On Monday 10 March 2014 Meggetland, Edinburgh will have a new Café Venue, The Canalside. The café project, a result of collaboration between Boroughmuir Rugby and Community Sports Club (BR&CSC) Social Investment Scotland, will open the doors to Sporting and Community clubs in the South West of Edinburgh to have a venue to call their home.

Boroughmuir Rugby, who were the main users of the venue took the unique step of becoming a charity, which aims to drive sporting success and participation across all ages and genders. Their social and community objectives was also support a sporting hub were sporting clubs, who were without a clubhouse, could share in the same venue.

Chairperson of BR&CSC, Bill Watson commented:-“Two years ago, our new Board was appointed to build a more self-sustainable club and to provide a home for all community sports in the southwest of Edinburgh. The completion of this café is a result of months of hard work and shows our commitment to the sporting success in our community.”

Bill went on to say: “These are exciting times for sporting clubs in Edinburgh leading up to the Commonwealth Game this year, we are confident we can support the legacy programme of a new generation of sporting heroes to come as a result.”

Elizabeth Brough Community Development Manager who works closely with the clubs in the South West said: “What BR&CSC have been able to do here, is help protect the future development of our sporting programmes around Meggetland and provide an attractive café for all visitors to come and enjoy, regardless if they are there to watch sport or just enjoy the coffee.”

Community consultation has been instrumental in transforming the venue from a traditional rugby club, to an attractive environment for everyone wishing to take advantage of the unique café culture with good coffee and wholesome food.

Submitted by Justin Tito

France score eleven tries to beat Scotland’s women at Lasswade.

Six first half tries and another five in the second from a very strong French team left Scotland’s women with only the match against Wales to salvage anything from their Six nations Tournament.

With the French on the score board from virtually the first minute of the match, it was clearly going to be a difficult day for the home side. And so it proved. With scores raining in from all over, the French backs and forwards were having a field day and there was nothing much that Scotland could do to stem the flow. They barely got out of their own half in the first period, and when they did, everything was snuffed out by the visitors. The first half ended with the sixth try scored and the scoreboard looking bleak at 38-0 to France.

The Scots started much brighter in the second half and kept the French at bay for the best part of 15 minutes, but once the French women scored their first try of the second half, the floodgates opened again and it was back to the script. The final score was a heady 69-0 to France and yet another huge tally of points against for Scotland to reflect on.

There were a few good points, however. The scrum had the visitors creaking a few times as they were pushed about and a bit of grit and determination in the tackle area helped stop a couple of scores, but, at the end of the day, the visiting side was just too big and strong – one of their forwards could just plough on, swatting aside defenders left, right and centre – with more than a little skill, to be worried by anything the Scots could come up with.

Images from the match will be uploaded to here sometime over the following week.

A major milestone has been reached with the plans to develop a new landmark clinical facility in Edinburgh.

Integrated Health Solutions Lothian have been chosen as the preferred bidder to design, build and maintain the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh site.

The project will mean that services from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, currently based at the Western General Hospital, and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital are brought together in a high quality, modern facility.

As part of the procurement process a legal standstill period is currently being observed and, following this period, Integrated Health Solutions Lothian will then work with NHS Lothian to finalise the details for the new building.

Construction work is expected to start in autumn 2014, with the hospital becoming operational in the summer of 2017.

Susan Goldsmith, Director of Finance, NHS Lothian said: “The selection of a preferred bidder follows an extensive and thorough evaluation process.

“This announcement marks a major milestone in what is an extremely exciting project for the people of Lothian and beyond.

“The development will prove significant in shaping the future of care by bringing children’s, maternity and adult services together on the same site.

“It will build on the existing centre of excellence, creating a major trauma centre and providing opportunities for sharing experience, expertise and research.”

The project is the first acute hospital facility to be procured under the Scottish Government’s Non Profit Distributing (NPD) model and the NHS Lothian team have been working closely with Scottish Futures Trust and the Scottish Government to prepare for the procurement process.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Alex Neil MSP said:- “I am delighted to see the positive progress being made in the delivery of this dedicated new children’s hospital and national centre of excellence for clinical neurosciences.

“NHS Lothian has worked hard to get the project to this important stage and I look forward to hearing how they work with Integrated Health Solutions Lothian to commence construction later this year.”

Peter Reekie, director of finance and member of the Project Steering Board, Scottish Futures Trust, said:- “It’s fantastic to reach this milestone on such a significant hospital project. Robust project preparation and the strength of the NHS Lothian project team, combined with SFT’s simplified NPD programme approach had led to a highly efficient and competitive procurement.

“I look forward to working with the team and preferred bidder to deliver construction activity later this year, which will be welcome news to many local businesses.”

France gifted win with penalty two minutes from time.

Penalties! What felt like a million penalty awards to France from Scottish indiscipline left the home Nation rueing the loss of a match they should have won with some ease. With France misfiring in their lineout and their scrum not up to its usual standards, the Scots had the upper hand at the set piece. But, the first of those penalties came in the first minute with penalty award which No 9, Maxime Machenaud slotted home for three points. Less than 10 minutes further into the match, they had their second. Following a period of kick swapping, France got on the attack, but a fine tackle from David Denton and Duncan Weir stopped France’s centre, Maxime Mermoz, breaking through for a try. The ensuing ruck was then infringed by Scotland and an easy kick saw Machenaud extend the lead to 6-0.

Then it was Scotland’s turn to threaten. Weir’s kick off went deep and in the ensuing battle for the ball, the box kick was charged down by Jim Hamilton. Scotland recovered the ball and the attack swung over to the left. A couple of recycles later, Scotland had a penalty and, playing advantage, Stuart Hogg hoisted a high kick into the goal area for Sean Lamont to chase. He went up with two defenders, who lost the ball in the contact and the following up Hogg just had to fall on the loose ball and score the opening try. Referee, Chris Pollock went ‘upstairs’ to check for a knock on, but all was good and the score was 6-5 to France, which Greig Laidlaw turned into a 7-6 Scottish lead with the successful conversion.

From the kick off, the visitors regained possession and set off upfield. They eventually turn the ball over, which Tommy Seymour clears, but they are soon back and win another penalty from another breakdown infringement. Machenaud regains the lead with his kick, but the play costs Scotland the services of Johnnie Beattie with a serious looking leg injury. 9-7 to France.From the restart, France were forced into a couple of clearing kicks and from one of these, Scotland set up their second try. Quick ruck recycle from the edge of the 22 saw the ball move swiftly along the backs. Matt Scott then dropped a neat inside ball into the hands of Seymour and he was through the gap and over the line for Scotland’s second try. Laidlaw slotted home a difficult kick and, at 22 minutes in, 14-9 was now the lead to Scotland.

The rest of the half was very much give-and-take, with both sides gaining and losing possession, and kicks aplenty raining down on from the all over the place. However, it was Scotland who had the better chance to increase the try count, but another ruck penalty when in front of the posts stopped that. France then had a late chance to score another three points but Machenaud failed with that one and the half ended 14-9 to Scotland.

 The Scots had a good start to the second half, forcing the French back into their 22 and having an early chance at goal. The wind foiled Laidlaw’s attempt. But, from the restart, they were straight back up the field. Setting up from turnover ball, the attack reached the five metre line, but a huge, looping pass across the defence from Weir was picked off by wing, Yoann Huget, and, with nobody home, he galloped the length of the pitch to touch down for France’s solitary try. Machenaud scored the easy conversion and France retook the lead 16-14 after six minutes of play.

With France still struggling at line out time and their scrum starting to lose the plot, Scotland were beginning to dominate, but were still more than capable of giving away daft penalties at any time. However, with the wind getting up, Weir stood up for a 61^st minute attempt from a rare French penalty. With Laidlaw holding the ball steady, it clawed its way over the crossbar to retake the lead for Scotland, 17-16. Still with the majority of possession and territory, Weir missed a crucial 71^st minute penalty, and then came the killer blow. With less than two minutes left on the clock, France drove up into the Scots’ 22 and a simple penalty give-away at a breakdown gave away the match. Machenaud slotted home the easy kick for a 19-17 lead which was the final score in a thrilling, but ultimately disappointing, match for the home fans.

It was a tremendously exciting match, with Scotland showing fair bit of attacking ability and the Gallic flair coming to the fore on occasions – running the ball from behind the goal line rather than kicking, for instance – but it was the penalty count which told against Scotland in the long run, so that will need sorted. And sorted soon….

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

Scotland suffered a heart-breaking loss on Saturday evening, when Jean-Marc Doussain slotted a last-minute penalty for France, at Murrayfield. Despite the fact that Scotland were in control for the majority of the match, it was ‘Les Bleus’ who grabbed the two point victory – to keep their RBS Six Nations title dream alive.

