Five things you need to know today Edinburgh!
Free pick up for rubbish on Wednesday
Taekwondo
New Waitrose store
Musselburgh Racecourse to undergo improvements
The Gang Show
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Over 600 athletes from seventeen nations are converging on the capital this weekend – including Australia, Pakistan, Canada, Kenya, Malaysia, Ghana, India and Malta.
Athletes competing on the day include Jade Jones from Wales, Lutalo Muhammed from England, Laura Burns from Northern Ireland plus a number of Scottish players; Asia Bailey, Kimberley Clarke, Damon Sansum and Jordyn Smith, with this great selection of athletes it’s going to be a great 2 days.
Taekwondo Scotland Chairman Dr Bill Darlington said: “There is astonishing quality right across our squad and I’m confident we’ll be amongst the medals.”
Event Director David Bailey added: “The calibre of fighters will result in a great show. With Olympic medallists like Jade Jones and Lutalo Muhammad coming, there’s a lot of class. It’s going to be a spectacular event.”
Tickets
Daily spectator tickets – £10 (adults) and £6 (children under 16) – can be purchased in advance through the Taekwondo Scotland website at www.taekwondoscotland.org or at Meadowbank on the day of the event.
For more information, visit www.taekwondoscotland.org we look forward to seeing you there.
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In this month’s planning list there is an application for Listed Building Consent for three new bronze plaques to be installed on the pavement in front of the War Memorial at The City Chambers on the High Street, which we will no doubt see in place soon. Out at Corstorphine on St John’s Road there are plans for a major development of a food retail store which will involve demolition of the existing shops which will then be replaced by a cafe, parking and landscaping. This is the site of the former Woolworths store, although there are a couple of other shops lying adjacent to it.
It is intended to use the site for a Waitrose store which willl provide 22,000 square feet of sales space on the ground floor, 11,000 square feet of staff and storage on the upper level and 140 parking spaces in a two storey car park. The development is estimated to be worth £14m. What do you think? Would this be an improvement for Corstorphine? This would be the third Waitrose store in Edinburgh, with others in Comely Bank and Morningside. If the plans are eventually passed then the new store is planned to open in 2016 with 150 new jobs with the John Lewis Partnership who will run the store.
There will be a public exhibition of the proposal at Corstorphine Library on 10 December 2014 which is the second held by the developers, or you may click here for further details of the design.
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Musselburgh Racecourse has invested £250,000 in upgrading facilities as part of an ongoing refurbishment to maintain 5 star visitor status.
The East Lothian track is the only Scottish racecourse to hold a 5 star VisitScotland rating and the management team have a year-round focus on pushing up standards and improving the visitor experience.
On the back of a record-breaking Flat season, the East Lothian has reinvested profits to make a series of improvements, including re-branding and extending the bars and introducing a new logo and signage which reflects the course’s heritage as it approaches its 200th anniversary.
In the short close season between the end of the Flat campaign and the start of the jumps season, builders, decorators and landscapers have been busy completing a programme of works.
The former bistro bar located underneath the grandstand has been upgraded and extended, taking in the former Annual Members’ bar, and will now be named the Harris Tweed Bar in honour of the first winner of the Edinburgh Cup in 2010, with the Annual Members’ bar now located in what was Le Garcon D’Or bar. The Lothian Suite in the Queen’s Stand and the Champagne Bar have also been refreshed with new furniture and carpeted areas.
Musselburgh Racecourse commercial manager, Sarah Montgomery, said: “The refurbishment work is necessary if we are to maintain our VisitScotland five star rating and is contributes to the overall success of the racecourse.
“All profits from our most successful Flat season have been invested to ensure the facilities at Musselburgh remain the best in the country in terms of quality, comfort and value for money. The new logo and signage celebrates our history dating back to 1816, while enhancing the customer experience in helping people to navigate their way around the racecourse.
“Racing faces a lot of competition in continuing to attract the paying public and these improvements will help grow attendances and encourage visitors to return to Musselburgh.”
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The Gang Show runs from 18 to 22 November at the King’s Theatre with everything from Michael Jackson to Disney’s Frozen, song and dance and comedy sketches.
This will be the biggest yet with 330 young people made up of Edinburgh Scouts and Guides.
Get your tickets now!
Edinburgh Gang Show 2014
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
Tue 18 to Sat 22 November
Evenings 7.00pm
Saturday matinee 2.15pm (Audio described & BSL interpreted)
0131 529 6000
0131 529 6005 (Group bookings)
Tickets from £10.00