The news broke earlier in the week that the cafe in Drumbrae Library Hub will close later today.

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A spokeswoman for the City of Edinburgh Council said: “Drumbrae Hub is a vibrant and well used part of the local community and the Council strives to deliver the best service as possible.

[tweet_box design=”default”]”Current financial pressures facing the Council means that we are looking at alternative options to deliver the service in the future.”[/tweet_box]

Local councillor Karen Keil admitted she was not a regular customer and commented: “I know of the cafe but I haven’t used it very much myself which is, I suppose, the problem.

“The truth is that not many people did use it and if this cafe had been on Corstorphine High Street it would have closed ages ago.  They were making a financial loss which could not have been sustained.  There is an argument for saying that they were not open at the right times or they weren’t serving the sort of think that people wanted to buy but ultimately I have a degree of sympathy with Facilities Management.

“There is just a chance that a Social Enterprise might be able to come in and make it work however with Scotmid store just across the road selling Costa coffee, pies, sausage rolls and sandwiches there is also a case to be argued that the cafe isn’t needed at all.”

What do you think? Have you been a regular there? Will you miss this facility?

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery has acquired a new Cadell which it will be putting on display this week. The painting is a self-portrait of the Scottish Colourist F C B Cadell and it was painted in 1914.

It was a highlight of the hugely successful retrospective exhibition of Cadell’s work held in 2011-12 and has been purchased with a generous grant of £100,000 from the Art Fund and significant support from the Patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland.

It will be hung in the Gallery’s Great Hall, to complement the current exhibition Collecting Now, which focuses on the Gallery’s growing collection.

Like his fellow Colourists, J D Fergusson and S J Peploe, Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (1883-1937) spent time living in Paris in the early years of the twentieth century and was influenced by direct contact with avant-garde artists working there.  In the period immediately before the First World War Cadell was based in a grand studio in the centre of his home city, Edinburgh.  He revelled in the northern light of the Scottish capital, the beauty of its architecture and the elegance of its inhabitants, making them the subject matter of his art.

This seminal self-portrait is an early, personal artistic manifesto. Following a trip to Venice in 1910, Cadell’s handling of paint became looser and his use of colour bolder.  He developed a palette based on white, cream and black, enlivened with highlights of strong colour, and applied with feathery, impressionist brushstrokes. The self-portrait was rapidly and thinly painted so the texture and tone of the neutral ground is visible, creating a foil for the pulses of colour on the still life, palette and face.

In this bravura performance Cadell declares his allegiance to artists such as Whistler, Lavery, Sargent, and in particular Manet, placing himself in the line of descent within the European painterly tradition. The picture demonstrates his self-confidence and conviction in his chosen profession, and captures the qualities for which he became so well known – his charisma, affability and stylishness.

The year that the portrait was painted was of great significance to Cadell. He volunteered for active service immediately after war was declared in 1914, and spent the summer that year getting himself fit for battle.  Here his palette is carried on his arm like a shield; there is the suggestion of brushes held in his right hand, but it could be a more martial object, like a rifle. He stands in front of one of his own richly coloured pictures, his brushes upright in a jug, his pipe clenched firmly between his teeth and his gaze directly engaging the viewer.

It seems particularly appropriate one hundred years after the portrait was painted, on the centenary of the outbreak of World War I, that the picture is acquired. It will make a very significant contribution not only to the early twentieth-century collection at the SNPG, but also to the Gallery’s outstanding collection of Scottish artists’ self-portraits, which includes examples by Peploe and Fergusson. This is the first portrait of Cadell to enter the Gallery’s collection, and indeed the first work by Cadell’s hand.

Speaking of the acquisition, Christopher Baker, Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery said: “The Cadell self-portrait is a major addition to the Gallery’s collection, which we are confident will prove immensely popular. The artist is seen here at the height of his powers; he has created a scintillating, defiant and celebratory image, a great statement about the pleasure and vocation of painting and a work that places Scottish achievement within a European setting. We are very grateful to the Art Fund and Patrons of the National Galleries, without whom this outstanding acquisition would not have been possible.”

Stephen Deuchar, Director of the Art Fund, said: “We are so pleased to be supporting the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in acquiring its first work by F C B Cadell, one of the most ambitious and important Scottish artists of his generation. It’s an arresting self-portrait, perfectly suited to the SNPG’s collection, and promises to be hugely popular amongst visitors.”

At yesterday’s full council meeting and AGM the Green Group put forward an addendum to the council’s proposal to appoint one parent representative to the Education, Children and Families Committee. The Green Group were keen that more than one person was appointed but their proposal was defeated when put to the vote.

The addendum read:

Green Education spokesperson, Councillor Melanie Main proposed that the City Council’s Education Committee should increase the number of parent representatives from one to two, recognising that there are already two teacher representatives and three religious representatives.

Here she explains why.

Lindsay Law, the first parent to sit on Education, Children and Families committee has been a breath of fresh air, her contributions always constructive and positive.  At her final meeting Lindsay made a point of thanking the Director and lead officer, Moyra Wilson for improving relationships between the Council and the parent body, but Lindsay herself should take considerable credit for the positive developments we have seen.

But it is not always easy being the sole member representing a group on a committee. For Lindsay, a volunteer and working parent of young children, I’m sure this brought challenges.

Being the only group member on any committee can be daunting – as I know all too well as a Green Councillor.  ECF is the largest Council committee – 87 primary schools, 23 secondary, our special schools, nurseries and early years’ centres, let alone children and young people’s health and social care, it is a large diverse constituency and a very wide remit.

So we are asking a lot of one volunteer parent.  One person who is not a councillor nor supported by a political group that provides vital support, experience and back-up which is so important for effective committee participation.

If our schools are to be successful in tackling the issues we face, and there are many, they have to engage fully with their school communities.

Our teachers, parents and carers are an integral part of the school community and I believe both should be given a real effective voice and representation at all levels of decision making

In compliance with best practice, we afford our teachers, two representatives,   Should we not give our parents the same consideration?

In fact there is a fundamental imbalance on Education Committee with only one parent, two teachers and three religious representatives, as required by law. Whilst it is not within the council gift to change the latter, we could redress the balance with 2 parent representatives.

Two members with terms overlapping would allow for continuity and experience.

Two members would ensure representation when one member was unable to attend.

Two members will help share the workload and build resilience and experience across the vast remit of the committee

I have welcomed and supported the changes made by the Capital Coalition – to reduce the term served and to allow substitutes of parents, but they do not change the basic imbalance.

For example, a substitute for the parent rep, perhaps attending committee for the first and only time, possibly thrown in at the deep end, and very probably attending at short notice – a sole parent could understandably find it far harder to contribute to the business of the largest committee, than a parent representative elected for a two year term.

This council should rightly be proud of Edinburgh’s engagement with parents.  I remember, at my first meeting as Nursery representative at the Consultative Committee with Parents, the then Labour Convener, proudly reminding us that Edinburgh was the first Council to introduce a CCWP.

So Edinburgh should continue to lead with best practice – building on the initial successful two years of parent representation on Education committee, by appointing  two representative parent members.

You can watch Melanie deliver the Green Group amendment  here at 1.04.13.

It’s more important than the economy or politics or even life and death. We’re talking about football, Scotland’s other religion.  This weekend sees the end-of- season Cup Final and how refreshing it is to have two small teams facing each other on the hallowed turf at Hampden Park.   Falkirk Football Club, one of the oldest clubs in the world, founded in 1876, will play Inverness Caledonian Thistle, one of the youngest, formed in 1994. Both have battled through to the final against the likes of Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, the two Dundee teams, the commercialised big boys of Scottish football.

I suppose the favourite must be Inverness Caledonian Thistle, since they play in the premier division.  Falkirk are in the lower championship division and we have to go back to 1957 to find them winning the Scottish Cup – though they came close in 2009 when they lost out to Rangers in the final.

A look down the playing squad of each team reveals a lot about where Scottish football – indeed football in general – has gone wrong, in my humble non-expert opinion!     Of the 24 players in the Caley Thistle squad, only seven are Scottish, the rest come from England, Ireland, Estonia and Canada.  By contrast, in the championship side, Falkirk, 16 out of the squad of 21 players are Scottish.