After a poor start from the home side, Scotland did well to be in-front at the break – courtesy of tries from Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour. Youann Huget silenced the Murrayfield crowd in the 45th minute with an interception try to turn the score on its head. Weir’s penalty on the hour mark gave Scotland the slight advantage, before Doussain’s penalty secured a 19-17 win for the French.

There was a different atmosphere at the national stadium for the visit of France, with Scotland having clinched a valuable win in Rome, last game out. It could therefore be argued that expectations were high when taking into account the French absentees; with captain Louis Picamoles, Wesley Fofana and Dmitri Szarzewski the most notable omissions from the squad.

As soon as Jules-Plisson got the game underway, it was his side who had the upper-hand. Scotland collapsed the first scrum, which gave scrum-half Maxime Machenaud the chance to slot the first points of the match – which he did with ease, to give France a 3-0 lead after only two minutes. After a quick counter attack from the French, it was Duncan Weir who made a try-saving tackle on winger, Huget. An infringement in the ruck by the Scot’s resulted in a further French penalty, which Machenaud dispatched to extend the lead.

The poor start really sparked the Scottish team into life, and following a turn-over, Stuart Hogg kicked high into the in-ball area. The French defence made a hash of retrieving possession, which allowed Hogg to dive onto the ball for the try. Judging by his celebration it was a certain score – but referee Chris Pollock went to the Television Match Official (TMO), for clarification. Laidlaw confidently added the extras to give Scotland the lead for the first time in the match (7-6).

A careless offside, let the reliable right-boot of Machenaud cut short the celebrations, just minutes after Hogg’s try, and restore the French lead. The lack of creativity shown by ‘The Bravehearts’ in the recent loss to England, was swiftly brushed aside when Matt Scott’s quick hands allowed Tommy Seymour to finish brilliantly in the corner. Any Six Nations team would have been proud to score such a well-worked try – Laidlaw added the extras to give Scotland a 14-9 lead. Despite a fast-paced end to the half, no more points were scored – and Scotland went into the break with the ascendancy.

With possession and territory, Scotland made a very encouraging start to the second half, but on 45 minutes, it all went drastically wrong. With a great try-scoring opportunity looming, Duncan Weir’s long, risky pass was intercepted by Youann Huget, who ran 80-metres to score the try. At a time when the Scottish support should have been celebrating – instead, it was a head-in-hands moment. Yet again, Machenaud was accurate with the boot – to rub salt in the wounds of Scotland.

In a very scrappy second-half affair, Greig Laidlaw’s 45-metre penalty attempt fell just short. Just seconds later, France gave away another penalty. This time, it was Duncan Weir who was given the kicking responsibility, from a similar distance. The resulting kick from Weir, split the posts and Scotland were in front once again, with eighteen minutes remaining. (17-16)

With very few scoring opportunities being created, the score remained in Scotland’s favour with just minutes to go. A penalty given away by the home side, allowed France to kick the ball downfield and gain possession deep in Scottish territory. Following phase after phase of French attack, Scotland were penalised for not releasing in the tackle – right in front of the posts. In normal circumstances, this would be a very simple kick for replacement Jean-Marc Doussain. However, under intense pressure and surrounded by the jeers of the Murrayfield crowd – the Toulouse scrum-half slotted the penalty to give France what can only be described as unconvincing win.

It is a result that both the Scottish players and fans alike, will find very hard to take. Scotland coach Scott Johnson agreed that it was harsh on his team, but reiterated that there were still improvements to be made. He stated: “It’s a fickle world, in sport. Against Italy, we benefitted from it, but this week it was France. We played pretty good rugby but we should have won that game – we let ourselves down”.

Scotland’s number eight and man of the match David Denton expressed his despondency at the result. “This is one of the most disappointing days I’ve had in a Scotland jersey. We gave everything but we were very unlucky at the end there…we dominated the game”.

France can now look forward to challenging for the Six Nations title, when they face an Irish side who will be full of confidence after their convincing win over Italy, earlier today. Depending on other results, either team could be crowned champions in Paris, next Saturday night. As for Scotland, they face a tough match against Wales in Cardiff, but will know that the pressure is now off – and they can focus on spoiling the party for the men from the valleys.

Screen Education Edinburgh, the capital’s hub for film-making education, has had a very busy few months working on various projects and are now delighted to showcase some of the exciting work made by young people on their BFI Film Academy and CashBack for Creativity schemes.

A very special screening event will take place today Sunday 9 March 2014 at the Filmhouse cinema on Lothian Road starting at 11am. Arrival from 10.45, the screening begins at 11 and there will be a reception afterwards at 12.30 in the Filmhouse café. All the young participants will be in attendance along with tutors, filmmakers and special guests.

Graham Fitzpatrick, Creative Manager had this to say about the projects:- “We have been delighted to educate and nurture young people through our CashBack for Creativity Programme and BFI Film Academy. Over the months the young people from across Edinburgh for CashBack and across the East of Scotland for BFI have been learning about all aspects of short film-making and this screening is a showcase of their development. We have also developed six new film tutors, and in a unique approach, four youth trainee tutors drawn from previous CashBack groups who have gained paid employment, training and mentoring. We are delighted with how these projects have gone with the participants not only gaining knowledge and skills but also seeing their confidence and aspirations for the future grow throughout.”

The BFI Film Academy is a nation-wide initiative that aims to help train and inspire the next generation of British filmmakers, supporting talented and committed young people aged 16-19 to develop the commercial and cultural knowledge and skills to help make a career in film a reality.

The Screen Education Edinburgh academy took place over October 2013 to January this year with twenty-four participants going through an advanced filmmaking learning process specialising in screenwriting, directing, acting, camera, sound, make up and editing. There were Masterclasses from acclaimed screenwriter Sergio Casci and BAFTA Award winning director Paul Wright as well as excellent teaching from our industry film tutors. The young filmmakers came from all across the Lothians, Fife and Stirlingshire to the Academy and produced two short films that will screen at this event.

Two film were produced: Broken Memories and Love Byte, both of which will screen at this event.

Cashback for Creativity is Creative Scotland’s programme that provides young people across Scotland with access to high quality dance, film & digital media and music activities, funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities programme which reinvests the proceeds of crime back into communities to benefit Scotland’s young people.

The Screen Education Edinburgh CashBack projects took place across the city at various bases. There were groups in Liberton, Forrester High School, North Edinburgh, Craigroyston High School, Woodlands Special School and with the Rock Trust. All the participants were taken through a six week process learning all aspects of filmmaking from screenwriting to directing, camera, sound and editing. The goal of which was to produce their own short films. Eight films were produced by these groups and will be showcased at this event.

If you wish to attend please contact Neil Rolland at Screen Education Edinburgh neil@screen-ed.org or call 0131 343 1151.

Submitted by Neil Rolland

Sport your trainers! – Commonwealth Day – Kirsty Wark Book Signing – Vintage Fair –  Gallery Ten

Alison Johnstone MSP used to be a runner so it is nothing special for her to wear trainers – except it will be tomorrow when we are all encouraged to wear your trainers for Commonwealth Day.

Read Alison’s blog here.

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The Lord Provost will be raising the Commonwealth flag at the City Chambers tomorrow morning just after 9.30 am. It is expected that around 500 flags will be raised across the UK to mark the 53 Commonwealth countries.

In his speech, the Lord Provost Donald Wilson will say:

“Commonwealth countries come together voluntarily in a spirit of co-operation, partnership and understanding, and it is for that reason we are here today to raise the Commonwealth Flag with over 500 local authorities and community groups throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man in celebration of Commonwealth Day.

“The Commonwealth is made up of fifty-three sovereign states working together in mutual support towards shared goals of democracy, development, and respect for diversity. It’s made up of two billion citizens drawn from all faiths, cultures and ethnicities.

“Beyond the ties of history, language and institutions, members are united by values set out in the Charter of the Commonwealth including tolerance, freedom of expression, respect for human rights, the rule of law, protecting the environment, access to health, education, food and shelter, and gender equality.

“It will be the largest, single raising of this flag in the history of the Commonwealth.”

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WATERSTONE’S EDINBURGH WEST END – Book Signing with Kirsty Wark
Tuesday, 8 April 2014, 6:00PM
Tickets £3/£2 with loyalty card/

Join us for the launch of ‘The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle’ by TV presenter Kirsty Wark. Born just before the First World War, Elizabeth Pringle has been a familiar yet solitary figure on the Isle of Arran. A dutiful daughter, an inspirational teacher, a gardener. But did anyone really know her? When Elizabeth dies, her will contains a surprise…

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Later this month there will be a Vintage Kilo Sale at Out of the Blue on Dalmeny Street on Saturday 22nd March 2014 from 11am – 4pm, £1 entry.

