A new spin-out company from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Geosciences which was awarded an initial £141,000 from Scottish Enterprise’s SMART Scotland fund and the University of Edinburgh Technology Fund is to embark on a further round of funding in an ambitious plan to raise capital through crowd funding.

Carbomap plans to raise further capital through Share-In, a new Scottish-based equity crowd-funding platform to further develop its proprietary technology to map and measure the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the world’s forests.

The environmental survey company uses a pioneering multispectral canopy LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor system – described as the “MRI Scanner of Forest Measurement”  – to carry out airborne ‘mapping’ of forest terrain, regardless of remoteness and inaccessibility. Working with the timber industry, national forest agencies and the burgeoning forest carbon credit market, LiDAR measures the distance between an airborne sensor and the ground surface, with a greater accuracy than previously available.

Carbomap has spun out of the University of Edinburgh at a crucial time, particularly as estimates suggest that global deforestation is rapid – one football pitched sized area of forest is lost every 2 seconds, costing around £2 trillion per year around the world from lost environmental services and impact on climate change.

Moreover, there is widespread agreement within UN Member States that a global forest carbon credit scheme with £10bn annual investment is required to counteract the economic drivers of deforestation.

While the details of this scheme still remain uncertain, there is confidence that living forests will increase in economic value and as such will require new cost-effective means of monitoring for regulatory compliance and carbon management.

Ian Murphy, Head of Licensing at Edinburgh Research and Innovation, the commercialisation arm of University of Edinburgh commented:-“Once again, the University of Edinburgh has spun out a company that has the potential to create a huge impact in its chosen field.

When estimates currently suggest that the global market for forest-monitoring is currently valued at £2 billion, and the forest carbon market estimated to be worth £10 billion by the year 2020, it becomes apparent that Carbomap’s technology significantly paves the way for accurate and effective forest carbon analysis and measurement.”

Are any of you out there having success with crowd funding? If so do let us know! theedinburghreporter@gmail.com

Police Scotland advise that they are appealing for witnesses to a serious assault which took place outside a pub on Leith Walk in the early hours of Saturday night/Sunday morning 18 August 2013.

The victim in the assault was with his partner outside the City Limits bar on Leith Walk at around 3:00am when he was attacked by a man striking him on the face in an unprovoked assault. The victim has a broken jaw and required hospital treatment.  The suspect then threatened to stab the victim with a knife which was not however visible. Several people who appeared to see what had happened stopped to offer help to the victim. The suspect continued up Leith Walk.

The suspect is described as white, in his 30s, around 6ft tall, medium build, shaggy dark hair which is long on top, unshaven, wearing jeans and a dark jacket and spoke with an Irish accent.

Police are appealing to anyone with information that can assist their inquiries to contact Police Scotland on 101, or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

Fire safety advice – Festival of Sport – Edinburgh International Book Festival pick of the day – Edinburgh Festival Fringe pick of the day – Night classes

Firefighters were called out just before 11:00am on Sunday 18 August in response to a fuse box fire in a top-floor flat at The Green just north of Queensferry Road.

Two firefighters in breathing apparatus entered the premises and extinguished the fire using a CO2 extinguisher.

A woman suffering from smoke inhalation was given oxygen at the scene before being taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson explained:- “Thankfully, this property had a working smoke alarm. Smoke alarms save lives.”

“We recommend that every home has a working smoke alarm. You should test it every week. If you or someone you know is living without smoke detection in their home we can help with a free home fire safety visit.”

“Local firefighters will visit you at home, fit free smoke alarms as required, help you identify any specific fire risks in your home and make an escape plan so you know what to do if fire breaks out.”

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service remind people about this each Tuesday when they tweet  using the hashtag #testittuesday To book a free Home Fire Safety Visit please:

Text ‘fire’ to 61611

Call 0800 0731 999

Visit: www.firescotland.gov.uk

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Edinburgh’s Festival of Sport is taking place from 24 August – 8 September. Bigger and better than in previous years, the event is a bumper fortnight of sport for all to get involved in. It’s the perfect opportunity to try new sports, find out about the sports clubs in your area and all of the Festival activities are FREE.

Further details here and the programme is here

Fest of Sport Booklet Lr

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At the Book Festival this evening there are still a couple of events for which tickets are available. One is Rachel Kushner meeting Colm Tóibín at 8:30pm.

This is how they describe it on their website:-

Already a darling of the US literary scene, Rachel Kushner is taking Europe by storm with The Flame Throwers, her thrilling, alluring story of a young woman in the 1970s whose success in a motorbike speed trial leads her from the New York art scene into a world of Italian radicalism. In this event Kushner talks with Colm Tóibín about the astonishing images and ideas that inspired her novel.

 

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At the Assembly Rooms later this morning you could be wowed by a children’s show….. with the Amazing Bubble Man.

“Louis Pearl has been thrilling audiences around the world for nearly 30 years with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles. A Fringe favourite, he has sold out every year for the last six years. Louis explores the breath-taking dynamics of bubbles, combining comedy and artistry with audience participation and enough spellbinding bubble tricks to keep everyone mesmerized. From square bubbles, bubbles inside bubbles, fog-filled bubbles, giant bubbles, bubble volcanoes, tornados and trampolines to people inside bubbles, the Amazing Bubble Man conjures shrieks of laughter and gasps of amazement from all ages. www.amazingbubbleman.com”

More details and booking here. 

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Time to think about the autumn and winter ahead and plan your night classes in photography, woodwork or butterfly spotting…. Actually that is not included but there is a huge list on the Adult Education website from which you can choose according to location and your interests.

You can book your Mandarin, Cookery classes or Yoga here….

Our photo today was taken on Saturday evening of the extended fireworks following the second show of the Tattoo at the Castle Esplanade. If you have taken any then please share them with us! theedinburghreporter@gmail.com

Making News, Pleasance Courtyard 1pm, until 25 Aug, £15/14 (£14/13 concessions)

With an interesting premise and ‘comedy-drama’ essence, Making News has great potential which is sadly unfulfilled. It is in no way a poor production, but one that is comparable to eating a Cadbury Creme Egg and finding it has no fondant middle; it’s missing a vital, satisfying ingredient. Urgency.