My point being this : that our senior teams have relied too much on buying in players from abroad, at great expense, and this has led to the financial ruin of many clubs – most spectacularly Rangers – and to a loss of home-grown talent.  Football has become all about winning rather than playing.  If I was in charge, I would make it a rule that a club can only field players who were born or brought up in their local area, just as national sides can only field native players.  You can perhaps tell I don’t really mind who wins the cup this weekend, so long as we have a good game, plenty of goals, no questioning of the refereeing, and a local lad is voted man-of-the-match.

This weekend too we will learn if Rangers can return to premier division football after their three years in purgatory for their financial sins.  They play Motherwell, a well-behaved stalwart of the game since 1886, who find themselves this season at the bottom of the premier division and forced into this play-off with Rangers.  It will be a weekend of triumph and disaster and let’s hope, like Rudyard Kipling, we can treat those two imposters just the same.

Apart from football, there’s not much else happening. Oh, I suppose I should mention politics !  David Cameron has been outlining his legislative programme in the Queen’s Speech and causing some fiery reactions in Scotland. The SNP- with their 56 white-rose-wearing MPs at Westminster  –  want a “national” lock on his plan to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.  They insist there should be a majority in each of the four nations of the United Kingdom before Britain can leave the EU.  Not surprisingly, the SNP are also unhappy at the limited powers being offered to Scotland in the further-devolution bill.

The Scottish Labour Party leadership election has entered its own fiery phase. One of the contenders, Ken Mackintosh, has alleged that his supporters have been “bullied, intimated and pressurised” by the party hierarchy to withdraw their backing in order to allow the front-runner Kezia Dugdale to be crowned without a divisive contest.

And meanwhile one of the other small parties in Scotland, the Liberal Democrats, have run into a little local difficulty. Their MP in Orkney and Shetland is left clinging to the rocks after a silly mistake he made during the election campaign.  Alistair Carmichael, then Secretary of State for Scotland, allowed an internal memo to the leaked to the press alleging that Nicola Sturgeon secretly wanted David Cameron to win the election.  The memo turned out to be incorrect and Carmichael compounded the error by claiming to the press that he knew nothing about the leak.  The astonishing fact is that the party has come out in his defence, saying we should forgive and forget.

There was yet another example this week of politicians being out of touch with public opinion.  By 82 votes to 36, MSPs in the Scottish Parliament rejected the Assisted Suicide Bill being proposed by the Green MSP Patrick Harvie. An opinion poll earlier this month by ORB found that 73 per cent of people supported the bill and other surveys across Britain have found similar support for “assisted dying”, the rather more euphemistic name given to the bill in England.   I suppose MPS felt the pressure of official religious opinion, which is against the bill, and – to be fair – they faced the difficulty of actually drafting the law to achieve the desired end.

Finally, I was surprised to read in the newspapers that Glasgow University is sending in a team of classics scholars to teach Latin to primary school pupils in some of the most deprived parts of the city.   The university says it will improve the children’s literacy skills. And “The Scotsman” helpfully provided them with a  Glasgow-Latin phrasebook which begins thus:

Patter – Crepito

Ya beauty- Ya pulchritudinem

Away ye go- Scitis ire

Ah havnae a scooby- Ergo daemonium non scooby

Steamin’ – Fumantia soluere

Aye right- Lus zelatorem

(Amo, Amas, Amat……. Ed.)

One World Peace Ceilidh:  a fun night of dancing, entertainment, food and drink to raise funds for the One World Shop and Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre, both of which need to relocate while St John’s Church is redeveloped. With Clapshot Ceilidh Band, Protest in Harmony Choir and Voice Box Theatre; poetry, raffle with fabulous prizes, tombola and a bar. Delicious vegetarian and vegan food available to purchase until 9.30pm. All ages welcome! 7.30pm-12 midnight, Edinburgh Steiner School, 60 Spylaw Road. Tickets cost £10/£7 (children 0-5 years free) and are available online here or from Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre, Terrace (underneath the church), St John’s Church, Princes Street. Last year’s ceilidh was sold out, so get your tickets early!

Fresh Start Sponsored Walk: a fun and social walk from Jubilee Gardens, Stockbridge, along the Water of Leith to Colinton Dell and back to Polwarth, where lunch will be served at Fresh Start’s Food Station. The walk is about 8 miles long and takes 2-3 hours at a leisurely pace, with a refreshment and toilet stop available at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre. Please wear appropriate footwear and carry water. Begins 10am, Jubilee Gardens, Stockbridge. All welcome: if you would like to take part, please email admin@freshstartweb.org.uk or call 0131 476 7741 to register. There is no registration fee but you are asked to raise a minimum of £25 per person. Fresh Start is an Edinburgh-based charity that helps people who have been homeless get established in their new home.

Lunchtime Concert: Selkorinn Choir, Seltjarnarnes, Iceland. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Edinburgh Palette – New Exhibitions, all on Third Floor, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road:

(1) Mad World: On Sane People in Insane Situations. From individuals interred for their homosexuality to women who wanted divorces, teenagers who wanted to write for a living, and malnutrition – discover the history and see if you can logically spot madness. This collaborative exhibition offers everyone the chance to contribute their own definitions of insanity, to come and see what is on view and decide who is ‘sane’ and who is ‘crazy’. Mad World is inspired by the emerging academic field of Mad Matters, the work of Mad People’s History, Oor Mad History, Asylum Magazine, Advocard and many other organisations. Preview from 6pm tonight, then 10am-6pm daily. Ends 21st June 2015.

(2) Memory and Imagination: An Unfolding Visual Process. An exhibition of painted works by Vittoria Grant and Jacqui Higgs, delving into memories of places of origin and places lived, including Italy, Africa and Scotland. Preview from 6.30pm tonight, then 10am-6pm daily. Ends 14th June 2015.

(3) The Curves on a Straight Line: an exhibition of drawings and life studies by local artist Amanda Atkinson. Private view from 6.30pm tonight, then 10am-6pm daily. Ends 21st June 2015.

Ratho Library Adult Colouring Group: come and try this new de-stresser! 11am-12.30pm, Ratho Library, School Wynd.

Interim: a two-day exhibition featuring work by first year students from the MFA/MA Contemporary Art Practice course at Edinburgh College of Art. Preview 7-9pm tonight, then 12 noon-5pm Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May, Talbot Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge.

Showcase 25: in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support this production celebrates 25 years of Showcase and features a cast of over one hundred, backed by a fourteen-piece orchestra. Songs from the great musicals – including Les Miserables, Wicked and Hairspray – along with some of the greatest songs of the last fifty years by Queen, Adele, Elbow, Oasis, the Beatles and many more, all performed with Showcase’s signature huge choral sound. 7.30pm, King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street. Tickets may be purchased online here, by calling the Box Office on 0131 529 6000 or in person at the King’s or Festival Theatre Box Offices: prices vary. Also at 2.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday 30th May 2015. To read The Edinburgh Reporter’s review of February’s  Amateur Showcase, at which Showcase 25 and other amateur companies previewed their productions, click here.

Nicolas Party: Boys and Pastel – Curator’s Tour. Curator Paul Nesbitt and Exhibitions Officer Chloe Reith lead an in-depth discussion on the work of Nicolas Party and his current exhibition. 2-3pm, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Free: all welcome. Also at same time on 12th June 2015.

Guid Crack: Fifty Glorious Years of ‘Listen to This’. Scotland’s famed storyteller Michael Kerins entertains with hilarious tales from fifty years of storytelling. Edinburgh’s monthly storytelling night: accompanied young adults welcome. 7.30-10pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Entry by suggested donation of £3.

Marathon Weekend at Joseph Pearce’s: lots of pasta on the menu – and just show your medal from any of the Edinburgh Marathon races to get a free starter or dessert with your meal. From 11am today until 9pm on Sunday 31st May. Joseph Pearce, Elm Row.

Invisible Lines: a new exhibition combining sculpture, paintings, installation and video performance. Cantabrian artists Ricardo Cavada, Jose Cobo, Ana Diez, Juan Carlos Fernandez, Daniel Gutierriez and Eloy Velazquez ‘delve into the meanings that affect our relationship with the body and its fractures, with the back of image, with the transient and perishable, with the flow of life and its disappearance’. Opening event tonight 6-8pm, then 2-7pm Wednesday to Friday, 11am-2pm Saturdays, Interview Room 11, 38 Castle Terrace. Ends 27th June 2015.

