Tibet talks at the Scottish Parliament
Wildlife Bus on tour today!
M&S fundraising
Edinburgh’s Libraries big birthday
Stobo Castle Ladies Day
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Pupils at Duddingston Primary School in Edinburgh will be able to experience a series of interactive Scottish wildlife lessons later today thanks to a specially designed double-decker education bus currently touring Scotland.
The ‘Wild about Scotland’ bus is visiting schools in Scotland as part of a wider campaign being brought to all of Scotland’s 32 local councils throughout the 2015 and 2016.
The programme has been developed by the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland (RZSS) and has been made possible through a partnership between Clydesdale Bank and the RZSS to support the charity in its conservation goals across Scotland.
Pupils from Duddingston will get to take part in a variety of interactive and fun lessons which focused on Scottish native species, their habitats and environments. Lessons will be delivered by a dedicated education team from RZSS.
Chris West, CEO of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: “Conservation through education is one of the founding principles behind the Society and remains one of our key goals to this day.
“We believe connecting young people to the natural world is vital and the ‘Wild about Scotland’ outreach programme will further add to the curriculum based learning delivered each year by the Society. Importantly, now more than ever, preserving and learning about the huge variety of wildlife living in Scotland, and how children may help make a difference in the conservation of that wildlife, is of huge worth.”
Helen Page, Customer Experience, Products and Marketing Director at Clydesdale Bank said:
“RZSS makes a vital contribution to the conservation of Scotland’s wildlife, both through direct preservation and its commitment to educating the public on endangered species, habitats and ecosystems. We’re proud to be joining forces with them to help deliver this educational programme to primary schools in Edinburgh.
“Our support will enable them to bring the ‘Wild about Scotland’ programme to young people not only on Edinburgh, but to communities across Scotland that may not otherwise have the opportunity to engage with expertise from RZSS on Scottish conservation.”
The customised double-decker has been transformed from a Stagecoach passenger bus into a fully functional and interactive mobile classroom with capacity to accommodate up to 26 children at once.
‘Wild about Scotland’ aims to engage a younger generation with Scotland’s wildlife – not just in forests or wild areas of Scotland, but also in their own back gardens. In particular, the lessons covered the following topics:
- ‘Minibeasts’ – Looking at the huge diversity of insects on earth and the variety which can be found in the local area.
- ‘Highland Tiger’ – Raising awareness of the Scottish wildcat plight and what pupils can do to help preserve the species.
- ‘Beavers’– Looking at whether the beaver should be reintroduced back in to Scotland and the effect reintroducing a species can have on an ecosystem
The corporate partnership with Clydesdale Bank is the biggest in RZSS’s history and includes significant support. As well as funding the overhaul of the bus, the partnership is helping support the delivery of the programme by the RZSS outreach education team as it travels across Scotland to as many schools as possible. Part of the package also includes a donation to RZSS’s conservation aims for endangered species.
To find out which schools and venues the bus is visiting or to book a visit to your local primary school for the next term, please visit: http://www.cbonline.co.uk/wildaboutscotlannd/
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Employees at M&S Princes Street have pushed the store’s fundraising efforts to £6,600 following a number of events in aid of Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh, the store’s Charity of the Year.
Two employees, Jeanette Dunbar and Jean Bell, raised a fantastic £1,100 following a gruelling charity walk along The West Highland Way. The pair completed the 96 mile challenge from Milngavie to Fort William over six days in May last year. Other fundraising activities included an in-store raffle and book sale, which along with matched funding from the company, added around £3,400 to the total amount. £2,060 was also donated from Clothing and Home carrier bag proceeds.
Each year, M&S stores around the country select one charity to support for the full year, hosting fundraising events with customers and employees. The Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh provides free specialist care for people living with a terminal illness and support for families. As well as its in-patient unit, it also has a Day Service and a nursing team supporting patients at home.
Jenny McPartlin, M&S Princes Street Store Manager, said: “We’re all so proud of Jean and Jeanette for this huge achievement, the challenge was no easy feat. We can’t thank our customers and employees enough for their support and generous donations throughout the year, to raise such a huge amount for our chosen charity is just fantastic. Marie Curie is such a valuable service for the local community and one close to the hearts of some of our own team.”
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Edinburgh’s library service is celebrating its 125th birthday by serving up a slice of special events to mark the landmark anniversary.
A big birthday bash, readings by children’s authors, a rare glimpse of Japanese art, and a debate on the future of libraries are all examples of the fun-packed programme taking place this month.
The Central Library was the first to open in the Capital to the public on June 9th, 1890, and now a total of 28 across the city welcome 3.4 million visitors each year.
Lord Roseberry officially opened it after previous attempts to set up a free public service failed as it would “put an unnecessary burden on the ratepayers”.
Andrew Carnegie offered £50,000 to establish the iconic library on George IV Bridge, and less than a year later, he laid the foundation stone.
In the space of 15 years, Edinburgh had gained a substantial number of branches in the north, south, east and west districts, as well as a library in Portobello Town Hall.
The Council has continued to invest in new buildings in the 21st century, with a new library for Muirhouse in 2000, and the most recent community hubs in Drumbrae and Craigmillar in 2012.
Recent upgrades have been carried out at Stockbridge, Leith, McDonald Road, Morningside and Central.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Libraries have been serving the people of Edinburgh for well over a century and I’m delighted to be part of the birthday celebrations.
“Our library team can keep a large group of toddlers entertained at Bookbug sessions, support the ever-changing population of Edinburgh through community language collections, help people to get connected digitally, and also open up a world of heritage, history and information. I’d like to thank staff for all of their hard and imaginative work.
“There’s a wealth of information and services mainly for free at our fingertips through libraries – support your local branch by keeping them going for at least another 125 years by paying a visit today.”
The Henry Dyer Collection of Japanese Art will be on display on the 9th from 2-4pm at Central Library.
The Lost in a Good Book exhibition will run until June 13th.
Author Jane Blatt will hold a children’s workshop on June 15th at 1.30pm.
Faces of the Library by Joanna Jarzymowska will run until June 27th.
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The second of Musselburgh Racecourse’s Super Saturday’s, Ladies Day, will make a fashionable return this Saturday (13 June 2015) with a record breaking attendance of almost 10,000 expected as the premier Edinburgh event welcomes a raft of gorgeous girls and guys all dressed to impress.
With prizes awarded for the most chic attendees, Scotland’s style set will be out in force in a bid to be crowned King and Queen of Style – with the best dressed female in with the chance of winning a Mitsubishi Mirage from Belmont Wallyford along with a £250 shopping spree courtesy of Edinburgh’s most iconic department store Jenners, a House of Fraser store.
This year’s event will feature a capital chic spectacular, with top Scottish stylist Laura Russell of Satisfashion producing a series of ‘must-see’ fashion shows showcasing this season’s hottest looks. All this plus fantastic live music and, of course, top racing action including the £100,000 William Hill Scottish Sprint Cup – Scotland’s fastest race!
Keeping the party going, celebrations will go on into the evening on the Fashion in the Field stage with The Queen of Style Finale and After Racing Party. Sarah Montgomery, commercial manager at Musselburgh Racecourse, said: “Every year we see racegoers take the style stakes to the next level, with competition for the Best Dressed title getting tougher each time.
“This year’s Ladies Day is set to be more sophisticated than ever. With a thrilling atmosphere that’s second to none, first class racing, and exclusive After Party taking the celebrations into the evening it’s going to be a Ladies Day to remember.”
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
