If you can read between the lines, you can save lives. 

That’s the simple message from a new campaign in Edinburgh to mark the start of Suicide Prevention Week  which runs from 10-16 September.

A series of events are being held this weekend in Edinburgh to highlight Suicide Prevention Week:

• A five-a-side football tournament at Gracemount Leisure Centre tomorrow 8 September 2012 from 9.30am until 12.30pm
• A special free screening at The Filmhouse of Monsieur Lazare – a film showing how school children try to come to terms with the suicide of their teacher tomorrow 8 September 2012 at 2.30pm
• A special service for those affected by suicide at Augustine United Church on George IV Bridge on Sunday 9 September 2012 at 3pm

Monday 10 September is also World Suicide Prevention Day.

Last year 60 people in the capital took their own lives, leaving a lasting impact on families, friends and communities.

Choose Life – the national strategy and action plan to prevent suicide in Scotland – is tackling the issue of suicide through the ‘Read between the lines’ campaign. The message is that if you’re worried about someone, such as a friend, family member or work colleague, asking them about their feelings may help to save their life.

The campaign acknowledges that signs of suicide can be ambiguous, but encourages people to take all signs of distress seriously, even if the person seems to be living a normal life. Asking a person about what’s troubling them can make a positive difference.

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Health and Social Care Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This campaign is about asking people to be alert to any potential warning signs of suicide. You tend to know when someone close to you isn’t quite themselves. So if you notice any changes in their behaviour that worry you – even if the signs come and go – ask them about it.

“Talking can help a person gain clarity about what it is that’s troubling them, and often gives a sense of perspective. Starting a conversation is half the battle. You don’t need to have an answer to their problems – just be there for them, try to listen carefully without judging, and show that you care.

“People often worry about asking someone if they are thinking about suicide but Choose Life advises that raising the subject won’t do this. Instead, it can be a big relief for them to be able to say, ‘yes, I am’ and acknowledge they need help.”

The campaign is aimed at those who are likely to be in greatest contact with people most at risk of suicide – men aged 30-59. Statistics show that around three quarters of suicides have been men in every year since 1990.

Thought-provoking posters will be displayed in a range of community venues as well as in public toilets, and on buses and trains. Choose Life is also making widely available information cards with simple ‘how to help’ steps, and leaflets giving advice on starting conversations about suicide and listening effectively.

Since the launch of Choose Life in 2002, Scotland’s suicide rate has decreased by 17%. Choose Life in Edinburgh has made a key contribution by providing financial support to the Samaritans, funding a service to support people who self-harm and funding research about the particular risks of suicide faced by people with substance misuse issues.

Organisations are available for anyone to talk to about their feelings: contact Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 or Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.

This morning The Reporter met Victor, an industrious Canadian determined to give the roundabout at Picardy Place a new look.

This evening Lesley Hinds, Convenor of Transport, Infrastructure and Environment said:-“I am delighted that someone has cared enough to do something about the poor state of the roundabout on his own initiative. I would have liked to thank him personally before he left the city. I had raised this matter with the department but he beat us to it.”

Here are our photos of his work. (Yes we risked life and limb to get onto the roundabout!) What do you think? Should it be left in place or should it be treated as any other graffiti in the city would be and cleaned up?

Victor would not give us an interview as he claimed he was working to a very tight schedule as he returns to Toronto tomorrow…but he did lend us his Lomo lens to attach to an iPhone for the very last photo…

So here is the Lomo version – unfortunately Victor’s paint-spattered fingers got in the way…

The Yes Scotland campaign advisory board held its inaugural meeting at the Macdonald Hotel near Holyrood today. Here are some well known faces including Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, who was just appointed to a new role within The Scottish Government where she will help the government prepare for the 2014 Independence Referendum.

This is a separate part of the organisation from the board of executive directors appointed last weekend which include among their number Shirley-Anne Somerville who was formerly the SNP MSP for Edinburgh City Centre.

The organisation has a website which you can see here.

LtoR  Andrew Fairlie, Sarah-Jane Walls, Dan Macdonald, Elaine C Smith, Dennis Canavan, Blair Jenkins, Nicola Sturgeon, Colin Fox, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, Pat Kane.

Photo by Bill Fleming

The Scottish Government today published proposals seeking views on lowering the drink driving limit in Scotland.

The consultation follows the recent transfer of the power to set the level of the drink drive limit from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament.  It seeks views on reducing the existing blood/alcohol limit of 80mg/100ml to 50 mg/100ml and consequential equivalent reductions in the breath and urine limit.

Speaking today outside the Scottish Parliament as he launched the consultation alongside Deputy Chief Constable Tom Ewing, Road Policing lead for ACPOS, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said:

“This Government has made it clear that we want a lower drink driving limit as we believe it will help make Scotland’s roads safer.  While drink driving is now rightly recognised by the vast majority of motorists as dangerous and reckless, too many drivers still ignore the warnings and put lives at risk by drinking and driving.  The consequences can be devastating for victims, their families and our communities.

“The launch of this consultation today marks another important step in tackling the scourge of drink driving.

“We strongly believe that reducing the drink driving limit will save lives. Tragically, the latest Reported Road Casualty figures estimate that just over one in nine deaths on Scotland’s roads involve drivers who are over the limit. This equates to an average of 30 deaths on Scotland’s roads every year.

“That is 30 too many, and we are proposing action to help reduce this number. This consultation seeks views on reducing the drink driving limit to a level which would bring Scotland into line with most of Europe and which will help save lives on our roads.

“Estimates of how many lives can be saved with a lower limit do vary, but there is evidence that indicates between three and 17 lives each year could be saved on Scottish roads from a lower limit of 50mg/100ml.

“With the UK Government having failed to take action for many years to reduce the drink driving limit, it is only now, with recently secured Scotland Act powers, that the Scottish Government is able to set the drink driving limit in Scotland. This swift use of the newly devolved powers on drink driving shows we are ready to make use of these new powers to help make Scotland a safer place.

“I urge anyone with an interest in road safety to make their voice heard through this consultation.”

Deputy Chief Constable Tom Ewing, secretary of Road Policing for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, said:

“There is a clear link between drink driving and road crashes which cause death or serious injury. Despite extensive campaigns by ACPOS and our partners in law enforcement and government, it seems that the message is not getting through to all motorists that drinking and driving is dangerous, anti social and against the law.

“We welcome an opportunity to take part in a wide consultation on a reduction of the current drink drive limits. It has always been the position of ACPOS that drivers should not drink alcohol at all before getting behind the wheel but any lowering of the limit could lead to a reduction in those tempted to do so.

“That way we can continue the good work already being done to make Scotland’s roads safer and work positively towards the targets laid out in the Scottish Road Safety Framework to 2020.”

Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC, said:

“As prosecutors we know from bitter experience the misery and suffering that driving under the influence can cause. It all too often results in serious injury or loss of life with around 10 per cent of the deaths on Scottish roads involving drivers who are over the legal limit.

“In recent years the added deterrent of Vehicle Forfeiture has had an impact on drink drivers with the number of offenders reducing and this consultation is another important step in tackling needless deaths and injuries on our roads.

“The public can be assured that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service give road safety a high priority and by working with colleagues in ACPOS, Scottish Government, Road Safety Scotland and Scottish Court service, we will do all in our power to make Scotland a safer place to live and drive.”