In the play Rachel Clarke (Suki Webster) is promoted to Head of News at the BBC, much to the surprise of colleagues Carter Setchfield (Dan Starkey) and Anna Kelly (Sara Pascoe), who are immediately faced with a dilemma; whether or not to report on a BBC-damaging story originally investigated by Noel Quickly (Liam Williams) in a Panorama programme. Egotistical news reader Jonathan McVeigh (Hal Cruttenden) must then come to terms with interviewing Director General Roger Seabrite (Phill Jupitus) about suspicious financial matters linked to the investigation, or the corporation will face even more of backlash from its competitors and the public.

A situation of great urgency, it could be presumed. It should be, but there are many moments throughout the performance that felt underdeveloped and, as a result, made the underlying scenario unconvincing. Satirical yet fundamentally fictional, Making News requires more energy and more defined characterisation, with a sharper dialogue delivery and increased audibility both being improvements that would highly enhance the production.

Having said this, a standout performance from Cruttenden, along with the play’s second half, the outcome and scattered bursts of humour throughout the 75 minutes made this a pleasant jaunt that is not afraid to teeter on the edge of portraying actual events, despite it being fantasy.

Zoe Lyons – Pop-up Comic, Assembly Rooms 5pm, until 25 Aug, £10/9

Vivid and natural, Zoe Lyons looked like she was having a blast in the Assembly Rooms Studio One, the chandeliers of which she compared to Pat Butcher’s earrings. This is just one of the many observations made by the comedian who injects a generous degree of theatre into the way in which she tells her anecdotes, with a fantastic fluid pace throughout the show.

She comments on the loneliness of her profession, the reason for the existence of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an unfortunate anorak incident and her TV appearances, which develops into a reflective analysis of the televised celebrity culture of today.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5urZB-Nhz1A]

Lyons manages to weave her tales together faultlessly; an element of each succinct story finds it way into later stories in an unexpected and inventive manner.

She makes several very valid points too – just how are some hotels and leisure facilities getting away with providing ‘hand AND body wash’ receptacles? “That’s like me washing my underwear…in a dishwasher – they’re still clean, but it’s just not right.”

Her impression of a motion air freshener is priceless, and her final tale brings to a close a set that is thoroughly enjoyable and accomplished.

Alistair McGowan: Damn Labels!, Gilded Balloon 7:30pm, until 25 Aug (except 22), £14.50 (£13 concessions)

The Gilded Balloon Debating Hall’s 7:30pm slot is now home to an accomplished family-friendly performer in the shape of Alistair McGowan, whose impressions are known across the nation, largely due to the award-winning ratings-smash ‘The Big Impression’ which aired a decade ago. You read that correctly – a decade – quite staggering.

Unlike his televised outings, there are no props and no make-up in this fast-paced performance which puts the focus solely on McGowan’s vocal abilities that are often matched with proficient physical impressions of those who he impersonates.

Among the many voices are Terry Wogan, Jo Brand and David Beckham, along with an abundance of sports, comedy and TV personalities, as well as a bonus impression of David Dickinson that McGowan admitted was unplanned. His bank of impressions could be compared to a melt-in-the-middle chocolate sponge – once he starts, the impressions ooze out to create a delicious mix of accents and personas.

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

McGowan manages to maintain a solid pace by intertwining the impressions with comedic and personal anecdotes.

His vast array of impressions had the audience in stitches, with each and every one recognisable and virtually all of them perfected. McGowan’s raw talent is undeniable, with it being little wonder that the 400-seat venue was filled to the brim.

The Edinburgh Reporter’s Trystan Davies spoke to Ziggy Campbell of collective art group Found about the award winning Cybraphon – the autonomous emotional robot band that makes a big demand of its fans!  

You will see that we could be helping its mood simply by a tweet mentioning its name…..

Cybraphon is at the National Museum of Scotland and is part of the Edinburgh International Festival 2013.  

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqbxlmeEh8w]

Photography and music credit:  All rights reserved by cybraphon

Yesterday, at the 2013 Edinburgh International Book Festival, actor Rupert Everett revealed that he will boycott the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia along with Stephen Fry. Citing the Russian attitude to homosexuality as ‘cruel’ he went on to add “if you are gay in Russia you live secretly. If found out you’re beaten up, killed or forced to commit suicide”.

Everett, who spent a year and a half in Russia shooting a movie and later returned as an UN ambassador, spoke about his visit to an aids clinic in St Petersburg where he discovered that gay people pretend to be drug users to get access to HIV medicine. He questioned whether the prejudice still exists because religion is powerful in the country.  Russia recently announced an anti gay law which states that openly gay people and athletes attending the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics will be arrested.

Everett also made his opinion on the upcoming Scottish Independence referendum quite clear, when he said ‘The United Kingdom is very lucky, it’s a shame to be squabbling about things like Independence’.

In an engaging and witty session where Sean Penn’s private parts were mentioned on several occasions, Everett confirmed that in 2014 he will be shooting what might be his greatest achievement in a biopic of Oscar Wilde’s final years.   The film, The Happy Prince, written, directed and starring Everett, has taken years to get off the ground. It was the success of Rupert’s portrayal of Oscar Wilde in David Hare’s theatre production, The Judas Kiss, that sealed the deal with financial backers the BBC and British distributors, Lion’s Gate.

Within the hour Everett admitted to bidding for and not securing the role of Dr Who, that he was forced to sell his French home due to lack of finances and that he has no regrets in his career, including being openly gay, commenting ‘Life’s too short for regret, we’re only happy hookers’.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival continues until Monday 26 August.  Full details of the programme and all tickets can be found at www.edbookfest.co.uk.

This elegantly constructed play by Lara Foot is a real pleasure to watch, a slow burner revealing real heart and courage. It’s the cold winter of Marion’s life in South Africa, an ex-pat with arid land amidst the turmoil of the modern S.A. on the eve of the 2010 World Cup.

Marion is writing a long letter to her daughter, who lives in Australia, when she is visited by Solomon, an awkward young South African, who at first urges her to leave her dangerous life-long home, then gradually tries to help her, – bringing unwanted food (chicken feet) and painting her walls, around one significant photograph, rice paper white.

