Five things you need to know today Edinburgh

Apple is coming to Edinburgh!

Recycling Phase 2

Ben Sands at Edinburgh Folk Club

PlayTalkRead Bus

Pets Blessing Service at Greyfriars

Apple have finally announced the opening date for their Princes Street store which has been expected for a long time. It had been hoped that the store would open in August this year but the two storey conversion of the former Woolworths store opposite the Balmoral will officially open on Saturday 18th October at 10am.

The Apple Store Princes Street, will be the company’s first store in Edinburgh, the 38th in the UK and 106th in Europe. The store will house the whole range of Apple products – iPhones, iPads, Macs and iPods and a selection of accessories.

There will be Free, fast wireless Internet available for everyone and free Personal Setup for every customer who buys a Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod to get them up and running before they leave the store.

Free, daily workshops for anyone who wants to learn about Apple products and services will also take place in store as well as personal training which you can get for £79 a year.

Children are not left out with programmes including Field Trip, where students can create something amazing or they can bring in a project they’ve already created and turn the store into a theatre sharing their achievements with parents, teachers, and friends.

They also offer Apple Camp in the summer; a three-day workshop where children aged 8-12 bring their imaginations to life. They’ll learn to make movies or create interactive books complete with their own illustrations and sound effects. Each workshop ends with the Apple Summer Camp Showcase so they can share their finished projects.

And there will be a 360 degree Genius Bar, where expertly-trained Geniuses offer free tech advice and support. If your Apple product requires a repair, most are done on site and turned around in a day.

Cllr Frank Ross, Economy Convener, today welcomed the announcement that the Apple Store on Princes Street is set to open next weekend. He said:

“This is great news and a fantastic new offering to shoppers in Edinburgh. It is also further proof that Edinburgh is regarded as one of the leading destinations for major international retail brands following in the footsteps of Harvey Nichols, Hollister and Primark. Attracting big name retailers to the city centre is a key strand of our economy strategy ‘A Strategy for Jobs’ and the Apple store is a perfect example of this.

“The opening of the Apple store is another example of the regeneration that this area of Princes Street is undergoing. Developments in St Andrew Square, the arrival of the trams, refurbishment of Waverley Station, the ambitious plans for the St James Quarter and Registers Lane all combine to what is, and promised to be, a fantastic transformation.

“We have a vibrant city centre and earlier this month new figures revealed that 39 more stores opened in Edinburgh in the first six months of this year compared with the same period in 2013. This bucked the trend across the UK and shows that business is attracted to invest here as the city is seen as a world class brand and tourist destination. This is critical to ensure the Capital remains the most prosperous city UK city outside of London and why Edinburgh is ranked as the best large European City for foreign direct investment by fDi’s European Cities and Regions of the Future awards.”

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The second phase of a scheme to make recycling easier for Edinburgh residents will begin rolling out next month.

From mid November, more than 20,000 homes are to receive the new recycling service, which will allow householders extra space for recycling.

This week leaflets were posted to properties affected by the changes, with further information to follow. A full list of streets involved can be downloaded from the Council website.

In total, 140,000 households will receive the new kerbside recycling service by September 2015.

Changes to the service will support the Council’s pledge to recycle 70% of the city’s waste by 2025.

While recycling rates continue to increase, with 38.1% of Edinburgh’s waste recycled in 2013 compared to 36.7% in 2012, improvements are necessary to meet the Scottish Government’s 70% target.

As well as providing environmental benefits, increasing recycling rates can save the Council millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money spent on landfill costs.

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Next week on 15 October 2014, Ben Sands appears at Edinburgh Folk Club.

Ben brings a solid reputation as a “great singer of great songs” from a diversity of sources. These days his own compositions are most featured in his concerts as well as in the performances and recordings of a growing number of notable artistes. Ben Sands songs, music and stories paint pictures of an ongoing legacy inherited in those early, influential years on a small farm in County Down and enriched by his colourful, musical, adventure-some journeys through life.

Tickets here.

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During next week parents and toddlers are invited to climb on board the PlayTalkRead bus ‘Bessie’ as it visits various libraries and community centres all over Edinburgh.