Four Corners: DJ Smoove. The Four Corners crew welcome Newcastle soul, jazz and funk renegade DJ Smoove – ‘another rapturous blend of soulful dancefloor music, new and old, from right across the map’. 11pm-3am, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Tickets cost £4 before midnight, £6 after midnight, and are available online here.

The Border Gaitherin: here’s this week’s first getaway opportunity – a traditional music festival weekend in the border town of Coldstream. Line-up includes Shetland superstar fiddler Ross Couper, flute and whistle player Tom Oakes, Scots singer Christine Kydd and the Kirsty Law Band. Concerts, workshops, masterclasses and a ceilidh. Bookings may be made online here or by calling 01835 862423. The Gaitherin continues until Sunday 31st May 2015: for full programme and more information (including advice re accommodation) see the Gaitherin’s website here.

Solar project to become a reality

Edinburgh Festival of Cycling

Edinburgh to have ultrafast broadband

Refugee Festival Scotland

Short Film Night

Following earlier promises to do so, the council is now about to put solar panels on 25 council buildings across the city.

The Council will work in partnership with the Edinburgh Community Solar Co-operative  (ECSC) – supported by Energy4All   – to deliver the initiative, which is believed to be the largest community-owned urban renewable energy project in the UK. Public buildings such as schools, leisure and community centres will be chosen to host the solar technology, which is expected to deliver significant environmental and social benefits.

The energy generated by the installations will help to make future cost savings while reducing the capital’s carbon emissions by an estimated 855 tonnes a year. Buildings that are chosen to participate will benefit from cheaper electricity from the solar panels, resulting in substantial savings. Any surplus energy will be sold to the National Grid and profits made by the project will be reinvested locally through a newly-created Community Benefit Fund.

Shares will be offered to organisations or individuals who want to invest in the initiative, with priority allocation given to Edinburgh residents. Anyone interested in becoming members of the Co-op can register their interest via the ECSC’s website .

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The third Edinburgh Festival of Cycling begins on 11 June and has many events of all kinds to entertain you whether you are a cyclist or simply an armchair enthusiast!

The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to Kim Harding the Director of the Festival about some of the programme on offer:

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The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

Here is the programme for you to peruse at your leisure:

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Last night the idea of Edinburgh becoming one of the most digitally connected cities in the world was put to a group of business people at an event in Edinburgh.

There will be 150km of future-proof pure fibre network running through Edinburgh and you can help determine where the network goes by registering now. Read more here.

We spoke to Councillor Frank Ross about the joint venture which will make this possible:

[vimeo 129160267 w=500 h=281]

The Edinburgh Reporter News from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

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Refugee Festival Scotland is back for its fifteenth year and runs from 3 to 21 June  with a packed programme of events across Edinburgh. These events will be coming to Edinburgh in a variety of venues. From art to theatre there is something for everyone to get involved with and learn more about life for refugees in the UK.

The festival previously started in 2000 and was held over one day in Glasgow. It has now rapidly expanded to involve communities all across Scotland with its wide range of events.

This year’s festival theme is ‘celebrate’. The festival offers an opportunity to Join in, celebrate and support the diversity and the contribution refugees make to Scotland’s cultural life – the food and drink, music and poetry, dance, visual art, language and ideas that refugees bring with them when they begin new lives in Scotland. The events reflect upon the positive variety these contributions make to the communities we live in.

Read more here

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Short Film Night at Summerhall. Tonight. That’s all  you need to know. Click here.

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At this time last year we were getting ready to let everyone else on the tram. Edinburgh Trams had been running test journeys and press trips for a while, but it was on Saturday 31 May 2014 that the first paying passengers stepped aboard. And in the year since then there have been just under 5 million passenger journeys made on board the now familiar tram fleet.

The operator told The Edinburgh Reporter that this figure overtakes the initial targets set by about 3%, and that around 370,000 more passenger journeys will be made in the year than they first estimated.

A customer satisfaction survey by Passenger Focus revealed 5% overall customer satisfaction and 99% service reliability, making the tram one of the top performing means of public transport in the UK.

Tom Norris Director and General Manager of Edinburgh Trams said: “The first birthday is a very exciting day for all of us because it rounds up a hugely significant year for everyone involved. We’ve beaten our targets and we’re on the right path. The success we’ve worked so hard to achieve is down to the commitment and hard work of everyone involved in delivering the service day in, day out.

“We were absolutely delighted with the initial surge of interest when we launched, but even more grateful that the local and visiting public have continued to give us their support.

“We have developed the service over the first year and we’ll continue to improve and adapt to keep our passengers happy, whilst being ready to take advantage of opportunities that come our way. The airport is growing, TFE is developing well, a new tram stop will link us to the Fife line and our city is going from strength to strength. We’re ready to be at the centre of that development and part of the continued success of Edinburgh.”

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Chair of Transport for Edinburgh, added: “To have had nearly five million passengers on board the trams since their launch is a massive achievement, and it’s thanks to the support of the public that we’ve had such a successful first year.

“Credit must also go to the team, whose efforts and professionalism ensure Edinburgh Trams provides an excellent service to passengers every day. As it continues to develop as a key element of the city’s transport offering we now look forward to its future as part of the city’s modern, integrated transport system.”

Highlights of the first year included major spikes in passengers heading to Murrayfield Stadium for the One Direction concert, Celtic FC’s Champions League matches and Scotland Rugby’s Six Nations games, plus significantly increased passenger numbers during Edinburgh’s summer and winter festivals.

Edinburgh Trams has a fleet of 27 and currently employs 130 staff including drivers, Ticketing Services Assistants (TSAs), control centre operators and maintenance engineers.

By the time the trams started taking paying passengers aboard last year The Edinburgh Reporter had made a few videos of a variety of journeys. You can watch some (or all) of them here:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries?list=PLA58FD1644E479E4E]

Between them, tram drivers and TSAs completed 77,525 journeys over the year covering 674,467 miles up and down the route. The depot was manned for 8,760 hours by staff on a rota system.

The tram line is 14km long with 15 stops (16 once the Edinburgh Gateway is complete) and a journey from the airport to the city centre takes approximately 35 minutes. In 2014 the service contributed 3 million new passengers to the Transport for Edinburgh group with Lothian Buses also carrying an extra 3 million passengers more than in 2013.

The service carried 21,000 passengers on its first day and 130,000 in its first week.

Top two photos : Photographer Ian Georgeson, 07921 567360

Better broadband connection is one way to improve what Edinburgh offers its businesses, and the newly launched GIG UP Edinburgh campaign is intended to make a real difference.

Now businesses and institutions across the city are being given the opportunity to shape the route of a new 150km future-proof pure fibre network which it is hoped will transform the Scottish capital into a Gigabit City and one of the best digitally connected cities in the world.

Over the coming months, digital infrastructure builder CityFibre, in partnership with Scottish internet service provider Commsworld, will begin construction of a city-wide fibre network called the Edinburgh CORE.

The first phase of the new network, a 50km deployment in the city centre, will bring the benefits of ultra-fast gigabit internet connectivity to more than 7,000 businesses, future proofing them as the need for bandwidth continues to grow exponentially in the coming years. The first businesses will be able to benefit from the network in late summer, 2015.

The precise network route of the Edinburgh CORE will be influenced by demand and CityFibre has now launched its ‘Gig Up Edinburgh’ campaign enabling businesses and institutions to register their interest in ultra-fast internet connectivity on the edinburghcore.com website. Registration is no obligation to take service, but means the registered business location will be factored into the network plan. Registered businesses will also be checked for eligibility for a government voucher scheme* which offers grants of up to £3,000 for businesses to connect.

The Edinburgh CORE will be designed using CityFibre’s ‘Well Planned City’ model, which accommodates all current and future bandwidth requirements from the business community, public sector, mobile operators and datacentre providers. It also lays the infrastructure foundation for a full fibre to the home roll-out in due course.