As the two mismatched characters shift up through the gears of their relationship the play becomes an understated dialogue on the position of the old ruling white class in modern South Africa, a glimpse at the tortured legacy of imperialism and apartheid, and finally a devastating critique of the violence endemic in the country to this day. The relationship is the play and it grows with the turning of the seasons, bringing sweet rain in the South African spring.

Janet Suzman is terrific as Marion, capturing the feisty gravitas of the older ex-pat clinging to memories and her home, but with a palpable sensitivity to Solomon’s plight and a touching burden of pain. Khayalethu Anthony as Solomon is delicate and threatening, vulnerable and violent, a living metaphor for the modern South Africa, he holds the audience in the palm of his hand and reveals his devastating secret with searing truthfulness.

Perhaps there are a couple too many false endings, but when the real one comes, along with a ‘borrowed’ telly and the promise of that life affirming World Cup, it breaks like spun sunshine across the stage. The play speaks with an all too vital idealism of hope and potential redemption for both sides in the continuing violence.

Five Stars

Submitted by Ade Morris

The Boss Of It All at Assembly Roxy is an intriguing modern farce adapted from the film by Lars Von Trier. The central premise is one faced by anyone who’s ever been in charge of anything – how to be loved by the workers and yet still take the hard- headed decisions capitalism seems to dictate?

It’s a very funny play with some superb set-pieces, crisply staged by Jack McNamara, elegantly designed by Lily Arnold, and very engagingly performed by a superb cast – full of astute comic observation and a keen eye for office ‘types’.

The play is slightly self conscious, with an unnecessary Von-Trier-esque voiceover, and a tendency to try to apologize for the theatricality of theatre. But despite this it makes some devastating points about the inherent fakeness of employee/employer relationships, and aspires to a more universal satire with its central conceit of an actor both aware that he is in a play, and yet, comically, blurring the line between life and drama.

Four Stars

Submitted by Ade Morris

The Tin Ring at Summerhall is a remarkable and refreshing live theatre experience, with none of the usual Edinburgh bangs and whistles. Performed by Jane Arnfield this meticulous, economical, accomplished and utterly convincing actor tells the story of Zdenka Fantlova, a holocaust survivor. Zdenka’s life memoir, originally called My Lucky Star, has been adapted for the stage by Jane and the director Mike Alfreds.

In Summerhall’s untheatrical, brightly lit lecture hall the story is simply told, and what a story. It eschews any emotional manipulation of the audience, deftly avoids the big picture, concentrating solely on the character of Zdenka, her singular personality and her methods of coping with and surviving this appalling crisis in her life. The story is riveting from start to finish, a brilliantly constructed testimony told from the heart and ringing with truth.

The structure is the key, telling the story first in terms of the facts, the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the escalating persecution of the Jews, the deportation to the camps and murder of Zdenka’s family, then Zdenka’s own last –ditch survival thanks to her insistence on learning English as a young girl. (Beginning with the song ‘ You are My Lucky Star’, -itself shot through with irony as the Jews are forced to wear the yellow star).

But then, from this ‘naked life, wrapped in a white sheet’ the play returns to the beginning and takes a different view, telling the story of the tin ring, a precious token of love, and here is revealed the courageous heart of Zdenka, her ability to fiercely love and be loved by her beaux Arno, ’all that we had is love’ – her faith in herself and her family, her utterly indomitable and calm strength. (This strength her beloved father’s last gift as the Gestapo took him away).

The final loop of the story tells of Zdenka’s immediate post-war experience, her recovery in a Swiss hospital, her attempt to come to terms with what has happened to her, and eventual brief return to Prague, never to set foot back there for fifty years – as Zdenka ’lays a new foundation, bit by bit, for our lives…’

What emerges is an inspiring single vision of survival, of the particular but universal methods of that miraculous escape, and of enduring indomitable love. I felt I had been taken on a remarkable, horrific and life affirming journey by this unpretentious, precise, heartfelt and unmissable performance.

Long may it stay in Jane Arnfield’s repertoire, giving voice to all those whose holocaust testimony is silent, and teaching the younger generation not to forget

Five Stars

Submitted by Ade Morris

Told with great heart, quiet ferocity, and visual beauty Nirbhaya is an extraordinarily powerful issue based drama. It tells the story of Jyoti Singh Pandey, brutally raped and killed on a Delhi bus in December 2012 and known as Nirbhaya – ‘the fearless one’. This attack brackets the experiences of five other Indian women, breaking their silence on the circle of abuse in which their lives have been folded. The last testimony of the cycle, set in America, potently releases the anger to other cultures where the position of women in society has altered, and yet abuse still strikes.

The play, told in great part by victims of abuse themselves, whose pain and anger is all too visible, is a damming indictment of the position of women and young girls in society worldwide, and takes the Delhi attack as a sparking point for protest and change. And yet to deliver this urgent message the piece uses the most poetic and visually appealing languages of theatre, evoking a sense of fine culture in chaos, images of the human spirit in crisis, – the sheer exquisite beauty of the staging helping hammer home the message that this abuse must stop, for the sake surely of human potential, of our capacity to love.

The final pictures, of the funeral of Jyoti, and her transformation into Kali, the Hindu Goddess of empowerment, were so moving as to be almost unbearable. The audience, all around me in tears, of course has merely to glance at a British daily newspaper, or anywhere, to realise that women and girls are oppressed by predatory men everywhere, all the time. If theatre can change anything, open debate and doors to progress, contribute to making society better, then this is the kind of theatre that might do it.

Political and yet universal, angry yet restrained, so brutal at times I had to look away, so beautifully focused in its writing, direction, ensemble performance and immediacy that an hour and thirty five minutes passed without my noticing. This play should tour the world and help try to make it a better place. Unmissable.

Five Stars

Submitted by Ade Morris

At a ceremony at the European Parliament Office in Edinburgh today, Professor Richard Demarco CBE was presented with the 2013 European Citizen’s Medal by Scottish MEP Struan Stevenson.