Each bus is designed as a free drop in playground to where parents and carers can pick up tips on exciting new ideas to play, talk and read more with their little ones in a relaxed and comfortable environment. The bus will be stopping at:

Fairmilehead Parish Church, 1a Frogston Road West Edinburgh, EH10 7AA from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Monday 13^th October
Craigmillar Library, 101 Niddrie Mains Rd, Edinburgh EH16 4DS from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Tuesday 14^th October
Gracemount medical/sports centre, 24 Gracemount Dr, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh EH16 6RN from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Wednesday 15^th October
Moredun Library, 92 Moredun Park Road, EH17 7HL from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Thursday 16^th October
Gilmerton Community Centre, 4 Drum St, Edinburgh EH17 8QG from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Friday 17^th October
Gilmerton Community Centre, 4 Drum St, Edinburgh EH17 8QG from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Monday 20^th October
Valley Park Community Centre, 37 Southhouse Rd, Edinburgh EH17 8EU from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Tuesday 21^st October
Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre, 5 Moredunvale Pl, Edinburgh EH17 7LB from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Wednesday 22^nd October
Inchpark Community Centre Inch House, 225 Gilmerton Road EH16 5UF from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Thursday 23^rd October
No.64 Gilmerton Dykes Street Edinburgh EH17 8PL from 10 – 1pm and 2 -4pm on Friday 24^th October

On board, parents and carers of 0 – 3 year olds can try all types of fun with books, toys, interactive storytelling as well as song, rhythm and rhyme sessions with the qualified and experienced play workers to help them interact with their child and find low-cost or free activities to do together as their little one grows.

Minister for Children and Young People, Aileen Campbell commented: “Playing, talking and reading are fun ways to spend time with your kids from the very earliest age. Doing activities together helps build bonds and, as a mum, I know first-hand that any physical activity which can help a little one sleep better or longer is worth its weight in gold.

“The buses and PlayTalkRead website are a great source of ideas and inspiration on how to turn daily routines – such as getting dressed or taking a bus – into exciting new games. Being active together is one of the best ways to keep your child happy and healthy and will likely be some of the happiest memories you and your child share. We’re delighted to be coming to Edinburgh and hope that lots of mums, dads, grandparents and carers can bring their wee ones along.”

Last year more than 16,000 parents and 22,700 children visited one of the 459 PlayTalkRead events held across Scotland. A massive 95 per cent of those felt the advice the buses offered was relevant to them and more than 70 per cent said they would play, talk and read with their children more as a result of visiting.

The PlayTalkRead roadshow will visit every local authority in Scotland as part of the Scottish Government’s Early Years campaign focusing on the first three years of children’s lives. Entry is free. You can see when the PlayTalkRead buses will next be in your area at: www.playtalkread.org/bus/timetable

For more information – plus lots of handy tips and advice – visit www.playtalkread.org. You can also visit the PlayTalkRead Facebook page at www.facebook.com/playtalkread or follow PlayTalkRead on Twitter @PlayTalkRead.

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All creatures great and small are invited with their owners to Greyfriars Kirk this weekend for a special blessing for animals on Sunday 12 October 2014 at 3pm.

The service organised by Greyfriars Kirk, in association with the Skye Terrier Club, follows on from last years’ inaugural animal-themed event.

Greyfriars Kirk stands on the site of a pre-Reformation Franciscan order of Grey Friars who followed St Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals.

During the service the menagerie of animals will be blessed in the grounds and owners are invited to bring along their pets – not just dogs and cats – for the special service which will be followed by an informal ‘pet parade’.

Greyfriars Kirk is well suited as a venue. Scotland’s most famous dog, Bobby, is buried in the graveyard outside the church.

John Gray was a constable in Edinburgh’s Police Force and was obliged to have a watch dog. It is unknown what happened to his first dog but regulations said he had to have a watch dog to accompany him on patrol. He chose a Skye terrier and being a police dog, he named him Bobby.

No other breed of dog has more gritty tenacity and loyalty and Bobby was to prove his loyalty by faithfully keeping vigil by his master’s grave for 14 years until his own death in 1872.