The Edinburgh CORE will be a major catalyst to the growth of Edinburgh’s substantial digital economy. It is estimated that close to 18,000 people are directly employed in the city’s tech sector, which has a yearly growth rate of about 33%. Despite this growing industry and the city’s established financial services sector, a recent survey found 31% of companies have regular concerns about the negative impact poor Internet access has on their business.

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The Edinburgh Reporter News from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

CityFibre’s city development manager James McClafferty said: “Edinburgh is one of the most economically significant cities in the UK. Its reputation as an established financial hub is complemented as it is increasingly becoming the location of choice for a new generation of tech start-ups and innovative businesses.

“As businesses of all types become more digitally reliant, they can be confident that there will be a world-class digital network – the Edinburgh CORE – to support them. As we plan the rollout it is essential that businesses register on our website to ensure that the network reaches them and that it delivers maximum benefit to the city’s business community.”

Richard Nicol, CEO of Commsworld added: “This is a project of huge significance for the city and one that will future proof Edinburgh for many years to come. The Edinburgh CORE will enable Commsworld to offer a new generation of affordable, Gigabit business services that will transform the way our city does business.

“As planning is well underway, I would urge any business that wants a digital headstart and a competitive advantage to register their interest online. With no obligation to take services it will ensure you won’t get left behind.”

Cllr Frank Ross, Convener of Economy Committee, said: “This level of commercial investment to improve the city’s connectivity is great news for Edinburgh. The Gigabit City announcement and launch of the Edinburgh CORE network for business fits well with our aspiration that Edinburgh becomes one of the UK’s best digitally connected cities. The fact that Commsworld is a leading Scottish Telecoms Network provider, and an Edinburgh SME, makes this announcement even more exciting for our business community and I urge them to get behind the Gig Up campaign and register their interest.”

[tweet_box design=”default”]One of the first businesses to register its interest is Apex Hotels. The luxury Scottish chain has four hotels based in Edinburgh and considers strong guest Wi-Fi and an efficient internal network as a key part of its business model.[/tweet_box]

Andrew Jacques, IT Director at Apex Hotels said, “Apex Hotels was one of the first hotels to offer free Wi-Fi in 2008 and we’ve been working hard to provide fast and reliable internet connectivity to our guests ever since.

“Internet connectivity is of paramount importance to our guests who often bring 5 or 6 connected devices when they stay with us, so we’re delighted to be in phase 1 of the Gigabit City project and able to offer free ultrafast broadband from later this year.”

The Refugee Festival Scotland takes place from next week and there is a packed programme of events planned for the capital. The festival began 15 years ago and this year’s theme is ‘celebrate’.

Here are some of the event highlights coming to Edinburgh in the 2015 festival

Film

When I saw you

A young Palestinians search for a way out of a refugee camp in Jordan in 1967. This leads him into a group of freedom fighters and a life-changing journey.

Filmhouse, Edinburgh

Sunday 7 June, 3.30-5:30pm

£9.00 full price/ £7.20 concessions

To book visit: filmhousecinema.com / Box Office: 0131 228 2688

Wilaya

A visually stunning drama which offers a fascinating look at the culture of Sahrawi people, a young woman leaves her foster family in Spain and returns to her family at a refugee camp in Wilaya.

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Edinburgh

Wednesday 10 June, 7:00pm-9:00pm

Free

Information contact: info@africa-in-motion.org.uk

Theatre

A quick decision can be made

A story of detained fast-track procedure.

A new play to understand the absurdity of the system for those claiming asylum in the UK, with the support of the Mary Leishman scholarship and the Adam Smith foundation.

Discover 21, Edinburgh

5-6 of June, 7:30pm

£5, ticket available at the door

Bookings: aquickdecisioncanbemade@gmail.com / 07722415057

Art

Refugee Festival Art Exhibition

An exhibition of visual art by multiple artists around the themes of refugees, displacement, diaspora and acceptance.

Forest Café, Edinburgh

1-30 June, 10.00am-11.00pm

Free

Meet ups

Refugee Survival Trust Picnic

A chance to meet refugee survival trust volunteers and supporters over a scenic summer picnic. Bring along  international snacks.

Arthur’s Seat/Holyrood Park

Sunday 7 June, 12.30-3pm

Free

Follow what’s going on on Twitter @ScotRefCouncil and use the festival hashtag #RefugeeFestScot or become a fan on Facebook:www.facebook.com/refugeefestivalscotland

Edinburgh’s dedicated housebreaking officers have solved a number of housebreaking and acquisitive crime offences, which took place between January and May this year.

As part of Operation RAC police had been investigating a break-in to the Chinese Supermarket on Gorgie Road from the 23rd January, where a quantity of cash was stolen from within.

Following extensive CCTV enquiries a 42-year-old man was identified and was charged yesterday (Wednesday).

He will appear in court at a later date.

Officers had also been investigating a housebreaking at a home in Muirhouse Green on the 7th March, where various electrical items and a SAAB car were stolen.

Later that day the same vehicle was found in Restalrig Crescent and as a result of continued investigation a 26-year-old man was detained yesterday and was subsequently charged.

Between the 10th and 11th May three vehicles in Silverknowes were broken into and two other incidents were reported of a male acting suspiciously around a couple of homes.

Operation RAC enquiries led to a 48-year-old man being arrested and charged yesterday. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (Thursday).

Chief Superintendent Mark Williams, Divisional Commander for the City of Edinburgh said: “There is no let up in our efforts to arrest housebreakers.

“It is our top priority and my officers will be relentless in our pursuit of criminals.”

Police Scotland’s various specialist resources and dedicated housebreaking officers arrested three men in connection with multiple housebreakings across the country.

The trio, aged 30, 22 and 19, were arrested yesterday (Wednesday, May 27) as part of Operation RAC, Police Scotland’s response to housebreaking in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Officers initially spotted a car in Dunfermline, which was linked to a number of break-ins throughout Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife and the air support unit was deployed to pursue the vehicle.

The car was then trailed as it traveled from Fife, through Edinburgh and into West Lothian.

Other specialist resources including Road Policing Officers and the Dog Unit were dispatched as part of this response and the men gave themselves up in Linlithgow.

All three will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (Thursday, May 28) for various housebreaking offences, which took place in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Falkirk and Perth.

Chief Superintendent Mark Williams said:  “Housebreaking continues to be a top priority for Police Scotland and these are significant arrests.

“It is an outstanding result for Operation RAC, and illustrates how we can mobilise national resources to tackle local issues.
 

Hibs’ striker Dominique Malonga has been selected by Congo for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

The 26-year-old could receive his fifth international cap if selected for his country’s Group E qualifier against Kenya, managed by former Hibernian boss Bobby Williamson, on Friday 12 June.

Malonga told the club website: “I’m very disappointed that we didn’t manage to go up, but I believe we will be good enough to go one step further next season and achieve promotion.

“I thought our fans were magnificent last Saturday – the support was inspirational and I look forward to playing at Easter Road again. I think we can improve as a team and that is exciting.

“Now I’m going away with my family on a short holiday before I join up with Congo for our qualifier against Kenya.

“I’m definitely excited about playing for my country again and hopefully I can help Congo to win.”

The City of Edinburgh Council has this morning unanimously approved the appointment of Andrew Kerr to the position of Chief Executive to take over the role from 27 July.

Dame Sue Bruce who has led the council for the last five years had already advised her intention to retire from local authority earlier this year.

Mr Kerr is currently Chief Operating Officer of Cornwall Council where he has led a programme to deliver savings of £196m in the next four years.

Born in Falkirk his first job in the public sector was to run Grangemouth Stadium and he then took up a role with Falkirk District Council. He has worked in local authority positions in Scotland and England for 32 years and his appointment has been welcomed across all political groups which form the council.

Council Leader, Andrew Burns, said: “I’m delighted that Andrew Kerr’s appointment received unanimous backing from councillors today.

“It was clear from the recruitment process that he has the qualities required to take on the role and I look forward to working closely with him to shape the continued success of our city.”

Police Scotland has launched its Road Safety & Road Crime Strategy for 2015 – 2018. It has been developed to support the operational focus on keeping people safe, whilst working towards the Scottish Government’s 2020 casualty targets.

The public has told officers that road safety is a key local priority across the country. As such, the new strategy has five key elements:

• effective patrolling of the roads
• improve road user behaviour
• detect and deter road crime
• tackle anti-social use of the roads
• combat the threat of terrorism.

