WWI commemorations
Air pollution in Edinburgh
Fountainbridge Show
New Year Honour for St Columba’s boss
Government Minister visits Pilton Community Health Project
The Lord Provost will lead events in the Capital in May to mark 100 years since the Quintinshill Rail disaster.
Every year around the anniversary of this disaster, a service is held to remember the victims in Rosebank Cemetery. This year, on 23 May, an even bigger commemoration is being planned at Rosebank Cemetery where the majority of the victims of the rail disaster are buried.
On 24 May, a special regimental service will also be held at the Canongate Kirk.
The Lord Provost, the Rt Hon Donald Wilson, said: “100 years on, Quintinshill remains the worst rail crash in the UK in terms of loss of life.
“Many of the 226 people killed and 246 injured were Territorial soldiers from the Leith Battalion, and those who tragically didn’t make it are buried in Rosebank Cemetery and remembered every year with a special service.
“This year, as national events mark the centenary of the rail disaster, it’s very important that this tragedy – and how it impacted the local Leith community – is marked appropriately in Edinburgh. I feel very honoured to be leading these events.”
Gretna, Leith, Stirling and Dundee will all host national events in 2015 to mark the centenary of First World War dates with particular resonance for Scotland and the Scots.
The Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop announced plans earlier this week.
The focus of the Scottish Commemorations Programme in its second year will extend from the capital to include other areas of Scotland whose communities are closely associated with the anniversaries being marked.
On May 22 and 23, Gretna and Leith in Edinburgh will mark the centenary of the Quintinshill Rail Disaster, a train crash on the Caledonian Railway Mainline just outside the Border town that claimed the lives of 216 of the Leith-based 7th Battalion TheRoyal Scots, Territorial Force as they journeyed to Liverpool prior to sailing for Gallipoli.
On June 4 and 6, Stirling will host a national commemoration to mark the 100-year anniversary of the date the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division arrived in Gallipoli after training in Stirling. The division, including many Scottish battalions, left from Larbert on 21 and 22 May and landed on the Gallipoli peninsula on June 4 to take part in the allied naval and military operation to force the Dardanelles which aimed to secure entry to the Black Sea and to the then capital of Turkey, Istanbul.
On September 26, Dundee will host a national event to commemorate the centenary of the start of the Battle of Loos, in which around 30,000 Scots fought. Battalions from every Scottish regiment fought in the Battle of Loos and suffered huge numbers of casualties. Of the 21,000 killed, over 7,000 were Scottish soldiers. Almost every town and village in Scotland was affected by the losses at Loos. Six Battalions of the Black Watch, mostly drawn from Dundee and its surrounding counties, took part. The 4th Black Watch, “Dundee’s Own”, suffered huge losses with 57% of men killed or wounded on the first day of battle. The beacon on top of the Dundee Law War Memorial is lit annually to remember the fallen.
Through the Scottish Commemorations Panel, Ministers are liaising with Stirling Council, Dundee City Council, City of Edinburgh Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council and the Royal Scots Regimental Association on arrangements for each event. Further details will be announced later in the year.
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said:
“Throughout 2015 – the busiest year in Scotland’s five-year commemorations programme – we will continue to encourage people in all parts of Scotland to join with us to consider the impact of the First World War, which claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Scots and left many more injured or disabled.
“The Quintinshill Rail Disaster, Gallipoli campaign and Battle of Loos each had a profound and long-lasting impact on Scotland and it is right that we pause to remember each event, and the Scottish communities who were affected.
“The First World War had a significant and broad impact on our nation. Through our national commemorations the people of Scotland will have opportunities to reflect on its lasting social and civic legacy.”
Norman Drummond, Chair of the Scottish Commemorations Panel, said:
“This year commemorations will again be taking place all over Scotland to mark the centenary of events which had such a huge impact on the people of Scotland in the communities which were most affected.
“2015 will be the busiest year in Scotland’s five-year commemorations programme, and we will further pause to reflect on the horror of war, the service and sacrifice of our servicemen and women and of those at home, and the lessons we continue to learn from World War One.”
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St John’s Road is Scotland’s second worst street for nitrogen dioxide air pollution, while Queensferry Road and Salamander Street are also on the list prepared by Friends of the Earth.
In Corstorphine the new Waitrose has attracted opposition from campaigners already worried about the level of air pollution in the area.
Emilia Hanna, Air Pollution Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland said,
“Yet again, Scotland’s streets are shown to have dangerous levels of toxic pollution which are breaking legal limits that were due to be met in 2010. Pollution levels in our urban areas are showing little sign of improvement with some key streets even more polluted than in 2013.
“Air pollution is responsible for more than 2000 deaths in Scotland each year and costs the NHS here up to £2 billion annually. The time has come for our polluted air to be treated as the public health crisis it really is.”
The FOE list is based on data from the Government’s Scottish Air Quality Website which you can see here.
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STV Edinburgh launch Fountainbridge News from 6.30pm tonight closely followed by the Fountainbridge Show until 8.30pm with presenters Ewen Cameron and Hayley Matthews. We wish our chums at STV all the best with the new venture.
STV Edinburgh will broadcast on Freeview channel 23, Sky channel 117 and Virgin channel 159 and will be available to watch live on the STV Player.
The show will include an hour of Polish TV from Friday 16 January 2015.
Paul Hughes, channel editor for STV Edinburgh said: “The response from local people to the launch of the brand new channel has been fantastic. We’ve been inundated with requests from local bands and chefs from the capital who want to appear on the The Fountainbridge Show which is really encouraging ahead of launch.
“STV Glasgow launched to a terrific reception last June and we anticipate the people of Edinburgh will welcome this new platform that will reflect everything going on in the city on a daily basis.”
The Edinburgh Reporter is a little excited as they have sent an invitation asking her to come along and sit on the sofa…watch on Wednesday!
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Mrs Margaret Forbes Dunbar – former Chief Executive of St Columba’s Hospice – has been awarded an MB in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for her services to palliative care.
Margaret joined the staff at St Columba’s Hospice as Nurse Director in 1998 and went on to lead the Hospice through its greatest period of change by overseeing the recent £26million rebuild project. Following Margaret’s retirement in September 2014, Ms Jackie Husband took over as Chief Executive of the Hospice in October, and is delighted that the work of her predecessor has been recognised with such a prestigious award:
“My colleagues and I would like to extend our warm congratulations to Mrs Dunbar for being awarded an MBE for her services to palliative care. Not so long ago this branch of treatment and care was not recognised and this award shows there is now a greater awareness of the importance of palliative care in the wider community, and the requirement to improve this to reflect increased demand.”
Last week Public Health Minister Maureen Watt visited the Pilton Community Health Project to launch the new Eat Better Feel Better campaign. Watch here:
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