Tiso celebrates 50 ‘bootiful’ years and launch Spirit of Adventure lecture event series with globe-trotting cyclist / rower Mark Beaumont and Polly Murray, the first Scottish woman to summit Everest.

If  all the footwear that Tiso customers have bought over the past 50 years was lined up, they would reach the summit of all the Scottish Munros and beyond.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary on a cairn specially created from walking boots today on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill to launch the ‘Spirit of Adventure Series’ featuring a trio of Scotland’s finest adventurers: Mark Beaumont (pictured), Polly Murray and Guy Grieve (the ‘Alaskan hermit’ and author of “Call Of The Wild”) who will be giving a lecture at the University of Edinburgh Business School on Thursday 20 September 2012. Go to Tiso.com for more information or to book tickets.

Photos courtesy of

Colin Hattersley Photography

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

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

Twitter: twitter.com/ColinHattersley  Facebook: facebook.com/colinhattersley

A man has been taken to hospital with severe smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in his Edinburgh home.

Fire crews were called to Ramsay Place, in the Portobello area of the city, just after 5.15am this morning after reports of a house alight.

On arrival, they discovered a ground floor bedroom within a four-storey block of flats well alight.

A 50-year-old man was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.

Crews checked the building for damage but other residents did not have to be evacuated. Six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the blaze and vented the building of smoke.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said:

“A 50-year-old man was suffering from severe smoke inhalation and was given oxygen by firefighters before being taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

“The fire caused severe damage to the bedroom and smoke damage to the rest of the flat and the common stairs of the building.”

NENgaging the Inverleith community with social media

Multimedia journalist Tom Allan has written the following article for us about the new movement to try and get local people in Inverleith into social media.

Last week we held our first ever NENgage session at Stockbridge Library. NENgage is a new project I’m running with blogger, writer and broadcaster Emily Dodd that aims to pass on social media skills like blogging, online video, and simple data journalism to community groups. It’s backed by the North Edinburgh News with funding from Edinburgh City Council.

The first session had an incredible mix of different community groups, charities, social enterprises and individuals, both participatting and volunteering. We heard about biking mum Rona Strachan’s ideas for a new business called Little Blue Bike, that aims to help families live car free lives.We met Cathy and Pauline from Jack and Jill Market, a social enterprise that helps parents sell and buy second hand clothing and toys for their kids. We had representatives from Edinburgh Women’s Aid, Inverleith Youth Forum, and Warriston Residents Association.

http://www.jackandjillmarket.co.uk/

http://edinwomensaid.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inverleith-Youth-Forum/172087439504589

Emily and I tried to take as creative an approach to the session as possible, using a range of tools to explain how blogging works best, and how to make it work for you. Emily asked participants to bring along a photo that made meaning for them to share with the group, and to then tell the story of it – to show both how important strong images are, and how blogging is essentially about storytelling. I did my first ever “Prezi”, an impressive online presentation tool that allows you to zoom and fly around text and images in an exciting way.

You can watch the presentation here – feedback and comments are very welcome.

http://prezi.com/xaksl7hjw9td/nengage-1/

After that we got people online and having a go at posting their first bog using WordPress. We could probably have done with more time for this section of the class – we were trying to pack in an awful lot into an hour and a half – but almost everyone got a simple post up. These were collected into a NENgage training blog that isn’t currently public, but by the end of the project we hope that some of the stories will be able to appear on the North Edinburgh News blog.

“The NEN has been sharing stories from the North Edinburgh community for thirty years, Hopefully, through exciting new initiatives like NENgage, we can continue to share stories for many more years to come.”

Dave Pickering, reporter with the North Edinburgh News

We also had some great volunteers on hand to help out; crime writer Marianne Wheelaghan (who is soon to publish a new book), club night organiser and founder of the Mondo Loco project Paul Glynn, and photographer Ross Gasson. Thanks also to Stockbridge Library for letting us use their meeting room, plasma screen and computer room – for free!

http://www.mariannewheelaghan.co.uk

http://pg1mondoloco.tumblr.com/

http://www.photography-scotland.com/

We still have a small number of places for this week’s class, which takes place this evening, 5:45 to 7:30 at Stockbridge Library – if you live or work in Invereleith, and would like to take part, please sign up to the Eventbrite page as soon as possible. And there are more classes coming up about video blogging, data journalism, and building an online community.

You can drop me an email on w_t_allan@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

http://nengage2-eorg.eventbrite.com/

Carers in the capital are set to benefit from a package of measures designed to give them extra support under plans being considered by The City of Edinburgh Council.

The proposals being put to the Council’s Health, Social Care and Housing Committee include:

• An emergency card scheme where help is available to a carer who suddenly falls ills or has an accident leaving them unable to provide care
• Developing an online network system to connect people in need of support with volunteers
• A one –off payment of up to £250 to carers who provide substantial and regular support to help maintain the carer’s health and wellbeing.

The funding has come from an extra £400,000 set aside by the Council to help carers.

The Council’s Health and Social Care department consulted with carers on how they felt the money should be distributed which resulted in the three priorities being identified.

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Health Leader for the Council, said: “Carers provide essential, quality care but without adequate support in place, they can become overwhelmed with their responsibilities and this can often lead to stress, anxiety or ill health.

“It’s important to provide carers with the support they need and these proposals have been put together following consultation with carers. We have listened to what they have said and we hope these ideas will ensure we can continue to help carers carry out their roles.”

The proposals will be debated at the Health, Social Care and Housing Committee on Tuesday 11 September. The papers for that meeting are now online here. 

City Chambers – Holyrood – Planning consultations – RNLI – Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival

The Sub-Committee for Children and Families meets at the City Chambers today. One of the items they will hear about is that Clovenstone Primary School gets a big tick in its latest inspection report which says that the school provides a ‘good standard of education for its pupils’. You can read the report and other papers for the meeting in full here. 

***

Today at Holyrood there will be the usual First Minister’s Questions at 12. There are no questions lodged today by Edinburgh MSPs for answer by the First Minister but some of our MSPs were pretty vocal yesterday.

Gordon MacDonald got a mention for the Wester Hailes Education Centre with his question about pupils leaving school with Standard Grades at Level 7 only. He said during the exchange with The Minister for Learning, Dr Alasdair Allan:-“The Wester Hailes education centre in my constituency has made great strides in raising student attainment in recent years. This year, 21 per cent of pupils achieved five or more standard grades at credit level—a dramatic increase on previous years. Will the minister join me in congratulating the staff and pupils who made that achievement possible, and will he examine the measures that were introduced in the school to identify whether they can be rolled out to other areas? ”

As we reported yesterday Jim Eadie had tabled a question about Edinburgh Napier University’s campus at Craighouse. This was the answer:-

***

Last week the council gave the green light to a development by De Vere Hotels of the empty office building at Crewe Toll. Now there are planning consultations when you can have your say on the proposal. These take place on Friday and Saturday 7 & 8 September 2012 at Morrisons supermarket on Pilton Drive.

North Edinburgh News has the whole story.

***

The RNLI at South Queensferry have taken delivery of a new boat and already it has been out on two shouts only yesterday, both in the Cramond area. It seems that hardly a week goes by without people being rescued from Cramond Island. Our full report on  what they were up to yesterday is here. 

***

The 10th Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival is almost upon us! It will take place on 26-28 October 2012 and it is what it says. All the films are about mountains… Don’t suppose they will be playing The Sound of Music but if you book now you may get early bird discounts. More details on their website. 

