Former Hibs’ fans’ favourite Leigh Griffiths has offered to replace christmas presents stolen during a housebreaking in the capital.

Michael Wright, an avid hearts’ fan and season ticket holder at Tynecastle was in his house in the Inch area when housebreakers entered on Tuesday morning and stole money for gifts, as well as the family’s white Ford car which was parked outside.

After reading about the incident on Facebook, kind hearted Leigh contacted Michael online, writing: ” Heard about the story of you’re house getting broken into. What games did you want for the little man and I’ll buy them for you. It’s a hard time of year for people to lose stuff and I’d like to help.”

An astonished Michael replied : “Wow. You were the last person I ever expected to send me a message lol. Seriously though your generosity touches me but we have things covered. Thnk you very much mate,”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Within ten minutes details of the vehicle were immediately circulated to police officers across Edinburgh and a ‘stolen’ marker was added to the Police National Computer.

“We would urge the public to always lock their doors prior to retiring for the evening or leaving your home unoccupied.

Photo by JCMackintosh

Police in are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road collision which happened around 1.15pm yesterday in Lindsay Road.

Harry Slade, an 81-year-old pedestrian, was involved in a collision with a Kia Picanto car and sustained serious injuries.

Members of the public, including an off duty doctor provided emergency first aid until the Scottish Ambulance Service arrived.

Mr Slade was then taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where he later passed away.

Road Policing Officers responded to the scene and closed the road for around four hours while they conducted their investigation.

Enquiries into the full circumstances surrounding this collision are ongoing and anyone who can assist police is asked to come forward.

Road Policing Sergeant, Ross Drummond said: “The driver of the Kia stopped immediately and has been helping officers with their enquiry into this incident.

“We are now keen to hear from other motorists or members of the public as we look to establish exactly what happened.

“Officers have managed to speak with a number of those who provided emergency assistance to Mr Slade, but we believe there may be others who witnessed the collision and would urge these individuals to contact police immediately.

“Mr Slade was wearing a distinctive maroon-coloured jacket and a tweed hat. If you remember seeing him around the time of the collision the please get in touch.”

Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101.

Firefighters were called to a small fire in a kitchen at a house in Blackthorn Court this morning just after 9:00am.

Crews from Marionville and Crewe Toll were mobilised by Operations Control Edinburgh and on arrival discovered a small fire in the kitchen.  Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire with a high pressure hose reel.

One female casualty was treated with oxygen at the scene by firefighters until the arrival of the Scottish Ambulance Service.  She suffered slight smoke inhalation but did not require hospital treatment.

Station Manager Mike Colliar said: “The kitchen can be the most dangerous place in the home. Fire can cause damage not just to your property, but more seriously can put family at risk

“Many kitchen fires happen when people are not paying attention, leave things unattended or from the careless use of electrical appliances but there are several things you can do to prevent fires in the kitchen.

“Don’t leave pans unattended. Take them off the heat if you have to leave the room. Fire starts when your attention stops. When you have finished cooking, make sure the cooker or oven is turned off.  Don’t clutter your work surfaces with combustible materials.

“SFRS crews routinely conduct free home fire safety visits to help householders identify risks and take the simple steps needed to reduce the chance of fires.

“If you or someone you know could benefit from our free home fire safety visit then get in touch.”

Anyone can join Scotland’s fight against fire and register for a free home fire safety visit by calling 0800 0731 999, texting ‘check’ to 61611, filling out a form at www.firescotland.gov.uk or by contacting their local fire station.

An East Lothian man who allowed his two dogs to become half their ideal weight has been convicted following a Scottish SPCA investigation.

Dean Ross, 30, of Caponhall Road, Tranent, was sentenced at Haddington Sheriff Court on 17 December. At a previous appearance, Ross pled guilty to failing to provide veterinary attention and a wholesome diet for his two Weimaraner dogs. Ross was given a life ban on owning animals and a 200 hour community payback order, to be completed within nine months.

Commenting on the investigation and court case, Inspector Emma Phillips said, “We were alerted when Ross’ female Weimaraner named Roxy was handed into another animal charity and they took her to a vets due to her poor body condition.

“Roxy was emaciated and weighed just 18kgs, which is half the weight she should have been. She had no muscle mass and all her bones were clearly visible.

“A blood test revealed no underlying health issues, confirming her weight loss had been caused by a lack of food.

“We were advised a second dog named Dexter had recently died at Ross’ property and was buried in the back garden. We arranged for Dexter’s body to be exhumed so a post mortem could be carried out.

“Dexter was severely emaciated and had protein-energy malnutrition, likely caused by a lack of food. The vet advised it would have taken several months for him to reach this stage.

“We are pleased Ross has received a lifetime ban on owning animals following our investigation.

“While tragically it was too late for Dexter, Roxy made a full recovery in our care and has since found a loving new home where she is doing well.”

Photograph by Scottish SPCA

Eleven people have been arrested as part of an ongoing campaign to tackle domestic abuse in the Capital over the festive period.

Local officers along with Edinburgh’s Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit launched the local nine-day initiative on Monday 15th December and have since been executing arrests warrants across the city.

In addition, police have been carrying out proactive bail checks on individuals currently on release from prison for domestic abuse offences.

A further two individuals have also been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for breaching bail conditions.

As well as the proactive activity being carried out during this operation, police in Edinburgh have also responded to numerous domestic incidents in the past few days and as a result, a further 30 people have been arrested and charged.

The festive period often results in increased reports of domestic abuse, with alcohol regularly playing a contributing factor.

As such, officers have also been visiting victims of these offences this week to offer additional support and guidance.

Superintendent Liz McAinsh said: “After only three days, we’ve arrested an additional 11 individuals responsible for domestic abuse and associated offences.

“Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for Police Scotland and in Edinburgh officers will continue to pursue those responsible for crimes of this nature.

“We are also committed to providing victims of domestic abuse with all the necessary assistance and support they require.

“I would urge anyone who has been subject to domestic abuse and hasn’t yet reported the matter to police, to do so immediately. Your report will be taken with the utmost professionalism and investigated robustly.”

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Convener of Health, Social Care and Housing, said: “Nobody should have to suffer domestic abuse at any time of year. We want to reach out to those affected by domestic abuse, or anyone who has concerns about others who are suffering.

“I would urge people to drink sensibly over the festive season and to consider how their behaviour affects their loved ones. We will continue to work closely with Police Scotland and other partner organisations as part of our Speak Up, Speak Out campaign to protect vulnerable families and individuals.”

There was a small fire in the basement of the Travelodge on Queen Street this morning which was attended by five fire appliances, Police and ambulances.

Traffic was tailing back to York Place when The Edinburgh Reporter passed the scene.

Operations Control Edinburgh received the call just before 7:30am to attend a fire located in a lower ground floor bedroom in the hotel and immediately mobilised appliances from Tollcross, Sighthill and McDonald Road fire stations. The location and source of fire was subsequently identified within a ceiling mounted ventilation unit in the lower ground floor corridor.

