On the council papers presented today there was Plan A to outsource the Facilities Management services to make savings, and there was Plan B to keep the service in-house and which still aims to make some savings.

The Finance and Resources Committee met this morning amid last-minute politically-based motions put on the table by the Capital Coalition which reaffirmed the council’s stance against privatisation of services.

The Deputy Chief Executive set out the risks in both plans to the committee, including the number of redundancies which will be required if outsourcing is not adopted. It has already been announced that compulsory redundancies will now be required, but the decision on how many redundancies there will be has been deferred to the end of October after a consultation period with staff and unions.

It is the council’s stated aim to find as many redundancies as possible on a voluntary basis, but it seems clear that the council is probably veering towards a U-turn on its flagship policy of not making people leave their jobs to make savings.

Over the last three to four years over £100 million of savings have already been made, but now more needs to be shaved off council spending.

Conservative councillor Allan Jackson said that the council was not good at delivering some of the services it tries to, and it would be a good idea to put some things like waste management out to private contractors. He suggested that few local businesses actually use the council’s own waste management service rather than engaging a private contractor, and he took this as an example of something that the council does not do very well.

Despite the fact that the report before the committee recommended outsourcing of Facilities Management and asked for Plan A to be implemented, along with full details of the savings that would produce, this suggestion was thrown out by a majority decision of the committee. Instead the council will carry on with tweaks in their property portfolio and service delivery to make the necessary savings of £126m over the next four years.

The administration have always been against outsourcing in principle and the terms of the motion which the SNP and Labour Groups produced this morning made that abundantly clear saying that as far as outsourcing was concerned it was ‘explicitly rejected’.

This means that rather than contracting an outside company to deliver the Facilities Management service, the council will now adopt Plan B which according to the council report will need additional spending of around £5.4million to cover additional investment and redundancy costs.

The report suggested that there will be less in the way of annual savings under Plan B. Outside consultants Deloitte said that the savings by 2024/25 will be about £2.7million per annum, but these will be realised later and are not guaranteed.

If the council had adopted Plan A (also called the Enterprise Wide Strategic Partner Model) the savings would have been about £6.1million, although a couple of councillors admitted that there are risks in setting up a contract with an outside provider too.

The ongoing overspend on management of the council’s properties is in the order of £9million per year and this will most likely increase.

Across the whole report before the committee Plan A was given five stars by council officers on the basis that it scored ‘significantly better’ than the other possibilities on the table. In particular the officers explained that it would deliver more than two and a half times the annual financial benefits of any other option on the table.

So why was it rejected so roundly? It appears that the Capital Coalition will now adopt these new proposals for delivering these services in-house with specialised support. The budget will now be set on a four-year framework as agreed this morning and this will now form the basis of the Council’s annual public engagement exercise, which will start next Monday.

Councillor Alasdair Rankin, Finance Convener, said: “This is the start of a long process. There were some important decisions made today and we have agreed the framework for achieving the savings needed over the next four years.

“With greater demand for our services and our overall budget remaining the same we need to take action to ensure we safeguard frontline services for the people of Edinburgh.

“We are very clear about the scale of the financial challenge that the Council is facing we will work tirelessly to ensure that the services we provide are the ones which people need and want. The decisions taken today are the next step to achieving this.”

UNISON Edinburgh made a considered and much watered-down deputation to the committee today based on the promise from the administration that the Facility Management services will not be outsourced. They claimed that there is a lot of confusion among staff at the moment owing to conflicting suggestions from the council, and also that the staff who remain after any redundancies will be put under increased strain.

Union spokesman Gerry Stovin said that the promises made under Plan A are not realistic. The contracts would be complex and there are many pitfalls which were glossed over in the council report. He suggested that the savings could be made without compulsory redundancies at all and now that the position is better outlined they will have more meaningful discussions. Mr Stovin also explained that most of their members are against privatisation and want to remain council employees.

Amanda Kerr, Edinburgh UNISON branch secretary said: “Following concerted UNISON pressure, we welcome this re-think and the dropping of privatisation plans. We also welcome the delay on redundancies, however we still have a long way to go and we will be building for a  lobby of the next Finance and Resources Committee on 29 October.”

The possibility of outsourcing this part of the council’s services was first examined in 2010 in some detail. At that point it was proposed that all property and facilities management operations were handed over to MITIE under the Alternative Business Model generally favoured by the Conservative Group and the previous administration, but the idea was rejected then. The council decided to retain these services in-house and ploughed forward with a scheme to drive cost efficiency and improve customer service.

That scheme has not been a complete success in terms of reducing spending and UNISON commented that part of the problem was down to computer systems not being put in place as promised. It appears that there will have to be a lot of work done within the council to ensure that any new plans actually deliver the savings required.

The Royal Air Forces Association, the charity that supports the RAF family, held a service at St Giles’ Cathedral today, Thursday 24 September, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.  A few of ‘the few’ Second World War veterans attended the service along with current and ex-service personnel. His Royal Highness The Duke of York also attended.

The charity’s Secretary General, Nick Bunting, said: “This year marks a major milestone in the history of the Royal Air Force and sadly one of the last opportunities we will have to include those who were part of the Battle of Britain. We will be honouring people who played a part or were around during the battle: whether they were pilots, ground crew, filterers, plotters, Royal Observer Corps, ambulance drivers, barrage balloon operators or children, not to mention the many other trades who gave so much to defend our freedom.”

For more information on the Association visit www.rafa.org.uk

Hibs’ Head Coach Alan Stubbs has already savoured the 2-0 win over table topping Aberdeen at Easter Road last night and his mind is now on Saturday’s forthcoming game against Ian Murray’s St Mirren.

Few outside Easter Road had given Hibs any chance against the high-flying Dons who only three days previously had easily disposed of Hearts at Tynecastle, but Stubbs was confident that he had the players to cause an upset, and so it proved.

A neutral with no knowledge of Scottish football would have found it impossible to tell which of the teams was from the lower division, such was the performance of the Hibs’ players.

After the game Stubbs told the packed press room:  “It’s a great result for us, there is no denying it. The players can get excited about it but I’m sad and I’m already thinking about St Mirren.

“It is very satisfying, I thought it was two teams cancelling each other out in the first half and in the second half it opened up.

“I didn’t feel we played that well in the first half, I thought we took time to believe in ourselves and were rushed in possession.

“I spoke to them about being brave at half-time and I thought we were more positive in the second half.

“They were both fantastic goals. It’s taken a great strike to break the deadlock from Jason and Dom’s is the icing on the cake.

“This will certainly help but there was a belief in the dressing room beforehand, I think it took us 45 minutes to realise that belief at times.”

Green Finance spokesperson Gavin Corbett laments the revival of proposals to privatise management of council facilities.

It’s about haggis, isn’t it?

Five years ago, before I became a councillor, the city council was on the cusp of handing over the running of schools, community centres, offices, depots and so on to the private sector.  The preferred provider was MITIE.

At the eleventh hour, the council stepped back from the brink and decided to proceed with an internal improvement programme which sought to address some pretty significant service weaknesses.

By all accounts the internal improvement programme has not had its troubles to seek. Costs are higher than expected and there remains a backlog of repairs and improvements to public buildings.

So something needs to be done.

Is that “something” the transfer of the running of public buildings to the private sector?  Mega-consultants Deloitte seem to think so, having been commissioned by the council to look at options for an asset and property management strategy.  Having reviewed the options, surprise, surprise, it has concluded that engaging an “enterprise wide strategic partner“ should be the preferred option.  That is privatisation to you and me.

That means that the running of offices, depots, schools, libraries, community centres would be handed to the private sector. While the building themselves would remain in public ownership the building-related staff – that is janitors, cleaners, receptionists, caretakers etc – would be transferred to private providers, such as the aforementioned MITIE.

Having read the business case in full I believe that this recommendation is deeply flawed and rests on assumptions for cost-savings that would be difficult to realise and damaging for services.