“The Vintage Kilo Sale returns to the Out of the Blue Drill Hall with over 5 tonnes of quality mixed vintage fashion and accessories. Only £15 per kilo! Bag 4 – 5 items and get change from a twenty! Dresses, demin, menswear, jackets, jeans, jumpers, blouses, shirts, shorts, tees and more.  Stock will be replenished throughout the day.”

For more info head on over to the official website .

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RALPH STEADMAN – “Authors” & “Leaders” Exhibition of Prints – Opens 22 March 2014

• Original prints by the famous satirical cartoonist Ralph Steadman.
• “Authors” – Suite of etchings of famous and well known authors.
• “Leaders” – Suite of large screenprints of Fantastical made up world leaders.
• Produced at the Peacock Visual Arts centre in Aberdeen.
• A collaborative exhibition with Peacock Visual Arts.

Exhibition will also include –

JANE HAMLYN – Vessels & Platters – Saltglaze ceramics at its very best.

ANNA KING – Baskets & Containers – Amazing woven forms, unlike any other.

RACHEL MACKIE – Jewellery Collection – Silver and alchemy at its finest.

Gallery TEN – 10 Stafford Street – West End – Edinburgh – EH3 7AU

Opening Times –Tues – Sat – 10.30 – 5.30

An injury time equaliser from Motherwell’s John Sutton scuppered Hibs’ chance to take all three points in what was a frantic game at Easter Road.

The home side went 2-0 down in the first half before pulling one back before the break. They managed to turn the game around in the second half to go into a 3-2 lead late in the game, but sloppy defensive play saw Motherwell come back in the dying minutes and in the end, both sides had to make do with a point apiece.

Hibs started the game brightly, and could have been ahead early on when Danny Haynes beat the offside trap and raced towards the Motherwell goal. Lewis Stevenson had made himself available on the left but Haynes left it too late, and nothing came of the move.

The home side forced a couple of corners in the early stages, but it didn’t take long for Motherwell to settle into the game and they made their mark after 12 minutes when Lionel Ainsworth drilled a ball across the Hibs goal for Sutton to tap in ahead of the stretching Ryan McGivern.

The goal seemed to give the visitors more confidence, and they began to exert more control over the game. It was just before the half-hour mark that Motherwell doubled their lead. This time, provider Ainsworth got a goal of his own with a right-footed shot which curled past Ben Williams into the top corner.

By this point, the home fans were beginning to grow frustrated with their team, and the sounds of boos began to follow every misplaced pass from a man in green and white. Just before half-time, however, Hibs were given a lifeline when Jordon Forster rose high to meet a cross from Paul Cairney, sending his header past Motherwell keeper Lee Hollis and into the back of the net. The move had come about after a corner which had been won after some tricky play by Sam Stanton, arguably Hibs best player on the day.

Hibs could have gone into the break on level terms, but a good turn and shot by James Collins was saved well by Hollis. Forster then found himself completely unmarked but couldn’t direct his header on target for a second goal before half-time, meaning that Motherwell retained their slender lead going into the second half.

The home side started the second half as they had finished the first, with high intensity and another good chance for Collins. The striker saw his initial shot come thundering back off the post, but he could only direct the rebound into the arms of the Motherwell keeper.

Again, it was Hibs who took the game to their opponents in the early stages but Motherwell soon began to assert themselves on the match again. In a bid to inject some pace and freshness into the Hibs attack, manager Terry Butcher sent on Alex Harris in place of Stevenson and Paul Heffernan for Haynes. Motherwell followed suit with Craig Moore replacing the impressive Ainsworth, while Christopher Cadden came on for James McFadden.

With less than 15 minutes to play, it was Hibs that managed to step up and get back on level terms. Again, it was Cairney with the cross as he swung the ball into the Motherwell box where it was won by centre-half Michael Nelson. His header smashed off the crossbar before bouncing and there was a moment of confusion before the fans and players alike realised that the goal had been given.

The remarkable comeback from the home side was completed only a few minutes later, when Cairney once more set up a goal with a well-timed pass out to Heffernan on the right-hand side of the pitch. Heffernan showed experience and composure as he calmly lifted the ball over the goalkeeper to the opposite corner and peeled away to celebrate what many believed to be the unlikely winner.

The game was not over yet, however, and it was mere moments after the fourth official indicated an additional three minutes of added time that Motherwell managed to stage a late comeback of their own. A sloppy clearance from a throw-in saw Ian Vigurs skip past the defence before setting up Sutton for his second of the game.

Speaking after the game, manager Terry Butcher said it was a tough one to take:- “We are very sore; very disappointed. We had a tremendous comeback and showed great character and that’s been spoiled by an unbelievably soft goal although it was great play by Vigurs and I must give him credit but we had umpteen chances to clear the ball.

“We will be working all this week on throw-ins, for and against, and clearances because that was schoolboy defending. It was a bizarre game which sums our season up. Jekyll and Hyde.

“The natives were very restless and understandably but having said that for the first ten minutes we’ve done really well in the game and they have scored with their first meaningful attack.

“The last 10 minutes of the first half lifted the crowd and there was not a lot of ranting and raving at half time because we felt that if we could get a second goal we could go on and win it.

“When we got the third goal we thought great and the headlines would have been about a magnificent comeback. Then we can’t defend a throw in in the last minute of the match and I’m bitterly disappointed by that.”

Paul Heffernan said: “It felt a little bit like a defeat especially when you get yourself in front. Late goals always feel like that when you concede late. There were a few harsh words said in the dressing room as we are all disappointed in there. We showed good character and spirit to get back into the game so there are some positives.

“It was good to get on for 15 minutes to try and make an impact and to catch the eye and obviously it was good to get the goal so hopefully that will give the manager something to think about for the next game.”

Hibs: Williams, Forster, Nelson, Hanlon, McGivern, Cairney (Handling 84), Stanton, Craig, Stevenson (Harris 66), Collins, Haynes (Heffernan 75).

Substitutes not used: Murdoch, Boateng, Maybury, Cummings.

Motherwell: Hollis, Reid, Hutchinson, McManus, Murray, Ainsworth (Moore 70), Vigurs, Lasley, Leitch, McFadden (Cadden 74), Sutton.

Substitutes not used: Stewart, Hammell, Shirkie, Thomas, Neil.

Referee: Steven McLean.

It says much about this season that Hearts’ supporters travelled to Ayrshire today hoping their team would collect three points, not so they could avoid demotion but more that the final nail in the relegation coffin wouldn’t be administered by bitter rivals Hibernian at Tynecastle at the end of this month. They left Rugby Park inevitably disappointed as Gary Locke’s side shipped four goals to Allan Johnston’s side for the second time this season and suffered a third straight loss to a team that had proved to be something of a bogey to Hearts in recent years.

Yet, as at Motherwell last Saturday, Hearts began the game brightly with Ryan Stevenson shooting wide and the Maroons looking lively on the counter-attack. However, it was the same old story of missed chances and defensive frailties for the Edinburgh side. After keeper Jamie MacDonald denied Ashcroft, the home side took the lead after 27 minutes when the always dangerous McKenzie sped down the right wing before firing in a cross which Hearts skipper Danny Wilson could only divert past his own goalkeeper.

Hearts, though, again demonstrated their battling qualities and equalised just three minutes later. Ashcroft’s attempts to usher the ball back to his goalkeeper failed miserably for the home side when Dale Carrick nipped in to send ball beyond Samson to level the score. At least the Hearts supporters had something to cheer at half-time with the score at 1-1.

Sadly, within six minutes of the re-start, Hearts were 3-1 down. First, ex-Killie defender Jamie Hamill was dispossessed by Boyd on the edge of the penalty box and the former Rangers and Scotland striker showed his experience to slip the ball past MacDonald.

Two minutes later, a mistake from Hearts Dylan McGowan proved costly and Boyd made the Australian suffer by shooting high into the net. It looked all over for Hearts at this stage but they were thrown a lifeline with 20 minutes to go when substitute Billy King passed to Sam Nicholson who despatched the ball beyond Samson to make it 3-2 and give some hope to the visiting support.

This hope lasted all of three minutes. Gardyne’s shot struck the Hearts crossbar but the Gorgie defenders could not clear their lines and when Tesselaar returned the ball to Gardyne this time the Killie player didn’t miss. 4-2 to the home side and while substitute Paul McCallum had the ball in the net in the dying stages his effort was ruled out for offside. Yet again Hearts returned to the capital city with nothing.

If Hearts were to win every one of their remaining nine games this would yield 27 points. Currently, the Maroons are 20 points adrift. The last rites on Hearts Premiership status will soon, if you’ll excuse the phrase, be administered…

Kilmarnock: Samson, Tesselaar, Boyd, Karlsson, Clohessy, McKenzie, Gardyne, O’Hara, Slater, Pascali, Ashcroft.