A resident was reported unaccounted for and breathing apparatus crews entered to locate this person . It was subsequently found that this resident had left the building earlier.

All staff and residents were effectively and rapidly evacuated to safety by staff and firefighters entered the building wearing breathing apparatus and extinguished the fire. 

The Edinburgh Reporter has heard from Caledonia Youth this morning that it is to close its doors  in Spring 2015 as there is not enough funding to keep it going.

It is with great regret that we must announce the forthcoming closure of Caledonia Youth.  Our Edinburgh-based charity provides a variety of specialist preventative interventions to support young people under 25 in Scotland through challenges associated with their transition to adulthood, helping them develop their social and emotional capabilities and reduce negative risk taking behaviour.

 

Now, after 46 years, we find ourselves unable to sustain our charity following an erosion of funding in recent years.  While the team have worked hard to secure new sources of income and been successful in doing so for many years, like other colleagues in the third sector we have faced a constant reduction in statutory funding.  For us, this culminated in the termination of our contract with NHS Lothian earlier this year to deliver a specialist clinic in Edinburgh, which had served young people in the region since 1968, along with our school based programme to help increase knowledge. 

 

Having exhausted alternative funding avenues vital to the sustainability of our charity, the Board of Trustees have made the difficult decision to wind up Caledonia Youth.  We are in the process of applying to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to formally do so and the last day of operation will be 31 March 2015.  Obviously we are hugely disappointed to be faced with what is the only option left open to us, which will bring redundancy for 11 highly skilled people. 

 

We would like to take this opportunity to say how very proud we are of our extremely dedicated team here at Caledonia Youth who have developed and delivered many ground breaking programmes.  They have proved great advocates for tens of thousands of young people, particularly the more vulnerable, disadvantaged and disengaged in our society today.

 

Caledonia Youth’s enterprising and adaptable approach has impacted upon our young clients by helping to change long term behaviour, giving rise to both direct and indirect positive outcomes including their enhanced employability and opportunities to enjoy full and rewarding lives. 

 

While we wish we could do more, the focus now is on ensuring our young clients are supported through the closure, as there is a dearth of service provision.  We too experience waiting lists for our services.  We will do our utmost to ensure they are connected with an appropriate organisation, although that will possibly mean a different level of assistance.

 

On top of this, we will be doing everything in our power to help our team secure alternative employment as quickly as possible.

 

Our thanks go to those who have helped us sustain Caledonia Youth – funders, partner organisations and those who make referrals to us – and to all the young people we have connected with and supported over the years.

The City of Edinburgh Council published its draft budget a few months back, and the consultation on its terms finishes at close of business on Friday 19 December.

You can still have your say and Finance Convener Alasdair Rankin was anxious to explain that whatever you do say will be listened to. He said: “A lot of people have responded to the Budget Planner where they can try to produce a balanced budget but they have also emailed or written to us with their ideas.

“We have in previous years taken advantage of that feedback.  For example in the case of library hours being cut back or support for kinship carers, we did listen. We were not able to completely remove any effect on these areas in the budget last year but we were able to minimise it.

“But the key administration commitment is to make the council a more efficient operation and protect frontline services.”

[vimeo 114864816 w=500 h=281]

The council decided only last week to proceed with sweeping changes in the way the council is run which will mean some voluntary redundancies will be sought in middle management. The council has a no compulsory redundancy policy so they cannot demand jobs to be cut, but the new way of working will divide the city into four localities which will have local managers.

If you visit the council website then you still have time to add your voice to the other 1600 people who have used the budget planner looking across all areas of council spending and trying to work out where savings can be made.

The council differentiates between the budget and cuts to spending. There are those in the city who believe that the council is about to cut Edinburgh Leisure facilities across the city which the council have said is untrue.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was called to deal with a house fire at a property in Blackhall earlier this morning. 

The Edinburgh Reporter heard the reports of smoke on Twitter earlier, although it is clear that the fire was already being dealt with by then.

@EdinReporter heavy smoke on Ferry/Telford road. Hard to breath at to of Groathill N. Can’t see source. Any ideas?

— Shard Aerliss (@Aerliss) December 18, 2014

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The call was received just after 7:00am  following reports of a fire at a detached bungalow under renovation at Forthview Road.

Appliances, along with the height appliance from Crewe Toll were immediately sent to the scene.  Further resources from McDonald Road and Marionville were then requested.

Group Manager Cameron McKenzie said: “The fire was well developed in the roof space and had broken through the roof when crews arrived.  Firefighters in breathing apparatus used two lines of hose to extinguish the fire. Crews made use of the height vehicle to carry out damping down operations.”

No one was in the property at the time and crews remain on scene dampening down the affected areas.

A joint investigation is being carried out today with Police Scotland into the cause of the fire.

The Secret Herb Garden Festive Evening: wine, cheese, chocolate and charcuterie in a beautiful setting at the foot of the Pentland Hills. 4-8pm, The Secret Herb Garden, 32a Old Pentland Road, EH10 7EA (for more information re location see the Secret Herb Garden’s website or call 07525 069773).

Pilton Equalities Project Presents: Cinderella – Panto Time! 6-8pm, Granton Baptist Church, Crewe Road Gardens. Tickets 4 (children £1), refreshments provided. Please book in advance to assist in planning of catering: phone Trish on 0131 315 4466.

Bookbug: songs and rhymes for young children and their adults. 10.30-11am, Fountainbridge Library, 137 Dundee Street.

The Rosie Nimmo Duo: Rosie Nimmo (vocals, rhythm, guitar and harmonica) and Stuart Allardyce (guitar) present a programme of swinging tunes to mark the Christmas season. 6-6.30pm, Main Gallery, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

Under Fives Christmas Storytime: 10.30-11am, Morningside Library, 184 Morningside Road. Free.

Growing Underground: Forest’s Very Open Stage. Sign up for a 15 min+ slot in the cafe, or contact the team via Facebook.  Free tea, coffee or corkage up to £1.50 for performers. 7.30pm, Forest Cafe, 141 Lauriston Place. Free entry: BYOB – corkage 70p for beer, £1.50 for wine.

LGBT Learning Disability Project Festive Party. The Project provides a range of opportunities for building confidence and friendship among LGBT people who also identify as having a learning disability/difficulty. 2-4pm, Lifecare Centre, Cheyne Street. For more information call 0131 652 3281 or email george@lgbthealth.org.uk: please bring a carer or supporter if you need help to participate.

Christmas Cracker 2014! Readings and discussions with Angela Jackson, Michael Malone, Lucy Lawrie, Graeme MacRae Burnet, Daniel Gray and Alan McCredie: there will also be festive cheer, mince pies and tipples in abundance! 6pm, Waterstones West End, Princes Street. Free tickets are available from the store: for more information call 0131 226 2666.

Whale Arts Christmas Celebration! Special Christmas Show by resident drama group Whales Without A Cause, handmade crafts for sale from Stitch ‘N Time, South West Sounds groups premier their 2014 songs, smART Craft exhibition, mince pies and mulled wine (or BYOB). 6pm till late, Whale Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. For further information please call 0131 458 3267.

