IT was in the gardens at Cockenzie House that the remnants of General Cope’s army surrendered to the Jacobites on 21st September 1745, and so it was entirely appropriate that Arran Paul Johnston, author of Blood Stain’d Fields – The Battles of East Lothian, should on Sunday afternoon deliver an inspiring illustrated lecture entitled The Road to Defeat: Johnnie Cope’s Last Campaign.

It is also entirely appropriate that The Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry should be on show at Cockenzie House over the coming months, give or take a mile from where the battle actually took place.
The theme continues on Friday 21st February with a Prestonpans Tapestry Film Night,7.30pm to 9.30pm, a special showing of Stitches for Charlie, detailing the making of the Tapestry with lively animation bringing the images to life.

On Sunday 2nd March, from 4pm – 6pm, the artist Andrew Crummie will be giving a talk on how he created his iconic masterpiece.
All comers are also welcome to Cockenzie House on Sunday 23rd March 2014 from 11am until 4pm to witness Jacobites and Redcoats return to fight for Johnnie Cope’s war chest. Presented by Allan Breck’s Regiment this will be a fun day out for all the family.

Submitted by Roddy Martine

At the Open Eye in February part of the works being exhibited will include paintings by Glen Scouller.

Scouller divides his time between Scotland and France. This exhibition of new landscapes explores the contrasts between the Western Isle of Colonsay to the region of Chamaret in southeastern France.

“The autumn and winter seasons are my favourite times for painting in France. It’s quieter then, with less tourists populating the hilltop and coastal villages plus the landscape takes on a more skeletal appearance with many of the trees and vines stripped of their leaves, making a more stark display against the dry Provençal soil.

For the past two years I have painted in the Drôme department of France mainly in and around the small village of Chamaret. In the autumn here the colours and light change from their summer intensity to softer hues. The skies are a paler, cooler blue. The trees are turning from green to gold and the air is filled with the aroma of garden bonfires, the main ingredient being the heady mix of dried herbs and plants…..truly intoxicating.

After this year’s French trip I went straight to the island of Colonsay in the Hebrides, this was my first visit to the island and the landscape here couldn’t have been a greater contrast with that of the south of France. As with France I much prefer the Scottish autumn/winter seasons for painting… I think the summer landscape just holds too much green for me.

On Colonsay the sky appears bigger with the Atlantic breeze making the cloud formations race across the landscape. This I found both challenging and exciting. One minute the sea and land would be lit by a burst of sunlight, a short time later it would be plunged into darkness by a sudden icy shower …..this is the kind of challenge that someone like myself, who paints en plein air, enjoys painting in Scotland.

My only previous experiences of Colonsay were the landscapes of one of my tutors at the Glasgow School of Art, the late John Cunningham whose paintings of the raised beaches I had always admired for their immediacy and freshness. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is a lot more to the island than just it’s dramatic coastline which Cunningham found so engaging. For its size, the island provides a large variety of natural habitats from woodland, moorland and peat bogs to cultivated farmland, meadows and rough pastures, in which can be found a wealth of indigenous plants that includes a number of rarities.

I was fortunate to stay in a cottage next to a beautiful secluded dense wood where plants and trees thrive in the warmth of the Gulf Stream. These included exotic palms, rare orchids and many other specimens plus the island is also a destination for numerous migratory birds which in turn makes it popular with ornithologists.

I feel I haven’t started to scratch the surface of pictorial possibilities on Colonsay and look forward to returning next spring to different painting challenges and a whole range of new seasonal contrasts.”

Glen Scouller, January 2014

Click below link for exhibition catalogue:

Download Glen Scouller_Contrasts-Colonsay to Chamaret (pdf)

Open Eye Gallery 

34 Abercromby Place
Edinburgh EH3 6QE
Phone/Fax: 0131 557 1020
Phone: 0131 558 9872
Email: mail@openeyegallery.co.uk

OPENING HOURS
Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 10am to 4pm

Exhibition Colonsay to Chamaret from 24 February 2014

A rugby fan died whilst watching the Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England at Murrayfield Stadium yesterday.

A spokesman for Scottish Rugby said: “Scottish Rugby is extremely saddened to learn of the death of a supporter attending today’s Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield.

“A 60-year-old supporter, who was watching the Scotland v England match with a group of friends, took ill.

“Paramedics were quickly on the scene and the supporter was transferred by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he was pronounced dead.”

Scottish Rugby Union President Donald Macleod said: “We are extremely saddened to hear of the death of a supporter who attended today’s Calcutta Cup match.

“We extend our deepest sympathy to the gentleman’s family and friends and we are standing-by to support in any way we can.”

RFU President Bob Reeves said: “The rugby family has lost one of its members and on behalf of all the travelling England fans and the RFU we extend our condolences to the gentleman’s relations and all those who knew him.”

A statement from Police Scotland said: “Police Scotland can confirm that a 60-year-old man collapsed at Murrayfield Stadium at around 5:15pm today. He was taken to ERI where he was pronounced dead. Inquiries are still ongoing but it is believed there are no suspicious circumstances.”

Poor Scotland lose in a miserable encounter at Murrayfield

Fans will feel cheated out of their ticket costs as Scotland and England played out a miserable match at Murrayfield. Scotland had no chance – and didn’t look like they’d create one – of scoring a try and England could only hammer themselves to death against an, admittedly stoic, Scots’ defence. Arguably, the 48-15 defeat in the U20 match the previous night was a closer game possession, territory and, crucially, skill wise. Pity about the scoreline…..

England had the first chance to get points on the board when the first of many penalties is awarded for off-side. The normally reliable, Owen Farrell, stepped up but stuck his attempt wide, so a bit of a let off for the home side. However, following on from England winning another line out in the Scottish 22, finding his way blocked, Danny Care slotted home a neat drop kick from in front of the posts to put England ahead 3-0. Scotland then had, what was to be, a brief foray into England’s half and won their own penalty out wide. Unfortunately, Greg Laidlaw didn’t have enough in his boot to see the ball over and, what was to be, normal service was resumed.

Another couple of penalties were then given away by Scottish indiscipline, the second giving Farrell a chance to find touch deep inside the Scottish 22. England’s Captain, Chris Robshaw, fed Care off the top of the line out and the scrum half then found Luther Burrell. With an almost clear run into the line, he swept past one flailing tackle, only to be grabbed round the ankles by Laidlaw. It all looked good, but his momentum, plus a bit of reach, meant that the centre just had to stretch a bit and the first try was on the board after 13 minutes of play (top). Farrell scored the conversion and it was 10-0 to England. Then straight from the kick off, Laidlaw was handed another penalty chance, but it, unfortunately, went he same way as the first.

The next 15 minutes of the match were brightened up for the home spectators by another Farrell penalty miss, but the home side were doing nothing to lift the crowd. Lack of ability to break through the defence gave little option but to kick the ball away and allow England to set up more attacks. They had to be content with yet another penalty, however, and this one Farrell scored to make it 13-0 to the visitors. The half ended with Burrell, again fighting through the defence only to be, this time, pulled up short by Sean Lamont. The ref then blew up for time when the ball became trapped in the ensuing pile up with the score standing at 13-0 to England.

The second half was more of the same. Scotland appeared to be getting worse on the attacking front as the game progressed, with England just failing to deal the final blow on several occasions. Less than two minutes in to the half, however, after his umpteenth failed line-out throw, Ross Ford was cheered from the pitch – only exceeded in volume when Farrell missed yet another kick at goal – as the crowd seemed glad to get him off and replaced by Scott Lawson.

And so it continued. Penalty after penalty, missed pass after missed pass, etc until the ref had seen enough and carded Alex Dunbar for a breakdown infringement. This gave England the chance they needed and Mike Brown took full advantage of the missing man and went round the outside of the defence to score England’s second try. With Farrell getting this kick, the score was 20-0 with just over 20 minutes of the match left. And it was a 20 minute period largely spent in the Scottish half, with just the occasional break to get the crowd going. England, for their part, did ‘the decent thing’ and failed on numerous occasions to break down the Scots’ defence. The game, thankfully, ended soon after to put everyone in the stadium out of their misery and just in time for the promised rain to fall and make a miserable afternoon even more so.