However, for now, I want to pick out just one area, that of customer service.  We want our public buildings to be accessible and welcoming places.  Take schools, for example.  We want our schools to be community assets 7 days a week, from 8am to 10pm.  I spoke to one parent council chair at a school, which, as a PPP school, already has MITIE as the service provider.  She was utterly scathing about how poor the service has been. She spoke of endless bureacracy to get a simple let, of taking months to negotiate a school event, of having to fill out a form to move a table from one room to the next, of never being able to speak to anyone in the company who could make a decision.  Asked to compare the customer service of another non-PPP school with the the PPP school, she gave the former 9 out of 10, the latter 2 out of 10.

And haggis is a problem. The school hosted a Burns Supper for which the parents had to go to herculean lengths to get the haggis sorted. In Scotland. At a Burns supper.

Maybe she’s just been plain unlucky but, for her, in customer service terms, private companies running schools has been a shocking deterioration.

What is the answer? It is staring us in the face, as usual.  If the running of public buildings as a public service still has a way to go in relation to improvements, then let’s commit to those improvements, support the staff, provide real leadership, co-source some of the change, if need be.

But let’s banish the shadow of privatisaton for good.

At 10am this morning the bandages come off and the Surgeon’s Hall Museum will reopen to the public.

“Marvel at the specimens in our collections as they tell the history of medicine from 1505 to the present day. ”

Professor Sue Black, Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology, Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee, and acclaimed author Val McDermid will welcome visitors to the Museums with a keynote introductory lecture in the new Anatomy Theatre.

The Edinburgh Sketcher will be in the museum all day sketching what he sees.

Tickets here. The Museum is open 7 days a week.  Admission is £6 for adults, £3.50 for concessions. Please see their events page for more information on the relaunch events.

Sleeping out at the Zoo

Calling all artists! – exhibition space available this Saturday

Edinburgh gets funding to overcome barriers into work

Council finances under scrutiny

Chronicle Calling – news website for Craigmillar and East Edinburgh

Please do pray to the good weather gods to make sure it is a fine dry night tonight! The Edinburgh Reporter has agreed to join The Lady Provost and a few others (about 250!)  to sleep out at the Zoo……

Madness I know but it is all for a good cause to highlight the problems which homeless people in the city face on a daily and nightly basis.  Read more here and if you feel inclined you can donate to the fundraising effort here which has already raised over £15,000 of the target of £50,000.

We will be reporting directly from the Zoo tonight probably using Audioboom, perhaps Periscope if there is enough light, or some written articles that will be published here – but all done very quietly as we don’t want to waken the pandas….

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Scottish Historic Buildings Trust is a conservation charity which is working on a project to restore Custom House on Commercial Street in Leith, which has been closed to the public for over 30 years. If you are an artist you could have your work shown there this weekend!

“As part of Edinburgh’s Doors Open initiative this weekend the building will be open on Sunday between 10am and 4pm.  There are a number of spaces that artists could exhibit their work if it was of any interest and we would take a small commission of any works sold.  These monies would then go into the restoration fund for the building or other buildings in Edinburgh.   We hope to welcome somewhere between 1500 and 2000 people.”

All enquiries can be sent to Gail Raselli directly info@shbt.org.uk

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City of Edinburgh Council is one of 16 local authorities to share in a £43 million fund to help more Scots into work.

£3,562,328 will go to the city to help people overcome barriers to getting into work including long-term unemployment, following confirmation of Scotland’s share of the first stream of funding released under the Employability Strategic Interventions (SIs) as part of the European Social Fund (ESF) programme for 2014 – 2020.

Fair Work Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said:

“While the overall economic picture for Scotland remains generally very positive, particularly when compared to where we were at the peak of the recession, there remains work to be done.

“We must maintain momentum and ensure that every power at our disposal is used to grow the economy, increase employment, lower unemployment and remove barriers to the jobs market.

“We are committed to supporting people in their efforts to find viable, quality employment. To do that, we have to work hard with partners to remove the barriers people can face in trying to enter the labour market.

“This strand of European Social Funding is designed to do exactly that and I am very pleased to be able to confirm £3,562,328 for City of Edinburgh Council. Alongside action to boost employment and growth around the country, I hope to see further positive results stemming from this vital investment.”

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The council’s Finance and Resources Committee meets at 10am this morning for what promises to be a fairly stormy meeting with a lot of discussion around the level of savings the council now faces in the next four years. It is expected that there will be some deputations to the meeting and some protesters outside the City Chambers.

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The council gave funding of £50,000 to various news organisations in the city to help fund news models which would incorporate some training. The last of the three projects to get underway is The Chronicle Online at Craigmillar which received £13,500 of the funding.

This will carry news from Craigmillar and the rest of Eastern Edinburgh and you can get involved beginning on 2 October 2015 at The White House at 1:00pm.  No experience is necessary, just bring your stories!

Sign up here for a daily email from The Edinburgh Reporter !
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Meet the Glasshouse Staff: come and find out more about the Botanics’ stunning collection of plants from the people who care for them. Each month meet a different member of the indoor horticulture team in one of the ten glasshouses, each with different specialist knowledge. 1-2pm, Glasshouse, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Free with Glasshouse entry (£5/£4, children under 16 and essential carers free).

Rannagan Na Chloinne – Gaelic Songs and Rhymes! For young children and their parents and carers. For more information please call in to the library or call 0131 529 5595. 10.30am, Blackhall Library, Hillhouse Road. Next session: 22nd October 2015.

Architectural Society of Scotland Public Meeting: to consider the society’s opposition to the proposed hotel development at the former Royal High School. Find out what you can do if you wish to oppose this application. 6pm, Sanctuary, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street.

Cameo Big Scream: screenings exclusively for parents/carers and their babies under the age of one year. Today’s film is Everest 2D (12A), a gripping drama based on a disastrous 1996 expedition when eight climbers lost their lives attempting an ascent on the mountain. 10.30am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online here.

Women Getting Together – Making A Difference: a follow-up to the conference in June organised by the Women’s International Group. Today’s event will be looking at what the idea of home means, what community action has achieved in the past to support victims of racism, and how we can take action to ensure people are made safe and welcome in our communities. Come and join in the discussion, see films and enjoy a free lunch – all women welcome, creche available (please book creche in advance). 10am-12.30pm, Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, Pilton Drive North. For more information, for transport or to book a creche place please call Lynn on 0131 552 5700 or Rachel on 07891 525 663.

Edinburgh’s World Heritage: the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. In this talk David Hicks, Edinburgh World Heritage Communications Manager with responsibility for promoting awareness and understanding of the city’s World Heritage Site, will explain why the city has this status and how Edinburgh World Heritage works to conserve, promote and enhance the Old and New Towns. 10.30am, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate. Tickets cost £5/£3.50 and must be booked in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here.

Italian Women Writers: Gender and Everyday Life in Fiction and Journalism, 1870-1910. Katharine Mitchell, Lecturer in Italian (University of Strathclyde), discusses her book with Italian writer and journalist Caterina Soffici. Italian Women Writers looks at the work of three of the most significant women authors of Post-Unification Italy: La Marchesa Colombi, Neera and Matilde Serao. These writers, whose works had been largely forgotten for much of the last century only to be rediscovered by the Italian feminist movement of the 1970s, were widely read and received considerable critical acclaim in their day. In their realist fiction and journalism, they documented and brought to light the ways in which women participated in everyday life in the newly independent Italy, and how their experiences differed profoundly from those of men. 6pm, Italian Cultural Institute, 82 Nicolson Street.

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LGBT Age: What You Need To Know – Lingoflamingo. A tailored and playful foreign language workshop with an LGBT twist – crack open a suitcase-load of tips and tricks to increase concentration and improve memory and communication. 2-4pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. Booking is preferred; please call 0131 523 1100. LGBT Age is a project run by LGBT Health and Wellbeing for LGBT people aged 50 and over in Greater Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Lothians. The project aims to promote health and wellbeing and create social opportunities by offering a befriending service, social programme and information sessions. For more information please call 0141 271 2330 or email lgbtage@lgbthealth.org.uk.

