Police have released CCTV images of two men that they believe may be able to assist them with their enquiries into a robbery which took place in the grounds of St Cuthbert’s Church around 7.35 pm on Saturday 24th September 2016.

A 23-year-old man had left his work in the City Centre earlier.  He made his way home through Princes Street Gardens and then the grounds of St Cuthbert’s Church where he was attacked and a sum of money taken from him.

It is believed the men pictured will be able to assist the investigation. Officers urge the men or anyone who recognises them to come forward and contact police.

Detective Constable Kevin Walls from Corstorphine CID said: “The victim was unharmed during the incident though obviously shaken.

“We are appealing for anyone who can help us locate these men to get in touch with us.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or make an anonymous report through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Over the years several top class players have worn Hibernian’s famous green and white jersey.

Many who saw him play believed that Gordon Smith was the best footballer ever to play the beautiful game whilst Lawrie ‘Last Minute’ Reilly won the hearts of the Easter Road and Scotland faithful with his prolific goal-scoring ability.

In the 1960s, the great Joe Baker was idolised from the terracings and unbelievably became the first player from outside the football league to be capped by England, and he did this whilst still a teenager.

Scotland manager Tommy Docherty always insisted that Pat Stanton was a better defender than England captain Bobby Moore and younger fans can’t believe that Hibs have ever had a better player than Franck Sauzee.

Peter Cormack, Davy Gibson, Bobby Johnstone, Eddie Turnbull, Willie Ormond, John Brownlie, George Best, Alex Cropley, Peter Marinello Russell Latapy and many more could arguably be added to that list however on the 21^st May 2016, Lewis Stevenson achieved something that none of the others had been able to by becoming the only Hibernian player ever to win two major cup medals whilst still at the club.

Typically, after discovering this fact, the modest Fifer was quick to point out that many better players than him were much more deserving of hero status by their contribution to the club.

It is also testament to his character that his immediate reaction when the final whistle blew at Hampden Park that day was to seek out his opponents and shake their hand before joining in the celebrations with his team-mates.

Hibs’ longest serving player knows only too well the feeling of disappointment after losing at the national stadium and typically he wanted to show respect to the Rangers’ players who had given their all in one of the finest Scottish Cup finals in living memory.

Lewis of course won his CIS League Cup medal as a teenager in the 5-1 win over Kilmarnock in 2007 and was named ‘Man of the Match’ award whilst playing in midfield.

Since then he has played well over 300 games for the club and made the left back position his own, but has suffered mixed fortunes at the national stadium.

Lewis recalled that never to be forgotten weekend in May: “I only discovered after the game that I’d become the first Hibs players to win two major cup medals. It’s mad as there are many better players than me who have been at this club and not managed to get their hands on either of these cups and I am lucky enough to have picked up both. This season though my priority is to win the league and get promotion.

“I’d been to Hampden a few times before and to be honest that was the least confident I had been, just because I’d tasted failure before but there is always a part of me that wants to make amends for what happened and the players had a real hunger that day.

“We missed out on promotion but it would have been a travesty if we had come away with nothing so the Scottish cup was the crowning glory for everything that went on that season.

“Although you always want to keep positive, the stuffing got knocked out of us a bit when Andy Halliday scored to make it 2-1 to Rangers. We’d played well up to then and it was a bit of a sucker punch. You just have to keep fighting and that’s what we did that day.

“Two headers from Anthony Stokes and David Gray turned what could have been a bad day into the best day of my career.

“After the first one went in it was relief and I was thinking about getting it to extra time and consolidate and try and nick it from there.

“At 2-2 when we got the corner I stayed back on the half way line with Dylan (McGeouch) watching it from afar.

“When the ball hit the net, it was pure euphoria. I was the last one to get to the celebrations and by the time I got there everyone was jogging back to their position so it was an extra 100 meter run for me to get back.

“There was only a minute to go but it felt like an hour. When the ref gave the free kick on the half way line I thought it was for Rangers and I thought that they would pump it into the box but when I realised it was for us I was probably as delighted as I was when David (Gray)put the ball into the net.

“When the final whistle blew I shook a couple of Rangers’ players’ hands. I’ve been there before on the losing side and when the opposition team are running about daft it’s a horrible feeling so I made sure I paid respect to them, then I went mad. To see the joy on everyone’s face was fantastic.

“We had a party back at Easter Road but I was pretty calm that night as I wanted to soak up the atmosphere and remember as much as I could because I can’t remember too much of the celebrations after the League Cup win and I wanted to cherish this one.

“The following day I got the train back through from Fife and had stayed up from the night before. I met a few Hibs fans on London Road who wanted to share their experience of the day. Just to see what it meant to people was unbelievable.

“As I got to the top of Easter Road, a taxi stopped at the lights and a guy climbed out of the window as the doors were locked and he gave me a big cuddle. It was a great day and the fans were amazing, lining the route of the open topped bus.

“I just tried to sit back and take Sunday in. It doesn’t come around very often. It’s something that not many people will experience in their life, a parade like that but it is something I will remember forever. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs during my time at the club, but I would have taken every down for the up we got winning the Scottish cup.

“It really does feel like a massive weight has been removed from our shoulders. Now we can look to this season and getting the club back into the top flight.”

A man has been arrested in connection with a death at a house in Whitburn yesterday.

Police were called to the property in West Main Street at around 3:30pm after a 30-year-old man was found inside.

His death is currently being treated as unexplained pending the outcome of a post mortem and next of kin have been informed.

A 49-year-old male has now been arrested and he is expected to appear before Livingston Sheriff Court on Thursday, December 29th.

Officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident however there will be additional high visibility patrols within the area to provide reassurance.

Police Scotland is appealing for any person who may have information relevant to the onging inquiry to contact them on 101. Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

One of the best known real ale watering holes in the Lothians has received a makeover to transform it into a gastro pub.
The multi award-winning Grey Horse at Balerno – known locally as Mrs Brow’s after the formidable and well-respected landlady, Mrs Anne Brow – has been completed in time for Christmas and is now open from 9am to 9pm for breakfast, light bites and lunch and dinner.
Owner Paul Ng aims to serve quality food to a family market but stressed that the traditional bar, which sells quality real ales, remains.
Mr Ng, has owned the pub for nine years after moving to the village after running a Chinese take-away in Edinburgh’s Duddingston area. He said: “Over the years, many people have asked us about opening a gastro pub catering for families.
“People, particularly in Balerno, want to leave their car in the garage and take their family for a quality meal and then walk home.
“We also want to cater for people who walk and cycle in The Pentlands and those who fish at local reservoirs.”
Clientele in the cosy pub in the High Street has changed, he said, and people want value.
Hong Kong-born Mr Ng, who arrived in Scotland as a seven-year-old, first came to The Grey Horse to run the kitchen.
Months later, the chance came to buy the pub and he jumped at it. He added: “This is a significant investment for us but we believe the time is right.”
He still plans to cater for local clubs and associations. In fact, The Grey Horse, runner-up in the Lothians Pub if the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, an award run by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), is popular with Balerno Folk Club and the original home of the Balerno Burns Club who held their first supper there in 1881.

Yesterday 27 December 2016 parking charges were payable after a couple of festive days when parking in the city was free. Except that, according to RingGo the company which runs the city’s cashless parking system, parking charges did not have to be paid.

If you went to a ticket machine we understand that it was possible to pay for parking. The council has a parking enforcement contract with NSL who have run this for ten years now.

NSL said this: “NSL has confirmed that parking restrictions and charges in the city of Edinburgh do apply on Tuesday 27 December and Monday 2nd January as stated on all Pay and Display machines and on the City of Edinburgh Council’s website.