A task force to bring privately-owned empty homes back into use in the capital is being set up by The City of Edinburgh Council.

The membership of the group will include representatives from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, private landlords and housing associations.

Some of the key actions for the task force will be to:

put together a bid for funding from the Scottish Government’s new Empty Homes Loan Fund
consider the need for advice to owners of empty homes and
look at implementing new legislation which allows local authorities to charge higher council tax for empty homes.

Latest figures from the Council show that at December 2011 there were 1,486 private sector properties empty for more than six months which is 0.8% of all private sector homes. Of these 967 had been vacant for more than a year.

The Empty Homes Task Force is one the commitments made by the Capital Coalition which was formed back in May.

Councillor Cammy Day, Housing Leader, said: “Even though Edinburgh has a relatively low level of empty homes in both the social and private sectors this Council has a duty to look at all the avenues open to us to deliver more homes.

“The Capital Coalition made a commitment in May to set up this task force and I’m delighted that we have taken what is undoubtedly a major step forward in tackling this pressing issue.

“Everyone knows there is a desperate need for more housing in the capital and we hope the task force will be able to find ways of bringing more empty homes back into use.”

Kristen Hubert of Shelter Scotland, who run the Scottish Government funded Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, said:

“The Council should be praised for setting up this task force and their commitment to bringing empty homes back into use.

“There are many reasons why a home might be left empty. Owners can have sentimental attachment to it or they don’t have the finances, the time or the skills to complete their plans for the property.

“Whatever the reason, bringing empty homes back into use has many benefits – it adds to the housing supply, contributes to local regeneration and supports community safety.”

“We look forward to working with the taskforce in tackling the problem of empty homes across Edinburgh.”

A report on the Empty Homes Task Force is set to be discussed at a meeting of the Health, Social Care and Housing Committee on Tuesday 11 September 2012. The papers for this meeting can be read online here. 

The percentage of empty homes in Edinburgh has been steadily decreasing since 2008 from 2.4% to 2% in 2011 – less than the Scottish average of 2.8%.

The Council has already taken steps to reduce the potential for a greater number of empty homes during the recession by working with builders and housing associations to buy unsold new properties and convert them to affordable homes. This has resulted in a total of 76 newly built unsold properties being purchased since 2010/11.

Earlier this year the Council used Council Tax data to contact over 1,000 owners of homes that had been empty for more than six months. They were sent a leaflet outlining the benefits of bringing their homes back into use.

The Atlantic 85 Lifeboat the “Jimmie Cairncross” which has just arrived at the RNLI Queensferry Lifeboat Station this week, was called out twice today.

At 3.30pm. the RNLI Lifeboat with four crew was called out to 11 people, 8 adults and three children trapped on Cramond Island by the fast incoming tide.The crew took them aboard the Lifeboat and landed them safely ashore.

At 5.38 pm. the wholly volunteer Lifeboat crew were in action again as the Coastguard reported a speedboat in difficulty off Cramond Island. The 18 feet Fletcher speedboat “Winsome” with Tim Lewis and his wife Eileen from Redding, near Falkirk on board, had suffered an engine failure. They started up their auxiliary engine only to find that they were making no headway in the one metre swell and force four wind.

The RNLI Queensferry Lifeboat crew took the speedboat in tow and returned her to the Hawes Pier, South Queensferry where they manoeuvred the boat on to a trailer for the very grateful couple. The crew reported that the couple were fully equipped with lifejackets and had VHF on board and had a spare engine.

The Scottish Government’s new Cabinet team has been announced by First Minister Alex Salmond, subject to the necessary parliamentary approval.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s longest serving health secretary, will now become Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, playing a key role in the Scottish Government’s programme for economic recovery.

She will also take lead responsibility for Government Strategy and the Constitution, including preparations for the independence referendum.

Alex Neil will become Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, taking forward this key public service with the suppport of the existing strong team of Ministers, Sports Minister Shona Robison and Public Health Minister Michael Matheson.

Ms Sturgeon’s junior ministers will be Keith Brown, Minister for Transport and Veterans, and Margaret Burgess, MSP for Cunninghame South, who will become new Minister for Housing and Welfare, reflecting the importance of housing in aiding economic recovery and also the challenges facing those in poverty.

Bruce Crawford MSP is to retire from his role as Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy.

Brian Adam will be stepping down as Minister for Parliamentary Business and he will be replaced by Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West. He will attend Cabinet and report to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

Stewart Stevenson will be stepping down as Minister for Environment and Climate Change and will be replaced by Paul Wheelhouse, MSP for South Scotland, who will report to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead.

Humza Yousaf, MSP for Glasgow, joins the Government as Minister for External Affairs and International Development reporting to Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop.

The other Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers will remain as before. You can read the ‘old’ list of Ministers here and no doubt it will be updated shortly.

The First Minister said the changes have been made in line with taking forward the Programme for Government which was announced yesterday and preparing Scotland for the independence referendum in 2014.

There will be a Cabinet of eight members; the First Minister and seven Cabinet Secretaries.

This compares with 10 during the administration of Donald Dewar, and 11 during Henry McLeish’s and Jack McConnell’s terms as First Minister.

Reflecting the pay freeze taken by the Scottish Government for the past three years, all Cabinet Secretaries, Ministers (and Law Officers) will receive a salary at the April 1 2008 level, both for their Ministerial and MSP salary.

First Minister Alex Salmond said:

“This strong Ministerial team will take this Government forward in meeting the economic and social challenges we face while creating a better Scotland for future generations.

“As Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon has demonstrated what can be achieved when Scotland has responsibility for its own affairs. She has delivered record low waiting times and protected the NHS from the creeping privatisation of the UK Government. As Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, she will have a lead role in our programme for economic recovery. With responsibility for Government strategy and the constitution, she will also lead in making the positive case for Scotland’s future.

“Alex Neil has delivered the biggest infrastructure investment programme in Scotland’s history against a backdrop of budget cuts from Westminster. In taking forward Nicola Sturgeon’s substantial achievements as Health Secretary, he will ensure that Scotland’s health service continues to have the strongest possible leadership.

“In 2014, the people of Scotland will have the chance to seize the biggest opportunity in 300 years and ensure that Scotland’s future is in Scotland’s hands.

“Over the next two years, this Government will set out the positive case for independence and present the real choice facing Scotland’s electorate between decisions about Scotland being taken by the people of Scotland or continued control from Westminster.”

Thanking Mr Crawford for his work in Government, Alex Salmond said:

“Bruce Crawford is held in enormous respect not just by members of this Government but across all parties in the Parliament. Piloting a challenging legislative programme from Scotland’s first minority government through the Scottish Parliament was undoubtedly one of the hardest jobs in Government but one he always performed effectively and with good humour.

“Mr Crawford’s work on the Scotland Act and in preparing the Government for the forthcoming independence referendum has been exemplary.

“His advice has been of considerable benefit not just to this Government but to MSPs of all parties and, while he will be missed from the Cabinet table, I know he will continue to make a valuable contribution to the Scottish Parliament and to the people of Stirling.”

Paying tribute to Stewart Stevenson for his service, the First Minister said:

“I am particularly grateful for the work Mr Stevenson did around championing Scotland’s world leading climate change legislation and sharing Scotland’s ambition with other governments and countries worldwide to tackle this huge issue.