Scrum Down Scotland: a workshop to mark the 2015 Rugby World Cup.  See a selection of the many items on Scottish rugby held in the National Library’s collections; subjects covered include the Calcutta Cup, the Five Nations, club rugby, women’s rugby and great Scottish players. Among the highlights is ‘The rugby football internationals roll of honour’, which includes biographies and portraits of the Scottish rugby players who died in the First World War. 2.30-3.30pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Booking is required and may be made by calling 0131 623 3734 or online here.

The Scotland-Russia Forum: Student Welcome Party. Students from Russia and its neighbours, students studying Russian or interested in the history, culture and politics of the area are all invited to meet each other at the Forum’s Student Welcome Party. 6.30-8.30pm, Cafe, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Please RSVP to Jenny Carr on 07846 917 627 or email info@scotlandrussiaforum.org to enable the organisers to cater for all.

My Favourite Tree in the Garden: RBGE’s tree expert William Hinchliffe will give a talk about the five most popular trees in the Garden, chosen by the public in a recent poll. He will give an insight into the history, care and botany of the trees and of the current tree collecting programme. 7.30pm, Lecture Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Admission £6 (members £5): no booking required.

Blackwells Presents An Evening with Margaret Attwood: on the publication date of her new novel, The Heart Goes Last, the award-winning author of more than forty books (The Handmaid’s Tale, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin) will be in conversation with author and literary critic Stuart Kelly. 7pm, Assembly Rooms, George Street. Tickets cost £10 (or £24 with a copy of the book) and may be purchased from Blackwell’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8229 or via eventbrite here.

CAESURA #33: since 2012 CAESURA has been exploring the recesses of poetics, language and sound with a series of stripped-back events that include experimental writing and avant garde miscellany, in intimate performances by innovative artists from across the UK and beyond. This first event after the summer break features a quintet of poets: Michael Farrell, Gavin Selerie, Frances Presley, Jane Goldman and Iain Morrison. 6.30pm, Saltire Society, 9 Fountain Close, 22 High Street. Tickets cost £5/£4 and may be booked via eventbrite here. For more information about this event please contact the Scottish Poetry Library on 0131 557 2876.

Take One Action! Film Festival: ‘connecting people, world-class cinema and creative action for a better world’. Twelve days of screenings and discussions, in Edinburgh and Glasgow, on issues as diverse as environmental activism, LGBT rights in African countries, cycling, the value (or not) of university degrees, the Arab Spring, literacy, the global financial system, food chains and much more. Today’s film is The Divide (15): a moving and urgent account of how inequality impacts our societies, inspired by best-seller The Spirit Level. As Britain today faces yet another round of harsh austerity measures while rising wealth is concentrated in ever fewer hands, what is the true cost of inequality? Director Katharine Round presents moving, personal stories from across the income spectrum. From the carer on a zero-hour contract to the ambitious Wall Street psychologist who aspires to the affluent lifestyle of the burnt-out traders he supports, The Divide successfully articulates how the rising gap between rich and poor negatively impacts people from the bottom to the top of society. Plus short: Hotel 22. Presented in association with Oxfam. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online; prices vary. The director, Katharine Round, and Marco Biagi MSP will join today’s screening. The films will be shown again at 1pm on Friday 25th September.

The King Lot: the critically acclaimed West Lothian-based melodic rock band plays a home turf headline show before heading out on tour. Supported by Welsh rockers Fireroad and heavy rock band Mason Hill. Over 18s only. 7pm, Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £10 (booking fee applies) and are available in advance from Skiddle here.

Ragged University: Evolving for Girls + Power, People and Progress: How We Make Decisions About What We Want for the City and its Communities. In the first of this evening’s talks, Doreen Soutar looks at theories of sexual selection, as mooted in Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man: ‘This book and the theories it contained were pretty much ignored by mate selection theorists for over a hundred and thirty years. However, since the turn of the 21st century it has been making a come-back. This could be seen as a good move for feminists….’ After a break for food and discusson, Ewan Aitken will suggest that ‘our conflict ridden culture means that much of what passes for public debate is destroyed by point scoring and a serious inability to disagree with condemnation. I see the third sector as a place of hope and change but it too needs to think about how it models that new way of living and working’. 7pm, The Counting House, West Nicolson Street. All welcome; free, but please bring some food to put on the table if you are able to do so. ‘Knowledge is power, but only when it is shared’.

City Link 2015: City Link Festival starts today! An international event celebrating culture and urban life between cities through symposiums, artist exchange, workshops, study trips, city walks, performances and social bonding, inspiration and co-creation, City Link started in 2012 as a co-creation project between cultural communities in Copenhagen and Hamburg. Until 2014, the network primarily consisted of people from those cities, but the City Link Festival in Hamburg in September 2014 kick-started City Link as a global network connecting people, projects and communities throughout the world. This year the festival’s theme is democratic renewal; it will bring together people from Edinburgh and Copenhagen with ideas that could link cities, discuss local initiatives, inspire each other and investigate possibilities of co-creating cities across Europe. The festival opens today with the following events – more follow on 25th, 26th and 27th September:

Hold Me Dear: Four Cities, Four (Extra) Ordinary Places. A co-created gallery and exhibition of stories and photographs of Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Istanbul and Hamburg. Curated by HERE + NOW, the exhibition provides a unique and exciting opportunity for people to share the places that matter most to them, building up a very personal insight into a residents’ view of their Edinburgh – the places that matter personally to local people ­beyond the usual tourist landmarks. From 9am, Rodney Street Tunnel. There will be a launch event at 12 noon on Sunday 27th September – see listing. Ends 20th October 2015;

Classic Copenhagen: Copehagen Street Art. Danish urbanist and photographer Sandra Høj gives her insight in to Copenhagen’s street art scene with a unique collection of photographs. 10am-5pm, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street. Ends 26th September 2015.

Polar Twins: the launch of an exhibition by five Danish and Scottish artists, whose work is part of a six month cultural exchange between Copenhagen and Edinburgh. Curated by Miriam Wistreich and Morvern Cunningham, the exhibition also features as the closing event for this year’s LeithLate festival. Launch 6-9pm tonight, exhibition 12 noon-6pm daily, The Biscuit Factory, Anderson Place. Free: all welcome. Ends 27th September 2015.

Opening Doors: The Urban Revolution in Denmark. The non-profit organisation Givrum.nu involves Danish civil society, the public sector and businesses in neighbourhood development; by literally opening the doors to empty buildings, GivRum allows cultural projects and creative businesses to thrive. Via their City Link Festival initiative GivRum hopes to share best practice with cities around the world. Come to hear Jesper Koefoed-Melson, Director of GivRum, and Sara Melson, City Link Project Manager, explain more, and take part in a discussion on whether this trend could make its way to Scotland. 6-8pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Free but booking is required via eventbrite here.

Guilty As Sin: get up and dance, or just relax and sing along! 9pm, Old Chain Pier, Trinity Crescent.

New data published today reveals that the Lothian Pension Fund has £237 million invested in fossil fuels according to Friends of the Earth. The fund provides pensions for council workers and related organisations in Edinburgh, East and West Lothian, and Midlothian.

The data will also show that across the UK local government pensions invest £14 billion in oil, gas and coal.

International action on climate change will leave these fossil fuel investments worthless, creating a ‘carbon bubble’ which would be deeply damaging to any funds exposed to them.  Fossil fuels companies have also fared poorly in financial terms in recent years.

Dave Watson, Head of Bargaining and Campaigns at UNISON Scotland, represents many fund members nationally.

He said: “Local authorities have a duty to cut carbon emissions under Scotland’s Climate Change Act. This, together with the growing financial risk, is a major factor Scottish local authority pension funds need to consider when making investments in the fossil fuel and similar industries.
“Divesting from fossil fuels is the prudent way for councils to meet both their fiduciary duty to members and their public law duties.”