What can one say? It was a poor, poor match for an International fixture, with neither side doing themselves any justice whatsoever. Scotland appeared to have forgotten how to play, and England failed to find the killer touch to stick 50+ points on the scoreboard, which given the paucity of opposition, should have been well within their grasp. Summed up by one English supporter to his mates in the car park “I can’t believe you guys made me pay to sit and watch that s***!” Succinctly put young man, succinctly put……

A gallery of images from the match will appear here within the next few days. Whether anyone wishes to relive the agony is another question.

Hidden Door programme disclosed – Edinburgh Garden Partners – Today at The Filmhouse – Kitchen training at Edinburgh Community Cafes – NHS Lothian advice to pregnant women

Hidden Door is intriguing. It is a nine day spectacle of art, music, theatre, cinema, bars and spoken word. The venue is Market Street vaults, disused until now. So head over to the website to find out more about this pop up arts event which is taking place at the end of March 2014 where you can now buy tickets.

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Edinburgh Garden Partners is a charity set up in 2011 to run a garden share project which had already been running for about two years previously. The idea is that they pair up someone with a garden which they cannot manage to maintain with someone who wishes to do some gardening, but doesn’t have a garden.

Simple idea which has been running in Liberton and Gilmerton as well as in the North and East of Edinburgh now.

If you would like to become a partner then  you can register your interest as a volunteer gardeners or garden owner here. 

The charity also runs some one-off sessions and you can join these SOS sessions to get a garden plot ready for someone. This is a team exercise which gets round those problems in gardens which can put off even the most experienced!

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We very much want to see this film!

August Osage County is produced by George Clooney, stars our very own Ewan McGregor along with Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Benedict Cumberbatch (is there anything he is not in?) so you know already it could be a pretty good watch…

Here is a ‘Live’ Q & A with the producer and cast:-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e68MUMI-hc]

It is showing today at the Filmhouse at 13.10 18.00 and 20.40.  The official trailer is below. If you fancy writing us a quick review of this or any other film then we would love to hear from you! Email us at theedinburghreporter@gmail.com. Send us a 140 character review by Twitter or write a little more for us on Facebook. Booking details for The Filmhouse here. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmcCML_jsCk]

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We found this on the Edinburgh Community Cafés’ Facebook page.

We have received a grant from the Community Food Fund to deliver free REHIS Food and Health training to café staff as well as give café staff the opportunity to take part in a cooking session with a chef.

Following the free training events we will be celebrating by holding a festival where cafes taking part will put on an event in their café during the first 2 weeks of April (1-14th ).

There will be training with a chef during the week beginning 17 February : the 3 sessions will be held at Craigroyston Community High School 10-12pm (17th, 18th and 19th).   Volunteers and staff are invited to attend 1 session during the week each.

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NHS Lothian is encouraging women to make an appointment with a midwife as soon as they find out they’re pregnant.

The message is part of a national drive to encourage the best start for pregnant women and their babies.

Pregnant women across Lothian are urged to book into their local maternity service before they reach twelve weeks of pregnancy in order to benefit from the full range of screening options and ensure their individual health needs are met.

New posters currently on display in GP surgeries, pharmacies and sexual health clinics in Lothian, encourage women to call a dedicated booking line on 0131 536 2009 to arrange an appointment with a midwife. Supporting leaflets also provide information on what to do next after finding out you’re pregnant.

Frances McGuire, Clinical Midwifery Manager, NHS Lothian, said:

“We want to encourage women across Lothian to make an appointment with a midwife as soon as they find out they are pregnant in order to promote the health and wellbeing of mum and baby at the earliest possible stage.

“The foetus is most vulnerable during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, therefore an early meeting with one of our expert midwives ensures advice and support can be provided on lifestyle choices such as eating well, exercise, dental care, smoking and drinking.”

More information and advice is also available on the NHS Lothian website – www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/HealthInformation/Pregnancy

Indie rockers The Feeling returned with their fourth album, Boy Cried Wolf, last October and will commence a second tour of the UK promoting the album next month. The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to bassist Rich ahead of their Liquid Room gig next month.

This is your first album away from Island Records – what’s different?

It’s different, there has been a lot more creative control over the album now with BMG as they pretty much allow us to do what we want. That’s why the album was self-produced. This time we felt we could make a stronger album that way. It took us 18 months but it has been worth it in the end.

Your third album was unfortunately critically panned, especially by NME. Did the negativity in all of the reviews make you step up your game?

That NME review is hilarious. How can a publication be so vague about an album? No, it didn’t really.

There has been a great critical response to the album, what have the fans thought about it?

They actually really dig it, they’ve always stuck by us and were even big fans of the last album even though it got those bad reviews.  The fans are great, they are always telling us what they think of our material, it’s really special.

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/113790461" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&color=ff5500" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

You mentioned that your new album was self-produced and obviously you will feel more proud that it is wholly your work – was there a lot more pressure this time round?

Not at all, it was like going back to the first album when we produced it, although because we signed for Island Records that had to get to mixed and add overdubs. You get a lot more creative control when you are self-producing an album and nobody is dictating the sessions so you can sound exactly like you want to, and you don’t have to worry about success as you already have some people coming to your shows and fans.

Were BMG quite lax?

They were, they just let us record the album in peace. When they signed us they said that they would just release it.

How do you think you are going to follow-up Boy Cried Wolf and when do you think it is going to happen?

We actually have some ideas floating around already which is quite exciting and it would be good to get the tracks laid down. It will probably happen after this tour or just before Summer. I don’t know, we will have to see.

How does new material arise?

It usually starts with Dan sitting at a piano which can get a few ideas floating about or we start drinking which leads to us getting drunk and something fine might come out of that.

How are the new songs sounding in rehearsals?

The new songs are sounding great. We have already played a few of them during the last UK tour in October so it was really just nailing them for this tour.

Are you going to unveil any songs from the new album that you haven’t played yet?

Em, possibly! I can’t really answer that as of yet.

Some bands write a different setlist every night favouring in setlist variation. Have The Feeling ever considered changing up the setlist every night to get more out of your catalogue?

I know some bands do it, a lot of big bands mainly, but when you write a setlist, you have think if the fans are going to like some of the songs that you will play and it also needs to be consistent. Sometimes we will draft a couple of songs in but we don’t really venture into that.

This is your first gig in Edinburgh, correct?

I’m not sure, we were here during the festival last year and saw some shows. That was great, but I think we’ve played Edinburgh before.

Are you looking forward to coming here and the whole tour?

Yeah, obviously it will be great to get out and play some shows again. We always love touring so yeah, very much looking forward to it.

Is there any differences in touring from seven years ago?

There are slight differences. We mainly drink single malt whisky now, at least one a show or nearly that.

Is there any festival appearances lined up this Summer – if so, which ones?

There were be a couple, some of which we cannot comment on at the moment but we are playing one in Scotland in Keswick. That will be good.

Your new single, ‘Fall Like Rain’ is out March 24th, is there going to be a b-side with a new song on it?

That is a good question. I don’t know yet. Hopefully.

What do you think of your support act The Gentlemen?

We were looking for a support act and they came in contact. We listened to them, quite liked them and signed them up to the tour. I’m really looking forward to having them on tour and hanging out with them.

What modern music are you into at the moment?

I’m really into Bon Iver and I quite like the new Mogwai album. I bought that and put it on the car in Germany where we were doing some promotional things and it’s great driving music.

The Feeling are playing Liquid Rooms on March 11th with support from The Gentlemen. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster or all legitimate online ticket retailers and in-store at Ticket-Scotland on Rose Street. Tickets are £18.50, subject to service charge.