The strategy reinforces the efforts of officers across Scotland to reduce casualties and fatalities on our roads by influencing driver behaviour.

Further, Police Scotland is vowing to make the country’s road network a hostile environment for criminals, with the launch of the strategy, which spans the next three years.

It focuses on the use of a range of tactics to target and reduce the criminal use of our road network, such as the transportation of drugs, counterfeit goods, and weapons, ensuring the country’s roads are inhospitable to unlawful behaviour.

Police Scotland works with a range of partner agencies to ensure the nation’s roads are as safe as possible, including the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland , Road Safety Scotland, the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service, as well as the country’s local authorities.

Following her successful General Election campaign and her appointment as an MP one has to forgive Leith councillor Deidre Brock for deciding that she has enough on her plate. She is now one of the 56 SNP MPs at Westminster, but continues as a councillor for the Leith Walk ward meantime.

She has however handed in her resignation as Depute Lord Provost, and so it fell to the Council to appoint a new one at their meeting today.

The person appointed had to be an SNP councillor, and of course there is one who has not only held the position before but who was recently freed up from his duties as Festivals Champion.

There is no debating that Councillor Steve Cardownie who represents Forth Ward is an experienced councillor. He was first elected in 1988, but at that stage he was a Labour Party representative. He switched to the SNP in 2005 claiming that the reason for the change was that he believed in independence for Scotland.

Councillor Cardownie spoke exclusively to The Edinburgh Reporter this morning:

[vimeo 129093761 w=500 h=281]

The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

He was the sole SNP councillor until 2007 (almost unthinkable now that SNP are an almost equal part of the Capital Coalition). The SNP then became coalition partners in the last council in with the Liberal Democrats, and are now a large part of today’s council with some of the conveners drawn from the SNP group.

Cardownie was until recently the Deputy Leader of the Council but stepped down in favour of Councillor Sandy Howat earlier this year.

It is undoubtedly true that Councillor Cardownie has much experience on the front benches of the council and he told The Edinburgh Reporter that he will relish his new position: “I always like to have the opportunity to extol the virtues of this city. It’s not quite a new role but a different role for me but I am looking forward to undertaking any duties that the Lord Provost might give me!”

The Lord Provost was quick to point out that the new Depute Lord Provost will sit in his chair next month at the full council meeting when the Lord Provost currently has a prior engagement.

The Council meets today from 10am. They will be appointing a new Depute Lord Provost from the SNP Group as Councillor Deidre Brock has been elected MP for Edinburgh North and Leith and has tendered her resignation from that post.

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Cameo Big Scream: special screenings for parents and carers and their babies under 12 months old. Membership of the Big Scream Club costs £5, lasts until your child’s first birthday and allows you to buy tickets at Picturehouse members’ rates. Only customers with babies will be admitted to these screenings. Today: Moomins on the Riviera (U). 10.30am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased  by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here.

Lunchtime Concert: North Dakora State University, USA. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Ragged University: Littoral Art/Education for Sustainability. In the first talk of the evening Julia Barton shares the results of her beach litter findings, recorded within 18 littoral zones in Ross-shire over the past 18 months. At least one million seabirds and one hundred thousand sharks, turtles, dolphins and whales die from eating plastic every year. Julia explains how she wants to use contemporary art to highlight ways in which we can change our behaviour to reduce this environmental degradation and the loss of marine life. The second speaker is Susan Brown, who will talk on Fostering Vandalism of the Earth? Or Stewardship? Susan hopes to promote initial thinking about what ‘education for sustainability’ is, why it is important to engage with this question, and how people are working towards integrating sustainability into curricula. 7-10pm, The Counting House, West Nicolson Street. All welcome, free, no booking required.

Live Music Now: Granny Green. This recently formed trio of trumpet, tuba and accordion perform a mixed programme of classic Scottish and wartime tunes, brought up to date by the ensemble’s quirky arrangements. The programme will include It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, Herr Roloff’s Farewell and When the War is Over. 6-6.30pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed.

Spotlight On: Pringle of Scotland. Join NMS experts as they discuss Pringle’s evolution from hosiery manufacturer to cutting-edge fashion brand. For ages 14+. 2-3pm (doors open 1.45pm), Auditorium, Level One, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free tickets may be obtained in person from the Museum’s information desk, by calling 0300 123 6789 or online here.

UnCAPped: Edinburgh College HND Contemporary Art Practice Graduate Exhibition. Preview today 6-8pm, then 10am-5pm, Friday 29th and Saturday 30th May, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Hawthornvale.

Golden Hare Books and Vagabond Voices Present Peter Gilmour: Spring Manoeuvres. The Glaswegian writer launches his new novel, the tale of Douglas Low, a man who has reached the last slice of life. Recovering from a heart condition, he retires to a cottage on Holy Loch with his invalid wife Edith and visiting lover Helen. This new life, lived in the shadow of nuclear weapons, finds a gentle, clandestine rhythm, but this is complicated by the arrival of Douglas’s son, an unpredictable drifter who soon ruffles military feathers. 7-9pm, Golden Hare Books, St Stephen Street, Stockbridge. Free tickets are available via eventbrite here or by calling the shop on 0131 629 1396.

Spark Greyfriars Lunchtime Concerts: Italian Baroque Programme. Dr Anne Desler, Lecturer in Music Performance, Reid School of Music, (mezzo-soprano) and Gina Baker (piano). 12 noon-12.45pm, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free: no booking required.

Stockbridge and New Town Community Orchestra Spring Concert: Haydn Te Deum (with Stockbridge Parish Church Choir), Vaughan Williams The Wasps Overture, Walton Crown Imperial, Strauss Die Fledermaus Overture…and more. 7.30pm, Stockbridge Parish Church, Saxe Coburg Street. Tickets £5 on the door.

Swim Teacher Open Evening: ever thought about becoming a swimming teacher? If you have a passion for swimming and would like to find out more about the work of Edinburgh Leisure’s friendly Aquatics and Learn to Swim Teams, the courses they offer and the employment opportunities available, come along to this open evening. 5.30-8pm, Portobello Swim Centre, 57 Promenade, Portobello. Please book your place by calling the Swim Centre reception on 0131 669 6888.

Public Consultation on Royal High School

Cruise ship in Leith today

Broughton Project Group picnic 

Barnardo’s Golf

Photography Project needs you! 

There will be some music playing during the public consultation (is that a first?).

More information here.

Corinthian is due to come in to the Forth Ports Cruise Terminal today for replenishing and turnaround. She will leave again at 11pm. Described as a luxury adventure cruise ship with 100 berths there are some really luxurious suites aboard! She appears to be at the end of a 9 day UK tour.

***

Tthe BPG summer picnic will be held in the Barony Community Garden (Barony Place) on Sunday 7 June from 1-5pm.

We hope this will be a fun, relaxed event for the community to enjoy. It is a free, bring-your-own picnic event – we will be providing tea, coffee & treats from our new gazebo and some ‘atmosphere’!

Everyone is welcome – drop in briefly or stay for longer (1-5pm).

***

Barnardo’s Scotland is hoping golfers in Edinburgh and the Lothians will be inspired by National Golf Month this May to sign up to take part in the charity’s fifth annual golfing event on Thursday 27^th August 2015 at Duddingston Golf Club.

Participants will be suitably fuelled with morning rolls on arrival and a two course light supper on completion of the 18 holes. As well as a prize for the winning team, spot prizes will be awarded throughout the day and a silent auction will be laid on too.

To register your team of four at £350 or for further information, please visit http://www.barnardos.org.uk/golfday.

***

To help celebrate their  150th anniversary (1864-2014) Trevor Yerbury has undertaken a project to help celebrate those individuals in Edinburgh and the Lothians who do interesting/unusual jobs. Perhaps preserving a traditional craft, working in an unusual job/skill or helping create new opportunities.

Trevor told us: “With this series we want to bring people’s attention to the people of Edinburgh and the Lothians they might otherwise simply ignore.

“In a way it is a continuation of our highly successful CITIZENS exhibition for 2003/04.