“Full enforcement procedures apply on both dates in order to maintain safe and fair access for anyone visiting the shops and facilities in and around the city centre. The company has confirmed that it has been made aware of an incorrect instruction on the RingGo app and RingGo website and has asked for the instructions to be amended as a matter of urgency. It has advised anyone who has received an incorrect Penalty Charge Notice on 27th December as a result of the error, to appeal to have their ticket cancelled.”

The matter even caught the attention of one Grant Shapps, Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield, who was visiting the city and decided to play the part of roving reporter. The former Minister for International Development took it upon himself to tell us of the plight of some tourists who had been given a parking ticket.

RT @jasoneccles: @EdinReporter “free” https://t.co/PfAlH4pq1y (via @grantshapps) > Thx for RT, can’t be right for council to rip people off

— Grant Shapps (@grantshapps) December 27, 2016

Actually I think that the parking attendant has to be praised in this case, firstly for agreeing to be filmed and secondly for keeping his cool!

We have enjoyed the benefits of the RingGo parking app in Edinburgh since 2010. Of course it is not always without its problems. Sometimes the app fails to recognise where you are, but there is no doubt that it is much more convenient than carrying small change in your car and probably makes life cheaper.

But it does seem that many were caught out yesterday by the app which told them it was free although it was not a free parking day.

Ringgo has made a mistake – parking is NOT FREE in Edinburgh today! Lots of parking tickets going out!

— Mr Monty (@reggiemcandrew) December 27, 2016

Merry Christmas me. Parking ticket in Edinburgh even tho @RingGo_parking said it was free 🙄 pic.twitter.com/2lPN91D3XS

— Lisa Donnelly (@Lisa_Donnelly1) December 27, 2016

So if you were caught out then the advice seems to be to appeal the ticket! A Council spokesperson, said: “Christmas parking was advertised very clearly through our website and social media and is also marked on parking meters throughout the city.

“We are aware, however, that there was an error for a time with the RingGo parking payment service managed by our contracted partner NSL. We will liaise with NSL with a view to looking favourably on any appeals for tickets issued as a result of this.”

The next free parking day apart from Saturdays in some locations and Sundays citywide is 1 January 2017.

All details of car parking holidays are here on the council website.

In the last financial year the City of Edinburgh Council imposed 184,964 parking tickets earning them over £5.3 million.

A police investigation is underway after an employee at the House of Fraser store in Princes Street was found dead inside the premises at 9.15am on Tuesday morning.

The 30-year-old man’s death is being treated as unexplained.

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “Police in Edinburgh are investigating the death of a 30-year-old man who was found within a retail premises on Princes Street at around 9.15am on Tuesday, December 27.

“The death is currently being treated as unexplained and next of kin has been informed. Inquiries into this matter are ongoing and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal.”

A spokesman for House of Fraser said: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our employees at our Frasers store in Edinburgh.

“Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time. The cause of death is still being investigated and we are fully supporting the police with their investigations.

“We have decided that Frasers Edinburgh will remain closed today out of respect for the individual and our staff. We will be offering full support to our employees over the coming days and weeks.”

This is set to be the busiest Hogmanay yet with Edinburgh Airport welcoming more passengers in the run up to the big night than ever before.

In the week between Christmas Day and the last flight on 31 December Edinburgh Airport will welcome over 86,000 arriving passengers. Up from over 75,000 arriving passengers in the same period last year and up again from the 70,966 who arrived at Edinburgh Airport in the final week of 2014.

Throughout the festive period a dip in passenger numbers happens at all airports but a year-on-year comparison shows Edinburgh Airport is going from strength to strength – and the appeal of both the Capital city and Scotland as a party destination have been cited for this increase.

Welcoming this year’s figures Edinburgh Airport’s Chief Executive Gordon Dewar said: “The global demand for Edinburgh and the international draw of Scotland has once again surpassed expectations and previous records set last year. New Year 2016 smashed all records of Scottish Airports – so to go one better this year is a great achievement.

“Edinburgh is rightly recognised globally as a world-class city and Scotland is a massive brand. It’s easy to see why – our heritage, our culture and our people. People want to visit us – and at this time of year they want to party with us.”

Al Thomson Director of Unique Events & Edinburgh’s Hogmanay said: “Edinburgh’s Hogmanay has seen an annual increase in its international audience and last year we welcomed visitors from over 80 countries to celebrate at Scotland’s New Year Festival. Having Edinburgh Airport as the arrival and departure point for our visitors ensures that they are receiving the very best experience on their travels to Scotland, the home of Hogmanay.”

Work has begun on a new £1.17m Leith Walk Surgery meaning more patients can use the practice in the future.

An extra 2,000 patients will be added to the surgery list as a result of the move which will provide a modern and fit-for-purpose facility.

The current surgery, which is based across two different sites, will come together in an historic A-listed Edinburgh property that was once part of Leith Central Station.

Located at the bottom of Leith Walk, at the junction with Duke Street, the surgery will open to patients in spring 2017.

Rob McCulloch-Graham, Chief Officer, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to secure these new premises for Leith Walk Surgery.

“The project will bring a twenty five per cent increase in patients registered to the surgery. The relocation to a single site and, into a building which has been designed with staff and patients, will result in improved services for local people.

“This project is another great example of partnership working and I’d like to pay particular credit to the partners in Leith Walk Surgery who have remained pragmatic throughout the design and sign-off process.”

Dr Jeremy Chowings, Leith Walk Surgery, said: “We are very excited about the move to a modern purpose designed facility that is housed in a fantastic landmark building. We believe this will help us to provide an excellent service to our patients old and new. The site of the new surgery is very close to many local amenities and good transport links.

“We would like to thank NHS Lothian for funding this project and Westerwood for undertaking the refurbishment and assisting with the planning of the project.”

Westerwood Development Group will complete the refurbishment of the surgery. They are represented on the project by commercial property advisers Bilfinger GVA.

Peter Fraser of Bilfinger GVA said: “Leith Walk Surgery will be moving into a property with a fascinating history in the heart of Leith, an area home to a growing number of prominent businesses which is well-served by local amenities and links to the nearby city centre.

“We have a further suite of circa 6,300 sq ft on the first floor of this unique building providing bright open plan accommodation with self-contained WC facilities and a generous kitchen area in situ. The remaining space is suited to a number of potential uses and we are already speaking with a number of different occupiers.”

Heart of Midlothian 4 Kilmarnock 0

Ladbrokes Premiership, Tuesday 27^th December 2016 – Tynecastle

It’s that time of the year. The ‘busy Christmas schedule’ – and with three games in eight days this was particularly so for Hearts and their supporters. After collapsing at Dundee two nights before Christmas Day, the Gorgie Boys had a chance to redeem themselves before another full house at Tynecastle two nights after Christmas Day.

The standard greeting as December staggers towards Hogmanay is ‘did you have a good Christmas?’ Some Hearts fans who were present at Dens Park on Friday evening – and even those who weren’t there – may well have answered ‘not particularly’ after witnessing/hearing their team had thrown away a two-goal lead and succumbed to defeat to the Dark Blues.

With the gleaming floodlights of Tynecastle illuminating the Gorgie sky, the old ground welcoming back absent brothers and sisters who support Hearts from afar but have returned to the capital city to be with family and friends for Christmas and New Year, Hearts looked to breathe new life into their increasingly forlorn looking bid to finish in second place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

The obstacle in their way was Kilmarnock, a team that has caused Hearts much angst in recent seasons.

