- Reprieve for Lorne Street tenants
- Meanwhile Fountainbridge – have a seat
- Tapir calf born at the zoo
- New General Manager at G&V
- The Magic of Reading at Fort Kinnaird
Tenants of houses owned by the Miss Agnes Hunter Trust were under threat of eviction earlier in the year when the trustees decided to sell them/
But yesterday the Trust issued an announcement that they will not send any more notices to tenants that they must leave. The Trust had agreed with the council not to send out any more such notices until 1 July 2016, but now that moratorium will continue.
The Trust has also said that it could not do a deal with Port of Leith Housing Association for the Association to acquire the houses, but has not explained why.
Walter Thomson, Chairman of Board of Trustees of the Miss Agnes Hunter Trust, said: “Our original decision to sell the properties was taken to safeguard the ability of the Trust to maintain its ability to make grants to charities in line with the purposes outlined by Miss Agnes Hunter when she set up the trust in 1954.
“Unfortunately a bid from The Port of Leith Housing Association provided impossible to conclude a deal which would have worked for both parties.
“However, while we continue to seek to sell the property portfolio, the Trustees have decided not to issue any further notices to quit to individual sitting short-assured tenants”.
Green councillors reacted angrily to the news. Green housing spokesperson Cllr Steve Burgess said: “While I am pleased that the Trust has removed the threat of en masse evictions, they should never have been threatened in the first place. In the last nine months the Trust has undermined faith in its capacity to be a landlord and caused huge anxiety for its tenants.
“And it begs the question of what next? Tenants are no clearer as to why a potential bid from Port of Leith Housing Association has not been acceptable to the Trust. Nor is it clear what the prospect is for other housing associations to take over as landlord.
“All in all, this sorry episode has shown the Trust to be incapable of managing and maintaining its properties properly. So going back to square one, as is suggested, hardly seems like a good outcome.”
A new project is asking for locals and students of built environment go design and build a seat during a one day event on 18 June which will coincide with the Fountainbridge Canal Festival.
Meanwhile Fountainbridge : Space to Sit will mean that seats branded with the will be left at the site for the public to enjoy all summer long.
The project provides a unique and exciting opportunity for people to come together to help shape a shared space, encouraging use of public places for recreation.
Project director Liz Thomas of HERE+NOW says, “The exciting thing about this project is the commitment and involvement of the existing community. They are truly an inspiration to other community groups who might be wondering what they can do to make change in a place near them: this project provides an opportunity to share a token of what’s possible with other community projects across the city.”
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[mc4wp_form id=”169103″]A new baby Malayan tapir calf was born at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo on 19 May. He weighed a mighty 11kg but is expected to double in size in the next few weeks.
Here he is on Monday of this week exploring his new world.
Karen Stiven, Hoofstock Keeper at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, said: “The tiny calf is doing very well and, whilst he is staying close to his mother, he has been rambling around a bit on his small shaky legs to explore his surroundings. On Monday afternoon he took his first tentative steps into the outdoor paddock and was even brave enough to take a few splashes in the pond.
“The birth of this calf is very significant as he will go on to play a role in the conservation of this rare species as, once he is old enough, he will join the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme to help augment a safety-net population for this species, ensuring they do not go extinct. RZSS Edinburgh Zoo has had great husbandry success with this increasingly threatened tapir species.”
G&V Royal Mile Hotel Edinburgh, part of the Quorvus Collection, is pleased to announce the appointment of Martin Scott as General Manager. Martin, who has over 16 years’ experience in the industry, will be overseeing the completion of the hotel’s extensive refurbishment which began in 2015 and includes the launch of a new bar later this year.
Malcolm Rann, Regional Director, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group said of the appointment: “Martin is known for being a young talent, known for his creativity and entrepreneurial flair and we are thrilled to have him on-board. He is joining G&V at an exciting time, following the re-design of the hotel’s suites in 2015, the G&V will be undertaking a full refurbishment of its ground-floor area, including: lobby and a brand new bar launch in Q4 2016.”
Martin previously held the position of General Manager for the Cairn Hotel Group, overseeing the successful Edinburgh launch of Hotel Indigo on Princes Street as well as the running of Juniper Edinburgh and Twenty Princes Street Grill & Smokehouse.
Over 240 Edinburgh school pupils were invited along to Fort Kinnaird Shopping Centre last week for a storytelling session.
The National Literacy Trust’s Young Readers Programme ran the session in collaboration with the centre, all in a bid to make children fall in love with reading.
Over the past few months, pupils from Castleview Primary School, Niddrie Mill Primary School and St Francis’ RC Primary School have taken part in three literacy-focused events where they learned how to choose books they will enjoy and selected three to take home for free. The project culminated in an event at Fort Kinnaird Shopping Centre where pupils took part in literacy-focused activities, including a storytelling session.
The schools were also given a £100 book voucher from WHSmith and pupils were taken on a behind-the-scenes tour of the store where they were given the chance to quiz staff on their favourite fictional stories and characters.
Picture by Chris James
New for this year, Fort Kinnaird Shopping Centre is running a competition to find the area’s young ‘Reading Hero’. The competition will reward local children under the age of 12 who have gone above and beyond to inspire others to read. Perhaps they help their brother or sister to read or love reading stories to family members. One winner from Edinburgh will receive two £100 National Book Tokens; one for them and one for their school. Parents, guardians or anyone inspired by a local child can nominate them by visiting www.fortkinnaird.com/ReadingHero.
Liam Smith, centre manager at Fort Kinnaird Shopping Centre, said: “Working with our local community is something we take pride in and we were thrilled to welcome schoolchildren from Edinburgh to our centre to take part in the storytelling event.
“It was great to see the children get really excited about reading and watch them be inspired to choose which books to take home. A big thanks to WHSmith, Hobbycraft and Waterstone’s who helped to make the day enjoyable for all involved too. The programme really helps to make a difference in our local area and is a wonderful way to encourage the children to read books outside of school time.”
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