Hibs twice came back from behind in a hard-fought Scottish Cup tie against Raith Rovers, but couldn’t make it third time lucky as the Fife side went on to progress to the quarter-finals.

The home side got off to a horror start as Raith’s Kevin Moon snatched a goal after only five minutes. Joe Cardle found it easy to skip past his marker and pick out his man, who calmly slotted home to send the Championship side into an early lead.

To Hibs’ credit, the players didn’t allow their heads to drop and instead looked to put pressure on Raith and search for an equaliser. Teenager Sam Stanton was in good form, but it was new signing Duncan Watmore, on loan from Sunderland, that really began to cause problems for the opposition’s defence. The diminutive winger was direct and pacey, skipping past one player and then another with ease. His attacking play was rewarded early in the first half when he drew Callum Booth – on loan at Raith from Hibs – into a foul at the edge of the box, winning himself a free-kick and earning Booth a yellow card.

The attempt from the resulting free-kick was blocked, earning Hibs a corner. When the ball broke to Stanton, the young midfielder made space for himself and unleashed a left-footed shot into the back of the net after thirteen minutes. The goal was Stanton’s first for the club, and comes 37 years after the last Stanton scored for Hibs – Easter Road legend Pat.

Raith could have gone ahead again when a mix-up in defence gave Ross Callachan the chance to send a powerful shot towards goal, but it came thundering off the woodwork before Hibs were able to clear. Up the other end, Watmore continued with his trickery, offering Hibs a different dimension to their play as the 19-year-old ran at defenders. Greig Spence was the second Raith player to find himself booked as a result of bringing down Watmore.

A clash of heads between Jordon Forster and Reece Donaldson saw the Raith player come off worse, and he had to be stretchered off the pitch, replaced by former Hibs player Fraser Mullen.

Raith took the lead again just before half time in controversial circumstances. The linesman had raised his flag for offside before Raith player Dougie Hill latched onto a ball, smashing it high into the net of Hibs’ keeper Ben Williams. Despite furious cries from the Hibs fans, the referee overruled the linesman’s decision and allowed the goal to stand.

Despite, or perhaps because of, losing a goal in such circumstances, Hibs immediately went back on the attack. Five minutes of injury time were added on due to the lengthy delay at the head injury to Donaldson, but Hibs only needed one for their second equaliser of the game. A corner from Liam Craig saw Michael Nelson demonstrate his power in the air, the centre-half nodding the ball into the back of the net to send both teams in at half time on equal terms.

Raith started the second half much brighter, and took the game to the home side. A double substitution for Hibs saw manager Terry Butcher replace James Collins and Alex Harris with Abdellah Zoubir and Notts County loan signing Danny Haynes in a bid to regain some control on the game. Only a few minutes later, Raith managed to put a spanner in the works by scoring a third goal. Cardle racked up his second assist of the game with a cross which met Grant Anderson, whose backwards header saw goalkeeper Williams flailing in an attempt to keep it out.

Watmore claimed Liam Fox as his third booking of the day when the Raith man brought down the speedy winger to prevent a break. Despite Watmore’s liveliness, however, he couldn’t conjure up that third goal that Hibs so desperately needed, and the clock was beginning to run down.

Paul Heffernan was brought on to replace Tom Taiwo in an effort to look for another equaliser, but the striker blew his best chance when he shot into the arms of the goalkeeper after being put through by Craig.

In the end, visitors Raith will feel they deserved their win, and will find out their quarter-final opponents in Sunday’s draw.

Hibs manager Terry Butcher was angry at the performances of his players.

“I’m bitterly disappointed because we didn’t deserve anything from out performance today, so fair play to Raith Rovers and I want to congratulate them for their display,” he said. “They rubbished us at the back, they won second balls, they passed it well and stopped us from gaining any sort of momentum.

“I just can’t believe we’ve turned in a display like that. We worked so hard through the week to try and win the game. It’s unbelievable.

“We showed a bit of character to get back twice and you’re thinking let us score the next one and we’ll see if they can come back, but second half they seemed to get a grip. We couldn’t get anything going; we couldn’t get the wide players on the ball.”

The only silver lining that Butcher could take from the game were the performances of two of his youngest players.

“I felt sorry for Duncan Watmore and Sam Stanton. I thought those two were great but the rest were very poor,” he said. “We conceded three unbelievably poor goals which were disasters from our point of view. There’s a lot of work to be done so what team I put out next week is anybody’s guess because every position is up for grabs and I mean up for grabs.

“With the history that Hibs has with the Scottish Cup, we’ve let the fans down badly today.”

Hibs: Williams, Forster, Nelson, Hanlon, Stevenson, Watmore, Taiwo (Heffernan 71), Craig, Harris (Haynes 60), Stanton, Collins (Zoubir 60)

Substitutes not used: Grant, Robertson, Boateng, Maybury

Raith Rovers: Laidlaw, Thomson, Hill (Ellis 73), Donaldson (Mullen 42), Booth, Anderson, Callachan, Fox, Moon, Cardle, Spence (Smith 64)

Substitutes not used: Roberts, Vaughan, Matthews, Bates

Referee: Steven McLean.

Tennis Scotland Special Award 2013

Merchiston Castle School welcomed Ian Conway, Vice President of Tennis Scotland, to a school assembly last week to present the Tennis Academy with the Tennis Scotland Special Award 2013.  He spoke about the achievements throughout the age groups in the Academy and how the boys had impressively fought their way into the national schools’ tennis arena to become real contenders.  Mr Conway also mentioned the esteemed career of Head Coach, Marcel du Coudray, who has worked with top ATP player Nikolay Davydenko since 2006, helping him reach his career high ranking of number 3 on the ATP world rankings.  Marcel’s level of professionalism and intensity is undoubtedly something that has contributed to the success of the Tennis Academy.  Recently, achievements include: U15 team became National Schools Tennis Champions 2013 and Scottish Schools’ Tennis Champions 2013.  Merchiston says is delighted to receive this national recognition.

The Tennis Academy at Merchiston

Merchiston established Scotland’s first Tennis Academy in 2007 with 12 boys and girls. Since then it has grown to around twice that size.  These young players attend Merchiston and St George’s Schools in Edinburgh (some boarding, some day pupils), where they pursue a full academic timetable while receiving a top class tennis programme, using Merchiston’s facilities.

Students are invited to join the elite group within the Tennis Academy following a technical assessment.  Pupils are provided with the best possible chance of making their tennis dream come true, and also gain a first-class education.  The Tennis Academy is an integral part of the Tennis Scotland Performance Plan, the aim being to develop successful international tennis players. It is the first partnership in Scotland to provide specialised tennis training and a high level education with a specially adapted curriculum.  For any aspiring sporting talent, there is always the challenge of balancing the dedication required for sporting excellence with the need to gain a strong education.

Cabaret Voltaire is the perfect place for an indie gig and with a line-up of Catfish and the Bottlemen alongside headliners Little Comets, the young and inexperienced crowd certainly put a smile on the bands’ faces.

It was the first performance by Little Comets in Edinburgh since October 2012. Their last gig was just after the release of Life Is Elsewhere, and it seemed that the feedback from fans and critics had over-excited them just slightly. There was a form of arrogance on stage that made the experience a disappointment. But this time, things were a lot different.

There is a possibility that the band have matured in the last year and a half which seems the most cogent reason. Their new EP features a more mellow and cultivated sound while their live presence seems a lot more comfortable and less elusive.

Catfish and the Bottlemen certainly warmed up the crowd amply with their melodic and heavy indie sound which just oozed originality. It kept fans patient for the headliners.

As soon as Little Comets opened with the first echoing notes of ‘A Little Opus’, the riotous crowd knew they were in for a treat. The audience bounced emphatically when needed and bopped their heads and bodies at the right time. The band were highly appreciative of the crowd and where they were at, often digging some jokes at them.