CinemaAttic Fundraising Event: #Mutant Christmas. A screening of Accion Mutante (18) – a cult film from 1993 by award-winning Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia – and Party Xmas Bash with special DJs. Film: 7.30 for 8pm, Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall (NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE FROM ONE SHOWN ON POSTER); party: 11pm-3am, Wee Red Bar, Lauriston Place. Film £6 + booking fee via eventbrite, party £5 payable on the door – party ticket price includes a raffle for a box of El Olivo Spanish products, Calduero Wines and Goya23. CinemaAttic is a community interest group aiming to offer the best independent cinema from the Iberian peninsula and Latin America.

Music Among The Trees: Drew Crichton. Talented pianist Drew entertains visitors to the Edinburgh Christmas Tree Festival. 12 noon-1pm, Sanctuary, St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Free: all welcome.

Candles and Quietness: the church will be open for quiet reflection and prayer. 5.15pm (come and go as you please), St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street.

Hotel (15): the Nordic Film Festival concludes with this ‘brutally honest and at times absurdly humorous exploration of the human psyche’. In Swedish with English subtitles. 6.30pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. The Nordic Film Festival is presented by day for night.

Closure of Duncan Place Resource Centre

Today at Edinburgh’s Christmas

North Edinburgh Grows

Day of Action against NHS in TTIP in Edinburgh

Our biggest competition of the year…..Enter now!

It will simply take too much money to fix the roof and the wet and dry rot discovered earlier this year at Duncan Place Resource Centre in Leith and it is to be closed and demolished immediately. This was discussed last week at the council’s Education committee meeting when councillors were told that the building would cost more than any other owned by the council to put in order. A decision was made as to its fate and that will now be ratified by the Governance, Risk and Best Value committee which meets this morning.

The cost of demolition will not mean any increase in the council’s capital spending as they will use money set aside for providing a lift in the building for that.

This decision was made despite concerns and deputations from the management committee of the centre and the Parent Council of Leith Primary School. The implications on the Primary School are that a temporary Portakabin will have to be installed there to allow nursery places to be provided, but further work will have to be done on finding long term solutions on providing nursery, gym and community accommodation. One option suggested was to stop up St Andrew Place and allow that street to be used by the school as a PE area and for outdoor play.

The building was erected in the 1920s as a technical block and was used in the past by Leith Academy. The building was converted to use as a community centre about 30 years ago.

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Briefs is the new show at the Spiegeltent in St Andrew Square which begins tonight.

This is not for the coy among you. Edinburgh’s Christmas describe it as : “An all male, sharp shooting cabaret of burlesque with balls, high flying circus bandits and savage gender offenders! Described as an Aussie Cirque du Soleil meets Ru Paul’s Drag Race, get ready for a madcap safari through extravagant birdbath boylesque, too-close-for-comfort yo-yo tricks, valiant aerial acrobatics, irreverent interludes, ferocious fanfares and show-stopping drag artistes.”

Booking details here.

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The area that used to be West Pilton Farm is now used for North Edinburgh Grows, an award winning project.

There are four separate allotments there where people grow vegetables in raised beds.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnNVF582eRE?list=PLFQQySjap6rPfM5thjAHfAaxjAaXiwycc]

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There is to be a demo today at the UK office of the European Parliament. Why?

The group who are organising the protest there say: “The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will mean the irreversible privatisation of public services including the NHS. Demand that our NHS is protected from this deal. Tory MEP Ian Duncan should stand up for the NHS against this corporate power grab. We need to make sure he does.”

If you feel like supporting them then they aim to be outside the office about 12.30/12.45.

If you don’t think you know enough about TTIP then there is some information here..here and here….

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To celebrate the festive season, Marks & Spencer is giving Edinburgh Reporter readers the chance to win their ultimate New Year’s Eve party outfit. Two winners will receive a £250 gift card to spend in store.

Enter here!

Hibernian have confirmed that the SPFL Championship match vs Rangers at Ibrox has been moved to Friday 13th February, 7.45pm kick-off. The match will be live on BT Sport.

Meanwhile the club has announced the ticket office and clubstore opening times for the festive period.

The main office will be closed at 1pm on Christmas Eve and Hogmanay with the main office shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and on 1 and 2 January.

Saturday 20th December (Away v Raith Rovers) 10am-3pm

Sunday 21st December Closed

Monday 22nd December 10am-5pm

Tuesday 23rd December 10am-5pm

Wednesday 24th December 10am-1pm

Thursday 25th December Closed

Friday 26th December Closed

Saturday 27th December (Home v Rangers) 10am-Kick Off

Sunday 28th December Closed

Monday 29th December 10am-5pm

Tuesday 30th December 10am-5pm

Wednesday 31st December 10am-1pm

Thursday 1st January Closed

Friday 2nd January Closed

Saturday 3rd January (Away v Hearts) 10am-1pm

Sunday 4th January Closed

Normal hours resume from Monday 5th January

Police are appealing for information to help trace an elderly woman who has gone missing from her supported accommodation in Edinburgh.

Winifred Hogg, who is 75 years old, has health problems and sometimes uses a motorised wheelchair to get around. She does not rely on her wheelchair, however, and so maybe walking.

Winifred has not been seen since 10.30am when she appeared to be heading towards Morrison’s supermarket in Granton.

She is described as 5ft 2in tall, with short grey hair, glasses, and wearing a blue skirt, pop socks, flat black shoes and is believed to be wearing a blue coat. She may appear confused.

Inspector Alan Carson said: “We are urgently seeking to trace Winifred given her health issues. Anybody who recognises the description of Winifred or believes they may have seen her is asked to contact police immediately.”

Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101

A 19th century building used mainly as a school, but which was earmarked as the new parliament building for a devolved Scotland may be brought into use as a luxury hotel. The building has been empty since 1968 but is owned by the council and used for storage of ballot boxes.

Proposals to transform the old Royal High School on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill into a world-class hotel were announced today by the project developers.  The former boys’ school, designed by Thomas Hamilton, opened in 1829 but has remained empty since 1968 when the Royal High School moved to Barnton.

Over the years, numerous uses have been suggested for what is one of Edinburgh’s most distinctive landmarks, from a potential site for the new Scottish Parliament to a photography or military museum.  The City of Edinburgh Council, which own the A listed building, granted Duddingston House Properties (DHP) a conditional ground lease for 125 years after the company won an open competition in 2010.

Designed by award-winning architect Gareth Hoskins, the new hotel when completed, will provide the capital with a distinctive hotel of international standing with Thomas Hamilton’s restored building as its centrepiece.  Three of the world’s top hotel operators, none of whom currently have a presence in Scotland, have been shortlisted as front-runners to manage the new hotel.

