- MGA Academy of Performing Arts celebrate 10th anniversary
- Student accommodation now open for bookings
- Summer holiday safety warning from Barratt Homes
- Keep Scotland Beautiful Green Student of the Year Award
- Fire Station Open Day
TV and West End star Ray Quinn will be in Edinburgh next week to help the capital’s MGA Academy of Performing Arts celebrate their 10th anniversary in fine style. At the King’s Theatre next week the former Brookside and Dancing on Ice star who was runner up in the X Factor in 2006 will take to the stage with hundreds of students.
Ray said: “I’m really looking forward to performing in Ten as Edinburgh is a city that I really love. Murray Grant, one of the founders of The MGA Academy, is a good friend of mine and it’s great to see how successful his academy has become. When I was a kid, I used to sleep, eat and breathe musical theatre so I know how excited all the students will be to get up on the stage and show of the skills they’ve learnt. I can’t wait to be a part of it!”
Ray, who is currently in the studio recording a new album, continued: “When I was at college, I loved asking for advice when we had guests come in. The best advice I could give the students would be to make sure they have the right representation for them. It’s really important to be the performer you set out to be at the start. In the entertainment industry, you get out what you put in. It’s one of the best jobs in the world.”
Ten is a dazzling celebration of musical theatre that will feature the very best song and dance numbers from productions that have been put on by The MGA Academy over the last decade. Also set to appear in the show is West End performer and The MGA Academy graduate Rhiannon Chesterman, who is just about to finish a successful run in Mrs Henderson Presents at the Noel Coward Theatre in London.
Andrew Gowland, Managing Director of The MGA Academy of Performing Arts, said: “We are proud to celebrate a decade of success at The MGA Academy and to present the very best in song and dance from the first ten years of our productions.
“Ten will feature Ray Quinn and more than 200 professional performers-in-training from The MGA Academy recreating the most magical moments from a decade of great performances. It is a show not to be missed!”
Performances of Ten at The King’s Theatre in Edinburgh will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday 23, Friday 24, and Saturday 24 June, with an additional 2.30pm show on the Saturday. Tickets are available via www.edtheatres.com/mgaacademyten or by calling 0131 529 6000.
The newest student development in town at Haddington Place will be home to 240 students in furnished rooms with en-suite facilities from September. Built on the former site of the Botanic Gardens where Botanic Cottage used to be this is a prime location for students at any of the universities and colleges in the city.
Prices start from £135 per week which includes all utilities and free wifi.
There is a range of studio apartments and four, five and six bedroom cluster apartments and penthouses with shared kitchens and living areas.
The development company S Harrison has completed the £23 million five-storey building and is now taking reservations for the new academic year.
David Clancy from S Harrison says: “The show apartment is designed to offer a real feel for the quality and specification on offer at Haddington Place. The whole development is being finished to an exceptional standard, that surpasses everything else in the area, and it will offer superb facilities including a state-of-the-art gym, study areas, cycle storage and cinema lounge.
“It’s also in a great location surrounded by shops, cafes, restaurants and transport links as well as being close to the vibrant Broughton Street area. Plus, it’s just a five minute walk from the city centre and a mile from the University of Edinburgh’s main campus adding to its appeal. As a result of its position, homes on the upper levels offer superb views over the city and across to the Firth of Forth.”
Barratt Homes have issued a timely reminder to parents and young people in Edinburgh to avoid building sites during the summer holidays.
The company are building on 18 sites in Edinburgh and East Scotland and they urge children to stay away from their sites which can be dangerous places even though they look like fun places to play. During the year the company visit schools to give safety talks to highlight the hazards of playing there.
Bryan Galloway, head of construction at Barratt Homes East Scotland, comments: “It’s an exciting time for youngsters across the region as they look forward to the summer holidays, and we want to help make sure that they have a great time. We’re sending out this timely reminder to alert children and their parents about the potential dangers of building sites and the need to stay safe this summer.
“There are 15 different active Barratt Homes site across Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothians and we always make sure site safety and security is a top priority. This is why we’re encouraging parents to help by making sure they know where their children are during the holiday period. It’s important to get youngsters thinking about the dangers that exist and hammer home the message that they should stay away.”
Edinburgh College student Pawel Janicki (24) for the Calder area of Edinburgh has won the Keep Scotland Beautiful Green Student of the year Award at the Edinburgh College Prize giving this year.
He has been working on renewable transport including electric cars.
John Frater, Director with Keep Scotland Beautiful said, “I am glad to present the first Keep Scotland Beautiful – Green Student Award to Pawel Janicki. During the past year Pawel has collected data to allow a comparison of solar power output against the running costs of the college fleet of electric cars, represented the college at events to promote electric vehicles, created a user guide to be placed in the fleet of electric cars and has conducted research to evaluate how effective electric vehicles are in cutting carbon emissions.
“Keep Scotland Beautiful is committed to supporting Scotland’s young workforce to help develop the key skills needed to enter careers in the emerging sectors, which will help Scotland to achieve a low carbon future.”
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[mc4wp_form id=”169103″]The fire station on McDonald Road is having an open day on 30 July from 11.00am till 3.30pm.
This is a free event designed for families. The local community will be welcome to have a look at the emergency services vehicles and learn some community safety advice. Police Scotland, Coastguard and The Scottish Ambulance Service will join in with stalls and exhibits.
Watch Manager David Anderson said: “This open day is sure to be a great free family day out that is not to be missed. Police, Ambulance, Airport fire appliance and fire engines old and new, will be on display and visitors will be able to see the huge range of equipment that are carried on board each appliance which allows all of our emergency services colleagues to deal with any 999 emergency.
“While the aim of the day is to have fun and pass on advice regarding home fire safety, the crews will also be fundraising for three very important Charities.
“The Scottish Fire Services – Family Support Trust and The Fire Fighters Charity who both enhance the quality of life for serving and retired firefighters, fire personnel and their families. When You Wish Upon a Star who have a simple mission, to grant the Wishes of children living with a life threatening illness. Their Wishes have the power to transform the lives of the children and families that they work with and since 1990 they have proudly granted over 16,000 Wishes across the UK.
“We have appealed to local and national business and organisations and we have been overwhelmed with their donations that will allow for some fantastic raffle and auction prizes. Importantly, ALL of the money raised on the day will be shared between these three Charities.”
“Throughout the day the fire service crew will be running a series of practical demonstrations throughout the day, including highly-trained firefighters performing a rescue from height and our community safety staff will also be on hand to give advice about fire safety, answer questions and arrange free home fire safety visits.”
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