Hearts Head Coach Ian Cathro, still seeking his first win as the man in charge, made two changes to the team that capitulated in Dundee – Don Cowie, who was taken off injured during that game, was replaced by Prince Buaben while Faycal Rherras replaced Liam Smith who dropped to the substitute’s bench.

Included in the Kilmarnock team was Kris Boyd who has been critical of Hearts appointing Ian Cathro as Head Coach. Boyd was suitably welcomed by the Maroon Army…

Hearts began the game by penning the visitors in their own half although former Jambos keeper Jamie MacDonald, now the Killie number one, was rarely troubled in the opening moments.

In fact, it was Killie who nearly opened the scoring with their first serious attack when Boyd followed a long ball forward. Hearts keeper Jack Hamilton raced from his goal to avert the danger but his clearance appeared to strike Boyd’s hand – not that referee Craig Thomson saw it (like so many other things the official didn’t see) Thankfully for the home team Igor Rossi cleared things up.

After just eight minutes Hearts went ahead. Jamie Walker’s corner wasn’t properly dealt with by the Killie defence and Callum Paterson volleyed home from the edge of the penalty box to the delight of the home support.

However, seven minutes later, Paterson was forced to leave the field after incurring a knee injury after going into a tackle – he was replaced by Liam Smith. The Scotland defender looked in considerable discomfort as he was stretchered off.

Hearts defensive frailties were still apparent when Coulibaly missed a great chance to equalise for the visitors when, despite being given the freedom of Gorgie Road, he headed wide of the target.

Hearts were looking rather unsure of themselves with John Souttar guilty of surrendering possession – something his captain, Perry Kitchen, wasn’t slow in telling him.

In the 20^th minute, Bjorn Johnsen thought he had doubled Hearts lead but his header was cleared off the line by Smith.

With half-time fast approaching and Hearts leading by just a single goal, the game was taking on an all-too familiar look. However, with three minutes until the break, Hearts doubled their lead. Determined play from Liam Smith saw the young defender deliver a fine cross for Arnaud Djoum who stabbed the ball past MacDonald.

Half-time Hearts 2 Kilmarnock 0

Ian Cathro said after the Dundee defeat that his team would not surrender a two-goal lead again under his watch. And his players began the second half determined to ensure this wouldn’t happen.

Jamie Walker shot wide in the opening seconds of the second half before the winger all but sealed the win for Hearts by scoring his ninth goal of the season in the 48^th minute. Prince Buaben’s twenty-yard effort was pushed out by MacDonald but only towards Walker who fired the ball home – and Hearts were in easy street.

Minutes later, the aforementioned Boyd was substituted, much to the delight of the goading home support. The lumbering striker had a poor game and it was no surprise to see him depart so early in the second half. The consensus among the Maroon Army was that Boyd had an active sexual life, albeit a solitary one…

Hearts could finally relax and they began to play some sweet football with the link up play between Djoum, Walker and Johnsen pleasing on the eye.

Walker almost grabbed his second goal when he took the ball past MacDonald and seemed certain to score – only for Killie defender Wilson to deny the Hearts man. The home support screamed for a penalty but referee Craig Thomson was having none of it.

With twenty minutes left, Jamie Walker did score his second and Hearts fourth goal when he seized on a woefully short pass back from Boyle, drove forward and fired past MacDonald to put the result beyond any doubt.

Hearts were all over Killie like a rash now. Krystian Nowak hit the post from twenty-five yards before having a header cleared off the line by a desperate Killie defence.

In injury time, Hearts were given the perfect opportunity to make it 5-0. Substitute Dario Zanatta was fouled inside the penalty box. Sadly, the young striker’s penalty kick was brilliantly saved by MacDonald and Hearts had to settle for 4-0.

Head Coach Ian Cathro said after the game he was more satisfied than relieved after Hearts recorded their first win in four weeks and their first since he took charge of the team.

“There’s always something, parts in our play we can improve on,” Cathro told the official Hearts website. “We can move the ball quicker, it can be calmer and clearer but these are small steps we’re talking about. Really, it’s a similar message from me, we’ve just got to keep working.

“It’s a little bit easier when you see a reward for your work, and to feel good and strong, and stay on top and in control, and they all deserve to feel good about their performance.

“The moments where we managed to stay in the opponents’ half were promising, players are starting to release themselves and free themselves, with a little bit more energy or inspiration. We’re getting more comfortable with our work and play day-by-day.

“I asked everyone to find a little bit more, and I think tonight, everybody found that little bit more.”

A decent performance from the Maroons, akin to a fruit trifle after Friday’s unsavoury stuffing. However, Ian Cathro knows better than anyone else his defence will have to improve when Aberdeen come to Tynecastle on Friday evening.

Hearts: Hamilton, Paterson (L. Smith, 15′), Souttar, Rossi, Rherras, Buaben (Muirhead, 65′), Nowak, Kitchen, Walker (Zanatta, 77′), Djoum, Johnsen.

Kilmarnock: MacDonald, S.Smith, Boyle (Webb, 72′), M.Smith (Jones, 56′), Dicker, Boyd (Hawkshaw, 56′), Tyson, Adams, Coulibaly, Taylor, Wilson.

Referee: Craig Thomson

Att: 16,696

Top Man: Perry Kitchen – he gave a real captain’s performance.

Elite League Edinburgh Capitals 2, Braehead Clan 7

INJURY-HIT Edinburgh Capitals slipped to their fifth straight defeat on Tuesday night and the 7-2 home defeat to Braehead Clan could have given coach Michal Dobron another major injury headache.

Jared Staal was sent crashing to the ice after a flare-up with Clan star Corey Cowick near the end of the second period.

He was helped from the ice after a delay of several minutes as the rink doctor was called and it appeared that he suffered a facial injury.

Cowick could be in hot water after being thrown out of the Elite League clash as he has recently returned from a lengthy ban and dropped his gloves and appeared to punch Staal.

Clan won 7-2 with Scott Pitt netting a double and their were singles from Matt Keith, Mike Hammond, Daniel Aasberg and Callum Boyd plus a penalty shot from Matt Beca.

Boyd had another penalty shot saved by Capitals’ No 1 netminder Travis Fullerton who appeared to be struggling with a wrist injury which sidelined him for the double-header at Belfast Giants last week.

Matt Tipoff shocked Clan fans by opening the scoring after 1min 36sec but Clan then took control with four unanswered goals.

Dobron scored with a wicked slapshot from near the blue line for injury-hit Capitals but Clan then claimed three straight goals, two in the final three minutes.

Capitals were outgunned and outshot, Fullerton receiving 39 shots (12-13-14) while Michal Zajowski received 27 (6-12-9).

And Dobron’s men will have to regroup ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Fife Flyers (face-off 4pm) as they can’t afford to let the rest open a bigger gap which currently is three points.

Photo courtesy of Ian Coyle

Have you heard about the Edinburgh Leisure Golf Club? Open to golfers of all standards, including complete beginners, membership runs from January to December 2017 and costs £30.

It’s perfect for those who have always wanted to join a golf club but don’t want to be tied to one course and it will let you gain or maintain your handicap, without being limited to a single course.

Other benefits include flexibility and choice that no other golf club in the city can offer; non course specific competitions played monthly; and being fully affiliated to Scottish Golf, the governing body for golf in Scotland. Something to think about for the new year? If you’re interested, you can pick up an application form at any of Edinburgh Leisure’s six golf courses or for more information please contact Derek McLeod at derekmcleod@edinburghleisure.co.uk

An elderly woman has died after falling inside a number three Lothian service bus after the vehicle braked suddenly near a roundabout on Gilmerton Road at its junction with the A720 on-slip around 1pm on Friday, December 16th.

