Local Development Plan  – Royal Highland Show starts today – Leith Museum – Today at the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling – The Edinburgh Reporter Competitions

A capital coalition motion, which will be considered at the postponed Planning Committee, agrees to continue exploring the prioritisation of brownfield sites before releasing land in the Green Belt. 74% of the homes within the Local Development Plan are expected to be built on brownfield sites.

While agreeing the recommendations in the report , the motion further instructs officials to reassess a potential development site in the west of the city called ‘East of Milburn Tower’.  Contained within the West Edinburgh Strategic Development zone, its inclusion in the Plan would give the committee more flexibility when considering future representations on the LDP.

Councillor Ian Perry, Planning Convener, said: “In order to give us the best chance of preserving the city’s green belt, the Capital Coalition will be proposing that none of the currently identified sites are removed at this stage of developing the Local Development Plan.

“Removing any of the current sites would mean the Council could not meet the housing target agreed by the Government, which could result in the Plan facing a legal challenge.

“Or worse, because we wouldn’t have an effective land supply, it would seriously undermine the Committee’s ability to prevent ad hoc development in the green belt as the Reporter would have no option but to grant applications on appeal.”

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The Royal Highland Show gets underway today and runs until Sunday. It is always a good day out for a number of reasons even if you are not a farmer.

Throughout the four days of the show you can have a close-up of the Kelpies – in miniature.

Following on from their successful tour of North America, two 15-foot-high steel models of the largest equine sculptures in the world are set to make their first appearance at this year’s Royal Highland Show, courtesy of The Helix Trust.

The sculptures, which are made from hundreds of small pieces of steel plate wielded together, will be on show to attendees at the agricultural event and will be positioned on the green over the four days.

Based on the original sculptures that currently stand 100-foot-tall in Falkirk, the 1:10 scale design is sure to fit in well at the show alongside the 355 heavy horses due to exhibit.  The sculptures, designed by Andy Scott, are based on Clydesdales Duke and Baron who have been exhibiting at the Highland for years.

The Edinburgh Reporter went to see the real things the other week – have you been to see them yet?

The Show organisers have issued a booklet for today with tips on what to see.

http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/dailydairies_thurs.pdf

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The campaign group for a Leith Museum, chaired by Mark Lazarowicz, is inviting people to a public meeting on a Museum for Leith, to be held on Sunday 22 June at 2 p, in South Leith Parish Church, at 2 pm. Their campaign has now reached a crucial stage because the current owners of Custom House, National Museums of Scotland, have now confirmed that it is their intention to move out of Custom House by April 2015. It is their intention to sell the building.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Leith has a wonderful heritage and the Council has a number of exhibits relating to the history of the ports and culture of life in the area.

“It has been a long-term ambition to secure a suitable site for preserving these items, and Customs House could be an ideal building for this.”

As background to this, there has been a campaign to establish a Leith Museum for a number of years – the Council has always expressed support for the idea through collections, expertise and curatorial advice. To date there have not been resources to secure a suitable location.  A number of buildings have been identified over the years but the preferred and most suitable building for historical, location and architectural importance is the Leith Customs House.

• In 2000 the Council’s Recreation committee approved a report recommending the establishment of a partnership between council officials and interested parties to develop proposals for the long term preservation and interpretation of the heritage of Leith and an exploration of suitable venues.
• A partnership was established and recommended that the museum should be established in the Customs House.  In June 2003 the Leith Museum Trust was formally disbanded
• In March 2005 the Leith Police station was identified as a possible site for the museum but was unsuitable
• In February 2008 a full review and future direction of the City’s Museum service was reported to the Culture and leisure Committee. The importance of and support for establishing a Leith Museum was recognised. ‘The Council and Museums officials are also aware of a long standing desire in the local community for the establishment of a museum for Leith. This has most recently seen expression in a petition to the Scottish Parliament. Informal discussions have been held with representatives of the campaign and with other local stakeholders and potential partners…..there is now a clear opportunity for the Council to work in partnership with others towards making this ambition a reality’
• A Leith Trust was established and the service continues to work with the community on a range of projects and programmes
• The city’s museum service continues to collect Leith artefacts which are held at the Museums Collection Centre.

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At 2 o’clock this afternoon Le Tour starts off in Edinburgh. This is the very individual Edinburgh Lochs and Castles tour. You may still have time to book:-

A three hour tour using Edinburgh’s cycle path network. A gentle ride with historical commentary and a break in the pub. We visit the Innocent Tunnel, Craigmillar Castle, Dr Neil’s Garden, The Sheep Heid Inn, Duddingston Loch, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, The Scottish Parliament and Our Dynamic Earth.

Adults: £20 for bike hire and tour, £6 if you bring your own bike
Concession: £18 for bike hire and tour, £5 if you bring your own bike

To book please use the Le tour Edinburgh website, or call/text 0741 564 0296. Tours start under the North Bridge behind Waverley Station, 39 Jeffrey Street, EH1 1DH. Payment is taken on the day in cash or by credit card.

 

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We have a couple of competitions running this week which have great prizes on offer!

The first is for afternoon tea for two at One Square at the Sheraton Grand Hotel. This competition runs till 20 June 2014 at 5pm. Click here to enter.

The second competition closes on Sunday 22 June 2014 at 5.00pm and this time we have FIVE pairs of tickets for the showing of Braveheart next week on 24 June 2014 at the Festival Theatre, when Brian Cox and Peter Mullen who both starred in the film will be available for Q & A.

Click here to enter.

Good Luck!

On the afternoon of 18th June 1815, 400 grey horses charged into the valley at Waterloo in Belgium to deal the final blow to the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s final bid to achieve dominance over Europe.

To the cries of “Scotland For Ever”, the charge of the Royal Scots Greys was to go down in history as one of the most resounding demonstrations of bravery of all time. “Les terrible chevaux gris,” as the Emperor himself described his enemy.

And the subsequent victory achieved by the Anglo- Allied army led by the Duke of Wellington, was to guarantee British domination over peace in Europe for almost a hundred years.

Among the men of the Royal Scots Greys who led the charge, one man stood out – the Kilmarnock-born Sergeant Charles Ewart mounted on his steed Jock. Using his sword to devastating affect, Sergeant Ewart fearlessly dispatched three escorts and the bearer to capture the Eagle Standard from the French standard bearer of the 45th Infantry, The Invincibles.

Having witnessed this heroic act, Ewart was instructed by his commanding officer to stand down.Later he was promoted to Ensign on the direct orders of the Prince Regent.

His mortal remains are interred in a special tomb on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. The captured Eagle enjoys pride of place in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum within the castle, and his portrait by the artist Richard Ansdell hangs in the great banqueting hall.

His name is also imortalised by the nearby pub. The Ensign Ewart, at the top of Castle Hill, and this week his ghost was to be seen on the castle esplanade flagging up a series of events being planned for the 200th anniversary of the battle that changed the course of European history.

As Scotland welcomes home her cavalry from its engagements in Afghanistan, the heroes of today are set to pay homage to the heroes of two centuries ago, the sacrifices and valiant deeds of their predecessors.

Over 2015, it is hoped that a troop of grey horses and riders will bring Scotland’s history in the theatre of Europe as they take the story of Waterloo on parade behind marching bands, pipes and drums, through major cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Dundee.

Along with other Scottish and British units linked to the 1815 battle, the Greys will attending the June 2015 commemorations at the battlefield site in Belgium. The Regiment will also march in memory of the formidable Duke of Wellington at an event being hosted on 28th June 2015 by the Marquis of Lothian at Monteviot, his home near Jedburgh.

Added to this, the glorious deeds of Sergeant Ewart are to be celebrated in his hometown of Kilmarnock where a special event is planned, details to be announced later.

Pictured on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, the spirits of Ensign Ewart and Jock were joined by contemporary hero Sergeant Keith Mitchell from Glasgow, who was awarded the Military Cross for outstanding bravery in Afghanistan

Submitted by Roddy Martine

Sarah Boyack MSP considers the recent decline in turnout at elections and the responsibility of politics and politicians to reconnect with people.

In politics, the focus of politicians and the media is driven by the cyclical nature of elections.

Last month it was the European Parliament.  This will be followed closely by September’s referendum before the focus shifts to the UK General Election in 2015, the Scottish Elections in 2016 and then local elections in 2017.

After a pause for breath in 2018, the whole cycle begins again – it is a hectic schedule and one in which time seems to move incredibly fast.   Although the elections take place on a single day, the parties campaign hard in the months before the elections and increasingly interest and community groups make the most of the chance to hold hustings and debates to focus attention on issues they want elected representatives to tackle.

Voting in elections is a fundamental democratic right, allowing each of us as citizens to hold politicians to account for their actions, but it is one that fewer and fewer of us are exercising.

This was the subject of debate in Parliament last week as MSPs discussed the impact of falling turnout and our responsibility to address it.  The debate focused on Local Government elections where turnout has dropped by almost 20% in the space of 13 years.   In 2012, less than four in 10 of us chose to cast our votes. You can watch the full debate here.

This debate is partly technical, with a focus on how we can make it easier for people to register and cast their vote.  There are a host of options from encouraging more postal voting to using technology like mobile phones and allowing people to register on the day of an election.  These issues are currently subject to a Scottish Government consultation which was broadly welcomed in the chamber.

However, alongside technical considerations, the nature of politics is at the heart of declining turnout.  To put it bluntly, it comes down to a failure of politics, and politicians, to connect with people on the issues that matter to them.

Research into voter turnout identifies that young people and those from less affluent areas are the least likely to vote.  This is hugely significant because without action that disconnect can become self-fulfilling and can widen inequalities in our society.

In seeking re-election, politicians attempt to speak to those people in society who are most likely to vote.  If large sections of the population who are unhappy simply do not vote, their views are lost from the debate.  Essentially, those who vote are represented best.

In a practical demonstration of this effect, research by the IPPR looking at the 2010 General Election found that those who did not vote faced cuts worth 20 per cent of their annual household income, compared to 12 per cent for those who did vote.

Representatives at all levels, and the political parties that they stand for, have a responsibility to address this vicious cycle and the inequality that it propagates by working to re-engage with local communities.

As Labour’s Local Government spokesperson, I strongly believe that local authorities have a fundamental role to play.  Councils and councillors are responsible for so many of the services that we all rely on in our day-to-day lives.  A significant proportion of the casework I receive from constituents relates to council services like housing, schools and planning.

I want to see local authorities empowered to give them the flexibility to adapt to the most pressing issues in their communities.  By the same token, authorities need to engage with local communities to involve them in decisions about how services are designed and delivered in their communities.

Political parties also need to organise themselves in a way that involves people.  In 2011 I led a review of the Labour Party in Scotland that went back to first principles of who we are and what we stand for.  The process focused minds on how we can make the party more representative of the communities we serve.  For example, we want to encourage more women, more young people and more people from ethnic minority communities into our party and then to stand for election as representatives so that their experience can inform our politics.   I’ve blogged before about the need for mainstream politics to be more inclusive.