“We have already done around a dozen portraits which are all studio based and these include a gramophone DJ, a placenta specialist, a classical saw player, and a Scottish armourer who crafts specialist swords and knives. All live and/or work in the Edinburgh and Lothians area.

“We are now looking for further individuals to be included in this project.”

Contact Trevor through his website.

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The programme was announced earlier today for the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2015 with what we considered to be a fairly subdued fanfare. The programme is not as glossy as in the past but what it contains is! You will be presented with the opportunity of attending 164 features from 36 countries including 24 World Premiers, 8 International Premiers, 16 European Premieres, 84 UK Premieres and 2 Scottish Premieres.

As if that’s not enough there will be a retrospective in Little Big Screen sponsored by American Airlines and celebrating the best of 60s and 70s movies.

There is much to entertain you and Douglas Greenwood has already made his choices to give you a guide as tickets go on sale.

The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to the CEO of EIFF Ken Hay and the new Artistic Director Mark Adams about this year’s programme:

[vimeo 128990032 w=500 h=281]

The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

Scott Graham’s beautifully shot drama, IONA, will close the 69^th edition of the Festival on Sunday 28 June at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh when it will receive its World Premiere.

Shot entirely on location in Scotland, the film stars Ruth Negga (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), Douglas Henshall (Shetland), Tom Brooke (The Boat That Rocked) and Michelle Duncan (Atonement), with remarkable debuts by two young Scottish actors, Ben Gallagher and Sorcha Groundsell. IONA is director Scott Graham’s second film following his award winning Shell in 2012.

Director Scott Graham said: ‘I discovered many films and filmmakers at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Edinburgh was my home all through my twenties and it was in venues like Filmhouse and the Cameo where I learned the value of the stories we tell and the emotions we share. I’m thrilled IONA will have its premiere here and doubly thrilled it will close the Festival. What an honour.’

Part coming-of-age story and part returning-home drama, Graham’s striking and enthralling film is set against the stunning backdrop of the Hebridean island of Iona. Named after her birthplace, Iona, played by Ruth Negga, returns to the island with her teenage son to seek refuge from a violent crime in Glasgow. Iona’s return exposes her tormented son Bull to a way of life she rejected when she left the island as a teenager and sends a shock wave through the family she left behind.

Mark Adams, Artistic Director of EIFF said: “We are thrilled to be closing this year’s Festival with Scott Graham’s lovely, moving and enthralling Iona.  He is a striking cinematic talent and the film will wrap this year’s Festival in the perfect way.”

IONA is produced by Margaret Matheson and co-produced by Gunter Hanfgarn. The film is executive produced by Christopher Collins, Lizzie Francke, Ian Davies and Rebecca Long and is set for release in the UK later this year. The film is co-financed by the BFI and Creative Scotland.

Tickets on sale now on the EIFF website.

Here is the programme for you to see what you would like to book:

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Perhaps it’s something to do with my age. And the fact I’m a grandfather of four. Or a Hearts supporter. But lately my tolerance levels seem to be akin to a Fifa delegate’s expense form claim – disappearing fast…

Regular readers of my rants – and I thank you both – will know I’m a reasonable sort of chap, not one who complains. As my wife will only too willingly tell you (isn’t that right, dear?)

However, I have become rather more irritable than usual of late and it is partly down to the aforementioned Mrs Smith – or more specifically, her television viewing.

Marion is a fan of ITV. It’s the channel she immediately goes to when she turns on the television. Or, to be more precise, STV. I’m old enough to remember STV when it was called Scottish Television. When I lived in Aberdeen in the 1970s and 80s the commercial television station was Grampian Television and you could watch the continuity announcer nattily dressed in his evening suit telling you what was coming on next. It was calm, collected and dignified.

It’s all so much different now…

Part of my cunning Saturday night plan is to devolve ways of avoiding the sometimes inane drivel on STV (or as the announcer with an exceedingly annoying voice talking at a hundred miles an hour says ‘STVEEEEEEE’) With Hearts enjoying such a successful season this has, on occasion, meant enjoying a half pint lager shandy at a hostelry in Gorgie although this pastime can be fraught with danger (and what time do you call this to be getting home? It’s 9.00, dearest – what time do you make it?)

However, in recent weeks, I have been subjected to STV’s self-proclaimed ‘Super Saturdays’. This includes the delights of Ninja Warrior UK, Britain’s Got Talent and Play to the Whistle. From around 7:00pm every Saturday evening millions of people will take leave of their senses, jettison their critical faculties and tune into three hours of what is mind-numbing awfulness on a scale not seen since Noel Edmond’s House Party was forced on the nation by the BBC more than two decades ago.

This week, my feelings are akin to that of a condemned man as Britain’s Got Talent is on STV for an hour and a half every night as the final beckons this Sunday. There seems no escape. The acts and the sometimes patronising comments of some of the judges, I can take. But the behaviour of the audience is something I find hugely irritating and makes me want to throw things at the telly. In each of the ‘Super Saturday’ programmes but particularly on Britain’s Got Talent, is a relatively recent phenomenon and one that, like so many others, has derived from our American cousins – namely, noisy, screeching and wildly excitable audiences.

‘Who are you and where are you from’ asks the perennially smug Simon Cowell, ‘I’m Jimmy from Birmingham’ replies a hapless contestant which invokes a huge ‘Whooo-hoooo!’ from an audience who, I strongly suspect, have been given some kind of legally high substance in order they can react the way they do. That Jimmy gets a standing ovation merely for saying his name and where he comes from perhaps is a strong indication that Britain hasn’t got much talent in the first place…

Mercifully, I have only caught fleeting glimpses of Britain’s Got Talent but it seems to me to be a repetitive format that plays on the aspirations of susceptible no-hopers with limited talent and even less personality, acting out their fantasies on stage with as much visual appeal as a sixteen-year-old greasy haired youth with severe acne. Like witnessing a car crash, many people appear drawn to this ‘show’ watching egotistic no-hopers ‘living the dream’ to use a modern day cliché. Talent shows on television are nothing new. In decades gone by there was Opportunity Knocks and New Faces. They could also be cringe-inducing but what marks Britain’s Got Talent and its close relative The X Factor is this appears to be something of a freak show, a cynical marketing exercise masquerading as prime time television in order to manufacture publicity and generate income through gullible people phoning premium phone lines in order to make Simon Cowell and his half-naked torso bucketfuls of money.

The other programmes on STV on Saturday evening are little better. Ninja Warrior UK – the UK bit is apparently important – seems to me to be people leaping about for no apparent reason while hosts Ben Shephard and former footballer Chris ‘Kammy’ Kamara make inane comments. Meantime, another screaming audience hollers its ‘encouragement’.

It’s difficult to ascertain the point of Play to the Whistle. It’s a quiz show, of sorts, but seems to be nothing more than a vehicle for ITV’s current flavour of the month, comedian Bradley Walsh and footballer Frank Lampard to act foolishly for about half an hour. As well as screaming hoots of encouragement, the audience applauds anything that is said by Messrs Walsh and Lampard. The presence of Seann Walsh – apparently another comedian although I use the term loosely – and another footballer Jimmy Bullard rather lends itself to the question of the programme itself. Namely – what is the point? What little I watched of the shows this week seemed all so predictable and artificial – even the emotions are contrived. Yet throughout this week – and we’re only at Wednesday – there were ceaseless comments about BGT from far too many people – some of whom should really know better – on social websites such as Facebook and Twitter.  That said, I’m not sure what saddens me more. That fact I watched Britain’s Got Talent for all of five minutes before burying my head under a cushion – or the fact millions of people will be watching what passes for entertainment every night for the rest of the week.

Now I accept everyone has different tastes and I’m sure there will be many people who enjoy these programmes. They’re not my cup of tea but each to one’s own. But, for me, screeching, whooping audiences, immature former footballers and the limited ability of talent show contestants are not so much Super Saturday – more like Woeful Weekends…

Edinburgh council has signed up to Shelter Scotland’s Make Renting Right campaign which demands fair rent for all tenants.
Council Leader Andrew Burns, and Deputy Leader Sandy Howat, put their names to the housing charity’s Make Renting Right campaign, which aims to make Scotland’s growing private rented sector fit for the 59,000 households in the capital that rent privately.