Hearts: MacDonald; McGhee, McGowan, Wilson, McHattie; Stevenson, Hamill, Robinson, Nicholson; Carrick, Paterson

Referee: Euan Norris

Att: 3,510

Top man: Sam Nicholson

A few weeks back you reported that Stagecoach were to start a new 40 service from South Queensferry to Edinburgh. Well, normally bus companies receive bad press but the last two days have been fantastic and I feel it should be reported. Please find below an email I have sent Stagecoach regarding FANTASTIC customer service.

Good Evening Stagecoach

After years of having to put up with a rubbish service 43 from First Bus today I have to commend you for giving us folks of South Queensferry a ”Refreshing Change”.

Day 1: I proceeded to jump on your 40 service from Dalmeny on Monday’s launch day with my voucher in hand and then to be told it was free by the lovely polite female driver was music to my ears even though I had my voucher. A nice warm bus and smooth drive was had into Edinburgh. On my return at around 15:55 from Edinburgh the driver went the wrong way (Took a 40 the 40A route) and seemed a bit stressed but hey it was the first day and these things happen, just a longer ride as I was headed for Echline.

Day 2: I opted for the 7:19am from Dalmeny again with voucher in hand to be greeted by a driver who seemed to be on happy pills for the time of morning, it was an excellent text book customer greeting. I handed my voucher over, he explained that it could be used on both the 40 and 40A services as well as any Stagecoach service from Edinburgh to the Road Bridge. He did this with every passenger who handed him a voucher and answered most questions fired at him Again a nice smooth drive on a warm bus was had. I asked him for his name as I got off and was told Barry.

I opted for your 16:25 40 service from Edinburgh to be greeted again by a happy driver, not as chirpy as Barry this morning but well above what we are used to. Could have been a bit more cheery – or am I now expecting too much? Time will tell..

It’s only the second day and your company and staff have been outstanding, Stagecoach are the talk of the town and nearly everyone has said that the buses are better, cleaner and the drivers are so much friendlier and the buses have WIFI. I gather First are planning to pull out and I hope that you can keep up the high standards set so far and keep up the good work. I will tell everyone I can about my experience so far. My only complaint is that you don’t supply plastic wallets with the tickets where First do! Any chance these could be supplied please?

Keep up the good work,

George Stewart.

Submitted by George Stewart

French U20s overcome battling Scots at Netherdale

In the second of the RBS U20 matches Scotland played in Galashiels, they went down fighting to a strong French side that dominated large parts of the match were but were never quite able to run away with it.

That dominance started from the off with the French forwards penetrating deep into the Scottish 22, but they had to be content with a penalty award which No 10, Brandon Fujardo (top photo) sent wide. The Scots then came back and 15 minutes into the match were awarded their own penalty up around the 22, which No 10, Ben Chalmers scored to give the Scots a 3-0 lead. Less than 10 minutes later it was France’s turn to add points to the scoreboard. Their No 8, Francois Cros, left Scotland’s Malcolm clutching at thin air as the lock sprinted off upfield. His pass to scrum half, Anthony Meric had the ball close to the Scot’s line and his final pass to Fujardo saw the stand-off crashing over for the try. Fujardo then converted to give France a 7-3 lead.

Although Scotland had a period of possession – and a missed penalty – following the score, France gradually began to push them back and a series of kicks and mistakes lead to another French penalty from Fujardo in the 33rd minute to extend their lead to 10-3. The last few minutes of the half were played out in the middle of the pitch, and, although Scotland did penetrate the French defence up to their 22, there was no further scoring and the sides went in at 10-3 to France.

The second half carried on where the first had left off with the French side in the ascendancy. Although they were forced into a couple of errors, they didn’t look under too much pressure and an early penalty saw Meric extend the lead by three to 13-3. It then took the French side just over six minutes to score their second try of the match. Driving the ball deep into the Scots’ 22, they probed and poked at the defence before pressure told and a pick-and-go from a ruck had No 3, Tommy Raynaud over near the corner. Meric missed the kick, but the score was now out to 18-3 with still over 25 minutes to play.

And it was 25 minutes where the Scots came to the fore. Good passing and running, coupled with penalties against the French, left the Scots within a few metres of the 22. Choosing to go for the corner, the home side won the line out and drove up to the French line. Stopped short, the ball was quickly recycled and a couple of drives later, No 4, Andrew Cramond (eventual Man-of-the-Match) was driven over for the try. However, the conversion attempt hit the post so the score was 18-8 to France with 21 minutes of the second half played. With their tails up, Scotland now took the game to the French. Another 10 minutes in and they had set up another series of rucks near the French line, but getting nowhere, the ball was passed out to centre Blair Hutchison. He then lofted a neat kick into the opposition goal area where it looked like an easy catch for the defender, but under pressure Damien Hoyland, he lost the ball and Hoyland then pounced on the loose ball to touch down for Scotland’s second try. This kick was missed as well so the score now stood at 18-13 to France.

The remainder of the match was played mostly in the French half, with the Scots pressing, but with no further scoring the match ended with victory to the visitors, 18-13.

This was a better display from the young Scots side than that against England, but they are still missing the last, wee bit to become regular winners, but, under the tutelage of Sean Lineen, things have moved on and he now has a ‘two year’ squad he can work with into the future.

Images from the match will be uploaded here within the next few days.

Scotland v France – WHEC win keys to the Castle! – International Women’s Day – Edinburgh Trams – Cupcakes to decide the referendum

Later today around 70,000 fans will descend on Murrayfield to watch Scotland play France. The kick off is at 5.00pm.

Rugby fans heading to watch Scotland in the 2014 RBS Six Nations this weekend are being advised to take note of traffic and travel information.

In their second and final home game of this Six Nations tournament, Scotland are playing host to France on Saturday (8 March, kick-off 5pm) and 67,000 spectators are expected to flock to Murrayfield Stadium for the match.

As was the case for the Calcutta Cup match on Saturday 8 February,  pedestrian diversions will be implemented around the Haymarket Station area following the match in order to ensure pedestrian safety and to minimise traffic disruption.

Matchgoers are advised to note that these diversions will be in place for all rugby internationals from now on, in order to keep the traffic flow maintained at the busy Haymarket Station junction. 

The City of Edinburgh Council is working closely with Police Scotland to keep road and pedestrian traffic moving smoothly before and after the game.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener, said: “It is our priority to ensure the safety of the thousands of rugby fans set to flock to Murrayfield at the weekend, and to reduce any disruption to local traffic.

“It is important that we continue to work with Police Scotland to make sure travel to and from the event runs smoothly.”

Superintendent Liz McAinsh said: “Police Scotland is dedicated to keeping people safe, and we would urge everyone attending this match to ensure that they are aware of the pedestrian diversion and traffic restrictions that will be in place. Plan your route after the match knowing that if you are on foot you will be diverted around the Haymarket Station area.”

A Scottish Rugby spokesperson added: “We thank supporters in advance for following the directions of police and stewards to ensure their journey to and from Scotland’s biggest stadium is as safe as possible.”

A number of temporary road closures and parking restrictions will be in place, meanwhile police and stewards will be on hand to help direct members of the public from the Stadium to the city centre.

Those heading back into the city centre on foot will be diverted left off the main road up Magdala Crescent to continue back into town.

Pedestrians travelling by rail from Haymarket Station will be guided along the main road towards Haymarket and stewards will be on hand to provide further assistance and advice as they approach the Station.

Please note that Russell Road is now fully open for those pedestrians making their way back towards the Dalry area and as an alternative route to the city centre.

Information about getting to and from Murrayfield Stadium by bus or rail can be found on the Scottish Rugby website.

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A group of 5 S4 Wester Hailes pupils won this years ‘Keys to the Castle’ competition organised by Historic Scotland and Springboard UK (a travel and tourism industry charity).

About 50 groups from across Scotland entered and we were fortunate enough to provide the winning team. They came up with some very good ideas for improving visitor services at Historic Scotland visitor attractions such as Edinburgh Castle.

The Nat 4 Geography class and the winning Team were then invited to attend a VIP visit to Stirling castle. They were presented with their trophy and treated to a fantastic day out and lunch at the castle. The pupils met characters from history during their tour of the newly refurbished James V Palace. They dressed up in costumes and had the opportunity to handle authentic replicas of important historical artefacts (up close and personal). In the afternoon, they made mini catapults which ended up being great fun for all. Castle staff also explained the range of careers associated with running a castle and looking after the nations historical treasures. They are keen to enter the competition again this summer term. Fingers crossed the trophy will be coming back to WHEC in 2015!

