The fire at Jenners remains the big news of the week, and sadly a 38-year-old firefighter, Barry Martin, is in a critical condition in hospital from injuries sustained while fighting the blaze. Four other firefighters and a police officer were also taken to hospital but released after treatment.
Some good news however in that perhaps the damage to the building is not as great as first thought.
Anders Krogh, Director, AAA United, the owners of the building, said: “Of course, we were devastated to find out about the fire in the Jenners building shortly after it broke out. Our thoughts and appreciation are with the rescue team. Thanks in no small part to great work by workers on site and resolute action from the local fire department.
“The first investigations show very localised damage, only in the lower north side of the building. The overall building is intact, but we still await further investigations over the following days will reveal the total extent of the damage.
“Of course, this is a temporary setback for the refurbishment of the Jenners building. Our plan for building, is first and foremost to help preserve a unique historic building in Edinburgh. Hopefully, we will soon be able to reengage on our ambition to bring the Jenners building back to its original glory. But right now our thoughts are only for the wellbeing of everyone involved.”
Edinburgh networking events company, Love Your Business, is five years old and will be celebrating this morning at this month’s meeting with fizz and cake.
PR expert Michelle Brown, who is also a part-time Media & Communications university lecturer and business development consultant, started up the networking group and it has gone from strength to strength. Using Zoom and the breakout rooms there during lockdown, it worked in much the same way, except it was not just quite as noisy.
Michelle has hosted 100 events in person at Black Ivy Bar & Hotel with workshops and seminars. She has invited more than 150 speakers who have all shared their entrepreneurial journey, often imparting some valuable business tips. There have been new friendships made and funds raised for charities including Invisible Cities and Epilepsy Scotland.
Today’s guest is Michelle Philips founder of Mimi’s Bakehouse and her daughter Ashley Harley who will share their route to business which began in 2010.
Tickets are £20 plus booking fee – https://bit.ly/3HJrPcz
Burns&Beyond are putting on a weekend of free live entertainment on and around Rose Street this weekend.
Red, Red Rose Street, supported by Essential Edinburgh, offers free live music entertainment over the afternoons and evenings of Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 January in bars and cafés in and around the west end of Rose Street including Auld Hundred, Element, The Huxley and the Scottish Café and Restaurant.
There are also many paid for events taking place in Edinburgh until Sunday in the festival. The full programme is here. Julie Fowlis, The Kinnaris Quintet and The Twilight Sad are just some of the names it would be a pity to miss.
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is encouraging people in Edinburgh to join the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ revolution, launching an appeal for donations of unwanted Christmas gifts this January.
The charity is urging people across the city to drop off any unwanted gifts that will boost stocks for the organisation’s 38 charity shops, including six shops in Bruntsfield, Morningside, Stockbridge, Davidson’s Mains, Portobello, and Newington.
Carole Edmonds, Head of Retail Field Operations at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “Our shops are a source of amazing high quality donated items for local communities, as well as being a fantastic source of revenue for our charity.
“We’re looking for donations of Christmas gift that would otherwise be gathering dust in a cupboard. It could be a copy of a book you already have, a jumper that’s not quite the right size or style, or a coffee mug when your cupboards are already full.
“The current cost of living crisis, alongside growing awareness of the importance of responsible shopping and giving has seen the number of people shopping in our stores rise considerably over the last few months.
“We’re sure this trend will continue throughout the year, which is why we’re urging people not to let unwanted Christmas gifts to go unused, but instead take centre stage in one of our stores, reducing waste as well as raising money to support those living with chest, heart and stroke conditions in Scotland.”
St George’s School is holding its first TEDx Youth Event on 3 March.
The speakers include an impressive line up of women, all leaders in their individual fields speaking about the them of The Voice of Possibility.
The event will be a platform for St George’s students to share ideas and hopes along with the female role models from Edinburgh who will talk about the possibilities that exist in their work or lives.
TEDx is a programme of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks, videos, and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.
Carol Chandler-Thompson, Head of St George’s commented: “We are delighted to be running this TEDxSt GeorgesEdinburghYouth event. As a school with long-held expertise in inspiring girls, this is the perfect event to showcase their talents and to harness the power of strong female role models.
“St George’s is proud of the genuine and active student voice that it cultivates, in the knowledge that this gives its students the best possible start in developing their own individuality and self-belief.
“Over 120 years ago, our original founders were pioneering women wholly focused on providing a superb education for young women. We continue to pioneer in equipping girls to achieve their goals, whatever they might be.
“We are proud of the diversity of our school community and this will be a great opportunity to celebrate the rich variety of ideas and perspectives that stem from that diversity. The theme of ‘The Voice of Possibility’ is particularly apt at a time when positive optimism, creativity and powerful female voices are a precious commodity.
“This TEDx Youth event is an exciting opportunity for our student speakers and guest speakers to contribute to the TEDx mission of bringing great ideas to the world by communicating their ideas and experiences to an audience of local schools as well as to a world-wide audience via the TED Talks video platform. “
This event is a public event to a live audience and the event will be available on the TEDxTalks video platform. TEDxYouthSt GeorgesEdinburgh will take place on Friday 3 March at St George’s School, Edinburgh from 12.30 – 4.30 pm. St George’s is currently looking for sponsors to support the event.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