The campaign complements existing work between the Council and private landlords, which includes giving advice about what they must do by law, and how they can resolve problems with tenants. They are also legally required to register with the local authority by law and apply and comply with specific licences.

Councillor Burns said: “The Council has given its full backing to Making Rent Right because we are committed to housing people in high quality and affordable homes, which is a vital step in our battle against poverty.

“Renters are entitled to be treated fairly and while the majority of landlords do so, too many people are still experiencing the opposite. This campaign is a great step towards protecting them.”

Councillor Howat said: “We are delighted to support such an important and worthwhile campaign. Thousands of people rent in this city for many reasons, with many of them doing so by choice, and ensuring that they can do so safely and at a fair price is vital.

“The Capital Coalition is committed to providing affordable homes and will continue to work closely with our partners in order to do so.”

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “We are pleased that the City of Edinburgh Council has joined our calls for a better private rented sector for tenants and landlords.

“Along with the council, we want to see a private rented sector that is fit for families and protects all tenants – a sector that provides long-term homes, not short-term housing.

“Too often we hear of people being moved on, evicted or rents increased unreasonably, forcing people into the disruptive cycle of having to move house – every six months in some cases – preventing them from ever being able to put down strong roots and being part of a community.

“In the 21st century, we need a private rented sector that is modern, stable, flexible, predictable and fair for those individuals and families that call it home.”

[tweet_box design=”default”]The Chairman of the Hearts supporters group Foundation of Hearts, Ian Murray MP, has announced he is to relinquish his role at the end of June. He will also be standing down as a director of Hearts at that time.[/tweet_box]

Murray, who has been Chairman of FoH for two years, told the official Hearts website “Since my re-election at the General Election earlier this month, I have taken on a number of senior responsibilities that will reduce the spare time I have available to dedicate to other interests.

“I have, after much soul-searching, taken the decision that the FoH requires a new chair and director who can give maximum attention to continuing to grow the membership and preparing the organisation for full supporter ownership.

“I’m very proud to have been part of a team who helped to own the history and shape the future. Generations of future Jambos who put their hard-earned money in to save the club will look back on these times and say ‘we did that’.”

Murray paid tribute to the supporters, Hearts owner Ann Budge and to everyone associated with the Foundation of Hearts.

He said that his involvement with FoH has been “one of the greatest pleasures and privileges of my life.”

Ann Budge paid tribute to Murray, telling the club’s official website: “I fully understand why Ian has come to this decision and want to thank him for everything he has done for both the Foundation and the club.

“He has made a valuable contribution to the Hearts board, from which he will be standing down at the end of June.  A second Foundation director will be appointed to the Hearts board to maintain the level of Foundation representation and ensure the terms of the agreement are met.”

FoH vice-chair, Brian Cormack will succeed Murray as Chairman on 30 June.

The Edinburgh Reporter was delighted to go along recently to have a look at the new cinema at Fort Kinnaird (and to enjoy the ice cream too!).

Mark Hurst, ODEON Cinema Technology Manager has worked in cinema for 29 years.  He has installed more than 200 screens and sound systems over his career and has been responsible for the complete advanced digital rollout for ODEON.

Here’s what Mark has to say about ODEON Fort Kinnaird:

• There are 7 screens at the cinema, with the largest (a cutting-edge Dolby ATMOS screen) being 13m wide
• All screens are curved where possible to benefit viewing angles and maximise brightness
• All screens have the latest Infra-Red audio and Hearing Impaired systems to ensureVisually impaired guests can benefit from an audio description track on most movies
• The Dolby ATMOS screen is a 48 channel system and equipped with a total of 56 separate speakers all run from a bespoke sound system and controlled by a Dolby CP850 Audio processor for maximum immersive experience
• All screens are satellite capable and can show exciting live events like opera, concerts and plays from The National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe and English National Opera

• The new seven-screen cinema at ODEON Fort Kinnaird has 1,182 seats, that’s more seats than what would be found on 18 Harry Potter Knight buses
• [tweet_box design=”default”]ODEON Fort Kinnaird can seat more guests than the amount of people who could sit on three Boeing 474 passenger jets[/tweet_box]
• ODEON Fort Kinnaird has given the local community a huge boost with 52 new jobs created and they’ve already built a great sense of team spirit in the weeks since opening on 20^thMarch.

As well as the latest films, there will be special events for guests including great value ODEON Kids screenings (£2.50 every weekend morning & everyday through the school holidays)​, special screenings for the over 55’s with ODEON Silver Cinema starting from just £3.00 ​and even the company’s ground-breaking Screen Unseen nights – which allow guests to see an unmissable up-and-coming film for just £5 a ticket, weeks before its official release.

And here are the films being shown there this week:

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For just under a month now it has been possible for you to take a bike on a tram and now Edinburgh Trams have announced that the bike trial has been extended for the duration for June.

This follows a successful test period in May when around 10 bikes a day were brought on board.   York Place proved to be the most popular boarding point, with almost one third of recorded journeys starting there.

Feedback will continue to be gathered by Edinburgh Trams from cyclists and other passengers and can be given by contacting customer services.

Tom Norris, Director and General Manager, Edinburgh Trams said: “We’ve listened to feedback from our passengers we are pleased to extend the bike trial through to the end of June because it seems to be working really well.  The feedback we have received has been positive and normal operational services have not been negatively affected with the trial.”

Lesley Hinds, Chair, Transport for Edinburgh said: “Extending the trial will allow us more time to gather further feedback from cyclists and passengers, which will in turn give us the information to make a confident decision regarding allowing bike on trams as part of our conditions of carriage in the future.”

During the extended trial passengers can bring their bikes on board from 0500 until 07:30 in the morning and between 09:30 – 16:00 and 18:30- 23:00 Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday with the exception of carriage of cycles not being permitted on 18 – 23 June due to the Highland Show and Foo Fighters concert.

Trial details:

• Cycles will not be allowed on trams during pre-publicised special events.

• On board staff retain the discretion to prevent cyclists from boarding with bikes if they deem a tram to be too busy.

• Passengers must stay with their bikes throughout the journey, holding them in order to ensure they don’t move during transit.

• Cyclists should position themselves at the centre section (marked on platform by a disabled logo tile) of the tram and take guidance from on-board staff.

• Only two bikes will be allowed on each tram and in the specified locations on board during the trial.

• Passengers with disabilities or those with prams or buggies are to take priority with regards to space.

The return of the Edinburgh International Film Festival this morning signaled the arrival of fresh, exciting cinema on the capital’s screens. New Artistic Director Mark Adams has helmed a dazzling programme; brimming with both playfulness and melancholy. The latest films from the likes of Amy Berg, Asif Kapadia and the geniuses over at Pixar seem to be hot on the lips of everyone here and are sure to pick up a great response following their screenings next month.

[tweet_box design=”box_1″]”Mark Adams has helmed a dazzling programme; brimming with both playfulness and melancholy”[/tweet_box]

Thus, here are our most promising picks of the festival’s 69th edition.

The Legend of Barney Thomson (Dir. Robert Carlyle)
The festival kicks off with the directorial debut of one of Scotland’s most beloved actors, Robert Carlyle. For his first outing, Carlyle has managed to rope in fellow screen talent Emma Thompson and Ray Winstone to tell this morbidly funny story of a Glaswegian barber turned serial killer. The film will have its World Premiere at the Festival Theatre on Wednesday June 17th.