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Today is International Women’s Day and we have run a few interviews with some women councillors to highlight that.

At Holyrood they are running an IWD event entitled ‘What women want, What women need’.

Hundreds of women from diverse backgrounds across Scotland will attend the annual event which aims to celebrate women’s achievements and increase the participation and involvement of women in influencing policy.

***

“The tram infrastructure presents huge potential for us to generate a significant income stream for Transport for Edinburgh and for the city. We are working closely with Edinburgh Airport with a view to tapping into their existing expertise and international networks and to securing maximum commercial returns.

“A full naming and advertising strategy will be drawn up in the coming months to ensure that any agreements reached maintain the integrity of the TFE brand.”

This idea requires the approval of the council who will discuss it this week.

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Cuckoo’s Cupcake Referendum Poll Results after 3 days! Cuckoo’s Bakery at the foot of Dundas Street and  just across from one of the city’s main employers Standard Life and The Royal Bank of Scotland claims to have predicted the result of September’s independence referendum.

YES – 29.25%
NO – 50.94%
UNDECIDED – 19.81%

Since the launch of their Opinion Poll, there has been huge interest from politicians through to customers and the media.  After three days of fun and debate, Cuckoo’s have now released the current results showing the No Campaign comfortably ahead.
Customers have been peering over at other tables to see what other customers are eating and this has stimulated lots of interesting inter-table conversations.  The overwhelming response has been that the cupcakes referendum poll has brought some light relief to the importance of the referendum.

Results will continue to be released on a fortnightly basis however on the day results will also be available on request.  Cuckoo’s hope to achieve sales of 10,000 cupcakes between now and the referendum will give a very good indication of public opinion.

What do you think? Is this as good as Paul the Octopus at the last World Cup or does it carry more weight?!

A joint venture formed by The Edinburgh Partnership, Joined up for Jobs and Connected will deliver free service training for the retail sector at Muirhouse Millennium Centre on Wednesday 12 March 2014  running from 11am – 2,00pm

This course will run for one day only, but should be of a great advantage to young and older people alike. At the end of the session attendees will be given a proof of attendance certificate.

If you have an interest in attending, phone Peter Airlie at the centre(0131-467-3578) or Gwen on 0131-557-7913 to book a place.

Remember – Wednesday 12th March running from 11am – 2,00pm

Submitted by Jim McGinty

This week’s photo is a view of Leith and Newhaven from Arthur’s Seat, taken by Col Lourie!

The Stockbridge Photography Club is a non-profit photography club that aims to operate in a different way from the traditional photography club mould. They have informal monthly meetings where they discuss their photos over a cup of coffee and learn about the month’s theme.

Outside of this, they arrange photowalks and trips to various locations and landmarks in and around Edinburgh, providing their members with something interesting to photograph, whilst always having someone on hand to answer any questions.

Visit their website for more information.

Submitted by Stockbridge Photo Club

Edinburgh Primary pupils picked up prizes yesterday for their alien artwork.

As part of World Book Day, youngsters from 36 local schools were tasked with creating an eye-catching front-cover for a travel guide to help visitors from Outer Space find Edinburgh’s top attractions.

Organised by Edinburgh Napier University’s Scottish Centre for the Book and sponsored by Edinburgh Airport, the competition attracted entries from more than 3000 children.

Yesterday the six prize winners received A1-size copies of their guide-book covers at a special party and prize-giving.

First prizes were awarded to Caine Hulbert from St. David’s RC Primary School who came out top in the P5-P7 category with his picture of Angus the alien, who he drew wearing a kilt outside Edinburgh Castle, and Bethany Connor from Roseburn Primary, who entered the P1-P4 category with her ‘Jellyman’ alien drawn in front of Greyfriars Bobby.

An exhibition of the winners’ work is to be displayed at Edinburgh City Council HQ at Waverley Court before going on to Edinburgh Airport.

Photographs

Bethany_Connor_P4_Roseburn~1: Bethany’s guidebook cover design of ‘Jellyman’ alien beside Greyfrairs Bobby

CaineHumbert_P5_StDavidsRC~1: Caine’s guidebook cover design of Angus the alien in front of Edinburgh Castle

Bethany and Caine: First prize winners, P4 Roseburn Primary pupil Bethany Connor and P5 St. David’s RC Primary School pupil Caine Hulbert pose with their winning artwork

Schoolboy rugby enthusiasts are in for a treat on Sunday when Merchiston Edinburgh hosts its annual Sevens Festival, which has been running since 1990.  Sport is an important part of life at Merchiston and the School is particularly proud of its strong rugby tradition.

This annual festival is a highlight for the Merchiston community and this year is bigger than ever.  There will be 45 teams from 17 schools and clubs and a total of 80 matches, making it the largest schoolboys’ Sevens Festival in Scotland.  The tournament has been extended to cover five age groups, including U15 and U11, with the aim of inspiring the youngsters within the competition.

One of the key organisers of the festival is Merchiston’s Director of Rugby, Rob Moffat who has a wealth of experience in the game of rugby, including previously coaching the Scotland Sevens squad and touring with them all over the world: He said: “The abbreviated form of the game, which of course started here in Scotland, is growing steadily and is now an Olympic sport.  We are proud of our Merchistonians who have recently gone on to represent the Scotland Sevens, including James Johnstone, Russell Weir and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.  The 7-a-side game is one where the boys can show off their skills in attack and defence and one where the team ethos is paramount.”

The tournament is taking place on nine pitches at the Merchiston’s campus on Colinton Road, starting at 11:30am. Between 1500 and 2000 spectators are expected.  Amongst those looking forward to the occasion is Headmaster, Andrew Hunter who said: “Rugby is such a brilliant game for boys and is an excellent way to teach the young to become part of a team, as they work with each other unselfishly.  The Sevens is an exciting way to finish the season and we do hope that all involved will have a most enjoyable afternoon.”

Scotland Women continued their good run of form with a 4-3 win over the Netherlands in the Cyprus Women’s Cup at the GSP Stadium, Nicosia yesterday.

Wearing the much talked about new adidas away strip Anna Signeul made one change to the team that drew 1-1 with France, resting Ifeoma Dieke with  Glasgow City’s Nicola Docherty brought into the side for a starting debut at left back – which meant Hayley Lauder moving to left midfield and – hugely significantly – Evans going up front to partner Jane Ross. Rachel Corsie dropped back from midfield to replace Dieke in a 4-4-2 line up.

Lisa Evans put the Scots ahead in the  15th minute with a fierce right foot shot from 20 yards then added a second after rising to meet a cross from Hayley Lauder. Her header hit the bar but she was alert enough to fire the rebound home.

Her hat trick arrived thanks to a blunder by Dutch defensive midfielder Tessel Middag, who allowed Evans to dispossess her just outside the box and the Scots were three ahead after just 33 minutes.

Scotland then came very close to adding two more through Beattie and Jane Ross before Holland got back into the game with two goals just before half time through Renee Slegers and Lieke Martens.

Holland almost grabbed an equaliser but  Docherty did well to clear off the line from Melis just after the interval. A minute later Scotland gave themselves some much-needed breathing space when Beattie scored from five yards following a corner.

Melis provided a cool finish to make the score 4-3 and the Dutch fought hard to secure a draw but the Scots held on for the victory.

After the game Scotland coach Signeul said: “We had a fantastic start and Lisa’s goals were brilliantly taken.” Then I think the French game on Wednesday night showed in our legs and in our minds.

“To keep Holland to 1-1 in the second half when we were really tired was very encouraging. It showed we could stand up to them and that was a great achievement.”

Hibs’ full back Jordon Forster has slammed talk of a fear factor amongst the players when it comes to playing at Easter Road and insisted that they can’t do anything about their poor home record other than start winning.

Speaking ahead of today’s clash with Motherwell, Forster said: “There is no fear at all going on to play at Easter Road, for me personally. And I can vouch for the rest of the boys; no-one’s scared to play at Easter Road. People always talk about the record at Easter Road, but it’s a record because it’s in the past. I think people spend far too much time on it. It’s happened, so there’s not a lot we can do about it.

“People talk about being scared to play at home, being scared to play a football match. It’s a game of football. You have to go out and enjoy yourself, and if you’re scared you won’t enjoy yourself. If you’re not enjoying football, I don’t understand why people would play it.

Easter Road is a big pitch and players like to play on big pitches and try and pass the ball. I wouldn’t say it’s difficult to play on. Results haven’t been good and you can hear the fans after games – they’re entitled to their opinions. As a professional football player you need to be big enough and strong enough to take criticism and get on with it.

“We need to try and be a little bit more brave. Try and get on the ball more and not. I wouldn’t say hide, but maybe we were being a little bit too direct. Maybe some of us need to be more brave, and get on the ball and look to pass it more.”