The 82-year-old, who has not been named publicly on the request of her family, sustained serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to the Western General Hospital but sadly passed away during the early hours of Boxing Day.

In a statement issued by Police Scotland her family said: “We are all deeply saddened by this unexpected loss. She was a loving mother of four children and being a woman of faith, this Dalkeith lady was returning from the chapel in Edinburgh when the incident occurred.

“The family, which also includes four grandchildren and three great grandchildren, are devastated and hope anyone who can help with the police inquiry comes forward.”

Sergeant Iain Blain of the Edinburgh Road Policing Unit said: “Our thoughts are with the family at this very sad time.

“As a result of our ongoing investigation we have now traced a driver of a Honda Civic that was seen in the area at the time however I’d urge anyone who was in the vicinity to please contact police on 101 if not already done so.”

The 14th Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival (EMFF) from Saturday 4 to Sunday 5 February 2017, at George Square Lecture Theatre, is headlined by American BASE-jumper, wingsuit flyer and free-solo climber Steph Davis.

She knows how to push it,  but has endured more than her share of tragedy, as both of her former husbands have been killed in BASE-jumping accidents.

Jamie Andrew, a well-known quadruple-amputee-mountaineer, is another speaker. He lost his limbs after becoming stranded on a mountain ridge in the Alps in 1999.
Luke Robertson had a pacemaker fitted in his 20s and had to under-go emergency brain surgery. Rather than submitting to a low-key life, Luke has transformed himself into an all-round adventurer who shot to fame when he became the youngest Brit, the first Scot and the second youngest in history to ski 730 miles, unsupported, unassisted and solo, to the South Pole.
Scottish climber Greg Boswell, attacked by a grizzly bear, is also featured and the two-day festival is at George Square Lecture Theatre in Edinburgh. Tickets start at £7 and are on sale now at www.emff.co.uk.

Stevie Christie, the Festival Director, said: “We’ve had over 150 film entries from across the globe. It’s a hard task to narrow that down to about 20 films to screen.”

The festival, staged in association with Tiso, Mountain Equipment, Alien Rock and Wilderness Scotland, has grown to be one of the most popular events in Scotland’s outdoor adventure calendar, attracting in excess of 2,000 outdoor enthusiasts annually.

Full details are on the EMFF website

An exhibition which runs at the Writers’ Museum till 8 January will show off a rare first-edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, featuring personal anecdotes and illustrations by author J.K. Rowling.

The original hardback book was annotated by J.K. Rowling in 2013 to raise money for English PEN and the author’s international charity, Lumos, which supports millions of children in orphanages around the world to return to family life.

It features 43 annotations, including 22 original drawings by the author, the book includes a sketch of baby Harry asleep on the doorstep of the Dursleys, the author’s thoughts on Quidditch and the Hogwarts Crest featuring a bear rather than a badger as the Hufflepuff house mascot.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture Convener at The City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This unique first edition features a remarkable glimpse into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In it, J.K. Rowling opens her heart about her characters and creations and makes beautiful illustrations of magical scenes from the series.

“It is a privilege to display this book by one of the world’s most popular authors in the city’s Writers’ Museum. The historic building houses rare books and items belonging to some of Scotland’s greatest ever writers and is the perfect place to display J.K. Rowling’s classic, annotated, book. We are thankful to the private lender, J.K. Rowling and the Scottish Book Trust for their generous support.”

A public programme of family events, featuring magic and music, art, animation and storytelling, will coincide with this exciting display. This programme is part-funded by the Scottish Book Trust.

Harry Potter at the Writers’ Museum will offer visitors the opportunity to see the one-of-a-kind book opened at different, annotated, pages on set days so that no two visits to this exhibition are the same.

Edinburgh is the world’s first UNESCO designated City of Literature and widely regarded as the home of Harry Potter. In 2008, J.K. Rowling was presented with the Edinburgh Award by the city’s Lord Provost. The award honours outstanding individuals who have made a positive impact on the city and gained national and international recognition for the Scottish Capital. 

Discover the display at the Writers’ Museum for free until Sunday 8 January 2017.

It is only a year since the museum was refurbished :

The Scottish Government has set up The Creative Industries Advisory Group to advise Ministers on supporting the sector in Scotland.

Industry leaders from across the country have been invited to become members. The final membership will be announced shortly and the first meeting is expected to take place in the first part of 2017.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop will chair the Advisory Group, which will meet twice a year.

Speaking about the announcement, Ms Hyslop said: “Scotland is renowned for its world leading expertise in creativity and innovative design . The Scottish Government is committed to developing this ingenuity and nurturing the creative industries for generations to come.

“This advisory Group will support more collaborative working by enabling the diverse range of business and entrepreneurs across the creative industries to engage with each other and with Government to discuss and advise on high-level issues of relevance to the whole sector.

“I want to hear directly about the successes, issues and priorities the sector is experiencing so we can collectively take a strategic view on how the Scottish Government and its public agencies can further support the creative industries sector as a whole.”

The Scottish Government says that the creative industry sector in Scotland has great significance with over 73.600 people employed in it in 2015. The GVA in 2014 was £3.7 billion.

A Creative Industries Strategy for 2016-17 was published by Creative Scotland on 17 May 2016 which you can read here

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Scientists at the James Hutton Institute are undertaking research to find ways of growing blueberries in Scotland.

The Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham has announced new plant breeding technology being used in a Scottish Government funded research programme.

Blueberries grown in Scotland have increased by ten per cent but it is hoped that the new study will produce blueberry plants more suited to our climate.

The benefits of blueberries have been examined by the Rowett Institute for Nutrition and Health. They have proven that consuming a concentrated berry extract drink lowers glucose levels. It may help prevent and manage Type 2 diabetes if it is proven to work on a long term basis. Almost 300,000 Scots live with diabetes according to 2015 figures. Advice is that type 2 can be controlled with a healthy diet and regular physical activity.

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said:

“Blueberries are an increasingly popular fruit in the UK. They are widely considered to have health benefits and of course they count as one of the five a day for fruit and veg.

“Traditionally blueberries are imported to Scotland but this innovative research we are funding is using new technology to develop plants that are more suitable for the Scottish soil and climate as well as helping us to fully understand the health benefits of this fruit.

“Scottish blueberry production is already on the increase and this should help boost local production of this fruit – which is better for the environment and also good news for our economy.”

Julie Graham, who leads on the blueberry breeding programme at the James Hutton Institute said:

“Cutting-edge plant breeding technology is enabling the James Hutton Institute to develop new blueberry cultivars. These cultivars, better suited to Scottish conditions, should enable an increase in the home-grown blueberry crop, which will be of benefit to Scottish soft fruit growers. Long term funding from the Scottish Government has been instrumental in supporting this research.”

Glasgow take the first leg in an error-strewn match in Edinburgh

21,036 supporters turned out at BT Murrayfield to watch what, should have been, one of the showcase matches of the season. Instead they were ‘treated’ to a fairly average, error- and penalty-strewn affair which did neither side any favours.

Glasgow, for their part, stepped up to the plate and scored three tries to Edinburgh’s four penalties and only a temporary glitch in Finn Russell’s kicking prevented the gap being even greater.

The writing was on the wall from the first minute as an innocuous clearing kick from Glasgow centre, Alex Dunbar was chased though by wing, Junior Bulamakou into the Edinburgh 22. Edinburgh’s cover easily lead the chase to the ball, but as the player went down to collect, the ball squirted clear and Bulamakou won the chase to touch down. Russell missed the first of his evening’s kicks, so it was 5-0 to Glasgow after less than a minute.