Fan favourites such as ‘Joanna’ and ‘Jennifer’ shook the brick walls of Cabaret Voltaire while ‘One Night in October’ had the fans still singing as they left the venue. The only disappointment of the night for the fans was Little Comets saying that they don’t do encores as they would rather do it spontaneously.

Fortunately, Little Comets delivered an epic, coherent and tight 70-minute set ranging from their two albums and new EP.

Young Scots outpaced by vastly more experienced England

Gala’s ground at Netherdale was the venue for the second round match of the U20 Six Nations between Scotland and England and it was England who went on to win by a very comfortable margin.

Scotland were first on the board with points from a penalty in the first minute which Ben Chalmers knocked over to take a 3-0 lead, A lead that was to be very short lived as England hit back and, before eight minutes were on the clock, had scored two tries, with one converted, to go into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The first from wing, Henry Purdy, who sliced through a gap in the Scots’ defence to go over near the posts – this conversion was missed by Billy Burns – and the second a few minutes later by the other wing, Zack Kibirige, who just outpaced the defence down the line to score his first try of the night, Burns kicked this one and England were suddenly 12-3 ahead.

The next ten or so minutes of the match were dominated by Scotland, who pushed their opponents deep into their own half, and only a bit of desperate defence, helped by the odd, mistake kept the score as was. Until the 22nd minute, at least. Enjoying a bit of possession, the English backs got their hands on the ball and a couple of quick passes, a step past the missed tackle and centre Nick Tomkins was away for the third English try. Burns knocked the kick over and the score went out to 19-3.

But, then it was back to the grind for the Scots. A charged down kick by Tommy Spinks was followed up by the Scottish Captain, but his kick through was just a bit to solid and the dead ball line beat him to it. The drop out gave possession back to Scotland and off they went again. An attack up the right was stopped a few metres out, but quick recycled ball from the pack and front row, Sam James, was ‘assisted’ over the line for a try. Chalmers missed the kick so the score was now 19-8 to England with less than 15 minutes of the half left.

And it was 15 minutes that England used well to score their fourth try of the first half. Just before they did so, though, Scotland blew a chance of their own. Escaping a bit of sustained pressure and gathering a dropped ball, the Scots broke away. However, when only metres short, the final pass to Buchan Richardson, was a touch on the low side and the big flanker just failed to hold on to the ball for, what would have been, an easy gallop in. But, as it turned out, it was England who scored next with two minutes to go. Again, their backs tied the Scots’ defence in knots and they forced a penalty out in front of the posts, which Burns kicked through to leave the half time score at 22-8 to England.

Right from the whistle, England were on the attack and, less than four minutes in, had scored their fifth try. Once again, when the backs had the ball, there was pressure on the Scottish defence. A couple of missed tackles left the way in for Tom Stephenson to score. Burns scored the conversion and England were now in an almost unassailable lead, 29-8. But, Scotland weren’t prepared to roll over just yet and, securing ball from their scrum, the ball was moved swiftly through the hands until, less than five metres out, ‘all’ sub, Chris Dean had to do was slip a tackle and slide over near the left corner. Another sub, Ben Cooper, scored the conversion and the score was now 29-15 and looking a bit brighter.

However, the shine was soon wiped off as England went on to dominate the rest of the half and score a further three tries to emphasise the difference in skill, experience and ultimate fitness between the sides. The first try followed on from a penalty award to Scotland and a shirt discussion on the rules between the referee and England’s no. 6. Although Scotland had a few moments of possession, the young Englishmen soon got back with the programme and ran in their sixth, and Kibirige’s second, try. Sam Olver converted and the lead had stretched to 36-15. Buy this time the Scots were really up against it and only some last ditch tackling stopped the flow – for 10 minutes or so, as the visiting forwards got in on the act and No. 4 Maro Itoge battered his way over. The kick was good and 43-15 was the score.

Scotland then rallied for a period and a series of penalties gave them possession and territory well inside the English 22, but not even a yellow for Kibirige, could give them the advantage and the drive to the line was eventually stopped by an accidental off-side, giving the ball back to England.

But, it wasn’t quite all over and the rest of the half culminated in a final minutes’ try for James Chisholm which left the final score at 48-15 to England

Outclassed? For the second half – certainly. There were moments of brightness for Scotland, but the ultimate killer punch was missing and the vastly more experienced visitors – players from Northampton, Bath, Saracens… you get the picture – were far too good for players from Edinburgh Accies, Boroughmuir, Melrose, etc.

A full set of images from the match will appear here in the next few days

Hibs new Facebook player of the month Lewis Stevenson is hoping to upset his partner’s family today when he takes on boyhood favourites Raith Rovers in the William Hill Scottish Cup at Easter Road.

Although he is sure that Julia will want Hibs to triumph, the same can’t be said for her family who are regulars at Starks Park, as he was growing up.

Speaking at the club’s weekly press conference, the versatile midfielder / defender who grew up in Kirkcaldy said: “I used to go to a few of the games. My school was just at the back of the stadium and we used to get tickets through that.

“I was at the cup final when they beat Celtic although I was only five or six. That was a good Rovers team. Our goalkeeping coach Scott Thomson played for them that day. I know a few of the names and they pop up from time to time, like Danny Lennon. But I am a Hibs fan now although I still look out for their results.

When asked if he know the words of the Raith Rivers anthem ‘Geordie Munro’ which is about a young Fifer who wants to emigrate to America, but his girlfriend persuades him to stay by singing “Oh, no, no, no, no, Geordie Munro, No, no, no, no my wee laddie, I don’t want to go to Idaho, I’d rather stay here in Kirkcaldy,” Stevenson confessed that he had sung the song to his team-mates last year; “I used to know all the words to Geordie Munro, although I don’t know if I could belt it out now,” he said. “I have done it before though. It was actually during pre-season in Spain last summer.

“We all had to sing a song in front of everyone else and that was my one. I think I only managed the first verse, but it wasn’t the worst, there were a few worse than me. It was the only song I could think of at the time. A few of the boys before me had got up and sung football songs, and that was the only one I roughly knew the words to. So I had to go for that one.”

Stevenson is likely to be up against on-loan left back Callum Booth who moved to the Fife club in the summer after falling out of favour with former boss Pat Fenlon.

“I wish him all the best; I just hope he doesn’t have his best game on Saturday. It’s a strange situation, although having never been on loan myself I don’t know what it’s like. But you just have to focus on your own game.

“You can’t really think you are playing against your parent club. You just have to do the best for the team you are playing for and I am sure he will. He’s a good guy and a good professional.

“By all accounts, he has done really well there this season. I have spoken to a few Rovers fans and they said he has been brilliant. So I am glad he is doing well. I just hope he is not in top form against us.

“I know Fraser [Mullen] and they have a few ex-Hearts boys I have played against, Jason Thomson, Calum Elliot and Gordon Smith. They have got a good team.”

It is a mark of how well Stevenson has done since the arrival of Terry Butcher that he was voted the club’s first Facebook player of the month with 44.2% of the vote, beating James Collins with 30% and Liam Craig with 7.2%.

He said “I would just like to thank the fans, who voted for me. Getting recognition from the supporters is always special and hopefully we can give them all something to cheer about on Saturday.”

Photo by John Preece

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

Rugby – Granny Green’s – Caltongate a new petition – University of Edinburgh get AHRC Grant – Travelodge Competition winner

The Calcutta Cup will be contested this afternoon at Murrayfield. We will have a match report later with the usual lovely photographs from our rugby correspondent John Preece.  Meanwhile we understand the Edinburgh Rugby match to be played tomorrow at Rodney Parade has been cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch.

Are you going to the International? Send us your five word review later – either by email theedinburghreporter@gmail.com or through the wonderful medium of  Twitter! We will then compile them into an article later.

The Scottish Rugby Union announced a new sponsorship deal earlier this week when Peter Vardy was announced as the provider of a fleet of vehicles for them to use.

