Edinburgh councillor blogs – Maureen Child

October 10, 2015 7:55 pm

Maureen_Child_17_200x200 A local resident came up with some heartening good news to share: “Just wanted to pass on the fantastic experience that my teenage autistic son has had with Green Shoots, the social inclusion branch of The Green Team, which works out of Tynecastle High School community wing. I don’t say it lightly when I describe the intervention as life saving.” The link to its activities is normally

http://greenteam.org.uk , but the link was down at the time I tried. It might be fixed by now.

Other contacts are: The Green Team, 2 McLeod Street EH112ND, Tel: 0131 337 7227, or email info@greenteam.org.uk

Their lovely art-gallery window is all changed and ready for the weekend, so how about a visit to sunny Portobello and The Velvet Easel Gallery?!

Up to £4,000 of funding is available for community groups to help them sow or grow native plants and transform communal spaces. See here: Grants

Due to essential gas main replacement works on Brighton Place, (brought forwards to future proofing the re-building of the carriageway), it will be necessary to install temporary two way traffic lights on Brighton Place from today, Saturday 10 October for approximately seven days. There will also be some additional work on Rosefield Place lasting about seven days. The works will cause delays and are timed to coincide with the October week school holiday when traffic reduces by about 15%. Temporary traffic lights will be manned from 7am to 7pm daily, and manually operated when required. The setts will removed and replaced with asphalt surfacing for now. These setts will be put into storage for reuse in the reconstruction of Brighton Place early next year.

Prickly plants will now be put at the foot of the Coadstone Pillars in the community garden at the foot of John Street on the Promenade. A while ago, a young boy fell off one of the pillars was severely injured, even although the child was under adult supervision at the time. The pillars have been there for quite a few years now and this is the only known accident. Please make sure children are deterred from climbing these pillars.

Dads can brush up on their hairdressing skills with this Dads and Daughters fundraising event for Portobello Toddlers Hut. Link: here

Hunt for mystery Edinburgh railway snapper – a mysterious railway driver whose legacy of photographs opened doors on the past. Local historian Archie Foley, found the negatives by chance in a biscuit tin at a collectors’ fair and has been trying to find out more about the photographer ever since. More here: Evening News Article

Do you own a jet-ski or motor boat? Lots of people swim at Porty beach and there is an exclusion zone in place for a very good reason, so stay away from the shore in case you kill or badly injure someone. See plea to be more careful, here It seemed to work the first weekend. Long may that continue!

Now Edinburgh’s best kept secret with great affordable food: The White House Kitchen but don’t just take MY word for it being great: Review

All of Portobello’s Primary Schools now have partnerships with schools in Tanzania. (Brunstane, Duddingston, Parsons Green, Royal High, St John’s and Towerbank). In order to support these partnerships and the other 12 across the city a fashion business has been set up to help fund these relationships and the projects that are developing. If you would like to help or be involved in any way you would be welcome. And if you do have any quality clothes or accessories you could part with they would be much appreciated now or at any time in the future! The fundamental purpose of Twende Pamoja is to develop a global vision in the context of relationship. There are now 46 primary and secondary schools and 6 communities involved in partnerships, which began 30 years ago. Makutano is a growing network of relationships between young people who seek to develop and bring about a vision of life as it could be. The Twende Pamoja Trust seeks to nurture and support these partnerships and the young people in our schools. (See www.twendepamojatrust.blogspot.com and www.twendepamoja.org.uk)

A report regarding catchment boundary changes for Towerbank Primary School is recommending the option which guarantees sibling places. The Council decided to hold a statutory consultation as Towerbank Primary School was identified as having capacity issues from August 2016 onwards due to the rising number of catchment pupils in recent time. Four different options for catchment change were put forward and the public were able to submit their views from 8 May until 22 June. In total 428 responses were received with a clear majority of 65% wanting option four which also provides a guarantee of places at Towerbank Primary School being available for younger siblings in the future. Full details of the recommended option and how it will be implemented are contained in the report. The recommendation will be discussed by the City of Edinburgh Council meeting on Thursday, 22 October who will discuss the report and come to a decision.

The monthly Craigmillar Chronicle community newspaper is sorely missed. Now an online facility is starting up which we hope will grow arms and legs and perhaps – one day – have an occasional printed version. I have been at The White House today learning a bit about how to get on WordPress. Mean time this is being put up as a Blog on the website by others more able than I am, although if I can learn how to do it, anybody can! Watch this space – and do get in involved if you can:chronicleonline.net/training-and-support

Students and staff at Castlebrae Community High School raised more than £350 in half an hour for the cancer care charity Macmillan in a coffee morning event last week. Lee Milligan and fellow students at the home economics department baked a range of cakes for what has become an fund raiser at Castlebrae. “Yeah, we’re pleased with the amount we raised,” Lee told Chronicle On-line. “We do it every year in the school. The staff said they enjoyed the cakes really well. “It’s an on-going thing for the school do to, so we will be doing it again next year.”

Sylvia Gorman is the librarian at Castlebrae Community High School but she is also Secretary of the Craigmillar Literacy Trust who organise Craigmillar Book Festival. The Chronicle on line spoke to her about the festival which is coming up in November to tie in with Book Week Scotland, and some events which pupils can enjoy. Sylvia Gorman Interview Book Week Scotland is a week-long celebration of books and reading that takes place every November, this year2015 will Monday 23 – Sunday 29 November. ‘Follow’ them on Twitter or ‘like’ them on Facebook

for the latest updates about Book Week Scotland 2015 and make sure you don’t miss any events!

Communities across Edinburgh are being urged to submit their applications to the City of Edinburgh Council for a Waste Action Grant as the deadline fast approaches. Grants are available to fund eco-friendly projects that will encourage more people in the Capital to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Groups can now also apply for grants to support litter campaigns and projects that aim to run preventative litter campaigns are encouraged to apply.

Environmentally conscious householders, community groups, youth groups and schools are all being urged to submit an application for funding by Tuesday 20th October. A range of funding is available, from smaller grants of £50-£200 to larger grants of £500 – £2500. For more information :Waste Action Grant

Finally, do take part in the 2016-2020 City of Edinburgh Council Budget Consultation, which was launched last week: See here: Budget Consultation

I am away for the next ten days on holiday, but the office will deal with anything urgent mean time. Do have a good October break yourselves!

Best wishes

Maureen