The research, carried out by Friends of the Earth Scotland, volunteers and partners shows that 4.7% of the Lothian Pension Fund is exposed to fossil fuels, second only to the Strathclyde local government fund in Scotland.

Investments include a £20 million stake in Shell, £12 million in BP, and £28 million in coal companies.

Cllr Chas Booth, City of Edinburgh Councillor, proposed a motion for the Lothian Pension Fund to investigate fossil fuel divestment.

He said: “Public pensions locked in to fossil fuel funds are financing dangerous climate change, and are a threat to the pensions of millions of public sector workers.

“Like many local authorities, Edinburgh Council has a strong commitment to cutting our greenhouse gas emissions, but we need to convert those fine words into action.”

Campaigners believe that this pension money should be invested in projects that would benefit the wider community and still provide a secure return on investment such as renewable energy or social housing. In February the Strathclyde Pension Fund announced a £10 million investment in smaller-scale renewables and in 2014 the Falkirk fund invested £30 million in social housing.

Maggie Anderson, Lothian Pension Fund member said: “The only thing that makes sense is to invest in renewables. We need to look to the future, not kill it by persisting with what belongs in the past. That’s what I would hope for from my pension fund, especially in Scotland which has so many natural resources of renewable energy.”

Cllr Jim Orr, Edinburgh City Council Pensions Committee said: “There is a growing recognition that pensions and other long term investments often support patterns of unsustainable and hugely damaging fossil fuel consumption.

“What we need is for more stakeholders, particularly individual pension scheme members, to make their voices heard so that there is pressure for investment strategies to reflect their wishes.”

Ric Lander, Friends of the Earth Scotland divestment campaigner said: “Communities around the world are calling for an end the environmental destruction that comes with coal mining, fracking and deep sea drilling.  Our pensions shouldn’t be fuelling this damage: we should be redirecting this money to socially useful projects such housing and clean energy.

“Across Scotland folk from churches, unions, universities and local communities are starting to question why so much of their money is invested with so little accountability.  It’s time for investors to listen the call to invest in our future.”

Scottish organisations which have begun divesting from fossil fuels include the United Reform Church, University of Edinburgh and University of Glasgow. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the Norway Pension Fund have also divested.

On Tuesday Fossil Free campaign supporter Leonardo Di Caprio announced in New York that his charitable foundation would join $2.6 trillion (£1.7 tn) of other funds who have divested from fossil fuels to date.

ODEON Fort Kinnaird is offering guests a unique opportunity to watch the new hotly anticipated Ridley Scott sci-fi space blockbuster The Martian, starring Matt Damon, one week before its official release at 5.45pm on 24^th September.

In a ground-breaking first for the ODEON cinema group, all of the drama from Leicester Square will be screened live to cinemas across Europe. Guests will be able to see all of the live interviews with stars and celebrities at the premiere.

The Martian is officially released in the UK on Wednesday 30^th September.

Tickets for the screening are selling fast, and available to book now from the ODEON website.

ODEON Fort Kinnaird has been specially selected to host the red carpet screening, in addition to a handful of other cinemas across the continent.

Ant Robinson, General Manager of ODEON Fort Kinnaird, said: “It is so exciting to bring such an exclusive screening to guests here in Edinburgh. Film premieres are usually something reserved for central London residents, and that’s if you’re lucky enough to get hold of a ticket! It’s the first time we’ve been able to host anything of this kind, and it’s shaping up to be a unique night for our guests.”

Two superbly taken goals by Jason Cummings and Dominique Malonga secured a sensational victory for Hibs over table topping Aberdeen at Easter Road earlier this evening.

Head Coach Alan Stubbs made two changes from the side that defeated Livingston at the weekend to accommodate a change in formations from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2.  Martin Boyle and Darren McGregor replaced Marvin Bartley and Malonga who were both listed as substitutes.

Aberdeen who easily beat Hearts on Sunday at Tynecastle brought back top scorer Adam Rooney to play alongside David Goodwillie ip front. Ash Taylor also replaced Paul Quinn and Willo Flood returned to the starting line up for the Dons who had won their previous seven league games,

Hibs started brightly and Liam Henderson’s long ball caused confusion in then ‘Dons defence when goalkeeper Danny Ward’s clearance struck Taylor and rebounded toward his goal but Andrew Considine was on hand to clear the danger.

Aberdeen almost grabbed the opening goal in the 11th minute when   Goodwillie beat the  offside trap only for his shot across goal to be cleared by Paul Hanlon.

Derek McInnes’ side then picked up two injuries in quick succession and both Willo Flood and Graeme Shinne had to leave the field.

Both sides created chances in an end to end first period however neither could provide the breakthrough.

Aberdeen started the second half brightly and should have taken the lead in the 47th minute when Nall McGinn fired in a superb cross that substitute Peter Pawlett headed over from close range. The striker claimed to have been pushed however he found no sympathy from the Hibs’ fans who remembered his retrospective ban for diving after winning a penalty against their favourites at Pittodrie.

Dan Carmichael replaced the impressive Henderson as both clubs went for the victory. Cummings had the fans on their feet with a 50 yard run before being crowded out by the Dons’ defenders.

Hibs eventually grabbed the lead in the 82nd minute when Cummings managed to chest the ball down before firing s sensational shot past  Ward from the edge of the area, sparking jubilant scenes from three sides of the stadium.

Six minutes later Hibs secured the win when Malonga collected the ball in his own half before running 70 yards beating three Aberdeen  challenges and side footing the ball into the corner of the net beyond Ward.

At the final whistle the players left the field to a standing ovation with ‘Sunshine on Leith’ blaring from the public address system.

Hibernian: Oxley, Gray, Henderson (Carmichael 61’), Hanlon, Fontaine, McGeouch, Stevenson, Boyle (Bartley 89’), McGinn, McGregor, Cummings Malonga 84’).  Substitutes not used: Reguero, Stanton, Dunsmore, Martin.

Aberdeen: Ward, Logan, Shinnie (McLaughlin 25’), Considine, Taylor, McLean, Flood (Pawlett 17’), Rooney, McGinn, Goodwillie (Parker 86’), Jack. Substitutes not used: Brown, Smith, Robson, Quinn.

Referee: Steven McLean.

Attendance: 11,092.

Kilmarnock 2 Heart of Midlothian 3

Scottish League Cup Third Round, Wednesday 23 September 2015 – Rugby Park

Hearts brought their losing streak to an end in dramatic fashion in deepest Ayrshire when they defeated Kilmarnock 3-2 to progress to the quarter finals of the Scottish League Cup.

Robbie Neilson’s men fell behind to an early goal when Magennis put Killie ahead in the 13^th minute and the Hearts defence again looked uncertain.

After a lucklustre first half, Hearts equalised with 15 minutes to go through captain Alim Ozturk – only for Gary Locke’s team to go back in front six minutes later through Magennis who netted his second goal of the tie.

Hearts refused to accept defeat, however, and turned the tie on its head in a dramatic final two minutes. Juanma and Sam Nicholson were the heroes to stun the home side and put Hearts into the quarter finals.

Kilmarnock: Ridgers, O’Hara, Ashcroft, Balatoni, Findlay, Hamill, Slater, Higginbotham, Kiltie, Obadeyi, Magennis.

Hearts: Alexander, Paterson, Ozturk, Augustyn, Rossi, Gomis, Buaben, Nicholson, Swanson King, Sow.

Referee: Craig Thomson

Att: 3,249

Top Man: Sam Nicholson

On the Hearts substitute bench was new signing Arnaud Djoum who has joined the Maroons until January.

The 26-year-old Belgian midfielder has spent the last week training with Hearts, having been a free agent since departing Polish side Lech Poznan in the summer.

Arnaud’, formerly of Dutch side Roda JC, was also with Turkish side Akhisar Belediyespor.

Robbie Neilson told the official Hearts website: “I’m pleased to get Arnaud in. He’s came in and he’s a good player with a good pedigree. He fitted in well with the group and he’ll be a great asset to us.

He’s on a deal until January so we can take a look at him and then see about extending it further, but I’m pleased to get him in the door.”