But in my amendment for our debate I believe we also need to counterbalance the centralism that’s been encouraged since the 2007 by encouraging and enabling local authorities to fulfil their civic leadership potential, promoting local action, empowering individuals and groups to have a real stake in their communities. By encouraging representatives and parties at all levels to be more proactive, we can begin to repair links between people and politics.

The above article first appeared on Sarah Boyack MSP’s blog, www.sarahboyack.com.

It was never going to be an ordinary concert. Tuesday’s early-evening performance from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (or, strictly speaking, a larger-than-normal band expanded with quite a few unfamiliar faces) came at the end of a two-day Takeover project, where almost all of the orchestra’s departments – from planning to production, marketing to development, and, of course, musical performance – were gleefully hijacked by 40 16 to 18 year-olds from right across Scotland. It was all in the name of education and new audience engagement, of course, and it was the first time that the RSNO had dared such a thing. And judging by the beaming faces of youngsters and RSNO staffers alike, it worked a treat.

Two hectic days of meetings, discussions and intensive decision-making culminated in the hour-long concert for friends, family and invited guests, performed by the RSNO regulars whose ranks were swelled by several young players. A decision had been made to break with classical tradition and invite the orchestra on stage section by section – an interesting approach that highlighted the sheer number of musicians, even if it ironically seemed to set up its own formality.

After introductions and explanations of what the various groups of students had been up to, RSNO assistant conductor Jean-Claude Picard launched into a sparkling account of Strauss’s Die Fledermaus Overture, showing off the big, rich sound of the enlarged RSNO but balancing it with a subtle nimbleness in the quieter sections.

Then came a surprise, as two novice (or almost novice) conductors took to the podium for movements from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. Isla Ratcliffe from Edinburgh took on the Overture and March, giving a crisp, clear beat that some professional conductors could learn from, and ably stressing the phrase shapes with her eloquent gestures. Alice Guse from Glasgow, who directed the Chinese and Arabian dances as well as the Russian trepak, took a Boulez-like chopped-hand approach, but was no less effective for that, the orchestra following every movement in her precise direction. It no doubt took guts to stand in front of 100 professional musicians and tell them what to do, but there was little sense of the orchestra simply playing the music their own way – the players hung on the two young conductors’ moves and responded with vivid, characterful performances.

Jean-Claude Picard returned to the platform for the concert’s final item, a beautifully (and appropriately) fluid account of Smetana’s much-loved river evocation ‘Vltava’ from Ma vlast, with confident contributions from student bassoonists Beth Beattie and Andrew Vettriano, as well as resonant timpani playing from Brodie McCash.

It was billed as an elaborate work-experience project, but the two-day Takeover was far more than that. By offering the students the opportunities to control all the orchestra’s activities, but then expecting them to rise to the challenge with little sense of a safety net, the RSNO showed great faith in the abilities and commitment of its young invitees. And that faith was more than repaid in a highly memorable evening of music.

Hibs will start off their Championship campaign on Saturday 9 August with a home fixture against Livingston whilst neighbours Hearts travel along the M8 to face Rangers at Ibrox.

The first of at least four Edinburgh derbies takes place the following week at Tynecastle. Falkirk visit Easter Road on Saturday 23 August  while Hearts travel to Kirkcaldy to face Raith Rovers, then  the following weekend Hibs travel to Alloa Athletic as Hearts face Falkirk at home.

Easter Road will host the Edinburgh Derby on Saturday 25 October while a busy festive period sees Hibs face Rangers at home on Saturday 27 December and the New Year Edinburgh Derby will be at Tynecastle on Saturday 3 January.

This season, the team winning the Championship will gain automatic promotion with second third and fourth entering a play off along with the team finishing eleventh in the SPFL. The full fixture lists can be found on the clubs’ websites.

Police in West Lothian investigating two indecent assaults in Livingston have released a further description of a man they wish to speak with urgently in order to progress their enquiries.

A 21-year-old woman was attacked in the rear garden of a property in Scott Brae at around 5.20am on Tuesday 8th April and a 27-year-old woman was assaulted within an address in Orchard Place in the early hours of Wednesday 7th May.

Detectives are very keen to speak with a man who they believe will be able to assist them in their enquiries.

The male is described as white, around 5ft 8ins to 5ft 10ins tall with dark hair and wearing a grey hooded top.

Police have information that the man has worn a pair of dark-coloured Adidas Adipure Essence trainers. He may have had a scratch on his back and injury to his pinkie finger in recent months.

Members of the public are asked to consider this description and come forward if they can assist in identifying the male.

Detective Superintendent Pat Campbell said: “We ask our communities to get in touch if they recognise the description of the man or remember seeing any suspicious activity in either Scott Brae or Orchard Place during the times of each attack.

“If you believe you know this person or have information that can help police to trace him then please contact police immediately.”

Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was racially abused in the city yesterday.

The incident happened sometime between 6.30am and 6.50am yesterday (Tuesday) in Oxgangs Avenue.

The 27-year-old victim, who is originally from Nepal was standing at the bus stop outside St Mark’s RC Church when a group of youths began to make offensive and racist remarks towards her.

All of the youths then boarded a Number 16 bus and the woman contacted police.

Officers are now conducting local enquiries to identify the youths and are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Two of the suspects were male and are described only as being white and in their teens. One had ginger hair. The other suspect was a white female teenager.

Constable Connor Stapleton said: “The woman was not injured but was left very upset at the offensive remarks made by the youths.

“I would ask that any members of the public who were in the area at the time and remember seeing this incident take contact police immediately.

“In addition, passengers on the bus are also asked to get in touch if they can provide us with information that will help locate the suspects.”

Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Sophie Forsyth is to host a Strawberry Tea party to help women facing breast cancer

On 28 June 2014 at 3pm, Sophie Forsyth, 25, from Edinburgh will host a Strawberry Tea party at Sofi’s Bar for Breast Cancer Care – the only UK-wide specialist support charity.

Sophie is holding a Strawberry Tea to raise money for Breast Cancer Care, combining a love of baking and event organising.

Sophie, who works as an Operations Executive at Abbey Tours Scotland says: “I’m really excited to hold my first public event, selling cakes to raise money for such a deserving charity. Not only is it a bake sale but there will be a variety of prizes to win, including complimentary Camera Obscura tickets!”

Georgie Burchell, Strawberry Tea fundraising officer at Breast Cancer Care added: “We’re so grateful to Sophie for holding a Strawberry Tea in aid of Breast Cancer Care. We rely on supporters like her to ensure we can continue to provide our vital emotional support network for free. We help thousands of people find a way to live with, through and beyond breast cancer. With one in eight women developing breast cancer in their lifetime, there has never been such an urgent need for our support services.”

Breast Cancer Care’s Strawberry Tea campaign, which is sponsored by fine bone china teaware specialist Royal Albert, runs from 1 June – 31 August. And it doesn’t matter if you raise £20 or £200 – all funds raised help provide vital support.

If you’d like to hold your own Strawberry Tea you can order a free fundraising kit by clicking here or call 0870 164 9422.

WEDNESDAY 18 JUNE 2014

Spokes’ Bike Breakfast: start the day early with a free breakfast for all those who arrive by bike.  Free entry, but NB food & drink may run out, so get their asap! Bike servicing by Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op.  Free bike marking by Police Scotland. 7.45-9.45am, Edinburgh City Chambers, EH1 1YJ. Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.

Bike Station Dr Bike Safety Check: most minor problems can be fixed on the spot, with more major problems diagnosed and a bike ‘MOT’ provided. Chat to staff about cycle routes and travelling around the city by bike.  3pm, Fiveways Junction (see website for details and map.)  Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.

Visually impaired tour and workshop: a descriptive tour of the sculpture park and a practical workshop for the visually impaired.  10am-3.30pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road.  To book call information desk on 0131 624 6560.  Free.

Titian in Ten: ten minute pop-up talk delivered by Gallery staff.  Gain an exclusive insight as staff from across the galleries offer different perspectives onTitian’s masterpieces.  2pm, National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound.  Free and unticketed.

A Man of Vision: John Ritchie Findlay of Aberlour, Founder of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, by Sir George Reid 1899.  Former curator Susan Kerr will examine the life of Findlay, proprietor of The Scotsman, whose highly developed sense of civic duty led to the fulfilment of his dream of a national portrait gallery for Scotland. 12.45-1.15pm, National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street.  Free and unticketed.

A People’s History of Scotland: Chris Bambery, writer, broadcaster, producer and founding member of the Internationalist Socialist Group in Scotland discusses his latest book ‘the first socialist history of Scotland in over fifty years’ ‘ a corrective to the usual history of kings and queens, victorious battles and bloody defeats.’  6.30pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street.  Free and unticketed, donations welcome.

Blossom: What Scotland Needs to Flourish – award-winning jounalist, commentator and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch talks about her new book ‘ a plain speaking but incisive call to restore control to local communities and let Scotland flourish.’  6.00pm, Waterstones West End.  Free tickets available from the shop or call 0131 226 2666.

Edinburgh International Film Festival – Integrated ticketing on the trams and buses – Cycle path – Family Fun at Preston Mill – Free swimming in the summer holidays

The Edinburgh International Film Festival gets underway today with the Gala showing of Hyena at The Festival Theatre this evening.

If you haven’t booked your tickets for any films yet then you may still have time. You can access the whole EIFF brochure by clicking here. 

This is a groundbreaking new British crime drama Hyena. The film combines stylish cinematography, a killer soundtrack and fantastic performances.

Directed by Gerard Johnson and starring Peter Ferdinando and Stephen Graham, this stylish crime thriller follows corrupt cop Michael Logan (Peter Ferdinando), who leads a special task force targeting London’s most unsavory drug traffickers.

Look out for the red carpet at the Festival Theatre later.

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Do you know yet how to use the tickets on the trams and buses?

Well here is a video telling you how!

And just to remind you what the first day of Edinburgh Trams was like you can watch our video here….

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The Council is working in partnership with Sustrans to deliver an upgrade of National Cycle Network Route 1 (NCN1) between the Meadows and the Innocent Tunnel cycle path. The route forms part of the Council’s ‘Family Network’, a network of cycle routes for younger, new or less confident cyclists.

A public consultation was held in winter 2013. More information regarding the consultation results and revised plans of the cycle route can be found by clicking the following hyperlink Meadows – Innocent Path (NCN1)

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Midsummer is being marked at the highly popular Preston Mill, near East Linton, with a day of special events. Something for all the family is promised with a range of fun pursuits at this beautiful National Trust for Scotland property.

There will be plenty of outdoor activities to keep the youngsters busy, including explorer pack adventures and Ranger craftwork. All age groups are welcome to join in the fun of the duck races, giant board games and the outdoor quiz trail, with prizes to be won.