The economic impact of this new type of hotel offering would be significant not just for Edinburgh but for the whole of Scotland.  When operational the hotel is likely to create 640 local jobs and contribute on average £27 million annually to Edinburgh’s GDP.  On a Scotland-wide basis the hotel could support an additional 100 jobs, across different sectors including tourism, retail and leisure, and contribute an estimated £32m in GDP to Scotland’s economy annually.*

A spokesperson from the City of Edinburgh Council’s Economic Development Department said: “The Old Royal High school building has not had a continuous use since the school moved 46 years ago. We look forward to the pre-application process in January 2015 for this important Edinburgh 12** project by the developers who won the council’s competition.  Edinburgh is demonstrating its ability to attract significant inward investment across a series of important projects which are crucial to the positioning of the city in Europe and to the creation of new job opportunities.”

The plan to turn the old Royal High School into a hotel of international standing is a fully-funded proposal with in excess of £55m committed by a group of institutional investors led by DHP’s Bruce Hare and David Orr of the Urbanist Group.  Orr, a hotelier, who was instrumental in bringing Harvey Nichols to Edinburgh, believes that the proposal for the new hotel has the potential to do for tourism what the department store did for retailing in the city.

“What we are proposing to do is to add something truly special to the Edinburgh hotel market by bringing one of the best hotel operators in the world to the city. This will not in any way diminish current hotel provision; indeed it will add another tier at the top which can only benefit all of the city’s operators.  By increasing the breadth of hotel offering, Scotland’s capital will be in a position to attract new visitors from the top end of the market as well as improve its ability to compete with other European cities for international diplomatic events and important global conferences.  But importantly, one of Edinburgh’s architectural jewels in the crown will be sensitively restored and the public will have access to Hamilton’s superb building for the first time.”

Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, has urged the city’s business community to give the widest possible support to the project.  “Edinburgh’s success in world tourism requires that it keeps ahead of its competition and responds to the needs and demands of the tourist market.  A world-class hotel will enable Edinburgh to market itself around the globe as a great place to live, work and study as well as attract further inward investment opportunities to the city.  This will also help sell Edinburgh to the airlines at a time when we are competing with many other European Airports to attract their investment into the capital both as a market and a destination.”

The developers are due to submit a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to the council in January 2015 followed by three days of public consultations at the old Royal High School in February 2015.

Hbs’ on-loan midfielder Dylan McGeouch is about to resume full squad training after rehabilitation work at Celtic and has managed to do some light training.

The 21-year-old who is on a season-long loan from Celtic has been sidelined since October after undergoing surgery on his ankle.

Speaking to Hibs TV, McGeouch said: “I’ve just started jogging again this week. Hopefully I can pick it up this week and I’ll be back training again as soon as possible.

“We just need to see what the physios say and just take it from there.”But hopefully I’m good to go now and I can get back as soon as possible – I’ve just got to see how my ankle feels.

“The surgeon has given me the go-ahead to start running, so I hopefully I can step it up again and take it from there.”

McGeouch spent part of his youth career with Rangers and says he would love to be back in time to face his old club at Easter Road on Saturday 27 December.

He added: “Of course it would be great to be back for that – it’s a big game for the club and everybody involved.

“So hopefully I can get back for that, but I’m not promising anything.

“I’ve had a wee niggle in my ankle for a while. I saw a specialist in Glasgow about it and he thought it was best that I had the surgery just to clean it up before it got any worse.”

Several Hibs’ players visited the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC) in Edinburgh yesterday, with a selection of Christmas presents to bring some festive cheer to some of the city’s sickest kids.

Captain Liam Craig was joined by 11 of his team-mates; Scott Allan, Callum Booth, Farid El Alagui, Paul Heffernan, Liam Fontaine, David Gray, Scott Robertson, Jake Sinclair and Lewis Stevenson as he presented the hospital with a cheque for £1000.

Maureen Harrison, chief executive of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “We’re extremely grateful to the players and staff from Hibernian Football Club for taking some time out of their busy schedules to spread some Christmas cheer at the RHSC.

“It’s particularly difficult for children who are unwell at this time of year so it’s a pleasure to see their faces light up when they are surprised by a team of magical visitors armed with such special presents.”

Hibs also donated some signed balls and a signed shirt for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation to auction off in order to raise further funds.

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, is encouraging people to consider flying over the festive period as major works planned for motorways and rail services look set to cause travel chaos during the upcoming weeks around Christmas and New Year.

Train companies have already warned passengers about major works that will severely impact the West Coast mainline route between Scotland and London, and Virgin Trains is urging people not to travel until 29th December due to planned closures on its network.

First Great Western is also asking passengers to check journeys before they travel. Meanwhile, motorists face lengthy delays on the M1 and M4 as road works are expected throughout the festive period. 

With just a week until Christmas Eve, Flybe’s ‘Purple Wednesday’ flash sale returns today featuring popular routes including those from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, London City Airport, Manchester and Southampton with one way tickets available from just £15 including taxes and charges, when booked before midnight.

Paul Simmons, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “People wanting to visit friends and family for Christmas and New Year will face difficulties with road and rail travel this year, which is why we are highlighting the convenience of air travel this festive period.

“Sitting in long queues on the motorway while trying to keep the children entertained, is not an ideal way to start the holidays. Travelling by rail doesn’t seem too appealing either, as operators confirm major engineering works, which will mean normal journeys will take much longer than originally scheduled. In some cases, lengthy bus replacement services will be in operation. 

“We pride ourselves on providing the best and fastest regional connectivity and, at this time of year especially, our extensive network of routes and convenient connections, is a real option – plus, with all the planned rail and road disruption, flying is certainly the faster way to travel.”

Flybe’s London City services offers passengers the ease of travelling from the heart of London with daily flights to six UK and Ireland destinations, including daily flights to Edinburgh, Exeter, Inverness, Belfast, Aberdeen and Dublin.

Mr Simmons added: “The train from Exeter to London can take more than two hours even on a good day, whereas we fly straight into the heart of the capital in around an hour.

“Likewise, passengers travelling between London and Inverness can expect to be on the train for over eight hours or in the car for over ten, before arriving at their destination. With Flybe, we take you there in just under two hours.”

For more information on flights included in Flybe’s ‘Purple Wednesday’ flash sale, visit www.flybe.com.

The Nutcracker is the lightest, most accessible of all Tchaikovsky’s ballets. It’s a Christmas delight, telling the story of a young girl named Clara who is gifted a nutcracker by the mysterious Drosselmeyer. The nutcracker comes to life as the Nutcracker Prince and helps Clara defeat the evil Rat King; the pair then travel to the magical land of sweets and see all manner of beautiful things. None of this is particularly serious but using the choreography of Peter Darrell, Scottish Ballet presents us with a curiously serious interpretation of this quintessential show.

The orchestra, under the baton of Richard Honner, is excellent. If there’s one instrument to choose when playing Tchaikovsky, it’s the cello, and the section most certainly delivers, never less so than in the grand pas de deux between Sophie Martin’s Sugar Plum Fairy and Erik Cavallari’s Nutcracker Prince.