Accepting the medal, Professor Demarco said:- “The great culture that binds us together as Europeans is also the culture of the world.  There is no Polish art, or Scottish art, or English art, or Italian art.  There is only art.”

Prof Demarco recalled the origins of the Edinburgh Festival, which had aspired “to use the language of art to define a re-awakening, a period of forgiveness and reconciliation.”

He said Edinburgh needed to tell the story and the history of the Edinburgh Festival and of the people who had made it happen.

Struan Stevenson said: “There could be no more appropriate recipient of the Citizen’s Prize than Richard Demarco”

Prof Demarco will travel to Brussels in October as a guest of the President of the European Parliament for a formal investiture ceremony for laureates of the European Citizen’s Prize.

MAJOR NEW POETRY PRIZE FOR YOUNG SCOTTISH POETS ANNOUNCED AT THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

Details of a major new poetry prize for young Scottish poets were announced at a launch at the Edinburgh International Book Festival yesterday evening.

The Edwin Morgan Poetry Award of £20,000 will be awarded biennially for the best collection of poems, published or unpublished, by a young Scottish poet under the age of thirty.

The award is the result of a bequest by the late Scottish Makar, Edwin Morgan (1920-2010), and a Trust has been established in his name to administer the award and further promote poetry in Scotland.

The judges of the first award, which will be made in 2014, were named as poets, Stewart Conn and Jen Hadfield.

The launch event was chaired by the current Scottish maker, Liz Lochhead, who brought together three of the winners of the Edwin Morgan International Poetry Competition which the new award supersedes. Paul Batchelor, Jen Hadfield and Jane McKie each read from their work and discussed the challenges faced by young poets in the process of putting together a first collection.

David Kinloch, who announced the details of the award on behalf of the Trustees, said “This award is aimed at young poets partly because Edwin Morgan never forgot the difficulties that beset him as a young writer trying to get into print. We welcome any collections submitted for the award which can contain poems written in English, Scots or Gaelic.”

The event closed with a virtuoso reading by Jim McGonigal, another of the Trustees and Edwin Morgan’s biographer, of Morgan’s poem ‘Opening the Cage’.

Full details of the award may be found at www.edwinmorganaward.com

We apologise firstly for the brevity of this round-up! Our main sports editor John Hislop has been forced to take some time off due to illness so there will be intermittent sports coverage until he is back to full health in a week or two.

If you have any sports news then please do send it to us! theedinburghreporter@gmail.com

Meantime our sports round up has a slightly different look to it….

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First of all exciting news for all you skiers out there. There will be a new specialist boot fitting store in Edinburgh – hopefully opening by  Christmas. As our photos below will show you there is a significant development taking place up at Hillend.  Craigdon Mountain Sports are building on the site of the old hotel which has been demolished to make way for a state of the art boot fitting centre, restaurant and mountain gear store. Situated very handily for Hillend it will also have a ski repair centre. Watch this space…

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Allan Smith is a high jumper from South Queensferry who has a real chance of being in the Commonwealth Games team next year.

Allan won his first national high jump title at the Scottish Athletics Championships in Glasgow last weekend. So things are indeed looking good for pre-selection to the Commonwealth Games athletics team in the first draft next month.

Allan has won both Scottish Athletics senior high jump championships indoors and outdoors. He set a Scottish native high jump record (2.22m) (highest jump by a Scot in Scotland) whilst winning the Scottish Universities Championships in January, then increased it to 2.23m whilst competing for a Commonwealth select team at the British International in February. He then won the silver medal at British Athletics European trials & UK senior athletics championships.

In the summer, Allan was capped by UK Athletics at the European Athletics Under 23 Championships in Finland, where he represented Team GB, and won the bronze medal in the high jump with a personal best leap of 2.26m. He also broke into the elite athletics track and field circuit by competing in the Diamond League high jump event during the London Anniversary Games last month.

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Commonwealth Games tickets have gone on sale this morning but there was a queue of over 60 minutes when we had a look at the website. The good news is that tickets are priced from £15 upwards and half price tickets for the under-16s and over-60s. Ticket prices will include public transport in the local area too.

Tickets are on sale from now till 16 September and you will know after that if your application has been fruitful.Wherethere is more demand than tickets available then a draw will be made from all applications received. There is also a limit to how many tickets you can apply for which may vary according to the events.

We hope you are lucky!

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This week Edinburgh Rugby unveiled their new playing strip to fans at the annual Open Evening at Murrayfield Stadium on Thursday night.  The Open Evening gave fans a unique chance to get up, close and personal with the players, and see behind the scenes at the home of the capital club.

The gunners opened up the doors to their changing rooms, gym and tunnel for hundreds of wide-eyed supporters to experience. Fans also got the chance to meet and pick the brains of managing director, David Davies and new head coach Alan Solomons.

Edinburgh backs Matt Scott and Greg Tonks modeled the strips on the evening, which were very positively received by attending fans.

The strip branded ‘old town, new look’ shows the club colours of black and red repositioned into hoops for a more traditional looking home kit, and marks a return of white away jerseys, complete with new shirt sponsor BT Sport.

Released a fortnight after the national side’s new, classic jersey, the strip aims to reflect the back-to-basics approach being adopted by Edinburgh Rugby under new management.

Centre, Matt Scott, said “I really like the new kit. It’s a bold design and I think is well suited to the graft and grit that’s been put in over pre-season.

“It’s honest and hard working and that’s what we, as players, want to deliver for our supporters on the pitch this season.”

Those wanting to purchase the new kit, the club are predicting it will be available to purchase at the end of August, either in person or via the websitehttp://www.scottishrugbydirect.com/

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Other sports news from other sources has been posted on our Scoop.it magazine here……. 

British superstar and Oscar award winning actress Emma Thompson has become the new face of Edinburgh College’s Performing Arts Studio of Scotland (PASS).

The Nanny McPhee and Sense and Sensibility star, who is also a screenwriter and well-known human rights activist, has shown her support towards the performing arts arm of Edinburgh College by accepting the honour of being its patron.

Emma Thompson said: “Edinburgh College’s Performing Arts Studio of Scotland is an exciting, high octane, cutting edge centre that will attract much of the wealth of talent in Scotland and beyond. I’m very proud to be patron.”