Hot and cold drinks and snacks will be available. Visitors can also relax in the lovely grounds with a picnic.

The Trust property at Preston Mill includes the idyllic 18^th century water mill itself and the nearby Phantassie Doocot. Interactive displays explain the history and techniques of milling with Millie the Mouse encouraging youngsters to touch grains and cereals and to mill their own oats. Guided tours are available and an audio guide tells the story of the mill.

DATES: 21 June 2014 12.00-16.00

TICKETS: Free Entry – there are charges for activities, and the usual charges apply for tours of the mill.

For more information call: 0844 493 2128

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Edinburgh Leisure is offering free swimming in the summer holidays from 28 June 2014 for primary school children at four of its pools across the city:- Ainslie Park Leisure Centre, Dalry Swim Centre, Gracemount Leisure Centre, Leith Victoria Swim Centre and it is also available at Wester Hailes Education Centre as part of the scheme run there.

More details here.

Lasswade High School students keen to explore careers in the burgeoning marine and offshore renewables sector today demonstrated work undertaken using an innovative pilot on marine renewables called Clean Energy from the Sea.

Described by Scotland’s Schools Minister as “a hugely impressive project”, the resource is being used as a springboard for learning about the different jobs and careers in the low carbon energy industry. The pilot project was developed by The Crown Estate as part of its support for the renewables industry in Scotland.

The renewables sector currently employs almost 11,700 people full-time, of which 21% are in offshore wind and 9% in wave and tidal, according to Scottish Renewables. With approved projects in the Moray Firth alone set to create over 4600 jobs during construction in coming years, Clean Energy from the Sea recognises the importance of ensuring pupils are aware of the range of opportunities in engineering, communications, project management and policy in this growing sector.

A key component of the pilot project is industry support and Lasswade High School has benefited from input from Artemis Intelligent Power. From its Midlothian base, the Mitsubishi-owned engineering firm is involved in marine and wind energy research and design.

Commenting on Clean Energy from the Sea, the Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages, Dr Alasdair Allan, said, “Giving students the chance to develop skills which will equip them for future careers is a key part of the Curriculum for Excellence, so I am delighted that Lasswade pupils are having this opportunity to learn more about the renewables sector.  It is also great to see schools building positive partnerships with local industry to support young people’s learning.

 “Scotland has extraordinary wind, wave and tidal resources and our renewable industry is at the forefront of marine energy technology development. Education resources like Clean Energy from the Sea offer pupils an insight into the benefits of renewable energy.”

Naomi Campbell, The Crown Estate’s Development Manager said, “Offshore renewables has the potential to kickstart a revival in Scottish manufacturing as well as maintain Scotland’s enviable reputation for innovation and R&D.

“To realise this potential and attract investment by employers, we’ll need a highly-trained workforce. We’ve sought to encourage,inspire and enthuse pupils by bringing the industry into schools in a way which develops analytical and research skills and is genuinely cross-curriculum.”

Niall Caldwell, Artemis Managing Director said, “Artemis engineers invent, make and test high-tech machines to generate renewable energy and reduce the energy consumption of vehicles and industry. But we all started out as curious girls and boys, taking things apart to find out how they work, and making stuff for the fun of it. This type of creative play, combined with the knowledge gained from lessons, prepares the kids of today to invent Scotland’s future with their own hands. Let’s give them a challenge: how do we make and transform energy to power our modern world, without destroying it in the process?”

Clean Energy from the Sea reflects the cross-subject approach of Curriculum for Excellence. Students are encouraged to seek out information, make sense of it and present it in a way that reflects their depth of understanding across subjects such as geography, physics, and modern studies.

Lasswade High School has joined schools in Orkney, Wick and Thurso as the first schools to test the pilot resource. The Crown Estate, the body that manages leasing of the seabed, hopes the project will, with the support of industry, eventually be rolled out across Scotland. The business is investing in a range of strategic activity across offshore renewables to accelerate development, reduce costs and attract internal investors.

BIAGI CALLS FOR NETWORK RAIL TO RECONSIDER WAVERLEY TAXI ACCESS

Edinburgh Central MSP Marco Biagi has today called on Network Rail to rethink their position after banning taxis from Waverley Station and asked Network Rail to meet him to discuss his concerns.

Mr Biagi has written to David Higgins, the Chief Executive of Network Rail, and urged him to reverse the controversial decision – citing fears over increased congestion, impact on those with mobility issues and potential cost to the public purse.

Mr Biagi’s intervention follows previous calls from Edinburgh City Council for Network Rail to relent and allow taxis back into Waverley.

Mr Biagi’s letter stated that:
“I would remind you that as a major part of the public transport network you have a moral obligation to ensure that the rail network plays a positive part in our cities and is a complementary part of a wider transport network.

“I do not believe that the plans to exclude taxis from Waverley Station live up to these reasonable expectations, and I do not believe that the lack of consultation with Edinburgh City Council shows due respect to those impacted by this decision.”

Mr Biagi commented:- “Waverley Station is at the very heart of the city and our road networks. This change could cause serious congestion in the city centre, and at busy times could be complete gridlock.

“It also causes needless inconvenience to those who rely on taxis, such as the disabled or elderly, who’ll now have to navigate further through a busy station to find an alternative pick-up point.

“The worrying thing is that Network Rail have rushed ahead with these changes without even a superficial attempt to consult with the Council. This shows a complete disregard for what impact this ban will have on the public and on the city.

“Network Rail need to reverse this ill-considered ban and start serious discussions with the Council about a long-term strategy for managing traffic on Waverley Bridge.

‘Today’s teenagers don’t read books’

‘Teenagers can’t concentrate, it’s all that gazing at Facebook’

Comments we’ve all heard, or even made. Total nonsense.  Young adult fiction is one of the fastest-growing areas in 21st century publishing: sophisticated and demanding teenage readers are pushing the boundaries of literature to new and exciting places. There may be a plethora of vampire lovers and high school beauties, but don’t let those fool you (and don’t we middle aged moaners have our Mills & Boon and 50 Shades….?) Dystopia, science fiction, politics, family issues, fantasy, horror, comedy, graphic novels – YA authors are some of the most experimental writers working today. Our teenage correspondent has trawled the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival programme to bring you her personal Top Ten of events in this fascinating, explosive genre.  Here they are, in date order:

1)   Joan Lingard

Police Scotland is appealing to the public for information concerning the whereabouts of a 53-year-old man from the Forth Valley region.

John Nicol has been reported missing from his home in Bo’ness and was last seen in the area on Tuesday 10th June.

It is believed that John was planning on travelling either to Edinburgh or to an unknown destination in England, and enquiries are ongoing to trace him.

John is described as being around 6ft tall, has a bald head, and was last seen wearing jeans and a white t-shirt.

Inspector Anton Stephenson, who is based in Falkirk, said: “It is out of character for John to go missing like this and not to have been in touch.

“We are eager to make sure he is safe and well and would urge anyone who thinks they may have seen John since 10th June or who has any information as to his whereabouts to contact Police Scotland on 101.”

Lee Miller: iconic beauty, model, muse to Man Ray, war photographer; the star of a rich and varied life.   Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, Lee was just 20 years old when she was pulled from the path of a car in a Manhattan street by none other than Vogue founder Conde Nast himself; the rest is indeed history. Would Lee have had such an eventful life without that fateful meeting?  Last month at the National Gallery Lee’s son Anthony Penrose gave a fascinating talk about his mother’s life and work, a talk that left the audience in no doubt that falling into the arms of one of America’s most famous publishers was but a step along the way for this extraordinary woman.

Anthony (Tony) had an unusual childhood.  Growing up at his parents’ farmhouse in Sussex he had no idea that not everyone had Picasso round for tea. Lee had married his father, Sir Roland Penrose, a celebrated biographer and surrealist painter, in 1947; Penrose and Miller moved in artistic circles, routinely hosting Man Ray, Miro, Max Ernst and all the leading modernists of the day.  Picasso painted Lee eight times; Tony recalls a friendly old man who played bullfights with him.  When Tony famously bit him, Picasso bit back – an incident that Tony has now used as the basis of a highly successful children’s book, The Boy who Bit Picasso. Life was not all rosy however; Lee was a depressive alcoholic, a ‘hopeless mother’ who had no idea what to do with a baby (Tony was brought up by a nanny.)  It was only after her death in 1977 that Tony and  his late wife Suzanna started to go through the contents of the Farley Farm attic: what they found there opened his eyes to his mother’s rich and varied life ‘I’d seen her as a useless drunk, now I had to re-evaluate.’

After that chance meeting in a New York street, Conde Nast made Lee into a Vogue model.  She was photographed by all the greats of the day and one of them, Edward Steichen, introduced her to the surrealist artist and photographer Man Ray.  Bored with fashion modelling, she decided to apprentice herself to Ray and moved to Paris, becoming his collaborator, model, lover and muse: soon she too was taking photographs. She had no formal training but this gave her freedom of eye, ‘she became a surrealist photographer by being apprenticed to the best in the business.’ Lee inspired Man Ray hugely and he photographed her obsessively in ‘a trail of erotic images’; she also covered his fashion assignments for him so that he could concentrate on his painting. It is likely that many photographs attributed to Ray were in fact taken by Miller, but when Tony questioned her about this in later life, she replied that she didn’t care, ‘we were so close that it just didn’t matter.’  It is thought that Lee also invented the process of solarisation; a rat ran over Lee’s foot in the darkroom – she put on the light (a complete disaster in traditional photographic development) , and a wonderful surreal effect emerged. There will always be problems of attribution between Miller and Ray, but it seems unlikely that he would ever be as unbothered about it as Lee.

Miller worked with Man Ray for two years before returning to New York and later marrying an Egyptian businessman.  Unimpressed with life in Cairo she returned to Paris, there meeting Roland Penrose who had coincidentally bought one of Man Ray’s photographs of her eight years previously. They were living together in London when war broke out in 1939.  Lee became Vogue’s official war photographer, often working with American LIFE correspondent David E Scherman; eventually they became the first photographers to witness the liberation of Dachau.   After recording some of the most horrific images of the war Miller and Scherman went that night to Hitler‘s apartment in Munich and whilst the Fuhrer was shooting himself in the bunker Miller took a bath in his tub, dried herself with his monogrammed towels and slept in his bed.  She was there ‘not as a guest but as a victor.’ The photograph Scherman took of her in the bath, her muddy boots still standing on the bathmat, became one of the most famous images of their partnership. Miller took from the apartment Hitler’s drinks tray and Eva Braun‘s perfume bottle and powder compact; the ostrich feather puff is, says Tony, one of the ‘creepiest’ items in the archive and is rarely lent out, ‘it touched the skin of a human being who was also a monster.’