The Edinburgh Reporter met up with Kevin Finlay from Kids in the Street recently at the ‘graduation ceremony’ being held in the White House in Craigmillar. People from local groups were presented with their certificates to show they are now trained to use the twelve defibrillators which have been purchased and distributed to organisations in the area.

Craigmillar Castle Regeneration Group (CCRG)  asked builders involved in local developments to sink funds into a community chest for use in the local area. Chair of CCRG Norrie Davies thought it would be a good idea to get some defibrillators for the wide variety of organisations and venues in Craigmillar.

The move followed a tragedy last Christmas when teenager Jamie Skinner died following a cardiac arrest on a city football pitch, and since then there has been a focus on obtaining the life-saving equipment and training locals to use it across the city.

We attended earlier this month when those who attended the training course were being awarded their certificates and the defibrillators themselves were being handed out.

The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

Chartered Forester, James Ogilvie (58) is one of only 40 Brits to make it to the top of the Seven Summits – the highest mountains on the world’s seven continents.

The Edinburgh local has travelled far and wide across the globe over the past 20 years in a bid to complete the life-long challenge, whilst raising thousands of pounds for Tree Aid.

The charity tackles poverty, protects Africa’s dry lands and helps poor communities to become self-reliant by using the potential of trees to reverse environmental decline.

James has been Head of Social and Planning Policy at Forestry Commission Scotland for 36 years and a Director at Central Scotland Green Network Trust (CSGNT) since 2014. The outdoor explorer is now celebrating his climbing achievements with the release of a new book, ‘Getting High – a world at my feet’.

James’ impressive climbs has seen him conquer Everest in Asia, Aconcagua in South America, McKinley in North America, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Kosciuszko in Australia and most recently, Mount Vinson in Antarctica.

Whilst always maintaining an active lifestyle with a love for the outdoors, James stumbled into high altitude climbing almost by accident some 20 years ago, after an unplanned ascent on Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain at 19,341ft.

Next on the list was South America’s mighty Aconcagua at 22,838 ft and then Mount McKinley at 20,320 ft. With three of the Seven Summits under his belt, James decided to attempt the almighty mountaineering challenge and complete all seven summits.

Everest was up next, the Earth’s highest mountain at 29,029 ft which has attracted mountaineers for centuries, and despite the icy conditions, altitude sickness and the infamous death zone, it remains James’ favourite summit.

The Everest expedition took a total of 10 weeks but thanks to a great team of people around him, James managed to summit on 22nd May 2007.
Spacing the climbing expeditions 3 to 4 years apart due to cost, James maintained his training and fitness levels through his love for hill walking. To this day, James has managed to work his way around most of Scotland’s Munros and has ascended 250 out of 282. He also cycles to work most days and has completed the Great North Run many times.

After each climbing expedition James wrote an account of each summit and so when it came to putting his book together he had most of the content written up already. James Ogilvie’s book, ‘Getting High – a world at my feet’ is out now and all profits made will go to Tree Aid.

Speaking of his mighty challenge, James said: “Completing all Seven Summits became a life-long ambition of mine and doing it all for such an amazing charity so close to my heart made the climbing expeditions all the more worthwhile. Although Tree Aid is a relatively small charity, it makes such a positive difference to some of the poorest communities in Africa.

“The Seven Summits are regarded by many as the crown jewels of mountaineering and I’m so proud that I’m one of the few to accomplish the challenge. What’s next for me? I would like to complete all of the Scottish Munros which is a worthy accomplishment to aim for.”

Keith Geddes, Chair of CSGNT, said: “James is an excellent example of why choosing a healthy and active lifestyle can reap benefits and bring a great sense of achievement in other areas of life.

“The £50,000 which James has raised for Tree Aid over the years is phenomenal and his passion for the outdoors and the environment is an inspiration to us all.”

CSGNT aims to improve the social, physical, cultural and environmental health and well-being of central Scotland, as well as assisting the area to meet the challenge of climate change.

James Ogilvie’s book, ‘Getting High – a world at my feet’ is available to purchase from publisher, Twinlaw and Amazon.

Submitted by Lesley Ogilvy

Work will begin on the long-awaited skatepark in Drylaw this week.

The new £200,000 skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park is the result of a collaborative project between the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust and local community organisations, to develop, fund and deliver a new skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park in North Edinburgh. The project was initiated by young people from the local community and was then taken forward via consultation and first stage funding for the development of a feasibility study, by the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, closely supported by the local community council, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and sportscotland

The inspiration for this project came from the citywide skate park created in Saughton Park which has shown how successful a skatepark can be, and which has led to calls for a more local and convenient facility in the north of the city.  The new facility has received funding from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council and secured £100,000 match funding from the Scottish Government’s Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. The skatepark will have tips, rails, ledges, flat banks, and a half pipe for use by skateboarders, inline skaters and BMX bikers.

The Greenspace Trust (ELGT) has overseen the project management of the skatepark since planning permission was granted in early 2013, and has taken the lead in developing and securing funding to ensure the delivery of the project for the community.   The final elements of funding were secured by ELGT in 2015 and the construction put out to tender in the summer. With the final design elements agreed, and necessary planning conditions met, such as drainage, work can now start.

Half of the costs of the skatepark are being met by an award from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. The £10million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund has enabled communities across Scotland to benefit from the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, by providing more and better opportunities to be active.

Sarah Robertson, Project Manager from sportscotland, said “The new Drylaw skatepark is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by various organisations investing resources and working together and we are delighted to have invested £100,000 from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund”.

“Together with our partners, sportscotland are committed to building and supporting the development of a world-class sporting system at all levels, and this project will provide a great facility which will be available for the whole of the community to use”.

“This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active”.

The match funding is from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and City of Edinburgh Council -Culture and Sport. The new skatepark helps deliver the Neighbourhood Partnership’s key priorities of engaging young people, increased opportunities for physical activity and encouraging better use of green spaces.

City of Edinburgh Council Transport Convener and chair of the skatepark working group, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said “I am pleased the Drylaw Skate Park work has started.  It has been a long road to get to this point and credit is due to the young people and local organisations who have worked tirelessly to make sure this project happened”

Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT) works across Edinburgh and the Lothians to create, improve and promote parks and greenspaces, and to provide opportunities for communities to be more active for leisure and travel. Ross Woodside, ELGT’s Projects Manager, said “we are pleased that the much-anticipated skatepark has reached the construction stage.  We are confident that it will be a well-used local asset and make real contribution to more sporting opportunities in the area.”

The park is being designed and built by Freestyle Skateparks, the UK’s oldest and largest skatepark design-and-build company. Construction is scheduled to last around ten weeks.

The Edinburgh Reporter visited Fox Covert Early Years Centre this morning to see the transformed surroundings now available to nursery school children in the area. This is a purpose built nursery in the grounds of the Fox Covert Primary School and it is a lovely space both indoors and outdoors.

Early years staff and council designers have worked together to provide a nurturing and natural environment. Research has shown that young children respond positively to natural colours and materials and this has influenced the design of the new nurseries.

The one thing that struck us most was that the council have commissioned the Grassmarket Project to build some lovely durable wooden furniture and play things like cookers and washing machines. As ever the craftsman at the project have created something beautiful out of wood, some of which has come from the council’s parks. North Lanarkshire Industries have supplied the natural fabrics for upholstered items throughout the building.

It is a new building designed for ease of use and has sliding doors to provide views and natural light while allowing the children to go and play outdoors in the garden very easily too.

The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS Fox Covert Nursery from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

As explained in May this year the council has plans to extend its nursery provision across the city with £4.2m of further investment. This includes replacing facilities at Ferryhill Primary School and Tynecastle Nursery which will both have more room for pupils, and a permanent replacement nursery at Leith Primary School and improvements to Blackhall Nursery. In total 10 nurseries will be replaced or extended.

A previous investment of £5.7m was spent on

With a rising birth rate and continuing rising rolls in Edinburgh, the council has been busy planning the expansion of the buildings which it owns to meet the growing demand for nursery places.