The much-admired British actress became familiar with PASS after meeting Edinburgh College acting and theatre performance lecturer John Naples-Campbell when he was training as a theatre student at the Scottish Youth Theatre in Glasgow.

John said: “I first met Emma when I was 18 years old at the Scottish Youth Theatre (SYT). She came along to the theatre to hold a Q&A session with SYT students and, after listening to her talk about her career in the industry, I felt driven to continue with my career in performing arts – which is why I am an acting and theatre performance lecturer today.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Emma Thompson as patron as this means that our training at Edinburgh College is truly recognised by the very best in the industry. We look forward to welcoming her to our productions in the college’s theatre wherever possible, and we hope to work around her schedule to hold workshops with our students.”

John added: “Emma is an inspirational person, not only because of her many Academy Awards, but also because of her work as a human rights ambassador. Her tremendous work on stage and screen gives hope to any young person wishing to pursue a career in the arts and I know that having her as our patron will motivate and inspire our students to reach their full creative potential.”

As one of the world’s most respected actresses, Emma Thompson is known for her versatility in acting as well as screenwriting and she most recently appeared in The Boat That Rocked, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and as the voice of Queen Elinor in the Pixar animation Brave. As well as her work on screen, Emma Thompson also works as an educational ambassador for a UK-based human rights organisation, the Helen Bamber Foundation, to help rebuild the lives of, and inspire a new self-esteem in, survivors of human rights violations.

Edinburgh College offers a selection of dance, acting, technical theatre, costume design, and make up artistry courses.Former graduates from performing arts courses include Scottish actress Karen Gillan, who starred in the BBC’s Doctor Who. Previous students from PASS have also performed live at the O2 Arena and collaborated with Jon Lord at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, and have also performed live on stage with Lady Gaga.

Photography caption: Emma Thompson, patron of Edinburgh College’s Performing Arts Studio of Scotland. Photo by Nick Haddow

GRANT THORNTON UK WELCOMES SEVEN STRONG TEAM IN LATEST GROWTH PUSH

One of the country’s leading business and financial advisers has boosted its financial services team as part of a major growth strategy.

Seven new team members, including one partner, are now based at Grant Thornton UK’s Edinburgh offices.

The move follows the organisation’s acquisition of the specialist UK financial services advisory arm of leading global consulting services firm, Navigant Consultant, Inc.

Across Britain, a 45 strong team, incorporating three partners and nine directors, have joined Grant Thornton UK, bringing with them a strong track record in the retail financial services market and a particular focus on the challenger banks.

Over the last two years, Grant Thornton UK has grown rapidly in Scotland. In 2012 the organisation moved into new state-of-the-art offices in the heart of Edinburgh’s financial district, bringing it closer to key stakeholders and clients.

The team has also made a number of senior appointments over the last twelve months and played a leading role in bringing the new Green Investment Bank to Scotland’s capital city.

Sandra Rodger, Partner, Grant Thornton UK  LLP, said: -“Over the last year Grant Thornton has focussed on innovation and growth and this has helped us to grow at a time when many organisations have been fighting for survival. The new financial services team adds yet another layer of expertise to the business and enables us to offer even greater insight and assistance to existing and future clients.

“Our leading role in bringing the Green Investment Bank to Edinburgh is a great example of the drive and entrepreneurial spirit that exists both within Grant Thornton and the wider Scottish business community. Looking forward, we hope to expand even further and play a major part in helping Scotland’s business compete and sustainably grow on an international level.”

New Partner Ewen Fleming, who leads the new Edinburgh-based financial services team, added: -“Grant Thornton represents an excellent fit both culturally and strategically and we are delighted to have landed in our new home. The transition to Grant Thornton has been very smooth and in effect it is already business as usual.

“We can now bring to our clients increased advisory and delivery capability in Distribution & Operations Strategy and Execution, , Risk & Regulation and Assurance across the Financial Services industry sectors of Retail & SME Banking, Capital Markets, Insurance and Investment Management.”

Cancer Research UK announced as Sainsbury’s Straiton new local charity partner

CANCER research in Edinburgh is to receive a welcome boost thanks to a new local fundraising partnership between Sainsbury’s Straiton and Cancer Research UK.

The partnership has been launched after the store’s customers and staff voted to put Cancer Research UK at the heart of the store’s fundraising activities over the next year.

Enthusiastic workers at Sainsbury’s Straiton are now planning a series of fundraising events which will raise as much money as possible for the charity’s work at the Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre.

The supermarket’s Local Charity partner scheme, which began in 2009, has raised more than £5 million to support local communities in the last four years. The Straiton store, situated in Loanhead, has had great success in supporting previous local charities and last year raised over £5000 for Thornton Rose Ride Ability Group.

Customers had a huge say in this year’s announcement and voted in-store and online from 1^st to 15^th May.

Sainsbury’s Straiton store manager, Lewis Scott said: “We’ve had a great response from our customers and we’re delighted to have chosen a charity which many of our customers and colleagues can associate with. We will now be working closely with the charity to ensure they really benefit from the Local Charity partnership”.

The Local Charity partner scheme is now in its fifth year, and staff didn’t waste any time as they kicked off their fundraising efforts on Friday.

Donna Marshall, Cancer Research UK volunteer manager for Edinburgh added: “We know the success that the Local Charity partnership has bought to many charities in Edinburgh so when we received the recent phone-call to tell us the news, we were thrilled. The exposure and support is going to be massively beneficial to our charity and I’d like to thank every Sainsbury’s Straiton customer who voted.

“Edinburgh is home to the Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre where researchers focus on bowel, breast and ovarian cancers and develop new research programmes into other common cancers – aiming to help improve survival for people with cancer as quickly as possible.

“It is thanks to generous customers at Sainsbury’s Straiton that we will be able to continue this work in the city and I know staff at the store will enter into this partnership with the enthusiasm and drive to make the next 12 months a huge success.”