In the attic at Farley Farm, Tony and Suzanna found many thousands of photograph, letters, manuscripts, plates, negatives and prints. It is now clear that Miller, who never spoke about the war, was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and hid all of her work away to try to avoid thinking about her terrible experiences.  For fourteen years Suzanna painstakingly catalogued the cache; new plates were made, negatives were housed in acid-free containers, new contact sheets were made.  The archive is gradually being digitalised, but even after thirty years of work there remains much to be done. Everything is recorded on an online database and on the Lee Miller website so that students can see what was important to the Surrealists.

The house is now a museum and gallery, a place of pilgrimage for people interested in Miller and the Surrealists; Tony has tried to preserve it as it looked at the time (a tile by Picasso set into the wall above the Aga has ‘survived sixty years of bacon fat’), although this itself has presented many challenges: the buildings are over 300 years old and require frequent work.  The house sometimes has to be divided into two halves and the entire archive moved into one half whilst work is carried out on the other.  A climate controlled store in the garden – essential to deal with problems of humidity and temperature – was funded by the sale of duplicate works; the dehumidifiers are powered by solar panels on an adjoining farm building.

When Miller died Tony had to find somewhere to house much of his parents’ work, and was delighted when the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art stepped in, offering accommodation first at Inverleith House and now at the Dean Gallery, whose Gabrielle Kieller library still has much of the archive (viewable by appointment.)  Meanwhile at Farley Farm, Tony and his staff, many of whom have a long personal connection to the family, continue to examine and preserve more material.  The house, gallery and garden (which has many sculptures) are open to the public at certain times. There is an educational programme, run by a separate charity, the Farley Arts Trust, and the gallery exhibits the work of new young artists as well as Miller’s; the Farm runs courses and competitions, ‘Everything’, says Tony, ‘is consistent with my parents’ passion for encouraging young people: art is one of the best ways of communicating their ideas about peace and justice.’

Many people come to Farley Farm looking for information about their parents.  Marianne Sweeney had searched far and wide to find her late father, a doctor and army captain.  She found nothing in Miller’s papers, nor in the many photos of field operating theatres (in which it was impossible to discern one masked face from another), but then she mentioned that Captain Sweeney had been at the liberation of Dachau.  Lee and David Scherman had arrived at Dachau on 29th April 1945, the day after liberation; like them, Sweeney had taken photos of what he saw, including a train wagon full of corpses, people who had died whilst being transported from Auschwitz to Dachau.  The only survivor of the horrific journey was found alive in that same wagon, pulled out by some of the Allied soldiers.  Marianne and Tony managed to identify Captain Sweeny by working back to calculate where he must have been standing when he took his photos, then pinpointing him in Miller’s.  Marianne discovered that her father had been one of those two soldiers who had pulled the only living man from the truck.  Tony and Marianne had gained a new chapter in each of their parents’ histories.

In 1979 Tony was commissioned by Thames and Hudson to write Lee’s biography; ‘The Lives of Lee Miller’ is still in print, and he has also written ‘Portraits of a Life‘ and, with David Scherman, ‘Lee Miller’s War‘ (a new edition of the latter has been produced for the anniversary of the D-Day Landings.)  Tony’s ‘The Home of the Surrealists‘ (written with Alen MacWeeney) is about Farley Farm itself, and Lizzie Cowling drew on Roland Penrose’s letters and notes to write ‘Visiting Picasso‘ – a book that Tony particularly praises for its easy style.

There have been many exhibitions of Miller’s work in the UK, US and Japan.  In 2002 Richard Calvin mounted The Surrealist and The Photographer at Modern Art One and Two in Edinburgh. Tony  was especially thrilled with The Art of Lee Miller, curated by Mark Haworth-Booth at the V & A. There has even been a musical, Six Pictures of Lee Miller by Jason Carr, which was performed at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2005, and Tony has contributed to three documentaries about his mother’s life.  Whenever works are sent abroad, a member of Farley Farm’s staff travels with them in the cargo plane and attends the hanging.

Tony travels to research more about his parents.  He visited Egypt with Mark Haworth Booth (Honorary Research Fellow and former curator at the V & A),  to try to find the location of the huge landscape image ‘Portrait of Space’ that Miller shot whilst living in the country.  Despite extensive searches – they even hired camels at one point to take them into the desert – they were unsuccessful, but they know that the photo was taken near the Libyan border and Tony plans to return one day for another try. He has also visited the site of Hitler’s Berghof. In 1945, Miller, Scherman and two GIs were the first people on the scene to see it burn: sixty years later, Tony stood on the same spot, now a wildlife area full of the sound of birdsong.

At the end of Lee Miller’s life, and largely thanks to Suzanna, she and Tony were reconciled.  The Lee Miller Archive and Farley Farm stand as a fitting memorial to this remarkable woman.  Man Ray said of Lee ‘she was the best person ever at creating work for other people’ –  she has certainly created more than enough work for Tony, but it is work that he undertakes as a true labour of love.

Part of the Miller-Penrose archive can be seen by appointment at the Gabrielle Keiller Library, Modern Art TWO, Belford Road, Edinburgh.

Farley Farm House is open every Sunday April-October 2014 and at certain other times.  Farley Farm Gallery is adjacent to the house and has a rolling programme of exhibitions throughout the year. See website for more information.

More information about Sir Roland Penrose can be found at www.rolandpenrose.co.uk

The Fine Art Library in Edinburgh Central Library has many books about Lee Miller available for loan.

Musselburgh Racecourse celebrated a record 9,000 attendance at its annual Stobo Castle Ladies Day meeting last Saturday with news that William Hill has renewed its sponsorship of the Scottish Sprint Cup for the next three years.

Subject to fixture list planning approval by the BHA, Britain’s biggest bookmakers are strengthening their sporting sponsorship commitments in Scotland by adding the £100,000 five-furlong race to their portfolio until 2017.

Racegoers enjoyed thousands of bottles of bubbly and cocktails of every colour and description and racecourse bosses popped champagne corks themselves with news that the UK’s leading bookmaker had renewed its support of Scotland’s fastest and richest Flat race.

Musselburgh Racecourse general manager, Bill Farnsworth, said: “The Scottish Sprint Cup is Musselburgh’s flagship race and the continued support of William Hill means a huge amount to us as a progressive and aspirational racecourse. The £100,000 William Hill Scottish Sprint Cup and the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup, which is staged in September, are an excellent double act which are the standard bearers of Flat racing in Scotland.

“Scottish Racing continues to make strong progress and we are keenly looking forward to developing this brilliant race day with William Hill and Stobo Castle so that it remains a sell-out capacity event for many years to come.”

Radio Forth presenter Grant Stott was Master of Ceremonies at the Stage Bar Marquee where the finals of the Fashion in the Field competitions reached an exciting climax. Ashley Stewart from Edinburgh was crowned the 2014 Debenhams Queen of Style and collected a £3000 cash prize, and proving she was heads above thousands of others, Dot Anderson won the Most Stylish Hat competition.

Professional golfer Lloyd Saltman showed he was as comfortable on the catwalk as the fairway when he was selected at the best dressed man at Ladies Day, picking up the King of Style prize.

The East Lothian racecourse estimated that racegoers spent more than £800,000 on their outfits for the biggest fashion day in Scottish sport, taking in to account the cost of dresses, hats, fascinators, handbags, shoes, accessories and flowers.

Musselburgh Racecourse commercial manager, Sarah Montgomery, said: “Each year we say Ladies Day can’t get any better but it does and its popularity seems to keep growing. It was our largest ever attendance in the modern age and we could have sold hundreds of more tickets if we had the capacity.

“The effort and thought that went in to the outfits worn by racegoers was truly outstanding and Stobo Castle Ladies Day is established as the place to see and be seen during the summer sporting season. Tickets for 2015 Ladies Day went on sale on Monday and they are already flying out the door and we are gathering our breath and getting ready to do it all again next year.”

Check out Musselburgh Racecourse’s Facebook page for pictures of East Lothian’s biggest fashion event www.facebook.com/MusselburghRacecourse

Sony Award winning comedian Robin Ince returns to one of his favourite Edinburgh venues, the Stand Comedy Club on 22nd June with a brand new show.

This new show is the logical progession of his previous tour, and will see Ince pondering the mysteries and idiosyncrasies of the human brain. He told me “Part one of my mind tours was mainly about self consciousness, so part two aims to be about what is in charge. It’s based on the battle of instincts in your brain that get funnelled out, left brain and right brain arguing, and the usual shouting and jumping about”. Expect lots of jumping about, in a show that is as frenetic as it is funny. It is aptly named ‘Robin Ince is In (and out of) his Mind’.

The mind in question is far from average, leaving audiences with slight feelings of vertigo as it speeds from topics as diverse as dying strawberries to Darwin’s inexplicable love of Barnacles. As someone who knows very little about the science of the mind, I asked if he is aiming to educate us about modern psychological thinking?

He reassured me, “Like most of my shows there will be a lot of stuff and nonsense, but I hope to bring up a few ideas that might stick and make people go off and ask questions to people who actually know something.”

Ince is a well-known sceptic, so I asked if he is looking to expose a lot of psychobabble?

“Psychobabble can be a handy coping mechanism if you don’t take it too seriously, but since Freud brought in “the talking cure” it does seem we have started talking too much.” The irony of this statement is unmissable from someone who talks, a lot, very fast, for a living.

Expect wit and wisdom in shedloads, and enough laughs to require caution when drinking your pint for fear it may become a choking hazard.

For those of you thinking about skipping this show and waiting instead for his Fringe residency this year, think again. His two week run at the Fringe will feature, incredibly, yet another new show, so this is the only chance to catch what Ince has described as his favourite show of his prolific career so far.

I asked what made it his favourite. ” I think this is the most freewheeling for a while, the next one should be even more so. It was my favourite show to tour, but now I am hungry to put together the next part. I think I tour a bit too incessantly, which is why I am taking most of 2016 off from touring, before shows about our minds break my own mind. “

Come and ponder the wonders of your brain, and appreciate what a marvellous gadget it is (even if it often fails to recall where you left the car keys)

Robin Ince playsThe Stand Comedy Club Sunday 22nd June 7.30 www.the stand.co.uk

Staff at The Royal Yacht Britannia tell us they are thrilled by the news that Britannia has been named the Best Attraction in the UK in the TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Award 2014. This award reflects the quantity and consistency of 5 Star “Excellent” reviews posted on this influential website by visitors to the former Royal Yacht during the last 12 months (to date, 72% of the 5,000 TripAdvisor reviews are Excellent, and 23.5% are Very Good).

Britannia has officially been Scotland’s best visitor attraction for the last nine years, with a current quality score of 96%, the highest mark ever awarded to a visitor attraction by national tourist board VisitScotland. With a complimentary audio tour now available in 27 languages, the latest being: Turkish, Thai, Brazilian-Portuguese, Cantonese, and Punjabi, Britannia is believed to be the most translated audio tour in the world.