“Mr Stevenson brought a unique intelligence and approach to his portfolio which was both refreshing and effective. His work to advance the cause of Scottish independence as we head towards 2014 was tireless.”

Marking Mr Adam’s service, the First Minister said:

“Brian Adam’s talents as Chief Whip were absolutely essential to maintaining the Government in office and to ensuring we progressed our legislative programme. I warmly thank him for all he has done in serving the people of Scotland and advancing the cause of Scottish independence.”

Welcoming the four new Ministers to Government, Mr Salmond said:

“Margaret Burgess, Humza Yousaf, Joe Fitzpatrick and Paul Wheelhouse bring their own unique talents to this already strong Government and I look forward to working with them

A week-long event at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange is aiming to reduce the number of young people killed or injured on the capital’s roads.

The Streets Ahead Young Drivers sessions running until 7 September 2012 will attract around 3,000 6th year pupils to listen to first-hand experiences from young victims of road crashes. In 2011, 16 to 25-year-olds accounted for 23% of all road casualties in Edinburgh.

The event covers the key issues of drink-driving, speeding and wearing seatbelts, with attendees taking part in various activities designed to teach them how to lower their chances of causing or being involved in collisions themselves.

The Reporter spoke to Superintendent David Carradice about the message all of the agencies are trying to get across:-

Councillor Jim Orr is the Transport Vice Convener and was there to listen to the presentations and speak to some of the school pupils attending:-

Young people who have been affected by serious incidents are also sharing their stories, and a hard-hitting play, Friends Disunited, will highlight the potentially fatal consequences of careless driving.

Hosted by Radio Forth DJ Mark Martin, the week is being run by Streets Ahead, the partnership between City of Edinburgh Council, Lothian and Borders Police and Lothian Fire and Rescue Service.

Sarah Irvine, who was seriously injured after an accident which occurred when she was at the wheel, said: “One mistake in not putting my seatbelt on during a short journey led to ten days in high dependency and a life changing experience for me. I lost my dream of swimming competitively and my beloved car was written off. My advice would be, no matter how short the journey, or the excuse not to, always wear a seatbelt. Events like these are great to inform young people of what can happen and how things can go wrong in an instant.”

Irresponsible tenants who deliberately damage their homes may have to pay for repairs under proposals being considered by The City of Edinburgh Council.

Introducing a Rechargeable Repairs Policy has received strong support from tenants with 88% who took part in a recent survey saying they were in favour of a policy.

Any new system could also be used to identify vulnerable tenants who require additional support.

Focus groups held with the Edinburgh Tenants Federation, neighbourhood housing staff and equalities groups received positive support for the idea.

Councillors will discuss a Rechargeable Repairs Policy, which will see tenants having to pay for repairs out of their own pocket, at next week’s meeting of the Health, Social Care and Housing Committee.

Councillor Cammy Day, Housing Leader, said:- “The implementation of a rechargeable repairs policy has received broad support from everyone we’ve spoken to. Where irresponsible tenants damage or neglect their home all other tenants have to pay for it – that’s not fair.

“All tenants are responsible for looking after their own homes and the Capital Coalition gave a commitment to enforcing tenancy agreements to ensure they fulfil their good conduct responsibilities.

“An added benefit to such a scheme is the potential to identify vulnerable tenants who we can then directe to various support services so they can receive extra help they need.”

Betty Stevenson, chair of the Edinburgh Tenants Federation, said ETF were happy to support the principle of a rechargeable repairs policy.

She said: “Such a policy will ensure repair costs are targeted at repairs to improve homes for tenants who are in genuine need. If implemented correctly this will help to increase tenants’ awareness of their responsibilities.”

Doug Anthoney, from Age Scotland, said:- “We are pleased that the City of Edinburgh Council is looking at robust procedures around their repairs recharging policy to ensure that vulnerable individuals are protected.

“It is reassuring that a flagging system could be established to identify people who may actually be in need of assistance or support to help them cope at home, which should also reduce the risk of them incurring financial penalties in the future.”

The Council carry out about 146,000 repairs every year at a cost of £20m. The majority of these repairs are in response to direct requests from tenants with the rest made up of planned repairs.

Residents surveyed also showed that 66% believed the policy would act as a deterrent to tenants who deliberately cause damage.

It is expected that any Rechargeable Repairs Policy would come into effect in Spring 2013.

The idea will be discussed at the Council’s Health, Social Care and Housing Committee on Tuesday 11 September.

Jim Eadie MSP for Edinburgh Southern has lodged a topical question at Holyrood today:-“To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Napier University regarding the future of the Craighouse Campus.”

It is difficult to know what the government can possibly have asked, since the campus has been sold by the university to a development company.  Recently the company which now own the campus, Craighouse Limited, lodged with the planning authority an application to vary the terms of an existing planning permission for a Creative Industries building which was granted some time back.

With that permission ran some obligations to deal with roads and trees, all of which were detailed in a Section 75 agreement. The terms of that binding agreement obliged the developer to pay £150,000 for use in installing traffic lights on nearby roads and streets, and a further £30,000 is to be paid for what is called “bus improvements”. This agreement was signed in 2007 but now the current owner wants to change  it by altering not the amounts payable, but the dates when the money would be paid.

The developer has taken steps to dig a trench on the site to ensure that the planning permission already granted remains valid. If they had not done so then it would have fallen this year. But when The Reporter spoke to the developer’s representatives they confirmed that of course they do not intend building what there is existing planning permission for, and that they are progressing towards putting in an application for a residential development. They will issue a masterplan for the whole site ‘in due course’, and we understand that the company are still discussing the terms of the existing planning permission and any variation to that with the council. Their spokesman said:- “We are still in discussion with the council about the whole site, so this matter is ongoing.”

We spoke to the campaign group Friends of Craighouse who said:-“Not only do The Craighouse Partnership claim to have recently activated a ten year old consent for a large university building that is no longer required, one which would allow mature woodland to be removed and car parks put in –  but they have now have applied to the council planners to amend the associated legal agreement,  so that they can delay the payments they have to make as part of this agreement – perhaps indefinitely.”

The First Minister stood up yesterday afternoon at the first Tuesday afternoon business session at Holyrood to announce the fifteen bills that will be discussed over the coming months.

He had come to the Chamber from elsewhere in the city:-“This morning I visited Dr Bell’s Family Centre in Leith – exactly the type of support today’s £18 million investment will help make available to more people.”

As well as the programme of new bills there are some which are still under discussion such as the proposed reforms of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act.

During the course of the First Minister’s Speech it seems that he was also engaged in social media. Lothians Labour MSP Neil Findlay announced:-  “On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Will you provide some advice on the use of electronic devices in the chamber? I understand that during the past hour the First Minister has been multitasking and that he sent—invisibly—no fewer than 31 tweets during his statement. Will you advise on the protocol for using such devices in the chamber?”

The answer to this was made later in the afternoon at five o’clock when the Deputy Presiding Officer Elaine Smith said:-“Earlier today, Neil Findlay MSP raised a point of order regarding the alleged use of a social networking site by the First Minister during the debate on the Scottish Government’s programme.