“As part of the relationship Peter Vardy Ltd will provide Scottish Rugby with a fleet of Vauxhall vehicles. The cars will predominantly be used by coaching staff to assist in the development and growth of the game at club and school level across Scotland, from the Highlands and Islands all the way down to the Borders.

“The first presence Peter Vardy Ltd will have with Scottish Rugby will be at this weekend’s RBS 6 Nations Championship match against England, where a selection of vehicles will be on display behind the east stand and near the ticket centre. The array of cars, which will include Land Rover, Jaguar, BMW, Mini and Vauxhall models, will then become a permanent fixture on international match days.”

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Granny Greens is a group of local crafters who meet regularly over their knitting. Yesterday they were very visible out and about near Greyfriar’s Bobby. Read more here about what they were up to!

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A huge presence at last month’s planning meeting over the future of Caltongate showed that local people really do care about the city and what the planners decide. Now after the decision has been made to allow the development of offices and houses (but many say not enough houses) on the gap site a new petition has sprung up. This is how it is explained on the petitions website.

Dear Supporters of the ‘Caltongate’ Petition.

You will likely have heard that the Council have given planning consent to the ‘Caltongate’ development in the face of considerable opposition and controversy. The vote came close (8 to 6). The breakdown of the vote is given at the bottom of this email if you care to take the matter up with councillors.

In spite of this disappointment the petition managed to galvanise the support of over 5000 individuals in just 7 days which is a great tribute to the potential of the internet as a campaigning tool for networking and lobbying for social change.

Just before voting one councillor described the plans as “not hideous enough” to merit rejection while supporters argued that the site was formerly just a gas works and then bus depot (reflecting an older period in the City’s industrial past), hardly meriting exceptional attention. However, the conservation value of the overall area and the magnificent location has inspired campaigners to envision an exemplar redevelopment worthy of the World Heritage Status.

The Old Town is now in critical decline due to the ongoing favouritism shown by the Council for budget hotels, student accommodation, offices, chain shops etc. Not only does this threaten the long term liveability of the area but the very World Heritage Status itself.

Since the vote, the petition has attracted hundreds more signatures showing that there is continuing support. This then presents an opportunity to develop and indeed broaden the campaign as there are other controversial developments across the City of national significance, particularly the considerable threat to Greenbelt land and the case of Craighouse. No doubt there are more contentious planning issues in the offing that will attempt to asset strip other valued public resources, such as the uncertainty over the Astley Ainslie hospital.

In light of the ‘Caltongate’ decision and contrary to the Council’s commitment to “co-operation, fairness, accountability and responsibility” the process to date has been anything but this. Furthermore, Council Leader Andrew Burns pledged that this Council would,“listen to, and work with, local people. There needs to be strong process for looking at the quality of how the Council has reached decisions so that there is genuine scrutiny and questioning of the actions it has taken” and “conserve the City’s built heritage.”

With the Council’s reputation arguably at an all time LOW and Our officials and elected representatives demonstrably beholden and enthralled to an unsustainable, discredited system of speculation and endless economic growth on a finite planet, if you would like to further add your support to challenging the ‘Caltongate’ decision and strengthen the case for reform in the planning system there is an opportunity to register an expression of NO CONFIDENCE in the Edinburgh Council’s Planning Department:

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/no-confidence-in-the-city-of-edinburgh-planning-department

If government rhetoric actually has any meaning there is hope that reform can be achieved through the Community Empowerment Bill which is currently being debated at the Scottish Parliament which affirms the fundamental democratic principle that,

“Scotland’s people are its greatest asset, and best placed to make decisions about their future… Our belief in local self- determination, through a strong Scottish Parliament, stronglocal authorities and strong communities, is the key principle which underpins theproposals in this consultation document.At its heart, community empowerment is about communities taking their owndecisions about their futures”.

With this in mind the petition recommends that Scottish Ministers embrace the ethos of community empowerment and call in the ‘Caltongate’ application in the hope that a fitting outcome can finally be realised.

Photo of the Caltongate site courtesy of RCHAMS

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Edinburgh University’s Department of English & Scottish Literature and Professor James Loxley have been awarded an  Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) grant for his project Palimpsest: an Edinburgh Literary Cityscape.

The project, a collaboration between literary and informatics scholars, aims to develop an interactive, mobile friendly website, called Palimpsest, that provides access to vivid, evocative and dramatic excerpts of a wide range of geolocated Edinburgh-based literary texts either through the web or via smartphones and tablets. You can read more here. 

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Our Travelodge competition attracted loads of entries and this morning we are pleased to announce Sally Allen from Essex as the winner of a two night stay in one of the city’s Travlodges with theatre tickets. Well done Sally!

Gilroy refused legal review of his case.

The UK Supreme Court in London yesterday refused an application by convicted murderer David Gilroy to have his case reviewed.

In April 2012, Gilroy was sentence to life imprisonment, having been found guilty by a jury at a trial at Edinburgh High Court of murdering Suzanne Pilley and for attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

He was ordered to serve at least 18 years in custody as the punishment part of this sentence.

Suzanne Pilley’s body has never been found.

Photo courtesy of UK Supreme Court 

DJ HARDWELL EVENT CANCELLED

The City of Edinburgh Council has suspended the licence for the DJ Hardwell Dance Event at the Royal Highland Showground, Ingliston, tomorrow night Saturday, 8 February. The event will not now go ahead.

The decision was taken after concerns were raised by Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service following an event involving the same DJ in Belfast last night and the tragic death of teenager, Regane MacColl, in Glasgow last weekend.

More than 100 young people had to be treated for the effects of alcohol, and in some cases drugs, at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.

Cllr Gavin Barrie, Convener of the Regulatory Committee, said: “We have taken the difficult decision to suspend the licence on the grounds of a serious threat to public order and safety following advice from Police Scotland and health officials after what happened in Belfast and Glasgow.

“We appreciate the disappointment this will cause to those who were planning to attend the event but protecting public safety must be our priority. Ticket holders should be able to get a full refund.”

Superintendent Matt Richards said: “In response to recent information Police Scotland has received relating to public safety at events held elsewhere in the United Kingdom, the Force has expressed its concerns to the City of Edinburgh Council ahead of a proposed concert at the Royal Highland Showground on Saturday 8th February.

“Working with Council colleagues several legal powers have been utilised to ensure that those considering attending the event and wider public are protected. As a result of this partnership approach to harm reduction a decision has been taken to cancel the event.”

Anyone who had a ticket for the event should contact the agent from whom they bought their tickets and ask for a full refund.  You may be asked to put the request in writing, in which case you should use an email address supplied by the agent or write a letter.  If you send a letter, remember to keep a copy and send it by recorded delivery.

If you have require any assistance with your consumer rights, contact your local trading standards service or the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 08454 04 05 06.

Knit to warm orphans in 2014 – Edinburgh craft activists encourage more donations.

Earlier today Edinburgh craftivists held a rally to encourage knitters and crocheters in the Capital to help to warm African orphans at Greyfriars Bobby statue.

Local craft group Granny Greens knitted 500 blanket squares by hand – the height of the Greyfriars Bobby statue, which they displayed. The squares after displaying will be posted to Johannesburg in South Africa where the charity Knit-a-Square will get local volunteers to sew knitted squares into blankets for orphans.

Many of the orphans are also infected with HIV AIDS. As this is an auto immune disease, keeping warm helps their ability to stay well. Knit-a-Square has been working for over five years to get squares from crafters around the world to contribute to blankets.

Knit-a-Square asked crafters to knit piles of squares to the height of landmarks and this inspired Granny Greener Mary Gordon to get the group to knit the height of Greyfriars Bobby.

Mary Gordon commented:- “As Bobby was an orphaned dog it’s an appropriate way to get people inspired to help out. I’ve made Bobby a small blanket  – a minature of the ones the orphans wear so he can stand in solidarity with them.”