Cavallari is a strong dancer but seems at times a little detached from the whole affair, even aloof. The Nutcracker is still a children’s toy, a playmate as well as a prince, and here lies my main problem with this production: it’s excellent classical ballet but it lacks chemistry or wit. Where is the profundity of Kirkland and Baryshnikov? Where is the humour of Matthew Bourne?

It would perhaps be inappropriate to suggest that a production which so heavily features child dancers should be sexy, but this production is safe bordering on bland. The humour is somewhat forced and the addition of the monkeys is funny for the first five minutes, but becomes uncomfortable as they jape and gawk from the wings during the more serious duets and trios – the audience becomes unsure of whether they are allowed to laugh and its attention is distracted.

The children of the cast are one of the strengths of this production. The discipline and talent, particularly of the children dancing in huge rat costumes, are fantastic. Credit here must go to the costume department who turn out dress after dress of astounding quality. Lez Brotherston has created a production of beauty and finesse. The staggered proscenium arch gives the sets a flexibility and depth that works very well.

The costume of the Rat King is stellar, as is the Rat King himself (Victor Zarallo), enthralling the audience for the brief time he appears on stage. Thomas Edward’s turn as the English dancer is one of the most charismatic on stage, and Constance Devernay and Laura Joffre are wonderfully fizzy and light as the Chinese dancers.

This is a production that does not know what it wants to be. It’s not pushing any boundaries but it’s technically excellent and very pleasing to the eye. The strength and dedication of the dancers are unquestionable. I just wish The Nutcracker Prince would smile a bit more.

On a final note, if you do visit this production, be sure to purchase a copy of the outstanding souvenir programme.

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The Nutcracker runs from Sat 13 December 2014 to Sat 3 January 2015 at the Festival Theatre before touring to Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Newcastle.

Edinburgh war veteran and charity worker Thomas Gilzean has been named as the eighth person to receive The Edinburgh Award.

The former Royal Engineer has been selected to receive the accolade from a shortlist of 25 nominations cast by the Edinburgh public. He will receive the title and an engraved Loving Cup at a ceremony within the Capital’s City Chambers in early 2015.

Mr Gilzean, who was presented with the British Empire Medal by the Lord Provost in 2013, can regularly be found fundraising in his trademark tartan trousers along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. He has raised more than £100,000 for local causes, and continues to dedicate his time fundraising at the age of 94.

His handprints will be immortalised on a flagstone in the City Chambers quadrangle alongside those of previous recipients Ian Rankin, JK Rowling, George Kerr, Sir Chris Hoy, Professor Peter Higgs, Elizabeth Blackadder and Professor Richard Demarco.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Councillor Donald Wilson, said: “The Edinburgh Award enables the people of Edinburgh to pay a lasting tribute to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the city. To date, the accolade has been given to people who have contributed to the arts, literature, sport and science – but local charitable work deserves to be held in just as high regard.

“Tom Gilzean is an inspiring man who devotes his life to raising fantastic amounts of money for charity, and we are extremely fortunate in this city to have people like him who so selflessly give up their time for the good of their community.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce Tom as the eighth person to be presented with the Edinburgh Award. Having received more nominations than any other individual, he is a local champion for the people of Edinburgh.”

The development at St James Quarter proceeds apace. The only part of the newer building which is going to withstand the change is John Lewis, but the developer also has plans for the older buildings on James Craig Walk.

Martin Perry, Development Director for TIAA Henderson Real Estate, said: “Earlier this year, we appointed architectural firm Purcell to progress designs for 27-31 James Craig Walk and St Andrew’s Hall which form part of the Edinburgh St James development site. Both of these buildings are Grade B listed and Purcell has been working to safeguard their historical character, whilst ensuring they are suitably aligned with the overarching look and feel of the development.

“Subject to planning permission and listed building consent from The City of Edinburgh Council, St Andrew’s Hall will be redeveloped to include a three storey extension which will complement the existing building.

“It will provide office and restaurant space and include a base for support staff as well as a security centre. The planning application for 27-31 James Craig Walk sets out proposals to achieve a sensitive restoration of the building, the creation of 20 new homes and plans for new commercial space that will help increase the overall vibrancy of the area. A separate application to bring forward some of the detail of the wider St James development will be submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council before Christmas.”

The application has now been made and you can view it here. The student accommodation here is to be converted to residential apartments. From some of the drawings related to the application you can get a flavour of what the resulting development will look like. The photo above shows what is currently the pick up place for John Lewis, and which will presumably be included in the redevelopment of the area.

The development is possible because of an innovative funding agreement between the City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Government and TIAA Henderson Real Estate (TH Real Estate) announced earlier this year.

The £61m required to improve local infrastructure and public space in the area for this major regeneration scheme will be facilitated by the council through a new funding model, announced by the Council and Scottish Government in April this year. This involves the council in funding the public realm elements of the development against future council tax or business rates increased as a result of the development itself.

Images courtesy of Purcell Architects

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69mUzKGYlDE?feature=oembed&w=696&h=392]

Creative Electric: drama and creative workshops for ages 16+.  Creative Electric create contemporary performances based on real experiences; their work has been performed in Scotland and Sweden, in theatres, studios, art galleries, on trains, in fields, in city centre squares and on rooftops. 7-9pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. £5 per session, bursaries available. For more information and to book, contact creative_electric@hotmail.com.

Sonic Christmas Cards! A free Christmas craft event for ages 7+. 4-5pm, Stockbridge Library, 11 Hamilton Place.

The Edinburgh Telephone Choir: traditional carol concert with the choir, this year featuring a brass ensemble who will join the organ in several carols and also perform a seasonal number of their own. 7.30pm, Morningside Parish Church, Cluny Gardens/Braid Road. Retiring collection for the Wednesday Club for Disabled Men.

Chris Leslie and Mitch Miller: Red Road Revisited. For over three years, photographer and filmmaker Chris Leslie and illustrator Mitch Miller documented life at Glasgow’s Red Road flats, culminating in the 2012 exhibition Red Road Underground. Leslie’s revealing photographs and slide shows and Miller’s meticulously drawn ‘dialectograms’ shed light on the personal histories of the residents, employees and emigres who lived in the shadow of the great tower blocks. In this special event these award-winning artists discuss the detail of their long collaboration, how they built a rapport with locals, gained access to hidden spaces (such as the derelict underground bar and bingo) and used their very different, but complementary, visual techniques to tell a complex and often surprising story of life amidst a modernist icon. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

Health In Mind Over 65’s Coffee Morning. 10.30am-12 noon, Morningside Library, 184 Morningside Road. Free – just come along!

Rowan Coupland, Gavin Mee and Grant McNeil: one of The Forest’s last gigs this year – folk, old gospel and jazz ballads. Arrive early or risk standing! 7pm, Forest Cafe, 141 Lauriston Place. Free entry: BYOB – corkage 65p for beer, £1.50 for wine.

