The Royal Highland Show runs till tomorrow with something for everyone at what is billed as The Greatest Show on Earth. Whether or not that is the case is a matter of opinion, but there is something for the farmer and non-farmer alike.

We took a selection of photos during our visit and you can see them on Flickr here. The new Flickr does not seem to allow slideshows to be embedded on a website any more. If you know different then please let us know as we are missing this greatly!

One rather important technical problem being reported by all of the stall holders and visitors we met was the lack of mobile phone coverage. It was well nigh impossible to use a phone to call, text or tweet. Was this due to the volume of visitors or was there some reason for the block? Some were speculating that it was due to the proximity to the airport. If we can have wifi benches in St Andrew Square then it would seem to be an easy answer just to get some of those installed in the showground.

If the show had still been an itinerant one rather than having a permanent home in Edinburgh then it would have been held in the Highlands this year. Mountain biking, a giant climbing wall, abseiling wall and musical entertainment will be just some of the offerings to entertain show goers today and tomorrow, and which will highlight the many attractions of visiting the north of the country.

The Highlands are home to the five ski and snowboard areas that make up the majority of Scotland’s winter sports offering and Ski Scotland will be on hand to help visitors get involved. Walkers have long been coming to the region to explore and rangers from the Highland Council Ranger Service will be at the show to share their expert knowledge of where to go and what to see. Wildlife tour operator Speyside Wildlife will be telling about the diverse and plentiful wildlife that inhabit or visit the region. History and heritage attract visitors from all over the world. Two properties of historic interest and natural beauty from The National Trust for Scotland will be featured, Culloden Battlefield and Inverewe Gardens. For many the Highlands & Islands is known for its fishing, shooting and stalking and the Scottish Country Sports Tourism Group will tell visitors more, whether beginners or experts.

RHASS president, Jamie Williamson is already looking forward to the events.

“The Royal Highland is Scotland’s biggest rural affair so it makes sense to invite a full breadth of local organisations and rural businesses to play a role in promoting the attributes of this fantastic part of Scotland.”

He continued: “We will be looking to provide Royal Highland Show goers from all over the world a taste of life in the Highlands and Islands, and hoping to inspire new and returning visitors to the area.”

Highlands and Islands contribution to Scotland’s bountiful larder will also be celebrated with a major exhibition of well-known and artisan producers showcasing the area’s passion and expertise in food production including fine cheese, fresh and smoked fish, succulent beef, lamb, game and whisky within the Food Hall. Top chefs and restaurateurs will create a theatre for experimental cuisine in the Countryside Area as they prepare a selection of dishes using produce sourced direct from the region.

Foodies to feast

With already 100 exhibitors signed up to attend from over the country, visitors will be set to get their taste buds tickled as the country’s best producers and suppliers showcase the best is Scottish gastronomy in the Food Hall.

Managed and organised by Event Scotland and acclamined food critic Wendy Barrie, the top attraction, the 120-seat Cookery Theatre – major sponsor The North Highland Initiative (NHI), will return with a rolling programme of more than 30 all-action demonstrations over the four-day event. This year the Cookery Theatre will be renamed the Natural Larder to pay homage to the Year of Natural Scotland celebrations.

Major sponsor the North Highland Initiative (NHI), patron HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, was formed in 2005 to bring together the farming community, local businesses and the tourism industry in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire. The overall aim of the Initiative is to address the challenges facing rural communities in northern Scotland by creating a powerful identify for the numerous producers, farmers and tourism businesses in the area.

Whilst promoting the region, NHI also seeks to deliver a price premium and market differentiation for beef, lamb and food producers by promoting the provenance of using products from the unspoilt, North Highlands of Scotland. A premium of over £1.5M has been returned to Mey Selections beef and lamb farmers since its formation.

In sponsoring the Cookery Theatre, the NHI will aim to communicate with retailers, the hospitality industry and consumers the quality of produce for shelves, menus and plates.

Beautiful Blondes

The “Highland’s” big attraction is no doubt the livestock – with more than 5,000 of the finest cattle, sheep, goats and horses, not to mention poultry heading for the showground over the four-day event.

In the cattle lines, much of the focus will be on the magnificent British Blonde with the show nominated as the British Blonde’s National Show for 2013. As with last year, there is every expectation that the Cattle Hall will be full with almost 1,000 animals.  A big welcome goes to exhibitors from Northern Ireland who this year, as a result of the lifting of restrictions, will be bringing along their animals when they make the short trip across the water.

Equestrian Excellence

The Royal Highland Show is the largest equestrian show in Scotland with classes for light and heavy horses, private driving, heavy horse turnouts, harness and grooming plus top class show-jumping – in all some 3,000 horses and ponies.

In 2013 a major innovation will be the Invitational ‘Mini/Major’ class whereby Scotland’s top junior jumpers team with the older generation in a fast and furious team competition which is expected to be a real crowd pleaser.

A further addition for 2013’s show will be the Championship Final for amateur riders who have not competed as a team member in any International Team and are out with the top 150 on the Riders Ranking List.

Farming Expertise

The Royal Highland Show is without doubt the best place to discover the latest farming know-how and with many business show visitors keen to understand the latest industry developments, it is not surprising that the vast majority of exhibitors return year after year.

Over the four days, visitors will get to see the complete range of modern farm equipment and machinery, techniques, advice and support. With the vast majority of manufacturers, dealers and specialists represented, the show offers a unique opportunity to review the latest releases and developments across the industry. For 2013, there is a special emphasis on precision farming for improving efficiency, cutting costs and boosting margins.

Pulling Power

While many will be aware of the show’s high standing in the agri business industry, few will realise the contribution the event makes to the Scottish economy, almost £100 million each year.  The show’s success in attracting leading political figures and industry leaders has increased year on year and will continue in 2013 with delegations from home and across the globe.

A playground for inquisitive minds

RHASS’ education charity, The Royal Highland Education Trust, will again inspire around 23,000 youngsters from across Scotland.

With more activities and learning experiences to help young people develop food literacy, volunteers will take children on tours of key stalls and attractions in the showground to underline the links between consumers, farmers and producers. Interactive sessions within the Children’s Discovery Centre include badge making with the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, learning how to make flour from corn with Edinburgh’s Gorgie City Farm and the opportunity to milk Mabel – the show’s life-sized fiberglass cow.

The Children’s Discovery Centre will be open to members of the public throughout the four-day event between 9.00am-5pm.

Shopping Heaven

Bringing a taste of the High Street to the showground, a saunter into one of the many shopping arcades will offer everything from luxury fashions, homewares, arts, crafts and gardening. Show goers will have the chance to pick up the latest country styles or take home a piece of rural life for their home.

This summer’s most exciting event, The Royal Highland Show – major sponsor The Royal Bank of Scotland – takes place at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh from Thursday, June 20 to Sunday, June 23.

Becky takes the helm

Along with a host of new attractions, this year’s show also has a new manager in the form of Becky Elvin who joins from the Royal County of Berkshire Show.   Brimming with new ideas, Becky is keen to get 2013’s show underway already meeting with the many hundreds of volunteers, partnership organisations, exhibitors, sponsors and suppliers who make this the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’.

Not underestimating the job in hand, Becky is keen to reinforce the value the show brings in terms of being a remarkable day out for families.

Becky commented:

“When families are making the decision as to which of the many events to attend, we want to make sure the Royal Highland Show is up there on their ‘must visit’ list.  We are working hard to market the diversity the show offers and are looking forward to rolling this plan out over the coming weeks.  We are certainly not complacent, there is a lot of work to be done to attract new audiences and keep our loyal visitors returning.”

A bird’s eye view

The Royal Highland Show has been selected as a venue to present a spectacular series of photographs of striking locations around Scotland as part of the Britain from the Air Exhibition. Providing a fascinating perspective on some of Scotland’s most inspiring sights, Stephen Hutt, RHASS’ chief executive is delighted that the show was chosen to host the exhibition.  Stephen said: “The Society has almost 15,000 members, many of whom are landowners and farmers responsible for the stewardship of Scotland’s countryside.  It is therefore highly appropriate for this exhibition to be a part of the 2013 show and I am sure it will be a welcome new addition to the show line-up.”

Flybe announces ‘Just pay taxes and charges’ seat sale on key Scottish routes

Limited time offer available on six destinations from Edinburgh

Flybe, Europe’s leading regional airline, has announced a limited time ‘Just pay taxes and charges’ seat sale for online bookings made for return flights between 21-25 June 2013 at midnight.

The offer will be available on 15 key routes from Scottish airports, including six destinations from Edinburgh and will apply for travel between July 22^nd and December 14th, 2013 excepting those that only operate during summer.

Customers wanting to take advantage of these limited-time offers can also ensure they secure the best possible value for money even if they haven’t already thought about or finalised their holiday plans by ‘holding’ their online fare for 24 hours by choosing Flybe’s new Price Lock-Down product at the time of booking, it being the only product of its type currently available for consumers in the UK aviation market.

Full details available at www.flybe.com

Meantime The Herald report this morning that Flybe have just announced a pre-tax loss of £40.7m in the last year which they have described as “the most challenging year.” 

Earlier this week, Hearts formally went into administration, and the accountancy firm BDO were appointed to take control of the financial affairs at the club.

So far, a  total of 14 non playing staff have been made redundant, and four players, two from the first team squad and two youngsters are expected to be released in the coming days.

In addition, administration means that Hearts start next season on minus 15 points and failure to pay staff on time means that they are now banned from registering new players, therefore potential summer signing from Liverpool, Danny Wilson will now move elsewhere.

On Thursday, BDO issued a statement urging the 3000 fans who have not renewed their season tickets to do so otherwise there is a real possibility that the club would be unable to continue and would face liquidation. Media reports suggest that 500 did so within the first 24 hours.

A number of groups are believed to be interested in buying the club, including the Foundation of Hearts who have already had talks with BDO.

The Edinburgh Reporter yesterday caught up with Edinburgh MP and Independent Chair of the Foundation of Hearts, Ian Murray, who took time out from his particularly busy schedule to answer questions about the on-going situation at the club.

What is the up to date position regarding the Foundation of Hearts?