The Granny Greeners are asking crafty members of the public to join the cause to help African orphans by getting out their knitting needles in 2014 and send 8 inch squares to www.knit-a-square.com.

Each day 500 children are orphaned by the AIDS crisis in Southern Africa. In South Africa there are now 1,900,000 AIDS orphans. The AIDS orphans in Southern Africa belong to one of the fastest growing, but least desirable groups of children in need, on earth.

www.knit-a-square.com

www.grannygreens.co.uk

All of these lovely photos are courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/pathlost/

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for witnesses following a collision between a motorbike and a pedestrian on Haymarket Terrace on Thursday afternoon (6th February.)

The incident happened around 5:10pm, when a female pedestrian was struck by a motorcycle as she crossed Haymarket Terrace. She sustained injuries to her head and body and the motorcycle fled the scene, towards Edinburgh City Centre.

PC Phil Lees from Police Scotland said: “The Motorcycle was dark, possibly black and had two youths on board, neither of whom was wearing helmets. The bike was also displaying an ‘L’ plate to the rear”.

“The area was busy with commuters and I would appeal to anyone that was in the area and saw the motorcycle or the occupants to contact Police Scotland on 101. Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111”

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for witnesses to help trace an elderly man reported missing in the Capital.

Robert Lee was last seen in the Morningside area at around 9.45am today, however, the 72-year-old has failed to make contact with anyone since then and police are now conducting local enquiries to establish his whereabouts.

Anyone who believes they can assist officers with their investigation is asked to come forward.

Robert is described as white, 5ft 5ins tall whit white hair. He may be wearing a white tartan pattern shirt, dark trousers and shoes.

Inspector Jonathan Elliott said: “Robert is mobile and able to travel around Edinburgh and further by bus so we are keen to hear from anyone who thinks they may have seen him, either on foot, or on public transport since Friday morning.

“Similarly, anyone with information that can help us trace Robert is also asked to contact police immediately.

“I would also request that Robert make contact with family, friends or police as soon as possible to help us establish if he’s safe and well.”

Police in Edinburgh have carried out a two-day operation to tackle those involved in serious and organised Crime. As part of this, three addresses in Edinburgh have been searched.

Heroin and cannabis were recovered within two addresses in Bingham Medway and three people were charged.

A 48 year old man was held to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff court charged under the Misuse of drugs Act and a 26 year old man was found to be in possession of an offensive weapon and in Breach of Bail. A 38-year-old female has also been reported to the Procurator Fiscal in respect of a charge under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Under the same operation two men aged 34 and 37 were also arrested on outstanding warrants for Breach of Bail, MDA offences and an offence under the Criminal Justice Licensing (Scotland) Act.

Detective Inspector Stuart Harkness said: “Police Scotland continues to take all steps to target and disrupt those involved in Serious and Organised Crime. The message is clear we will target all of those involved, from the person at the top of the group right down to the group members who assist in that operation.

“In order to do this we need the help of those in the community who can supply us with the intelligence that allows us to conduct targeted policing operations.

“I would appeal to anyone with information in relation to crime in their area to speak to their local community police officer, contact Police on ‘101’ or alternatively they can provide that information in complete anonymity through the registered charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Police Scotland have now confirmed that the body of the man found in Glen Nevis on Monday 3rd February is that of Alistair Porteous, who was reported missing from Edinburgh.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the 56-year-old’s death and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

In a statement released through Police Scotland, Mr Porteous’ family said: “Our family are relieved that the search is over and that Alistair has been found.

“We are grateful to the amazing team of volunteers co-ordinated by Fort William and Lochaber Mountain Rescue.

“We would now ask for privacy while we grieve.”

Generation Green Book Club at Murrayburn Primary School rolled out the red carpet for writer Ciaran Murtagh who is photographed along with children from the school as part of British Gas’s Generation Green “Powerful Story” competition about the future of energy.

Photos show winning author Connie (Concetta) Parente (far left), with (clockwise from top middle): Kyle Marshall, Scott Moodie, Harry Lauder, Ellie Ross, Adigail McCulloch and Komal Iftikhar.

Photos by  Colin Hattersley Photography

Public Relations  –  Press  –  Corporate  –  Charities  –  Arts & Entertainment

07974 957 388
colinhattersley@btinternet.com
www.colinhattersley.com

Quizzes have long been an activity enjoyed by many offering an opportunity to pit their wits against each other. The flexibility of a quiz allows you to organise or participate in one in a number of locations, whether it is at home or in a pub. The latter is unquestionably the most popular particularly in Edinburgh with general knowledge quizzes and the regular film quiz at the Filmhouse.

It is a really social aspect of many people’s lives, with friends, work colleagues and families able to team up and put their minds together on a set range of questions. Traditional pub quizzes are usually run on a weekly or monthly basis, with attendance figures remaining high, with people sometimes attracted by the prizes.  More importantly ‘it’s the taking part that counts’ continues to be the strongest quality of a quiz, as the whole event is built upon fun and banter in a light-hearted environment.

While considerable efforts are being made to transform the future of quizzes, the traditional form of pub quiz will probably continue to be used and bring enjoyment to ardent fans. Traditional quizzes using pen and paper to answer questions throughout each round, with answer slips either swapped between the teams or given to the quiz host in order to maintain honesty and prevent cheating. (not supposed to be Googling the answers then!)

The only thing against traditional pub quizzes is the ever-increasing number of people who own a smartphone or Android phone. Although every team is trusted to not use their phones or any other form of technology to cheat throughout a quiz, smartphones allow you to access information in a swift manner where there is good 3G or wifi.

With technology continuing to advance at a rapid pace in the current century, its capabilities and qualities carry the potential to improve the overall quality of life we enjoy. Our dependency on technology is ever-increasing, with smartphones and tablets being used on a daily basis to carry out a multitude of tasks and actions that are now essential to the way we live.

But their very existence has become a potential problem in pubs where traditional quizzes are run.

Instead of choosing to accept the potential risks that smartphones and tablets pose to a quiz, speed quizzing companies instantly realised the considerable advantages of such devices and formed an idea which could shape the future of quiz events. A downloadable app transforms your smartphone into a device for answering questions as each phone is wirelessly connected to a laptop or computer controlled by the quiz host. Every answer is sent electronically, with the computer recording the scores. This innovative method creates a fluent form of quiz which not only saves time that can be used for more questions and rounds, but also renders pen and paper almost obsolete.

The future of pub quizzes comes to Chambers Street this month where there is an Edinburgh pub quiz with speed quizzing offering local residents the perfect opportunity to have a go at speed quizzing using their phone. An £80 first prize is not the only reason why you should not go along and enjoy the modern day twist on quizzes!

Featured article.

With thousands of rugby fans expected to arrive in the Capital this weekend to watch hosts Scotland take on England in the Calcutta Cup, the City of Edinburgh Council is working closely with Network Rail to make sure access to and from Waverley Station is well managed.

The Council is creating two temporary taxi ranks, one on Market Street with 12 spaces and a further eight-space rank at the Calton Road entrance to the Station in addition to the existing rank on Waverley Bridge. Council officers will also put up directional signage in the streets surrounding the station, advising pedestrians and drivers on where each of the taxi ranks and drop-off points are.

Meanwhile, inside the Station itself, taxi marshals will be on hand to help manage queues and direct passengers.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener, said: “It’s no secret that there have unfortunately been quite a few issues with access to the Station in recent weeks since the new security barriers were made operational. We know that Six Nations rugby weekends are particularly busy times, which is why we have been pleased to work together with Network Rail to make sure Waverley Station works as smoothly as possible this weekend.

“With the Council installing extra ranks and signage, this should make it much easier for people to pick up a taxi and find their way around once they arrive into Waverley.

“That said, our officers will obviously be keeping a close eye on things throughout the weekend and will take appropriate action if it turns out that these measures aren’t sufficient to manage demand.”