Edinburgh were then able to put some pressure on the Glasgow defence, but made heavy weather of gaining ground. However, a fine break from Hamish Watson eventually lead to the first chance of points for Edinburgh’s Duncan Weir. The stand-off duly obliged and, eight minutes in, it was 5-3.

The next quarter of an hour was fairly forgettable as the match lurched from set piece to set piece with a few penalties thrown in for good measure.

The next points opportunity came for Edinburgh via a break down penalty which saw Glasgow’s loose-head, Alex Allan, binned following a team warning to captain – and Man-of-the-Match – Jonny Gray, for persistent infringements. Weir duly obliged and, as the game entered the second quarter, it was 6-5 to the hosts.

As the match meandered towards half time, Edinburgh were beginning to dominate the scrum and used the ball to gain territory, but couldn’t make anything of their advantage. With less than ten minutes of the half left, Glasgow won a penalty which Russell kicked to give them a lineout near the five metre zone. Ball won, the driving maul set up heaved the Edinburgh pack over their line and lock, Josh Strauss fell over for the try. Russell slotted home the conversion and it was 12-5 to the visitors with just under five minutes left to the break.

Glasgow used the time well and as the clock ticked over, another penalty – successfully kicked by Russell – meant the half time score was 15-6 to Glasgow.

The first ten minutes of the second half were, probably, ‘won’ by Edinburgh – although Russell missed an ‘easy’ penalty for Glasgow – and reward came in the shape of another, successful, Weir penalty to narrow the gap to 15-9.

As predictably as sunrise, a penalty was given away shortly after the restart by Edinburgh, more or less, in front of the posts for Russell to open the gap again. However he needed a bit of quick thinking as the ball fell off the tee as his allotted time was nearly over, forcing him to take the pragmatic approach, and score with a drop goal to open the gap again, on the hour mark, to 18-9.

Five minutes later, it was another Glasgow try. The visitors spent the time up to their try in Edinburgh’s 22, retaining the ball and moving the defence about until, with play building on the right, the ball was fired through the hands across to the left, outrunning the defensive line and leaving centre, Alex Dunbar, with a gentle trot in to score. Russell then converted to make the score 25-9 to the West of Scotland side.

A raft of changes from both sides then saw the match swing Edinburgh’s way for a time and as full time approached, a break from deep inside his own half by Sean Kennedy, then Damien Hoyland, brought play into the Glasgow 22 where, another sub, Viliame Mata picked up and battered his way over between the sticks. However, the Glasgow defenders were on their game, managing to prevent the huge Fijian from grounding the ball and, that was that, game over.

So the first leg of the 1872 Cup went to Glasgow with a score line of 25-12 and, with the traditional New Year’s Day return fixture now scheduled – thanks to the PRO12 board – for the 6^th May, some drama has been taken away from the head-to-head. Given the quality of Monday’s match, that might not be such a bad thing……..

Images from the match might appear here over the next few days.

The Queensferry Crossing is huge, but it is also Scotland’s biggest infrastructure project.

Transport Scotland have made a video of the last twelve months of the bridge which is about 94% complete:

Economy Secretary Keith Brown he said:

“The Queensferry Crossing is now nearing completion and is on schedule to open in May next year.

“On the bridge there is continuous deck from the north viaduct in Fife to just a few metres short of the south viaduct in the Lothians. At this stage there are only two more deck segments to lift of the 122 total – with these due to be in place in early 2017.

“When work starts back at the beginning of January the initial focus will be on completing the final few concrete pours to complete the deck of the south viaduct. Then focus will shift onto a new phase of finishing works – water proofing, road surfacing and the final fit out of all the mechanical and electrical systems on what will be a truly state-of-the-art bridge.

“The challenge the project faces with the weather have been well documented but it is to the enormous credit of the skilled and dedicated team that the project remains on schedule to open within the original contractual timeframe and significantly under budget. And, of course, no one ever said building the tallest bridge in Britain in such a challenging environment was going to be easy.

“Looking ahead to when the bridge is open, road users can look forward to significant improvements to Scotland’s trunk road network. The project will bring a 14 mile motorway connection between the outskirts of Edinburgh and Dunfermline, with much improved junctions and smart technology to vary speed limits to ease periods of congestion.

“When the Queensferry Crossing opens the Forth Road Bridge will be retained as a dedicated public transport corridor which will improve bus journey times and also provide a much improved, largely traffic-free environment for cyclists and walkers across the Forth.”

The most significant moments of 2016 have been:

• 200 stay cables have been installed, measuring a total of 50 kilometres – which would stretch all the way from the bridge to St Andrews if laid end to end
• The bridge deck is now largely complete with only 2 lifts remaining early in 2017
• 83 deck sections were lifted into place this year, weighing a total of over 60,000 tonnes
• Three of four principal bridge deck closures of the deck where completed – with only two deck units remaining to be lifted before the final closure early in 2017
• North Viaduct fully launched – the 221 metre, 6,000 tonne structure was pulled out over two piers at a careful speed of up to 6 metres an hour. The process taking just over 4 weeks to complete
• On the south deck fan – two technically challenging over pier deck lifts have been completed
• On the road network for the new bridge – 3.5 kilometres of road surfacing have been laid, 8 kilometres of drainage pipes have been laid, 11,500 square meters of waterproofing spray applied, 14 overhead gantries erected and 44,000 trees have been planted
• The project continues to capture the public’s imagination with around 7,000 school pupils from all over Scotland visiting and over 8,000 people viewing the project exhibition, listening to presentations and visiting the site in 2016.

Photo by John Preece.

The Letting Protection Service established a charity fund in 2014 and the latest charity to benefit from it is local charity The Rock Trust who have received a donation of £9,600.

The charity helps to provide “vital support” for the young and homeless in Edinburgh.
In conjunction with sister organisations in Northern Ireland, England and Wales, The LPS Scotland established a fund to assist charities that support the homeless and those who need help to live independently.

Daren King, Head of Tenancy Deposit Protection at The LPS Scotland, said: “The Rock Trust is a terrific charity that provides really important services to young people in Edinburgh and The Lothians.

“The LPS and our sister organisations have given almost £200,000 to housing charities since the launch of our fund, and we’re really happy to be able to assist such crucial work across the country.”

The Rock Trust’s Nightstop Edinburgh service aims to provide young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years with emergency accommodation for up to two weeks in the homes of approved volunteers.

The LPS Scotland’s donation will help provide 600 nights of “safe, reliable and supportive accommodation” to 150 young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, as well as advice, education and support to build personal skills while avoiding or moving on from homelessness.

Katriona Harding, Fundraising and Events Coordinator at the Rock Trust, said: “Over winter homelessness becomes an even more dangerous and unhealthy threat to young people, and it’s really important that they have safe, warm places to sleep – and be supported as they try to get themselves back on their feet.

“The LPS Scotland’s donation will help us to provide accommodation for even more young people locally as well as help to develop social and practical skills to be active participating members of their community and society

Charities across the UK have benefited from donations from The LPS Scotland and sister organisations, The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) and the LPS Northern Ireland, over the last two years.

Charities focused on the housing sector can apply for funds via The DPS’s website at www.depositprotection.com/charity. Applications for the next round of awards must be submitted by 31 December 2016.

Photo: Daren King (right), Head of Deposit Protection at The Letting Protection Service (The LPS) Scotland, hands a £9,600 donation to representatives of charity The Rock Trust in Edinburgh.