The Children and Young People’s Act (2014) also increased the number of hours of early learning and childcare to 600 hours for all 3 and 4 year olds and introduced nursery places for eligible 2 year olds for the first time.

Taking this into account and looking across the city to identify areas of need, the first phase of new build nurseries are ready to open in August 2015 in Duddingston, Wardie and Fox Covert. Future new builds are planned for 2016.

With ‘playzones’ for Arts & Crafts, Home Corner, Construction & Blocks, Arts & Crafts, Messy Play, Kitchen & Snacks, Outdoor Play with emphasis on large sliding doors providing views to nature, natural light and easy circulation for children to encourage outdoor play.

Mp

rrison Construction built the new school on behalf of Hub South East Scotland, the Council’s Development Partner.

Hibs have advised all supporters who are planning to attend the game to arrive at the stadium in plenty of time, as the roadworks could cause delays as you reach the Easter Road area.

There are ongoing roadworks in the vicinity of Easter Road Stadium, meaning that delays on the way to the ground could be experienced.

There are works underway at the southern point of Easter Road, leading to Abbey Mount. This has resulted in a three-way traffic management system being put in place at the junction where Easter Road meets London Road. Coming from Abbey Mount, there are traffic diversions in place leading down Montrose Terrace, before turning left onto London Road.

Roadworks are also underway at the junction where Easter Road and Gordon Street meet. Three-way traffic controls are also in place in the area, causing minor delays.

Scotland get their UEFA European Qualification campaign off to a flyer in Slovenia last night winning 3-0 at the Ajdovšcina Stadion thanks to a hat trick from Kim Little.  The Seattle Reign’s midfielder opened her account with a fine chipped goal just before the half-hour mark after some nice build-up play through the middle by Rachel Corsie.

Minutes into the second-half Scotland doubled their lead. when Jane Ross’ ball was controlled by Little who rounded the keeper and blasted in for her second of the game.

On 59 minutes Little claimed her hat-trick and Scotland’s third goal of the game. Crichton sent a fine pass through the Slovenian defence that found Little who, again, rounded the keeper and made no mistake with the finish. 3-0 to Scotland.

Little’s hat trick means she has now scored 44 goals in 109 games for the National Team – the most of any player in the current squad.

Next up for Scotland is a home tie with Belarus on October 23rd followed by a trip to FYR Macedonia four days later.

After the game Kim said: “Its nice to score three goals but more importantly we’ve not played together for a while so for us it was all about getting the three points. There are lots of things we could have done better but we all know that. We came here and we did what we had to do.

“You always want to get off to a good start. There are lots of things we’ve got to do better when we face teams that are a bit higher ranked. But it’s a good platform to build from and I’m sure there’ll be more wins to come.”

“It was quite tight around the area and I thought we played some nice combination play beforehand. Rach scooped it over to me and the keeper came out so that kinda made the decision for me to go over her.”

Scotland | Fay (GK, C), Dieke, Love, Lauder, Little, Crichton, Evans, J.Ross (L.Ross 81) Corsie, Beattie, Brown. Subs not used: Lynn (GK), Smith, Weir, Murray, Arnot, Clelland

Balerno Music Festival: the eighth Balerno Music Festival starts today, with a packed programme of concerts, films, cabaret, workshops, children’s events, folk music sessions, the Festival Busk and a jazz party. Tonight’s opening event is a Dinner Discussion with Paul Stubbings, Musical Director of St Mary’s Music School; a renowned organist and music master, Paul took up his post at St Mary’s in 2012 and on his appointment was described as ‘a first rate performer at St Martin-in-the-Fields …….. having an absolute passion for education’. Come along and hear about Paul’s career highlights and what drives his passion for teaching excellence in music. The evening will include a delicious two course meal provided by MacKenzies (of Colinton) with complimentary wine or soft drinks. A friendly and warm welcome is guaranteed. 7.30pm, St Joseph’s Hall, Balerno. Tickets cost £17 and may be purchased from Balerno Parish Church Office (9am-12 noon, Monday to Friday), Balerno Farmers’ Market, by post or online; for full booking information click here. The festival ends on 11th October 2015.

World’s Biggest Coffee Morning: with cake! 11am, Drumbrae Library Hub, Drumbrae Drive. All welcome. In aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Donations of baking much appreciated – these may be taken into the library on Tuesday 22nd or early today.

Black Cube Collective Annual Show 2015. The Edinburgh arts organisation brings together more than fifty emerging artists from around the world for its third Annual Show, with contemporary art ranging from installation and film to painting and ceramics. Exhibitors include Rory Laycock, who was recently selected for entry into the 9th International Arte Laguna Prize; other artists from Pakistan, Hong Kong, the United States, Austria, Russia and many other countries will join graduates of Edinburgh College of Art and Glasgow School of Art. The work shown will cover topics as diverse as hyperplasia, gender reassignment and the use of online technology. A public live performance event by artist Jean-François Krebs will take place on Saturday 26th September at 2pm. 10am-5pm, Gayfield Creative Spaces, 11 Gayfield Square. Ends 30th September 2015.

Nothing Ever Happens Here Presents Joanna Gruesome: ‘These sublime pop noiseniks provide a masterclass in controlled aggression. Edgy and intense…they pound and pout through violently melodic two-minute songs about satanic rites and psychotic episodes’ (The Guardian). For over 18s only. 8pm-late, The Dissection Room, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £10 and may be booked by calling the Box Office on 0131 560 1580 or online here.

Meet Graham Hancock: the Edinburgh-born author, who specialises in unconventional theories about ancient civilisations, will be signing copies of Magicians of the Gods, the long-awaited sequel to his seminal work Fingerprints of the Gods. 12.30pm, Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street. For more information please call 0131 226 2666.

Jandy Nelson: the San Francisco-based YA author will discuss her new book,  I’ll Give You the Sun, ‘a radiant novel that will leave you laughing and crying all at once’. 6pm, Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street. Free tickets are available from the shop. For more information please call 0131 226 2666.

LGBT Gay Men’s Book Group: an inclusive group where you can meet new people and read and discuss interesting books. 7-9pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact info@gaybookgroup.co.uk.

LGBT Bi Visibility Icebreakers: celebrate this year’s Bi Visibility Day at Icebreakers, with an opportunity to find out about local bisexual related resources, groups and meet ups. Most of all, come along for some celebratory fun, whatever your sexuality. If you want to meet new people, are just coming out or maybe don’t feel confident going out on the ‘scene’, Icebreakers is an informal, fun and friendly social group for LGBT people and anyone questioning their sexuality or gender identity. Suitable for those aged 18 and over. 7.30-9.30pm, Regent Bar, 2 Montrose Terrace.  For more information please contact Alison Wren on 0131 652 3283 or email alison@lgbthealth.org.uk.

Take One Action! Film Festival: ‘connecting people, world-class cinema and creative action for a better world’. Twelve days of screenings and discussions, in Edinburgh and Glasgow, on issues as diverse as environmental activism, LGBT rights in African countries, cycling, the value (or not) of university degrees, the Arab Spring, literacy, the global financial system, food chains and much more. Today’s film is Casablanca Calling (12A) (in Arabic with English subtitles): in Morocco, a country where over 60% of women have never been to school, a new generation of women have started work as official Muslim leaders. They are called Morchidat or spiritual guides. The profound story of a quiet social revolution in Morocco, Casablanca Calling follows three Morchidat – Hannane, Bouchra and Karima – as they set out to change their country, starting at street level. Their mission is to teach an Islam based on compassion, tolerance and equality, and to separate its original teachings from prejudice, misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Their work takes them into mosques, schools, homes, orphanages, prisons and out in the countryside; they support the education of women and girls, campaign against early marriage and encourage young people to build a better Morocco rather than dreaming of life in the West. An intimate portrait of three female leaders, a society in transition, and a mission to educate a nation. Plus short: Give. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online; prices vary. The screenings will be followed by conversations with Dr Ebithal Mahadeen, Jordanian feminist and Chancellor’s Fellow, University of Edinburgh, and Dr Kathy Galloway, practical theologian, campaigner, writer and head of Christian Aid Scotland.