Later in the proceedings the MSPs had to be chastised by The Deputy Presiding Officer in this manner:-” I remind members that although very short conversations are acceptable, prolonged conversations, including on the front bench, should be conducted either at the back of the chamber or outside it. I also remind members to turn off their mobile phones and other devices.” This despite a letter from the Presiding Officer to the MSPs just before they reassembled at Holyrood this week to remind them of how to behave in the Chamber, largely by turning up for debates. The Chamber was certainly not full all of yesterday afternoon.

Hugh Henry Labour MSP for Renfrewshire South had a bit of hard time in even putting his points across when he was requested no less than nine times to ‘give way’, which means to allow another MSP to add a short contribution to the item of discussion. He refused on each occasion.

This is the full legislative programme announced yesterday:-

Budget Bill

The annual Budget Bill provides Parliamentary approval for the Scottish Government’s spending plans, allowing the allocation of resources to the Government’s strategic objectives and supporting progress towards its Purpose of creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.

Procurement Reform Bill

The Bill will establish a national legislative framework for sustainable public procurement that supports Scotland’s economic growth by delivering community benefits, supporting innovation, considering environmental requirements and promoting public procurement processes and systems which are transparent, streamlined, standardised, proportionate, fair and business-friendly.

Bankruptcy Bill

The Bill will modernise bankruptcy law for the 21st century. It will ensure access to fair and just processes of debt relief and debt management for the people of Scotland, which takes account of the rights and interests of those involved. It will ensure Scottish debt solutions are fair to both the indebted individual and creditor, returning as much as possible to creditors.

Better Regulation Bill

Businesses benefit from regulation which is transparent, consistent, accountable, proportionate, and targeted only at cases where action is needed. The Bill will therefore take steps to improve the way regulations are applied in practice across Scotland, providing for example national regulation systems and standards. The Bill will also include specific measures to further reform planning and deliver a simpler and more effective legislative framework for environmental regulation and enforcement.

Land and Buildings Transaction Tax Bill

The Bill will set out how the proposed replacement tax for Stamp Duty Land Tax will operate under a distinctly Scottish based approach and will better embed provision in Scots Law and practices.

Landfill Tax Bill

The Bill will put in place a replacement for Landfill Tax in Scotland, establishing the administration, charges and rules governing a uniquely Scottish Landfill Tax.

Adult Health & Social Care Integration Bill

The Bill will reform planning and provision of adult health and social care services, establishing effective integration between partners in order to deliver improved, nationally agreed outcomes for services. It will establish joint accountability by Health Boards and Councils for delivery of outcomes, integration of budgets, and improved commissioning and planning of services.

Children and Young People Bill

The Bill will improve the outcomes for all children and young people in Scotland, in particular the most vulnerable, by putting in place a coherent statutory framework for planning and delivery of services provided to children and young people. It will also increase transparency, scrutiny and accountability around the public sector’s approach to the practical realisation of children’s rights, and it will make provision to deliver the commitment to a minimum of 600 hours free early learning and childcare provision.

Post-16 Education Reform Bill

The Bill will provide an underpinning legal basis for some aspects of the Scottish Government’s ambitious programme of post-16 learning reform. It will support the development of a system that is better aligned to meet the needs of learners and employers, and therefore help drive jobs and growth. It will address key issues such as college and university structure and provision, college regionalisation and widening access.

Forth Estuary Transport Authority Bill

The Bill will enable the Scottish Government to adopt the most cost-effective and coordinated approach to the management and maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge and the new Forth Crossing.

Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill

The Bill will allow same sex couples to marry, and will also allow civil partnerships to be registered through a religious ceremony. It will ensure that no religious bodies and celebrants have to take part in same-sex ceremonies, unless they wish to do so. Ministers are also deeply committed to freedom of speech and religion, and the concerns of those who do not favour same sex marriage require to be properly addressed. The Scottish Government will consult stakeholders on any provisions that are required, in either statute or guidance, to protect these important principles and address specific concerns that have been expressed.

Victims and Witnesses Bill

The Bill will improve the support available for victims and witnesses, putting victims’ interests at the heart of improvements to the justice system and ensuring that witnesses are able to fulfil their public duty effectively. The Bill will include provision to widen access to special measures (such as the use of CCTV links) to protect vulnerable witnesses and ensure that offenders contribute to the cost of supporting victims.

Tribunals Bill

The Bill will establish a new, simplified statutory framework for tribunals which determine matters falling within devolved competence. It will bring together those existing tribunals which currently operate in a disparate manner and establish a new system for appeals. This will create a more user-focused and coherent tribunal system in Scotland.

Criminal Justice Bill

The Bill will reform and modernise the system for investigation and prosecution of crime in Scotland. It follows from the thorough, expert reviews of Lord Carloway in relation to criminal procedure generally, and Sheriff Principal Bowen in relation to sheriff and jury procedure. It will ensure Scotland is at the forefront of human rights practice in relation to suspects and accused persons, while at the same time promoting the rights of victims by removing outdated rules on sufficiency of evidence.

Lothian and Borders Police Officers who have been searching for a missing person from West Lothian since 24 August have this afternoon found the body of a woman.

The discovery was made at around 1.30pm in dense woodland between the A89 just South of Dechmont and the M8 motorway at Livingston by Lothian and Borders Police search teams and the Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue.

Formal identification will take place following a post mortem examination. In the meantime, the family of missing woman Heather McKay have been informed.

Charity organiser Lynne McNicoll runs a charity called It’s Good 2 Give. Here is her round up of what the charity is up to in September….

 

 

Good gracious, where is the time going?  Mid August already.

We’ve been consolidating in July and early August at It’s Good 2 Give.  Busy working on our plans to raise £1m to create a retreat for use by families affected by cancer in a child or young person.

In our first 2 years we have raised over £200,000 – really good for such a small charity led by a volunteer (that’s me!).

I have set myself a new goal – I want to raise £250,000 between now and the end of 2013 – that will take us close to the half way mark.

Is it do-able?  I believe so.  I need your help though.

Super September sees us with 3 events –

9 September – we have a team of 55 cyclists in the Pedal for Scotland bike ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh – our team is called Pedal 4 Paul after an inspirational teenager Paul Davies who lost his fight with cancer aged just 17.  His family and friends came up with this idea and it has taken off.  Anyone wanting to join us still can – you just need to be able to cycle 47 miles and raise a pound or two for us.

On 16 September we have a number of spaces booked on a zipslide over the Clyde. I have done this and if, like me you hate heights, it is both terrifying and exhilarating.   Two spaces are left so if you would like to zip over the Clyde get in touch.  £25 to register then you have to raise £50 for It’s Good 2 Give.

Perhaps you are enjoying the Book Festival just now – we have a perfect event for all book lovers (and afternoon tea lovers too)

One of our Patrons, Sara Sheridan, writes historical novels – most recently a book called Brighton Belle.  Sara is going to talk about that book and ‘being a lady in the 1950’s’  at the Caledonian Hotel on Princes Street (and by the way, the Caledonian will be a Waldorf Astoria by the time of our event – a multimillion pound refurb has been going on for months)

Date of the event?  Sunday 23 September 2-4pm

It’s £25 per ticket and that includes full luxurious afternoon tea with a glass of champagne.

One of our guests from last year’s Afternoon Tea event with Sara said they could have listened to her all afternoon.  She is a wonderful speaker.

For information on our charity or any of our events do get in touch with me – lynne@itsgood2give.co.uk or call on 07901 555 352

Police searching for a missing woman from West Lothian have received an encouraging response from members of the public following recent public appeals.