Last month the former Royal Yacht also received TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence, an award that is given to the top 10% tourism businesses in the world.

Britannia’s Chief Executive, Bob Downie, said “We are absolutely delighted that our passion for delivering outstanding customer experiences has been so highly valued on TripAdvisor, and to be Number 1 in the UK is a tremendous achievement that our staff can be very proud of”.

Now you have a local option to get your lunch delivered straight to your desk from The Pantry in Stockbridge.

Enjoy delicious fresh sandwiches, bagels and more in the office. Whether you are catering a board meeting, client meeting or just wanting a tasty lunch for your team The Pantry will have just the thing – and it’s delivered straight to your office!

http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/The-Pantry-Office-Catering.pdf

TUESDAY 17 JUNE 2014

The Runner: powerful documentary film about Sahrawi athletic champion and freedom fighter Salah Ameidan. 7pm Summerhall.  Free. Presented by Scotland African Film Festival ‘Africa in Motion’  as part of Refugee Week 2014.

Scottish Women Poets of the 17th & 18th centuries: a talk by Dr Sarah Dunnigan. 6pm, Conference Room, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Booking via eventbrite.

You’ve had a cycling accident – what next? – 19,000 cyclists are injured in UK reported road accidents annually.  Many don’t claim compensation. Legal expert Julie Harris of Allan McDougall Solicitors will give you the low down on how to make a legal claim, and why it may be bad for other cyclists if you don’t.  Free entry. 12-1pm, Allan McDougall Solicitors, 3 Coates Crescent. Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.  (Also available on Thursday 19th, same time.)

Crystallography Matters! Dr Stephen Moggach talks about Pressure, Pores and Pockets: X-ray diffraction of ‘nearly’ empty space. 6.30-7.30pm (doors open 6pm) Cairns Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall.  Free tickets can be booked via eventbrite. Part of the 2014 International Year of Crystallography. 

Edible Gardening – Seasonal Advice: drop in to learn how to grow your own food, and take a look around the productive garden with the Edible Garden Project Team.  1-3pm, Royal Botanic Garden. All ages, free, no booking required.

Work on George Street – Scotmid School Run – Next week at EIFF – Soundhouse Fundraiser – Today at Edinburgh Festival of Cycling

We are told by the council that work would start yesterday on George Street, but truthfully we were there and did not notice anything!

Our photos of the Scotmid School Run are practically unique! We were there along with only a couple of other photographers to capture the start, so if you would like a photo of you and your family at the race then do get in touch! Email  editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk for details of what we can do for you.

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BAFTA Scotland and Screen Academy Scotland Presents: Vocation, Vocation, Vocation

Offering a unique insight into the film and television industry, BAFTA Scotland and Screen Academy Scotland are proud to host Vocation, Vocation, Vocation – an afternoon panel with 10 experts offering insider advice for aspiring media professionals.

Working within the Screen Industries in Scotland, the panel will give top tips on a range of disciplines, such as craft, broadcast and film in group or one-to-one sessions.

The inspiring meet-and-greet takes place on Monday 23 June 2014, in Edinburgh, and is free and open to the public, with tickets available from: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bafta-scotland-screen-academy-scotland-present-vocation-vocation-vocation-tickets-11752384699

Location:  Argyle House, Edinburgh Time: 1pm – 4pm

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The Edinburgh Reporter loves the idea of Soundhouse which is a new project undertaken by Douglas and Jane-Ann from the House @42. Here is what is happening this week!

Moishe’s Bagel at the Bongo Club

We are super-excited that the incomparable Moishe’s Bagel have agreed to play a very special benefit gig for us. They’ll be playing at The Bongo Club(Cowgate, Edinburgh) this Thursday at 7.30pm. All the proceeds from this concert will go towards funding The Soundhouse, our project to found a bespoke live music venue and musicians facility in Edinburgh. If you are unfamiliar with the band, here’s some info … Moishe’s Bagel is a five-piece firecracker of a band presenting thrillingly original cutting-edge klezmer and folk music. Featuring virtuoso performances from some of Scotland’s finest musicians, these guys play an intoxicating, life-affirming mix of Eastern European dance, jazz grooves, folk tunes, and Middle Eastern rhythms. Tickets for this very special gig are available online (£10 + £1 booking fee) and on the door (£12). Please note that we will only be able to accept cash on the door on the night. Hope to see you there.

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From 11.00 today you can have a go at the competition run by The Edinburgh Festival of Cycling to try and fold a Brompton as fast as you can….. Just one of the many events you can go and see or go and get involved in.

Remember the Bike Breakfast tomorrow too!

WOMEN IN EDINBURGH URGED TO STAY IN THE BREAST OF HEALTH

Women in Edinburgh will be encouraged to take the ‘breast challenge’ this week, as the Detect Cancer Early breast screening campaign visits Craigmillar.

With one in nine women in Scotland diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, the campaign is encouraging eligible women between 50 and 70 years of age to make sure they have all the information they need about the national breast screening programme, that will help them decide to take part. Screening can detect tiny cancers that neither people themselves nor health professionals can see or feel.

Promotional staff will be on hand at the East Neighbourhood Centre today to invite women to take the ‘breast challenge’, raising awareness of the difficulties of feeling small cancers in a bid to encourage women to take up their invitation to attend for screening,

Staff will also be able to provide information on breast screening, give details of local screening centres, and answer any concerns about the screening process. Breast screening saves around 130 lives every year in Scotland, and women are five times more likely to survive breast cancer if it is diagnosed and treated at the earliest stage.

This latest awareness drive forms part of the national Detect Cancer Early campaign, fronted by Elaine C Smith, to ensure women have the facts and take action to protect their health.

Dr Sue Payne, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, NHS Lothian, said: “If you’re between 50 and 70 years old and have missed a screening in the last two years, don’t worry, it’s not too late – you can organise one today.

“Breast screening only takes 10 minutes and can pick up tiny cancers that you can’t see or feel. This could be life-saving as the earlier breast cancer is found, the easier it is to treat.

“While screening is the best way to detect breast cancer early, it’s important to be aware of any changes to your breasts between screenings. If you spot any unusual or persistent changes, don’t delay in making an appointment with your GP.”

For more information about the Scottish National Breast Screening Programme visit www.getcheckedearly.org or call NHS Inform on 0800 22 44 88.

Chris Thompson is Owner & Head Chef of The Pantry in Edinburgh’s New Town.

Who are you, and where did you come from?

We are a husband and wife team. Charlotte looks after front of house and I do the cooking. We opened the Pantry in December 2012 after five years of planning, saving and research. Charlotte’s background is in Events; she previously worked for Edinburgh based company Heritage Portfolio for seven years. I was a Biology teacher with a passion for cooking. We are both passionate cooks and care about the provenance of the food we cook and serve and being respectful of every ingredient.

What is the business book you recommend that everyone should read?

Put the books down and get cracking… The best way to learn how to run a business is to ride the enormous learning curve that the first year will take you on.

What do you think are your business strengths and weaknesses?

I am awful for coming up with a million ideas and wanting to do them all at once. Charlotte is the sensible head who brings me back down to earth!! I think our strength as a couple is that we are a really good team. We know what the other would do or say in most situations and our personalities match perfectly. You might say good cop/bad cop!!

What was the defining moment on your career path that has got you where you are now?

Walking past 1 North West Circus Place when Charlotte was trying to get her labour going with our first son Finlay. We noticed that it was up for rent and called the number on the door! I was negotiating rent free periods with a newborn in my arms.

How do you spend your spare time?

Spending time with our two boys Finlay and Teddy…. and if we manage to find a babysitter we like to eat out. We particularly like Sushiya.

Do you think you achieve a good work/life balance?

Nearly there!! It has taken nearly 2 years but we are going on our first family holiday in July!

What makes Edinburgh the best location for you to live and/or work?

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. You have everything you could need in the city centre and you are surrounded by history, beautiful architecture and great people.

What is your special area of Edinburgh, or special place in Edinburgh and why?

Queen Street Gardens on Heriot Row. Charlotte grew up there and they are a little city centre haven. So many picnics, parties and dog walking memories!

What would you consider the pinnacle of your career?

Hopefully it’s yet to come!

If you have a mentor then could you tell us who that is and about your relationship

Charlotte’s dad, Alan Faichney. He has given us so much excellent advice in the first few years of the business. He is also the reason I love cooking. He has always been a keen cook and encouraged Charlotte and her siblings to eat out and experience new foods. He is integral in the Pantry’s success.

Which networking groups in Edinburgh have you found particularly useful?

Guilty to say…none! We are so busy with The Pantry and the kids that we don’t go to any. We do all our networking through Twitter to be honest.

Who are your business heroes?

Food heroes are Keith Floyd, Jamie Oliver and Nigella.

Business hero is probably Tom Kerridge. He has the first Michelin star pub in the UK!

What are your business goals for the next year?

We are launching office catering alongside our Pantry App. This will allow people to order sandwiches, pay on the app then pick them up for The Pantry. This will also allow people to order ready meals and ‘brown bag lunches’

Pantry 2 is in the pipeline, which is very exciting. I am also keen to do more food education. I have been working with Chefs @ School and we are hosting some workshops at the Pantry for some local schools.

Describe your typical day for us.

Teddy, our youngest son, gets us up at 5.30am, then I cycle to the station and get the train to work at 8.30am when baking, sandwich prep for the day then prep for the restaurant service begins.

I run the kitchen 6 days a week and Charlotte works 2 days. When she is in she will be upstairs doing admin, having meetings etc.

We finish up lunch service at 2.30pm then we usually have some time in the afternoon as a family so we might go to the Botanics, Jenns Den or even head over to Craigies Farm.

On a Friday and Saturday I have to be back for dinner service, while Charlotte heads home with the kids.

On nights when the kitchen is closed, we all head home and have the always fun combo of dinner, bath, teeth and bed with the kids! Once they are in bed we sit down for our ‘Pantry Hour’ where we take care of any leftover business from the day, look over the sales totals etc.

About 9pm we will sit down for dinner the two of us with a well-deserved glass of wine!!

Best job advice you ever received?

 Take risks…be nice to the people you meet on the way up as you might meet them on the way back down…look after your health – your health is your wealth!

Your plan of attack for the next 12 months?

All the things I mentioned above….and NO MORE BABIES!

Leeann Dempster today laid out her football vision as she combines searching for a new manager to take the Club forward.

Key aspects will include a big increase in Hibernian grassroots football, a review and evaluation of the Academy structure, including appointment of George Craig, the creation of individual development plans for elite young players to assist transition from Academy to First Team, a　　　　　　　　 structured and strategic player pathways between Academy and Under 20s and First Team, the　　　　　　　　 Introduction of a holistic performance athlete development plan to support the physical development of players and a structured and fully resourced player identification and recruitment process for players joining the club at all ages.