Few musicals offer such unadulterated fun as Avenue Q and this production by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland at the Assembly Rooms is a sure fire winner.  We open on Avenue Q, a down market street in New York where our puppet characters (held by singing puppeteers) and some humans live. Princeton, right out of college, comes to live there and soon meets his on-off girlfriend-to-be Kate Monster (both puppets), Nicky and Rod (two more puppets, one gay but in denial), Brian the failed comedian and his fiancée Christmas Eve (both humans!) and several more including a Gary Coleman character (yes, the one from Diff’rent Strokes).

It’s all a bit like a musical comedy dream sequence of a cross between Friends and Sesame Street.  If that sounds off-putting then it shouldn’t.

The main plot or theme is just everyone learning to get along together but the best way to describe how the fun unfolds is perhaps through the opening lines of some of the songs “Everyone’s a little bit racist some times. It doesn’t mean they go around committing hate crimes” is an indiscreet “study!” of our everyday racism that we try to ignore. “What do you do with a BA in English” is Princeton’s opening lament.  “If you were gay, that’d be ok” says Ricky of Rod, while Rod has to invent “My girlfriend who lives in Canada” to keep everyone from guessing his secret.  “The more you love someone, the more you want to kill them” sings Christmas Eve. “You can be as loud as the hell you want when you’re making love” sings Gary and there are many many more.

Politically correct it is not but the incorrectness is so tongue in cheek that you are carried along, especially when most songs are “sung” by puppets.   It’s impossible to be offended and the songs are superb.

The whole cast is great but I’d offer special praise to Jimin Suh who is hilarious as Christmas Eve, the Japanese would-be therapist (with an occasional temper) – she’s so cool that she scarcely seems to be acting.  Also amazing are the flawless American accents on show.  If I had to criticise I’d say that there are perhaps too few innovations from the original Broadway production and sorry, but Trekkie Monster’s Scottish accent doesn’t quite work in a New York show either.  But I’m speaking as a fan.

It’ll be a while before an Avenue Q comes back around so get down to see this one now.

Reviewer Ronalda Orr

Avenue Q at the Assembly Rooms Fringe till 26 August 2013. Tickets and more details here.

LAST CHANCE TO HONOUR LOTHIAN HEALTH HEROES

Deadline for Scottish Health Awards 2013 approaches

Lothians residents are  called upon to nominate their local healthcare heroes for an accolade at the Scottish Health Awards 2013 by the deadline of 6 September 2013.

Hundreds of nominations have been received from across Scotland but many more worthy healthcare teams and top professionals are yet to be recognised for their dedication to providing outstanding patient care.

With the NHS in Scotland helping more than 150,000 Scots every day, the judges are looking for Scotland’s finest NHS workers and volunteers from across every area of healthcare including therapists, GPs, specialist carers or volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes of NHS Scotland.

Last year, there were four winners from the Lothian area at the Scottish Health Awards 2012, including Dr Paul Eunson, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children for the prestigious Doctor Award.

There are 16 award categories, including the Nurses Award, the Volunteers Award, the Top Team Award and the renowned Doctors Award.

Alan Boyter, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, NHS Lothian, said:- “Our dedicated staff work tirelessly to make a difference to people’s lives throughout Lothian.

“I encourage people to take the time to thank the healthcare professionals who care for them every day. You can do this by nominating your health hero and letting them know their efforts are appreciated.”

The awards will culminate in an award ceremony on the 7th November 2013 at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh.

To nominate your healthcare hero visit www.scottishhealthawards.com.

The closing date for nominations is the 6^th September 2013. 

Euan Cranston (pictured middle) age 32 from Loanhead and two Edinburgh friends David Craig (left) (age 32) and James Mcfarlane (right) (age 32) were out on Arthur’s Seat this weekend training for a stag party with a difference on 31 August 2013.

The team ‘Make Room for the Groom’, whose fourth member is James’ brother Scott Mcfarlane who lives in Doncaster, are gearing up for Beat the Borders, a 12 hour multi activity challenge starting and ending in Melrose in aid of Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS). Euan marries fiancée Gemma six days after the event on Friday 6 September in Fife.

The Bloody Ballad, Assembly Roxy 7:45pm, until 25 Aug (except 12, 19), £12 (£10 concessions)

With many glowing reviews (including ours), the cast of The Bloody Ballad are thoroughly enjoying their Fringe experience. Described as ‘part gig, part slasher movie and part murder ballad’, the chemistry of the cast, combined with the catalogue of excellent songs, make it an enjoyable hour and a quarter that transforms the audience to 1950s America and into the lives of the memorable characters.

In this audio interview, Lucy Rivers, Hannah McPake, Oliver Wood, Dan Messore and Tom Cottle speak about their parts in the show, how it compares to their previous work and they reveal some future plans:-

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/106069907" params="" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

Ed Byrne – Roaring Forties, Venue 150 @ EICC 9:20pm, until 25 Aug, £19.50/17.50

Combining personal experiences from the last two years with brilliant observations, Ed Byrne creates a relaxed atmosphere in the plush Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

He kicks things off by admitting the visual similarity between himself and shamed economist Vicky Pryce – laughter erupts within the auditorium and continues throughout his entertaining set.

Amid the many stories Byrne delves into, his hernia trauma and experiences with his own expanding family are highlights, the former being explored with surprising merriment.

The following video from Byrne’s previous show does contain strong language.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YoaVGuHfbg]

It is pretty much guaranteed that an Ed Byrne gig will be well-paced and amusing, with his latest offering no exception. This reassuring element linked to the comedian will hopefully see his return to the Fringe for many years to come.

Edinburgh locals are being encouraged to grow their own plants, fruit and vegetables in allotments, orchards or gardens this year to celebrate World Kitchen Garden Day on Sunday 25 August 2013.

Europe’s largest greenspace initiative, the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN), is supporting the drive to increase the appetite of Scottish communities for home-grown produce.

Now in its eleventh year, World Kitchen Garden Day provides the perfect opportunity for people across the globe to celebrate the many advantages of growing their own food. Kitchen gardening has a positive role to play in eating well, good health and fostering community spirit by encouraging people to get together.

Community growing, which takes kitchen gardening a step further and involves shared growing spaces, is central to the CSGN vision of creating an environment which supports healthy lifestyles and good mental and physical well-being.

