Edinburgh councillor blogs – Councillor Maureen Child

May 23, 2017 8:45 am

Even though we don’t yet know the political make up of the administration, or who will take up all the conveners’ posts, for Councillor Maureen Child it is business as usual. Here she writes from the City Chambers about events taking place in Portobello/Craigmillar.

Last week was a bit of a struggle with technology and internet access, and moving office, but I think I’m getting somewhere that feels more akin to what passes for ‘normal’ around here.

We four Ward 17 Councillors had our first meeting together first thing last week and agreed ways of working together with joint meetings, email and casework, trying to get a spread of surgery times and places across the Ward.

I will continue with my Portobello Library surgery (usually) every Monday at 7pm and I will be available at other times and places for face-to-face meetings right across Portobello/Craigmillar Ward. You only have to get in touch with me any time (within reason!) to arrange a meeting or a visit. My contact details are below. Or stop for a chat in the street, bus, shop or cafe.

Enough about us! How about you? This amazing season, Portobello High School won all three Edinburgh Secondary Schools Football Association League Cups, the first school to achieve that feat in 57 years. Many, many congratulations toTeam Porty!

There has been a spate of bike thefts in Portobello recently. It’s something the police are all too well aware of. However, they can’t tackle this all by themselves. They need the public to help stop this kind of crime by making sure their bikes are suitably marked and recorded. The local beat officer, PC Matt McPherson, insists that, despite the bike thefts, a lot of other crimes are down and Porty remains a safe place to live! Listen to Porty Podcast here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/71622/514279-44-crime-in-portobello

A local resident has asked me to tell you this cautionary tale: “One day last week a man called at my neighbour’s house claiming to have come to inspect the boiler. Only the 18 year old son was at home. He let him in, but became suspicious when the man didn’t seem to know what he should be doing. When asked what company he worked for, he said ‘Corgi’. That, of course, was the former gas fitters’ registration organisation, now known as Gas Safe. The son told him to leave – no harm done. BUT many older folk could recognise the name Corgi and be taken in, without such a good outcome.”

Portobello Amenity Society (PAS) AGM is at 7.30pm on Monday 12 June in the Baptist Church Hall, Portobello High Street. The speaker is Cliff Hague, Chair of the Cockburn Association who will give and illustrated talk on Planning in Edinburgh: Past and Present. You might well want to come along and join at £5 per household or £2 for the unwaged member.

PAS has just launched a website – www.pasportobello.co.uk The website contains information about recent major planning applications in Portobello and copies of PAS’s response to these. PAS will update the planning pages on a regular basis so that the latest information is always available. You can download copies of the Portobello Architecture Heritage Trail from the website and there is information about the restoration of the Coade Stone Pillars in the community garden on the Promenade and about the historical building plaques in Portobello. You can read PAS Newsletters over the last 20 years and read about the issues PAS have campaigned about over that period. Other material, such as walks in and around Portobello, will be added at a later date.

Could you spare a few minutes to help Drake Music, based in Craigmillar, to win the People’s Choice Award in the Scottish Charity Awards 2017. They’ve been shortlisted for their achievement in finding digital solutions which help disabled people access music making – as well as being the first organisation to help disabled people use iPads as musical instruments and the first to use Brainfingers technology and bite switches to control music software, they also launched Scotland’s first orchestra (Digital Orchestra) for talented young disabled musicians. Please vote for Drake Music before Friday 26 May 5pm by visiting this site – i can testify it just takes a few moment: https://goodhq.org/scottish_charity_awards_2017/drakemusicscot

Following our successful community buy-out of Bellfield Church and Halls, Action Porty Ordinary Members are currently voting on a name for the space. If you want to have your say, you can join us! Should it be called “The Bell” or “Bellfield” or “The Bellfie”? Click here to join and find out more and become a member:: https://www.bellfield.scot/membership/

Portobello High School teacher Chris Aitken is running the Edinburgh Marathon on 28 May for the Health Opportunities Team (HOT) to support the work they do to help and support our young people. Chris has already doubled his modest original target. Let’s stretch that Funding target even further:https://www.justgiving.com/ChrisAitken1983?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_content=ChrisAitken1983&utm_campaign=pfp-email

Every Wednesday at 11am, writers would be welcome at the Thistle Centre of Wellbeing in Craigmillar. The writers group is aimed at people with a long term illness or recovering from an illness and they welcome guest professional writers and spoken word artists too. Please do contact Rose if you’re keen to go along, read or perform and listen to the group’s work. EMail: rosefraserritchie@yahoo.co.uk.

Have a good week!

Kind regards, Maureen