A Network Rail spokesman said:

“Rugby internationals always result in heavy footfall through Waverley and we will have additional staff available to assist passengers.

“The taxi rank within the station will remain open throughout the weekend, with taxi marshals on site to help manage the queue and direct passengers without heavy luggage to the ranks on Market Street, Waverley Bridge and Calton Road.

“Passengers being picked up or dropped off in private vehicles are reminded that they can use the station entrance drop off points at Market Street, Calton Road and New Street car park.”

The Council will continue to monitor the situation around Waverley Station throughout this weekend to ensure smooth access is being maintained.

In the longer term, the Council’s roads designers are currently finalising plans to improve the area around Waverley Station to make it more pedestrian-friendly and to ensure adequate taxi provision is maintained following the introduction of new controlled access measures at the Station.

Work is expected to commence this Spring on:

– New raised tables on Waverley Bridge, the junction of Waverley Bridge & Market Street and at the Station entrance on Market Street
– New Zebra crossing on Market street opposite Lothian Buses office
– 12 bay taxi rank on Market Street
–  8 bay taxi rank on Calton Road (NB exact number of bays TBC)
– 5 bay taxi rank on east side of Waverley Bridge
– 9 taxi spaces on west side of Waverley Bridge (to be operational 8pm to 9am)
– Additional loading/unloading facilities on Market Street
– Reducing the number of buses on Waverley Bridge, without reducing the service
– Widening the footways and reducing street clutter on Waverley Bridge and Market Street
– Resurfacing the carriageways on Waverley Bridge and Market Street

Terry Butcher has  dismissed internet rumours of a  training ground bust up between Kevin Thomson and Maurice Malpas and says that he is ‘delighted’ that the Scotland midfielder is determined to fight for a place in the team.

Speaking at the weekly press conference ahead of Saturday’s Scottish up tie against Raith Rovers the e Hibs boss said: “He (Thomson) needs to get fit first. He has not been available to play since the St Johnstone game and has only featured in four out of my 12 games. He has to get fit and he has to get out there and get some time on the training field, first and foremost. The door is never closed, it is always open, and it is up to players then to push it wider.”

“I think I have shown with Tom Taiwo that it is never say never,” he added. “I will never say, ‘You will never play for this football club again’. You might say things like ‘game time will be limited because other players have come in and done well’ but it is up to players like Kevin. If he is adamant that he wants to get back into the team, then I welcome it.”

When specifically asked about the rumours of a rift, the Hibs boss responded: “What a load of guff,” Kevin is a good professional and he loves this football club. He has had some great, great times at this football club, and who is to say there cannot be great times ahead? But he has to work hard and get to the standard that I feel is right for the team, because there are some good players in his position who have done well. Can we put that to bed now?”

The talk then turned to Callum Booth, the Hibs’ left back who is on a yearlong loan with Saturday’s opponents after falling out of favour with Pat Fenlon. Unusually, no agreement was made at the time of the loan to prohibit Booth playing against Hibs so it is likely that he will feature in the game.

“It’s a horrible one that, I must admit. There’s been dialogue about it but he’s played in the previous two rounds and he’s played nearly all season for them anyway. It would be nice if Raith Rovers actually left him out of the team under these circumstances, but that’s up to them,” he added.

“He’s got a bright future; I just hope he doesn’t unleash a 30-yard thunderbolt like he did against me before. We’ll certainly try our best to stop him. But it’s difficult. The only loser in this situation will be him, in many aspects. But he’s professional and he’ll get on with his job and do well.”

Butcher was referring to a goal scored by Booth in a 2-0 victory for Hibs over Inverness Caledonian Thistle two years ago; the he is looking forward to having him back in the green and white strip for pre-season training in the summer.

Apart from Ryan McGivern who is still recovering from an injury picked up against St Mirren and James McPake who is also on the road to recovery after a back operation, Butcher has a full squad to pick from which includes his three new loan signings.

Photo by John Preece

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

Two short films by Edinburgh screenwriter Ronnie Mackintosh and London based director Brady Hood have been selected as finalists in a prestige international competition organised by FILMSshort.com.

‘Small Gifts,’ the story of a young boy, isolated by grief following the death of his mother, who finds comfort from a strange woman he meets by chance in the park, and  ‘Plagium’, where Little Katie’s perfect world is about to come falling down as she discovers all too soon that not everyone can live happily ever after, which features acclaimed actor Jason Flemyng  of ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ fame, have both reached the last ten of the bi-annual competition.

[vimeo 26488899 w=500 h=281]

A spokesman for FILMSshort said:”FILMSshort.com is one the more popular short films websites, showcasing only the best shorts from across the world.  To have two shorts selected is certainly an achievement.”

Yesterday Ronnie kindly took time out from his busy schedule to speak to the Edinburgh Reporter and was quick to pay tribute to the others involved in the production of the films.

He said: “I was really delighted to hear that the films had been selected as competition finalists.  The fact that they were the two films that I’ve worked on with Brady was the icing on the cake.  Other crew members who were involved with both films, and who absolutely deserve recognition are, the Editor, James Page; the Composers who created two pieces of original music, Maryann and Michael Tedstone, and Producer, Jameal Ali.”

It’s a busy time for the 54 year old former detective, who only took up screenwriting after he retired, at the rank of Detective Chief Inspector, from Lothian and Borders Police in 2006.  Four years later, Ronnie graduated from Screen Academy Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University, with a Master of Fine Arts (Advanced Film Practice), and since then his short films have screened at film festivals throughout the world.

“I now focus on feature length projects.” continued Ronnie, “At the moment I have two scripts optioned by production companies in the US and London, and I’m currently working with an Edinburgh  Producer/Director team, Andy Maas and David Lumsden on a project, Prion,  that’s beginning to gaining some interest.  I can’t say too much at the moment, but it’s a thriller that could only be set in Edinburgh and will portray the city as it’s never been seen before.  Then I have another thriller to pen for London based producers and interestingly, it was Brady who recommended me for that job.”

[vimeo 36081654 w=500 h=281]

Keep up with Ronnie’s work at http://www.ronniemackintosh.co.uk/default.html

Photographs: Ronnie Mackintosh and Brady Hood & Jason Flemyng in Plagium

Young children and their parents are invited to climb on board the PlayTalkRead bus ‘Benji’ as it visits Edinburgh.

Designed to help encourage parents and carers to play, talk and read more with their little ones, the bus – affectionately known as Benji – will be stopping at Castle Street, Edinburgh from Monday 10 February until Thursday 13 February between 10-1pm and 2-4pm.

Giving parents and carers of 0 – 3 year olds the chance to hop on board, inside there’s ample opportunity for all types of fun with books, toys, interactive storytelling as well as song, rhythm and rhyme sessions.

Minister for Children and Young People, Aileen Campbell commented: “We can never underestimate the power of play and its crucial role in the positive development of our wee ones. The first three years in a child’s life are critical to their development. Our PlayTalkRead bus offers free fun for parents and carers of tots, to help give them the very best start in life. The good news for mums and dads is you don’t have to wait until your kids are bigger to do fun things together. There are lots of opportunities to get out there and have simple fun every day and for little cost.”

Activity on the bus includes demonstrating easy ways for parents to interact with their children during their early years, with lots of low-cost ideas can all be done at home and easily incorporated within daily routines.

The PlayTalkRead roadshow is part of the Scottish Government’s Early Years campaign which focuses on the early years (0 – 3) of children’s lives, and is travelling across the country to all 32 local authorities. Entry is free. You can see when the PlayTalkRead buses will next be in your area at: www.playtalkread.org/tour

For more information – plus lots of handy tips and advice – visit www.playtalkread.org. You can also visit the Play Talk Read Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/playtalkread.