Growing your own food can also positively impact on the local environment through a reduction in food mileage as participants reduce their fuel consumption and supermarkets face a reduced demand for products sourced from further afield.

Committed to improving the health and quality of life of Central Scotland’s population, the CSGN is working to increase the area of land used by communities for growing plants, fruit and vegetables.

Keith Geddes, Chair of the Central Scotland Green Network Partnership Board, said: “World Kitchen Garden Day provides an excellent platform to raise awareness of the range of health, economic and environmental benefits of community growing for local communities in Edinburgh and wider society.

“Community growing can lead to increased access to better nutrition in the face of rising supermarket prices; increased physical health through gardening; and improved community engagement at local and international levels around the universal experiences of gardening, cooking, and eating.”
Since 2010, the CSGN has supported 23 growing and orchard projects through its Development Fund, awarding just under one and a half million pounds to date and creating significant societal benefits for surrounding communities. This includes a Scottish Government funding boost of £450,000 to support community growing projects.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “There are many positives from growing your own food, be it the pleasure of watching what you plant turn into the delicious ingredients that appear on your plate, or getting into the garden for some physical exercise and socialising with others. And as people become more interested in the journey of their food and the issue of food miles, the appeal of growing your own increases.

“The Scottish Government is committed to making it easier for communities to grow their own fruit and vegetables, and I hope World Kitchen Garden Day encourages them to look out the gardening gloves and tools, get back to nature and enjoy the benefits that home-grown produce brings.”

Earlier this summer, the Scottish Allotment and Garden Society (SAGS) launched an Allotment Site Design Guide with part funding provided by the Scottish Government Food and Drink Division, the CSGN and Scottish Natural Heritage, and the remainder of the funding coming from enthusiastic anonymous individuals.

The guide will assist local authorities and gardening groups in designing and cultivating allotment sites and growing spaces, enabling them to make the best possible use of the land they have available for allotments through good, practical use and design.

Peter Wright M.B.E. from SAGS and co-author of the guide, said: “This is the first comprehensive guide covering all aspects of allotment site design in Scotland, perhaps the UK and even the world! It is an empowering tool to provide multiple solutions for new sites and to help all interested parties reach an amicable solution.”

The CSGN is one of the 14 national developments set out in the Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework. With a wide ranging remit, far beyond just a ‘green initiative’, it aims to improve the social, physical, cultural and environmental health and well-being of Central Scotland, as well as assisting the area to meet the challenge of climate change.

Stretching from Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Dunbartonshire in the west, to Fife and Lothians in the east, the CSGN encompasses 19 local authorities across 10,000 sq km and has the potential to benefit 3.5million people, equating to 70 per cent of Scotland’s population.

For further information about the CSGN or community growing opportunities, please visit http://www.centralscotlandgreennetwork.org.

Submitted by CENTRAL SCOTLAND GREEN NETWORK

The Edinburgh Reporter went to visit the Duddingston Community Garden earlier this year:-

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGMfGKmg7LM]

Greenbelt in Balerno under threat – Commonwealth Games Tickets – Edinburgh International Book Festival pick of the day – Edinburgh Festival Fringe pick of the day – Channel 4 coming to Edinburgh

Some Balerno residents are up in arms about the proposal to build 300 houses on an area of greenbelt at Cockburn Crescent, and so far nearly 120 objections have been made online. The builders have submitted this proposal on the basis that the area might become land for housing under the proposed Local Development Plan.

The campaigners now have a website and are encouraging others who feel the same way to lodge a comment or objection on the council planning portal before the deadline of 30 August 2013.

Barratt David Wilson Homes has lodged an application to build new homes on a field, and there was a public meeting last week when many voiced their concerns. Some people object on the basis of the already busy Lanark Road which is the only way in and out of the city centre. Others argue that Dean Park School is already at capacity.

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Commonwealth Games tickets have gone on sale this morning but there is a queue of over 60 minutes when we had a look at the website. The good news is that tickets are priced from £15 upwards and half price tickets for the under-16s and over-60s. Ticket prices will include public transport in the local area too.

Tickets are on sale from now till 16 September and you will know after that if your application has been fruitful.Where there is more demand than tickets available then a draw will be made from all applications received. There is also a limit to how many tickets you can apply for which may vary according to the events.

We hope you are lucky!

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At the Edinburgh International Book Festival today there are still tickets available for Scottish Makar, Liz Lochhead who will be speaking to former Book Festival Directors Shona Munro and Catherine Lockerbie about Scottish culture over the last 30 years since the festival began.

More details and tickets here.

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The Fringe is now into its last week, and here is our recommendation for you later this evening. If this is too late for you then download the Fringe app and find something earlier in the day, or just go for a walk up the High Street! And do tell us what you have been to see and what you have liked.

THE STATE VERSUS JOHN HAYES

Written & performed by Lucy Roslyn 31 July – 26 August AT C NOVA STUDIO 2    

Bearded Theatre Company make their Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut with Lucy Roslyn’s The State Versus John Hayes.

A charismatic female killer and her powerful male alter ego, John Hayes. A one woman show.

Huntsville Prison, Texas, 1959. Elyese Dukie is on Death Row for the murder of two people. On what may be her last night she reveals what she won’t tell the court or the string of psychiatrists they’ve sent to diagnose her. Seductress, or psychopath? Murderer, or victim? Electric chair, or psychiatric hospital? Elyese Dukie, or John Hayes?

A striking psychological thriller laced with dark humour, raw pain and real poignancy.  The State Versus John Hayes is based on extensive research into real-life female American killers, and their lives on Death Row.

The State Versus John Hayes is Lucy Roslyn’s first piece of writing for the theatre. Inspired by a quote from Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca: “It doesn’t make for sanity, does it, living with the devil?”, Roslyn set out to explore the idea of a seductive psychopath. What makes them tick and what makes them so attractive? A fascinating  exploration into the psychological forces that collide to make one woman kill.