After today’s game, Hibs face Inverness, Partick Thistle and top six rivals St Johnstone all away from home before travelling to Tynecastle for what is likely to be the last top flight derby for at least one season.

The youngster continued: “We are solely focused on Motherwell on Saturday and, if we get the three points at home, it stands us in good stead going into a busy couple of weeks. Right now, the position we’re in, top six is what we’re aiming for, but Hibs is a massive club and we’re definitely more than a top-six club. With the facilities we’ve got and the supporters, we should be challenging for fourth, third, second, especially with Rangers out the league just now. But, right now, top six is what we’re aiming for.”

Although Hibs are currently in seventh place, they are only six points above a play-off position, but Forster and his team-mates are not concerned about the bottom of the table and are looking upwards rather than over their shoulder.  “No, it’s not a worry” he continued. “You’re always aware of the teams round about you. But we’re looking up rather than down. Obviously the performances haven’t been good enough, and people start to question the teams coming up behind us, but we’re solely focused on Saturday. If we get the three points, which we’re aiming to do, it moves us away from them and closer to St Johnstone. “The performances picked up for seven or eight games, and they haven’t been good enough of late. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, because if we knew why we’d stop it. All you can do is work hard to try and get back to those performances. We are working hard out there to try and get things right and 
stop conceding as many goals, especially at home.”

Photo by John Preece

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography

Hearts’ youngster Gary Oliver is desperate to regain his place in the team after injury blighted his chances earlier in the season and he knows that the best way to achieve his goal is to score some.

Speaking ahead of today’s clash with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, Oliver said:  “I got injured at the wrong time. I had just broken into the team up at Inverness, but in the very first minute of the game I tore my ligaments. It wasn’t the best time for that to happen, especially as I had worked so hard to get into the team. Now I need to keep working hard to try and regain my space in the team. Being so young I wasn’t really expecting to play for the first team this season so even getting the chance to come on has been brilliant this season. It had been a great experience and it has helped me as a player as well. I’m hope I can get a run in the team now and I can start scoring goals.

“I’m sure if I can get in the team I can do well. I am a natural striker and we don’t have many of them at the club right now so I’d like to prove I am worthy of a place in the team and the best way to do that will be by coming in and scoring goals. I’ve been in the gym all season working on getting quicker and building myself up. I’m not the biggest so I need to be strong and I think I have improved at everything as the season has gone on.”

Speaking of natural strikers, Oliver has the advantage of learning form one of the finest strikers ever to play for the club, John Robertson. He continued:  “Robbo’s a legend at the club so I’m just trying to take in as much as I can from him. If I can learn from him I’m sure I can do well. I haven’t seen a lot of footage of him as a player but I don’t need to – he tells me every day how many goals he scored! He’s still got it as well. You can see he can still finish a chance. He must have been a good player in his day, but you do get sick of listening to him at times! He does like to talk about those goals!”

With the uncertainty at the club regarding players’ contracts, Oliver admits that he is playing for his future but hopes to remain at Tynecastle and is planning on a summer in the gym to build himself up for next season, wherever that may be.

He continued: “First team level is a lot harder than the under-20s.It’s more physical, it’s quicker, it’s just a lot harder all around, so I know I need to become a better athlete. I’ll be in here during the summer trying to make myself stronger but that depends if I get another contract here.I’m up at the end of the season and I haven’t heard anything yet. We all need to wait and see what the new owners want to do but hopefully I will get another contract. I’m playing for my future at the moment but I would love to stay on if I can.

“The mood is good. We know it is still mathematically possible to stay up so we’ll keep going until that is no longer the case.”

Councillor Karen Keil was first elected at the council elections in May 2012. She is a Labour councillor who represents Drum Brae/ Gyle Ward.

What are you doing to celebrate International Women’s Day?

I think I am now attending an event at St Columba’s by the Castle!

What is your job?

Councillor for City of Edinburgh

Would you give us a quick version of your career path?

University of Edinburgh – BD Degree

Admin Assistant for Church of Scotland Simpson House (Drug and Alcohol Counselling Service) – 5 years

Admin Assistant for Christian Aid (Third World Development Agency) – 20 years

Variety of voluntary community activities at the same time,

Now a City of Edinburgh Councillor

If you had been given career advice on leaving school (knowing what you know now!) what would it have been?

Don’t listen to the Careers Advisers!!! Follow your heart, follow your opportunities, work for what you want.

My careers advice to my two student daughters – there is nothing you cannot do.

Do you use any formal networking organisations? If you do which ones do you find useful?

Women’s organisations – no, not at all.

Do you think there are enough women in important positions in private and public organisations in Edinburgh?

Probably not but I can’t honestly comment because I don’t know.

Who is your inspirational female figure and why?

I could say Lesley Hinds who has taught me all I know about being a Councillor!

But the most inspirational woman in my life was my paternal grandmother. She was known as the Duchess she looked after a husband, three sons and her father. She was a clever woman trapped by the circumstances of her age.  She was on every Board, Committee and Trust that would have her in a voluntary capacity.  She was also a tyrant who ruled the men in her life with an iron fist!!  She died in the 1980s aged 87.

The Hibernian Community Foundation are helping to launch a new study aimed at harnessing football’s appeal in order to encourage more teenage girls to exercise.

The study will involve collaboration between Hibernian FC, Hibernian Community Foundation and The University of Edinburgh Physical Activity for Health Research Centre in the Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences in partnership with the University of Glasgow. It will inform ways of increasing participation in physical activity by young females.

Adolescent girls have been identified as a strategic priority by the Scottish Government’s Physical Activity Strategy due to the small percentage of girls achieving physical activity recommendations. Recently published research findings show that health and fitness programmes connected to football clubs are highly successful in helping men lose weight and increase their physical activity.　 The new scoping study will build on this research to explore ways to use the football connection to develop a platform for reaching teenage girls.

The project follows on from recently published research into the effectiveness of the Football Fans in Training (FFIT) programme for middle-aged overweight men led by the University of Glasgow.

The research team includes Dr Samantha Fawkner and Dr Ailsa Niven from The University of Edinburgh Physical Activity and Health Research Centre, and Dr Cindy Gray, who played a key role in the original FFIT research (from The University of Glasgow).

Research will include an electronic questionnaire sent out to Hibernian FC fans and local secondary schools. Surveys will be active from 5 March for three weeks and can be accessed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HCFandUOE. The survey will be followed by small focus groups to identify more specific possibilities. The questionnaire and focus groups will aim to determine what appeals to the teenage girls in terms of physical activity and nutrition. The findings are expected in April and will be used to develop a programme that addresses girls’ needs and exercise preferences.

More information can be found at www.hibernianinthecommunity.org.uk/news and at http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/education/rke/centres-groups/pahrc.

Contact: Dr Samantha Fawkner, s.fawkner@ed.ac.uk

One of the many plus points about the internet is the emergence of on-line shopping. I don’t just mean the occasional splashing out on a luxurious item such as a television, computer or some other electrical gadget. I mean the hum-drum exercise that is getting food on the table and other household necessities. In years gone by I grew to detest the trail round the supermarket and the weekly battle for groceries. Now I shop from home via the websites of the likes of Tescos, Sainsbury’s and ASDA. Generally, they’re pretty good – they usually turn up when they say they’re going to and usually deliver everything I order. However, the other day, I opted to head to a supermarket and fight my way through the crowds. And my visit merely reminded me how much I hate shopping…

If some people drove their cars the way they steer their shopping trolleys there would be carnage on the roads. The danger begins before you even enter the building, merely by obtaining a trolley from outside and making for the entrance. On my visit, I appeared to be the only person who knew where they were going. Without wishing to be sexist – okay I will be sexist – it’s mainly women who are the main offenders here. It’s the same with any kind of shopping. Men know what they’re going for, know where to get it, get it, pay for it and head home. A relatively simple modus operandum but one which appears far too complicated for the some women who just amble around aimlessly. Worse still, they appear happy to do so.

Getting a clear run down one of the countless aisles is damn near impossible. And it’s nearly always the shopper with the trolley overflowing with goods who leaves said trolley in the middle of the aisle while they consider whether to buy free trade coffee, decaffeinated coffee (decaffeinated coffee – am I the only one who doesn’t see the point of this?) or the cheapest brand coffee. While their unruly offspring wreak havoc with the store and other shoppers (usually me) and scream incessantly.

Then there are the ‘Hello! I’ve not seen you in ages, how are you?’ shoppers who decide to block up the aisle and regale each other with meaningless episodes in their sad little lives over the last five years. They appear oblivious to the words ‘excuse me please’ while they chatter about how Shona is pregnant again and did you not know she left her man last year and it’s little Johnny I feel sorry for….All I want is access to a four pint carton of milk.