Heather McKay, 51, was last seen at her friend’s address in Craiglaw, Dechmont at around 7.30am on Friday 24th August.

Another friend arrived at the address at around 8.30am however Ms McKay was not there, and has not been seen since.

Last Friday, on the one-week anniversary of her disappearance, officers from Lothian and Borders Police distributed thousands of leaflets and posters in the village and surrounding areas and spoke to commuters and parents dropping their children off at the local primary school.

Her children Andrea and Kevin Waddell and her sister Deirdre McKay also made an emotional appeal to members of the public via the media for anyone with any information to come forward.

As a result of this activity, over 20 calls have been received from people who believe they may have seen Heather since she disappeared and officers are now following up a number of lines of enquiry.

Alongside this, trained officers are viewing CCTV footage from the surrounding areas around the time she went missing, and over a hundred hours worth has been viewed already.

Over a hundred statements have been taken so far, as well as a large-scale door-to-door enquiry in the streets surrounding the home where Heather was last seen.

Dozens of officers and members of the Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue are also searching the surrounding areas to check for any traces of Ms McKay, who was known to be as keen walker and often hiked in the areas around Dechmont and Broxburn.

Community Inspector Neill Whiteside said: “The public response to our recent appeals has been fantastic, and has provided some vital information to assist us in our search for Heather.

“It is encouraging for the family to know so many people care about Heather’s well-being and desperately want to find her.

“Our investigations are continuing, and I would appeal to anyone who may recognise Heather’s description or who might have information about her whereabouts to come forward as soon as possible.”

Heather is described as around 5ft 7ins tall, medium build with hazel/ green eyes and brown hair. She speaks with a Scottish accent and has a small burn mark on her forearm and a small tattoo on her right shoulder.

She may be wearing a light blue Berghaus rain jacket, jeans and a pair of brown hi-tec walking boots.

Anyone with information should contact Lothian and Borders Police immediately on 0131 311 3131.

Live blog – Light shows – Holyrood – Bull on the loose – Cycle powered cinema  

Today at 2pm join us as we live blog with Chief Inspector Richard Thomas of Pentlands area. We are discussing the multi agency Operation Cipher currently underway. This initiative is designed to make life in the Calders better for residents and we hope to be joined by other representatives from the council.

***

Have you seen strange lights down at Portobello? If you are in Straiton Park from 9pm any night this week you might be able to see light projections on a tenement in Bath Street…. And talking of lights the lovely taster film from Queen Margaret University lecturer and film-maker, Walid Salhab, shows off our beautiful city in all its glory whether night time or day time, but we especially like the bit at the end of the film with the Speed of Light runners and walkers on Arthur’s Seat. What do you think of this stop motion film?

This time-lapse video is part of Walid Salhab’s ongoing video production research. It is made up of thousands of individual images – mostly stop-motion combined with a little time-lapse photography. Many different Edinburgh locations are used in the film including Queen Margaret University, Dean Village, the Balmoral Hotel and Princes Street.

This video is an initial research exercise. It has allowed Walid to trail new techniques which he intends to use in his next short film.

***

MSPs meet at Holyrood today after the summer recess, during which the cabinet has held meetings in various parts of Scotland. We have a separate article explaining what is happening at Holyrood today. Meanwhile the Policy and Strategy Committee is convening at the City Chambers. The full agenda for that meeting includes an update on the proposed new Portobello High School where a decision by the Court of Session which may or may not give the council the go-ahead to start building is expected any day.

The report about this project reads as follows:-“A Petition for Judicial Review was served on the Council in August 2011 aiming to prevent the intended construction of the new Portobello High School on Portobello Park. The petition was subsequently heard in the Outer House of the Court of Session and the judgment was published on 7 March. Whilst the published judgment of Lady Dorrian fully supported the Council position from December 2008 that no authority was required from the Court in order to appropriate the land; an appeal was subsequently lodged against that judgment to the Inner House of the Court of Session.

***

A Heck Bull got out of his enclosure yesterday at Edinburgh Zoo, but only for about 40 minutes according to the BBC.  With horns about 3 feet long it was certainly more dangerous than Cherry, the Scarlett Ibis which escaped last week for about 10 days, and The Daily Record claims it is about 95 stone, so not exactly what you would want to see hurtling towards you!

***

Down at the Botanics they will have the cycle powered cinema on 26 September courtesy of charity Take One Action, Scotland’s Global Action cinema project.  They advise that you need to book now. The film being shown is called The Carbon Rush.

RBGE describe it on their website:-“Starting in Scotland, The Carbon Rush takes us around the world to meet the men and women on the front lines of carbon trading – people who’s voices are often unheard in the cacophony surrounding this multi-billion carbon industry. The film visits different projects set up to offset pollution created somewhere else: incinerators burning garbage in India, hydroelectric dams in Panama and Eucalyptus forests harvested for charcoal in Brazil are just some of the places included in this exposé. At this exclusive outdoor screening we’ll explore what impact the international carbon market is having on the natural world?”

First Minister Alex Salmond will be in Holyrood later today to announce the Scottish Government’s business programme which the BBC tell you more about here.  There are no hard facts about what will be put before the parliament on their website as yet.

The new look parliamentary week begins with three working days when parliament will sit in the debating chamber. Instigated by Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick as part of a package of reform measures, the new format will see the chamber sit three afternoons a week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and the committees will meet each morning. Holyrood Magazine explains the terms of the letter which the presiding officer sent out to MSPs last week reminding them of the need for courtesy in the chamber.

Today the committees meeting include the Health and Sport Committee, discussing the support for community sport, the Education and Culture committee, discussing how the establishment of cultural trusts by local authorities has impacted on cultural services and delivery, the Justice Committee, discussing Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Bill,  the Public Petitions Committee where one of the proposed items is the abolition of mosquito devices and the Subordinate Legislation Committee.

The move  is designed to make The Scottish Government more topical and responsive to events, and to provide an increased opportunity for Members to question and hold Ministers to account.

Each day’s chamber business now has the potential to start with Oral Questions to Ministers and Tuesdays will see the introduction of Topical Questions, which will have short lead-in times to allow questions on emerging issues.

Members will now be able to lodge ‘topical’ questions up until 12 noon on a Monday, which the Presiding Officer may select for answer at the start of Tuesday’s chamber business. Wednesdays will begin with Portfolio Questions, and Thursdays will start with General Questions followed by First Minister’s Questions.

The Reporter is of course only interested in those motions and amendments lodged by Edinburgh MSPs. Today the motions lodged are as follows:-

*S4M-03966 Gordon MacDonald: Wester Hailes Food Bank—That the Parliament congratulates the Holy Trinity Church in Wester Hailes on establishing a food bank; understands that, so far in 2012, it has handed out over 600 food parcels, weighing a combined total in excess of two tonnes; believes that, as a result of welfare benefit changes being proposed by the UK Government, vulnerable people will become more dependent on the work of volunteers for basic necessities, and considers that, as these take effect, more people will be forced to seek assistance from such charities.

*S4M-03964 Jim Eadie: East Linton Cycling Initiative Takes to the Hills—That the Parliament congratulates Alistair Clark of the Traprain Trails group from East Lothian on his plans to establish free-to-use bike trails around Traprain Law near East Linton; commends the initiative and its ambition to attract young people and families out of the city to enjoy the East Lothian countryside; recognises what it considers to be the initiative’s ability to promote healthy lifestyles for young people and the opportunities that it will present for the development of cycling in East Lothian and beyond, and wishes the project every success.