Underpinning this will be a desire to develop a common style of play, based on attractive attacking football.

The new CEO said; “As I told the Working Together meeting, myself and George will be developing and writing both Football and Non-Football plans for the Club. While these will be internal Club documents, I think it is positive that supporters should have an understanding of what we are going to do.

“Starting from the absolute grass roots, we need to get more kids playing football in Hibernian strips. That means a genuine football role for the Foundation, in developing bigger programmes to involve more children in football. Apart from getting youngsters more active it has two big effects – it creates a bigger talent pool for us to choose from, and it also creates Hibernian supporters of the future.

“We have signed a collaboration agreement with Spartans aimed at creating the best development pathway for young football players in Scotland.

“The landmark agreement was officially announced on Friday, and it will see the best youngsters developed by Spartans progress through a jointly run Transition Academy.

“In particular, the Hibernian & Spartans Transition Academy will initially focus on the development of the most promising 8-11 year olds identified by coaches from the two clubs within a joint set-up, administered by a joint Board.”

Ms Dempster is also keen to ensure that the Hibernian Academy enhances its efforts to produce talented footballers who can progress through the ranks into the First Team Squad.

She continued: “We need to ensure that we have the best coaching syllabus, individual development programmes, diet and fitness advice, to ensure that our ,most talented young players are given all the help they need to become not only talented footballers but genuine athletes.

“Also, we need to ensure that measures are in place to assist the young players in our Academy programme to continue to develop academically and as good citizens. An extensive player exit policy will form part of the Academy programme to assist our young players who are not going to achieve the required standard and be offered a professional contract at Hibernian FC. This will allow them to leave the Academy in a way that still sees them gain genuine benefits from their time with us.

“We need to ensure all of our players understand the importance of sports science and other modern performance enhancing methods now being introduced at the top level of the game. Football is now a high performance sport played by professional athletes.

“In order to perform at the very highest levels of the game a player now has to fully support his ability and potential as a footballer with the power, pace and endurance levels of a top performance athlete.

“Only the sport is different, the principles are the same! An extra yard of pace or increased physical endurance could make the difference between winning or losing or between a long and successful career or a career of injury or missed opportunity.

“In addition we will be putting all kinds of additional support in place – around social media training, media training and so on. We need to ensure our players understand their responsibilities to the Club and the supporters.

“We also have to improve our Player identification and recruitment at Academy level – and by that we need a more structured and resourced recruitment plan, particularly in our own area. It is not acceptable to lose out on talented local boys leaving to go to other Scottish clubs or beyond.”

“If we do that, all of these small things will add up to something very significant in terms of Hibernian developing better footballers, athletes and professionals.”

Over two thousand men women and children attended yesterday’s free stadium tour at Easter Road.

Despite the poor weather, fans started queueing well before the start of the event which was organised by the Hibernian Historical Trust as part of the Leith Festival.

Visitors started off at the players’ lounge where they were shown an exhibition from the Football Memories Programme which helps men and women in the early stages of dementia, before being directed to the Gallery where Club Historian Tom Wright had filled the cabinets with fascinating  memrobilia including an interesting display and timely display regarding Hibernan players who served in the Great War 1914-1918.

Wolves, Burnley and Middlesbrough jerseys work by Leigh Griffiths, Steven Fletcher and Kevin Thomson, donated by Tam McCourt were also featured alongside Peter Cormack’s jersey that he wore in the Summer Cup triumph fifty years ago.

After the Gallery came the press room then the Boardroom where the great Gordon Smith’s medal collection has pride of place. From there, visitors were allowed access to the directors box before heading to the home dressing  room and down the tunnel to meet mascot Sunshine the Leith Lynx and take a seat in the dug out.

This year the club opened up the whole stadium, so visitors then went to the Community Foundation Office in the south stand before visiting the East Stand concourse, and the Famous Five Stand to see the James Main plaque dedicated to the memory of the former player who died following an injury sustained whilst playing for the club.

MONDAY 16 JUNE 2014

Alpha Arts Summer Exhibition – mixed exhibition of work by Peter Howson OBE, Lawrie Williamson, Jack Frame, Frank McFadden and many others. Continues until 4th August at 52 Hamilton Place.  See  website for opening times.

Want You Dead: number one bestselling crime and thriller writer Peter James discusses Want You Dead, the tenth book to feature the definitive Brighton detective Roy Grace.  6.30pm Waterstones West End.  £3 or £2 with Loyalty Card.  Tickets from the shop or call 0131 226 2666.

Mixing the Colours – women speaking about sectarianism.  Rachel Thain-Gray and Morag Smith from Glasgow Women’s Library read stories and poems written as part of a project at GWL on the theme of sectarianism and how it affects women in Scotland, their families and communities.  1-3pm, Boardroom, Central Library, George IV Bridge.  Booking essential via eventbrite.

Hazel McHaffie discusses her new novel Over My Dead Body, the next in a series set in the world of medical ethics. 6.30-7.30pm, Fountainbridge Library, Dundee Street.  To book call the library on 0131 529 5616 or email fountainbridge.library@edinburgh.gov.uk

Continuing: Harpies, Fechters & Quines 2014: Scottish Women in Art & Literature.  A series of events and exhibitions at Edinburgh Central Library in partnership with Glasgow Women’s Library.  Exhibitions include ‘21 Revolutions‘, ‘My Journey with Women’s Aid‘ and ‘Textile Central.’  Ends Saturday 21st June 2014.

Monday Mechanics: start the week at Cyclone: Gypsy Brae Workshop. Fix, tune or just play with your bike.  Get free hands-on expert advice and use of tools – learn how to fix a puncture, strip a hub or just drink coffee and eat cake while talking mechanics.  6-8.30pm, Cyclone: Gypsy Brae, West Shore Road EH5 1QH.  Free, but charges apply for any parts purchased. Sponsored by My Adventure. Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.

Continuing: Textiles Migration: exhibition exploring the impact immigration has had on Scotland’s contemporary textile identity and visual culture.  The exhibition will be supported by a series of talks and workshops. 10am-5pm, Kalopsia Gallery, Ocean Terminal, Leith.  Free, donations welcome. Closes 29th June 2014.

Alan Davie Memorial Lecture: Alan Davie, who passed away in March, was one of the giants of postwar painting.  Patrick Elliott (Gallery of Modern Art) discusses the life and work of this  major Scottish artist.  12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Book Group: friendly monthly meeting to discuss a wide range of books. Currently reading Monica Ali’s Brick Lane.  To join email your name and address to events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk  6-8pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Children’s Book Group – for those 8-11 years old with a love of books and biscuits. Currently reading Katherine Rundell’s Rooftoppers. To join email your details to childrens.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk.  6-7pm, Blackwell’s South Bridge.

Edible Gardening – Seasonal Advice: drop in to learn how to grow your own food, and take a look around the productive garden with the Edible Garden Project Team.  1-3pm, Royal Botanic Garden. All ages, free, no booking required.

The Constitutional Future of an Independent Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Deputy First Minister of Scotland. 12-1.30pm, Playfair Library, Old College, University of Edinburgh, South Bridge. Free, all welcome.  For contact details click here.

TUESDAY 17 JUNE 2014

The Runner: powerful documentary film about Sahrawi athletic champion and freedom fighter Salah Ameidan. 7pm Summerhall.  Free. Presented by Scotland African Film Festival ‘Africa in Motion’  as part of Refugee Week 2014.

Scottish Women Poets of the 17th & 18th centuries: a talk by Dr Sarah Dunnigan. 6pm, Conference Room, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Booking via eventbrite.

You’ve had a cycling accident – what next? – 19,000 cyclists are injured in UK reported road accidents annually.  Many don’t claim compensation. Legal expert Julie Harris of Allan McDougall Solicitors will give you the low down on how to make a legal claim, and why it may be bad for other cyclists if you don’t.  Free entry. 12-1pm, Allan McDougall Solicitors, 3 Coates Crescent. Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.  (Also available on Thursday 19th, same time.)

Crystallography Matters! Dr Stephen Moggach talks about Pressure, Pores and Pockets: X-ray diffraction of ‘nearly’ empty space. 6.30-7.30pm (doors open 6pm) Cairns Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall.  Free tickets can be booked via eventbrite. Part of the 2014 International Year of Crystallography. 

Edible Gardening – Seasonal Advice: drop in to learn how to grow your own food, and take a look around the productive garden with the Edible Garden Project Team.  1-3pm, Royal Botanic Garden. All ages, free, no booking required.

WEDNESDAY 18 JUNE 2014

Spokes’ Bike Breakfast: start the day early with a free breakfast for all those who arrive by bike.  Free entry, but NB food & drink may run out, so get their asap! Bike servicing by Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op.  Free bike marking by Police Scotland. 7.45-9.45am, Edinburgh City Chambers, EH1 1YJ. Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.

Bike Station Dr Bike Safety Check: most minor problems can be fixed on the spot, with more major problems diagnosed and a bike ‘MOT’ provided. Chat to staff about cycle routes and travelling around the city by bike.  3pm, Fiveways Junction (see website for details and map.)  Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.

Visually impaired tour and workshop: a descriptive tour of the sculpture park and a practical workshop for the visually impaired.  10am-3.30pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road.  To book call information desk on 0131 624 6560.  Free.

Titian in Ten: ten minute pop-up talk delivered by Gallery staff.  Gain an exclusive insight as staff from across the galleries offer different perspectives onTitian’s masterpieces.  2pm, National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound.  Free and unticketed.

A Man of Vision: John Ritchie Findlay of Aberlour, Founder of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, by Sir George Reid 1899.  Former curator Susan Kerr will examine the life of Findlay, proprietor of The Scotsman, whose highly developed sense of civic duty led to the fulfilment of his dream of a national portrait gallery for Scotland. 12.45-1.15pm, National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street.  Free and unticketed.

A People’s History of Scotland: Chris Bambery, writer, broadcaster, producer and founding member of the Internationalist Socialist Group in Scotland discusses his latest book ‘the first socialist history of Scotland in over fifty years’ ‘ a corrective to the usual history of kings and queens, victorious battles and bloody defeats.’  6.30pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street.  Free and unticketed, donations welcome.

Blossom: What Scotland Needs to Flourish – award-winning jounalist, commentator and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch talks about her new book ‘ a plain speaking but incisive call to restore control to local communities and let Scotland flourish.’  6pm, Waterstones West End.  Free tickets available from the shop or call 0131 226 2666.

THURSDAY 19 JUNE 2014

Curator’s Tour: in partnership with Refugee Week Scotland, curators Mother Tongue will host a guided tour of the international works in the exhibition A Thousand of Him, Scattered: Relative Newcomers in the Diaspora.  6.30pm, Stills Gallery, 23 Cockburn Street. Free but must be booked via eventbrite.

Love in a Library: a pop-up opera in association with Edinburgh International Festival, featuring beautiful songs by Wagner, Schubert, Gerswhin, Schumann and Quilter.  2-3pm, Fountainbridge Library, Dundee Street. No booking required.

