to the winner of an open golf competition, to replace the previous prizes, which included legs of mutton and firkins of whisky. The council agreed to offer such a prize only if rules were set down and signed by Rattray, as it wanted to change the custom of the rules being made up on the day of a game. The rules written down in 1744 form the basis of the rules of today’s game of golf.
“Rattray himself was a very interesting character. He was a surgeon and a member of the Royal Company of Archers, as well being a keen golfer. After winning the Leith open golf competition in 1744 and 1745, he left to join the Jacobite army, and tended to the wounded at the battle of Prestonpans. He accompanied Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army south to Derby and back to face defeat at Culloden, where he was seized. John Rattray was saved from being hanged only when his golfing partner and Scotland’s top judge of the time, Lord Forbes, made a personal plea on his behalf.
“The sculptor commissioned to create the statue is David Annand, who has created a number of statues of prominent Scots, including the motor racing world champion from the Borders, Jim Clark; famous accordion player Sir Jimmy Shand; poet Robert Burns; and this Parliament’s very own Winnie Ewing.
“As I said in the preliminary stage debate on the bill, the committee is satisfied that the bill will create an exception only for this particular statue and that no further development can take place on the site at Leith Links. The committee was also satisfied that the Leith Rules Golf Society will provide to the council between 10 and 15 per cent of the capital cost of the statue for its on-going maintenance, in keeping with normal practice.
“The second objective of the bill is the revitalisation of a fund that was originally set up to assist people caught up in a series of fires in Edinburgh High Street in 1824. The Surplus Fire Fund has grown from the £11,000 originally collected to £1.25 million, which generates approximately £30,000 per annum.
“The fund had fallen into a state of dormancy until the Fire Brigades Union contacted the City of Edinburgh Council in 2001, which led to its reactivation. The council’s pensions and trusts committee discussed the future management of the fund during 2011-12, considering how its assets might be better utilised in keeping with the spirit of its current purposes, changes in society, the effectiveness of its present constitution and engagement with key stakeholders.”
So this will mean that a new statue will be built in Edinburgh. The committee seemed to be very impressed with the level of public involvement in this. Over 4,000 residents attended the public information meetings, and Pat Denzler chair of the society for the John Rattray statue was commended for the ‘fantastic insight’ she gave into the history of Leith Links.
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Juniper Green Farmers Market is on this weekend.
Saturday 22 February from 9am-1pm in the dental surgery car park on Lanark Road.
The stalls this month will be the usual range of meat, bread, vegetables, sweet delights and much more. Stalls for February:
Stortebaeker German sweet and savoury baking plus range of fresh breads too
Secret Herb Garden growing kitchen plants plus herbal teas to enjoy. Now offering their own honey too!
Delightful Chocolates sweet chocolate treats – boxed or bagged
Cedar Cottage meats, poultry and pies, sausages, bacon, slices plus poultry too and seasonal vegetables on the stall
Scoff Street Food fresh hot rolls (using Cedar Cottage meats) plus hot drinks to keep you going!
Councillor Dominic Heslop will be on duty from 11am – 12 noon ready to answer any queries you may have about council business.
Music will be provided by the Blue Moon ensemble … playing their toe tapping numbers from yesteryear, worth the free entry fee in themselves!
If you represent a community group and you would like to publicise your activities in this area please reply to this email with details to book the free community stall at one of the future markets. We already have bookings for March and May but other months remain available.
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Scottish Waterways Trust need your help in carrying out the Wildflower Count on 5 April 2014 along the Union Canal.
Can you help?
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The next meeting of the Marchmont & Sciennes Community Council will be held next week 26 February at 7.30pm at St Catherine’s Argyle Church halls on Beaufort Road/ Grange Road.
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Would you like to glimpse a hidden part of Edinburgh? And perhaps enjoy a taste of the complementary therapies that go on behind those doors?
If the answer is yes, The Mews open day – on Saturday March 8 – is the place to be.
Tucked away in cobbled Inverleith Place Lane, just a stone’s throw from Edinburgh’s wonderful Botanic Gardens, the Mews is a haven of tranquillity. But it’s also home to 13 therapists, offering treatments as varied as energy healing, reiki and shamanic healing.
The open day will give you the chance to:
- Find out more about the therapies on offer and perhaps enjoy a taster session
- Get a flavour of the Mews experience
- Or, just take time out of your busy day to enjoy a cuppa in tranquil surroundings
Mews owner Sara Trevelyan said:
“The Mews is a wonderful place – bright, airy, tranquil and full of positive energy, with a beautiful secluded garden. Its location is ideal and I really think the proximity of the Botanic Gardens has a beneficial effect.
“But I’m conscious that many people, including some of our nearest neighbours, have no idea what lies behind our doors. That’s why we’ve decided to hold this open day to give people a chance to come inside and find out more about what’s on offer.
“The Mews is home to a wide range of therapists, able to help people suffering from many physical and mental ailments. So I hope as many people as possible will take this chance to come along to the open day and find out what we do here.”
The open day runs from 10-4 and people are welcome to drop in when they want and stay for as long as they want.
Taster sessions (30 minutes each) will be free and available on a first come, first served basis – alternatively you can call and book an appointment in advance. For more information, or to book a taster session, contact Lorraine on 07883 499 586 or email let2@blueyonder.co.uk.
The Mews has a long history as a therapy centre, having first opened in 1994. Nearly 10 years later, the building was refurbished, upgraded and re-launched in its present form.
The therapies on offer at the centre include Alexander Technique, Brennan Healing Science, clinical psychology, counselling, craniosacral therapy, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, life coaching, psychotherapy, reflexology, reiki, shamanic healing and therapeutic massage.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