And that’s another thing. How many types of milk are there these days? Full cream, semi-skimmed, super semi-skimmed, half fat, organic….Jeezo, I just want some bloody milk.

On the plus side, actually going in person to the supermarket means you can actually pick your own fresh meat, fruit and vegetables and not have tonnes of the produce delivered with the small detail revealing that the sell by date is tomorrow.

On the negative side there are the 3 for £5 stickers adorning so many products. So your intention to purchase just one block of cheese is trumped by the fact that you can get three for spending just a pound more. What a bargain! For who, I’m not so sure…

Having fought your way through the platoon of screaming brats, direction less women and pensioners who might have forgotten why they’re there in the first place, you finally stagger to the checkout. Trying to work out what will be the quickest checkout is a skill worthy of a SVQ (Supermarket Vacating Queue) qualification. It’s not merely a case of heading for the shortest queue. There will be some old dear who has to hand over £45.63 in pound coins, ten pence pieces and coppers and the woman who opts to pay by credit card but, inevitably, can’t remember her pin number. And there’s another thing that irritates me. Self-service checkouts.

Remember the days when you could go to the corner shop and have a blether with the shop owner behind the counter? That was replaced by the supermarket culture of the 1960s. At least you might have been lucky enough to get a grunt or two from the spotty-faced youth scanning your goods before rolling them down the counter for you to frantically throw into plastic bags. Now, in 2014, we are being ‘encouraged’ to scan the items we wish to purchase ourselves using automated self-service checkouts. I don’t like them. I prefer human interaction. I don’t get much of a response from a machine when I ask if it’s been a busy day. I just get a ‘beep’. And when I ask ‘are you going to the Hearts game?’ I get a ‘BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!’ – another sign of the times….

To save further anguish from this shopping hell, I think next time I’ll stick to what I’ve become accustomed to these last few years and get my groceries from the comfort of my own home.

Going back to the battlefield that is the supermarket? I would need to be off my trolley…

The last year has been sensational for Disclosure. From small venues to near-enough arenas, they have managed to grab tonnes of fans along the way from a surprisingly lengthy age group range. The influence in their music has become noticeable from the start and has grown substantially since the debut of their first hit, ‘Latch’. No wonder the Edinburgh crowd went mad for the two brothers.

A conference hall didn’t exactly seem appropriate for an electronic show – the polystyrene ceiling tiles, the obstructive posts (that have to keep the venue structurally intact therefore making it difficult to complain), and the disgustingly sweltering heat because of the apparent absent air condition don’t really bond well to create an enthralling atmosphere for a live show; however, this didn’t stop Disclosure. “We have blown the roof off this place,” is usually a statement that is grossly over-exaggerated by artists – not in this setting. Part of the polystyrene tiles almost fell on top of the Lawrence brothers as the bass shook the place into a frenzy.  They blew the tiles off in spectacular fashion.

While the brothers were occupied with laptops, instruments and several pieces of DJ equipment between them, the crowd are in a state of euphoria, spilling drinks everywhere while moving their bodies and arms all over the place. The duo occasionally pump the crowd up more with a chant, but it is mainly concentration stamped all over their face. Is it a bad thing? Not exactly. It’s a live DJ set. This isn’t just some gig where they press play on iTunes on their MacBook, they are playing everything live – the drums, the bass, the mixing, everything. Obviously apart from a couple of samples here and there but it is difficult to expect them to do perform all of it live, especially when they are without any guest vocalist. Every little detail is performed precisely. It sounds so similar to their number one record, Settle, that people would instantly jump to the conclusion that they are faking it. Even the dim live vocals from Howard on ‘F For You’ are spot on.

It’s a strenuous task to even nitpick Disclosure’s show, everything is sublime, consistent and dynamic. Maybe the only disappointment is the fact that there is no guest vocalist available to sing on any of their songs, which was always going to be difficult to achieve considering the fast-paced careers of their fellow musicians. Instead, a black-and-white moving image of the singer who performed on that specific song appeared on a screen behind Guy and Howard Lawrence.

It wasn’t just their hits that managed to grab the best reception. The entire 80-minute set, which consisted solely of their album, was as energetic a set that the Corn Exchange will ever see. Of course the hits were most vigorously received with ‘White Noise’ bewildering the lively crowd, and ‘Latch’ showing that the audience were forever tireless. It’s an incredible feat for such young lads to achieve and while they look to crown as kings of electronic music, it looks like an impelling and stimulating time for fans of the genre – especially when acts like Disclosure are performing impeccably.

The Scottish Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Fergus Ewing, on Wednesday announced a funding boost for the Scottish Biofuel programme at Edinburgh Napier University’s Sighthill campus. He pledged that along with funding from the EU, Scottish Enterprise and partner institutions, will grant additional funding to the tune of £475,000 over the next 2 years to the programme that is committed to developing fuel sources outside fossil fuels. The Minister voiced his hopes that this money would be able to help Scottish Biofuel to continue to ‘break new ground’ in this industry in which Scotland is undeniably a world leader.

As well as the Minister’s announcement at the reception on the fifth floor of Sighthill’s state of the art library, there were also speeches from Martin Tangney, the director of Napier’s Biofuel research centre and Founder and Chief Scientific officer at Celtic renewables, Jim Walker, Managing Director of Argent Energy , and Andrea Nolan, Principal and Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University.

After being introduced as ‘the man who has done the work to give credibility to Scottish Biofuel’ Jim Walker of Argent energy went on to explain in detail the work that is done at the company’s plant in Motherwell. He explained the company’s huge successes in creating sustainable biofuels from saturated fat from animals and from other sources. He further went on to explain the company’s exponential growth including the company’s acquirement by Swire to eventually turn it into a multinational company.

Further to the speeches made by figures within the industry there was also a whisky tasting session immediately following the reception with Celtic Renewables, who use the waste from the distillation of whisky to create biofuel. The companies that were represented at the reception are at the core of an industry that is looking to Scotland for its lead. Not only does it create an atmosphere that there is ground breaking research going on in Scotland, and in particular the cross-university group that is led by Edinburgh Napier, but as Minister Ewing says, it’s about the future of our own well being:

“We are very keen to continue to support the Scottish Biofuel programme and all the good work that collectively they’re doing.

“We need to do so for climate change, we want to improve air quality, we want to improve the health and wellbeing of our citizens and we want to tackle the omissions particularly in the transport area and biofuels play such a vital part in that.”

Scottish children’s teams are being called on to sign up to a scheme to bring back half-time oranges to kids’ football.

The project is calling for children’s teams around the country to sign a pledge to replace chocolate, crisps, sweets and biscuits during the half-time break with a healthier choice of snack.

Teams sign up to the scheme free at www.halftimejaffa.com

They will receive vouchers for fruit, entry into draws and competitions for football kit and other equipment, as well as regular updates on how the project is developing. Many teams will also receive their own half-time starter pack – including a cool bag, containers for home and away sides and information for the team.

The Bring Back the Half-Time Jaffa project was launched to encourage healthy eating in kids’ football. It began in Cambridgeshire in September, where local club St Ives Rangers was given half-time starter packs for all of its children’s teams as well as free half-time fruit for the entire 2013/14 football season.

A recent survey on half-time eating habits carried out for Jaffa fruit found almost half (45%) of kids eat crisps, chocolate, sweets or biscuits at half time. 43% drink fizzy or high sugar drinks during sports. Half of children thought it was important to eat fruit at half time, while 97% said they would eat a healthy snack if it was provided for them.

The winner of the 2012 John Watson Prize, which is awarded each year to a graduating student at Edinburgh College of Art, will present her most recent work in a new display at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art this week.  Zoë Fothergill, whose impressive degree show earned her the award, is fascinated by the ways in which digital technologies have begun to alter our experience of the world. The three new pieces she has created for Fur, Bizmuth & Spiny Oyster are based on her research into the internet phenomenon Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR).

The term describes the physical response; generally felt as a pleasurable tingling in the head and scalp, which is reportedly caused by exposure to a range of sensory triggers, and which has been closely linked in recent years to the experience of watching homemade ‘whisperer’ videos posted on internet sites such as YouTube.  These videos are posted by people known as ‘ASMRtists’, who attempt to stimulate the viewer’s response by addressing the camera in a soft voice, and generating gentle, soothing sounds, by touching, handling and describing inanimate (and sometimes animate) objects – crinkling paper, tapping fingernails, or brushing hair for example.