C NOVA STUDIO 2               Listings 1-3 India Buildings, Victoria Street, Edinburgh EH1 2EX

Box office:  0845 260 1234  www.CtheFestival.com / 0131 226 0000  www.edfringe.com

@beardedtheatre

Date 31 July – 26 August (excluding 12 August)

Time 21:50 (1hr)

Ticket prices £8.50  – £10.50 / Concessions £6.50- £7.50

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Channel 4 news is coming to Edinburgh on Friday of this week and will be televised live from the capital. They also want to hear from you about the possible upturn in the economy and how it might be affecting you. This is what Channel 4 say on their website:–

We want to hear from you 
Do you live in or around Fowey, Cornwall; Swindon, Wiltshire; 
Teesside in the north east; the Lake District, or Edinburgh? 
Do you have a burning story that needs to be told about your area?
Perhaps a local business that has been at the heart of the community for years has
had to close - 
or maybe a new one has opened. 
What are your experiences of the local NHS? 
And if you are just leaving school, 
what are your plans - are you going to stay in your area? 
And what's the cultural scene like: maybe your town is the new "Madchester".

Tweet us @channel4news using the hashtag #c4newspopup, or email us onc4newspopup@itn.co.uk

Blueflint were  selected as one of the participating acts in this year’s ‘Made in Scotland’ showcase as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  The band’s shows took place on Friday and Saturday this weekend at the Acoustic Music Centre @ StBrides (Venue 123).  The band include female vocalists and banjo players Deborah Arnott and Clare Neilson, Danny Hart on the fiddle, Hugh Kelly double bass, and Ali Murray on drums.

With an original mix styles Blueflint are a reputable live act which is not surprising given the reaction of the audience during the Fringe 2013.  Their skill and craft are matched by the beauty of the folk songs, sublime ballad harmonies and foot-tapping up-beat bluegrass.

Blueflint have released two critically acclaimed  Albums High Bright Morning (2009) and Maudy Tree (2011), and  supported  The Proclaimers in 2012.

Trystan Davies of The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to Deborah and Clare:

//

President of Ross High Rugby Club, Scott Glynn (far right of the photo), finished his long distance charity walk on Saturday at the home of Scottish Rugby. Having walked round all the rugby clubs in East Lothian, at 1pm Scott finished his marathon ‘stroll’ at Murrayfield stadium, where he was greeted by representatives of Scottish Rugby supported charities, Hearts and Balls and The Bill McLaren Foundation. They were not, of course, just ‘any’ old representatives. There for Hearts and Balls, and to receive a cheque for the charity, was Ian McLauchlan – ‘Mighty Mouse’ himself – and there for The Bill McLaren Foundation were former Scotland scrum-half Alan Lawson and his wife, Linda – daughter of the late, great Bill McLaren – who were also presented with a cheque.

Set up in 1999, the charity Hearts and Balls provides support of all kinds for seriously injured players – injuries which are life changing, such as spinal damage – and their families. Support ranges from equipment such as wheelchairs and specialised beds to financial, ranging from investment advice to legal costs.

The Bill McLaren Foundation was set up, with the support of Bill’s family, to support, promote and provide sporting opportunities, especially in rugby, for young people and to create an Education Centre, which will house the Bill McLaren Archive. The Foundation also helps clubs, organisations and individuals to set up one-off or annual fund raising events World-wide.

PAPER BIRD SCULPTURES FREE TO FLY AT THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

A delivery of 30 paper birdcages from the anonymous Edinburgh Book Sculptor surprised the Edinburgh International Book Festival Staff yesterday.  Tipped off by a series of tweets, crowds gathered in the Book Festival Book Shop in Charlotte Square at 2.30pm yesterday when a series of mysterious blue bags were carried in.  Much to the delight of visitors and staff alike, the bags revealed a series of bird cages containing paper birds with the instructions to set them free.  Each bird had a handwritten label providing different instructions as to where to set it free – ranging from somewhere far away, to a writer of beautiful things.

A Book Festival spokesperson said:- “The sculptures are wonderful things and we are thrilled that so many of our visitors and customers of all ages were able to take these beautiful birds, to enjoy them and set them free around Scotland and hopefully further afield.”

A heron, an egret and a crow to celebrate Iain Banks’ The Crow Road were specifically gifted to the Book Festival and these will remain on show to the public until the end of the Festival on Monday 26 August in the Signing Tent in Charlotte Square Gardens.

Leaving Planet Earth is a small jump for no one in particular and a giant disappointment for the rest of us.

I am excited to be leaving planet Earth. I am an Apollo and moon shot junkie. I love science fiction. I am really looking forward to “Leaving Planet Earth” at the Edinburgh International Festival. Check-in for your journey begins at the EICC. You are given a “personal quantifier”. It glows and pulses as you strap it to your hand. I am now dangerously excited. We board our transport to the “jump” which will take us to New Earth.

Fire, flood, war and the wrath of God has made earth a really bad place. We jump to our new location under the guidance of our transition team guide. We are under the guidance of the leader Vela through the acclimatisation process.

It is here that a brilliant concept, spectacular venue, lighting, effects and music is suddenly let down by a rambling story delivered by an over acting cast. John our old earth historian is not even close to identifying with his audience, Vela our great leader is unbelievable as a former crisis manager or leader of a new utopia. The only redeeming character in a sea of mediocrity is Hal, a data miner. Hal engages with us. He mines the data to help us stay well. He is a real person and we like him. He is human and funny. His fellow cast members are made to look even more synthetic after our encounter with Hal played by Chris Nayak.

The directors are Catrin Evans and Lewis Hetherington. I was left wondering if they too had waded through this three hours of amateur night. Come on guys, you have a great concept and a great venue – sharpen the story, direct these actors, and make us believe – we are willing believers. Shorten the show by about 60 minutes and you will be getting closer to something special.

No one boarding the bus on the return journey had that crackling of energy so often associated with live theatre, people were disappointed and tired. One lady suggested it rated 3 stars for ambition, but for me 2 stars is a bit of a stretch.

Jonathan Mills announced at the launch of the Festival Programme that there would be many uses of technology this year. But this production failed to grasp technology as it should have, in much the same way as the rather disappointing NVA’s Speed of Light last year.

Leaving Planet Earth is performed by Grid Iron theatre company. The journey to New Earth begins at 8.00pm at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC). Buses will then transport travellers to New Earth (and back).

Submitted by Mart McAdam