Sofi’s Clothes Swap: it’s green and it’s fun! Clear out your wardrobe and get some new clothes for free. 7pm onwards, Sofi’s, 65 Henderson Street.

Ben MacDonald Quartet: fronted by one of Scotland’s foremost guitarists, this 4-piece brings intricate, gripping and melodic original compositions influenced by modern jazz while incorporating concepts from folk and rock. Featuring some highly accomplished musicians, all of whom have performed at international level, Ben is with Adam Jackson (sax), Pete Johnstone (organ), and Doug Hough (drums). 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is cash only.

Edinburgh’s Christmas

School Streets

Leading up to Doors Open Day 

Are you one of Edinburgh’s Healthy Helpers?

William Y Darling Award

With three months to go to the big day when Santa comes down the chimney you might be forgiven for thinking that it is a bit premature to think of what’s happening at Christmas in the capital, but there are others who think differently! Those are mainly Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood who are Underbelly, and are responsible for all the bright ideas for celebrating Christmas in the city.

This year there are many highlights, principally as the whole theme is Lighting Up Edinburgh.

There will be 60,000 lights strung over arches erected betweenThe Tron Kirk and the City Chambers on the High Street in a move which will ensure that the Old Town feels included in the festivities.

But the biggest news of all is that Susan Boyle will switch on the Christmas lights on Light Night which is 22 November 2015. So put that in your diary and read about all the other delights in store for you and your family this Christmas over here.

***

School Streets is now underway. This means that some streets around some schools will be closed to traffic.

Read more here.

***

Doors Open Day is this weekend. Read the online guide here and decide now what you might want to do. It pays to look ahead as you may need to book.

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The search is on for Edinburgh’s Healthy Helpers: the unsung family food heroes who are making a real difference to their family’s diet and lifestyle.

Local people who can inspire and motivate others to make healthier choices are being sought for the Scottish Government’s Eat Better Feel Better campaign.

Eat Better Feel Better launched earlier this year to help parents and families find quick, easy and affordable ways to make healthier changes to their diet.

Applications to become a Healthy Helper – a voluntary ambassador for the campaign – are now open at www.eatbetterfeelbetter.co.uk/healthyhelpers.

***

The Sir William Y Darling Bequest for Good Citizenship for 2014/15 will be awarded to Stephen Seaman in recognition for his 45 years of charity work with LifeCare.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Donald Wilson will make the presentation on Monday afternoon (21 September) during a reception held in the City Chambers.

The Award, which is made annually to a citizen or citizens who, in the opinion of the City of Edinburgh Council, “has or have done most for the City’s Honour and Welfare”, was instituted by the will of the late Sir William Y Darling, Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1941–1944.

In being nominated, Mr Seaman was praised for his dedication to the LifeCare (Edinburgh) organisation which provides services to support the wellbeing and independence of older people in the Capital, including those with dementia and people who are housebound.

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In an effort to showcase the beauty and complexity of the human body, Scottish arts collective Naked Aye have announced the followup exhibition to their successful pop-up show this past spring.

For two weeks between 3rd-18th October, St Margaret’s House on London Road will act as the host of Naked Aye’s ‘Shapes that Shift Desire‘ – an exhibition and programme of events that highlights how artists and audiences respond to the human form.

Speaking of the collective’s intentions behind the event, co-curator Marcin Krupa said:

“The human body is uniquely inspiring and challenging subject and one that has fascinated me for years. There has been a growing interest in traditional life drawing and painting recently – and I wanted to bring together artists from different disciplines interested in the human form as a subject to share inspiration and ideas.”

The programme of events includes paintings and performance, installations and film, spoken word and drawings, sculpture, photography and music to name but a few. Acclaimed poet Kevin Cadwallader will act as the event’s poetry curator, and film lecturer James Mooney will host a creative film screening. Artists Alan McGowan, Aine Divine, Juliana Capes and Leigh Chorlton will also showcase their work.

In an effort to bring a widely passed over group to the forefront of the art world, LGBT youth group Beyond Gender, a group for young transgender, non-binary and intersex people, and their friends (age 13 – 25) will be hosting a workshop as well.

Naked Aye aim to provide a platform for the vibrant resurgence in figurative art during the fortnight long event.

Shapes that Shift Desire runs from October 3rd to 18th at St Margaret’s House on London Road. For a full rundown of the event’s programme, head to Naked Aye’s website.

This year there will be more lights than ever before, more free events and just the biggest and brightest Christmas festival that the UK has ever seen! That is what Underbelly promise the capital, and yes they have great ideas to prove that this will be delivered.

On the High Street there will be over 60,000 lights stretched along the Royal Mile from the Tron Kirk to the City Chambers, and there will be two light shows per day all set to music.

Susan Boyle will be called upon to switch on the Christmas lights this year, ensuring that there is real star quality on hand! The ceremony takes place on George Street where Light Night takes place and around 1300 local performers are due to take to the variety of stages there with an expected audience of over 20,000.

There will be ice rinks in St Andrew Square, the Big Wheel and the Star Flyer along with an even bigger Santa Land and the double decker carousel.

The Winter Windows programme is a carry over from last year and is supported by Scottish Gas and national charity Shelter. This will involve 25 primary schools in the area.

The Paradiso Spiegeltent will again be sited in St Andrew Square with a wide and varied offering of circus, comedy and cabaret which will include Frisky and Mannish who almost had us all singing Christmas carols in September.

All residents within the EH postcode area will receive a 20% discount on all shows rides and events. Last year almost 100,000 people took advantage of the discount.

But the festive season gets underway on St Andrew’s Day 30 November. when there will be free performances by the wonderful Dean Owens and the Blazin Fiddles who entertained with some great tunes as the press gathered this morning for the launch.

Edinburgh’s Christmas runs from 20 November 2015 to 4 January 2016.

The council launched School Streets this morning, an initiative to close streets around schools to traffic at the start and end of the school day.

Councillor Lesley Hinds chose to celebrate with the pupils at Colinton Primary School where cyclists and walkers gathered at the front gates today on newly car-free streets. She said: ” I am delighted to see School Streets in action  and that so many pupils have taken this opportunity to walk, use scooters and ride their bikes safely into school.”

There are six schools in the scheme which aims to reduce congestion and pollution in the area. The first couple of weeks will be education/raising awareness before enforcement begins.

Chief Inspector Stevie Dolan, from Police Scotland, said: “We are committed to working alongside our partners and the public to ensure the safety of all road users, including schoolchildren.

“Whenever a complaint is received in relation to motorists driving within the prohibited areas, without a valid reason for doing so, our officers will respond accordingly.”

Six primary schools are included in the first of two phases – Abbeyhill, Colinton, Cramond, Duddingston and St John’s RC with Sciennes starting in October.
The second phase of the pilot will not begin till next year when the streets around Towerbank, St Peter’s, Clermiston and Bonaly Primary Schools will be closed to all traffic except residents living nearby. If this affects you then you must apply for the necessary permit online.

Nicola Benedetti is undoubtedly the most famous violinist of her generation. What her fame does not always account for is the development of this player over the eleven years since she won BBC Young Musician in 2004, aged just 16. Now in her late twenties, Benedetti has grown from a precociously talented youngster to a musician and philanthropist of exceptional poise. A fierce champion of musical education, her work with the Sistema Project and the BBC’s Ten Pieces initiative have put her fame to good use, whilst her on-stage charisma continues to fill concert halls around the world. Her ‘Italy & The Four Seasons’ Tour, which arrived at the Usher Hall on Saturday night, is a display of another of her passions- chamber music.