North Edinburgh Grows Christmas Tree Lights Switch On: North Edinburgh Arts Artist in Residence Natalie Taylor will be creating a Christmas tree sculpture on Monday and Tuesday – come along today and see the lights being switched on! Free mince pies and (non-alcoholic) mulled wine. 3.45pm, North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court. For more information call 0131 315 2151.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Peter Ranscombe: Hare, A Novel. When William Burke was hanged for mass murder in 1829, his accomplice William Hare was set free after turning King’s evidence and fled Edinburgh to escape the mob.. In Hare: A Novel, he is discovered years later working as labourer in Boston, a city terrified by a new series of murders – but although Hare is arrested, the deaths continue and the police have to release Hare and work with him to find the killer. Set against the background of the American Civil War, Hare: A Novel is Peter Ranscombe’s debut; the author is a freelance journalist who previously worked for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and The Field. 6.30-8pm, Blackwell’s South Bridge. Free tickets are available from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218 or emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk.

Morningside Library Craft Group: 6.30-7.45pm, Morningside Library, 184 Morningside Road. No need to book – just come along!

Boda Bar Christmas Quiz: a Christmas special fun-filled evening with a mixture of hilarious questions, true or false rounds and nail-biting games. Teams of 4 should book asap to get a table – contact Boda on 0131 553 5900 or email boda@bodabar.com. 8pm, Boda Bar, 229 Leith Walk.

St Margaret’s House Cinema Nights: Searching for Sugar Man (12A). Though he faded into obscurity in the US, an early 70s musician known as Rodriguez became a huge hit in South Africa and was widely believed to have died. Two obsessed fans set out to learn the man’s true fate.  A BAFTA and Academy award-winning Swedish-British documentary by Malik Bendjeloull. ‘Powerful, uplifting and unforgettable’ (Dazed and Confused). 7-10pm, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Free.

Music Among The Trees: Brigitte Harris. The Director of Music at St Andrew’s and St George’s West entertains visitors to the Edinburgh Christmas Tree Festival with a varied programme on the fine Wells Kennedy organ. 12 noon-1pm, Sanctuary, St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Free: all welcome.

Music Among The Trees: Saxophone Quartet. Young players from Napier Music School entertain visitors to the Edinburgh Christmas Tree Festival. 2-3pm, Sanctuary, St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Free: all welcome.

Paris of the North (15): the Nordic Film Festival continues with this ‘subtly deadpan and bleakly comic tale’ set against the hostile yet stunning mountainous landscape of Iceland’s West Fjords. In Icelandic with English subtitles. 6.30pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. The Nordic Film Festival is presented by day for night.

Cyrenians launch film today

Fair Trade for Christmas

House prices in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Submit your Story

Skate like an ice hockey star

A unique and innovative approach to supporting vulnerable young people who have been homeless is being showcased in an engaging short film to be premiered today

Devised and produced by the residents and volunteers at Edinburgh’s two Cyrenians Communities, the film portrays what it is like to live, volunteer and work in the communities, and highlights why this approach works for both residents and volunteers.

 And you can read more here (and you can watch the movie!)

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International Development Minister Humza Yousaf today urged shoppers in Scotland to opt for a Christmas with a conscience this year.

Mr Yousaf officially opened the Ethical Christmas Fair at Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal, where he met Fairtrade stockists from across Scotland and producers of fairly traded and ethically sourced goods from Kenya and Bali.

Read more here.

***

Latest figures released by ESPC, the leading property marketing company in East Central Scotland, show that activity in the property market in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife has continued to strengthen as 2014 draws to a close.

Between September and November the number of sales recorded by ESPC rose by 19% on an annual basis bringing sales to their highest level for the period since 2007. It is the market for upper-mid market that has seen the greatest rise in demand, with sales of homes in the £300,000-399,999 bracket rising by 33% annually. By contrast, sales of properties at under £100,000 rose by a modest 1% compared to the same period a year ago.

The supply of properties to the market has also improved, with new instructions through ESPC up by 13% year-on-year. Interestingly, in recent weeks there has been a particularly noteable rise in the number of higher value homes coming onto the market following the announcement of the proposed bands for Land & Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) which will replace Stamp Duty from April 2015. During November itself the number of new instructions with an asking price of £325,000 rose by more than 92% annually.

David Marshall, Business Development Manager with ESPC, explained:

“Whilst most buyers will pay slightly less tax following the introduction of LBTT in April, those buying higher value homes will incur a higher tax bill. Under the proposed LBTT system anyone buying a home for more than £254,000 would pay more tax from April than is currently the case meaning buyers at the upper end of the market have an incentive to bring forward their purchase if they can.

“Many sellers are already looking to get their home on the market to take advantage of this expected rise in demand and we’d expect the first three months of 2015 to be a particularly busy period for the property market north of the border.

“Overall, 2014 has seen a substantial improvement in the local property market. Selling times have shortened significantly, with the median selling time down from ten weeks a year ago to seven weeks today and more sellers are seeing their properties achieve or exceed the Home Report valuation than at any stage since Home Reports were introduced in 2008.”

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We need more news. All the time we need your news. So now is a good time to tell us what you are up to. If you are the leader of a pack of Brownies or the CEO of a major company based in Edinburgh if you have news then we have space for it. Use the Submit your Story feature here.

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Edinburgh Capitals players will be making an appearance at the 2:30- 4:30pm general skating session at Murrayfield Ice Rink on Friday 19 December. The players will be on the ice between 3pm and 4pm. This is your chance to skate with your favourite Capitals players, chat with them and pose for pictures.

Richard Hartmann said: “With the Christmas holidays starting the guys thought it would be a great chance for the players to share some time on the ice with the fans.”

And remember we have a great competition over here to win tickets to see the Capitals play!

If you are reading this article on paper and would like to visit the website then scan the QR code on the left with a smartphone or tablet and you will be taken straight there.

International Development Minister Humza Yousaf yesterday urged shoppers in Scotland to opt for a Christmas with a conscience this year.

Mr Yousaf officially opened the Ethical Christmas Fair at Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal, where he met Fairtrade stockists from across Scotland and producers of fairly traded and ethically sourced goods from Kenya and Bali.

With what’s expected to be Scotland’s busiest shopping weekend looming, Mr Yousaf took his opportunity to stock up on festive Fair Trade gifts, and encouraged Scots shoppers to spend some of their Christmas budget this year on fairly traded gifts, decorations, food, cards, candles or stocking-fillers.

The Fair Trade movement ensures producers in developing countries are paid a fair price for their work, helping them and their families out of poverty and supporting them to participate in global markets without fear of exploitation. Scotland was declared one of the world’s first Fair Trade nations in February 2013.

Mr Yousaf said:

“A recent survey suggested the average Scot will spend almost £420 this year on Christmas gifts. Meanwhile in third world countries, some of the world’s poorest, most vulnerable people are living in poverty and struggling to provide basic food and shelter for themselves and their families.

“So with what is expected to be this year’s busiest shopping weekend just a couple of days away, I am asking the people of Scotland to consider spending even just a small portion of their gift budget on fairly traded items this year.

“It’s plain to see at this Christmas market that there is now an extensive range of ethical and fairly traded goods with more than 4,500 certified Fairtrade products bearing the blue and green mark available. So why not fill a stocking with some Fair Trade chocolate, coffee, olive oil or wonderful handicrafts?