Barnardo’s Scotland are £5,000 better off thanks to the efforts of the MGA Academy of Performing Arts who put on their annual ‘A Christmas Wish’ show in December.  This brings the total sum raised over the last five years to £25,000.

The Academy has supported Barnardo’s Scotland with donations from ticket sales of their Christmas show, held at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, since 2012. Audiences have fully embraced the tradition and always generously donate their spare change in the bucket collections and programme sales on the night also.

The Academy’s generosity also extends to offering 100 tickets for the show to some of the young people and families supported by Barnardo’s Scotland. One parent commented: “We all had a ball! Rachel loved the Usher Hall, she said it was beautiful. Then when the show started she was so funny trying to dance on her seat and making all the hand movement. So she was one very happy girl!”

The leading children’s charity’s events manager, Kara Gillies, said: “The MGA Academy of Performing Arts have been huge supporters of Barnardo’s Scotland and we’re overwhelmed by the total raised to date. This is a huge contribution that allows us to continue supporting some of the country’s most vulnerable children and families. We would like to say a massive thank you to the talented performers and the kind audience who always make the evening a brilliant one!”

The National Museum of Scotland will again be hosting the Hogmanay Family Ceilidh event, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery for an afternoon of whirling and birling for all ages and levels of experience this weekend.

You could be dancing in the Grand Gallery this Saturday!

Hogmanay Family Ceilidh

Sat 31 December 2016

14:00–15:30

Free (drop-in)

Enjoy an afternoon of whirling and birling for all ages with the Canongate Cadjers ceilidh band. It’s enthusiasm not experience that counts!

Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery

Neil Hanna Photography
www.neilhannaphotography.co.uk
07702 246823

The South West Neighbourhood Partnership issues a regular bulletin on all that is happening in their area.

Here is the bumper Christmas edition :

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Elite League: Fife Flyers 9, Edinburgh Capitals 3; Manchester Storm 4, Dundee Stars 1; Braehead Clan 1, Belfast Giants 5

Edinburgh Capitals slipped to a 9-3 fourth straight defeat when they were beaten 9-3 at arch rivals Fife Flyers on Boxing Day.

Fife’s success snapped a confidence-sapping five-game losing streak and Ryan Dingle claimed a treble and set up three other goals while Justin Fox and Brendan Brooks netted doubles.

The home side led 3-0 after 13 minutes thanks to goals from Philippe Paquet, Justin Fox and Carlo Finucci.

Pavel Vorobyev pulled one back in the 14th minute but another two goals inside seven, second period minutes from Dingle and Brooks put the home side 5-1 ahead.

Vorobyev pulled one back short-handed after 29 minutes but another three goals hit Edinburgh’s net inside eight, third period minutes.

Dingle netted two, one from a penalty short and another from a power play opportunity, and Brooks scored again on the power play.

Fox scored his second after 53 minutes and Jared Staal unassisted claimed a consolation less than five minutes from time.

Braehead Clan were rolled over by in-form Belfast Giants, the Northern Irish side collected their eighth straight success with a comfortable win.

Glasgow-born Colin Shields opened the scoring after 15 minutes for Giants but Scott Aarssen levelled on the power play four minutes later.

Four unanswered goals, two in each period, finished off the Scots.
Ryan Martinelli made it 2-1 after 27 minutes and East Kilbride-born Mark Garside, with former Fife Flyers star Matt Nickerson assisting, added to the visitors total six minutes later.

An Alex Foster power play goal after 51 minutes and a fifth from Steve Saviano four minutes after that completed the scoring.
DUNDEE Stars slipped to their second straight defeat when they were shutout 4-1 at Manchester Storm.

The mid-table English side have now won their last two games and player/coach Omar Pacha was a key figure with two goals.

Kevin Bruijsten scored Dundee’s consolation three seconds from time and the defeat leaves Dundee in the bottom two but they are back in action tomorrow (WED, 7.30pm) when they face a crunch clash with Fife Flyers at The Dundee Ice Arena.

Coach Michal Dobron takes his Edinburgh Capitals squad to Fife Flyers on Boxing Day (face-off 6pm) after a roller-coaster display at high-flying Belfast Giants on Thursday.
The Capital combine lost 9-6 at Belfast Giants but shocked home fans by winning the final session 5-1.
James Desmarais and Chris Higgins handed Giants a 2-0 first-period lead and Blair Riley and Alex Foster made it 4-0 after 22 minutes.
Then, Taylor MacDougall netted Capitals’ opener two minutes later only for Belfast to claim four unanswered goals from Desmarais, Steve Saviano, Alex Foster and Riley.
But the visitors refused to give in and Yevgeni Fyodorov scored their second after 42 minutes.
No 3 arrived three minutes later from Pavel Vorobyev and Fyodorov scored their fourth three minutes after that.
Matt Towe counted for Giants two minutes later but Jared Staal and Michael D’Orazio completed the scoring with two goals inside the final three minutes.
Coach Dobron was unhappy with some of his men and Capitals go into the game (face-off 6pm) on the back of three straight defeats.

Fife have lost their last five games and the fixture means that the two teams with the worst recent records are going head-to-head.
Fife and Edinburgh desperately need a lift. Capitals prop up the ten-strong league with 17 points from 22 games and Fife are seventh with 21 points from 23 starts.
The top three – Cardiff Devils (39 points), Belfast (35 points) and Sheffield Steelers (31 points) – are pulling away from the rest but Capitals can’t allow a bigger gap to develop at the bottom as second-bottom Dundee Stars have 20 points from 24 games and Coventry Blaze are also on 20 points but from 25 starts.
Fife are next and above them are Manchester Storm with 23 points from the same number of games, Braehead Clan with 24 points from 25 starts and Nottingham Panthers with 25 points from 23 outings.

Photo courtesy of Ian Coyle 

Some of you want nothing more than to spend time in front of the box this Christmas. So what is on that may be of interest?

Here are our top choices from the BBC. Do let us know if you have anything you would recommend!

It is hard to avoid the Strictly and the Great British Bake Offs, but if we disregard those, there is still a lot to watch.

Tuesday 27 December 2016 at 21:00

Episode one of The Real Marigold on Tour. Miriam Margoyles, Wayne Sleep, Bobby George and Rosemary Shrager jet off to Florida.

Wednesday 28 December 2016 at 7.30pm

Ethel and Ernest is based on a Raymond Briggs book and tells the story of his own parents.

It looks like a lovely tale for all the family!

Thursday 29 December 2016 at 20:00.

Life in the Snow features the work of cameraman Gordon Buchanan who meets the animals who live in colder climes.

Thursday 29 December 2016 at 21:00

Flying Scotsman from the Footplate.
After the excitement of the new Flying Scotsman passing through Edinburgh earlier this year now you can watch the train from the comfort of your own living room, but the view is from the driving seat with footage from cab cameras.

Friday 30 December 2016 at 20:00

Judi Dench : All the World’s Her Stage features Dame Judi one of the best-loved British actors told by some of her colleagues such as Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan.

If you watch something better than our suggestions then do let us know!

Our photo is by John Preece who went along to the Palace of Holyroodhouse to see their decorations.

Rogue One: A Star Wars story has opened in cinemas across the country and at ODEON they are holding more than 10,000 screenings across their 120 cinemas. 

The cinema has drafted a quiz to test you on your Star Wars knowledge.  Already they think that Scotland has more than its fair share of those with all the answers with 47% getting them right so far.

Here’s the trailer to get you in the mood for the quiz:

Now you can test yourself!