Leith At War: Citadel Arts Group presents a play based on living memories.  By Laura C Paterson and directed by Liz Hare. 7.30pm Leith Hub, 1-3 Leith Walk. Tickets £7/£5 from leithatwar@gmail.com or call 07412 064 992.

You’ve had a cycling accident – what next? – 19,000 cyclists are injured in UK reported road accidents annually.  Many don’t claim compensation. Legal expert Julie Harris of Allan McDougall Solicitors will give you the low down on how to make a legal claim, and why it may be bad for other cyclists if you don’t.  Free entry. 12-1pm, Allan McDougall Solicitors, 3 Coates Crescent. Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.

Stranger Than Fiction: a non-fiction writers’ group for those who are serious about their writing. Wine Bar upstairs at  Doric Bar, Market Street. See website for details and contact.

Easel Sketching in the Gallery: monthly drop-in sketching session in the gallery led by artist Damian Callan.  A different subject every month and sometimes with a live model.  2-4pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound.  Free and unticketed.

The Teenage Guide to Stress: Nicola Morgan launches her new book which looks at what stress is and how teenage stress is different.  The book deals with a number of issues that affect teenagers, from anger, depression and sexual relationships to cyber-bullying, exams and eating disorders, and offers guidance and advice.  6-7.30pm, Blackwell’s South Bridge.  Free tickets available from the shop’s front desk or by calling 0131 622 8218.

FRIDAY 20 JUNE 2014

Love in a Library: a pop-up opera in association with Edinburgh International Festival, featuring beautiful songs by Wagner, Schubert, Gerswhin, Schumann and Quilter.  11am, Oxgangs Library, Oxgangs Road North.  Free, no booking required.

Leith At War: Citadel Arts Group presents a play based on living memories.  By Laura C Paterson and directed by Liz Hare. 7.30pm Leith Hub, 1-3 Leith Walk. Tickets £7/£5 from leithatwar@gmail.com or call 07412 064 992.

Call for submissions!  This is the last day for submission of art work to the 2014 Edinburgh Macmillan Art Exhibition, which will be held 14-17th August 2014 at Bonhams on Queen Street.  Artists receive a minimum of 50% from sales, and profits go to help people in Scotland affected by cancer. For details & an application form visit www.macmillanartshow.org

Crags All Ability Bikes. An all ability bike ride along the Innocent Railway Cycle Path, targeted for ‘people with disabilities of all persuasions.’ A variety of adapted bikes will be available, supplied by Beyond Boundaries East Lothian.  Supported by Castle Rock Edinvar.  12 noon, starting from Crags Sports Centre, 10 Bowmont Place (accessible toilets at the centre.)  Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.

Annuale 2014: an annual festival of independent and  grassroots activity co-ordinated by Embassy Gallery 10b Broughton Street Lane.  Until 29th July 2014.

Easel Sketching in the Gallery: monthly drop-in sketching session in the gallery led by artist Damian Callan.  A different subject every month and sometimes with a live model.  2-4pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound.  Free and unticketed.

SATURDAY 21 JUNE 2014

Edinburgh Canal Festival: raft race, free boat trips, canoe taster sessions, stalls, canoe polo, music, dance, wee boat flotilla, face painting, water walkers, bouncy castle, model boats, classic cars & lots more.  12-4.30pm, Edinburgh Quay, Fountainbridge.  For more information, including how to enter a raft in the race, see website.  A non-profit community event co-ordinated by Re-Union Canal Boats.

Canal Festival Garden Party: stalls, refreshments, teddy bear exhibition and quiz, home baking, activities.  2-4pm, Polwarth Parish Church (in the garden if dry, in the hall if wet). £3 entry. Bring your own teddy bear.  Call 0131 347 2711 for information.

Grove Community Garden: as part of the Canal Festival activities, Grove 2 will be open to allow the public to see what can be done when a community comes together. Music from Singstream and other activities.  10am-4pm, Grove 2, Grove Community Garden, Gilmore Park, off Fountainbridge, close to the Lift Bridge on the canal (see website for map and bus routes.)

Leith Late 2014 starts today and continues on Sunday.  Lots of art, music, animation, film and more in various Leith venues, 5-10pm, see website for full details.

Gayfield Creative Spaces: Natasha Russell, Kalopsia and Broughton Designs – part of Leith Late 2014. 5-10pm, 11 Gayfield Square

Leith Late 2014 Afterparty with Holy Mountain, Adam Stafford and Numbers Are Futile.  9pm-1am, Thomas Morton Hall, Leith. Tickets on door (£7) or in advance from wegottickets (£6 + 60p booking fee)

Town Planner: imagine you were able to design a new town for Edinburgh.  What would you add?  Workshop for families looking at architectural designs to inspire you to create your own new town plan.  1.30-3.30pm, City Art Centre, Market Street.  Free drop-in session, no booking required.

Jenny Geddes: Unplugged.  Jenny Geddes was a market trader who is alleged to have thrown her stool at the head of the minister in St Giles Cathedral in objection to the use of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.  This led to a riot and much more.  David Stevenson, Emeritus Professor of Scottish History at the University of St Andrews, talks about the tumultuous 17th century.  2pm, City Art Centre, 2 Market Street.  Free – book by emailing margaret.findlay@edinburgh.gov.uk or call 0131 529 3963.  In association with Previously……

Mixing the Colours: women writing about sectarianism. Writer Magi Gibson facilitates a free workshop for women with the aim of producing writing about women’s experience of sectarianism. Glasgow Women’s Library aims to uncover women’s thoughts, voices and experiences and produce a publication featuring workshop writing.  1-3pm, Board Room, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Booking via eventbrite.

Leith At War: Citadel Arts Group presents a play based on living memories.  By Laura C Paterson and directed by Liz Hare. 2.00pm Leith Hub, 1-3 Leith Walk. Tickets £7/£5 from leithatwar@gmail.com or call 07412 064 992. NOTE: this is an afternoon performance.

Fete de la Musique: join the Institut Francais Ecosse to celebrate the longest day of the year.  This free party will showcase some seriously talented musicians, including Prairie Rose & the Wildwoods, Sea Bass Kid, Rosie Nimmo and Les Bof.  5-11pm, Institut Francais Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. No tickets required.

Bike Station Dr Bike Safety Check: most minor problems can be fixed on the spot, with more major problems diagnosed and a bike ‘MOT’ provided. Chat to staff about cycle routes and travelling around the city by bike.  3pm, Fiveways Junction (see website for details and map.)  Part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling.

Polish-Scottish Heritage Festival: a range of events over the weekend, some drop-in and some ticketed.  Drop-ins include arts & crafts fair, pop-up library, Polish-Scottish heritage exhibition,  a talk about the Scots in Poland, a folk music concert and music and crafts workshops. Summerhall, 1 Summerhall.  For times and further details of all events see website.

The Officer’s Wife: a deeply moving documentary film portrayal of the Katyn Massacre and its aftermath. 2.30-4.30pm. Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Free tickets from eventbrite.  Suitable for over 18s only.  Part of the Scottish-Polish Heritage Festival.

The Polish-Scottish Relationship: stories and reflections of love and loss, with Martin Stepek, author of ‘There is Hope’  and Jenny Robertson, author of ‘From the Volga to the Clyde.’   Summerhall, 1-2.15pm.  Free tickets from eventbrite.  Suitable for 12 years and over.  Part of the Scottish-Polish Heritage Festival.

Giving Nature a Home: a range of family-focused weekend wildlife activities with RSPB Scotland staff.  11am-4pm Royal Botanic Garden (check at reception for meeting place.)  All ages, free, no booking required.

Royal Botanic Garden Midsummer Late Opening: enjoy the gardens in the evening, join an attempt to break the world record for tree-hugging.  Live music, performances, Scottish Poetry Library, free entry to glasshouses until 9pm, cafes open for refreshments. Full programme on website.  6-10.30pm, Royal Botanic Garden. All ages, free and unticketed.

Corroboree at the Royal Botanic Garden.  (1) traditional Maori weaving using natural fibres drawn from the New Zealand flora, demonstrated by Veranoa Hetet, Maori artist and tradition-bearer. 10am-4pm Glasshouse Lawn. (2) Australian performance artists Ariel Killick and Jillibula will be animating the garden with a special performance on stilts, highlighting the importance of shared cultures. 6-8pm in the garden. Both events free, unticketed and suitable for all ages. The events are timed to coincide with the Queen’s Baton Relay, and are part of the RBGE’s celebration of our place in the heart of the Commonwealth.

Jamie King ‘Mind Matters’, Rosemary Taylor ‘Nothing is Ever Black and White’ and Sheila Masson ‘Milk and Honey‘ – three new exhibitions.  10am-6pm,  St Margaret’s House 151 London Road.

SUNDAY 22 JUNE 2014

Leith Late 2014 continues today.  Art, music, film and more in various Leith venues 12-5pm – see website for details.

Gayfield Creative Spaces: Natasha Russell, Kalopsia and Broughton Designs – part of Leith Late 2014. 12-5pm, 11 Gayfield Square

16mm Sound Workshop with Luigi Allemano: an opportunity to engage with a unique and idiosyncratic method of making sound through pictures on film, a technique made most famous by acclaimed animator Norman McLaren.  Suitable for ages 16+.  Free but booking essential via eventbrite.  2-5pm, Stills Gallery, 23 Cockburn Street.

Scotland’s Gardens: Merchiston Cottage, 16 Colinton Road EH10 5EL (near Holy Corner) is open today. Small, walled, organic, wildlife-friendly, beekeeper’s garden.  2-5pm.  Homemade cakes and teas, plant stall, disabled access.  £4 (all proceeds to charities.)

WHALE Arts Market Fair: an afternoon of stalls, crafts, afternoon teas and fun!  Free entry.  If you are local and want to book a stall (£10) to sell your own items, call 0131 458 3267.  1.30-4.30pm, WHALE Arts Centre, 30 Westburn Grove.

Polish-Scottish Heritage Festival: a range of events over the weekend, some drop-in and some ticketed.  Drop-ins include arts & crafts fair, pop-up library, Polish-Scottish heritage exhibition,  a talk about the Scots in Poland, a folk music concert and music and crafts workshops. Summerhall, 1 Summerhall.  For times and further details of all events see website.

Polish-Scottish Art Connections: free art-based workshops with art historian Ola Wojtkiekywicz for children aged 7+ .  Learn some exciting facts about Polish-Scottish History and make your own masterpiece to take home. 3-4pm, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall.  Free tickets can be booked via eventbrite.

Meet the Ancestors – Macastory do the Commonwealth Games – celebrate Scotland’s great year of sport with Macastory.  Hear all about Donald Dinnie, one of Scotland’s greatest champions and keep fit with sporting challenges, singing, dancing and more!   For ages 7+.  2pm and 3pm (45 minute sessions), National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street.  Free and unticketed. Supported by the Friends of the National Galleries.