“Just by buying one of them, you can do your bit to address poverty and help to protect less fortunate families and communities around the world this Christmas.”

Martin Rhodes, Director of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, said:

“By buying Fair Trade gifts at Christmas, people here in Scotland are showing their commitment to a fair deal for farmers, workers and producers across the globe.”

A unique and innovative approach to supporting vulnerable young people who have been homeless is being showcased in an engaging short film to be premiered later today (but there is a sneaky wee trailer below……)

Devised and produced by the residents and volunteers at Edinburgh’s two Cyrenians Communities, the film portrays what it is like to live, volunteer and work in the communities, and highlights why this approach works for both residents and volunteers.

Cyrenians has two residential Communities. The City Community in Leith and the Farm Community to the west of Edinburgh. Over the course of a year the Communities will provide support to around 29 individuals aged 16-30. Each Community has up to eight residents at any one time, who live there as a result of being homeless, usually following a family relationship breakdown, drug or alcohol issues or a mental health problem. Both Communities also have around six volunteers who live with the residents helping to provide a safe, stable environment and ultimately resulting in residents moving on into the wider community.

Dani Jones, aged 26, one of the residents who took part in the film describes the impact living in the Community has had on him: “Cyrenians is a chance to get back on your feet if you are homeless or in need of help. It’s given me a second chance, not only in life but in giving me the motivation to do well.”

With funding from The Agnes Hunter Trust, the Cyrenians’ residents worked with Media Education, volunteers and staff for six weeks to create the short powerful film which captures what it is like to live in a shared living environment and how this supports individuals to grow and develop, increasing their social and emotional skills.

The challenging and exciting project provided an industry-based training experience giving both residents and volunteers an opportunity to learn new skills, build confidence and self esteem. Of the six residents and nine volunteers who participated in the project, all agreed they felt a real sense of pride and achievement with the final film.

Cyrenians Community resident Annie, aged 26, described the filming making process as a positive experience and said: “Sometimes I find team work and communication difficult but through this project I think we worked very well together and showed what it is like to live in the Cyrenians communities.”

Ewan Aitken, Chief Executive, Cyrenians, said: “We hope this film will be a in inspiration for those who feel they don’t matter or that no-one cares. Cyrenians communities are places of change for everyone involved; whatever the reason they are there. There are no labels; there are only people together on a journey of transformation and hope. No-one is beyond change.  Some may stumble but others are there for them. And everybody matters, everybody makes a difference.”

Iain Shaw, Director, Media Education, who worked with residents on the project, said: “We have been delighted with the levels of engagement and the commitment to the project from all involved.  This is reflected in the quality of the final film.  I hope that residents and volunteers use their involvement to seek out new opportunities and use the project as a basis for demonstrating their abilities in terms of creativity, teamwork and technical skills. We have found this project to be very worthwhile and look forward to working with Cyrenians again in the future.”

The premiere of the film at the Scottish Storytelling Centre today will allow residents’ friends and family to share the experience. The film will then be used to help prospective residents and volunteers gain a better understanding of life in the Communities and to help recruit future volunteers.

A new study released today by NHS Health Scotland identifies cost effective approaches to preventing poor health that are also likely to narrow health inequalities.

The study ‘Best preventative investments in Scotland – what the evidence and experts say’ sets out the principles and specific areas for action for policy makers to consider. These go beyond the health and social care sector and include actions on employment, incomes and the environment.

The study brings together a wide range of research results, and the views of panels of experts, and reinforces research issued last week by ScotPHO, ‘Informing investment to reduce health inequalities’. That research showed the extent to which regulatory and tax measures that redistribute income are more effective at reducing health inequalities than interventions focused on individual health behaviours.

Neil Craig, Health Economics expert at NHS Health Scotland said: “In general, interventions which use taxation, regulation and legislation to reduce income inequalities and reduce exposure to unhealthy products such as tobacco are the best investments – cost-effective and most likely to reduce inequalities. This offers a potential ‘win-win’ scenario – the policy works, pressure on public services is relieved slightly, and we tackle health inequalities in a cost-effective way.”

The paper identified a range of programmes of work and policy priorities. These include:
• Ensuring adequate incomes that reduce income inequalities
• Reducing unemployment in vulnerable groups or areas
• Improving physical environments, such as traffic calming schemes
• Targeting vulnerable groups by investing in more intensive services and other forms of support for such groups, in the context of universal provision
• Early years programmes
• Using regulation or taxation, such as the introduction of minimum unit pricing, to reduce risky behaviours.

Neil Craig continued: “Investment in prevention within and beyond the health care system is a good buy. Although financial savings from prevention are sometimes hard to measure and hard to achieve, prevention has the potential to help reconcile the high demands on public services, squeezed resources and Scottish Government’s goal of reducing health inequalities and achieving a fairer healthier Scotland.”

o The full report ‘Best preventative investments in Scotland – what the evidence and experts say’ is available to download from NHS Health Scotland’s website
http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/24575.aspx

Submitted by Kerry Teakle

Hearts today announced that it has now settled all outstanding administration debts owed to its former players – the ‘football debt’. 

Eighteen months ago Hearts entered administration and only exited this process earlier this year. The process of settling ‘football debt’ can take as long as two years but Hearts, now under the leadership of Ann Budge, has achieved this settlement within six months.  

Under the club’s previous owner, Vladimir Romanov, Hearts players endured several delays to payment of wages. When the club went into administration and some players – including John Sutton and Andrew Driver – were made redundant, some payments were deferred. Hearts have now fully paid all salaries due.  

PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart welcomed the news. The former Hearts and Motherwell players said:  “We’re delighted to hear our members have received all the outstanding monies owed to them. Hearts have been great to deal with and settled these debts very quickly. Ann Budge and her team have dealt with the matter in a courteous and professional manner which has led to these debts being settled in a short period of time.

The long, dark nights of December, January and February have long been associated with the ‘winter blues’ but depression is a year round issue in Scotland. Hundreds of thousands – perhaps millions – of people all over the country suffer from mental health issues of varying degrees of severity. More than 778,000 people, or around 15% of the total population, were prescribed antidepressants in Scotland between 2013 and 2014.

But many more suffer from low level issues – stress, anxiety, loneliness, poor self esteem – that gradually chip away at their emotional wellbeing over time. For these people, existing mental health treatments like drug or talking therapies may be too drastic an intervention and a softer approach may be helpful. That’s where Ginsberg comes in.

Ginsberg is a new online tool and smartphone app developed by an Edinburgh-based team to help people better understand and improve their mental health. The project, a joint initiative between the Scottish Government, NHS 24 and New Media Scotland, is currently in an open beta phase and is seeking people from around Scotland to help test out the tool and provide feedback that will shape its future development. It is the first app of its type in the world and a genuinely innovative consumer-first approach to developing public health software.