To date there has been no dedicated research to establish a physiological basis for ASMR, but news reports have suggested that many people successfully use the videos as a means of alleviating the effects of stress or insomnia.  The experience is described in a variety of ways, but for some it is akin to synaesthesia (where the stimulation of one sense produces a secondary, involuntary stimulation of another), or to hypnosis.  For others it has a titillating or confessional thrill, but for most of the hundreds of thousands of people in the online community that has grown up around ASMR these intimate, non-sexualised exchanges are the source of the specific, euphoric sensation which has variously been described as a ‘brain massage’, ‘head tingle’ and ‘braingasm’.

Fur, Bizmuth & Spiny Oyster, comprises three new works which explore the different forms that ASMR videos can take, and celebrates Fothergill’s fascination with the phenomenon, combining found online footage with studio-based material produced by the artist.

The first film, Keep Delete (2014), focuses on the show-and-tell format adopted by many ASMRtists, as they handle a range of objects and describe for the viewer their tactile, material qualities.  The work combines a beautifully edited collage of YouTube video clips with a whispered narrative recorded by the artist.  This follows the transcript of an online editorial discussion around the absence of scientific evidence which preceded the deletion of the first ASMR page on Wikipedia.

How does that feel? (2014) will be presented on a small screen with headphones, positioned at a desk and chair, to allow visitors to experience the work individually.  The film brings together a succession of clips from ‘role-play’ videos, the other principal format used by ASMRtists.  In these the performer enacts a scenario which mimics a direct, one-to-one interaction between themselves and the viewer – such as a session at the hair salon, an eye examination or a make-up application – which is again accompanied by a softly-spoken or whispered monologue, recorded on binaural (or 3-D) microphones to intensify the illusion of a personal, intimate encounter.

The final film casts three objects – fur, bizmuth and spiny oyster – as its principal characters, who together enact a ‘transactional analysis’ (a form of psychoanalysis that originated in 1960s California) of ASMR.  The work explores the nature of the interaction between the performer and the viewer, as well as the psychological motives behind individuals’ involvement in the ASMR community.

A limited edition publication has been hand-made by the artist to accompany the exhibition. It includes two commissioned texts, a contextual piece by Emma Balkind and a fictional work by James Clegg, in addition to an interview between SNGMA curator Linsey Young and the artist. Imagery produced by the artist is combined with specific paper/fabric selection to make the publication both a visual and tactile experience. The publication has been made possible by the generous support of Arts Trust Scotland.

The research for this body of work was initiated during a residency at Hospitalfield Arts, Arbroath in July 2013 for which the artist was awarded funding by Creative Scotland’s Professional Development Programme.

Since graduation Fothergill has exhibited extensively including at Embassy, in Edinburgh (2013), at Flood, in Dublin (2013) and at FilmForum in Los Angeles (2014).

Artist Talk: Monday 31 March, 12.45-1.30 pm

The Studio, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One)

Artist Workshop: Thursday 3 April, 5.30-6.45 pm

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One)

Scotmid Barnton in Edinburgh has scooped two prestigious awards at last night’s 2014 Convenience Retail Awards. The store was crowned the Best Multiple Convenience Store in the UK and picked up a second award for the Best Use of Technology.

Scotmid Barnton was recognised by the judges for its outstanding service, local supplier product range, customer facilities, fresh and local produce, and the design and layout of the store. The store was also praised for its engagement with the local community. Staff have raised over £3,000 for their local primary school in Cramond and have held a number of fundraising events for the school in the store.

The Barnton store won the Best Use of Technology award for its interactive customer touchscreen, which is used to communicate with shoppers and engage with the local community. Customers can use the touchscreen to find out about community events, news and special offers. The interactive screen can also be used to give feedback to staff and find out about Scotmid’s work with local suppliers, as well as charity and community activities.

Scotmid Barnton was completely refurbished in April 2013 to improve the shopping experience for shoppers. A host of new customer services have been introduced, including an in-store bakery, artisan breads from The Breadwinner Bakery, freshly ground coffee and orange juice. The range of fresh produce, craft beer and specialty wines, meat and fish, and products from local suppliers have all been expanded to give customers a greater choice and variety.

Colin McLean, Chief Operating Officer for Scotmid Co-operative said: “Winning these two awards is a tremendous honour for everyone at Scotmid. These prestigious accolades show that Scotmid Barnton is leading the way in convenience retailing, while remaining at the heart of the local community. We are very thankful to all of our staff, customers and the community for their support.”

Clare Surgenor, Store Manager of Scotmid Barnton said: “It’s been a real team effort to win these awards – from the management team to our customer service assistants. I’m extremely proud of each of them for what they have achieved. We are very proud of the way we communicate with our customers, and our new customer touchscreen is taking convenience retailing into the future. It’s been a useful resource for the local community to have this kind of technology in our store – we’ve used it to put up news, special offers and information about events going on in the local area. Our customers can also find out more about our local suppliers and discover more about Scotmid and the work we do with communities across Scotland.”

She added: “I’d like to thank our customers and local residents for their loyalty and for helping us to build a better store.”

Allan Robertson, Regional Business Manager for Scotmid Co-operative said: “We are thrilled to win these awards. It is wonderful to be selected from true leaders in our industry. Our customers really like the new-look store and their feedback since we completed the refurbishment has been fantastic. I would like to thank the Store Manager Claire Surgenor and her team for all of their hard work.”

This is the second year that Scotmid has won the Best Multiple Convenience Store award, after Scotmid Warrender Park in Edinburgh picked up the prize in 2013. The Convenience Retail Awards are the most prestigious awards for the convenience store sector in the UK.

Shock cases of paint stripper found in makeup products that can cause blindness,  fashion boots made from skinned dogs, perfume containing urine and phoney condoms were unveiled at a major conference yesterday to highlight the scale of Scotland’s fake goods problem.

The Scottish Anti Illicit Trade Summit is the first event of its kind that brings together police, trading standards, industry and other agencies to fight the counterfeit and illicit trade gangs operating across the country – and to urge the public to play its part by refusing to buy dodgy products.

The Summit features the largest collection assembled of diverse high quality and cutting edge fake and illicit products – such as foods, fashion, gaming, alcohol, DVDs, music, beauty products and medicines – that have been seized by police and trading standards in Scotland.

Organised by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC), and delivered by its newly-formed Scottish Anti Illicit Trade Group, the two-day Summit at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium is outlining the close links to serious and organised crime and the escalating actions being taken to combat the problem.

SBRC Director Mandy Haeburn-Little said the Summit provides a platform to mount a step-change in the fight against illicit and counterfeit trade.

She said: “For the first time, every expert from every field and sector will share their concerns and discuss how best we move forward to reduce the scale, impact and cost of illicit trade in Scotland.

“But to tackle this problem we need people in Scotland to change their perceptions   and refuse to buy any illicit or counterfeit product from this day forward.

“Everyone loves a bargain. But people need to stop to think about the true cost of fake goods. Can you be confident that those cheap cigarettes, perfumes and alcohol are actually safe?

“However, it goes much deeper as those products are likely to have supported child labour or human trafficking or used to fund serious organised crime.

“Illicit trade also hurts businesses in Scotland very hard. People choosing bargains at markets, car boot sales or on the internet impacts hugely on retailers and manufacturers – less genuine goods being sold closes businesses and put people out of work.

“But by us all working together we can make a change to ensure Scotland becomes a hostile environment for serious organised criminals.”

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who gave the keynote speech, said: “Buying counterfeit goods might be seen as a victimless way to get presents for family and friends on the cheap, but many of these items will have a long back story of criminality often involving violence.

“However, the problem doesn’t just lie with fake bags, perfume or alcohol.  There is a serious global problem in counterfeit medicines, machinery and engine parts which can be seriously damaging to people’s health and potentially deadly.

“The work that the Anti-illicit Trade Group is doing to tackle the influx of fake goods is a fantastic example of authorities cutting off the cash that funds these gangs and hitting them where it hurts – their pockets.

“I am delighted to open this first-of-a-kind conference to show the importance that the Scottish Government, along with the police, Crown Office, the Scottish Business Resilience Centre and a number of other agencies, places on this crime.

“Scotland will simply not tolerate the shadow economy that drives illicit trade.”

The summit featured a presentation by actress Blythe Duff, best known for her detective role in TV’s Taggart, while speakers from US Homeland Security, Interpol and Europol will meet together for the first time in Scotland to discuss the challenge against the criminal gangs.

Further discussion panels heard how prevention, intelligence and enforcement can be enhanced through collaborative work by multi-agencies.

Other sessions will showed sophisticated DNA testing of whisky, a catwalk show to highlight the threats to Scotland’s fashion industry talent and a unique debate organised by the Scottish Youth Parliament and Young Scot to discuss the right to download music/movies free.

The Anti-Illicit Trade Summit, supported by independent product safety testing and certification specialists UL, took place at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, on March 6 and 7.