The Vivaldi concertos ‘Il Grosso Mogul’ and ‘Le Quattro Stagione’ are wonderful, fizzy pieces, as refreshingly classic as a glass of Pimms in the middle of summer. They are, however, fiercely difficult to play. Benedetti and her string ensemble, drawn from musicians she has worked with in the past, presented a performance of clarity and precision. The communication within this accomplished group was also a joy to witness; what fun they seemed to be having. The addition of lutenist Elizabeth Kenny added much to the ensemble in terms of breadth of sound. It is a shame that the cellos – led by Benedetti’s partner Leonard Elschenbroich – failed to judge the restraint and tact demanded of a Baroque continuo line and at times the balance was too bottom-heavy. Leader Ilyoung Chae led the ensemble with aplomb, keeping the electricity from bubbling over the surface with a steady hand.

We returned from the interval to a new commission from prolific composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. The five short movements of ‘Duetti d’amore’, written for and performed by Benedetti and Elschenbroich, perhaps revealed why there are so few unaccompanied duets for violin and cello. The instruments are just too similar in texture. Surprisingly cold and with little to say for itself, the commission hit the evening’s only dull note, despite Benedetti and Elschenbroich playing well. As the American gentleman behind me noted, it was not unlike watching one of Woody Allen’s later films- superficial and slightly uncomfortable.

Of the original ensemble, a sextet regrouped for the evening’s finale, Tchaikovsky’s ‘Souvenir de Florence’ Op. 70. Here the concert returned to form. Marvellously rich and fun, Tchaikovsky wrote the main theme for this work whilst visiting Florence in 1890. The sextet produced a gloriously rounded sound, almost reminiscent of a brass choir at some points. Credit for this is due in part to a wonderful viola section, filling out the texture and giving it a heart in that understated way only violists can. Elschenbroich seemed far more comfortable with this material than the earlier Vivaldi works, and his duet with Benedetti in the second movement revealed the understanding between the two musicians that Turnage had failed to communicate in his work.

The Tchaikovsky provided an hypnotic end to what was a surprisingly intimate recital. Whilst it strayed slightly from its Italian theme and hit the odd dull note, the concert provided an enjoyable evening of chamber music played by some of very fine string players.

I believe it might have worked better in a smaller venue, such as The Queens Hall., however, there is no denying that Benedetti can fill any venue and will no doubt continue to do so throughout this tour of the UK and Ireland. When she’s on stage you just don’t want to watch anyone else. It must be hard to play second fiddle (or cello) to that.

Nicola Benedetti ‘Italy & The Four Seasons’ Tour will run throughout the UK and Ireland until September 30th. Benedetti appears in association with Raymond Weil Watches. 

Local funeral directors, Thomas Marin, of St Mary’s Street has donated funds to help support Edinburgh South Cricket Club, a local community sports team.

Paul Reddish, Chairman of Edinburgh South Cricket Club, said: “We are delighted that Thomas Marin Funeral Directors has chosen to help financially support Edinburgh South Cricket Club’s junior section.  The club is operating right across the community in South of Edinburgh and has expanded from small beginnings to a 70 strong junior section in just three years.  This support will help us purchase the equipment needed to support the growth in youngsters now taking part in cricket in the area.”

Thomas Marin Funeral Directors have been arranging and conducting funerals in and across Edinburgh since 1926. They provide a 24-hour service and are part of Dignity Funerals Ltd, a British company that has funeral directors in towns and cities all across the UK.

Two men responsible for the sexual assault of a young boy and the distribution of indecent images have today been jailed.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Richard Gallagher and Scott Sinclair were sentenced to seven and 12 years in prison respectively.

Both Gallagher, 29 and Sinclair, 30 were responsible for the abuse of their 15-year-old victim sometime in 2014 during which time a number of graphic images and videos were taken.

These were then shared with others around the country using a ‘What’s App’ account.

Following intelligence, Police Scotland conducted a thorough investigation to identify the source of these images and both were charged in September 2014.

Detective Inspector Brian Stuart from Police Scotland’s Cybercrime Unit said: “Richard Gallagher and Scott Sinclair were responsible for a horrific level of sexual abuse on a young male, whose suffering was compounded further when the footage of this abuse was then shared with other individuals.

“As a result of the vital intelligence gathered we were able to link the pair to this offence and ultimately ensure that following today’s sentence, both will spend a number of years in prison.

“Police Scotland is committed to protecting vulnerable people from harm and bringing anyone responsible for the online sexual exploitation of these individuals to justice.

“Anyone wishing to report criminal activity of this nature should contact us on 101 or make an anonymous report through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

A documentary about Scottish  football icon Jim Baxter will air for the first time on Thursday 24th September at 9pm on BBC ALBA. It is presented by broadcaster Alex O‘Henley and produced and directed by Margot McCuaig. 

The hour-long factual entertainment documentary is an intimate portrayal of the life of Jim Baxter, and examines the man behind the headlines both on and off the pitch. The film is peppered with humorous archive footage of the man himself as well as interviews from those who knew and loved him the best, including his parents and his partner Norma Morton.

Major football stars appear in the programme including Denis Law, Pat Crerand and Davie Wilson, iconic players sharing fascinating insights into what it was like to know and play with Jim Baxter.

Earlier today Raith Rovers legends Jim Thorburn and Denis Mochan turned out in support of their participation in new documentary,

To help promote Jim Baxter, the former players  met the media to chat about their contribution to the documentary and discuss their memories of the Scotland and Rangers icon. 

 purpleTV are the team behind the highly successful documentaries Honeyballers,Gothenburg ’83, and Tartan Pride, as well as the award winning Jock Stein which won the Royal Television Society Scotland award for Best Sport Film in 2015.

Director of ‘Jim Baxterr’, Margot McCuaig said: “Jim Baxter was a working class hero and his story is an integral element of Scottish popular life and is embedded in our cultural consciousness. His story is both inspiring and tragic, and I am sure that the story of his life will have an impact on the BBC ALBA audience.”

purpleTV is an independent production company, creating innovative digital media content and distinctive network and international television.

The company is based at Film City, Glasgow, in the dynamic media district of Pacific Quay, and thecreative team is experienced across all genres. 

The Muirhouse Community Shop has had an incredible response to its appeal for clothes and toiletries for Syrian refugees.

Pilton Youth and Children’s Project (PYCP) and  Spartans F.C. both acted as collection points as well as the shop. The bags have now been taken to Edinburgh Direct Aid (EDA) who will transport them to the Lebanon.

One particularly poignant bag had everything for a young baby in it along with a handwritten card. Clearly this was donated by someone who knows what it is like to have a youngster to care for, and who empathises with the ultimate recipient.

This will be EDA’s 4th container for the 80,000 Syrian refugees in Arsal, Lebanon.

It will be loaded with winter clothes, school things, toiletries, underwear; and 30 Sewing machines, fabric and wool for women’s sewing groups and vocational training.

An EDA spokesperson said: “The public response to the appeals that we and others have made has been superb – we have been inundated by donations of every kind, and it is only with the help of Edinburgh Council making an overflow space available to us that we have been able to cope.”

Colin Keir MSP for Edinburgh Western joined community volunteers at the Muirhouse Community Shop on Monday to help collect and sort donations of clothing for Syrian refugees.

Mr Keir said “I was overwhelmed by the support for this initiative from the local community in Muirhouse. It shows that Muirhouse cares for the plight of Syrian refugees and as winter approaches these donations will be much appreciated by those in need.

This is a great partnership between the local community, its community organisations and Edinburgh Direct Aid to provide some comfort to those refugees now living in very difficult conditions in refugee camps.

Once again I am humbled by the generosity and humanity of the local community in reaching out to help those in need.”

Police  are appealing for information following an incident in Barn Park Crescent, Wester Hailes where three men with knives forced their way into a house.

The incident happened in the early hours of Monday morning

The suspects are described as being in their early twenties, wearing grey or black hooded tracksuits.

They ran off in the direction of Barn Park Crescent or Clovenstone Road.

Officers are now asking anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Sergeant Robbie Wallace said: “Thankfully no-one but this was a frightening experience for the occupants of the house.

“We are keen to speak to anyone with information that can help us trace these individuals.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.