TRY THE ODEON #ROGUEREADY QUIZ YOURSELF (No Google-ing!)*:

1. Which planet is destroyed by the Death Star in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope?

o    a – Bespin, b – Tatooine, c – Alderaan, d – Coruscant

2. On which planet is the Death Star under construction in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?

o    a – Scarif, b – Kessel, c – Kamino, d – Kashyyyk

3. What is the name of the large, four-legged vehicles used by the Empire to battle the Rebels in the Rogue One: A Star Wars Storytrailer?

o    a – Star Destroyer, b – AT-AT, c – AT-ST, d – TIE Fighter

4. Which of these films was also directed by Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?

o    a – Creed (2015), b – Fast & Furious (2009), c – Captain Phillips (2013), d – Godzilla (2014)

5. Jimmy Smits returns to the big screen as his character Bail Organa in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – but which of these titles did Bail appear in first?

o    a – Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), b – Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), c – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), d – Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

6. Who plays Jyn Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?

o    A) Katherine Waterston, B) Natalie Portman, C) Felicity Jones

7. Who plays Jyn Erso’s father in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?

o    A) Dylan McDermott, B) Liam Neeson, C) Mads Mikkelsen

8. Who is played by Ben Mendelsohn in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?

o    A) Grand Moff Tarkin, B) Director Orson Krennic, C) Admiral Piett

9. Who is played by Riz Ahmed in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?

o    A) Mas Amedda, B) Mace Windu, C) Bodhi Rook

10.Which actor performance-captured the droid K-2S0 in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?

o    A) Alan Tudyk, B) Miles Teller, C) Andy Serkis

11.Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set after the actions of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back? (True/False)

12.Forest Whittaker plays a role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. (True/False)

13.The character of Captain Cassian Andor in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is played by Diego Luna. (True/False)

14.Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s screenwriter, Tony Gilroy, also wrote the screenplays for the original Jason Bourne trilogy (True/False)

15.The majority of the filming for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story took place in the UK. (True/False)

Tickets for upcoming screenings are on-sale now and can be purchased online – with no booking fees – via the ODEON website.

And (no looking now!) here are the answers

*#ROGUEREADY QUIZ ANSWERS:

1) C, 2) A, 3) B, 4) D, 5) B, 6) C, 7) C, 8) B, 9) B, 10) A, 11) False, 12) True, 13) True, 14) True, 15) True

by Tim Maguire, Celebrant, Caledonian Humanist Association

Bill Purves was born in Edinburgh on 4 February 1934, the only child to William and Edith Purves who lived in Seaview Terrace in Joppa.

Bill’s father was an actuary, but Bill was already more artistically and practically inclined. Despite that, after attending Melville College, which was then in Melville Street, Bill’s father got him a job in insurance with Guardian Royal Exchange who were in the building on the corner of George Street that now houses the restaurant Amarone.

Bill hated the boring world of insurance and everything about it, so it’s hardly surprising that he didn’t do as well as his father had hoped, but the one good thing about being there was that he could do his work quickly and spent the rest of his time at the Lane Sales or reading books.

He took the early lunch hour that nobody else wanted, so that having gulped down a bite to eat he would be round at the auctions, buying furniture, both to resell and to furnish the house. He had the gift of seeing the beauty in things that others missed, and he enjoyed restoring his finds himself.

Bill had two spells on George Street, broken up by a two-year spell in the Naval Intelligence Section, which is how he spent his National Service, listening in on Russian radio traffic at the height of the Cold War. He was posted to Cuxhaven near Hamburg, where he had to learn Russian, and of course German too, and even after his National Service had finished, he was recalled as a reservist every year for several years afterwards.

It was in 1955 that Bill met his first wife, Marion Pringle, and they married and bought a flat at number 1, Scotland Street four years later in 1959.

They had two daughters, Caroline and Catherine.

By this time, Bill’s love of classic cars was already evident, as he and Marion had bought their first car, a 1934 Jowett, which his father named Belinda.  Every summer the family packed Belinda to the gunnels and spent July and August camping at Largo, in Fife.

It was no ordinary tent.  Bill designed the tent himself and commissioned Blacks of Greenock to manufacture it for his family.  And in the summer of 1965, they remember waving together from the sand dunes at the flower-decked train that was the last on the East of Fife railway line to Elie and beyond, before the Beeching cuts.

Bill continued to work at Guardian Royal Exchange until the year he took advantage of the chance to attend the Courtauld Institute in London as a mature student, where he served a term as president of the Student’s Union.  Bill studied art and architectural history, and as part of his course one year he travelled to the north of Italy in his beloved Belinda to study architecture.

With a delicious irony Bill’s tutor was Anthony Blunt, who famously, or perhaps infamously, passed secrets to Moscow while working for MI5 during the Second World War. Bill did rather wonder why it was that Blunt took a sabbatical year while Bill was there, but that is yet another question about The Cambridge Spy Ring that will probably never be answered.

Bill loved the freedom of London: it was the swinging sixties after all. Both girls remember that he always loved bright clothes, and he wore beautiful jewel-coloured shirts with his velvet jacket. Sandra explained to me he had actually designed some of his own clothes and some of his ideas were made up for him on Carnaby Street, on the grooviest street in what was at the time the world’s most fashionable city.  And later, when the girls were 10 and 8, Bill took them to Carnaby Street to buy them hot pants, the height of fashion in 1970.

It was in 1968 that he met the woman who was to become the love of his life, at a party in Marylebone. Sandra Whitlam was an engineer, and they soon found themselves madly in love.

Their first pad was at No.1 Windmill Street in North Soho, where they met lots of people from the world of television, and it was on Windmill Street that they watched the moon landing in July 1969. Soho was an interesting place in those days: it was the centre of London’s sex and crime worlds, and Bill had many stories about the Turkish and Greek Cypriot gangsters who ran the place in those days.

When Bill graduated, he and Sandra came back to Edinburgh together. Marion and the girls stayed at number 1 Scotland Street, while Sandra and Bill moved into number 4 along with Bill’s father, who had had a stroke. He lived there with them until he died in March 1978. Scotland Street has always had its share of characters, which is probably why Sandy McCall Smith chose to set his novel at the famously non-existent number 44. When Bill moved in, you couldn’t get a mortgage because of the subsidence, and there had been more than one brothel on the street back in the day.

During the late 60’s and early 70’s Bill started to restore buildings all around the New Town, putting back the original features and adding huge value to other people’s properties, but typically not charging anything like enough for doing so.

He was passionate about the area in which he lived. He campaigned to have the New Town properly restored, and became a member of The Georgian Society. He was involved with the Drummond Civic Association and Drummond Place Gardens and was instrumental in getting their railings restored – when the girls were growing up there had been none around the garden, because they’d all been taken away and melted down, as part of ‘The War Effort’.

Bill had a passion for the past. He saw beauty and value where others didn’t, and he loved raking through skips and junk shops as well as auctions for interesting things to restore. Bill zagged when the world zigged.

He took what was then a perverse view that if most people didn’t like it, then there was bound to be something there of interest to him. Books were very important to him, and his house is filled with technical books as well as tomes on architecture, lighting and cars, steamers and canals.

It was at around this time that Bill started his lighting business on St Stephen Street, which in the early 1970s pretty much smelled of pot and patchouli oil – all except for Mr Purves’s Lamp Emporium at number 59, which smelled strongly of paraffin.

Mr Purves’s Lamp Emporium didn’t keep regular hours. Bill did try to get people to sit in for him but that didn’t really work. Bill still had to look after his father who by then was in a wheelchair, and that meant that sometimes Bill simply had to drop everything and run.