“We met the administrator on Thursday night. At the moment we have at least 6000 pledges. That number won’t increase as we have taken the system down and we have now put a system up to convert the pledges to direct debits. We might have significantly more than 6000 as we haven’t reconciled the two systems yet, so we have now converted 2500 of those 6000 to direct debits which is great. The amount people can pledge is between £10 and £500.

“We are now in a position because of that to make a formal declaration of interest to the administrators and we are in dialogue with the administrator to see what they are looking for in terms of timescales, in terms of the formulation of a bid, and in terms of the current stability of the club which is pretty dire and all of that will form part of the bid and we are taking that forward as quickly as we can and we will be meeting the administrators again on Monday, and we are in a constant dialogue with them.”

Does the FoH have funds available for a bid or will that have to be borrowed?

“There are three aspects to that. There’s capitalisation of the revenue which we are in advance stages of working on at the moment. There are potentially some investors who will come in on the back of it to help us fund the initial bid as there is no doubt that we are revenue rich and capital poor so there is no doubt that we need some capital. The third thing is that because we are revenue rich, we are saying to other potential bidders, ‘Why don’t you come with us?’ and we are happy to work with you. Either way, it doesn’t really matter, the main thing is to save the club, and put the ownership on a firm and stable footing.”

So you are hoping that someone will invest in the FoH and you will pay them back?

Yes, that the way it would work. That’s the model at the moment. If someone was to come along and give us a cheque that would be fine, but we are looking to capitalise the revenue and we are working on a whole host of ways at the moment to do that.

Media reports indicate a bid by the end of this month. Is that still the case?

We were working towards that but I think timescales have been drawn back because of the administration. A CVA process takes legally between two and three months in any case so there is a difficulty there and whilst that timeframe is working through, the club still has to pay the bills and that’s why the administrators have put out a plea to get people to buy season tickets and to invest in the club at this stage because the club needs to keep operating until the ink’s dry on a contract for sale. We are now in the hands of the timetable of the administrators.

We will put a formal note of interest in shortly and whilst we wanted to get a bid in by the end of June, we are in the hands of their timetable now.

So will the administrator decide which bid to accept then draw up a CVA?

There are two parts to that. Essentially the CVA process means that there’s a meeting of the creditors so really we are only talking about UBIG and UKIO here because they own so much of the debt and every other creditor is pretty small in percentage terms. There then has to be a 14 – 28 day period to call a meeting for those creditors. There has to be a provisional agreement for the CVA and a 14-28 day process beyond that and the way that would work is the administrators at BDO would have to work hand in hand with the administrators in Lithuania to find a deal that works for them. So really, it’s a formal legal process of which the creditors are part of, and those main creditors are UKIO and UBIG which are being operated by administrators as well.

If there is a plethora of bids for Hearts, the administrator for Hearts will set a closing date and ask for various things to be provided. A statement of intent on how it’s to be paid for, and they will have to make an assessment on which bid they think is the most viable. Now anybody can make a bid through their lawyers but there will have to be alongside that bid very clear proof of the funding available.

So the administrators don’t get in touch with UBIG and UKIO and ask how much is the minimum they would accept in the first case?

No, in this particular process it’s about how much someone is prepared to pay for it. The creditors also include the current employees, the people who have been made redundant, HMRC, UKIO Bankas, UBIG and any other trace, gas, electricity etc. Once the CVA is agreed, every creditor is treated equally and gets the same level of funding.

Before Hearts went into administration, we heard about a potential winding up order from HMRC. Presumably that will not apply now?

What happens in terms of administration is that there is a vertical line drawn in the sand so any debts previous to that vertical line are now frozen. The repayment of those debts is done via a CVA. There is also a horizontal line drawn in the sand in terms of ownership so that the old board of the football club have now been dismissed formally and BDO, the administrators are now the new board of the football club. So at this moment in time the club is being run by the administrators and every single penny that goes into the club is used for the day to day working capital and the previous debts are paused and repaid via the CVA.

What happens to any new debts incurred, for example the wages over the next few months if they are now unpaid?

“If Hearts can’t meet them the club will be liquidated and that’s why the administrators are asking for the fans who have not bought season tickets to do so. 3000 season tickets times £300 is £900,000 which keeps the club running for the three of four months it will take for this process to take place.

Hearts fans I have spoken to insist that there is no planning permission allowed for Tynecastle, but I remember the CALA bid a number of years ago. Do you know the position regarding the stadium?

The CALA bid was slightly different because it was a residential bid, but since then the club have put a planning application in to build a new stand. That application had run into difficulties because of health and safety executive problems with the vicinity of the ethanol distillery. When CALA put the bid in, that clarity about the site wasn’t made clear because they hadn’t put in a planning application. Now these things are not insurmountable but it means that if Hearts weren’t able to build a new stand because of the proximity of the distillery they are hardly likely to allow permanent flats to be built on the site which are likely to be in closer proximity. As we sit here today the ground is not zoned for residential use and there are problems with planning due to the proximity of the brewery and those would have to be taken into account.

The ground is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, so what that does do is it increases the risk for anyone else who wanted to use it for a different use. So if you are a property speculator who thinks I wouldn’t mind getting hold of a little bit of real estate in the centre of Edinburgh you would have to weigh up the reputational damage, the difficulties with planning, the fact that it’s already zoned for sporting use, so if you take all those into account, you might think that your X millions of pounds is better spent elsewhere.

What would you say to people who suggest that you, as an MP should not be spending your time on this issue?

There are several aspects to that. It’s in my spare time is the first thing. The second thing is that as an MP who has a business background in the shadow business ministerial team, this is an Edinburgh business with 150 staff which means an awful lot to an awful lot of people and provides a huge community asset in terms of Big Hearts, funds breakfast clubs, you know there is all those elements to it.. I think that if a member of parliament was asked to intervene to help then walked away they could be criticised even more. But on the second side of that, I’m doing all this in my spare time, and I have had a number of communications from my constituents saying ‘you’re wall to wall on the television and newspapers and you must be using up an awful lot of time’  – well not really because you can be wall to wall on television in less than ten minutes and you can put a press release out which is in every single newspaper within five, so there has to be a realisation here that yes, it’s been great or the media because we need to get the message of the Foundation out there, but actually it’s not taking much time at all. The third thing to all that is that my parliamentary duties have not been hampered in any way. I still get my 700 emails every day from my constituents and they are all answered. It’s also very short term and voluntary.

The other big message to get out there as it’s been slightly confused is that I am not working for the club; I am working for a co-operative organisation looking to buy it.

I was brought in to unify the fans’ groups with the original Foundation and to get the bid formulated. I’m a Hearts fan through and through. My first game was I think in 1985. We beat St Mirren 3-2 at Tynecastle and I was lifted over the turnstile. I was a huge fan of John Colquhoun because I knew him as well. I helped run his rector campaign at Edinburgh University when he finally gave up playing so I got to know him quite well so for loyalty sake I would say he was my favourite player.

When do you think you will finally know if the club will survive the summer?

The administrators have set a two week deadline to raise funds to get them through the summer. I think they will meet it. I believe there have been queues to buy season tickets today and everybody’s rallying round, so I suspect the administrator will get enough money to keep going and then it comes down to who has the wherewithal to buy the club.

Will the FoH guarantee that season tickets will be honoured?

There will be an absolute guarantee now. The reason that there was a bit of ambiguity is because that it wasn’t really in our hands to a certain extent. The administrators had to make the decision about what they wanted to do. If the administrators had said they were not honouring them and started to get people to buy them again then we couldn’t have said we would honour them because people would have probably two. So now that the administrator has said they will honour them, of course we will do so as well. Before some people criticised the Foundation for saying that they couldn’t give a categorical assurance but we couldn’t do so because it wasn’t within out gift.

Money from the new season tickets will presumably see the club through the next few months, but surely much more is needed to see them survive the season?

You’ve hit the nail on the head. The revenue that would have seen the club through the season has been spent and that is just all part of the continuing matrix of a bid that all forms  part of how much you are willing to bid, so that has all got to be taken into account by.

The strong message to Hearts fans is absolutely you need to do what the administrator says to keep the club going but it still has to sell, so it’s not keeping the club going now is an either or, they have both got to go hand in hand and this is a short term keeping the club going in administration but it still has to sell, so people have to convert the pledges and support the foundation that if they want  to keep the club going and sell it to us in the not too distant future.

The taxpayer is losing out because of the money owed to the HMRC, the police and the council. Would the FoH be able to pay this money back if they took over as a goodwill gesture?

You legally can’t, because once you have signed a CVA they would become a preferred creditor and it is illegal to do so. In instances of administration you can’t do a CVA for example of paying 20p in the pound then paying somebody else 25p or you end up being a preferred creditor and it’s against insolvency and administration rules to do that.

Now there are other rules and if you think about other situations, the SPL could put up conditions that say for example ‘ we will not sanction you further in terms of say player registration sanctions if you come to an arrangement with the HMRC to pay your tax debts, but all those issues are up to them to do so.

It is utterly appalling and disgusting that the club have not been able to meet their liabilities, but what we are saying quite clearly is that we will make sure that Hearts are financially stable in future so everybody gets their liabilities paid.

It’s in nobody’s interests for the club to go down because that means that HMRC not only don’t get their money that they weren’t paid before, but they would never get another penny again. We want to run the club within its means and sustainable so that everybody gets every single penny that they are due.

Finally, do you have a message for the Hearts fans?

We are in tough economic times and we appreciate that budgets are tight, but, as we have always said, we would encourage fans to support the club in the normal way by buying season tickets and doing all they can to fundraise. One of the key things actually is that if somebody is going to run a fundraiser to raise £1000 then they should buy three season tickets then if they could raffle the three season tickets and recycle the money by buying more, that’s a really good way of supporting the club.

If somebody gets a season ticket for the cost of a raffle ticket then great. It might bring more fans to the games and if they are able to recycle these three season tickets into more then that’s what they need to do and that’s what our strong message is. This is just the first stage of a process; they still need to support the Foundation.

SCOTTISH PREMIERE OF DANNY MACASKILL’S IMAGINATE DOCUMENTARY

The latest instalment of Scottish street trials sensation Danny MacAskill’s long-awaited new riding film, Imaginate, will have its Scottish premiere in Edinburgh this evening.

The six-part documentary series from Red Bull takes you inside Danny MacAskill’s mind as he prepares for his most ambitious project so far. Danny has been given free rein to build the kind of set up that has allowed him perform tricks that have, until now, been a pipe dream.

Red Bull are treating cycling fans and film goers to some epic riding as they transform The Ross Band Stand in Princes Street Gardens into a bespoke outdoor cinema experience for the Scottish premiere of Imaginate.

The premiere is a free, non-ticketed event and those lucky enough to get a seat will be treated to some incredible footage and an audience Q&A with Danny himself. For an exclusive sneak preview of the Danny’s Imaginate premiere, fans can view the riding clip online from 18 June.

The event kicks off at 8pm, followed by audience Q&A with Danny.

Experience the world of Red Bull like you have never seen it before. Join the legendary Danny MacAskill in Edinburgh on 22June for the fiercest film of the festival.

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For further information please visit www.redbull.co.uk/imaginatescreening

The Brodies Champions of Tennis tournament produced a second fantastic day of entertainment at Stockbridge yesterday with four competitive games from the top class field.

Swede Thomas Enqvist and former UK number One Tim Henman started the proceedings with a closely fought contest. Enqvist took the first set 6-3, but Henman fought back and took the second by the same margin.There are no third sets in the tournament, so the game was decided with a ‘ten point’ tie break which Enqvist won.

The afternoon session ended with a doubles match where Goran Ivanisevic and Mikael Pernfors beat Wayne Ferreira and Mark Philippoussis 8-5.

Greg Rusedski then played his doubles partner from last night, Carlos Moya in the first evening game, and took a 2-1 lead but then needed a medical time out and some physio before returning to the court. Moya then won the next three games to take a 4-2 lead, and although Rusedski pulled one back, Moya again broke his serve to win the set 6-3.

Rusedski started the second set strongly and broke Moya’s serve in the first game. He then held serve to lead 5-3, but Moya then won the next four games to take the set 7-5 and win the match.

The last game of the day featured the man everyone wanted to see, John McEnroe who partnered Tim Henman against Mark Philippoussis and Wayne Ferreira.

The former Wimbledon champion received a fantastic welcome from the large crowd, and immediately delighted everyone by complaining about a line judge’s decision, then throwing his racket away in disgust when someone in the crowd shouted ‘Come on Andy.’ He then ordered the umpire to warn Philippoussis about his behaviour when he did the same.

Between playing to the crowd, there was some superb tennis including several unbelievable trick shots, although it was obvious to all that both pairs were keen to win the game.

At 4-3 up, McEnroe and Henman broke their opponents serve, then held theirs to go 6-3 up. Philippoussis and Ferreira won the next game to make it 6-4, but McEnroe and Henman held their nerve and made it 7-4. They then missed a match point before Philippoussis and Ferreira pulled one back, but held their serve to take the match 8-5.

Afterwards John McEnroe said: “Thank you for coming out, the crowd was great and it’s good to be back here. Doubles is the one for me. I only have to cover a bit of the court and Tim does the rest.”

Saturday’s order of play starts with John McEnroe versus Mikael Pernfors at 2pm, then Carlos Moya plays Mark Philippoussis then finally Thomas Enqvist takes on Goran Ivanisevic.

Photographs by John Preece:

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

A Song, A City – Fruitmarket Gallery – Nile Rodgers at Summerhall – Juniper Green Farmers’ Market – Tickets on sale today for Fringe by the Sea

Ontario born musicians, DANNY LAMB and JAY BATY are spending the month of June writing songs and traveling through Europe to raise awareness of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, and today and tomorrow they will be in Edinburgh.

The goal of their tour, A SONG, A CITY, is to write a new song in each European city they visit. Their tour starts in Dublin, Ireland, on June 15th, and ends in Izmir, Turkey, on June, 30th. On their way they will also make performances in England, Scotland, the Netherlands and Belgium. Band mate Jay and Danny, who was diagnosed Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus at age 3 will be video blogging every step of the tour and will be posting the songs recorded from their hostels on their Facebook and Twitter pages. The song that receives the most amount of likes on these pages will be performed on their last night in Turkey, during the International “UNITE AND SHARE”, Conference, for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus on June 29th.

Steve Kean, Programs & Services Coordinator Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association of Ontario said:-“Danny Lamb plays an invaluable role as the Youth Ambassador for the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Ontario (SB&H). We are delighted to see his success and thank him for raising awareness of spina bifida and hydrocephalus wherever he goes. SB&H wishes him all the best as he embarks on his “Song-a-City” tour ending in Turkey at the 2013 International Federation for Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida Conference.”

Back home in Canada, Danny and Jay will record all their songs at the Tangerine Recording Studio in Niagara Falls, and will release their album titled ‘A SONG, A CITY’ on October 25, 2013, the World Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Day. All proceeds will go to the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus.

Danny Lamb is very passionate about raising awareness for these diseases and has been the Young Ambassador of the Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association of Ontario for the past 5 years. He has carried his love of music to IF International Conferences around the world from Uganda, Africa to Stockholm, Sweden. Together with Jay Baty, he plays in a band called Mrs. Johnston, a five-piece group of hard working, ambitious, charismatic, fun young men from the Niagara Region.

For more information about Danny Lamb, Tour dates and the Association visit http://www.dannylamb.ca

Today the musicians are in the Canon’s Gait on the Royal Mile and tomorrow they will be playing in the Guildford Arms also on the Royal Mile. Do let us know if you catch up with them!

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Did you know that you can go along to the Fruitmarket Gallery any Saturday at 2:00pm and they will give you a guided tour? This will help you to find the lovely gift shop they have as well as offering you news about their latest exhibitions.

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Tickets will go on general sale this morning in two places for Fringe by the Sea

1. At the website www.fringebythesea.com

2. The Fringe by the Sea Ticket Hut, Quality St. North Berwick

Weekends 12 – 4pm, weekdays 4-7pm

Details of what’s on in North Berwick from 5 to 11 August here in the programme

Fringe by the Sea 2013

SUCCESS FOR LOTHIAN BUSES AT SCOTTISH TRANSPORT AWARDS

Company Scoops Top Prize for Environmental Excellence

Lothian Buses’ green credentials received a major boost when the company scooped the Contribution to Sustainable Transport title at the prestigious Scottish Transport Awards earlier in the week.

Lothian Buses was also highly commended in the Public Transport of the Year category, while bus driver Raul Campos Falgado also received a commendation in the category Frontline Employee of the Year.

The Scottish Transport Awards are designed to acknowledge innovation, excellence and progress across all areas of transport – and are regarded as the highest industry accolades in Scotland.

Welcoming Lothian Buses’ success at the awards, Chief Executive Ian Craig said:- “Every single person involved in the company works hard to ensure our customers receive the best possible service, and these prestigious awards are further testament of our commitment to investing in and improving our transport fleet and customer service.

“I am especially pleased that we have been recognised for our commitment to environmental excellence, which reflects a £5 million investment this year in our new eco-buses which are setting new benchmark for sustainable transport and comfortable travelling.”

Lothian Buses commitment to environmental improvements has included introducing Scotland’s first 15 diesel-electric hybrid buses on a dedicated route, as well as investing £660,000 in fitting state of the art SCRT exhaust systems on older buses to improve air pollutant emissions.

Ten Goal Thriller at Peffermill

Scotland and South Africa played their fourth and last game of their International friendly series at Peffermill on Tuesday night and shared ten goals in a thrilling encounter of a match that was full of excitement for the, unfortunately, fairly small crowd.

The match started fairly evenly with both sides getting forward, but without much in the way of chances on goal. Scotland were first to ‘have a go’ having the first penalty corner awarded after six minutes. The ball was passed across the top of the ‘D’ to Becky Merchant, but her reverse stick shot went high and was deemed dangerous by the umpire (the ‘first strike’ from a penalty corner must rise no higher than the backboard, or it is considered dangerous. Drag flicks are exempt…)
It was to be the visitors who had the first chance through open play, but Pietie Coetzee’s shot was saved by Amy Gibson. Scotland then had another corner, but that was negated by a Scottish foot. A few minutes later, though the scoring was opened by Holy Cram for the home side, deflecting a pass past the South African ‘keeper to make it 1-0 to Scotland.

South Africa then managed drew level just before half time with a goal from Coetzee who turned the ball past Gibson to level the scoring.

The second half was a much more animated affair with both teams on the attack from the start. South Africa were first to threaten with a series of five penalty corners in succession, but in spite of the efforts of Coetzee and Bobbs, none were converted. That gave Scotland a bit of a lift and they were next on the scoreboard. Another corner was awarded and Becky Merchant eventually found the back of the net after a bit of passing the ball around.

 
Two minutes later and South Africa pulled level with another drag-flick from Coetzee. 2-2, and still 25 minutes to play. Only three of those minutes were to pass, before Scotland went back into the lead when a pass back from the baseline from Ali Howie found a sliding Nikki Lloyd who turned the ball into the net. 3-2 to Scotland, but South Africa were by no means looking down. They pulled back level again seconds later and then two goals in the space of a minute, from Coetzee and Keet gave them a 5-3 lead and it looked from the sidelines like that was it with less than five minutes left on the clock. However, the Scots were not for lying down, and in the final minutes scored two of their own to draw level at five goals apiece. The first was scored by Linda Clement  who got in front of the ‘keeper and deflected a cross into the net and the second was by Ali Howie.

 
And that appeared to be that, but another final seconds’ penalty corner gave Scotland the chance to take the game. As the hooter went during the set-up, Scotland flooded the area with players to maximise the scoring chance. However, they got a wee bit ahead of themselves and the striker mistimed her approach. They performed a panic reset, but the resultant strike was deflected onto the post and the umpire blew up for full time.

What a match to end on, with the sides sharing ten goals in what was, for South Africa, a worryingly evenly matched game. Scotland, although they lost the series 2-1 with two draws, can hold their heads high, having held onto the coat tails of the eleventh best side in the World and gave them a good, hard run for their money.

Photos by John Preece
Web – http://www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography

Keith John Robson (Labour and Co-operative Party Candidate) has been elected to the Liberton/Gilmerton ward today following yesterday’s by-election.

He was elected at stage seven of the count, with 3448 votes to Derek Howie’s (SNP) 2633. The turnout was 30.6% which is not much more than the postal vote which accounted for 20% of the votes.

See the full details of the result.

The vacancy was created by the death of Tom Buchanan, who had represented the ward since 2007.

As always, the two weekends at EIFF are the busiest period, with almost twice as many films available to see as on the weekdays. Here are a few you might want to look out for when planning tomorrow’s entertainment.

Upstream Colour
In 2004, filmmaker Shane Carruth burst onto the indie scene with his debut feature Primer, a puzzle-box of a movie about two engineers who accidentally create a time machine in their garage. Acclaimed as one of the most thought-provoking and, yes, realistic films about time travel ever made, Primer left audiences baffled, impressed, and eager to see what Carruth would do next. It has taken him nine years, but he has finally released his follow-up. And it is easily one of the most hypnotic and visually stunning films I have watched in a long time.

Ostensibly a science fiction movie, Upstream Colour (Cineworld, 6:55pm) is about a woman named Kris whose entire life changes when she is abducted by a thief and brainwashed into signing over everything she owns. After her release, she meets and bonds with a disgraced stockbroker who may have gone through the same ordeal. As these two damaged people get closer, they begin to piece together the details of what happened to them, only to discover that they aren’t nearly as in control as they thought they were. To tell you any more about the story would be to do you a disservice. It is much more rewarding to absorb the experience and to put the pieces together yourself afterwards.

As with his debut, Carruth wears many hats in the filmmaking process. He wrote, directed, photographed, edited, composed the music and takes the co-lead role of Jeff the stockbroker, alongside Amy Seimetz as Kris (herself a talented writer and director). The result is a film that is by turns dazzling, infuriating and mind-boggling, but never less than compelling. Be warned though, you may need to see it again next weekend before you can begin to make sense of it all.

The Bling Ring
I’m calling it now: this will be one of the most popular movies at the festival. Directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Emma “Hermione” Watson, The Bling Ring (Filmhouse, 8:30pm) is the somewhat true story of a group of high school friends in LA who passed their evenings by breaking into the homes of the celebrities they worshipped while they were out of town.

The film takes satirical aim at such things as modern celebrity culture and dubious home-schooling practices, but these are such easy targets that it often feels like shooting fish in a diamond-encrusted barrel. I have personally never understood the allure of the gossip pages. I just cannot wrap my head around the fascination the world has with people like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan (and all the others whose names I have no interest in learning). In that way, I am maybe not the target audience for this film. While it had moments of humour and a handful of good performances – Leslie Mann being a definite standout as the mother of two of the girls – for me, The Bling Ring was ultimately as empty as one of their victim’s shoe closets.

Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction
This is a must-see if you are even half as much a film fanatic as I am. A portrait of one of the most talented and respected actors in Hollywood, Partly Fiction (Filmhouse, 10pm) features contributions from David Lynch, Wim Wenders, Kris Kristofferson and more. The film is directed by Swiss documentarian Sophie Huber and photographed by EIFF patron Seamus McGarvey, with a soundtrack of songs mostly performed live by Stanton. Despite the wealth of stories being told, the songs give a much deeper look into the man himself. At one point he is asked for the greatest regret of his life and career, and Harry Dean replies that it was not pursuing music professionally. It is a crying shame indeed.

Some other picks for Saturday include Fantastic Voyage (Cineworld, 12:25pm), screening as part of a Richard Fleischer retrospective; the World Premiere of 1990-set British comedy We Are The Freaks (Cineworld, 9:10pm); and The Complex (Cineworld, 9:45pm), the latest horror from Hideo Nakata, director of Ring. All tickets can be bought online at the festival website, or in person at either the Filmhouse or Cineworld EIFF box office.

Omega-3 challenge makes Edinburgh family fitter

Healthy Happy Hearts challenge delivered through Fish is the Dish by Seafish proves that oil-rich-fish can help improve health and fitness for the whole family

The health benefits of oil rich fish have been widely publicised in over 3,000 research papers, but evidence shows that most of the UK aren’t eating enough of this nutritious fish to fully benefit. Spurred on by this information, one family from Edinburgh recently learned first-hand the importance of including seafood in their diet twice a week every week. They’re now encouraging others to do the same through the free Healthy Happy Hearts programme delivered through Fish is the Dish by Seafish (the not-for-profit UK authority on seafood).

Piloting the programme the Aitchison family found that simple changes to their diet could make a real difference to health and fitness levels. Blood tests conducted at the start and the end of the project demonstrated positive increases in Omega-3 blood count; and dad, Steve (36) particularly noticed improvements as he trained for the Edinburgh Marathon (cutting more than ten minutes off his time on the previous year). Speaking about the project in a short video for Fish is the Dish Steve said:

“We started this journey because we were keen to improve our own health and fitness levels and ensure that our children learned the importance of a healthy balanced lifestyle.

“We learned through a simple blood test conducted by the University of Stirling that we weren’t getting the right balance of this essential oil in our diet and wanted to do something about it. So we signed up for Healthy Happy Hearts.”

“Throughout the six week programme we all eat seafood twice a week every week and loved it. In total we must have tried over 10 fish species.”

“I particularly noticed the benefits on my training for the Edinburgh Marathon. I ran the marathon the previous year and found training hard on my body, but by building seafood into my diet I didn’t have any issues this year. I also got back into my skinny jeans!”

Explaining why Steve may have experienced these benefits Dr Jane McKenzie, dietician and senior lecturer, from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh said:

“You may only notice the benefits of long chain Omega-3 when you need them most, for example it helps the body repair torn muscle or tissue much quicker, which is why Steve may have experienced less pain in training for the Marathon this year. For things like chronic heart complications this could also be a matter of life or death, as the body needs to repair itself efficiently to avoid damage to the heart muscle or even a heart attack. Eating the wrong kind of fatty acids can restrict the body’s ability to repair itself.”

Seafish launched Healthy Happy Hearts through Fish is the Dish to help improve the health of the nation and reduce the risk of chronic disease. The not-for-profit body is providing over 100 people the opportunity to take part in the free personalised programme via www.fishisthedish.co.uk

Encouraging others to sign up to the programme, Steve Aitchison added: “It’s the long term health benefits that are most important. Our family will definitely be eating much more fish from now on and would recommend the Healthy Happy Hearts programme to other families.”

Steve was so inspired by the programme, he even wrote his own song about the experience and recorded a short music video with the whole family which you can watch here:-

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

The free Healthy Happy Hearts programme will provide 125 people from throughout the UK with a pack containing a quick DIY blood test (a little clicker type device), information, recipes, and samples. The initial test, analysed by the University of Stirling, will measure the balance of essential Omega fatty acids in participants’ blood. Using the results of the test, individuals can then follow the six-week nutritional plan created by dieticians at the Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. The plan is designed to show easy ways to get participants to eat the government’s recommended two portions of fish per week.

Speaking about the programme Dr McKenzie said: “Many people will be surprised at just how easy it is to make the simple diet and lifestyle changes that could improve the balance of Omega-3 and make a significant difference to their health and wellbeing.

“Whether you’re a stay-at-home mum, a busy working parent, a high profile leader or an elite sportsperson, having the right Omega-3 to Omega-6 balance is essential for your body. When participants get their results we hope this will be a good reality check for people to eat healthy or to reinforce their informed food choices that support a healthy active lifestyle.”

Launching the call for more participants, Heather Middleton a spokesperson for Fish is the Dish by Seafish said: “We’re delighted that the Aitchison family experienced real benefits from their involvement in Healthy Happy Hearts. We hope that they will continue to benefit from their involvement in the project for a long time to come and that our challenge can help many others in the same way. Healthy Happy Hearts is here to show individuals that getting more seafood into our daily meals needn’t be difficult.

“We would like to encourage people from across the country to take part in the programme and share their findings via our Fish is the Dish website, so that others can benefit from them.”

To sign up for the programme please visit www.fishisthedish.co.uk

Spaces on the programme will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for witnesses following a housebreaking in the Duddingston area of the Capital. The incident happened at an address in Milton Road East yesterday afternoon (Thursday, June 20).

A number of items of jewellery were stolen during the incident, which happened around 4.30pm

A number 44 LRT bus bound for Tranent was travelling past the property as the three suspects made their escape from the address, running through the Milton Road graveyard and towards the city centre. The three men are described, white, and in their twenties.

Detective Constable Elaine McKenna said: “We believe that a number of passengers commented on the unusual sight of the trio running through the graveyard, and we would be keen to speak to those passengers who noticed them there.

“Likewise we want to speak to anyone who was in the area of Milton Road East or the nearby graveyard around 4.30pm yesterday, who may also have noticed the suspects.

“Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101, or make an anonymous report through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Police carrying out enquiries in relation to the missing Russian student Yulia Solodyankina have approached the charity Missing People in order to publicise her disappearance on their website. The website provides a confidential way of passing on information or sightings of missing people.

Yulia, who is 22-years-old and has been studying Physics at Edinburgh University, was last seen at the Wee Red Bar in Lady Lawson Street on June 6.  She was first reported missing last Wednesday (June 12).

She speaks fluent English with a strong Russian accent, and is described as being of medium build, with long dark brown hair.  She is about 5ft 6ins tall, and has a small mole on her left cheek. Her ears are pierced and she wears a number of rings on her fingers, in particular a distinctive thumb ring, which is shaped like a small spoon.

When last seen Yulia she was wearing a dark jacket, dark trousers, white trainers and carrying a large dark coloured rucksack which appeared to be full.

Chief Inspector Mark Patterson, of Police Scotland Edinburgh Division, said: “The last confirmed sighting of Yulia was over two weeks ago, and we still have no information as to her current whereabouts.

“We have approached the charity Missing People to publicise her disappearance on their website, through which people can report information or sightings confidentially.

“We continue to be heartened by the level of interest in her disappearance, helped by her friends organising appeals through social media, and we remain hopeful of receiving information that can allow us to trace her whereabouts.

“I would urge anyone who has seen or heard from Yulia since she went missing, or who has any other information that can help us, to contact Police Scotland on 101, or the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.  Alternatively, information can be reported through the charity Missing People.”

*Missing People is an independent charity that provides a confidential way to pass on information or a sighting that can help to find a vulnerable missing person. If you think you can help the search, or if you are missing, please call, email or text 116 000. It’s free, 24 hour and confidential.

Janice Fergusson runs a legal practice called Fergusson Law based in Edinburgh. She attended Edinburgh University to study both for her law degree and her post graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and now works there part time as a tutor. But now she has set up her own practice in the city.

Janice has qualifications from the Association of Taxation Technicians in personal taxation, business taxation, accountancy, and the taxation of trusts and estates.   She is also qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales.

She works part time at the University of Edinburgh, tutoring on the Private Client course in the post graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

Before becoming a lawyer, Janice worked for many years as an Inspector with the Health and Safety Executive, covering a range of industries but with particular experience of the food and drink industries, petro-chemical plants, other major hazard industries, and the offshore oil industry.  She has a post graduate Diploma in Safety and Occupational Hygiene from the University of Aston in Birmingham, and is a member of the Health and Safety Lawyers Association.

Janice also has a degree in Modern Languages from St Andrews University. She speaks French and German, and has lived in both countries.

We asked her a few questions to find out who she really is.

Who are you, and where did you come from?

I am a Fifer, but have lived most of my life in Edinburgh, with the exception of very happy periods working in France, Aberdeen and London, and a less successful, short lived foray to Liverpool.

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

I have never got beyond the first chapter of any business book I have picked up, with the exception of a hilarious paperback (now sadly out of print) on how not to succeed at job interviews.

What do you think are your business strengths and weaknesses?

My main business strength is that I am always willing to give everything a go, and once I get started on something I do my best to be as effective and efficient as possible.  That is also my main weakness, though, as I find it very difficult to say no.

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

There have been two defining moments in my career: the first when I gave up my job in the civil service to study law, the second several months ago when I set up my own law firm as a sole practitioner.    In both cases, the deciding factor was that I realised I would always regret it if I didn’t.

How do you spend your spare time? 

I am a runner and orienteer, so most week-ends will find me somewhere out of doors getting  hot sweaty and covered in mud.    When the weather is bad I bake cakes.  I also like exercising my brain: I have just qualified as a Tax Technician, though I keep very quiet about that at dinner parties.

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

I have always believed that no-one ever wishes on their deathbed that they had spent more time at work.  I enjoy my work, but my family, friends and hobbies are more important.

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

Edinburgh is such a beautiful city I could never envisage settling anywhere else.   There are also very few cities in the world where it is possible to live in a quiet residential street within 25 minutes walk of the centre of town.

What is your special place in Edinburgh?

My favourite place in Edinburgh is the top of Arthur’s Seat on a clear day.  The views are stupendous.

What would you consider the pinnacle of your career?

Hopefully my career is still on the way up!

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

My friend Brian is my mentor.   He is great at finding a way to  turn my ideas into reality.  I wouldn’t have been able to set up my own business without his help and encouragement.

Which networking groups in Edinburgh have you found particularly useful?

I’m a beginner at networking, but I’ve been to a few seminars at Business Gateway, which have been very useful, as well as enjoyable.

Who are your business heroes?

My business hero is probably Richard Branson, who still looks as though he enjoys life despite being so successful.

What are your business goals for the next year?

My goal for the next year is to attract lots of clients and start making a profit.  I also have a friend who is interested in joining me, if I can get enough work to keep us both busy, and that would be a huge plus as it can be lonely working on your own.

Describe your typical day for us.

My first priority when I get into work is coffee!  I’m not a morning person and find it hard to get going.   Before finishing work each day, I write a list of the jobs I intend to do the following day, and after I have dealt with post, e-mails and voicemail, I get started on those.

My work is a mixture of drafting legal documents, writing letters, making phone calls and writing e-mails.  I have meetings with clients most days, and like to keep up with my main contacts by meeting them for lunch or coffee.

As I am still in the early stages of establishing my law firm, I also aim to spend at least an hour a day doing something to promote my services.

Best job advice you ever received?

The best job advice I have ever received was only to take on work I knew I would enjoy and find interesting, as it is impossible to succeed at something you find boring.

Your plan of attack for the next 12 months? 

My plan of attack?  Networking, networking, networking . . . .

You can contact Janice at Fergusson Law as follows:-

Fergusson Law
Box 27510
Morningside
EDINBURGH
EH10 9BE

Telephone:  0131 447 0633
Fax:  0131 510 0663

Email:  Law@fergussonlaw.com

Spectators were treated to some fantastic entertainment on the opening day of the Brodies Champions of Tennis tournament in Stockbridge.

The hair may be greyer and the legs slightly slower, but make no mistake; the former top players have lost none of the skill or the competitive nature which saw them reach the top off their profession.

The tournament opened with a match between Greg Rusedski and former Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis. Rusedski started strongly and was a break up before the Australian fought back and took the first set to a tie break, which he won convincingly.

The second set was all one way traffic with 36 year old Philippoussis storming into a 5-0 lead before Rusedski pulled one back, however this only delayed the inevitable and the set finished 6-1.

After the game, Rusedski said “I’m going to be 40 in September. It’s hard to believe, but 40 is the new 30 so they say. I thought I started really well today with the chance to get a double break, then Mark just lifted his game and played really well. Hopefully tomorrow I can lift my game against Carlos (Moya). It’s a pretty rough section in this event, Philippoussis is playing well, but it’s great to have it here in Edinburgh. It’s nice to be back here. I was at Stirling University about six months ago, helping out Jonny O’Mara at the national tennis centre. It’s great to see the sun here as well, you can’t beat it. I’ll come back on holiday many times if it stays like this.”

The next game involved Mikael Pernfors and Wayne Ferreira, and with the scores level at 3-3, Ferreira got the break after hit a winning shot which struck the net-cord before dropping over, leaving Pernfors with no chance. The South African held his serve to go 5-3 up, but Pernfors fought back to take the set to a tie break.

The Swede went 3-1 up with a stunning drop shot, but Ferreira won the next three points to go 4-3 up. Pernfors squared the tie break at 4-4 before Ferreira again won the next three points to win the set.

The second set went with serve until Ferreira broke to take the game to 5-3. The deciding game saw Pernfors take a 30-0 lead, before Ferreira fought back to win the set and the match.

The evening session featured former UK number one Tim Henman against former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, in a repeat of the infamous 2001 Wimbledon Semi Final which the Croatian won in five sets after raid delayed play.

The game started as it meant to go on, with Henman challenging the first call, only for Ivanisevic to pick up the ball, imitating ‘Hawk Eye’ then placing it an inch over the line to the amusement of the crowd. The game went with serve, but when Henman won a point after hitting the net cord, Ivanisevic told him that he would be sorry then proceeded to serve an incredible eight consecutive aces over the next two games.

The break finally came at 4-4 and it was Ivanisevic who won it, to serve for the set, which he eventually won with another ace.

The second set followed the same pattern as the first, except this time the break fell to Henman who took the set 6-4.

There are no third sets in this tournament, and the winner would be the first to 10 with a two point advantage, similar to a tie break. Henman took the first point then lost the next three, before winning six consecutive points to lead 7-3. Ivanisevic made it 7-4 but Henman proved too strong and won 10-5 to take the honours.

Although the game was played in the best of spirits, a sweat covered Ivanisevic insisted that he was upset at getting beat. He said: “I never like to lose, I came here to win. It’s fun but competitive and you want to win. He played OK, but I was sloppy. In the tie break he was very good. It’s always nice to play with Tim however as he is one of my favourite players and has a great touch.”

A delighted Tim Henman said: “We’ve played each other a few times but the 2001 match is the one that everyone remembers. We practice together on the tour and irrespective of that result he has always been a good friend and I enjoy his company and this event and the champions tour is fun for us and there is a little bit of the competitive element.

“This is the first year and it’s unique and a bespoke stadium and I think it’s a great idea and it shows you don’t have to be in a stadium or arena as you can take this anywhere so hopefully it’s got some longevity.”

The final game of the night was a doubles match between Greg Rusedski and Carlos Moya against Mikael Pernfors and Thomas Enqvist. The match had everything, trick shots, head tennis and audience participation when Greg Rusedski invited a female from the crowd to take his place after she had given him some advice. A ball-boy also managed to get involved and twice scored winning points with volleys.

The game was played over one set with the winners first to win eight games, however with the scores level at seven each, a tie break saw the Swedish pair of Pernfors and Enqvist emerge triumphant, winning 7-2.

All the players played with a smile on their face and there was plenty interaction with the crowd during and after the games, as they happily chatted to the spectators, signed autographs and posed for photographs.

The tournament continues on Friday, starting at 2pm with a singles match between Tim Henman and Thomas Enqvist.

Photographs by John Preece

Care Home Open Day – Calling  young  journalists -Nile Rodgers at Summerhall – Royal Highland Show – Help the libraries with their Mystery Photos

The Care Inspectorate will today lend its support to National Care Home Open Day, as the Chair and Chief Executive visit a care home for older people in East Lothian.

Almost 2500 care homes across the UK are expected to open their doors to their local community this Friday, in an initiative which has won the backing of Baroness Joan Bakewell.

The Care Inspectorate – the official care watchdog in Scotland – says visiting care homes is an important part in choosing a service, and is urging people to do lots of research before choosing a home that is right for their loved ones.

Paul Edie, Chair, and Annette Bruton, Chief Executive, will visit Astley House Nursing Home in North Berwick to meet with residents and staff.Speaking ahead of the visit, Paul Edie, said:- “Many families face difficult decisions when older relatives need to move into a care home. People need to do a lot of homework when choosing a care home – like making sure friends and relatives are close, and making sure specialist support is in place.
Visiting a care home is a really important way of helping people choose and we are happy to support National Care Home Open Day.

“We also urge people to check the latest inspection reports for any care home they are considering using. The Care Inspectorate visits every care home in Scotland regularly, and all our inspection reports are published freely on our website, www.careinspectorate.com.

“When we inspect, we talk to staff and residents, observe practices that are going on, and examine at the fabric of the home itself. We then grade the quality of care, staffing, environment and leadership for each home. Our website also provides as summary of complaints that we have upheld and any enforcement action that may have been necessary.
“Care homes play such an important role in the later lives of so many people. While the majority of care homes in Scotland perform well, the Care Inspectorate does not hesitate to take action where necessary.”

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The Media Trust has teamed up with The Scottish Sun to give young people aged 16-25 the chance to have their say about something that matters to them and have it read by millions of people across the country.

Young people enter by telling The Media Trust a bit about themselves and what they would like to write about. Four finalists will be selected in Scotland who will be mentored by top journalists from across the paper, who help them to develop their skills and support them as they write their columns. Those shortlisted will present their columns to a high-profile judging panel. The winner will receive the prize of having their column printed in The Scottish Sun in Autumn 2013.

How can young people apply? Read the Terms and Conditions, confirm your eligibility and apply online at thescottishsun.co.uk/columnidol The closing date for all entries is 12th July 2013 at midday.

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We are off to the Royal Highland Show today and hope to bring you some photos later and will be tweeting about what we see… could be interesting!

If you are thinking of travelling to Ingliston to see what country types get up to then here is where you will find advice on travel. 

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The City of Edinburgh Libraries need your help to identify some old photos of places around the city and a little further afield.

They have put all the unidentified photos up on Flickr and would appreciate your help in identifying places and people in the photographs.

Instagram, now owned by Facebook, have just announced yesterday that the Instagram App will allow you to video 15 seconds of footage and then add in a filter in the same way as you can with stills.

The Edinburgh Reporter has a great love of all things technical and cutting edge, so this new 15 second video will probably be our next ‘thing’, although we have been experimenting with Tout which also does 15 seconds of video too. The good thing about Tout is that we can then embed them in our articles. It is not yet clear to me whether we will be able to do the same with Instagram videos.

Here is CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom,  announcing and explaining the new features on a video report compiled by CNN:-

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_embed_2x_container.swf?site=cnn&profile=desktop&context=embededition&videoId=bestoftv/2013/06/20/nr-instagram-video-demo.cnn&contentId=bestoftv/2013/06/20/nr-instagram-video-demo.cnn

I use a digital SLR camera to record the clips which are then edited for our YouTube videos. But there is nothing very wrong with the video that I record on Tout, or indeed on any smaller cameras. The quality of cameras on our mobile phones has translated into great improvements in small digital cameras that anyone can use.

If you would like to film something in Edinburgh and see it featured on our Tout page, then download the app and tag the video with #theedinburghreporter. You will then be able to see it on our experimental page which you will find here. And if you have any suggestions for what we might video or any comments on Apps which you think are better then do get in touch.

At a ceremony in the very august surroundings of the Signet Library accompanied by champagne and pastries the Edinburgh International Book Festival launched its programme for 2013.

In a packed programme of over 700 events, the Book Festival will welcome authors from each edition of the Granta Best of Young British Novelists List which is compiled every 10 years.  Salman Rushdie, featured on the 1983 list, looks back on his career over the last 30 years while Evie Wyld discusses her inclusion on the latest 2013 list.  Margaret Atwood, Gavin Esler, Kate Mosse and Neil Gaiman have been invited to select and chair a series of events on genre, the collapse of trust, women in the 21^st century and the reshaping of modern fantasy respectively.

Roddy Doyle, David Peace, Linda Porter, Simon Sebag Montefiore and DBC Pierre launch their brand new books, Andrew Marr makes his first public appearance since his recovery from a stroke and Baroness Susan Greenfield discusses her life and work in the Fred Hood Memorial Event, supported by Walter Scott & Partners.  John Banville, James Robertson, Antonia Fraser and Edna O’Brien all make a welcome return to Charlotte Square Gardens while up and coming writers Philipp Meyer, Eleanor Catton, Jennie Rooney and Niccolo Ammaniti discuss their new novels.

With 42 debut novels, novellas and short story collections in the programme, the Book Festival’s First Book Award, sponsored by eBooks by Sainsbury’s, offers readers the chance to discover the stars of the future and to vote for their favourite.    Authors eligible for the Award include some of the most talked about new adult and young adult writers from Australia, Argentina, Germany, Italy and South Africa as well as closer to home with books set in Glasgow, Edinburgh and on the Isle of Skye.

Ian Rankin will be joined by two of Iain Banks’ other close friends, Val McDermid and Ken MacLeod, who come together on the closing Sunday of the Book Festival to discuss the work of this Scottish literary legend, whose debut novel, The Wasp Factory, was first published in 1984 and whose passing has been marked by an outpouring of love and affection on social media.

The Reporter met with Nick Barley in West Parliament Square to hear his thoughts on the upcoming programme after the speeches delivered inside.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf7yRFb4ROY]

Photo of Iain Banks courtesy of EIBF.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from Saturday 10 August to Monday 26 August 2013.  Full details of the programme are available from midday today at www.edbookfest.co.uk and tickets go on sale on Friday 28 June at 8.30am.  Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.edbookfest.co.uk or by phone on 0845 373 5888.  The Box Office will open at the Roxburghe Hotel, Charlotte Square Gardens at 8.30am on Friday 28 June only and will move to The Hub, Castlehill on Saturday 29 June.

This is the full programme:-

2013 Edinburgh International Book Festival Brochure

Virgin Active Limited has been fined £20,000 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after it failed to adequately control hazardous substances at their premises in the Omni Centre on Leith Street, Edinburgh.

Tonight the eastward side of Chambers Street between West College Street and South Bridge will be closed and the eastward side of Guthrie Street near the SoCo development will also be closed in its entirety to allow for crane operations on the site taking place overnight. There are alternative routes via Cowgate – Pleasance – West Richmond Street – Potterow – Teviot Place – Forrest Road – George IV Bridge

Roads will be closed from tomorrow until 12 July at Cowgate and Blair Street to allow utility work to take place at the new SoCo development being built there. Cowgate will be closed to through traffic from 7:00pm 21 – 25 June. Thereafter there will be temporary traffic lights.

It is 10 years since the Cowgate fire which eventually resulted in a gap site requiring redevelopment.

Jansons Property held the Topping Out ceremony on this site last month on the ninth floor of the development which will consist of a 259 bedroom hotel, night club, retail units and a public piazza space forward.

The company’s website describes the parts of the project which are still available for rent or purchase in this way:-“The remaining available premises comprise retail and leisure accommodation arranged over ground and mezzanine levels, with the benefit of double height frontage which is clearly visible from The Royal Mile.

“Soco has internal pedestrian links with South Bridge & Chambers Street where the subject properties will be situated below a Sainsbury’s Local and a 259 bed hotel pre-let to Ibis. The premises offer flexible spaces which may be sub-divided.

“A former nightclub and live music venue (La Belle Angele) will be reinstated within the rear of Level 2. La Belle Angele was a much loved venue and its return will be a welcome addition to the leisure circuit within the Old Town.”

The development is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, and this fly through will give you some idea of what the site will eventually look like.

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The volunteer leaders of South Morningside Explorer Scout Unit have been chosen as recipients of the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK, and this is the first group in Edinburgh to have ever won the accolade.

The announcement of the award was made by the Cabinet Office on the 60^th anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen’s Coronation earlier this month, and recognises the outstanding contribution made by the volunteer scout leaders in their local community of Fairmilehead, and beyond.

SMESU, as the unit is better known locally, works with around 80 teenagers, both boys and girls, and provides a wide range of personal development opportunities.  Activities include outdoor adventures, camping, community service projects, and international expeditions.  The unit, like all scout groups, is completely run by local volunteers.  The news of the prestigious award broke as the volunteers and explorer scouts have been preparing for their latest adventure – a month-long expedition to Nepal this summer.

The volunteer leaders who run the unit come from a mix of backgrounds, bringing a range of different experience to scouting locally.  The volunteers include teachers, financial sector workers, students and airline support staff, all giving up their time to inspire local teenagers.

Unit leader Neil Mackenzie says it is this mix and diversity that has helped make the unit so successful over the last 10 years:-  “As volunteers we get just as much enjoyment from scouting as the young people we support.  The adventure of volunteering as scout leader has had a tremendous impact on me, helping me develop my own skills that I use at work and in life more generally.  I’d really encourage other adults to get involved so that we can provide these opportunities to more young people.

“Everyone has very busy lives, which is why we know flexible volunteering is key.  Some volunteers can give more or less time than others due to work and family commitments, but we all contribute to the success of the unit in our own way.”

SMESU explorer scout Liam Gordon, 16, said:- “I’m really excited that our leaders have been given the Queen’s Award for all the hard work they put into making our time in scouting so adventurous.  I can’t wait to go to Nepal this summer and do my own little bit to help others while we’re there.  Our leaders’ passion for volunteering is really inspiring to me – it makes me want to do more for other people.”

Another Leader, Barry Hewitt, said:- “We are delighted to have received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – it just goes to show the great impact you can have by volunteering locally.  I volunteer in scouting because it is a privilege to see the teenagers I work with grow and develop into young confident adults.  It is also great to see them get so much out of volunteering themselves.”

Another SMESU Explorer Scout Alice Hargest, 16, said:- “It is thanks to our leaders that we get amazing opportunities to travel to places like Nepal.  It will be a once in a life-time opportunity for me – a true scouting adventure!”

During the explorer scout unit’s expedition to Nepal, 42 teenagers along with 10 adult volunteers will work alongside local craftsmen to help renovate a primary school in the rural village of Chang Patan.  They will renovate classrooms and paint school buildings whilst also building wooden desks and an outdoor shelter that can be used by children during the monsoon period.

The Explorer Unit will be travelling out to Nepal at the end of June.  Anyone who is interested in tracking their progress can follow them on twitter @SMESU or via the unit’s websitewww.smesu.org.uk

Contributed article

Picture this: children sitting happily in front of the telly, giving you a moment’s peace. And then the adverts come on and instantly there is a passionate chorus of ‘I want that’, ‘I need that’, ‘Can I have it?’ This is something that will be familiar to many of us. Advertisers are not daft and have known for a long time that targeting children from a very early age is not only an excellent way – through ‘pester power’ – of getting parents to part with their hard-earned cash but is also a great way to ensure brand loyalty later in life. Research has shown that very young children recognise the ‘Golden Arches’ of McDonalds before they learn their own names.

While we adults are usually fairly good at seeing through many adverts’ claims, our children’s young brains are not developed enough to be able to do so. Former advertising executive Alex Bogusky writes: “Children are not small grown-ups. Their brains are fundamentally different, the big difference being that right hemisphere brain development doesn’t really kick in until the age of twelve …. all decisions and concepts are very black and white.” What this translates into is that children are much more likely to simply believe everything they see in adverts that are targeted at them.

In the past a large proportion of children’s TV advertising was for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (known as HFSS foods in the industry). Research shows that advertising for unhealthy foods directly affects the foods children choose and the balance of their diet. It encourages them to go for fatty, sugary and salty foods over more wholesome, nutritious alternatives and in the UK we now have startlingly high levels of childhood obesity. Furthermore, a UNICEF report shows that children from less well-off areas are most badly affected by advertising.

Betty McBride, of The British Heart Foundation (BHF), notes that, “On average children’s diets contain too much salt, fat and sugar”. Obese children become obese adults with all the health risks this involves, such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. On the other hand, if children establish healthy eating patterns from a young age they will take these into adulthood, too. As far as TV advertising goes the UK Government has taken strong steps to regulate what can and cannot be shown on our television sets. Any foodstuffs identified as HFSS may not be shown before the watershed and there is a ban on the product placement of unhealthy foods in programmes.

However, no such regulations cover food advertising on the internet and companies are free to target children in the most profitable way. Over 90% of British children live in a house with internet access. 65% of 5-7 year olds regularly access the web, rising to 93% of 12-15 year olds. In addition to this 40% of 12-15 year old kids now have smartphones and 75% of them access Facebook. The internet plays an important role in young people’s lives and this is only set to increase. Food companies understand this very well and, besides promoting their products, use the web to build relationships with children in a variety of subtle ways.

The majority of HFSS websites invite children to ‘like them’. As a result, the child will get branded updates from that company on their news feed. A recent post from Chewits promoted free sweets and another company’s magazine: “The latest issue of Toxic mag is out now! … great FREE gifts – some brilliant blackcurrant flavour Chewits bursting with flavour. Get your claws on a copy today!” Children’s friends will also see what they’ve ‘liked’, making sites such as Facebook a cheap form of peer-to-peer marketing. Additionally, many companies require children’s contact details and other personal information – allowing targeted e-mailing – and some firms even ask children to provide their friends’ e-mails in order to send them branded e-cards or games. Another tactic is supplying downloadable content like apps, screensavers and wallpaper, meaning that adverts continue to work after the child has left the website. Other companies link to YouTube, where adverts banned from television can be shown perfectly legally.

Studies by the British Heart Foundation and the Children’s Food Campaign have highlighted some of the worst offenders, including household names Nesquik, Kellogg’s, Sugar Puffs, Cheestrings, Rowntrees and Cadbury’s Buttons. In the case of Buttons, the website has animated cartoon characters which can be personalised with the child’s name and features and includes downloadable branded jigsaws, mazes and puzzles. In a transparent attempt to show that they are making attempts to avoid advertising to children – and despite the child-like content – this Cadbury’s site is age-restricted to 18+. Of course, it is perfectly easy to fib about one’s age, regardless of how old we are!

While we are exhorted to get a balanced diet (and parents made to feel wholly responsible for children’s diets) the odds are stacked against us. We can feel powerless in the face of the marketing power of these huge global food companies, especially when they manipulate our children. And it can be very difficult to police what children get up to on the internet, considering how much more technologically savvy young people can be. However, the BHF is currently lobbying government to introduce tough laws for internet content and the ‘Leave Our Kids Alone’ project is campaigning to end all advertising to primary school children and younger.

It has support from a wide range of healthcare professionals, journalists, academics and politicians. The World Health Organisation has also recently challenged the UK Government and world food companies over this, demanding rigorous regulation and enforcement. If this is a subject which interests you you can find out more at the ‘Leave Our Kids Alone’ site:   George Monbiot writes: “This is a campaign about more than advertising. It’s about who we are: free-thinking citizens, raised on the best information and judgment that parents and teachers can provide; or captive consumers, suckled at home and at school on subtle corporate lies.” You can also download and read the British Heart Foundation report on internet advertising here.

Christopher Mantle
cmantle@edinburghcommunityfood.org.uk

Submitted by Chris Mantle

Two Edinburgh schools represented Scotland in each of the competitions, Kaimes School in the Consumer Challenge Quiz and Boroughmuir High in the Young Consumers Quiz.  Both schools experienced huge success with Kaimes winning their UK title and Boroughmuir finishing runners up in theirs.

The 2013 UK Consumer challenge quiz organised by Birmingham Trading Standards was held on Tuesday of this week. This event was organised for Special Schools across the UK, and four pupils from Kaimes School travelled all the way to Brighton for the semis and then amazingly they made it to the final of the Consumer Challenge which they won.

The pupils were given a prize of £1000.

Headteacher Mrs Ros Miller said:-“There were some very tough questions, but they did amazingly well!”

Teachers Gwen Coleman and learning assistant Aisling Murphy accompanied the four children, Hamish, Tomaz, Daniel and Robson, to Brighton for the event and thanks are also due to Alex Jones Education Officer in Services for Communities, (providing Consumer Education in the city)  who also went along.   Kaimes School had not taken part in the UK Finals before but got through this year after winning a play off with Pilrig Park School in May.

After the flight to Gatwick and train to Brighton, the group had time to sample the delights of hot and sunny Brighton along the waterfront before meeting other teams involved in the competition for an evening meal.

The competition started in the morning on Tuesday 18 June and eight other teams, all from local authorities in England made up the UK Finals this year, all winners of local heats.  In all, around 30 schools took part in preliminary rounds.

Kaimes were drawn in the second semi final and led all the way through to reach the final held in the afternoon. With all teams of a very high standard,  a close contest was expected.  As well as Kaimes, teams from Oxfordshire, Stockport and Staffordshire made up the four finalists.

The content of the quiz includes rounds focusing on shopping rights, consumer help agencies, food & drink, money and credit, personal and online safety, travel and holidays and environmental issues.

As in their semi final, Kaimes managed to take a lead in the early rounds and held on in a nail-biting finish to win by two points from Stockport.

Needless to say, all in the Edinburgh party were delighted…!  Each of the team members received a bag of various prizes, principally among these were Samsung Galaxy Tablet computers, generously provided by main sponsors Curry’s – PC World.   Birmingham Trading Standards, who organise the competition, will also provide the school with a cash prize of £1000.  There was also a gleaming cup trophy presented, which as UK champions 2013, Kaimes can keep permanently.

The other Edinburgh school who have been strong supporters of the competition, Pilrig Park, have their trophy as they were UK winners at Bournemouth in 2011.

Meanwhile the other competition the Young Consumers of the Year Quiz resulted in a Dramatic Final…earlier today!

Boroughmuir earned their place in the UK Finals by winning their Edinburgh heat in December and then the Scottish title at Holyrood in March.  They were joined in the UK finals by two teams from Wales and five from England.   Over two thousand teams, mostly from England and Wales are involved in this competition nationally, which is organised by the Trading Standards Institute.

Competition is fierce and questions are often very technical and specialised over a wide range of consumer topics.  The Boroughmuir team of four girls,  Alice Gama, captain, Tara Smith, Lauren Jiang and Emily Kilgore established an early lead in their semi final and held on to reach the Grand Final with three other teams.

After some early difficulties in the Final, they fought back well to take the lead going into the final (all buzzer) round.   At the end of the competition they were in a tie situation with Abbey Grange Academyfrom Leeds, each on 62 points.

To decide winner and runner up a question for buzzers was selected.   Tension was high as the question was read out to the contestants and audience.  One of the four boys in the Yorkshire team pressed his buzzer a fraction of a second before one of the Boroughmuir girls….  to provide a correct answer and win the tournament..!   It was the first time in 27 years of the competition that it had been won on a tie break question. What drama…!

Commiserations to Boroughmuir, but the girls took it in good spirit, were a real credit to their school and city… and came away smiling with silver medals and a cheque for £500 for the school.

Edinburgh teams have done very well in this competition in recent years, with three wins and (now) three runners-up places.

Four Scottish houses selected by Historic Scotland are to feature in the ITV series Britain’s Secret Homes, including Rock House in Edinburgh.

The three others include Traquair House in the Borders, Mousa Broch in Shetland and Knap of Howar in Orkney will all appear in the series, which examines 50 of the UK’s most interesting houses. The Scottish properties were chosen from a selection put forward by Elly McCrone, Head of Listing and Designed Landscapes at Historic Scotland.

Presented by award-winning broadcasters, Michael Buerk and Bettany Hughes, the five-part series – which currently airs on Fridays at 9pm – features properties put forward by Historic Scotland, English Heritage, Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Experts from each organisation debated the order of the list, considering factors including each home’s national importance, cultural significance, historical value and beauty.

The series gives the background behind 50 of the UK’s most interesting homes; from council houses to country manors, bungalows to palaces. Each house helps to tell the story about how we once lived, offering accounts of conspiracy, romance and political intrigue. The history of each property is brought to life using archive footage, CGI and dramatic reconstruction.

Elly McCrone, the Historic Scotland expert who put forward a number of Scottish properties for consideration said:- “From an Iron Age broch to Scotland’s oldest inhabited house, this exciting series examines some of Scotland’s most interesting homes. Spanning thousands of years, it investigates the unique relationship people have with the spaces they live in, and the ways in which that relationship has evolved over the centuries. Britain’s Secret Homes serves to highlight the breadth of fascinating historic homes in Scotland and the rest of the UK.”

The third episode of Britain’s Secret Homes airs on Friday 21 June at 9pm on ITV

Voters in the Liberton/Gilmerton are heading to the polls today to elect a new councillor to represent the Ward.

The seat became vacant following the death of Councillor Tom Buchanan who had represented the ward since 2007, and who died earlier this year.

Voters are reminded to check their polling cards for details of where they should cast their vote, as some venues have changed. Those who have applied for a postal vote still have time to cast their vote. Postal votes must be received by the Returning Officer by 10pm on Thursday 20 June 2013, so can be handed in to a polling station. The Council Leader, Andrew Burns, said this morning that over 20% of the potential votes in the Ward have already been cast in this way.

The eight candidates for the vacant seat in the Liberton/Gilmerton ward are:

• Derek Howie – Scottish National Party (SNP)
• Phil Hunt – Pirate Party Scotland
• John Christopher Knox – Scottish Liberal Democrats
• Alys Mumford – Scottish Green Party
• Stephanie Murray – Scottish Conservative and Unionist
• Keith John Robson – Labour and Co-operative Party Candidate
• John Scott – Independent
• Jonathan Stanley – UKIPScotland

The election will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system where voters can rank candidates in order of preference rather than using a single cross. Voters can give a rank to as many or as few candidates as they wish. The votes will be counted and the results announced tomorrow.

Polling stations will be open 7am to 10pm. They are:

• Gilmerton Community Centre
• Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre
• Liberton Kirk Halls
• Liberton Northfield Church
• South Neighbourhood Office and Library
• St Gregory’s Church Hall
• TA Centre, Alnwickhill Road
• Valley Park Community Centre

Local school children were today showing off their new-found racquet skills to former US Open and Wimbledon finalist, Mark Philippoussis, and previous Queen’s Club champion, Wayne Ferreira.

The Primary 4 children from Flora Stevenson, Stockbridge, Granton and Ferryhill Primary Schools have been enjoying tennis taster sessions over the past four weeks, culminating in today’s ‘Festival of Tennis’ at Inverleith Park.

The event, organised by the Council’s Active Schools programme and delivered by Edinburgh Leisure and TennisScotland, also marked the beginning of the Brodies Champions of Tennis tournament, which runs from today until 23 June at Raeburn Place.

Philippoussis and Ferreira are part of an all-star line-up that also includes John McEnroe, Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic. There are still limited tickets available from the official website.

Cllr Richard Lewis, Culture & Sport Convener, said:- “With Andy Murray’s hard-fought victory at Queen’s Club at the weekend and Wimbledon 2013 about to get underway, this is the perfect time for us to be hosting a major tennis event here in Edinburgh – particularly one featuring the likes of John McEnroe and Tim Henman.

“It is important that we capitalise on this excitement and encourage Edinburgh residents, particularly young people, to dust off their racquet or try tennis for the first time and I am delighted that these taster sessions have been such a success.

“The children were thrilled to meet Mark and Wayne today and I am sure they have inspired them to continue playing tennis well beyond Wimbledon fortnight.”

Tournament Director Viki Mendelssohn added: “I am delighted to be supporting local schools via Brodies Champions of Tennis.”

The Edinburgh Reporter will be bringing you match reports and photographs from Raeburn Place over the next three days.

Law firm Brodies LLP has gifted new tennis equipment including 30 racquets, a portable net and balls to pupils at Ferryhill Primary School in Edinburgh to encourage more children to take up the sport, keep fit and have fun.

Julian Voge, head of the law firm’s corporate and commercial department, presented the equipment to Stewart Crabb, head teacher at Ferryhill Primary School, and primary four pupils, who couldn’t wait to put their tennis skills to the test. The school previously had to borrow tennis equipment from other schools and only some classes were able to play. Now all 250 pupils will have the opportunity to try out the sport.

Brodies is committed to making a difference to local communities as part of its sponsorship of the Brodies Champions of Tennis Tournament, which gets under way in Stockbridge on Thursday and will feature stars of the game including John McEnroe, Goran Ivanisevic, Mark Philippoussis, Carlos Moya and Tim Henman. Brodies has been a long-term sponsor of the Scottish Schools Swimming Association’s events and the SSSA’s Team Championships, which involve schools from Edinburgh and all over Scotland, take place today, 19 June, at Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool.

Stewart Crabb, Head Teacher of Ferryhill Primary School, said:- “We were very pleased to receive this generous donation of a tennis set from Brodies. The comprehensive set contains lots of equipment that has been very favourably received by the children and staff. In the past we borrowed sets from other schools but this donation means that all classes in school can be given the opportunity to learn ball and racquet skills at any time of year.”

Julian Voge, Head of Corporate & Commercial at Brodies, said:- “Brodies is committed to encouraging Scotland’s youngsters to become more active and to take up sport. I’m delighted that all pupils at Ferryhill will now get the chance to play tennis, keep fit and have fun.”

The Brodies Champions of Tennis, which runs from June 20-23 at Edinburgh Academicals FC, Portgower Place, will bring the ATP Champions Tour to Scotland for the first time. For more information, visit www.championsoftennis.com.

The Edinburgh Reporter will be bringing you match reports and photos from Raeburn Place over the next three days.

Photo caption L to R – Abby McIntyre, Kian Venters, Julian Voge, Lewis Cunningham, Emma Pietersen and Declan Venters.

When I ask my friends if they’d like to come along to a film festival with me, a lot of them reply “no thanks, I’d prefer to go see Fast and Furious 6 instead”. Now, Fast and Furious 6 is a lot of fun and I enjoyed it immensely, but the point is that many audiences have certain preconceived notions about the movies that appear at festivals. Today I’m going to do my best to dispel those notions by highlighting a couple of the most fun and accessible films playing at this year’s EIFF, either one of which would make a great Friday night at the cinema.

Frances Ha
In his career as a writer and director, Noah Baumbach has often come back to the same central theme of people either refusing or unwilling to grow up and lead “proper” adult lives. These movies tend to be mostly serious with occasional flashes of humour. While his latest film treads similar thematic ground, this time he has a secret weapon: co-writer and leading lady Greta Gerwig. Literally throwing herself into the role of Frances, Gerwig brings a lightness of touch and a winning vulnerability to just about every shot in the film.

Frances is a 27-year-old struggling dancer living in New York with Sophie, her best friend from college. When Sophie, a successful publisher, moves on to a more upmarket neighbourhood, Frances is left to find her own place in the city and in life. Moving from friend to friend, apartment to apartment and setback to setback, she has to decide if she’s going to keep living on impulse or take advantage of her talent and become a real grown-up.

Making full use of the city landscape and shot in crisp black and white, the movie comes across as Baumbach’s ode to the 60’s French New Wave (even going so far as to give Frances a brief sojourn to Paris), and there are plenty of little homages to find if you are a fan of that genre. The characters of Lev and Benji might as well have been called Jules and Jim, for example. But even if you don’t know your Godard from your Truffaut, you’ll be hard pushed to not be caught up in this film’s infectious optimism and good humour.

Svengali
Expanded from a partly improvised web series, Svengali is the story of Dixie, a guy from small-town Wales who goes to London determined to find a band that he can turn into superstars. His relentlessly upbeat nature and naivete leave him wide open to be taken advantage of, but through a combination of his luck and likability, he manages to come within touching distance of his dream. Can he make it all the way? Well, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that it’s the journey that matters, not the destination.

With Dixie, writer and star Jonny Owen has created a character that you just can’t help but root for and surrounded him with a fun supporting cast including Martin Freeman as a mod record store owner and Michael Smiley as an urbane debt collector. Vicky McClure is excellent too as Shell, Dixie’s ever-supportive girlfriend.

The comedy in Svengali is broad and constant, and never afraid of a good stereotype. Everyone in London calls Dix “Sheepshagger”, and when our hero takes a trip back home, the taxi rank at the train station comprises a guy with an unsaddled horse. Anyone who wanders into Svengali expecting something deep and meaningful will soon get themselves set straight. This has the potential to be a good crowd-pleaser and bodes well for Owen’s future career.

Both of these films are playing tomorrow night. Frances Ha starts at 8:30 at the Filmhouse, while Svengali kicks off ten minutes later at Cineworld. Each has an encore screening on Saturday as well. You can get tickets for these and all the other films via the EIFF website at www.edfilmfest.org.uk

Guests Help Hotels Secure Certificate of Excellence 

Two recently refurbished hotels in Edinburgh have been awarded a top award which is based solely on the strength of customer reviews.

The Grassmarket Hotel, in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket and The Bank Hotel just off The Royal Mile, have been awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Tripadvisor, after securing a series of four star and above reviews from its guests over the past 12 months.

The accolade, which honours hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Only the top-performing 10 per cent of businesses listed on TripAdvisor receive this prestigious award.

Rachel Duff, General Manager at The Grassmarket Hotel said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded the Certificate of Excellence and it really highlights our outstanding customer service and the hard work that every single member of the team puts in to ensure guests more than enjoy their stay.

“Our guests are our top priority, so to be given an awarded because we have achieved top reviews from them is great news for us. Thank you to all our guests who took the time after their stay to share their reviews online and we hope that they will make many return stays with us.

“The Edinburgh hotel market is really taking off just now with lots of new hotels popping up over the city, which makes it more important than ever before to stand out from the crowd. This is why we have worked hard to distinguish ourselves by offering high standards of hospitality and customer service at a price which is affordable.”

To qualify for a Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travellers on TripAdvisor, and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

Alison Copus, Vice President of Marketing for TripAdvisor for Business, said: “TripAdvisor is delighted to celebrate the success of businesses around the globe, which are consistently offering TripAdvisor travellers a great customer experience.

“The Certificate of Excellence award provides top performing establishments around the world the recognition they deserve, based on feedback from those who matter most – their customers.”

Both hotels have recently undergone extensive refurbishment with the aim of enhancing the experience of guests during their stay, creating luxurious, spacious and comfy rooms at affordable prices.

Each of The Grassmarket Hotels 44 rooms offers quirky touches such as Sudoku chalk boards and magnetic maps on each of the walls. The hotel even harks back to its Scottish roots by replacing the traditional bible with a last edition copy of The Dandy a popular Scottish comic. More about the hotel can be found at www.thegrassmarkethotel.co.uk

With nine boutique bedrooms, the Bank Hotel’s rooms are spacious, with a crispy clean decor. The popular Bank Hotel Bar underneath is also a ‘must visit’ for those wanting to try out traditional Scottish food and drink. More information can be found at www.thebankhoteledinburgh.co.uk