Ginsberg is for anyone who wants to become more self-aware and understand and improve their mental wellbeing. Users log how they are feeling every day, choosing 3 different aspects of their emotional health to concentrate on, and then enter information about their physical activity – how much and how well they sleep, how much alcohol they drink, how often they exercise and more. The tool looks for patterns in this emotional and physical data and provides users with insights about why they feel the way they do.

The Ginsberg team is based in the Scottish Government’s Victoria Quay office in Leith. Although they work within the public sector, the team is structured, run and staffed like a start-up and its members have been recruited mainly from Edinburgh tech startups and digital agencies.

The lean startup methodology the team uses gives Ginsberg’s developers the flexibility to iterate very quickly in response to user feedback and fix bugs and add new features in relatively short-time frames. This means that suggestions and feedback from actual users directly influences how Ginsberg evolves; it can change to meet the needs of its userbase.

Ginsberg is currently in public open beta, which means that anyone can sign up to test the tool through its website. Like other beta version products, it’s not perfect and may be buggy from time to time but all feedback received during this period is invaluable and will be used to add new features that reflect the needs of the people of Scotland..

To sign up for Ginsberg and become a tester please visit https://www.ginsberg.io/

Submitted by Jodi Mullen

The Stockbridge Restaurant, situated on St Stephen Street, have told us that they have been listed in the OpenTable Top 100 Best Restaurants 2014 in the UK!

An excellent end to the year during which the family run restaurant celebrated their 10^th year in business. Not only have they made it into the Top 100 but they are one of only three Scottish restaurants on the list.

The awards are based on approximately 340,000 reviews submitted in the last year by verified OpenTable diners at approximately 4,200 restaurants across the UK.

Owner Jane Walker said “We are delighted that we have become a success on the Edinburgh restaurant scene over the past ten years and would like to thank our loyal customers. Being recognised on this OpenTable list has topped off a great year for the restaurant.”

To view the full list visit: http://www.opentable.co.uk/m/best-restaurants-in-united-kingdom/

The Stockbridge Restaurant

54 St Stephen Street, Edinburgh, EH3 5AL

www.thestockbridgerestaurant.co.uk | 0131 226 6766

Look good and feel great

Win the ultimate New Year’s Eve party

outfit with M&S

To celebrate the festive season, Marks & Spencer is giving Edinburgh Reporter readers the chance to win their ultimate New Year’s Eve party outfit. Two winners will receive a £250 gift card to spend in store.

This festive season, womenswear at M&S has a range of innovations designed to give you all you need to look good and feel great. Shoppers can choose from a myriad of gold and sequinned party dresses, teamed with one of a number of shapewear options to create a smooth silhouette such as, Magicwear^TM lingerie and tights, or even Drop a Dress size dresses with innovative Secret Support™ technology built into the lining.

From warm toe hosiery with merino wool underfoot to keep feet toasty, to shoes with Insolia® technology to redistribute your weight away from the balls of your feet, the M&S partywear solutions will help you last past midnight and beyond.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply complete the following form and submit it to The Edinburgh Reporter:

[COMPETITION NOW CLOSED]

Terms and Conditions

1. The winner will be selected at random after the closing date of 23 December 2014 at 5:00pm.
2. Two winners will receive a £250 M&S gift card to spend at M&S.
3. Prize not transferable, no whole/part cash alternatives, delivered within 28 days of competition closing date.

The amazing folk/bluegrass 7 piece band Southern Tenant Folk Union are playing at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on Saturday 17 January (8pm £12) Tel. 0131 556 9579

January 2015 sees the release of the band’s sixth album ‘The Chuck Norris Project’, their most ambitious album to date. Conceptually the tracks are all named after different movies from the actor’s career (though have nothing to do with the plots and contain no reference to car chases, explosions or karate chops) with each song taking the title as a starting point to discuss political ideas. Band leader Pat McGarvey came upon the idea in autumn 2012 during the last US presidential election when Mr Norris and his wife released a campaign video urging voters to come out for Mitt Romney saying that a vote for Obama would lead to “a thousand years of darkness”, a statement he felt unhelpful to the debate. Musically eclectic the album remains an all-acoustic affair but takes in influences like 70’s disco, folk and soundtrack music mixing elements of composers like John Carpenter, Gene Clark and Fabio Frizzi. The album also features guest vocals from cult Americana songwriter Mike Ferrio (from the bands Tandy & Good Luck Mountain).

With this idea McGarvey and the band began to write and demo material to see if it would work not only as a concept but also as something musically interesting. Subsequently most of the album was written during 2013 but delays to recording meant the sessions didn’t take place until summer 2014. Featuring an expanded sound with orchestrated fiddle, clarinet and cello on top of the band’s regular 5 string banjo, double bass, cajon, mandolin and acoustic guitars the songs each explore different subjects that expand upon the original movie title in unexpected ways. Also influential was the work of 70’s soul composer/arrangers such as Isaac Hayes, J.J. Johnson and Barry White on songs like the epic Martial Law or the relentless folk disco of Walker, both tracks using those big soundtrack stylings to emphasise and reflect the emotion of the lyrical content.

The subjects of the songs are diverse but have subtle and common threads linking them outside of the framing device. A few songs touch on the gun laws in USA and their consequences, one being the continuing horror of school shootings (in Slaughter In San Francisco) written from the point of view of a young girl trapped in time beneath her desk. Equality is another thread linking the songs with zero hour contracts and the need to organise labour the basis for the song Delta Force (referencing Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World caste system) and the forces ranged against it in The Octagon. And even as the songs discuss issues of social conscience it’s always done with beauty, space and clarity. Leading each piece of music are the compelling vocals from Rory Butler, a voice powerful and fragile, soulful and honest. He is accompanied by the thrilling dexterity of Adam Bulley on Mandolin and the innovative fiddle playing of Katherine Stewart who manages to effortlessly combine elements of her backgrounds in Scottish traditional music and classical training into a sometimes beautiful and often disturbing sound.

Other tracks on the album include a dissonant string based riff on a possibly future homosexual or female occupant of the White House where it’s just business as usual (The President’s Man) and appropriately for a band named for a union they present in Expendable Too a scenario where workers decide to reverse the norm and outsource their Managing Director’s job.

Once again recording and mixing, on his fourth consecutive album with the band, is Lau sound engineer Tim Matthew. Tim’s expertise in sound techniques has produced this most fully realised album where each song’s tone reflects the subject matter. It contains atmosphere and subtlety but when a groove needs to be hard the full force of the big acoustic band sound is deployed. Album artwork comes again from Irish designer Jonathan McClean and this time he’s devised a set of bold, eye catching and memorable images reminiscent of 70’s action movie posters.

The band have once again taken another leap in sound, structure and tone as they marry social conscience and comment on the world around them with songs, melodies and performances that engage. This album has achieved what it set out to and now on release STFU invite all to listen for themselves, although maybe it would be for the best if Chuck Norris never got to hear it.

An essay with more detailed information about the concept and thinking behind the album can be found on the STFU website

The Chuck Norris Electronic Project album, a synth based spin-off album by The Southern Tenant, will be released later in 2015