The only reason he could do this was that Sandra had a ‘real’ job as a professional civil engineer, mostly in Glasgow where she commuted every day, although she later joined Lothian Region.

Looking after the shop, and looking after his father took up most of his time, but he also got involved in the restoration of The Waverley. Now there’s quite a story attached to this, so sit back and make yourselves comfortable.

When Bill was young, his family had often taken him ‘Doon the Watter’ on the Waverley, and Bill’s father knew a man who had been the skipper on the Waverley when she had been sunk during the evacuation of Dunkirk. In 1947, when Bill was 13 he went on a trip on the Lucy Ashton and it turned out that by then the man who had been the skipper on the Waverley when she was sunk was now the skipper of the Lucy Ashton. He invited the Young Willie up to the bridge, and allowed him to take the wheel, so of course, Bill was hooked. The bold captain said “Would you like to see me tomorrow?” Bill said, “yes sir!” and the captain said, “I’ll be on another ship tomorrow”, and sure enough he was.

The next day, Bill was at the quayside, scanning the horizon when into his ken swam a vessel that looked like what Bill thought was the Jeannie Deans, but it was not: it was of course, The new Waverley and it was on board The Waverley that Bill spent the rest of his holiday.

In 1974 Cal Mac decided that they would have to sell the Waverley because they simply couldn’t afford to keep her running, and after much discussion they agree to sell it for a pound to The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society – who had to borrow the pound to do the deal in the first place.

Bill and Sandra attended a meeting in the James Watt Dock in Greenock where it was suggested that The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society themselves should run it. So they set about raising funds, and indeed The Waverley was back on the water the following year. Ian Burroughs, who was involved in Western Ferries, was the prime mover, and for several years the Waverley sailed from Anderson Quay all the way down the Clyde before she found herself stranded on the Gantocks on an ebb tide.

Bill and Sandra had supplied some lights for the Waverley, so they hurried over to retrieve them before she went into dry dock. When she finally made it back to work, she began to sail further afield, initially to Liverpool and Fleetwood and then in 1978, she sailed all the way down to the Thames, and it was there, on board the paddle steamer that had meant so much to both of them, that Bill and Sandra had their wedding breakfast, on 28 April 1978. It must have been a very welcome breakfast, because the previous evening they and their guests had all gone down to London by the overnight train and on the way down, they drank the bar completely dry!

Bill continued to be involved with The Waverley for a long time. His nephew Magnus remembers seeing his Uncle Bill in full kilt regalia standing on deck when she docked in Tighnabruaich, and the girls remember joining Bill and their grandfather for cruises all around the Kyles of Bute.

Engineering was a profession for Sandra, but an all-consuming hobby for Bill. He knew about car engines and architectural structures, but he was entirely self-taught. After the Waverley was up and running, he and Sandra got involved with the Edinburgh Canal Society which at the time had nowhere to live, and once again he was a prime mover, responsible for building the society’s base and its boathouse at Harrison Park, and becoming its Boatman.

In typical Bill fashion, he found a collection of motor boats abandoned in a shed: they were of the kind he remembered from his childhood on the Clyde, so he brought them to Edinburgh, restored them and housed them at Harrison Park and that was the nucleus of their fleet. He remained very much involved with the society for many years and he was very much a part of the campaign to reopen the canal, which eventually happened thanks to the Millennium Funding.

He was still very much involved till 2006, when his health began to give him some problems, and that was when he really got back into cars.

Bill began to have problems with his health after the turn of the millennium when he and Sandra were involved in a nasty car crash en route to the Auto Jumble at Beaulieu in Hampshire.

Sandra was thrown out of the vehicle and landed on her feet: her glasses had flown off her head, and she had a cracked bone in her wrist, but otherwise, she was OK. Bill on the other hand was not so lucky. He was taken to hospital with a head injury, and it seems likely that the crash may have caused the brain damage with which he lived ever since. He immediately became less independent, but otherwise was very much the Bill we all knew and loved.

It was in the 90s that his style began to change.  Some of you may remember Bill’s propensity for wearing medium heeled court shoes with his faded blue boiler suit, as well as with his A-line kilted skirts. He was always an original dresser.

And it was around then that I learned that you engaged Bill in conversation at your peril, because he was a great one for fixing you like the Ancient Mariner and giving you a monologue on the pros and cons of double-flanged pin hinges.

It didn’t really matter if the subject didn’t interest you, or if you were in a bit of a rush, Bill was interested, so you had to go with the flow and wait for him to stop. He was oblivious to this to the extent that if he and Sandra were at a party or any other social gathering, Sandra quickly learned that she had to give herself at least an hour to plan an exit before Bill would finally be ready to leave. Phone calls with Bill could go on for a long, long time too, but he had so much enthusiasm for his subject, you could never be grumpy for long.

Bill was without doubt, a character. He was public spirited, he was nationalistic without being a party man, and he was much loved by all who knew him. Sandra really was the most important person in his life, and she managed him as nobody else could ever have done.

Bill’s health gradually declined over the last year, but he refused to give up or give in.

He was taken to the acute stroke ward at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and he walked out of there twice – on two sticks, because he didn’t like the Zimmer frame – and he somehow managed to get onto a bus without any money or even a bus pass – and both times he was rescued by the police.

After his stroke Bill’s speech was unintelligible, so Sandra was never able to find out how he managed this.

The second time, the police not only rescued him but they also very kindly gave him a lift home.

William (Bill)  Purves Born Edinburgh 4 February 1934 and died Edinburgh 6 October 2016 

Conservative politicians, Lothians MSP Miles Briggs and Councillor Nick Cook who is standing for re-election in 2017, are calling on the City of Edinburgh Council to undertake a feasibility study into developing a new Community Centre in Morningside. Miles and Nick made the call in light of the sale of the much-used Cluny Centre in Cluny Drive.

Commenting Miles Briggs, recently attended a meeting of the 103rd Braid Scout group at the Cluny Centre which is one of the many community groups using the site. He said:  “The sale of the Cluny Centre has highlighted the fact that Morningside, unlike many other communities across the city, does not have its own community centre and therefore local people have to rely on school, charity and third sector buildings for meeting space.

“It is welcome that the Church of Scotland will be building a new hall at Morningside Parish Church on Braid Road but given the area’s growing population and the number of local clubs, exercise, dance and play groups requiring community space, I think the Council should investigate whether a new Community Centre in the area could be taken forward. Such a centre would be a real boost to local residents and groups across the south of the city.”

Councillor Nick Cook said: “As elected representatives, we have an important role to play in supporting and encouraging the fantastic work done by the many community groups in Morningside.

“ As part of this, we must ensure all options are considered to ensure suitable facilities are available within the community.”

Here is the First Minister’s Christmas message which she recorded at Alness in Milnafua Village Hall:

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon said: “Christmas is about spending time with those we love, and for thinking about friends and family at home and abroad.  It is also a time to reflect on those less fortunate than ourselves. So this Christmas, I would encourage everyone to take the time to check on a friend or neighbour who is on their own. It’s important to spend some time over the next few weeks giving comfort, companionship and support to those who need it.

“We should also remember those working in our emergency services, those keeping our transport network running and the many more who give up time with their loved ones at Christmas in the service of others.

“Scotland has a proud reputation as a caring country and I want to thank everyone in the last year who has extended a warm welcome to those seeking refuge and comfort here.

“So, wherever you might be celebrating Christmas, in Scotland or overseas, at work or at home, I wish you all the best for a Merry Christmas.”