St Stephen’s Church – First Fringe tickets on sale now – Tickets on sale today for TEDx event – Last day of the Chinese Warriors – Edinburgh Art Fair

A meeting convened last night in the New Town attracted several hundred people who listened intently to speeches from James Simpson Chairman of the St Stephens Playfair Trust, Rev John Cowie Minister from Stockbridge Parish Church and Stewart Brown from the Mansfield Traquair Centre. St Stephen’s Church is a key building in the city, but latterly has been used as a polling station and as a Fringe venue, and is no longer used as a church. The Church of Scotland decided to sell the building and have now set the second closing date for offers to buy the property as the first sale appears to have fallen through.

The St Stephen’s Playfair Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee set up to buy the building and then maintain it by fundraising, and they want to buy it for the community. They are against “the privatisation of the building, stating that the potential of its great room for music, theatre and other cultural events should be realised and the two lower floors should be used for a combination of community activities and income generation, on the basis of a proper business plan.”

Marco Biagi SNP MSP for Edinburgh City Centre attended the meeting. He told The Edinburgh Reporter:-“It’s a gorgeous building – one of a kind. More than that it’s at the heart of the community. The meeting heard support from everyone from local residents to the parent council at Stockbridge Primary. It would be a terrible shame if the centre was lost to private developers and converted into who-knows-what use. I will be giving the community bid my full support.”

Tannis Dodd of Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council said:-“Last night’s meeting was well attended with over 300 people including local Councillors, Community Councils and MSPs all showing support for a Community Buyout of this well appreciated and used local Historical Treasure.  St Stephen’s Playfair Trust will outline their plans in the near future for their bid to save this beautiful building.  If they are successful the intention is to base it on the model of the Mansfield Traquair trust.  The building would hopefully be used for community groups, local school groups, music and theatre and office space. The main intention of trying to buy it is to keep the building available as a public building and for the use of the community.  At a show of hands at the end the majority was in favour of supporting the project.”

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Yes honestly the first Fringe tickets are on sale now. Trouble is if you buy them you will have to set yourself a reminder on several smart phones to ensure that you don’t forget what you have booked! The Festival Fringe is still six months away but already tickets for several shows are on sale here.

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University of Edinburgh is running a TEDx Event on 21 February 2014 at The Pleasance Theatre and tickets go on sale at 12 noon today.  This means that it is organised independently of the organisation TED but has the same ethos.

The Lord Provost the Rt Hon Donald Wilson took to Princes Street today to help boost sale of the Big Issue as part of the first-ever Big Sell Off.

He joined other high-profile individuals, including celebrities, business leaders and government ministers, as a guest vendor to support The Big Issue in Scotland and Scottish-based charity INSP (International Network of Street Papers).

The Big Sell-Off aims to raise awareness of homelessness, boost Big Issue vendor morale and sales, raise the profile of INSP and The Big Issue in Scotland and also raise funds for both organisations through guest vendors’ individual JustGiving fundraising pages.

The Lord Provost said: “It’s wrong that in 2014 people in Scotland are still living on the streets and don’t have a place to call home. That’s why it’s important people and organisations do everything they can to raise awareness of homelessness in Scotland and work together to make it a thing of the past.

“I am delighted to be involved in The Big Sell-Off this year and to do our bit helping raise funds and awareness for such an important cause.”

INSP’s General Manager Maree Aldam said: “The ‘Big Sell-Off’ and ‘Vendor Week’ events are a way to celebrate the 14,000 inspirational street paper vendors there are around the world at any one time. They all work hard buying and selling street papers, like The Big Issue, to earn their own income and lift themselves out of poverty.

“Our Scottish-based charity, INSP, has been at the heart of the street paper movement for two decades and we now support 120 different titles in 40 countries. These events are part of our anniversary celebrations.

“We’re delighted to have this fantastic group of guest vendors supporting INSP and The Big Issue and we’re also grateful to our sponsor, the Wheatley Housing Group, for their help in making this happen.”

To support the Lord Provost’s efforts as part of the Big Sell-Off campaign visit:http://www.justgiving.com/Donald-Wilson

Other than a few positional changes, Scotland Women head coach, Jules Maxton, has shown faith in the same 23 person squad, who lost to Ireland in the opening Six Nations tie, to take on England this coming Sunday (February 9).

Maxton has made three changes to the starting XV as prop Heather Lockhart, scrum-half Louise Dalgliesh and centre Laura Steven, have been promoted from the bench to face the Auld Enemy at Rubislaw (2pm).

Lockhart takes the loose-head jersey as captain Tracy Balmer moves into the tight-head berth, Dalgliesh gets the nod ahead of Sarah Law and Steven starts as inside centre, in turn moving Gillian Inglis to 13 and Annabel Sergeant to the right wing.

Ruth Slaven and Tess Forsberg have also reversed roles as the former plays on the blindside flank, the latter the openside.

Speaking to scottishrugby.org, Scotland hooker, Sarah Quick, said, “There’s a great rivalry between ourselves and England, everyone wants to pull on the shirt and give it their all in these clashes. s a new setting for us. Hopefully, we can get a good crowd who will get behind us and create a fantastic atmosphere for the game.”

“From last week, we’ve learned that we need to bring a high level of intensity from the very first whistle. In the last quarter of the Ireland match, we really upped our game and competed well, we’ve just got to make sure we carry this on to play England. At the end of the day, there’s two teams, one ball, one game, it’s who can be the most physical and show the greatest desire, who will come out on top.”

Admission to the game, kicking off at 2pm, will be free of charge. The match will also be streamed live on Scottish Rugby’s YouTube channel. Visit www.scottishrugby.org

Scotland team

15. Stephanie Johnston (Worcester)

14. Annabel Sergeant (Richmond)

13. Gillian Inglis (Melrose)

12. Laura Steven (Murrayfield Wanderers)

11. Megan Gaffney (Hillhead-Jordanhill)

10. Lisa Martin (Murrayfield Wanderers)

9. Louise Dalgliesh (RHC Cougars)

1. Heather Lockhart (Hillhead-Jordanhill)

2. Sarah Quick (Murrayfield Wanderers)

3. Tracy Balmer (Worcester) CAPTAIN

4. Jade Konkel (Hillhead-Jordanhill)

5. Deborah McCormack (Richmond)

6. Ruth Slaven (Murrayfield Wanderers)

7. Tess Forsberg (Richmond)

8. Lindsay Wheeler (Saracens)

Replacements:

16. Nikki McLeod (Stirling County)

17. Lindsey Smith (Hillhead-Jordanhill)

18. Lisa Robertson (Murrayfield Wanderers)

19. Emma Wassel (Murrayfield Wanderers)

20. Anna Stodter (Loughborough University)

21. Sarah Law (Murrayfield Wanderers)

22. Tanya Griffith (RHC Cougars)

23. Katy Green (Darlington Mowden Park)

 “Oz is beautiful but it has its perils.”

The Edinburgh University Theatre Company (EUTC) is excited to announce a production of L. Frank Baum’s beloved series The Land of Oz books is coming to the Bedlam stage.

Adapted mainly from the first two books in the series, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Marvellous Land of Oz, the EUTC’s version of these family classics will give younger audience members a chance to see these tales come to life and make older ones fall in love with Oz all over again.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz tells the story of Dorothy Gale, a young girl from our world who is transported via tornado to the enchanted country known as Oz. Although she’s fascinated by all she sees, dark forces threaten her from all sides and she must journey to see the most powerful being in this strange new land – the titular wizard – to find out if he will send her home. Along the way, she meets some of the most iconic characters in English Literature – including a scarecrow who’s smarter than he knows, a man made of tin who longs to regain his lost ability to love and a lion who just needs to prove to himself how brave he is.

Exciting, funny, bright and endlessly enjoyable, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is an energetic piece of fantasy theatre that all the family can enjoy.

The script was produced once in 2012, when it ran for one night only in Edinburgh. With a little bit of tweaking, the play is back and bolder than ever, promising an evening of fun and adventure.

“Anything is possible in Oz”