Love in a Gallery: a pop-up opera in association with Edinburgh International Festival, featuring beautiful art songs and Leider by Wagner, Schubert, Gerswhin, Schumann and Quilter celebrating the beauty of courage and love.  2.30pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free, no booking required.

Giving Nature a Home: a range of family-focused weekend wildlife activities with RSPB Scotland staff.  11am-4pm Royal Botanic Garden (check at reception for meeting place.)  All ages, free, no booking required.

Phew what a weekend! – Stagecoach introductory offer ends on 40a – Today at the Festival of Cycling – Bowmore & Oysters Competition ends today – Penny Mile Challenge on Water of Leith 

This has been one busy weekend….The Raise the Baton Concert at The Usher Hall on Friday with the RSNO and the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union with the sublime pianist, Stephen Hough started the weekend off on the right note…

It was HM The Queen’s Official Birthday on Saturday so there was a 21 gun salute from Edinburgh Castle to mark the occasion.

We then progressed to watch The Queen’s Baton Relay on Saturday where we filmed and photographed the leg between the Castle and Holyrood. Watch this here…

Wester Hailes held their annual Fun Run on Sunday where the Lord Provost took part in his second 5K of the year. Watch this video from The Digital Sentinel here….

If you are interested in learning how to be a community reporter then you might go along to a session with The Digital Sentinel on Tuesday from 1.00pm at WHALE Arts 30 Westburn Grove. Or if you are interested in helping out in other ways or at other times then please email   digitalsentinel@whalearts.co.uk

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The bus fares on the Stagecoach 40a from Edinburgh to South Queensferry will increase today, or rather the initial reduction ceases today.

As part of the promotional campaign for the service launch in March, Stagecoach
announced two introductory offers, a reduced return fare and a lower weekly megarider ticket price.

The company have already extended both offers beyond the original two month period which was advertised back in March. Both offers were extended to include the whole of May and will remain in place until 15th June (inclusive).

The other current promotional offer of an Edinburgh megarider+ for just £15 per week will be extended until further notice. This has been discounted from the normal price of £18 since the 3rd March.  The Edinburgh megarider+ allows unlimited travel
throughout Queensferry and Edinburgh for 7 days, with longer period tickets also available to buy online.

From 16th June, the promotional fare of £3 for travel between Queensferry and Edinburgh at any time of the day will be withdrawn.  The alternative options (which are already shown within the timetable leaflet) would be an off peak return ticket for £3.50, valid after 0900, or for peak time travel, an Edinburgh dayrider+ costs £5 and can be used for unlimited travel between Queensferry and Edinburgh and throughout
the city on any Stagecoach service.

Andrew Jarvis, Managing Director, Stagecoach East Scotland commented: “We’ve been pleased with the number of passengers using our 40/40A routes and have made the decision to extend our megarider+ ticket offer even further.  Although we need to bring the introductory offer on the day ticket to an end, those travelling into Edinburgh regularly can now switch to the megarider+ at £15, so the fare remains at just £3 per day for commuters, or even less if they travel at weekends too!

“Our dayrider and megarider tickets are all transferrable, so you can pass your ticket to a friend or family member when you’re not using it so get
even more value out of it.”

Route 40 and 40A were launched by Stagecoach in early March, celebrated by a community event held at Hawes Brae car park. The company offered free tea/coffee,
cakes and giveaways along with timetable information and also provided entertainment for kids with a balloon modeller and a bouncy castle.

The company have been praised for their operation of the route so far, with a number of positive comments received regarding the route, timetable and fares. Managing Director Andrew Jarvis, along with the Commercial Manager recently attended a community council event where some community feedback was offered
to the bus operator.

Mr Jarvis continued: “We’re committed to improving any aspects of our service provision possible and we’re looking at all the suggestions received during the community meeting.”

Stagecoach was recently confirmed as Britain’s best value major bus operator for the third consecutive time, according to new independent research. Analysis published by transport specialists TAS1 found that Stagecoach, as Britain’s biggest bus operator provides regular passengers with the lowest cost weekly bus travel.

More information on Stagecoach and the 40/40A timetable is available at www.stagecoachbus.com.

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A free event this evening at the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling up at George Square Lecture Theatre starting at 18.30.

The Scottish première of Half the Road a documentary film explores the world of women’s professional cycling. It focuses on both the love of the sport and the pressing issues of inequality that modern-day female riders face in a male dominated sport.

With footage from some of the world’s best UCI races to interviews with Olympians, World Champions, rookies, coaches, managers, officials, doctors and family members, Half the Roadoffers a unique insight to the drive, dedication, and passion it takes for a female cyclist to thrive. Both on and off the bike, the voices and advocates of women’s pro cycling take the audience on a journey of enlightenment, depth, strength, love, humour and best of all, change and growth.

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Our whisky and oysters competition ends today at 5.00pm. Enter now for two free tickets to an event this Wednesday evening 18 June 2014 at The New Club Edinburgh when you will be invited to taste whisky and shuck oysters!

Click here to enter.

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The Water of Leith Conservation Trust are inviting you to join them at the Visitor Centre 24 Lanark Road EH14 1TQ on 22 June from 2pm. T 0131 455 7367 or email admin@waterofleith.org.uk for further details.

“We hope to lay a mile of pennies along the Water of Leith Walkway from The Visitor Centre to Gorgie Road. We need over 80,000 pennies to complete the challenge. Join us on the challenge day to help lay out the pennies and have a go at fun penny games.

“Free – if you bring a jar of pennies!”

Scots across the country could soon be swapping cul-de-sacs and cottages for waterways and wide-beam barges as Scottish Canals launches phase two of its residential mooring scheme – Living on Water.

Four new moorings in West Dunbartonshire’s picturesque Bowling – the gateway to the Forth & Clyde Canal – are the first of more than 70 to be offered to the public as part of the second phase of the Living on Water initiative, a project that aims to create vibrant houseboat communities on Scotland’s waterways.

Inspired by similar schemes in Scandinavia, Holland and England, Living on Water was originally piloted in 2012 with the introduction of sites at Glasgow’s Speirs Wharf, Leamington Wharf in Edinburgh and Muirtown Wharf in Inverness. The success of these full-time moorings inspired the expansion of the project and the introduction of eight new locations, as well as additional moorings at the original pilot sites. These new locations mean that more than 70 families could soon be living a life less ordinary on the water of Scotland’s canals.

Katie Hughes, Director of Estates at Scottish Canals, said: “Living on Water offers an alternative to traditional accommodation. It encourages residents to live a greener, more relaxed and individual way of life. Also, it can be significantly cheaper when compared to living inland – something which, in the current economic climate, has real appeal. We want to create houseboat communities around the canal network and encourage more people to live, work and play on and along the waterways.

“Since the launch of phase one in September 2012, we have had a fantastic response, not just from leisure boat owners choosing to begin living on-board, but from those completely new to living on the water. From professionals looking for affordable city centre living, to retirees searching for a tranquil spot to settle down, we have ensured there is something for everyone.”

Transport Minister, Keith Brown, added: “It is fantastic to see the work Scottish Canals is doing along Scotland’s waterways; transforming them into vibrant communities and providing residential opportunities for those looking for a way of living on Scotland’s beautiful water landscapes.

“I am pleased to hear of the success that the Living on Water initiative has had to date. This innovative approach, providing over 70 new residential moorings facilities, creates opportunities for people to set up home on Scotland’s canals”.

“Our country’s canal system offers a unique space for people to live both in the city and amongst stunning scenery. I wish Scottish Canals the best of luck with the launch of their second phase.”
Scotland’s 137-mile canal network is already home to around 100 residents, from families and first-time buyers, to retirees who have decided to downsize. One such resident is Liz Jones, who has been living aboard Dungraftin with her husband Billy for the past five years.

“We have always enjoyed being on the water and already had a leisure boat at Loch Lomond, but after raising two kids, we were ready to do something for us and fancied a new challenge. I felt that we had been cautious all our days and our dream was to live on the water full time.

“Living on water is so very different, but something I immediately took to. I enjoy the tranquillity of the canal and friendliness of the people we meet. Strangers say “good morning” and smile.

“I love sitting in the back deck area, or as I like to call it – our ‘conservatory’. Although we have visited quite a lot of the Scottish canal network, when we are at home, we are south-facing, so we are able to watch the sunrise to port and sunset to starboard – it’s moments like these that make living on water even more magical.

“Our grandchildren love coming to visit and our wee dog loves the boat – in fact, he doesn’t know anything different until he visits a ‘real house’, where loves to run around especially up and down the stairs!”

The new moorings, which start from £2,000 a year, are being sold via an auction process at the Living on Water eBay shop and many, such as Leamington Wharf in the capital, are already proving extremely popular. Available off-plan from marketing agents Click-Let Water, the moorings come equipped with a good range of facilities including electricity, water supply and refuse disposal as standard. Many of the locations also have additional amenities such as facilities blocks which include showers, toilets and a laundry, others also boast storage sheds, cafés and landscaped gardens.

All revenue generated by the Living on Water initiative will be reinvested in safeguarding the heritage of the 200-year-old waterways and in projects that will help bring vibrancy, income and jobs to the communities that line their banks.

The nation’s canal network is in the midst of a renaissance and, with more than £1million recently invested in the upgrade of its towpaths and the launch of large-scale such as the Kelpies at the Helix and Scotland’s first urban white water centre at Pinkston in Glasgow, the 137-mile canal network offers some incredible sights. Providing a freedom that traditional living can’t compete with, exploring the many wonders of the waterways is as simple as untying a rope and taking to the helm.

In total, 73 moorings will be available across the 11 sites by the end of September, with the majority of new locations going live in June and July. Both the additional and existing moorings at Muirtown Basin in Inverness (nine in total), Speirs Wharf in Glasgow (five in total) and Leamington Wharf in Edinburgh (two new sites) are available now and the other sites will roll out as follows:

• Bowling – four new moorings by 11th June
• Linlithgow – four new moorings by 17th June
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Submitted by Grant Thomson

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was seriously assaulted in the south west of the capital in the early hours of Friday morning.

The 37-year-old was assaulted at a bus stop on Calder Road, between the junction at Calder Crescent and the underpass near to Wester Hailes Road, sometime between 12.50am and 1.15am on 13th June.

As a result of the attack, the man sustained serious facial injuries and a Police Scotland enquiry is now underway.

Detective Constable Joyce Gunderson said: “This was a serious incident in the very early hours of the morning but we believe that some members of the public may have seen something suspicious in and around Calder Road, and we urge those people to get in touch immediately.

“The suspect is male and it is understood that he was wearing dark clothing at the time of the attack. Anyone with any information which may assist our investigation should contact Police Scotland on 101 or alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”