45 Years (Dir. Andrew Haigh)
Arriving on Scottish shores following a hugely positive response at Berlinale in February, 45 Years sees the cinematic return of acclaimed Brit director Andrew Haigh. It looks at the torn relationship a couple share as they fast approach their 45th wedding anniversary. Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling nabbed both the acting prizes at the aforementioned fest; setting this up to become one of those beautiful British festival circuit discoveries. Playing Friday 19th June at Odeon Lothian Road and Saturday 20th June at Cineworld Fountainpark

Chicken (Dir. Joe Stephenson)
The directorial debut of young Joe Stephenson, Chicken is one of the festival’s few rare Scottish premieres (the film had its UK premiere at Cineworld in Sheffield, the very same cinema Stephenson used to work in). A striking story of young Richard, an optimistic young boy with learning difficulties and his relationships; both familial and romantic. Richard Ayoade’s female muse Yasmin Paige co-stars, and Charlie Lyne of Beyond Clueless serves as the film’s editor. He spoke to us about the film back in January, you can read our conversation here. Playing Saturday June 27th at Cineworld Fountainpark

Amy (Dir. Asif Kapadia)
Kapadia’s return to the the screen is a bold, melancholic look at the life of pop/jazz artist Amy Winehouse. Depicting her career’s finest moments and those we’d heard of but never seen, music documentaries rarely delve as deep as Kapadia did here. A non-fictional masterpiece by all accounts, we gave this five stars following its world premiere at Cannes.  You can read our review here. Playing Thursday 18th and Friday 19th June at the Filmhouse

[tweet_box design=”box_1″]”Music docs rarely delve as deep as Kapadia’s Amy”[/tweet_box]

Dope (Dir. Rick Famuyiwa)
This film reeks of festival adoration and sweaty, frenetic teenage kicks.  A big success at Sundance and the closing film at Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight, it looks at the life and ambitions of three high school geeks and their attempts to escape their life in “The Bottoms”. A coming of age story for the hip hop generation, a fairly unknown central cast is supported by the likes of Forrest Whitaker and the prince of modern rap music A$AP Rocky. Playing Thursday 25th and Friday 26th June at Cineworld Fountainpark

Every Secret Thing/Prophet’s Prey (Dir. Amy Berg)
Of the three films documentarian Amy Berg has churned out in the past year, two of them have found their place in the EIFF programme. Known for her uncompromising depictions of the world’s most caustic and beguiling characters, she has turned to fiction to tell the story of a detectives investigation into child abductions, years after their occurrence. With a cast featuring Diane Lane and Elizabeth Banks and a script by Enough Said’s Nicole Holofcener, all the signs are pointing towards Every Secret Thing being an impressive fictional debut. In the Documentary strand, Berg is in familiar territory with Prophet’s Prey – her examination of the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the accusations against him of child sex abuse. An absorbing one, we’re sure, but we’re questioning the omission of Berg’s controversial work An Open Secret. A film that looks at child sex abuse in LA’s young star circuit, they’re billing it as the film Hollywood doesn’t want you to see. We’re intrigued by the thought of a last minute Berg trilogy here. If any film festival is brazen enough to screen it, it would be Edinburgh.  Every Secret Thing plays on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th June at Cineworld Fountainpark. Prophet’s Prey plays Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st June at Odeon Lothian Road.

[tweet_box design=”box_1″]”If any film festival is brazen enough to screen An Open Secret, it would be Edinburgh”[/tweet_box]

Last Days in the Desert (Dir. Rodrigo Garcia)
Scottish national treasure Ewan McGregor assumes the role of Jesus Christ in this biblical epic from Colombia’s Rodrigo García. An imaginative look at his forty days of fasting and praying in the desert and his encounters with the devil, Last Days in the Desert looks set to be a big crowd-puller. It has a one off screening in the Festival Theatre on Sunday June 21st.

Inside Out (Dir. Pete Docter)
As expected, Disney/Pixar’s colourful return to form has its pride of place in EIFF’s animation lineup. A dazzling look into the personified imagination of a young girl, Inside Out is a gorgeous mix of humour and adventure with a touching philosophical flare. Pixar’s best work in 5 years? We certainly think so. Read our five star review here. Playing Sunday 21st June at the Festival Theatre.

Tickets can be purchased from the Festival Box Office at the Filmhouse, Lothian Road or online at the Edinburgh Film Festival website.

Operation RAC’s dedicated housebreaking officers have arrested three more people as enforcement activity continues within the city.

The occupants of a house in Denholm Green Avenue were awoken at around 2.10am on Tuesday 26th May and found that an attempt had been made to break into the property.

Nothing had been taken from within, however, the garden shed had been entered and various items were stolen.

A short time later a second property in Clark Road was subject to an attempted break-in and police responded quickly to the area along with Police Dog Keach.

PD Keach then traced the males to a nearby garden and both were detained.

A 14-year-old will now be reported to the Procurator Fiscal in connection with both incidents while a 25-year-old man has also been charged for these offences in addition to another housebreaking, which happened at an address in Crewe Crescent on Monday 25th May.

A third man was also arrested following a housebreaking, which took place sometime between 26th and 27th April at an address in Montpelier.

Two laptops and a sum of cash were taken during this break-in and officers had been investigating as part of Operation RAC.

One of the laptops was loaded with tracking software and initialised yesterday when the device was connected to the Internet.

As a result, Community Investigation Unit officers detained a 42-year-old man in Broomhouse Grove yesterday evening.

He was subsequently charged at will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

Chief Superintendent Mark Williams, Divisional Commander for the City of Edinburgh said: “In addition to our dedicated housebreaking teams, specialist resources such as the Dog Unit are regularly used to target and arrest these criminals.

“I want to make it clear to the public that tackling housebreaking is our top priority and we are arresting housebreakers every day as a result of our efforts. We won’t stop our relentless pursuit of those responsible.

“Remember that you can help prevent housebreaking by appropriately securing your homes, outbuildings and businesses at all times. More information on crime prevention is available at www.scotland.police.uk.”

Tenants and Residents in Muirhouse (TRIM) and Pilton Community Health Project held an event earlier today at Muirhouse Community Shop to launch the community Cook and Taste cookbook.

Thanks to Thomas Brown for the photos from the launch. He has more over here.

A new set up for cyclists will be introduced in the city centre in September when the current trial comes to an end. This will be a conventional one-way layout not alongside the kerb but sitting in between two lanes of traffic. This means that there will again be two lanes of traffic on each side of George Street as before, with a central one-way cycle lane.

The alternative of a kerbside cycle lane has been discounted as ‘less preferred’ as it would not provide an ‘unbroken and visible’ cycle lane. The Council set up a trial in George Street last September with a temporary two-way cycle lane, a one-way system for other traffic heading east, pedestrianised areas and outdoor seating areas for some of the restaurants.

Most people have agreed that the outdoor seating ‘tents’ have not been a success and they are set to be removed (indeed some have already been removed) when the trial period ends at the end of the Festival. Previous arrangements such as this were trialled over the Festival and were deemed a success but it seems few people want to sit outside during the winter months.

Now that the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) is coming to an end the council has to decide whether to keep any elements of it, and they have decided that while the street will revert to two way traffic with parking along the central reservation they will retain a cycle lane here.

Traffic Regulation Orders take over a year to implement so the ‘new’ design will be covered by a temporary measure.

The council aims to bring George Street to life recognising its importance as a place to work, socialise and shop.

The measures will be decided upon at next week’s Transport and Environment Committee.

The Multi-Agency Working Group made up of bereaved families affected by the Mortonhall ‘Babies Ashes’ scandal, representatives from other groups such as stillbirth and neonatal death society, SANDS Lothian, and SIMBA, the Simpson’s Memory Box Appeal,  have agreed upon a design for one of the two planned memorials.

The proposal is to site one memorial at Mortonhall Crematorium although recent discussions have also centred around where a second memorial would be placed. This is deemed necessary as some parents thought it inappropriate to have a memorial at the crematorium where working practices led to the ‘Babies Ashes’ scandal. Parents were told no ashes remained after cremation of their babies and young children which led to an enquiry headed up by Dame Elish Angiolini as well as a nationwide enquiry instructed by the Scottish Government.

A design based on a walled circular water garden for the Mortonhall Memorial is being recommended to councillors who are expected to approve the proposals next Tuesday. The other elements of the memorial may be a memorial tree or plaques to record the babies names.

The memorial will be surrounded by a clipped beech hedge and central columbarium, which is intended to be a peaceful and private place for ‘personal contemplation’. The centre of the pond may be deeper if parents would like water lilies planted there. The designer feels that the simple clean lines compliment Sir Basil Spence’s design of the crematorium itself which is an A-listed building. This decision has to be ratified by the full council when they meet next month. The council will fund the costs of both memorials estimated at £250,000.

The site for the second memorial will be reported at next month’s council meeting although it is believed that Princes Street Gardens is favoured. Other sites considered have included Inverleith Park, Calton Hill, Arthurs Seat and Blackford Hill.

The full programme for the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2015 will be announced today. We have set up a live blog here to capture the important parts!

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