There is also one other motion which relates to Fife but is of some interest to us here in the capital, as it might bring with it jobs which would be within easy commuting reach.

*S4M-03972 Helen Eadie: Celebrating Planned Investment at Rosyth—That the Parliament welcomes the developments currently planned for Rosyth; notes that these developments include a £85 million investment by Babcock to create the Rosyth International Container Terminal; recognises the strategic importance of this project in providing a deep-water port facility for the Forth and improving Scotland’s connectivity for international trade, and believes that this project will bring much- needed new jobs to the area and will provide a significant boost to the Fife economy.

The Edinburgh International Festival in 2012 took £2.83 million at the box office making it a record year, an increase of 9% in sales income and an increase of 11% in number of tickets issued on Festival 2011.

Jonathan Mills, Director of the Edinburgh International Festival said:-‘Festival 2012 was a year of partnerships and collaborations. I would like to thank our funders both public and private who came together to support our ambitions in this special year for the UK. In hard times, as well as good, it remains one of the world’s most important examples of the power of culture to transform lives. In sharing this year’s Festival with audiences this has felt both real and important and I thank everyone who shared in these wonderful moments.’

The Edinburgh International Festival this year was a global celebration working in partnership with The Scottish Government, Creative Scotland, Event Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council to present the most ambitious programme possible in 2012 while the world’s eyes were on the UK.

The Festival also worked with London 2012 Festival and the World Shakespeare Festival, and many international tourism and cultural agencies, particularly the British Council  to widen its reach internationally.

Over 3000 artists from over 47 nations and audiences from over 70 nations gathered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012.

The excitement around shows at the Festival this year was reflected in the media with many artists and shows being awarded 5 star reviews including NVA’s Speed of Light, London Symphony Orchestra, Daniil Trifonov, Ballet Preljocaj, Tatyana, Waiting for Orestes: Electra, Watt, Les Naufragés du fol Espoir, The Rape of Lucrece and Meine faire Dame – ein Sprachlabor among many others.

Arnold Clark supported the Festival for the first time in 2012 with a fleet of over 30 vehicles ferrying artists and technical equipment around the city. Jenners celebrated its first year as Official Retail Partner with a stunning display of 1,000 doves suspended over its atrium.

One of the Festival’s most popular twitter conversations highlighted the opportunity for those under 26 to buy £8 tickets on the day seeing a rise of 73% this year. Tickets sold to people under 18 also rose by just over 30% on 2011’s figures. The Festival’s Facebook reach extended to 80,000 people through Festival 2012.

Around 600 of Edinburgh’s primary and secondary school children took part in workshops with Deborah Colker’s Dance Company following their acclaimed performances of Tatyana at the Edinburgh Playhouse.

‘Yes it was very fun. They are brilliant. My class had fun too’ pupil at St John’s RC Primary

 

‘Awesome and very helpful. The dancers were funny.’ St Catherine’s Primary School

 

Live broadcasts throughout the Festival on BBC Radio 3 as well as dedicated editions of programmes across the broadcaster enhanced the Festival’s reach.

The opening week of the Festival saw the staging of the inaugural Edinburgh International Culture Summit organised in partnership with the Scottish Government, UK Government and the British Council at the Scottish Parliament with over 30 nations discussing and debating the role of culture. Countries which sent delegations to Edinburgh included Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Malawi, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, Tanzania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, USA.

So now all you have to do is get ready for next year…..

Sir Chris Hoy will be awarded the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh on Sunday, 16 September.

The six-time gold medallist will then be joined by fellow Olympic and Paralympic stars on an open-top bus tour in the city centre, ending at the Assembly Rooms on George Street where he will receive the honour during a private ceremony.

It will be immediately followed by a Civic Reception, hosted by the Lord Provost in honour of the athletes together with their coaches and support staff, officials, plus some of the many volunteers who gave up their time to make London 2012 such a success.

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets to welcome the athletes home and some will be lucky enough to meet their sporting heroes during walkabouts planned for the beginning and end of the parade.

The open-top bus will leave from outside the City Chambers at 2.15pm, going up the Royal Mile and turning right on to the Mound. It will make its way slowly down the hill, past the Agitos, before crossing Princes Street on to Hanover Street, where Sir Chris Hoy’s golden post box stands. The final leg of the journey will see the bus turning right on to George Street, performing a short loop before heading west to its final destination at around 3pm.

The Lord Provost will award Sir Chris Hoy the Freedom of the City in the Assembly Rooms’ Music Hall in a private ceremony watched by 500 invited guests and, following speeches and other entertainment, the guests will file through to the Ball Room where the Civic Reception will be held.

Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “This is Edinburgh’s chance to welcome home its Olympic and Paralympic heroes and to honour their outstanding achievements at their respective Games.

“Of course, there will be an extra special welcome for Britain’s greatest ever Olympian, our own Chris Hoy, to whom it will be a great pleasure to award the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh.

“It was very much his wish that this day be about celebrating with his team mates and I am hopeful that many of his fellow sportsmen and women will be able to join him on the parade and in the Assembly Rooms.”

Lothian and Borders Police have issued some guidance about the new body scanners at Edinburgh Airport.

“The introduction of security scanners at Edinburgh Airport represent another layer of security designed to protect traveller safety. The purpose of the scanner is to detect any concealed threat or contraband being carried by passengers.

Lothian and Borders Police welcome the extensive safeguards developed to protect privacy as the image produced by the scanner is a generic stick-like figure with no distinguishable features, meaning individuals cannot be recognised.

We acknowledge some people may be apprehensive about the implications for passenger privacy; however we support our partners at Edinburgh Airport in providing accurate information about the technology in order to alleviate any concerns.

Edinburgh Airport is required to introduce security scanners (also known as body scanners) by the Department for Transport (DfT). The project is owned and managed solely by Edinburgh Airport and went live on 1 September 2012.

The scanners at Edinburgh Airport will be an additional screening measure used for all flights departing from the airport. Edinburgh Airport can assure passengers selection for scanning will not be based on personal characteristics such as disability, sex, gender reassignment, age, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

Edinburgh Airport will communicate their use of this equipment to passengers via their website and by using banners, posters, information leaflets and display screens. There is an Edinburgh Airport information leaflet here produced by Lothian and Borders Police.

In addition to this information provided by the Airport, there is public information/guidance on the DfT website  which includes a Code of Practice for the Acceptable Use of Security Scanners in an Aviation Security Environment and an Equality Impact Assessment Document.”

Edinburgh photographer, Chris Mackenzie, was out taking shots of the fireworks display last night and has sent us some of his best photos to show you!

Chris said:-“I went all round town yesterday looking for a suitable vantage point. We started off on the cliff tops of the Crags above the Radical Road and then checked out Calton Hill. I’ve been there before but this year I really wanted something a bit different. I checked out The Bridges but felt that we would be in the way of tourists and the public, so we opted for the roof of Princes Mall thinking that it was a great spot. We were next to the lift that takes you into Waverley now. We turned up there at 7.30pm to ensure that we got our preferred space! It was in a corner out of the way with limited line of site. I had to edit a ladder out of every shot! During the evening my assistant built up a great rapport with a couple and their son who was visiting the medical faculty with a view to studying here. Everyone had a great night!”

Thank you Chris for sharing these lovely shots with us.

web: www.chrismackenziephotography.co.uk • blog:  www.chrismackenziephotography.co.uk/blog/

Festival of Sport – American Doubles Tournament at Meadows Tennis Club

The Meadows Tennis Club has a big weekend coming up and has written to tell us about it

As part of the Festival of Sport, we  are organising an American Doubles tournament on the afternoon of Saturday 8 September. Rotating format, explained on the day, so no need to enter a partner. Free to members and non-members prizes for winners – coaching session from our club coach Duncan

Join us at the club and a local pub again afterwards for refreshments

Timings will be 1330 for a warm up with the event running from 1400-1630.

To enter contact David info@meadowstennis.co.uk

www.meadowstennis.co.uk

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/983/festival_of_sport_seeks_to_capitalise_on_olympic_fever

You can access this and all of our other articles when you are out and about in Edinburgh by using the Wikitude App on your smartphone. This allows you to search for The Edinburgh Reporter and. using technology called Augmented Reality, you will find the articles which are written about the area of Edinburgh where you are at the time.  All of our articles are geotagged with an appropriate location. So for example if you want to read all of our Hibs related articles then when you are at Easter Road you can find them by using the app.

Reform Scotland wants more information for patients – Whalebone Arch campaign – Edinburgh Tenants Federation – Spokes Competition – TERLive! events

Bigger catchment areas and better information will give people more power to choose their GP

Reform Scotland, the independent, non-party think tank which sets out ways to improve public services, has made a number of recommendations it believes could help end the current “postcode lottery” it has identified in the way people access their GP practice.

Depending on where you live, the report states that the way you can access GP services can be quite different. For example, whether the practice is open in the evening or at weekends, whether the practice allows you to book appointments or order repeat prescriptions online, or indeed whether the practice even has a website. And, crucially, this system is a lottery because patients have very little choice over the GP practice with which they can register.

As a result, in its latest paper, “Patients First: Improving access to GP practices”  Reform Scotland makes a series of practical recommendations which will increase the power of patients and ensure that access arrangements for GP practices meet their needs. The group believes this is fundamental as GPs are the gatekeepers to the NHS, and patients need to be able to access care speedily and conveniently.

Commenting on the paper, Reform Scotland Director Geoff Mawdsley said:

“Reform Scotland believes that it is simply unacceptable that there is such a wide variation in the way people can access GP services, whilst there is little or no choice over where they can register.

“To help give patients greater choice over their GP practice, we believe catchment areas should be enlarged. Expanding the catchment area would put no extra pressure on GP practices as they would still be able to close their lists to new patients if they reached capacity. In practice, many people would still prefer to join the practice closest to them. However, by enabling patients to move and go elsewhere if they are unhappy with the way they can access services where they are; there is greater pressure on all GP practices to improve.

“During the completion of this report Reform Scotland was frequently frustrated by the lack of information easily available to the public regarding GP services. Basic information regarding access arrangements for GP practices, including catchment areas, should be far more widely publicised to ensure patients have a far greater understanding of what services and choices are available to them. Even without introducing the recommendations in this report, some patients do have a limited choice over their GP, but that choice is pointless if they are unable to find out what they can choose between.

“We believe that our recommendations are sensible, practical and, most importantly, easily introduced.

“No service is perfect, but it is very telling that the top five negatively-rated issues in the Scottish government’s GP survey were all to do with how patients accessed services. Reform Scotland believes the recommendations we have set out in this report are a step in the right direction and would help improve that experience for patients.”

***

There is a campaign to save the Whalebone Arch in The Meadows which dates from the Exhibition of Science and Art in 1886 according to Edinburgh World Heritage. If you feel moved to donate money then you can find out more information on their website, but this is a relatively modest fundraiser as they need £60,000 to remove the jawbones, restore the foundations etc and then replace them again.

***

Is fuel poverty on the increase? The Edinburgh Tenants Federation meeting tonight will include representatives from Scottish Gas to discuss this important issue. Today – Monday 3rd September 2012, 7pm-9pm in Norton Park.

Contact the office on 0131 475 2509 or email info@edinburghtenants.org.uk to book a place.

***

Spokes are running a competition which ends on Sunday 9 September 2012. Great prizes to be won! This is what they say on the Spokes website:-“We want to know where you love to go, or be at, or pass through, with your bike.   It must be somewhere or something you can do, visit or experience in Edinburgh or the Lothians and with your bike.

It could be a view, a downhill swoop, a picnic spot, somewhere with a lovely smell, a cafe, something unusual, maybe something more abstract, or doubtless loads of other things – we’d like a few surprises!  Note that we want a favourite place, not a ride [although your favourite place might be on your favourite ride].”

***

TERLive ran an event on Saturday with the people behind Pedal on Parliament discussing what they really mean by safety measures on our roads and streets.

Tomorrow at 2pm we will be running a live webchat with Chief Inspector Richard Thomas about Operation Cipher in the Calders which is part of the Pentlands area that he is responsible for. Join us!

Edinburgh v Munster, RaboDirect PRO12, 1 September 2012

Just over 4,000 turned out on Saturday night to see Edinburgh take on Munster in their opening match of the RaboDirect PRO12 league. Three tries from Tim Visser on the night couldn’t prevent the visitors from taking the spoils in what was a fairly even match.

Edinburgh took the lead after 15 minutes of play with Visser’s first try from just inside the visitors half. Full back, Greig Tonks, beat his man just inside the Munster half and with only one defender between Edinburgh and the line, passed the ball out to Visser, who had an easy run in to score in the corner. Greg Laidlaw failed to score the conversion on, what was probably, his worst night with the boot for a long time. Edinburgh 5, Munster 0.

Munster hit back a few minutes later with penalty to take the score to 5-3 before the try of the match, to Man-of-the-Match, Tim Visser. With possession secured from a turn-over by Ross Rennie under the Edinburgh posts, Stuart McInally shrugged off tackle after tackle to release Visser from 60 metres out. With just the Munster 10 to beat, a firm hand-off saw the ‘Scottish’ International score his second try in the same corner. Again, Laidlaw failed to ‘net’ the conversion. 10-3 to Edinburgh.

Just before the end of the half, Munster went on their own foray and following a kick over the defence from Doug Howlett, the ball bounced backwards into the hands of Luke O’Dea who burst through to score. With a successful conversion, the half time score stood at 10 points each.

A swift penalty exchange after the break saw the score at 13-13 before another Munster try after 17 minutes had them pull the score out to 20-13. Edinburgh came close a couple of times, but the visitors held out metres from their line to maintain the points difference, and then went further ahead with another successful penalty. With 10 minutes to go, the hosts threw everything at the Munster line and were rewarded on the 74 minute mark with Visser’s third try of the match in the equivalent left-hand corner. Laidlaw missed this kick as well, and with Edinburgh still beating on the door of the Munster defence the final whistle blew to leave the score at 23-18 to Munster.

A good try scoring performance from the home side, which was lacking a little last year in the league, still couldn’t secure the win. The odd daft penalty and turn-over, never mind the ‘fact’ the Laidlaw must have left last year’s boots in his kit bag didn’t do Edinburgh any favours in a match they could have (should have?) won.

Report and Photo – John Preece
Web – http://www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography