The Edinburgh Reporter November 2019

November 2019

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk

NEWS

Will we know it's Christmas?

Read more on Page 3

WHAT'S ON

After Dark Programme LeithLate19

Read more on Page 17

Autumn in the Botanic Gardens Edinburgh Hanna Furdal age 2 enjoys playing in the autumn leaves at the Botanics. PHOTO Alan Simpson Photography

Our changing skyline

The largest retail-led

development in Scotland will be

ready for opening by this time next

year, but perhaps more importantly

for us who live here, the works at

Picardy Place will be complete

by mid December 2019. This is

ten months ahead of schedule

and Martin Perry, Director of

Development at Edinburgh St

James, is really pleased about it.

In terms of the Growth

Accelerator Model which is a

financial relationship between

the developer, The Scottish

Government and the council (and

a means of paying for the £1

billion development), Edinburgh

St James is the contractor for the

Picardy Place works.

Mr Perry explained : ”Some of

those works were originally in

the tram contract which did not

get built as you are aware. What

we are doing is completing the

council's design which they have

consulted on previously. There,

the traffic works to create the

final layout will be completed just

before Christmas this year - which

is about ten months before we

need to complete them under

the contract. We have been able

to bring that piece a lot further

forward."

Read more on page 6

FOOD

The opening party at the

Scottish Café Read more on

Page 25

FEATURE

The very colourful Mairi Helena

Read more on Page 26

2

NEWS

ABOUT US

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Editor: Phyllis Stephen

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The Edinburgh Reporter

Letters to the Editor

Three Peak Challenge

Dear Editor

I invite your readers to join an

amazing charity team climbing the

three highest peaks in the country.

When I was just 22 years old, I was

told I only had three hours to live.

I was on my way to Norway for

a work trip when I fell ill. Luckily,

I wasn’t allowed on the flight

because I had deadly meningitis.

I live with long-term after effects

of the disease - memory loss,

anxiety, and hearing problems

and was one of the reasons I

was so glad I chose to join the

Meningitis Now team in the Three

Peak Challenge earlier this year.

I knew that I was raising money

for a fantastic cause but I also

found the most incredible support

network of people who helped

me through one of the most

exhilarating weekends of my life.I

would encourage anyone, whether

they have had a meningitis

experience or not, to join the

Meningitis Now team. Sign up now

for Meningitis Now’s Three Peaks

Challenge 2020 meningitisnow.org

Holly Jackson - Meningitis Now

Edinburgh

Collected

Several scenes in The Huts were

filmed around the Wester Hailes

Venchie, an adventure playground

built to give children somewhere

to play.

The Huts was one of the first

documentaries made by Channel 4

and showed how the community in

Wester Hailes had built community

huts to provide facilities for groups

and projects. The photo here of

Carnival at the Venchie appeared

in a Sentinel report on the annual

carnival week that was held in

Wester Hailes. It shows how

popular the Venchies were!

Edinburgh Collected is an online

community photo archive

managed by Edinburgh Libraries.

You can add your own photos to

help preserve the city’s history for

the future. It is also a good way

for organisations to preserve their

archives in scrapbooks online.

All Farmers Autocare outlets

across the city at 194 Queensferry

Road, 225 St John's Road, 34

Hillhouse Road, 111 Piersfield

Place, 19c Strathearn Road and

108B Market Street Musselburgh.

All city libraries.

Bonhams 22 Queen St EH2 1JX

Boardwalk Beach Club

50 Marine Drive EH4 5ES

Broughton Place Hair & Beauty

2a Broughton Pl EH1 3RX

Safety First

Dear Editor,

As dark mornings are upon

us, I would like to appeal to all

shopkeepers who offer a morning

newspaper delivery service.

Please ensure your employee has

full safety clothing and equipment

before setting out. Cyclists

without proper lighting and

reflective clothing are vulnerable

on dark, rainy mornings as they

cross streets on their rounds.

Especially when young people

are concerned, I think police

should prosecute any shopkeeper

who does not make such safety

checks. I write as an early

morning driver who has witnessed

several near misses.

Yours etc David Syme

Muddled thinking

Dear Sir / Madam,

There seems to be some

muddled thinking by the

authorities, concerning transport

in the city centre; and very little

consideration of less-mobile

citizens (the elderly, or infirm).

www.edinburghcollected.org

Please support our stockists!

Café Lowdown

40 George St EH2 2LE

Candersons Sweet Shop

102 Leith Walk EH6 5DT

Close Gallery

4B Howe St EH3 6TD

The Doo’cot

731-733 Ferry Rd EH4 2UA

ESPC Showroom

107 George St EH2 3ES

Grassmarket Community Project

86 Candlemaker Row EH1 2QA

We write about news relating to Edinburgh and the immediate area.

We welcome contributions to our website and newspaper.

The statement that "The number

of bus stops, particularly on

Princes Street will be reduced

in a bid to speed up journeys ..."

displays a lack of understanding

of what buses are for. They are

not something to be got out of the

way as fast as possible, as if they

were just an evil to be tolerated.

They enable people to get around,

especially people less able to walk

far. Some of the city centre stops

are a long walk apart. Making

the less mobile walk even farther

negates the purpose of the buses.

I suspect a lot of this policy is

driven by younger, fit people, who

cannot grasp that we are not all

able to walk far, or ride bicycles.

Likewise, the emphasis on

excluding cars fails to take

account of less-able people who

are physically unable to use public

transport.

Closing roads to buses, and / or

cars, raises the same problems

for those less able to get around

unaided. e.g. Such a person

wishing to access the post office

in Forrest Road will have to find

a way of getting there from a bus

stop ... where ? ... on Teviot Place,

or Lothian Street (?), ... how ? ...

Struggling along in a wheelchair,

or hobbling on sticks, possibly

Henderson's 94 Hanover St EH2

1DB and Holyrood Rd

The Hideout Cafe 40-42 Queen

Charlotte St EH6 6AT

Leith Walk Police Box Pop Up

Croall Pl EH7 4LT

Maialino 34 William St EH3 7LJ

Milk & Honey

78 Queen Street EH2 4NF

Ocean Terminal

Ocean Drive EH6 6JJ

@EdinReporter

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having to stop here and there to

get breath. The whole idea seems

quite heartless.

Why indeed make any of the

Old Town streets inaccessible for

those less able to walk or cycle?

Is it assumed that such people

would not want or need to access

them, or ought not to be allowed to

in our fit youth culture?

Previous "consultations" by the

Council on various matters, - call

me a cynic, - have seemed to

me window-dressing, the plans

already having been decided and

set in motion long before the

public were "consulted". The

abysmal tram project, a vanity

project if ever there was one,

seems to have been an example

of such non-attention to citizens'

views. I suspect that this City

Centre Transformation is just

another example of a "fait

accompli", masquerading as a

"consulted" project.

Yours faithfully,

Daniel Sutherland

Scottish Arts Club

24 Rutland Sq EH1 2BW

St Bride’s Community Centre

10 Orwell Terrace EH11 2DZ

Strumpets

35 William Street EH3 7LW

Summerhall

1Summerhall EH9 1PL

The Queen's Hall Box Office

Clerk St EH8 9JG

The Royal Scots Club

29-31 Abercromby Pl EH3 6QE

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@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk NEWS 3

Will there be a Christmas in Edinburgh?

Building the Christmas Market area in Princes Street Gardens without planning permission. PHOTO Martin P McAdam

Cliff Hague the Chair of the

Cockburn Association told The

Edinburgh Reporter that he does

not want to stop Edinburgh’s

Christmas.

Far from it, he simply wants

Underbelly who organise the

festive events on behalf of the

council to be subject to the same

rules as anyone else when it

comes to planning.

Underbelly began the build

process for Edinburgh's Christmas

earlier this week. The area in front

of the National Gallery of Scotland

is now covered in a complex

scaffolding structure. We have

repeatedly been assured that the

footprint of the Christmas Market

is not bigger than before although

there will be 12 more stalls than in

previous years.

Mr Hague said : "I think there

should be a temporary stop

notice to pause this significant

development until the issue is

resolved. It is a horse and cart

issue."

Following enquiries by Terry

Levinthal the Director of the

Cockburn Association, it emerged

on Friday that there is no planning

permission or application in the

system.

The galleries have said all of this

has nothing to do with them. But

we have been advised that there

were several sets of engineers

working on the design of the new

Edinburgh's Christmas layout

and one of those represented the

galleries.

A spokesperson for Underbelly

told The Edinburgh Reporter

: “Underbelly agreed with the

Council that it was not possible

to make a planning application

until the plans had been agreed

with the Council as the landlord

of Edinburgh's Christmas.

Discussions about the plans

began with the Council in April

and were not agreed until October

12. Following that agreement,

Underbelly is now compiling its

planning application which it will

submit at the earliest possible

opportunity.

“The scaffold currently going

in allows the Christmas market

to continue in the gardens while

working round the ongoing

changes to the landscape and

also ensures we are taking every

measure to protect the gardens.”

A statement is apparently to

be made to councillors at the

beginning of the week following a

review of what has happened and

what steps Underbelly have taken

in relation to planning permission.

It is of course essential to have

permission including alcohol

licences before members of the

public enter the site in a few

weeks time.

At the June meeting of the

council an emergency motion

was presented advising that a

two year contract extension had

been negotiated by the Director

of Place under delegated powers.

Underbelly will pick up the cost

of additional works to protect the

new bankings installed by the

National Galleries of Scotland

during their programme to create

a new entrance and pathways. As

allowed in terms of their original

contract Underbelly asked for

a three year extension but this

was curtailed to two to allow

for everything Christmas and

Hogmanay related to be reviewed

in the next 18 months.

When Underbelly took over

the contract there was planning

permission in place until 10

January 2018.

The council administration

included planning matters in

their Business Plan including a

commitment to "Improve planning

enforcement to ensure that all

developers, large or small, conform

to Edinburgh’s policies and

developer’s commitments".

Council Commitments on a

planning system that works to

protect and develop our city

Prioritise the use of brownfield

sites and work with public sector

and private landowners to develop

land for affordable housing

Ensure that Council policies

on planning, licensing and sale

of Council land give substantial

weight to the needs of residents

while still encouraging business

and tourism

Review the Council's policy on

promoting mixed communities.

The review should be completed

by summer of 2018 and should

include homes of multiple

occupancy, short term temporary

lets and student housing

Improve planning enforcement

to ensure that all developers, large

or small, conform to Edinburgh’s

policies and developer’s

commitments

Work with the Scottish

Government to review planning

policy and overhaul the planning

appeal system to make it shorter,

more independent and give

communities the right to appeal

Protect Edinburgh World

Heritage Status and make sure

developments maintain the

vibrancy of our city in terms of

placemaking, design and diversity

of use.

Remembrance Garden - Frank Ross, the Right Honourable Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, led a special group of wreath-layers at the annual Opening Ceremony of the Edinburgh

Garden of Remembrance, at the Scott Monument, Princes Street Gardens at the end of October. Members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, attended the event which

marked the start of the traditional two-week Remembrance period. This year has added significance as it is 100 years on from the first Remembrance events that were held following

the end of the First World War. The service was organised by Legion Scotland and will provide the chance to remember those who have fallen in the Great War as well as the many

subsequent conflicts. More than 30 wreaths were laid at the service.PHOTO Martin P McAdam

4

NEWS


David’s actively clearing the way

David Hunter is Active Travel

Volunteer of the Year 2019 by

Paths for All. David has worked

to make Edinburgh's streets safer

and better for pedestrians.

His work has included compiling

street audits to point out the

barriers that people face while

walking along our city streets..

These audits led to the council

enforcing a ban on A boards last

November.

Stuart Hay, Director, Living

Streets Scotland said: "Our

volunteers are vital to Living

Streets’ success, so we are

thrilled that David’s work has been

recognised. David has done so

much for the city to make it more

accessible for people of all ages

and abilities to enjoy.

“Banning A-boards is by far the

most progressive walking measure

ever introduced by the council –

and it came as a result of David’s

tenacity and hard work combined

with his ability to bring together

the right people with his infectious

passion for safer streets.”

Ian Findlay CBE, Chief Officer,

Paths for All said: "Getting outside

and going for a walk is so valuable

for our own personal health and

for the health of our planet, so it’s

very important to take the time to

thank volunteers like David whose

selfless efforts are making this

easier and safer for others around

him. It’s inspiring to think that,

collectively, our volunteers who

are invested in making walking a

bigger part of daily life are helping

to incite important behavioural

change.”

David Hunter photographed with

BBC presenter Fiona Stalker and

Joe FitzPatrick, Minister for Public

Health, Sport and Wellbeing.

November - Remembrance month

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost and

Veterans Champion, Frank Ross

writes :

This November, Edinburgh

will join the rest of the world in

commemorating the sacrifices

of members of the armed forces

and of civilians in times of

war. Whether it's by attending

a Remembrance Service or

parade, or by simply taking a

moment of quiet reflection, we

can all embrace the opportunity

to observe the season of

remembrance.

Every year, as Edinburgh’s

Veterans Champion, I am

honoured to lay wreaths on behalf

of all citizens. I am also so grateful

to everyone who helps our city

show enormous gratitude and

appreciation for the sacrifices

made over 100 years ago.

As Scotland’s capital city, we

should pride ourselves on our

long military history and our work

to support our Armed Forces

community and veterans. Yet,

we do not need to wait to bear a

poppy on our blazer to support

our service men and women - this

commitment must be year round.

This month, the Council will

be presented with the Employer

Recognition Scheme Gold Award,

which is the most prestigious

award an employer can receive

from the MOD. It follows our work

to embed support for the services

in everything we do, 12 months

a year, to better help Edinburgh’s

service families, reserves and

those transitioning back into

civilian life.

We reaffirmed our commitment

by signing the Armed Forces

Covenant in Business earlier this

year and we recently reviewed

and updated our Reserve Forces

Training and Mobilisation policy.

We’re also in the process of

creating an Armed Forces network

to further support our employees.

The enormous contribution

members of the armed forces

make to their country is well

known but some employers

are unaware just how strong

Edinburgh’s forces community is,

or that our veterans, reservists

and cadets can bring a wealth of

experience to many different roles.

I held a business breakfast in

September to try and change that.

It was a unique opportunity to

discuss Edinburgh’s commitment

to our veterans and encourage

other employers to follow.

Small changes can make a big

difference.

This is in addition to the work

of the Lord Provost’s commission

on the Strategy for Our Veterans,

which I’ve established to drive

forward our city’s commitments.

Settling into civilian life after time

in service and as a service family

member can be a difficult time for

many, but with the right training,

employment and support it doesn’t

have to be.

If remembrance season inspires

you to improve your forces friendly

credentials, please don’t hesitate

to get in touch with me on lord.

provost@edinburgh.gov.uk and I

will support where I can.

Focus on getting rid of

street clutter

Last year the council banned A

boards from Edinburgh streets

and although a few rogue boards

remain (along with the odd

advertising bike here and there)

the streets have largely been

cleared.

Earlier this summer the Living

Streets Edinburgh Group carried

out a project to tackle even more

of the stuff we have to walk

around.

They wanted to identify at least

100 objects which get in the way

of walking. And showing that

they are actually doing something

positive, they aim to have at least

some of these removed.

They walked the streets, using

suggestions from community

councils and were joined by

some community councillors and

elected members of the City of

Edinburgh Council.

News in Brief

The Portobello and Craigmillar

Neighbourhood Network invites

applications from community and

third sector groups.

This opportunity is for local

groups to use in a variety of ways

- a start-up grant for new groups

or community projects, buying a

new piece of equipment for your

group, improving or developing

your community group's activities,

raising awareness of your group's

activities, finding out about the

needs in your community or small

scale projects to enhance quality

of life and complement other

improvements in that area.

The Portobello and Craigmillar

Neighbourhood Network

Community Grant fund offers two

levels of grants to constituted

voluntary and community groups:

Level 1 is a larger grant from

£501-£2,500; Level 2 is a smaller

grant up to £500. The application

process opened this week and

closes on 22 November 2019 at

4pm.

Art for the disabled

An Edinburgh-based art gallery

and studio has adopted new

technology to improve customer

experiences for disabled visitors.

Edinburgh Printmakers, which

is home to a gallery, printmaking

studio and café, is one of the latest

businesses to have subscribed

to Welcome by Neatebox. The

innovative platform, which was

developed by former guide dog

They found 290 items of clutter

- signage poles, guard rails, large

rubbish bins, phone kiosks and

roadworks signs. They have

reported all of these to the council

and are awaiting a response.

In the Council's Street Design

Guidance there is provision to

minimise street clutter, but Living

Streets feel that the effects of this

are limited in practice.

They plan to produce a report

and video when they have the

funding to do so.

At the moment they drew this to

our attention.

One piece of clutter which can

be removed as it is no longer of

effect is the vertical pole with a No

Loading sign on it.

Do you have any of those on your

street? Do tweet a photo to us or

to Living Streets if you do!

mobility instructor Gavin Neate

allows users to notify venues

ahead of their arrival and request

additional support if needed.

Royal Yacht in tourist poll

Age UK Mobility, one of the UK’s

leading stairlift and disability

equipment providers, have

conducted research by combining

multiple datasets to uncover the

most (and least) accessible of the

UK’s top attractions.

Royal Yacht Britannia was ranked

in the top 5 most accessible

attractions in the UK. TripAdvisor’s

30 best-rated UK attractions have

been entered into a unique ranking

system that takes into account

various different existing data

points pertaining to accessibility –

such as the existence of disabled

toilets and whether guide dogs are

welcome. .

Lyell's notebooks join university

collection

Remarkable notebooks belonging

to a scientist admired by Charles

Darwin will join the University of

Edinburgh’s collections, after a

successful campaign.Close to £1

million was raised to purchase a

collection of writings by Scottish

geologist, Sir Charles Lyell.

Money donated by more than

1,000 supporters of the campaign,

a grant from the National Heritage

Memorial Fund (NHMF) and a

contribution from the University

has successfully secured the

books.

We offer great advertising rates!

Email editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk for more details!


Possible community buyout at crucial stage

by Andy Richardson

Campaigners in Leith have

reached a crucial stage in their bid

to take a threatened building into

community ownership.

Local residents are setting up

a body to buy the sandstone

building on Stead’s Place, if it is

put up for sale. An application

by current owner Drum Property

Group to replace it with student

flats was rejected by City of

Edinburgh Council in January.

Drum’s appeal to that decision is

being considered by the Scottish

Government.

In the meantime, campaigners

have been gathering signatures

and preparing the way for a

buy-out. They believe the move

would support local entrepreneurs

and respect the heritage and

diverse cultural mix along Leith

Walk.

In October almost 100 people

attended a public meeting held

in Leith Dockers Club where

Colin Grey, from Community

Right to Buy (CRTB), Morven

Campbell, from Community Shares

Scotland, and the Save Leith

Walk Campaign, outlined how the

buy-out could happen.

The process requires a

community to prove there is

significant local support for the

proposal.

The meeting heard that

signatures have been gathered,

the business plan is done, and

the community body, whose

name is 'Our Leith Walk', has been

registered at Companies House.

The group expected to submit

its application forms at the end

of October. CRTB will organise

a postal vote for the ENH6 5**

postcode area to verify that there

is sufficient local support before

government ministers assess the

application. If that is approved, the

owner of the sandstone building

New Moderatordesignate

announced

A minister who set up a mental

health support service following

the suicide of Frightened Rabbit

frontman Scott Hutchinson

has been chosen to be the

next Moderator of the General

Assembly of the Church of

Scotland.

Rev Dr Martin Fair will take up

the ambassador role next May. He

said he was left “devastated” after

the singer of one of his favourite

bands took his own life and

decided he could no longer stand

idly by and do nothing.

The 55-year-old, minister of

St Andrews Parish Church in

Arbroath, Angus, oversaw the

rollout of three services delivered

by the congregation’s social action

project, Havilah, earlier this year.

Dr Fair said faith groups and

other bodies have an “obligation”

to fill gaps in public provision

because the level of statutory

support for drug addiction and

mental health in Scotland is

“desperately short” of what is

needed.

He said too many vulnerable

people were being failed and

politicians must redouble their

efforts to address the crisis.

Dr Fair was ordained and

inducted into St Andrew’s Parish

Church in 1992.

He said he hoped to highlight

addiction and mental health

issues during his year in office.

He will be the first Moderator

from Arbroath to serve as the

Kirk’s ambassador both at

home and abroad. Fittingly his

appointment begins in 2020 which

will be the 700th anniversary year

of the Declaration of Arbroath.

is obliged to give the community

body the first chance to buy it if

they decide to sell. Our Leith Walk

would then have eight months to

come up with funds to buy the

building for the community.

Anne Atkinson, a spokesperson

for the campaigners, said: "Money

should not be a problem. Local

people will be able to buy shares

in the enterprise which would

then be owned and governed by

the community it serves. We are

working with Community Shares

Scotland, and as a not-for-profit

we can apply to a wide range of

funding bodies for money.

"I feel passionate that a

community buy-out of Stead's

Place would give us the

opportunity to keep rents low and

make sure future tenants are what

is needed and wanted in our area."

For more information contact

Anne saveleithwalk@gmail.com

There’s stIll tIme!

The Scottish Government-funded scheme

to help you install cavity or internal wall

insulation at a reduced cost has been

extended for Edinburgh residents*.

CALL US FREE on 0808 808 2282 or email

insulation@se.homeenergyscotland.org

to register your interest.

*Subject to funding and confirmation by technical survey. Eligibility criteria apply.

Art and Craft

exhibition and

sale

After a busy year of creativity

and fun, the ECAS Art and Craft

groups are ready to welcome

visitors to their Art and Craft

Exhibition and Sale.

Drop by the ECAS offices from

5-8 November 2019 to see their

work which is on display and for

sale. The exhibition will be open

from:

Tuesday, 5 November:

2.00-4.00pm

Wednesday, 6 November:

10.00am-4pm

Thursday, 7 November: 10.00am-

4.00pm

Friday, 8 November: 10.00-

11.00am

Ecas is an Edinburgh-based

charity (number SCO102790), set

up in 1902 to help those who have

a physical disability.

Moderator Designate Rev Dr

Martin Fair PHOTO ©2019 The

Edinburgh Reporter

6

NEWS


Edinburgh St James is changing

the skyline and the retail circuit

continued from page 1.

"There is still some work to think

about on the island site in the

centre. That still has some council

consultation to go on that.

"There is also another piece

where we are trying to finish off

the connection. This is the area

which comes across in front of

the Cathedral and up to Edinburgh

St James. We are looking at this

currently and improving the whole

of that public realm with new

natural stone, planting and trees

and some kiosks. All of this will

make this area a lot more lively on

that dead side of John Lewis.

“There is at the moment a strip of

empty tarmac - that is the tram bar

The Quaich Project is the

private-public partnership to

design and redevelop the Ross

Bandstand in West Princes Street

Gardens as well as the area around

it.

It is one of Europe’s most

significant green space

developments, and those behind

it hope it will allow the Gardens

to emerge as one of the most

acclaimed city gardens in the

world on a par with projects such

as New York’s High Line and

Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay.

The vision is to reimagine the

gardens as a space for all to

celebrate and enjoy in new ways.

It began with a gift of £5 million

from local businessman Norman

Springford.

Work has included a major

capital spend of £2 million on

renovating the Ross Fountain This

project was also backed by private

funding.

where the new tram stop will go

and feed on to the central island

site. All of that is done, prepared

and completed ready for the tram

contract to come in and actually

put the tram tracks and tram stop

in place.

Where we sit at the current

time from a traffic movement

and disruption aspect we are

doing the last leg of that and it

will be complete by the middle of

December."

Walking from Princes Street this

time next year you will have a new

destination as Edinburgh St James

will be open. Mr Perry explained

this from the developer's point of

view. He said : "Some concerns

There is now a new drive to

raise the extra funds needed to

create a new space fit for the 21st

century in the gardens with an

international launch last month.

Work has been carried out

to completely renovate The

Gardener’s Cottage, one of

Edinburgh’s best known sights.

The project is currently within

the design development stage, all

building up towards a planning

application which will be

submitted in 2020.

Dates for public consultation on

The Quaich Project have now been

announced :

Central Library, 7-9 George IV

Bridge, EH1 1EG

Saturday 9 November 10:30am-

4:30pm

Monday 11 November 1:00pm-

7:30pm

Tuesday 12 November 10:30am-

4:30pm

have been raised about the state

of Princes Street. We see it as

the ability to create a dynamic

retail circuit and have specifically

avoided going after tenants who

are already in the city such as

Primark and Marks & Spencer.

They are currently the anchors of

Princes Street.

"Apple is also an anchor on the

main street along with the likes of

H & M.

"Essentially what we are trying to

do is create a circuit which uses

Hanover Street, Frederick Street

and George Street coming into

St Andrew Square past Harvey

Nichols and through the luxury

sector on Multrees Walk."

West Princes Street Gardens -

Consultation dates for the diary

Wednesday 13 November

1:00pm-7:30pm

Thursday 14 November 10:30am-

4:30pm

Friday 15 November 10:30am-

4:30pm

Saturday 16 November 10:30am-

4:30pm

Morningside Library, 184

Morningside Road, EH10 4PU

Tuesday 19 November

1pm-7:30pm

Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Road,

Edinburgh EH6 4AE

Wednesday 20 November

1pm-7:30pm

Portobello Community Centre, 3

Adelphi Grove, EH15 1AP

Thursday 21 November

1pm-7:30pm

Drumbrae Library Hub, 81

Drumbrae Drive, EH4 7FE

Monday 25 November 10:30am-

4:30pm

Twenty is having an

impact

by Council Leader Adam McVey

When we first began to roll out

a network of 20mph roads across

the Capital in 2016 - becoming

Scotland’s first 20mph city - we

envisioned safer, calmer and more

welcoming streets, encouraging

walking and cycling and increasing

social interaction.

I’m delighted therefore to see

that slower speed limits are

already having a real impact on

the safety and well-being of our

residents and visitors, as reported

to the Transport and Environment

Committee earlier this month.

Public support for the scheme

is up, with 65% of those polled in

household survey, now in favour

(24% of whom, strongly) compared

to 58% (20% strongly) before the

rollout. People who walk and

cycle report doing so much more

Gucci leads the way

at the City Chambers

No truly this is not all about

councillors' expenses and the Lord

Provost's underwear.

Gucci is a dog.

Edinburgh Councillor Derek

Howie took some time recently

to introduce us to Gucci - his new

guide dog. She is a golden cross

Lab/Retriever, and is very sweet

indeed.

With a genetic eyesight disorder

Cllr Howie has had several guide

dogs before. His most recent,

Lloyd, was very well known around

the City Chambers and had joined

Waverley Mall, Edinburgh

welcomes back its popular

seasonal pop-up shop, Calendar

Club to the centre in time for the

busy Christmas period.

Customers can shop their 1,000+

products in-store or choose from

an extended range of a further

5,500 available through their

special order service in-store.

Their range includes calendars

and planners, diaries and

frequently now streets are calmer

and respondents feel Edinburgh’s

traffic speeds are “very safe” for

cycling.

Speeds are falling across the

city, with significantly fewer people

driving at 30mph+ and a rise in

drivers travelling below 20mph.

With an estimated 6% reduction

in accidents for every 1mph drop

in speed, these figures speak for

themselves.

Of course, there’s more to be

done to encourage compliance

and, with the roll-out of 20mph

only completed last year, it’s still

bedding in. But, with new drivers

passing their tests every day with

20mph as the norm, communities

across the city calling for more

streets to be added to the network

and support for the scheme

growing, I’m confident that

we’ll see more and more people

adhering to speed limits, helping

deliver the many benefits that

safer, calmer streets can bring.

Derek on his campaign trail when

he became a councillor. Cllr Howie

said this is his sixth dog and he

had just been passed by the Guide

Dogs for the Blind Association as

a new 'unit 'with Gucci.

In his leader's report, Council

Leader Adam McVey said : “ I

welcome the newest recruit to

the full Council fold, Cllr Howie’s

new assistance dog, Gucci. I’m

sure everyone will give her a warm

welcome as she makes her debut

in the Council Chamber, following

in her predecessor Lloyd’s

well-practised pawsteps."

Calendar Club is back

stationery. You will find Calendar

Club outside Yours Clothing.

Jacquelyn Stewart, General

Manager, Waverley Mall says:

“We’re thrilled to welcome

Calendar Club back to the

centre this festive season. Their

appearance on our mall always

signals the imminent arrival of

the Christmas period, with all the

excitement that it brings so it’s a

great reminder that Christmas is

just around the corner!”


New technology developed in

Edinburgh to diagnose cancer

Imaging tools help cancer team

build clearer picture of tumours

Early diagnosis and treatment of

cancer patients could be helped

by new imaging technology that

sheds light on how tumours form.

Researchers at University of

Edinburgh’s Medical Research

Council Centre for Reproductive

Health have developed a tool that

can detect the key cells involved

in the formation of metastatic – or

secondary – tumours.

This could also help scientists

track how the tumours are

progressing.

Insulate and reduce your heating

bills

The temperature is dropping so

we’re thinking about turning on our

heating at home again.

One of the best ways to avoid

wasting money on your heating

bills is to make sure there is no

heat loss through the walls of your

The probe lights up small groups

of previously unseen immune

cells which help cancer cells form

tumours.

The team hopes to help find

out how different types of

immune cells influence tumour

development, either negatively or

positively.

Doctors could use the

technology to monitor patients’

response to treatment.

The study was funded by the

European Commission, the

Medical Research Council and the

Wellcome Trust.

property.

Up to 33% of the heat in an

uninsulated home escapes

through the walls and installing

insulation is one of the most

effective ways to keep the heat in*.

The City of Edinburgh Council,

Home Energy Scotland and

Changeworks are working together

to deliver cavity and internal wall

insulation projects in Edinburgh.

Thanks to Scottish Government

funding, insulation will be available

to Edinburgh residents at a

Dr Takanori Kitamura, of the MRC

Centre at Edinburgh University

said: “This technology allows us to

see how a specific type of immune

cell affects how tumours grow.

This advance will be important in

improving patient diagnoses”

Dr Marc Vendrell, of the

University of Edinburgh’s Centre

for Inflammation Research, said:

“This is an important advance in

our abilities to study the role that

immune cells play in tumours. We

hope that this new technology will

accelerate the design of better

therapies to halt the development

of metastasis.”

Charity warns we must do more to

prepare for the needs of elderly

Age Scotland warns that

Scotland needs to urgently

prepare for the health, care and

housing needs of a rapidly ageing

population, as well as a steep rise

in older workers.

New figures from National

Records of Scotland predict a

23.2 per cent rise in the number of

pensioners by 2043, equivalent to

more than 240,000 older people.

Only 62 per cent of the

population will be working age,

compared to 64 per cent in

mid-2018.

With more deaths than births

each year, growth could stall by

2043 if migration does not fill the

gap.

Brian Sloan, Chief Executive of

Age Scotland, said: “It’s welcome

news that we’re living longer, but

we need to do more to prepare

for the health, social care, and

housing needs of a soaring older

population.

“This trend has been clear for

years, but we are still not investing

nearly enough resources in our

NHS and social care system. They

are already buckling under the

strain, with delayed discharges

out of control and too many older

people unable to access the care

they need, when they need it.

"Health and Social Care

Partnerships across Scotland are

also going to have to start firing

on all cylinders to get this right.

And it is only going to get more

challenging with rising demand

and fewer younger people to

support them.

“Our research shows that

thousands of older people are

stuck in unsuitable homes and are

unable to downsize or adapt them

to fit their needs. We urgently need

to build much more accessible,

adaptable, age-friendly homes,

that are part of communities and

allow people to live independently

as long as possible.

“With fewer people of working

age, it’s essential that businesses

do more to support older workers

and invest in life-long learning.

Working longer is becoming

part of life, but too many older

employees feel that their skills and

experience aren’t valued.

"We need to prepare for

the future by creating more

age-inclusive workplaces. These

would include better health

support and flexible working

opportunities, as well as a

commitment to tackling age

discrimination.”

reduced cost**.

Register your interest in

having insulation installed

by calling Home Energy

Scotland free on 0808 808

2282 or emailing insulation@

se.homeenergyscotland.org

*Based on a typical

semi-detached house in Great

Britain.

**Subject to funding and

confirmation by technical survey.

Eligibility criteria apply.

Autumn celebration

for Atlantic rowers

Two men who rowed 3,000 miles

across the Atlantic Ocean in aid

of veterans’ mental health charity

Combat Stress will share their

tales of adventure at a lecture this

month.

The annual lecture is on

Wednesday 13 November at

Loretto School in Musselburgh.

Robin Drysdale and Will

Theakston – two of the ‘Men of

Oar’ rowing team – will describe

how they overcame the sheer

adversity of this year’s Talisker

Whisky Atlantic Challenge,

regarded as the world’s toughest

rowing race.

Rowing unsupported from the

Canary Islands to Antigua and

facing daily 20-foot waves, it is a

monumental challenge. In fact,

more people have been to space

than have completed the race. The

two men saw the challenge as the

perfect opportunity to inspire both

themselves and others in dealing

with psychological pressures.

Tickets are free but donations

to the charity can be made upon

booking.

To commemorate the charity’s

centenary, the event will include

a raffle to win one of the

commemorative ceramic poppies

that featured in the ‘Fields of

Blood and Red’ display outside the

Tower of London.

combatstress.org.uk

SPOKES Bulletin

Spokes is the Lothian Cycle

Campaign – a non party political

voluntary organisation, founded

in 1977. It has a long history of

effective campaigning for better

CARGOBIKES

Use of cargo-bikes for local transport of everything

from parcels to goods to children is common in

Europe and growing rapidly in Britain.

Edinburgh looks set to join, notably with Council and

Sustrans cargo-bike support for Leith Walk businesses

during tramline construction. More at our public meeting!

SPOKES CARGOBIKE CASH GRANTS

Thanks to a kind anonymous donor, Spokes offers grants

up to £1500 or 50% of the cost [whichever is least] for

community groups in Edinburgh or Lothian needing a

cargo bike. Grants at our discretion; conditions apply.

For information sheet and application form go to

spokes.org.uk : documents : advice : cargobikes.

Larger grants and loans are available to a range of

organisations, for cargo-bike and ebike fleets, from

energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/grants-loans/ebike-grant-fund.

TRY/HIRE/BUY A CARGO BIKE

CBs can be hired from Harts Cyclery [see p4 advert] and

from Festival of Cycling, edfoc.org.uk/cargo-bike-hire.

CBs can be purchased from Harts, Laidback and

Edinburgh Bicycle Coop [see p4 adverts for contacts].

Businesses can borrow CBs free for a trial period from

Sustrans Scotland. Info: Search cargo bike at sustrans.org.uk.

conditions for cyclists, especially

in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The

SPOKES bulletin is available in

bike shops, libraries and online at

www.spokes.org.uk/bulletin

NEW CYCLING SOLUTIONS

EDINBURGH CYCLE HIRE E-BIKES

The first 30 Just Eat Edinburgh e-bikes can now be tried out at community

events (such as Open Streets on the first Sunday of each month). The full 168-

bike fleet will be launched for public hire in the Spring. The bikes give e-

assist up to 15mph max and can even zoom up Ramsay Gardens (photo)!

They will be located with the normal bikes and unlocked the same way.

Contact edinburghcyclehire.com for more info or to discuss possible ebike events.

Fri 15 Nov : SPOKES PUBLIC MTG

Advertise your business in

The Edinburgh Reporter from only

Email editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk to book your space!

8

POLITICS

Found wanting

by Deidre Brock MP

In a country as rich as ours

no-one should need to be

worried about putting a meal on

the table but we have massive

problems. People are going for

days without eating, some are

choosing between paying for

food, electricity or rent, parents

go without food to make sure their

children get something, some

people are left with nothing.

A recent discussion with some

experts in the field made it all too

clear to me the shame that folk

feel if they have to ask for some

help. They told me about the

stress and worry that an uncertain

food supply creates and about

how hunger is just a small part of

the problem.

Benefits sanctions are part of

the problems and the increasing

prices caused by Brexit will make

it worse but it’s not the whole

story. People working full time but

struggling to survive are a growing

percentage of our population. It’s

going to need a collective effort

to address it and we’ll need ideas

and indignation to change the

situation so the first thing is to get

informed.

Catch up with the info at

menuforchange.org.uk/ and have

a look at the Found Wanting report

in their Latest News. Let’s see if

we can find a way to change it.

Getting on with the

day job

by Ben Macpherson MSP

While Westminster has been

a chaotic shambles recently,

the Scottish Parliament and

the Scottish Government have

been diligently and successfully

“getting on with the day job” and

taking Scotland forward. For

example, on the 9 October the

Scottish Parliament passed the

Transport (Scotland) Bill which will

help transform our communities

into cleaner and healthier places

to travel through and enjoy.

This new law enables Local

Authorities, like The City of

Edinburgh Council, to: 1) introduce

low-emission zones that will

improve air quality and public

health; 2) manage roadworks more

effectively, reducing disruption and

improving our road network; 3)

implement measures to reduce car

use and support public transport;

and, importantly in Edinburgh, 4)

enforce a strong ban on pavement

and double parking.

This new law is just one recent

example of the progress that The

Scottish Parliament has delivered

over the last 20 years - in a year

when Holyrood has passed 12

substantial pieces of legislation

and Westminster hasn’t even

managed to pass 1.

Local Politicians have their say


People’s Vote

by Daniel Johnson MSP

Although it has been said many

times before, it’s clear we find

ourselves in the most important

weeks of the Brexit process.

After the vote on Super Saturday,

Parliament ruled - and the court

of public opinion seemed to agree

with them - that the Prime Minister

and his new deal could not be

trusted.

Boris Johnson planned to push

through his deal with only three

days of parliamentary scrutiny, in

order to meet his 31st of October

target. That deadline appears lost

by Gordon Macdonald MSP

In the last month, the new

Transport Bill has been passed

in The Scottish Parliament and

is set to bring forward radical

improvements to Scotland’s

transport network.

It will tackle air pollution in

Scotland which, although it has

reduced in recent years, remains

an issue predominantly due to

road transport. Edinburgh will now

be able to designate Low Emission

Zones to transform our city into

a cleaner and healthier place to

travel and enjoy.

The bill also means that, not only

will there be no change to the age

of eligibility for the free bus pass,

but the scheme will be extended to

include carers of under-fives with

disabilities.

Additionally, it will introduce

standardised ticketing technology

to ensure compatibility, and an

now.

A document that is 110 pages

long, with 125 additional pages of

explanatory notes.

Not only was this perilously little

time for scrutiny but it also only

legislates for a transition period

of up to December 2020, with no

further Parliamentary approval

required.

This raises the very serious

prospect of a no deal Brexit

through the back door.

This all underlines the need to

take this question back to the

people in a People’s Vote.

The drugs debate

by Tommy Sheppard MP

We have a serious problem in our

country. Last year 1187 people

lost their lives in a drug related

death. That’s a statistic that

should shame all of us.

I’ve been talking about this

for some time now, and the

Scottish Affairs Committee in

Westminster has heard evidence

from academics, practitioners and

those with lived experience as part

of our drug inquiry. The war on

drugs has not and will not work.

We need to take a different

approach.

At the SNP’s annual conference,

I proposed a motion along with

colleagues Alison Thewliss

MP and Ronnie Cowan MP.

I’m proud and heartened that

delegates voted unanimously

to devolve drug laws and

support decriminalisation of the

possession and use of drugs

to allow health interventions.

Scotland wants to do things

differently. We want to save lives.

The UK government must let us.

Transport Bill motoring on

advisory body to best support

practical Scotland-wide smart

ticketing.

Given the number of complaints

I have received over the years, I

am pleased that this Transport Bill

will prohibit double parking and

parking on pavements. Edinburgh

and other councils will be given

the powers needed to enforce this

important change. Although there

can be exemptions made to the

ban on parking on pavements in

some areas, there are strict criteria

that must be met.

I am sure many drivers and

public transport users will

welcome, this legislation

will strengthen the powers

of the Scottish Road Works

Commissioner to better regulate

road works.

Councils will also now be

able to implement a workplace

parking levy on employers, with

Making

Brexit

worse

by Ian Murray MP

The SNP’s opportunistic drive

for a second independence

referendum during the Brexit crisis

will not solve the Brexit problem,

but simply multiply its damage.

The solution to the break-up of a

political and economic union is

not to break up a much older and

more deeply ingrained one.

Two wrongs do not make a right

and the answer to Brexit is not

Scexit.

Here in Edinburgh – where so

many residents work in sectors

like higher education and financial

services – we simply cannot

afford the consequences of

leaving the EU single market and

the UK single market.

Too many jobs depend on the

ability to trade seamlessly across

borders, yet the SNP is now openly

talking up a hard border with

England.

We face many challenges as a

country, from climate change to

poverty, but none of the pressing

issues will be addressed by the

creation of more national borders.

the proceeds ring-fenced to fund

local transport strategies. This

money will directly fund better

transport services and the levy

will be shaped by local needs and

local transport objectives - locally

appropriate exemptions is a key

part of that. However, there are

national exemptions for blue

badge spaces, NHS and hospital

properties and GP practices.

Councils can also apply local

exemptions to any premises,

persons or vehicles; they can vary

the charges to different days,

times of day, different parts of the

licensing area, different people

and different premises.

These funds will be in addition

to the recently announced £27

million to support more than

200 cycling and walking projects

across the country and the £500

million investment towards bus

priority infrastructure.

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk POLITICS 9

Regressive tax will harm the most

vulnerable

by Jeremy Balfour MSP

In October the Scottish

Parliament passed the Transport

(Scotland) Bill. While there

is much about this bill that I

welcome, as a disabled person, I

am deeply concerned about the

consequences that some aspects

of the bill could have on those with

disabilities.

Of greatest concern is the

introduction of a Workplace

Parking Levy which will be of

particular disadvantage to people

with a disability who cannot use

public transport. This places a tax

on the disabled and in the cases

where employers have to pay the

cost of parking for their disabled

employees, it will inevitably

result in discrimination within the

recruitment process.

Despite this, the amendment

proposed by my Conservative

colleague, Michelle Ballantyne

Delay, worry and expense

by Gordon Lindhurst MSP

Yet again, numerous MPs in

the Westminster Parliament

deliberately delay our exit from

the EU. Yet again, a slap in the

face for our European friends

and neighbours who have twice

agreed a compromise with the UK

Government to ensure an orderly

and agreed Brexit.

Not that leaving without a

deal would be disorderly. The

WTO rules which are the basis

for many large trading nations

across the globe would apply

instead of the current EU ones.

The only real problem is the

continuing irresponsible worrying

and delay fuelled by extremist

remainers intent on frustrating the

referendum outcome.

This delay has a high economic

price, as companies do not know

the basis on which trading will

take place going forward.

It is that uncertainty, caused

solely by the failure to agree a way

forward and deliver Brexit quickly,

which has caused huge expense

to the UK.

It is clear that opposition parties,

in particular the SNP, will stop

MSP, which would have given

exemption to all those in receipt

of a disability living allowance, a

personal independence payment

or disability assistance, was

rejected.

The parties that voted against

the amendment – the SNP, the

Liberal Democrats and the Greens

– regularly emphasise their

support for inclusion and diversity

in the workplace. My question

therefore is: when will this

inclusivity extend to the disabled?

at nothing to reject the result of

the referendum. Nothing new

there from the SNP - they have

continually sought an Indyref2

since losing in 2014.

Perhaps new over the recent past

have been the attempts by party

politicians and others to use the

courts to enforce their political

will where they have failed by

democratic means in Parliament.

It is no wonder that ordinary

voters are losing faith in

Parliament and other institutions

when the referendum decision

remains undelivered.

Three jobs Davidson criticised

Edinburgh Central MSP Ruth

Davidson has been openly

criticised for taking a third job

while still serving as a member of

the Scottish Parliament.

She has been appointed by

Tulchan Communications to a

£50,000 a year advisory position

alongside former Conservative

Party chair Lord Feldman.

Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay

is putting forward a Member’s Bill

at the Scottish Parliament aiming

to stop MSPs like Ruth Davidson

from having a second job.

Neil Findlay MSP said : “Ruth

Davidson’s actions bring the

Scottish Parliament into disrepute.

“Instead of standing up for her

constituents in parliament she will

be standing up for the firms that

her bosses are paid to lobby for.

“You cannot be a parliamentarian

and a highly paid lobbyist at the

same time.

“If she wants to continue

pocketing tens of thousands of

pounds from this lobbying firm she

should resign as an MSP.

“The people of Edinburgh

deserve an MSP that will represent

them, not private corporations.”

Scottish Green MSP for

Lothian Alison Johnstone

said: “The people of Edinburgh

Central elected Ruth Davidson

to represent them, not use her

position to earn £50,000 from

lobbyists.

“This is clearly a conflict of

interest. Davidson needs to resign

from the corporate body and as

an MSP so Edinburgh Central can

elect a committed representative.

“Most folk who take second jobs

do so through pressing necessity.

It’s time for a by-election in

Edinburgh Central, not to mention

a change in the law. Neil Findlay’s

bill on second jobs for MSPs

should be fast tracked to stop this

happening again.”

Ms Davidson was recently

appointed by broadcaster STV as

a mental health adviser.

A breath of fresh air

by Christine Jardine MP

The impact that breathing toxic

air has on our health has been

underlined by a series of worrying

medical studies over the past

few weeks. So I was delighted

with Edinburgh Council’s recent

decision to review the boundaries

of their proposed Low Emissions

Zone (LEZ), following a threemonth

public consultation which

received almost 3,000 responses.

As things stand, the proposals

would introduce a full LEZ in the

city centre only, where the most

polluting vehicles in all categories

will be charged a levy to enter.

There would be another city-wide

zone which would only apply to

buses, coaches and commercial

vehicles.

This means that cars in some of

Going Green

by Councillor Claire Miller

As the Green councillor for the

City Centre, I prioritise protecting

our urban green spaces and

trees. I’ve been working hard to

champion the idea of our parks

and gardens being spared large

scale and high impact events.

However, one of the difficulties

this throws up is where to stage

the events that we want to host.

I’ve long been of the view that we

have to use existing paved spaces

in our city for the outdoor events

we would like to attend. Readers

will all be familiar with fantastic

central event locations such as

Castle Street with its view of the

castle, Festival Square outside

by Councillor Gordon Munro

It was good to get a tour of the

‘still-getting-built’ Duncan Place.

This will be an exciting addition

to Leith when it opens in January

2020 and is the result of hard work

by a dedicated bunch of volunteers

who fought to keep it open for the

community.

Council officers have gone

the extra mile to help make this

happen and it was good to hear

acknowledgment of that work

from the volunteers on our tour.

The refurbishment keeps alive

the most polluted areas of the city

would be exempt from the rules,

and pollution-spewing vehicles

would still clog up hotspots

across wider Edinburgh like St.

John’s Road and Queensferry

Road. However, it was clear from

the consultation that there is a

huge appetite for the boundary

to be extended, and it’s great that

the Council has listened to our

concerns.

Their commitment to a boundary

review is a big win for all those

who backed my campaign. I look

forward to seeing the revised

plans, but this isn’t just a local

issue requiring local solutions - all

levels of government, in all parts

of the UK, must take responsibility

for properly tackling toxic

emissions, before it’s too late.

the Sheraton, and its sister space

Conference Square, but all too

often they’re passed over for parks

and gardens.

We also desperately need to

debate the glaring lack of indoor

events venues in Edinburgh. I

would welcome the creation of

new venues for clubs and gigs -

not just to replace those which

have closed, but to increase

the number. How can we be the

cultural capital when the live

music scene requires a commute

to Glasgow?

So let’s start that conversation

now. Contact me @cllrcmiller

on Twitter to discuss the events

spaces our city centre needs.

Constituency matters

the tradition of community

learning on this campus which

goes back to when Leith was a

burgh in its own right.

The Edinburgh Shoreline Project

is an exciting initiative and had a

display panel for public viewing

in the reception area at the City

Chambers.

It asks the city to look at the

potential in its 29 mile long

shoreline.

With partners including the Royal

Botanic Gardens this encourages

us to reassess this neglected part

of the city.

10

POLITICS


Spotlight - Lib Dem Councillor Robert Aldridge

Councillor Robert Aldridge is

leader of the Liberal Democrat

Group on the City of Edinburgh

Council, and we believe the

longest serving councillor. We

asked him three questions.

Can you give us a brief synopsis of

your council career?

I was elected for the first time

to the then Edinburgh District

Council in 1984, in a very close

contest in Parkgrove Ward. It was

a three way marginal with fewer

than 150 votes between the top

three candidates and became one

of the youngest councillors at 27

years old.

I had been an active Young

Liberal believing in ‘community

politics’ i.e. that power should be

exercised from the grass roots up

and decisions should be taken as

close to the people as possible.

PHOTO Councillor Robert Aldridge

I also believed that you should

live in the area you represent to

experience the consequences of

your decisions first hand. I have

always lived in my ward.

During my council career I have

combined being a councillor

with a ‘day job’ and up until the

last election was also CEO of a

national homelessness charity. I

have been group spokesperson

on virtually everything except

planning, and am currently Group

Leader. During the period of the

Lib Dem led coalition which ran

the council between 2007 and

2012 I was Environment Leader.

Amongst my successes were

an almost doubling of recycling

rates, introducing year-round

free garden waste collections, a

doubling of the number of parks

with a ‘green flag’ and the first real

attempt to combat the ‘Seafield

New group of independent

councillors

Three of the independent

councillors - Cllrs Barrie, Bridgman

and Ritchie - have agreed to form

a political group so that they can

be considered for membership of

council committees.

Cllr Gavin Barrie has brought

this to the attention of the council

several times. He explained

that the Scottish Government

describes the role of a councillor

as including serving on panels

or committees, which the

independent members could not

do in Edinburgh.

smell’ from the sewage treatment

plant. During this council period

I was Convener of the North

West Locality Committee until

the administration abolished it.

I am also a Bailie undertaking

civic duties such as citizenship

ceremonies on behalf of the Lord

Provost

The biggest challenges were

the very bad winter of 2010/11

when the council came within a

few days of running out of road

salt and important services like

home dialysis were put at risk,

and there was a long running bin

dispute (though there were fewer

complaints and missed bins

during that period than last year).

What has been your best moment/

campaign/success?

My best moments locally were

working with local people to

The administration decided on

a slightly different route than the

one he intended.

Cllr Barrie told The Edinburgh

Reporter : "We were seeking

recognition on committees but

now forming a group is a far bigger

commitment for us. It is also a

achieve the highly successful

Drum Brae Leisure Centre initially,

and then the Drum Brae Library

Hub when we were in coalition. Of

course the most satisfying have

been in helping people in trouble

find a solution.

What do you do when you are not

working as a councillor?

When I’m not being a councillor

I spend a lot of time travelling

to and from London where my

partner currently works as a

paediatric consultant.

We both love contemporary

Scottish art, film, music and

theatre. Off duty I can often

be found with friends in the

Corstorphine Inn or White Lady.

Once a year we treat our great

nieces to a surprise holiday (along

with their gran) which is the

highlight of our year.

On the Workplace

Parking Levy

by Miles Briggs

The new Workplace Parking Levy

means that a person who lives

in an adjacent local authority to

Edinburgh, such as Midlothian,

West Lothian, East Lothian or

the Borders, could be charged an

extra £500 by Edinburgh Council,

despite having no vote in the

council elections.

Many people find driving a

better option, with the costs of

using ScotRail trains soaring,

constant delays, cancellations

and overcrowding, which makes

taking the train a much less

attractive option. It is estimated

that the 56,000 drivers travel

into Edinburgh from surrounding

local authorities to their place

of employment and 54,000 from

within Edinburgh.

Approximately 110,000 workers

will be impacted by the Workplace

far bigger loss for other council

groups. We weren't seeking to

impose that on them, but by their

actions we have had to go ahead

and do that.

”It is the Green Group who could

lose most in any rearrangement.

There is a formula that gives

seats on the basis of numbers of

councillors in any one group.

Miles Briggs MSP

0131 348 5946

Miles.Briggs.msp@parliament.scot

Milesbriggsedinburgh

MilesBriggsMSP

www.milesbriggs.scot

M2.15,

The Scottish

Parliament, Edinburgh,

EH99 1SP

Meeting the

Samaritans

Ash Denham MSP recently

met with Mairi Gordon from

Samaritans Scotland to discuss

suicide prevention statistics and

to hear about the work being

undertaken by the charity to

reduce the devastating impact of

suicide in Edinburgh and across

Scotland. Call Samaritans free on

116 123 at any time of day.

Parking Levy , many of whom have

no choice but to drive to their

place of work.

The Workplace Parking Levy has

not been properly thought through

and the impact on families in the

capital and surrounding areas has

not been considered.

It is a fundamentally unfair

tax that charges hard working

people to get to their place of

work and will have a significant

impact on families' budgets, with

some families being hit twice by

this indiscriminate tax. Tens of

thousands of workers will be hit by

this charge, with £500 straight out

of their pay cheque, just for getting

to work.

SNP Ministers must, for once,

listen to people and seriously

rethink this deeply flawed new

legislation that targets hard

working people across Scotland.

"Now if the independent

councillors become one group

they will be only three people and

it would be impossible for them

to take all of the seats the group

could be offered. We will do our

very best to service them but time

will tell just how demanding that

is whether we can cope as a group

of three."


Plans for new Business

improvement district

Town business improvement

district proposal

Nearly 700 businesses will

vote on proposals to establish a

business improvement district

(BID) in the Old Town. It is hoped

to generate nearly £4 million of

investment in the Old Town over

a five year period. Contributions

from local businesses will be

raised by way of an additional

Kat Brogan

From the Editor

Who knows what will happen

as this month progresses? We

could leave the EU anytime before

31 January now. As we were

going to press the Westminster

leaders of the SNP and the Liberal

Democrats wrote to the President

of the European Council urging

the EU to grant a meaningful

extension to the Brexit deadline. In

the joint letter, Ian Blackford and

Jo Swinson called on Donald Tusk

to back an extension to the 31st of

January 2020 to give opposition

parties the opportunity to “unlock

what has become a deadlocked

parliament” by giving people a say

in an election.

Both Ian Blackford and Jo

Swinson confirmed that neither

the SNP nor the Lib Dems

would support Boris Johnson’s

election motion while the threat

of a no-deal Brexit remains on the

table.

Before that the focus was on

business rate levy.Businesses

within the proposed geography

of the BID will cast their vote on

the proposals by 5pm on 28th

November. Kat Brogan, Managing

Director of Mercat Tours, said :

“There is a great deal of change,

and therefore opportunity

ahead for local businesses in

the Old Town. From ensuring

the area is a safe, attractive,

high-quality experience for all,

Edinburgh once more when the

Dale Vince action returned to

the Court of Session after Super

Saturday when politicians sat at

Westminster on a Saturday for the

first time this century.

The three judges of the Inner

House decided to suspend

taking any decision in the action,

but are keeping a wait and see

oversight on what happens. They

were asked to ensure that the

Prime Minister fully complied

with the law by asking the EU for

an extension. The decision was

welcomed by the parties who

raised it.

Joanna Cherry QC MP one

of the parties said : ““This is a

welcome decision by the Court of

Session and it is what we sought.

The decision keeps the Sword

of Damocles hanging over Boris

Johnson and to make sure he fully

complies with the law and the

cross-party Benn Act.”

to the Summertime Streets and

new trade waste regulations, it’s

important that businesses have

a voice defending their interests."

We’re asking local businesses to

give us the mandate to fight hard

on their behalf. We’re confident

that when Old Town businesses

read our proposals, developed

by business for business, they’ll

see that this ambition is worth

investing in”

Murray selected for Edinburgh

South

Ian Murray MP has been selected

as the Labour party parliamentary

candidate for the next general

election.

The Edinburgh South

constituency voted for him at

the end of October when around

200 members turned up to the

constituency meeting. Only the

affiliated member, Unite the

union voted against him. The

union had threatened to trigger

a full reelection process for the

longstanding MP in the face of his

open opposition to leader Jeremy

Corbyn. Murray also supports a

second Brexit referendum which

does not sit well with the party

leadership.

Ian Murray said: “It is a huge

honour to have been reselected as

Labour’s candidate in Edinburgh

South for the forthcoming General

Election.

Creeping development

Edinburgh is losing the

equivalent of around 15 football

pitches of green land each year. A

lot of this is due to private garden

areas being paved over or built on,

according to a new study.

Around a hectare a year of

green land is being gained due

to regeneration of old industrial

areas.

Urban streets can struggle to

cope with surface water when

gardens and other vegetated

areas, which help soak up rain, are

built on or paved over. The rate

of this change in Edinburgh has

been quantified for the first time

in a report commissioned by the

Centre of Expertise for Water

(CREW).

The independent study, produced

by scientists at the NERC Centre

for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH),

looked at the two elements of

urbanisation:

Urban creep – Individual, smallscale

changes in existing urban

settlements, such as building

housing extensions, driveways

and conservatories, or homes in

gardens. This can lead to a large

cumulative loss of vegetated

garden and increase the risk of

surface water flooding

Urban expansion – The

development of new housing or

industrial estates being built on

farmland or recreational spaces.

These developments are subject

“Representing my home city of

Edinburgh is a great privilege, and I

have always put this constituency

first and foremost.

“I would not have become the

MP in 2010 and certainly would

not have held on in 2015 and

ended up with the largest majority

in Scotland in 2017 if it wasn’t for

the hard-working and committed

local Labour Party activists. I

am grateful for their continued

support and the support of the

overwhelming majority of trade

unions.

“I am also extremely grateful

to the hundreds of people in

Edinburgh South and further afield,

from all parties and none, who

have been in touch in recent days

to offer their support and kind

words. Thank you – it meant a

huge deal.

“My focus remains on standing

up for the 80,000 people in my

constituency, regardless of how

to rigorous planning policies to

ensure they do not increase flood

risk.

The CEH scientists developed

a method to map urbanisation

using aerial photography of

Edinburgh from 1990, 2005

and 2015 – resulting in the

first high-resolution, city-wide

estimates in Scotland. This

method could be applie

d to other cities and towns

across Scotland to map

urbanisation and assess potential

impacts.

Dr Clare Rowland, the CEH earth

observation scientist who led

the research, said: “Our study

shows that, over the last 25 years,

Edinburgh lost an average of 11.3

hectares (ha) of green land each

year to urban creep and urban

expansion. That’s equivalent to

about 15 football pitches annually.

“People might assume that

most of this loss is from

urban expansion, through the

construction of new housing and

commercial estates.

Certainly that accounts for 4.8ha

of the annual loss, but urban creep

accounts for 6.4ha of vegetation

loss each year. Homeowners

have added car parking spaces,

conservatories and driveways,

or allowed properties to be built

in their gardens - all of which

have contributed to the loss of

greenery.”

they voted, and working tirelessly

to secure a People’s Vote to avoid

a devastating Brexit.

“I look forward to standing in the

next General Election, whenever

it comes, and hope the people of

Edinburgh South will once again

put their trust in me to be their

elected representative.”

We offer great advertising rates!

Email editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk for more details!

12

BUSINESS

Leith Walk Police Box Pop up space

www.leithwalkpolicebox.com


Montgomery Street Lane - a hub

for charities and business

Scotland’s newest hub for social

entrepreneurs, start-ups, charities

and SMEs launched last month.

The Montgomery Street Lane

venture down in Leith is a

collaboration between four of

the country’s leading support

agencies, Firstport, Challenges

Group, Project Scotland and

Volunteering Matters.

The founders said the

Montgomery Street Lane initiative

will provide a “one-stop shop” for

ambitious social businesses and

charities while also acting as a

focal point for impact investors

targeting enterprises that are

addressing social challenges.

Josiah Lockhart, Firstport’s Chief

Executive said : “The vision for

Montgomery Street Lane is a bold

one.

“We’re building an enterprise

support network for social

entrepreneurs and impact

investors, for start-ups and SMEs

looking to grow, expand and

export. We’re focused on making

it a place of optimism, opportunity

and outcomes.”

Mr Lockhart added: “We’re

offering these individuals a place

where key support services are in

one location, and where each of

the Lane residents can collaborate

on offering a joined-up and

partnership approach to business

development and growth.”

The four organisations behind

the new Montgomery Street Lane

venture have between them 90

years’ experience across a range

of fields including business

consultancy, management

training, exports, seed funding,

impact investment, business

Topping out at new offices

Progress is being made with the

new office development at Capital

Square which is now Edinburgh's

largest speculative office building.

This is the only new space which

is due to be completed during

2020.

The topping out ceremony was

held recently, and as you can see

the building has spectacular views

to Edinburgh Castle.

The new building designed by

Hurd Rolland has already attracted

two new blue-chip tenants - legal

firm Brodies LLP who will take the

top three floors relocating from

Atholl Crescent and another legal

firm, Pinsent Masons LLP, who will

lease 25,300 square feet.

BAM Construction are in charge

of the 122,500 square feet project

creating eight floors of open plan

offices.

There is a private courtyard

L – R Dougie Peters - BAM Properties, Ewan Alexander - Pinsent

Mason, Lord Provost, Nick Scott – Brodies, Andrew McParland.

support services, volunteering

, international development,

marketing and communications,

and project management.

They have about 40 staff and

volunteers working out from the

refurbished 19th-century mews

houses just off Elm Row.

Mr Lockhart added: “We’ve seen

the model operating successfully

and impactfully in other countries,

such as in Sweden, but this is the

first of its type in Scotland.”

for dropping off and picking

up as well as landscaped

gardens. But the building also

has green credentials. In an

effort to encourage cyclists and

runners there will be shower

accommodation and locker

facilities. 110 car parking spaces

are part of the development.

The Rt Hon Lord Provost of

the City of Edinburgh, Frank

Ross, said: “Edinburgh is an

internationally renowned business

location and demand for office

space remains high.

"It is vital, then, that we continue

to build new, high-grade office

space to ensure that the future

needs of Edinburgh businesses

are met.

“I’m pleased that the Council

has been able to work closely

with BAM Properties and Hermes

to help realise the potential of

this prime site in the Exchange

business district.

"In doing so, the new Capital

Square will create a great

opportunity for jobs and the

sustainable growth of the local

economy.”

2nd and 10th November 12.00-6.00pm - Wild Maremma artisan

handmade pasta and tiramisu

5th November Typewronger books 2nd Birthday party 11.00-

6.00pm - all welcome. Books, birthday cake and jelly babies. Join

us at 5.00pm when we will attempt to break the record for the

number of people simultaneously in an Edinburgh police box

Selected Thursdays 12.00-7.00 - En Elladi - Greek artisan produce

- Greek honey, olive oil & mountain herbs

New boss for capital

tourism group

The Edinburgh Tourism Action

Group (ETAG) has announced the

appointment of Donald Emslie to

the role of Chair.

Donald will lead the work of

ETAG, the umbrella organisation

for the Edinburgh tourism

sector, which brings together

and supporting the work of

key stakeholders, business

associations and businesses

to create and support a strong,

thriving tourism community in

Edinburgh. He brings a wealth of

experience in business, media,

sport and hospitality that will

be crucial in continuing to drive

progress within Edinburgh’s

vibrant tourism sector.

He replaces outgoing Chair Robin

Worsnop, as he prepares to step

down following a nine-year term.

Robin oversaw the successful

development and implementation

of the sector’s current tourism

strategy which has helped drive

consistent and sustainable growth

in visitor numbers and spend.

JLL promote trio from

the firm's own ranks

JLL, Scotland’s leading property

consultancy, has promoted

two members of staff from its

Edinburgh office to Associate

and another to Senior Surveyor.

All three newly promoted staff

joined JLL through its graduate

employment scheme and have

continued to rise through the

firm’s ranks.

Janey Douglas has been

promoted within the Capital

Markets team from Senior

Surveyor to Associate.

Deirdre Thom of the firm’s

Planning & Renewables team

joined JLL in 2011.

Alastair Stang, who joined the

firm in 2015, moves from Surveyor

to Senior Surveyor within JLL’s

Office Agency team in Edinburgh.

During their time with JLL,

Janey, Alastair and Deirdre have

completed their professional

exams through the Royal

Institution of Chartered Surveyors

(RICS), and the Royal Town

Planning Institute (RTPI),

respectively.

Alasdair Humphery, lead

director for JLL in Scotland,

said: “These promotions are

thoroughly well-deserved and

are reflective of the impressive

work each has been delivering for

our clients. We pride ourselves

on our commitment to develop,

attract and retain the best talent

our industry produces. These

promotions are testament to this

determination and I’m excited to

see how all three progress in their

new roles and help our clients

achieve their ambitions.”

Another product of JLL’s

graduate programme, Hannah

Done of the firm’s Edinburgh office

recently achieved her Masters of

Science in Real Estate from UCEM

(University College of Estate

Management) with distinction.

Wednesday and Fridays 11am to 6pm Tipico quality nuts, plus

delicious Sicilian confectionery

Saturdays - Edinburgh Tool Library 10.30am to 1.00pm

14th November Thursday 3-6pm Zero Waste Leith ‘Leith’s

Good with Food’ campaign to promote food waste recycling and

prevention

23 November- 1.00-5.00pm Edinburgh Northern and Leith Labour

Party on the Walk

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk BUSINESS 13

Airport makes £20m investment in

transport improvements

Dedicated licensed taxi facility

will increase capacity on Eastfield

Road.

More than £20 million is being

invested on improvements to

transport access at Edinburgh

Airport.

The first phase will deliver a

new East Terminus in May of next

year. This will house the airport’s

licensed taxi operation (both black

cabs and private hire vehicles) for

pick-up and drop-off.

The current rank will move from

the ground floor of the multi-storey

car park and to the east side of the

airport, adjacent to the tram stop.

Taxis will be able to access the

facility by using the road over the

old runway, reducing congestion

on Eastfield Road at peak times.

The East Terminus will also

provide:

Covered walkways for

passengers

A new passenger bridge

A new PRM waiting area

A self-service kiosk for booking

private taxis

The second phase of

improvements will include a

new access road with the entire

drop-off facility moving there.

Gordon Dewar who is Chief

Executive of Edinburgh Airport

said: “As an airport, we provide

quick and easy travel to

destinations all over the world

– that trip starts and ends here,

so making it easier for people

to get to and from the airport is

important to us.

“As well as making it easier for

licensed taxis to drop off and pick

up passengers, this multi-million

pound project will also see the

construction of a new access road,

helping to ease the congestion we

currently see on Eastfield Road at

peak times.

“By investing in our

infrastructure, we’ll be able to

deliver better access for public

transport and increase those travel

options for passengers, directly

improving their journey.”

Loganair begins East

Midlands route

Loganair, Scotland’s Airline, has

commenced air services between

Edinburgh and the East Midlands.

The airline stepped in to secure

the important route at short notice

following news the previous

operator was set to withdraw,

maintaining vital connectivity for

the 90,000 travellers who regularly

fly between Scotland’s capital and

the Midlands.

The latest service started

less than two months after

Loganair’s inaugural flights from

East Midlands to Brussels and

Inverness took-off, whilst the

airline is also set to introduce

Aberdeen flights from February 24,

2020.

Operated by 49-seat Embraer

145 jets, the first service from

Edinburgh departed at 14:30.

Doubling the number of services

on the route, weekday flights

depart from Edinburgh at 06:50,

14:30, 16:20 and 19:40 and flights

leave East Midlands for Edinburgh

at 08:30, 10:50, 18:00 and 19:55.

The journey time is just 70

minutes, with a Saturday morning

flight and a choice of Sunday

departures too.

Fares on the route start from

£49.99 one-way and all Loganair

fares include a complimentary

hold baggage allowance, Clan

Loganair frequent flyer rewards

and in-flight refreshments.

The new Loganair service will

also open up a wide range of flight

connections from East Midlands

to the Highlands and Islands,

meeting Loganair’s flights to

destinations including Shetland,

Orkney, Stornoway, Benbecula and

Wick.

Loganair’s Managing Director

Jonathan Hinkles said: “This new

link marks a continuation of the

airline’s expansion from East

Midlands Airport – now operating

services across four routes ahead

of flights to Aberdeen beginning in

February.

“We’re extremely pleased to be

able to safeguard this essential

link between Scotland’s capital

and the East Midlands region –

while also introducing a gateway

to the Highlands and Islands.

“The schedules have been

designed to offer maximum

flexibility for customers and the

jet service will be welcomed by

regular travellers on the routes –

who can join the Clan Loganair

frequent flyer programme.”

Reservations can be made at

www.loganair.co.uk, using the

airline’s app, by calling Loganair’s

Customer Contact Centre on 0344

800 2855 or via travel agents.

Leonardo Hotel

Edinburgh Murrayfield has

been transformed!

To exceed the expectations of

our guests we have invested £2.6 million

to upgrade all hotel facilities.

You must come and see what we have done.

For the best rates book direct on leonardohotels.co.uk or call 0131 535 9988

187 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UG

Beatrice Dillon

Counterflows:

Club of Cowtown

Hot

Horse

Tracks

Making

Town Concerts

New

Williams

Kathryn

Stirling Queen

The

for Lashes

Bat

Henry

Lenny

O'Rourke & friends

Aidan

14

NEWS


Rotary supports research in clean

water technologies

The Currie Balerno Rotary Club

supports Calum Stewart and

Stephan Calvet, in a sustainable

water development project in

Mexico.

Both are graduates of Edinburgh

University. Calum is from Juniper

Green and was a pupil at Currie

High School, Stephan is from

Basingstoke.

Calum contacted the Club having

recognised that Rotary shared

their interest in providing clean

drinking water in areas where lack

of clean water presents a threat to

human life.

As part of their Masters

Degree Calum and Stephan are

undertaking a voluntary research

project based firstly at North

Carolina State University and then

with NGO Caminos de Agua, in

Guanajuato, Mexico. The project

is based on developing low-cost

water treatment technologies and

then further testing and deploying

these technologies in the field with

Caminos de Agua.

They will start by designing

a research facility and will

concentrate on systems to

remove arsenic and fluoride

from contaminated groundwater.

This contamination affects over

700,000 people in the region.

Fluoride can be beneficial in

small amounts but harmful in

concentration and it, together

with arsenic, is recognised as the

most serious contamination in

drinking-water worldwide. Their

work has the potential to help over

300 million people in communities

across the world affected by these

contaminants.

The Currie Balerno Rotary Club

was delighted to helping this

research this research which is so

closely related to one of Rotary’s

principal aims.

Braids want your

foreign coins

This autumn after your holidays,

you could help the Rotary Club of

Braids with its unusual fundraising

project - selling foreign currency!

Members collect donated coins

and notes of any age and from any

country. People are very generous

and they get hundreds of coins

and notes every month. The

project has been running for four

years and has raised over £1000

each year. Getting the donations

is easy (everyone has a few old

British or foreign coins, especially

after a foreign holiday): the hard

work of this project is sorting the

coins and the clever part is finding

buyers.

The Braids Club has built up

a network of regular buyers for

specific currencies – usually

travellers. And on eBay they have

several collectors following them

– a bit like Facebook. And they

get some gems, including a gold

half-sovereign that brought £250

this summer.

The proceeds go to The Rotary

Foundation, Rotary’s Charity,

providing grants for humanitarian

aid in Scotland and across the

world.

Interestingly, pre-1920 British

silver coins are just that – 99.8%

silver. So those, and the 50% silver

coins 1920 – 1946, are usually

sold to jewellers who melt them

down for the silver.

Melting down British silver

coins is allowed but it’s illegal to

melt down the old cupro-nickel

pennies and halfpennies from the

pre-decimal days. So they go to a

scrap dealer in France!

If you would like to donate your

surplus holiday change please

contact afs@trinityfactors.co.uk.

For more information on Rotary

contact secretary@rotary1020.org.

L-R Stephan and Calum are seen here receiving a

cheque from Club President Lindsay Craig.

at

November

O'Hanlon

Ardal

Gallery and gift shop

and much more

Open Monday – Saturday • 10am – 5pm

Sunday 11am – 5pm

Fifty artists in one gorgeous space:

art, jewellery, fashion, homewares,

gifts, candles, cards...

93 Causewayside Edinburgh EH9 1QG

0131 629 9123

www.artcraftcollective.co.uk

WHAT’S ON IN NOVEMBER

At the cinema

in November

by Adam Zawadzki

This month there is a plethora of

awards season contenders.

Opening on 6 November 2019,

the biographical adventure

‘The Aeronauts’ stars Eddie

Redmayne (The Danish Girl) and

Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A

Star Wars Story). The pair are

reunited for the first time since

‘The Theory of Everything’ five

years ago in which they delivered

leading performances which

won Redmayne an Oscar, BAFTA

and Golden Globe and Jones

nominations for all three. Will we

see similar success this time?

Helen Mirren (The Last Station)

and Ian McKellen (Gods and

Monsters) will appear in the drama

thriller ‘The Good Liar’, directed

and co-produced by Bill Condon

(Dreamgirls), released on 8

November 2019. While Mirren and

Condon already have Oscars (for

acting and writing, respectively),

McKellen hasn’t but could that

change this year?

Directed by James Mangold

(Walk The Line), the biographical

drama ‘Ford v Ferrari’ (titled ‘Le

Mans ‘66’ here) will drive onto

the silver screen on 15 November

2019 with Matt Damon (Invictus)

and Christian Bale (Vice) in the

leading roles. Oscars have been

claimed by Damon and Bale

before (for writing and acting,

respectively) while Mangold

received his first Oscar nomination

for his previous film ‘Logan’. Could

he join them by winning next year?

On 22 November 2019 the

biographical film ‘Harriet’, about

the slave-turned-abolitionist

Harriet Tubman, will open in

cinemas. Cynthia Erivo (Widows)

has already won a Tony, Grammy

and Daytime Emmy so could this

be the film that competes her

EGOT with an Oscar?

Get in touch

today!

For editorial and

advertising enquiries

please email

editor@


@EdinReporter

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter


Theatre Art Music Shows Festivals

Charles Piazzi Smyth -

forgotten astronomer

Ever wondered about the

Time Ball on Calton Hill? There

is an exhibition at the Nelson

Monument on Calton Hill which

can explain the history of the man

who invented it. He was born in

1819 and this year celebrates the

200th anniversary of his birth.

Climb the Nelson Monument for

stunning views over Edinburgh,

and learn the history of the hill and

the monument itself.

Inside the base of the

monument the exhibition seeks to

establish Charles Piazzi Smyth’s

place in Edinburgh’s history in an

appropriate environment.

Piazzi - Alastair Bruce, Royal

Observatory astronomer and

actor, as Charles Piazzi Smyth.

Photo Ian Georgeson

Tickets for entry to the

monument cost £6 but there is no

extra charge to see the exhibition.

Monday – Sunday, 10.00am –

5.00pm (last admission 4:30pm)

The exhibition is part of a

year-long series of events about

Piazzi Smyth.

It is housed in Edinburgh’s

iconic Nelson Monument, with

his photography, paintings and

drawings alongside a newly

commissioned short film and

interviews in what will be the first

major exhibition in Edinburgh

dedicated to the forgotten

astronomer.

Leonardo da Vinci at

The Queen’s Gallery

This month to mark the 500th

anniversary of the death of

Leonardo da Vinci, 80 of the

Renaissance master’s greatest

drawings will go on display at

The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of

Holyroodhouse, in the largest

exhibition of the artist’s work ever

to be seen in Scotland.

Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in

Drawing explores the full range of

Leonardo’s interests – painting,

sculpture, architecture, anatomy,

engineering, cartography,

geology and botany – providing

a comprehensive survey of

Leonardo’s life and a unique

insight into the workings of his

mind. Many of the works in the

exhibition will be on display in

Scotland for the first time.

Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in

Drawing at The Queen’s Gallery,

Palace of Holyroodhouse 22

November 2019 – 15 March 2020

Leonardo da Vinci, Studies of a

horse, c.1490 Image credit Royal

Collection Trust / (c) Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II 2019

At the Galleries in

November

At Birch Tree Gallery until 20

November 2019 works by two

artists from England will be on

show.

Penny Hunt builds up layers of

paint and cold wax to capture

open landscapes of the Yorkshire

Dales. Recently she got interested

in painting road verges. Penny

uses Wallace Seymour artist

paints that are ground from local

rocks in the same village where

she lives.

She is joined by Northumberland

ceramic artist Melanie

Hopwood who makes stoneware

boulder forms, often incorporating

short poems by using imprinted

letter.

At Arusha Gallery from 8 to

24 November 2019 there is an

exhibition of work by Shelly

Tregoning.

Winter Wonderland

Concert

West End and Broadway star

Kerry Ellis, leading lady in various

musicals including Nancy in

Oliver! Eliza Doolittle in My Fair

Lady, Ellen in Miss Saigon and

Fantine in Les Miserables is set

to headline a ‘Winter Wonderland’

Christmas concert at St Giles

Cathedral on 22 November 2019

from 7.30pm till 9.30pm to

raise funds and awareness for

Edinburgh based charity, Make

2nds Count.

Joining Kerry on stage for

this one-time magical festive

performance will be another West

End leading lady, Zoe Tyler, who

started her career at the age of

20 in Les Miserables, followed by

Joseph, Superstar, City of Angels,

Fame and playing Eva Cassidy in

Over the Rainbow. Zoe was also a

panellist on Loose Women.

Scottish actor, singer and

producer, Tom Urie, best known for

his roles in River City, Still Game,

Holby City, Doctors and films

including, T2-Trainspotting will

Tregoning was born in Mauritius

and educated in the UK.

She studied for her BA in Fine

Art from Falmouth University in

2011. Her work has been widely

featured and she lives and works

in Cornwall.

The packaging and presentation

of the carefully constructed hyperidentity

is now a very real social

expectation, but at what cost?

The work brings together Shelly

Tregoning's keen eye for the

human figure and the myriad

details of physical expression.

By simply placing the figure

alone in space, removing the

context to create a 'non-portrait'

where the identity and location

of the sitter is both unknown

and irrelevant, Tregoning has

captured the telling subtleties of

physical poise and performative

tension, the unguarded moments

of distraction, introspection and

vulnerability.

also be joining the impressive cast

to host the event. His theatre work

includes playing the role of Danny

McGlone in the NTS production of

John Byrne’s Tutti Frutti.

Lisa and Euan Fleming are

music lovers, who met on the

stage. They founded the charity

Make 2nds Count after Lisa was

diagnosed in 2017 with secondary

breast cancer.

Make 2nds Count is dedicated

to giving hope to those affected

by this treatable but incurable

disease. The charity supports

patients and families, raises

awareness of secondary breast

cancer and funds for medical

research that will contribute to

advancing an increased quality of

life for patients.

The Winter Wonderland concert

will celebrate Lisa’s passion for

musicals and help raise funds for

the charity.

Tickets £25 and £20 for children,

(plus booking fee) using the code

GROUP at checkout. Ticket link -

https://bit.ly/2pgMPks

16

WHAT'S ON


Edinburgh’s Christmas starts with

Light Night

Underbelly continue to produce

Edinburgh's Christmas for the

council until March 2022, and this

year has a lot of the events which

we have enjoyed before.

Following Light Night on 17

November in the Old Town

the Christmas season will get

underway for real. This is the

festival which most local people

attend according to the numbers

produced by the organisers.

Around 300,000 people who visited

in 2018 came from Edinburgh and

the Lothians, hopefully all enjoying

their 20% postcode discount.

Here are some of the highlights :

The Johnnie Walker Bothy Bar

will be placed on the Mound

serving Hot Apple Toddy.

Silent Adventures will operate

silent discos in East Princes Street

Gardens on weekdays only.

In Castle Street Santa's Grotto

will welcome children from 16

November to Christmas Eve. There

will be a helter skelter here too as

well as one in East Princes Street

Gardens.

Winter Windows will show off

the work of local schoolchildren

in an exhibition staged in West

Parliament Square as well as

four other locations : White

Park - Gorgie, Great Junction

Street – by Leith Library, Main

Street - Kirkliston and Goodtrees

Community Centre – Gilmerton.

Community Christmas is a free,

fun celebration to bring Edinburgh

communities together to spread

festive cheer across the whole

city. Presented in collaboration

with Double Take Projections,

Underbelly’s partners on Message

from the Skies in 2018 and 2019,

Community Christmas includes 12

locally significant buildings, across

all four of Edinburgh’s localities,

come alive with festive projections

over 12 consecutive nights, a new

building every night.

Each event also features a

different local choir performing

some of the best-loved festive

tunes alongside the projection.

The locations are: Abbeyhill

Primary School, Sandy’s

Community Centre in Craigmillar,

Drumbrae Library and Community

Hub, Corstorphine Community

Centre, Gilmerton Community

Centre, Pentland Community

Centre – Oxgangs, Westside

Plaza – Wester Hailes, Granton

Primary School, Inch Community

Education Centre, The Crags

Centre by Holyrood Park,

Craigentinny Community Centre

and Broomhouse Community Hub.

Also new to Edinburgh’s

Christmas this year and returning

after its sell out success at the

Edinburgh International Festival

2019, Canadian artists Janet

Cardiff and George Bures Miller

present Night Walk for Edinburgh.

This is an intimate, one-onone

video experience taking

audiences on a specially curated

tour of Edinburgh’s Old Town at

twilight. The unique opportunity

allows participants to discover

a new Edinburgh where history

and memory collide and where

our perceptions of what is real

are challenged. Featuring a

three-dimensional soundscape,

Night Walk engages all senses

as audiences are led through the

capital by Janet Cardiff’s voice,

discovering the city past and

present.

The Edinburgh Reporter has been

assured that the Christmas market

occupies a smaller footprint in

East Princes Street Gardens but

there will be 12 more stalls than

before on the south side of East

Princes Street Gardens. Visitors

will be able to sample Aelder -

Scottish hand-crafted

wild elderberry liqueur,

Edinburgh’s Pickering’s Gin, The

Mac Shack, offering the best mac

and cheese or the ultimate fish

and chips at Alandas. The Caravan

The Stirling Queen

Imagine being married off to a

Scottish king when you are 14

years old. Sailing across the sea

from Denmark to be the wife

of someone you hardly know.

Your father gives away Shetland

and the Orkney Islands as your

wedding present.

The world premiere of this

new piece will take place at

The Queen’s Hall on Monday 4

November 7.30pm. Tickets on sale

now, £9-£17 Tel 0131 668 2019.

A brand new piece of work ‘The

Stirling Queen’ commissioned by

The Queen’s Hall to celebrate its

fortieth anniversary as a music

venue in 2019. Written by Tim

Kliphuis, with Scottish and Nordic

roots and influences of gypsy,

of Courage will present their

feelgood vegan junk food menu

with vegan pigs in blankets on

special as part of the Christmas

Market whilst meat lovers will

rejoice at news that the Fox

Hat brings their ‘food theatre’ to

Edinburgh. And those looking for

gift ideas will have a chance to

explore the latest from Loch Ness

Leather, a family-run Highland

business presenting handmade

leather products.

The usual rides will be in place :

the Star Flyer, Forth 1 Big Wheel,

Christmas Tree Maze, Helter

Skelter and the Santa Train.

24 Doors of Advent returns to

offer a peek behind the scenes

of some of Edinburgh’s key

institutions and venues, including

the home to Scottish rugby, BT

Murrayfield Stadium, The Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, a

centre for spiritual and mental

wellness named in honour of the

famous writer who spent many

years studying spiritualism and

the iconic Robin Chapel with its

stunning stained-glass windows.

Visit edinburghchristmas.com for

the full line-up.

The Nativity Scene moves

this year to the Mound beneath

the Christmas Tree donated by

the Hordaland County Council

in Norway. The Nativity Carol

Concert, organised in conjunction

with Edinburgh Churches Together,

takes place at 3pm on 1 December

on Mound Place.

Edinburgh’s Christmas favourite,

Baby Loves Disco returns with

Christmas Glitter Ball, and a

top-class selection of festive

pop tunes to get families into the

party mood! The ultimate daytime

dance party, the event is aimed at

parents and carers with babies,

toddlers and young children (up

to 6 years old) and features real

club DJs mixing the best tunes

of the last five decades, all at a

baby-friendly volume! The fun

beyond the dancefloor continues

baroque and minimal music,

the composition tells the story

of Queen Margaret’s youth, her

marriage to James III and her early

death at Stirling Castle.

Tim Kliphuis wrote and will

perform this work for an ensemble

comprised of his trio - Nigel Clark

(guitar) and Roy Percy (bass), -

Perthshire fiddle ace, Patsy Reid,

Ireland’s Young Musician of the

Year, Clare Friel and students at

The City Edinburgh Music School.

with face-painting, play tents, arts

and craft zone and many more,

all included in the entry price. The

show takes place at Assembly

Rooms, twice daily on 15 and 21

December.

Christmas on Stage, the

ultimate guide to festive on-stage

entertainment in Edinburgh,

brings together a dazzling new

line-up of shows including the

abovementioned Baby Loves

Disco, and also Grid Iron Theatre

Company and Traverse Theatre

Company co-production of Strange

Tales, centuries-old Chinese

tale, Douglas Maxwell’s I Can Go

Anywhere, an anthem to solidarity

On the Terrace

In case you haven’t noticed,

Montrose Terrace in Abbeyhill

has become a hip and happening

wee street, full of character, a real

destination in its own right. In

the run-up to Christmas why not

check it out at the special annual

festive event organised by the

local (independent) businesses?

It’s a one-off late-night opening

(till 9.00pm) and a great

opportunity to browse and buy to

and acceptance, the famous The

Lion King at the Playhouse, the

Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh’s

An Edinburgh Christmas Carol

who are part of the exciting Light

Night celebrations, Usher Hall

with Children’s Classic Concerts:

Santa’s Workshop on 8 December,

The Chicago Blues Brothers –

Christmas Party, 20 December as

well as NOW That’s What I Call

Christmas on 21 December and

Gilded Balloon at Rose Theatre

with The Comedy Show: Christmas

Special.

And then it will all be over

and you will have Edinburgh's

Hogmanay to get ready for.....

your heart’s content. There’s so

much on offer, from great coffees

and food, to yoga and massage,

arts and crafts, pottery and books.

Find that unique gift (or that treat

you’ve promised yourself!)

Make your Christmas shopping

a joy and go along for a magical

evening on The Terrace.

Thursday 28 November, 6.00pm-

9.00pm.

Got an event to share?

Email editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk with the details!

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk WHAT'S ON 17

Edinburgh on stage

Two Edinburgh boys, Calum

Maclean and Henry Muir, are

delighted to be sharing the role of

‘Benji’ in the UK Tour of Priscilla,

Queen of the Desert the Musical,

when it heads to the Edinburgh

Playhouse from 5 – 9 November

2019.

Calum and Henry landed

the part after attending an

audition with the Pauline

Quirke Academy of Performing

Arts (PQA), whose exclusive

agency for children and young

performers, Quirky Kidz Creative

Management is the official

Henry Muir

children’s Casting Director and

Child Management team for the

show.

There will be 54 boys playing

Benji throughout the UK tour. They

have the exciting opportunity to

work closely with a professional

cast including star of stage and

screen, Joe McFadden.

Both boys train at weekends

at PQA Edinburgh, based at St

Augustine's High School, where

they take classes in Comedy &

Drama, Musical Theatre and Film

& Television.

Calum Maclean

Craigmillar Book Festival

The Craigmillar Book Festival

6 - 16 November 2019 is an annual

event that takes place in nurseries,

schools, Craigmillar Library

and other public spaces around

Craigmillar.

The aim is to inspire everyone in

Craigmillar to enjoy the pleasures

and benefits of reading, writing

and other literacy activities.

Organisers foster and support a

lifelong love of reading, writing and

sharing stories to help establish

and strengthen these essential life

skills.

The Book Festival is brought to

Craft workshop

There is a craft felting workshop

this month at Art & Craft Collective

taught by Susan Thomson of The

Wee Garden Studio.

You will make a Christmas

stocking, Christmas tree or gnome

using wet felting techniques – a

festive keepsake to decorate your

house for many years to come.

Susan Thomson explained

: “I retired from a long career

in education in 2012 and was

inspired, after a visit to a local

artist’s gallery, to take up this form

of textile painting and creating

as a hobby. I spent a few years

learning the craft at workshops

and attending masterclasses in

Northern Scotland.

“With lots of experimenting using

various silks and wool fibres, I

have developed my own unique

LeithLate19

An after dark programme of art

and music is coming to Leith this

November for a new season

Glow Art Trail

15 - 17 November 2019

6.00pm - 8.00pm

Starting point: Queen Victoria

Statue, Kirkgate, Leith

Free (no booking required)

Glow Art Trail is a free

illuminated art trail taking place in

and around the Kirkgate over three

evenings in November.

Take a walk at the Fit

o' Leith Walk between

6.00-8.00pm and you might

discover a variety of intriguing and

surprising artworks all set within

the outdoor urban landscape.

Featured artists

include Edinburgh-based visual

you by The Craigmillar Literacy

Trust and operated through their

Creating and Learning Together

project which works with children,

young people and families aged

4+, building upon the strength of

our long established ‘Books For

Babies’ programme. This crossgenerational

learning project

delivers stimulating and fun

informal learning opportunities

that will increase enthusiasm

for ‘reading for pleasure’ and

strengthen literacy practices in

everyday lives.

Creating and Learning Together

style in the pieces I create. I enjoy

travelling round Scotland where

I get much of the inspiration for

my pictures, with a little artistic

license of course!

“I like nothing better than

creating scarves using all kinds of

silks, lace and finest merino wool. I

also make smaller gifts.

“I share my enthusiasm for this

textile craft by running workshops

by request from various interested

groups. I also tailor workshops

to suit individuals in my peaceful

Garden Studio.

And I am delighted to have

the opportunity to run larger

scale workshops through my

involvement with Art & Craft

Collective.”

There are some do's and dont's

you need to know before you go!

artist Abi Lewis, illustrator Ursula

Kam-Ling Cheng, film-maker and

photographer Lucas Chih-Peng

Kao, Dutch-born videographer and

projection artist Mettje Hunneman

and award-winning Scottish artist

Lauren McLaughlin.

Moon Party

16 November 2019

8.00pm - late

Leith Theatre

£10

An immersive night of music,

light and live performances, set

within Pianodrome's sculptural

amphitheatre made entirely

from recycled pianos.

You are invited to experience the

strange and the wonderful with

live music from S!nk, DJ beats,

projection art and glow-in-the-dark

performances.

Moon Party is

produced in partnership

is managed directly by an active

and hands on board of directors,

which includes several library,

festival and literacy professionals.

The project is organised and

delivered by a dedicated member

of staff, the Literacy Programmes

Coordinator (LPC).

The 2019 Book Festival will take

place from 6 – 16 November 2019.

Full details of the programme,

including visiting authors and

events will be available from early

October 2019 at http://craigmillar.

org.uk.gridhosted.co.uk/

craigmillar-book-festival/.

All materials are provided

however if you have skeins of wool

that you would particularly like

to incorporate, please bring them

with you.

Please wear old ‘working’ clothes

that you don’t mind being stained

with dye and perhaps an apron.

Please bring a plastic bag to

transport your piece home as it

may still be damp when you finish.

You will also take home a

booklet which reminds you of the

processes you use to make your

picture.This workshop is suitable

for age 12 and above.

16 November 2019 10.00am to

2.00pm Enable 95 Causewayside

EH9 1QG

Art & Craft Collective t 0131 629

9123/0780 158 1674

with Pianodrome and Leith

Theatre as part of Pianodrome's

'resonancy' at Leith Theatre.

https://ctzn.tk/moonparty

LeithLate19 November 2019

events include Moon Party at the

Leith Theatre

www.leithlate.co.uk

LeithLate is supported by The

City of Edinburgh Council and by

Baillie Gifford.

We’re social!


18

WHAT'S ON


Topping and Company events

These are just some of the

author events at the Blenheim

Place bookshop.

Look online for more or contact

Topping & Company on 0131 556

4202

Rick Stein - Friday, 8 November,

8.00pm Greenside Church £8 or

£26 including book

Chef Rick Stein first set foot in

France over fifty years ago. Now,

he returns to the food and cooking

he loves the most – and makes

us fall in love with French food all

over again. Secret France contains

all the recipes from Rick’s new

BBC Two series, and is destined to

become a kitchen essential. Join

Toppings for a celebration of real

French home cooking!

Paul Murton on the Viking Isles

- M Jose Pizarro on Andalusian

Cookery - Tuesday 12 November,

12:15pm £10 or £26 including

book

Chef Jose Pizarro's gorgeous

new cookbook focuses on

the mouth-watering dishes

from the Andalusia region of

southern Spain. Join us for a

glass of something, in the lovely

surroundings of the bookshop, and

learn how to cook this wonderful

food from a true master.

Tom Holland - Wednesday 13

November, 8.00pm Greenside

Church £10 or £25 including book

Christianity is the most enduring

and influential legacy of the

ancient world, and its emergence

the single most transformative

development in Western history.

Tom Holland's new book,

Dominion,explores just what it

was that made Christianity so

revolutionary and disruptive; how

completely it came to saturate the

mind-set of Latin Christendom;

and why, in a West that has

become increasingly doubtful of

religion’s claims, so many of its

instincts remain irredeemably

Christian.

Julian Barnes on the Belle

Epoque - Thursday 14 November,

8.00pm Greenside Church £10 or

£18.99 including book

The Man Booker Prize-winning

author of The Sense of an Ending

will take you on a rich, witty tour

of Belle Epoque Paris in his new

book, The Man in the Red Coat.

Through the eyes of the pioneering

surgeon Samuel Pozzi, this witty,

surprising and deeply researched

new book illuminates the fruitful

and longstanding exchange of

ideas between Britain and France,

and makes a compelling case for

keeping that exchange alive.

Erin Morgenstern - Monday

25 November, 8.00pm Greenside

Church £8 or £16.99 including

book

The bestselling author of The

Night Circus presents her magical

new novel, The Starless Sea. When

Zachary Rawlins stumbles across

a strange book hidden in his

university library it leads him on a

quest unlike any other. Join us for

an evening of magical storytelling

from this beloved author.

Topping and Company

Booksellers 2 Blenheim Place

EH7 5JH

Tel 0131 546 4202

www.toppingbooks.co.uk

At the National

Museum of

Scotland

Science Saturday 23 Nov

12:00–4:00pm Free

Meet the curators to discover

how many of the museum’s

objects and specimens are linked

to time. Hear from Darren Coxclock

expert and ‘Repair Man’.

Darren looks after some of the

Museum’s own clocks to keep

them in good working order.

The Luxury of Time: Exhibition

Tour 23 Nov 10:30–11:15am Free,

booking required Dr John C Taylor

OBE leads a tour of The Luxury of

time - a display of 17th-century

clocks and timepieces from Dr

Taylor’s personal collection.

An opportunity to gain an

insight into Dr Tayor’s fascination

with clocks and clockmaking

technologies.

In Conversation: a passion for

invention 23 Nov 2.30–3:30pm

Free, Booking Required

What inspires invention? How do

scientists, engineers or designers

take an initial idea to a finished

product? Does the process of

invention ever end?

Chaired by Dr Alison Morrison-

Low – President of the Royal

Scottish Society for the Arts

(RSSA).

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk WHAT'S ON 19

Edinburgh Studio

Opera concert

Edinburgh Studio Opera will

stage a concert this month at

the King’s Hall at 7:30pm on 16

November 2019.

Singers of Edinburgh Studio

Opera from the University of

Edinburgh will be performing

a concert of opera highlights

featuring music from Bizet,

Mozart, Verdi, Offenbach and

Mascagni.

They will be accompanied by the

Edinburgh University Chamber

Orchestra and conducted by

Mark Rogers from the Royal

Conservatoire of Scotland.

Tickets are available through the

website edinburghstudioopera.org

What’s on News in

Brief

Edinburgh World Heritage are

partnering with the WS Society

and Scotland Street Press to hold

a book launch on 26 November

2019 at the Signet Library.

66 :The House that Viewed the

World is about 66 Queen Street

and the story of the people and

events associated with it from

the 18th century to the present

day. There are heroes and villains.

The author John D O Fulton will

talk to Robert Pirrie WS about his

research and inspiration. There will

be a book signing and celebratory

drinks. Doors open at 5.30pm with

the event beginning at 6.00pm and

Drinks from 6.45pm. There is no

lift access to the library. Tickets

available on Eventbrite.

There's just a couple of weeks to

go before the National Museum

of Scotland's landmark exhibition,

Wild and Majestic: Romantic

Visions of Scotland, closes on 10

November 2019.

Featuring beautiful tartan

costume, incredible royal

stories, spectacular paintings

and heroic military histories,

the exhibition uncovers how

romantic interpretations of the

Scottish Highlands and Islands

became enduring symbols of

wider Scottish identity, from

the Romantic movement of the

18th and early 19th centuries to

Queen Victoria’s Highland idyll at

Balmoral.

At Edinburgh Zoo the awardwinning

Giant Lanterns is back

this winter.

With help from colleagues

in China, RZSS the wildlife

conservation charity has

installed hundreds of lanterns

in preparation for the 47-night

prehistoric extravaganza. This

year’s brand new theme is ‘Lost

Worlds’ and takes visitors on a

journey back to a time where weird

and wonderful creatures roamed

the earth.

Tickets for Giant Lanterns

Lost Worlds start at £8.50 for

children and £17 for adults

and are now available at www.

edinburghzoo.org.uk/lanterns. You

are encouraged to book online in

advance to secure your preferred

date and time.

Edinburgh Folk Club is running

its annual Carrying Stream

Festival (CSF) over the weekend

Friday 8th to Sunday 10th

November 2019. This festival

was created shortly after Hamish

Henderson died in order to

celebrate his life and work.

John Barrow of the Edinburgh

Folk Club said : "Last year for

a variety of reasons CSF was

much reduced, however, this

year would have been Hamish's

100th birthday so we've gathered

ourselves up and created what we

think is an appropriate weekend's

events.” The weekend begins at St

Bride’s Centre with a concert on 9

November.

Mary Cameron Edinburgh artist

Spotlight on artist Mary Cameron

The City Art Centre brings

the Edinburgh-born artist Mary

Cameron (1865-1921) back into

the spotlight, displaying over forty

rarely-seen artworks from public

and private collections.

Mary Cameron: Life in Paint

explores the life and career of a

woman who was truly ahead of her

time, charting her creative journey

from elegant family portraits to

breath-taking Spanish scenes.

Born in Portobello, Edinburgh,

Cameron began her artistic career

as a portraitist and genre painter

in her native city, before venturing

abroad to study in Paris.

Foreign travel proved to be a

life-long source of inspiration.

In 1900 she visited Madrid for

the first time, where she became

captivated by the Spanish culture,

people and scenery. Establishing

studios in Madrid and Seville, she

painted large-scale compositions

of traditional peasant life, dramatic

bullfights and rural landscapes.

A thoroughly modern and

adventurous woman, Cameron

exhibited widely during her

1 November at 7.30pm

An Evening with Lenny Henry:

Who Am I Again?

2 November Doors at 7.00pm

Counterflows: Beatrice Dillon;

Paul Abbott & Rian Treanor; Pat

Thomas; [Fraser, Ormston] DJ


Tim Kliphuis Trio: The Stirling

Queen


Scottish Chamber Orchestra


Edinburgh Light Orchestra:

Salute to the Cinema


Capital Theatres in November

Frank Skinner

Festival Theatre

Tuesday 12 November 2019,

7.30pm

An unmissable opportunity to

see comic legend Frank Skinner

perform brand new stand-up.

Edinburgh Gang Show 2019

King’ Theatre

Tuesday 19 to Saturday 23

November 2019

It’s November… it’s the King’s

Theatre… it’s GANG SHOW time!

Over 250 young people from

Scouting and Girlguiding return to

the King’s with their spectacular

production – the 60th Edinburgh

Gang Show.

lifetime, with her talents being

admired by contemporaries such

as John Lavery and Alexander

Roche. However, like so many

female artists of her generation,

her name is little-known today.

This exhibition aims to change

that, with examples of her

impressive work complemented by

historic photographs and archival

material.

Classical Edinburgh

Classical Edinburgh is a

celebration of Edinburgh’s

neo-classical architecture, as

seen through the eyes of two

architectural photographers,

working half a cen tury apart.

Edwin Smith (1912-72),

once described as “a genius

at photography” provided the

photographs for The Making

of Classical Edinburgh by A J

Youngson, published in 1966.

Colin McLean has spent the

last two years re-interpreting

Smith’s evocative black and white

images. The exhibition will be a

homage to Smith’s photography,

and a reflection on the changes in

Edinburgh’s townscape over the

last 50 years. It is accompanied

by a new publication, and a varied

events programme. A revised

edition of Youngson’s groundbreaking

book is also being

published to coincide with the

exhibition.

Winning entries from a public

photographic competition,

supported by Jessops, will be

shown alongside Classical

Edinburgh.

This free exhibition opens on 9

November 2019.

Beneath the Surface

Beneath the Surface features

work by nine contemporary artists

based in Scotland - Sara Brennan,

Michael Craik, Eric Cruikshank,

Kenneth Dingwall, Callum Innes,

Alan Johnston, James Lumsden,

Karlyn Sutherland and Andrea

Walsh. Each of them articulates

a minimalist aesthetic through

abstraction in their work, ranging

from constructions, drawings and

paintings to ceramics, glass and

tapestry. Eschewing narrative

and observed reality, the artworks

have an economy of gesture in

common - a limited tonal palette or

a monochrome colour plane.

November at The Queen’s Hall,

Making Tracks

& Hannah Rarity

Edinburgh 11 November at 7.45pm

The Brodsky Quartet


Scottish Chamber Orchestra


Ardal O’Hanlon: The Showing Off

Must Go On


Hawkwind: 50th Anniversary

17 November 7.30pm

Nadiya Hussain: Finding My

Voice

19 November Doors 7.00pm

Hot Club of Cowtown


QH@40 Heidi Talbot presents

Kathryn Williams, Boo Hewerdine

As always there will be

show-stopping musical numbers,

fabulous choreography, stunning

individual performances and

hilarious comedy routines.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas!

The Musical

Festival Theatre

Tuesday 26 November to Sunday

1 December

Discover the magic of Dr. Seuss’

classic story How the Grinch Stole

Christmas as it comes to life on

stage.

Featuring the hit songs ‘You’re

A Mean One’, ‘Mr. Grinch’ and

‘Welcome Christmas’, The

Grinch discovers there’s more to

Christmas than he bargained for in

this heart-warming and hilarious

musical.

Join in the Christmas spirit with


Horse: The Same Sky #30


Bat for Lashes


The King is Back: Ben

Portsmouth is Elvis


The Beatles Hornsey Road with

Mark Lewisohn


St Andrew’s Fair Saturday : Aidan

O’Rourke

Tickets & Information: www.

thequeenshall.net | 0131 668 2019

Clerk Street EH8 9JG

the show critics have called “A

genius of a show! A total delight

for both kids and adults”.

Goldilocks And The Three Bears

King’s Theatre

Saturday 30 November to

Sunday 19 January

The King’s Panto is back,

reuniting Allan Stewart, Andy

Gray and Grant Stott as they run

away to the circus for the ultimate

pantomime spectacular!

Joining them this year in his first

Kings’ Panto is River City’s Jordan

Young. Packed full of hilarious

comedy routines, laughter,

dazzling special effects and

hair-raising displays, Goldilocks

and the Three Bears will blend the

worlds of circus and pantomime

featuring magic, music, mayhem

and plenty of porridge.

20 PHOTOS


Out and about in Edinburgh

Liberton Kirk is one of the

most attractive destinations for

photographers at this time of year.

The ivy on the south facing wall

turns a bright copper red and

the church with its red doors is

extremely pretty.

The building dates from the 19th

century although a church has

been in place on top of the hill

overlooking Edinburgh since 800

AD.

Designed by James Gillespie

Graham, this is a rectangular

semi-Gothic building with

corbelled parapet tower.

More than 1,500 international

performers assemble for the first

of four shows at the ANZ Stadium

in Sydney as The Royal Edinburgh

Military Tattoo begins down under.

The Australia showcase explores

'At All Points of the Compass',

taking audiences on a tour and

guiding them around 360 degrees

of the atlas to tell the compelling

tale of Australia’s place in history

and its links with allies.

Thirteen nations will participate

in the biggest ever Tattoo show,

including performers from the UK,

New Zealand, France, Indonesia,

Papua New Guinea and the

Solomon Islands.

Tigerlily is transporting the Día

de Muertos spirit to Edinburgh

by transforming their iconic

surroundings into a Patrón Día de

Muertos wonderland.

Diwali The Festival of Diwali is

celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs

and Buddhists around the world,

each religion marking different

historical events and legends,

however all represent the victory

of light over darkness, knowledge

over ignorance, good over evil and

hope over despair.

Edinburgh Diwali has been

organised for the last five years

by a dedicated team of volunteers,

headed by Mohindra Dhall, MBE.

Here dancers from Edinburgh

Dandiya get ready for the launch

of the light festival in Princes

Street Gardens and Castle Street

in October.

One of the dancers at Edinburgh Diwali PHOTO Martin P Mcadam

Dancing at the Edinburgh Diwali outside the

City Chambers PHOTO Martin P McAdam

Liberton Kirk is respendent in autumn colours PHOTO

Martin P McAdam

Liberton Kirk in the autumn PHOTO Martin P McAdam

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk PHOTOS 21

The Dragon was lively at

Edinburgh Diwali!

Pipe bands from The Scottish Regiment, Glencorse and Stockbridge all took part at

Edinburgh Diwali PHOTO Martin P McAdam

Edinburgh Tattoo down under

Edinburgh Dandiya danced for days at Edinburgh Diwali

PHOTO ©2019 The Edinburgh Reporter

Tigerlily is transporting the Día de Muertos spirit to

Edinburgh PHOTO Greg Macvean

22

FEATURE

High Fashion

by Charlotte Nicholsby

Dalkeith wouldn’t normally be on

my fashion shopping radar, but I

got a lovely surprise after being

invited to The Restoration Rooms

Boutique 2019

A/W collection fashion show.

This fabulous out of town store

is situated in the grounds of

Dalkeith Country Park in a glorious

converted barn, with a café, deli

and farm shop all under one roof.

As I took my place on the ‘Frow’

- I was treated to a preview of

designs from labels such as Pom

Amsterdam with their gorgeous

print dresses(definitely a purchase

for me), Bl^nk, and LA based bag

brand Street Level with their rose

gold shoulder bags and tan leather

shoppers.

Also bang on trend was faux fur

gilets, pinstripe trousers matched

with polka dot shirts and cosy

knitwear all modelled brilliantly by

customers and staff!

Vivienne McCulloch from

Morningside told me how she

loved her time getting the glam on

for her debut as a runway model.

Becca Armstrong, Restoration’s

Assistant Buyer explained that

they have over 10 brands now. The

popularity of their collections has

been overwhelming considering

that it’s an out of town destination

Nice day for an

Outdoor Wedding

Dundas Castle has launched

a brand new outdoor ceremony

space called Castle View.

With a stunning panoramic vista,

the new rustic space acts as a

blank canvas for couples and their

suppliers to dress and style as

they wish.

The spot has unrivalled views

over Dundas Castle and out

to the Three Bridges at South

Queensferry close to Edinburgh.

Castle View adds to Dundas

Castle’s other ceremony offerings,

which include the backdrop of the

white stone fountain and arched

doors in the outdoor Courtyard,

the Castle front lawn and the 15th

century Auld Keep; one of the

most stunning and unique places

to get married in Scotland.

www.dundascastle.co.uk


.So if you are on an autumnal dog

walk, meeting friends for coffee or

letting the kids burn some energy

at the country park - be sure to

be prepared to come home with a

little extra wardrobe must have - I

certainly will.

www.therestorationroom.com

by Charlotte Nicholsby

All things William Street seem

to grabbing my attention of late ,

putting up some stiff competition

to its nearby rival Thistle Street for

independent stores and cafes. A

new and welcome addition joining

this West End Gem is Gastropub

and winery - The Green Room.

At what was once the Melville

pub, the opening party was a

bustling affair as l sipped on a

Autumn in Edinburgh

by Charlotte NIcholsby

I absolutely adore Autumn -

particularly in Edinburgh as l feel

the colours and the light changing

really suits our beautiful capital.

But this isn’t the case for a many

of us . A recent survey said that

almost 35% of the UK is affected

in some form or other from SAD -

Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Common symptoms are /

Less sociable

Low Self ASteam

Feeling Lethargic

Larger appetite

No desire for exercise

The Green Room

The good/ bad news of this is

that dogs also suffer the same

symptoms! As they naturally like

light like us humans - there is

no better excuse and help than

getting out and walking our four

legged friend! They too enjoy

daylight and feel more likely to

cuddle up and sleep a lot more

during the winter months . Anyone

who knows me -will be aware l

Sauvignon Blanc whilst eating

canapés inspired by there small

plates menu . Live music was

provided by the Dave Toule jazz

duo .

What l really like about this place

is the interior. Designed by Adam

Story ( behind The Chop House,

The Lookout, and The West room

) it has been inspired by all things

botanical. Lush green foliage is

visible through glass wall panels

love our family pooch Fonzie .

Getting out into the short hours

of daylight is crucial but we have

so many great places to catch

those fallen leaves and low winter

suns .Arthur’s Seat , inverleith

Park, Cammo woods and Cramond

Beach - all these beauties we

have on our doorstep. So borrow

a dog or come walk with me and

embrace the season - let not let it

brace us .

and green botanical bottles adorn

the walls behind the bar. After a

stroll around this gorgeous street

and a little retail therapy - The

Green Room will be a perfect pit

stop for a well earned refreshment

and It’s dog friendly !

The Green Room 19-25 William

Street ,EH3 7NG

0131 225 1358

www.thegreenroomedinburgh.

com

We’re social!


@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk FEATURE 23

How to find good tenants

Here’s ESPC’s top five tips that

will help you find the perfect

tenant for your rental property.

Provide a quality home

Tenants are now tending to rent

for longer in Edinburgh than they

ever have previously and are being

more selective when choosing a

rental property. Well maintained

properties that have recently

been refurbished, redecorated

or have upgraded bathrooms or

kitchens will attract more interest

from prospective tenants, giving

you a larger pool of applicants to

choose from.

Fair rent

In addition to providing a

quality property, it's important

to set your rent at a fair market

price in order to maximise

the interest and number of

applications you receive. It’s

worthwhile remembering that

the best tenants, who are going

to look after your property, are

not necessarily the ones who are

willing to pay the highest rent.

Advertise everywhere

To find the best tenant, it's

beneficial to have as many

applicants as possible to choose

from. Most tenants will start by

searching for rental properties

online, on such websites as espc.

com or Citylets. Therefore, it's

essential you advertise your

property on these property

websites to ensure it is seen by

as many potential tenants as

possible.

Property viewings

It's important to meet any

prospective tenants at the

property. If you are finding your

own tenants or using a letting

agent, viewings can be an ideal

time to gather information.

Tenant reference checks

Checking any prospective

tenants’ references provides

invaluable information when

selecting a tenant. You should

ensure the following checks are

carried out: credit rating, adverse

credit check, affordability check,

current landlord reference and

employment reference.

If you're needing further advice

on how to find the tenant you're

looking for, our ESPC Lettings

team would love to help! Get in

touch on landlord@espc.com or

0131 253 2847.

Lose weight with

Edinburgh Leisure

Be in for just a penny and lose

the pounds in time for Christmas.

Edinburgh Leisure is reducing their

normal joining fee to just 1p on

any of their fitness, swim, gym,

class and climb memberships

meaning there’s no excuse not to

get fit.

The offer is available until 5

November 2019.

As everyone is different and

needs to find their own way to a

healthy and active life, Edinburgh

Leisure offers a range of different

membership options to suit

everyone including swim, gym and

fitness class only to full monthly

memberships. By offering different

types of membership, people can

Offering something for all ages

and stages, the ‘biggest club

in town’, Edinburgh Leisure is

launching a new set of pre and

post-natal fitness classes in two

of its venues.

From Pregnancy to Mum and

Baby Yoga to Bumps and Babies,

the sessions will be launching at

Edinburgh Leisure venues from

Monday, 28 October 2019 .

The classes place at Drumbrae

Leisure Centre and Glenogle Swim

Centre.

They are all specially designed

for mothers-to-be to stay active

throughout their pregnancy.

Then afterwards, with baby in

match their activity preferences to

their pocket.

Existing members referring

a friend will receive up to £30

cashback, when the friend joins.

There is no limit on the number of

referrals.

With 30+ venues including 1

climbing centre, 9 swimming

pools, 14 gyms, and 800+ fitness

classes per week, Edinburgh

Leisure is the ‘biggest club in

town’ providing the widest range

of fitness classes, state of the art

facilities and community based

programmes across the capital.

To join, visit your nearest

Edinburgh Leisure venue or visit

www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

Bumps and Babies

fitness classes

tow, they aim to help mums ‘to

find their feel good’ in a safe and

supported environment.

Expert Coaches understand each

trimester plus the post-natal stage

More Bumps and Babies classes

are scheduled in the coming

months at Craiglockhart Leisure

Centre.

Classes are bookable now online

or in venue and classes until 10th

November are free to attend to

encourage people to give it a go.

Go on - you know you want to !

www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

Buy a bed this Christmas

National homelessness charity,

Bethany Christian Trust, is

encouraging festive shoppers

to buy a bed for people who are

homeless this Christmas by

purchasing a voucher for their

Edinburgh based Care Shelter.

The gift vouchers, which cost

£21 each, are now available to

Bumps &

Babies

Pre and Post-Natal Fitness

classes led by expert coaches

who understand each trimester

plus the post-natal stage.

edinburghleisure.co.uk

Registered Scottish Charity No: SC027450

purchase online until 17 January

2020

A voucher will provide a person,

who is sleeping rough on the

streets, overnight shelter, access

to a hot meal and breakfast the

following morning, safety from the

elements, professional support,

and multi-disciplinary services.

24

FOOD

Recipe of the month

Spiced Duck Breast, Confit Duck

Leg, Slow Poached Egg Yolk &

Olive

Duck Spice Mix

100ml of honey

10g Chinese 5 spice

5ml soy sauce

1x lime juice

20ml rapeseed oil

Gently warm all ingredients in

a sauce pan and transfer in to a

container and allow to cool

Duck Leg Confit

Salt the duck leg overnight in

course rock salt to remove excess

water in leg.

Wash the salt off the duck leg

and leave to dry

Add the duck legs to a metal

tray and cover with 1litre of duck

fat, cover the fat with greaseproof

paper and tin foil and cook in the

over at 100 degrees for 6 hours.

To prepare the duck breast score

lightly the top of the skin. On a

low heat render the fat slowly until

skin is golden and crispy. Allow

to cool. Place duck breast in oven

160 degrees for 8-10 minutes .

Using a thermometer - 55 degrees

for pink meat.

Olive Tapenade

300g pitted, mixed olives.

2 anchovy fillets

10g capers

5g coarsely chopped parsley.

3 cloves garlic roasted

2 juiced lemon

Salt and freshly ground black

pepper.

250 ml olive oil.

Blend all ingredients except

parsley (add last) - gradually add

olive oil.

Slow cooked Egg Yolk

Preheat a fan assisted oven to

65°C.

Separate the egg yolks from the

whites.

Submerge the yolks in an

oven-proof saucepan filled halfway

with olive oil.

Place in oven for 55 minutes.

Remove yolks with a slotted

spoon


Place olive tapenade on the

bottom of the plate and place the

slow cooked egg yolk on top,

Using pastry brush lightly cover

the duck breast with pre made

honey and spice marinade. Slice

your duck in half.

Season with Maldon salt - put

on plate

Drain confit duck leg from duck

fat Quickly fry in oil to crisp skin.

Slice olives. Place around meat

and egg Drizzle red wine jus over

plate.

For just recipe read our online

article

Glenn Roach, Executive Chef

of the Surf & Turf Restaurants in

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts. Chef

Roach introduced the Surf & Turf

concept to Macdonald Rusacks

Hotel, St Andrews and Macdonald

Holyrood Hotel in Edinburgh.

New Chinese in St Andrew Square

Contemporary Chinese

restaurant, Tattu, has unveiled

its new Edinburgh venue with

sprawling Sakura blossom and

bespoke mural centrepiece

created by local artists, Mr & Mrs

Bell Art & Design.

The blossoms recreate the

tranquillity of a Chinese garden

setting.

The new restaurant officially

opens its doors on Friday, 8

November serving its renowned

Chinese-inspired cuisine with

exclusive dishes developed for the

Edinburgh menu by Executive Chef

Andrew Lassetter and his team.

Occupying the ground and

basement level of the newly

refurbished Mint Building on

West Register Street, the brothers

behind the brand, Adam and Drew

Jones, have developed a space

inspired by both the rich historic

and contemporary characteristics

of the city.

Taking traditional ingredients

and classic flavours, combined

with innovative ideas and cooking

techniques, Tattu will serve its

renowned Chinese-inspired cuisine

with a number of exclusive dishes

developed for the Edinburgh

menu by Executive Chef Andrew

Lassetter and his team.

Divine Divino Enoteca

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson

If I had a pound for every time I’m

asked the question, “Being a food

writer, do you get to go out for

lovely dinners?” I’d be a wealthy

woman, indeed.

I’d suggest Food Writer as a

possible career for anyone who

likes to be thoroughly spoilt,

lesser only to the professions of

motoring journalist or the elusive

wristwatch columnist sectors of

the petulant spoiled brats of the

scribing world.

So when I was asked to join

some of my fellow professionals

for a meal at Divino Enoteca I was

delighted.

Being an only child I’ve been

rather indulged in my time, my

parents took me out from a very

young age to fabulous restaurants,

so going for a splendid dinner

(with wine pairings!) I inherently

feel is no less than my due.

Divino Enoteca is beautiful! You

descend the stairs on Merchant

Street, in the heart of the old

town, to elegant fabulousness.

I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t been

before, and considering they

have a space age range of wine

tasting machines it really ought

to be my Mother Ship. Here you

can pop a pre-paid card into these

machines and try a small measure

or glass of a wide range of wines.

Some charge £50 for a few sips,

or a mouthful if you’re me. These

amazing contraptions can hold a

bottle of wine in a fresh state for

five years. It could be a good thing

I’m a new client for all concerned.

One of the reasons I was so

excited about the evening was to

meet Somelier Silvio Praino, who

I had heard much about. Silvio

is what we call, in the trade, a

character. A slimmed down David

Suchet might play him in a movie.

What Silvio doesn’t know about

Italian wine, ain’t worth learning.

We were treated to a four course

tasting menu with wine pairings

from Piedmont region. Good Lord,

it was an education.

When you ask Silvio about wine,

an encyclopedia opens up with the

vast knowledge of his noddle. His

wife must be a happy woman.

I did ask what I considered to

be an important question: before

Prosecco became popular, where

did all the Prosecco go? It turns

out that when Prosecco hit the

market Italy simply expanded the

area you could make Prosecco in.

You have to hand it to the Italians,

they don’t mess about.

Read about the marinated veal,

ravioli with fresh truffle and the

many fine wines I drank -

www.edinburghreporter.co.uk

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk FOOD 25

Juliet's Food Diary

end of it but couldn't leave a

grain of my Peterhead Smoked

Salmon Kedgeree and wolfed

down a sticky toffee macaron for

good measure. I’ve no doubt the

revamped Scottish Café will be

a resounding success. Owners

Victor and Carina are celebrating

the centenary of the Contini family

in Scotland and here’s to another

100!

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson

Bar and restaurant openings are

generally fun affairs, although

sipping fizz, air kissing and

negotiating canapés can be a

multitask too far.

I was rather delighted when

attending the reopening of The

Scottish Café that guests were

seated at tables with Contini

Prosecco and delectable treats

served to us in a calm and relaxed

atmosphere.

Delicate though the morsels

were, I felt rather stuffed at the

Congratulations to Stuart

Ralston and Krystal Goff at Aizle

for being placed fifth on the Trip

Advisor Travellers Choice awards

for the best fine dining restaurant

in the UK. Located on St Leonards

Street, Aizle was the first

restaurant in Edinburgh to offer a

surprise tasting menu, perfect for

taking out annoying people who

can make their minds up. From

sourdough to hand churned butter,

everything is made in house here

and they even grow some herbs

and vegetables ‘out the back’. It’s

great to see such dedication from

another husband and wife team

pay off.

How can you feel like you’ve

been in a children’s play park for

an hour? Be in a children’s play

park for five minutes.

The opening of The Vanilla Pod

on Leith Links gave me hope for

the chilly autumnal trips to the

slide and swings. Quickly famed

for its great coffee and home

made soups it seemed to be the

perfect addition for weary parents.

But sadly The Vanilla Pod was

closed down after one complaint

from the public which I gather

stated ‘the generator would scare

dogs’ and ‘the seating outside the

van would attract paedophiles.’

Goodness me.

Now a charming business has

been lost to the park, a place for

dog walkers to socialise, families

to eat and even a location for

entirely innocent lonely people

to enjoy a cup of tea, cheered

by the fun of the play park

nearby. When you consider the

utter bastardisation the council

welcome for the city's centre green

spaces over the festive period

it seems insane that a small

food and coffee van that offers

a welcomed public service is put

out of business. I hope the council

deign to temporarily refrain from

getting their knickers in a twist

over the commercialisation of

the city and get round to doing

the right thing for businesses

prepared to open all year round.

Legendary artist and all round

eccentric Salvador Dali originally

wanted to become a chef, and

even published a cookbook, Les

Diners de Gala, in 1973. With

only 400 copies printed publisher

Taschen is reissuing the book.

With 136 recipes, including a

section on aphrodisiacs, the book

is packed with surreal illustrations

and dishes including Veal Cutlets

Stuffed with Snails and Frog

Pasties. Not the kind of thing

you might pick up from Greggs.

However to genuinely entertain

like Dali and his wife Gala you’ll

also need a few wild animals as

extra guests for the dining room.

Victor & Carina at the opening party

Sublime Sundays at Hawksmoor

by Phyllis Stephen

Hawksmoor is set in a historical

building - the Art Deco former

banking hall just off St Andrew

Square.

It could oh so easily be terribly

formal - almost like a gentleman’s

club. But it’s not. Far from it.

Instead it breezes its way to a

Sunday afternoon hotspot with

jazz and light classic rock playing

in the background.

The lofty ceilings float above

the busy but actually quite restful

dining room and the waiting staff

are all in casual gear.

Escape here on a Sunday for a

perfectly cooked roast beef lunch

served beautifully pink with beef

dripping roast potatoes, a rich

bone marrow sauce served with

carrots, greens, roasted shallots

with a whole garlic bulb and

horseradish on the side.

The slow roast rump is started

on real charcoal and then finished

in the oven, only adding to the

overall beautiful flavour.

The French Syrah which

accompanied our meal was served

at perfect room temperature and

was utterly delicious.

The staff were solicitous without

being overbearing, and we could

easily have lingered a bit longer.

This was the most spectacular

Yorkshire Pudding crispy

which proved to be an ideal

accompaniment to the gravy

which we just could not get

enough of.

Then we felt quite obliged in the

interests of research to have the

Peanut butter shortbread with

salted caramel with chocolate

sauce. YUM!

Roast beef lunch at £20 each

was a bit of snip we felt for the

quality and the atmosphere.

(And of course if you desperately

have to go on Mondays you can

bring your own wine for a £5

corkage fee.)

The restaurant recently

celebrated its first birthday in the

capital, and we really think this

establishment is here to stay.

Hawksmoor Edinburgh 23 West

Register Street EH2 2AA 0131 526

4790

Open from 12 noon to 9.00pm

on Sundays.www.thehawksmoor.

com/edinburgh

26

FEATURE

Mairi Wilks is an Edinburgh

based textile and wallpaper

designer, but she has more than

November Crossword

Across

1. Critic inputs red components to

electronic boards (7, 8)

9. A ragman forms another word

from these letters (7)

10. Let a pet upset a painter's

board (7)

11. Light-sensitive device made from

wrapping cloth round pole (9)

12. Pet suitable for member of

Confederation of Registered Gas

Installers (5)

13. Nuts are affecting different

characteristics (7)

15. Forcibly eject or expel us (7)

17. Trap ape behind protective wall (7)

19. Withdraw part of the spare

traction engine (7)

21. Urn is smashed and left among

remains of buildings (5)

23. Got rid of unwanted, faded fool (9)

25. Succeed, in their place (7)

26. Send by plane ? Sorry, I'm a liar (7)

27. Episode on angler upsets one

who has retired (3, 3, 9)

Crossword by David Albury Answers on page 28

one string to her bow (and more

than one name!). Formerly a vet,

Mairi then studied photography

Down

1. Enclosure for children constructed

apparently without art (7)

2. Optical counterpart of strange

amigo (5)

3. Jet-engine built round pub or port (9)

4. Miss end of play due to poor

lighting (7)

5. Sudden urge to sup lime juice (7)

6. Using some glycol I cure

abdominal disease (5)

7. Words are Latin, I believe, for

"among other things" (5, 4)

8. Unable to reproduce copy of its reel (7)

14. Insert had become discoloured (9)

16. Rip up root to use with mixed

petals and spices (3, 6)

17. Riot cop damaged colonnade (7)

18. Wet spot disrupted gliding

dance (3-4)

19. Abstain from doing anything

about shape of rear fin (7)

20. Dirt led to small fish (7)

22. Some people push rug aside and

display indifference thus (5)

24. Draw off some old rain-water (5)


Meeting colourful Edinburgh designer Mairi Helena

STR8TS

Easy

3 1 7

7

1 6 7 2 9 8

5

9 7

8 5 3

8 2

6 9 5

5 6

How to beat Str8ts –

Like Sudoku, no single number 1 to 9 can repeat in any row

or column. But... rows and columns are

divided by black squares into compartments. 2 1 4 5

Each compartment must form a straight - 6 4 5 3 2

a set of numbers with no gaps but it can be

in any order, eg [7,6,9,8]. Clues in black cells

4 5 2 1

remove that number as an option in that row 4 3 6 2 1 5

and column, and are not part of any straight.

Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’

are formed.

3 5

2

2

1

1

3

4

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles

SUDOKU

and began using her photos to

create her striking and firmly

Scottish designs as Mairi Helena.

She explained that she loves

escaping to the outdoors with her

camera particularly on the west

coast of Scotland where she has

taken landscape photos and based

her designs on those.

She said : “I was building up

a large portfolio of pictures of

textures and colours and leaves

and lichens and trying to find a

way to showcase ‘Scottish’ as a

pattern.

“ I work in layers in Photoshop

and each design has about thirty

layers in it. I take elements of

my photographs, so for example

I might take the skeleton of a

thistle. I really just play around

of the different elements until I'm

1 9 3

6 3 9 7

4 5

5 7

4 7 3 1 2 8

4 5

2 1

1 5 8 3

7 9 1

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering

numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3

box contains every number uniquely.

For many strategies, hints and tips,

visit www.sudokuwiki.org for Sudoku

and www.str8ts.com for Str8ts.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10

11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24

25 26

27

Tough

If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our

books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles

happy with the section and then I

put it into a repeating print.”

Mairi is holding an Open House

at her home studio with textiles

and wallpapers on display on 16

November 2019.

In her Murrayfield home she

has different feature wallpapers

in each room and lots of textiles

on different furniture pieces. For

anyone looking for decorating

inspiration this will be a must

attend event. She explained :

"I get a lot of enquiries about

Douglas Watt's new

Jacobite book

by Dave Albury

In 1689 Scotland was in a state

of political unrest, with Bonnie

Dundee threatening to overthrow

the government and restore

James Stuart as King, and this

historical thriller is set against this

background of political intrigue.

John MacKenzie, an advocate,

finds himself with time on his

hands since his job as Clerk of

the Session had disappeared

with the great rebellion. And

when a body is revealed in the

Craigleith quarry by a storm

the city officials consider it too

trivial to worry about, but the

man’s family engage MacKenzie,

with the aid of his assistant,

Davie Scougall, to search for his

murderer. The atmosphere of the

darker, murky side of Edinburgh is

given life by the author a Scottish

history graduate. Who would

have imagined that there existed

dingy drinking dens that paid

little attention to licensing hours,

and that the streets teemed with

drunkards and ladies of the night .

. .The plot has as many turns and

twists as Edinburgh’s Old Town

streets and closes, with the odd

blind alley here and there. This is

people coming to to visit to see it

in situ so I've decided to have an

Open House event in November.

There’s information about it on my

website where you can RSVP to

the invitation.

Mairi Helena’s designs have been

used at the Scottish Café inside

the National Gallery of Scotland

and at the Wedding Suite in the

City Chambers.

Read the full interview online.

www.mairihelena.co.uk

the fourth in a series of thrillers

involving John MacKenzie, and

although it is inevitable that

comparisons are being drawn

with Rebus, it is perhaps nearer to

Holmes (an Edinburgh creation)

and Watson, as the gifted

amateurs. I shall certainly be

looking for the earlier adventures

and keep my eye out for future

ones.

Published by Luath Press Ltd

paperback £9.99 ISBN 978 – 1 –

912147 – 61 - 8

Get in

touch

today!

For editorial and

advertising enquiries

please email

editor@


@EdinReporter

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter



Finding out more about Agnostic Scotland

We met the founders of Agnostic

Scotland, Onie Linda and Andrea.

The body has its base in Edinburgh

and we wanted to find out about

the organisation.

Who or what is Agnostic

Scotland?

Agnostic Scotland is a not-forprofit

organisation offering

Wedding, Naming, Funeral and

other Life-Transition Ceremonies.

We believe that families should be

able to decide how and where they

choose to mark the momentous

occasions in their lives, however

big or small, religious or secular,

traditional or unconventional.

All surplus is reinvested into our

Agnostic Scotland Community

Fund, through which we seek to

provide affordable ceremonies

across Scotland. Our Community

Connection Gatherings are open to

all who wish to join our donationsbased

wellbeing workshops and

social events.

Why would I want to use

your services?

Every element of your ceremony

is tailored to your own unique

blend of wishes, beliefs and

values, whether these include

elements of faith-based, spiritual

or non-religious ethos. All

the words, rituals, music and

traditions included are entirely

your choice.

Grow Your Own Micro Herb Garden

Food expert Campbell Mickel,

co-owner of Merienda in

Stockbridge, tells us about micro

herbs. These are tender immature

plants, bursting with nutrients and

can be grown all year. They are

the seedlings of plants that are

usually harvested when they are

fully grown.

Campbell grows and harvests his

own micro herbs to add beauty,

flavour and freshness to any dish.

They can be grown in natural light,

but a sunny windowsill or under

grow lights is better.

Some companies offer

special Microgreen seed mixes

to experiment with at home.

Campbell recommends first

growing some Micro Coriander

- very easy, looks amazing and

compliments so many different

dishes. You need heat lights,

seeds, soil and water.

Harvest every 7-10 days by

cutting shoots just above ground

level with scissors. Many types

of herb can regrow several times.

Micro Herbs are best eaten right

after harvesting, but will keep in

Ceremonies can be funny-sweet,

deeply meaningful, make-youweep-while-you-laugh

hilarious,

heart-achingly poignant, timeless

and grand, sincere and serious,

gentle and thoughtful. They

can take place in grand hotels

or historic castles, on remote

beaches or windswept hilltops,

in gorgeous gardens, or your own

home.

It feels great a s a celebrant to

say “ Yes! Let’s do what you want

to do... it is your ceremony!”

What makes you different?

Until now, in Scotland, choice

has been limited for any couple

wishing to be legally married to

opt for either a religious, interfaith,

or non-religious ceremony.

There has been no legal option

available to couples wishing to

seal their marriage vows in an

Agnostic ceremony that uniquely

responds to and reflects their

unique beliefs, values and wishes.

Through Agnostic Scotland, we

can now offer a legally-recognised

and important additional option

to families by providing Agnostic

ceremonies that reflect and

respond to their own beliefs,

values and wishes, provided they

adhere to our moral and ethical

values.

We live in a society where many

individuals and families are no

a glass jar in the fridge for a few

days. Campbell recommends

serving a Micro Herb if their big

brother is present in the dish.

Four herbs to start :

Coriander - Coriander is full of

flavour. This leafy herb packs a

real aromatic punch

Pea shoots - Pea Shoots have a

nutty, distinct flavour and are full

longer choosing to conform to

and live by a single faith or belief.

Increasingly, as Independent

Celebrants,

we are being asked to provide

Agnostic ceremonies for families.

Ceremonies that reflect the

unique blend of individual and

shared beliefs within couples and

families, whether that include

elements of faith-based, spiritual

or non-religious ethos.

We are a group of Celebrants

who believe strongly that families

should be able to decide how

and where they choose to mark

the momentous occasions in

their lives, however big or small,

religious or secular, traditional

or unconventional. For those

that do not ascribe to any one

faith or a non-religious ethos, the

ceremony they choose for their

Wedding, Naming, Funeral, or any

other meaningful life-transition

event, should reflect and respond

to their own varied, often multifaceted,

sometimes shared and

occasionally contradictory beliefs.

In short, we believe there should

be an option for families to choose

an Agnostic ceremony, one that

puts them at the heart of their

ceremony.

How can people contact you?

Find out more about

Agnostic Scotland at www.

AgnosticScotland.org or email

hello@agnosticscotland.org

of vitamins A, B, C and E. They are

wonderful in a salad.

Garlic Chives - The shoots, once

cut, will add a slight garlic & onion

flavour to any dish that they are

added to.

Micro Radishes - The pleasantly

peppery radish Microgreens

boast a flavour similar to that of

root radishes.

28

PHOTO OF THE MONTH


Edinburgh University Teviot Row House Student

UnionUnioncafé1955 PHOTO Robert Blomfield

Lauren Cairns, Edinburgh University Teviot Row House Student Union café, receiving

MA First class honours in Business with Marketing July 2019 PHOTO David Cairns

Robert Blomfield recently had his photography of Edinburgh shown at the City Art Gallery. David Cairns from Edinburgh bought the

first picture above at the exhibition. He said: “My daughter then graduated from Edinburgh Uni so I snapped a similar view 55 years

later at her graduation. I wrote to Robert’s son who was delighted that his father’s work continued to be popular.”

Crossword Answers

Across: 1 Printed circuits, 9 Anagram, 10 Palette, 11 Photocell, 12 Corgi,

13 Natures, 15 Expulse, 17 Parapet, 19 Retract, 21 Ruins, 23 Offloaded,

25 Inherit, 26 Airmail, 27 Old age pensioner.

Down: 1 Playpen, 2 Imago, 3 Turboprop, 4 Dimness, 5 Impulse, 6 Colic,

7 Inter alia, 8 Sterile, 14 Tarnished, 16 Pot pourri, 17 Portico,

18 Two-step, 19 Refrain, 20 Tiddler, 22 Shrug, 24 Drain.

Get in touch today!

For editorial and advertising

enquiries please email

editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter


Want your photo featured here?

Email you photo to editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk

The Edinburgh

Sketcher

Christmas

commissions

Commission your own personal

ink and watercolour artwork from

the Edinburgh Sketcher.

Sketches can be drawn from

photographs of your favourite

view or scene, or perhaps your

ownEdinburgh home.

Mark will create a bespoke gift

for your loved one this Christmas.

Prices start at £75 and artwork

can come mounted or framed.

Mark is also running a sketching

workshop at Paper Tiger on

Stafford Street on 17 November

2019 when you can join him to

make your own Christmas cards.

Prepare to be inspired by the

Georgian architecture of the West

End and make cards you will be

happy to send this festive season!

email Mark at contact@

edinburghsketcher.com for more

information.


Call up the Care Crew

The Care Crew offers palliative

care, spinal care and also

dementia related care for their

clients.

The care company is also

familiar with the protocol for

medical care at home.

The business was founded by

Ben’s mother, Helen McDonald,

just over a decade ago with the

aim of raising the bar for the care

of the elderly.

Ben Macdonald told us about

the company he now runs. He

said : “The whole business came

about because my mum used

to work in care homes when

she was younger, and she saw

that the clients, the elderly, were

not getting the best possible

treatment.

“Being taken away from their

family and their home was clearly

very stressful for them - as if

dementia didn't take away enough

already - so she thought, why

not turn it on its head and send

fantastic carers, handpicked

by ourselves, into the clients’

homes?”

And that is exactly what The

Care Crew do: they offer a bespoke

in-home care service for those

who suffer from debilitating

illnesses or conditions in the latter

years of their lives.

Ben explained : “By delivering

the care in their own homes, the

clients can still maintain their

freedom.

“It’s not stripped away from them

by being restricted to a care home

room every day.

“Freedom is something that we

want to retain as much as possible

so there isn’t any part of Scotland

that we won’t go to.”

“Based in Perthshire, we have

clients as far west as Argyll and as

far north as Aberdeen, and we’ve

even been known to go abroad.”

Certainly, The Care Crew do not

hesitate to go the extra mile when

it comes to giving their clients a

first-class standard of care.

All of the company’s employees

are taught to treat their clients like

they would their own grandparents

or members of their family.

https://carecrew.co.uk

Tel : 07738 625 021

Advertising feature.

Celebrating the

Edinburgh Film Guild

Councillor Gillian Gloyer drew

the Edinburgh Film Guild to the

council's attention last month.

She explained its importance to

Edinburgh and asked the Lord

Provost to hold a civic reception at

the City Chambers to mark its 90th

consecutive season - which he

agreed to do.

The Edinburgh Film Guild

is, as she explains, the oldest

continually running film society in

the world.

"Even people who go to the

cinema a lot, even people who

go to Filmhouse a lot, often have

no idea that Edinburgh is home

to the oldest continually running

film society in the world - the

Edinburgh Film Guild.

"It was established in 1929 by

luminaries of Scottish film and

film studies - Forsyth Hardy and

Norman Wilson among others.

They were inspired by the Film

Society, set up in London in 1925.

And yet as John Grierson wrote

two decades later, "The old London

Film Society was the first to

break from somewhat exclusive

attention to the avant-garde and

take the longer and harder way of

the Russians and more purposive

users of the cinema. But it was

the Edinburgh Film Guild which

completed the movement - as

the London Film Society did not

- and saw the infinite variety of a

Film Society's obligations to all

categories of the medium".

We screen over sixty films a year

for our members. In this 90th year,

our programme includes Chinese,

Hungarian, Japanese and Mexican

films; British crime thrillers and

films noirs; sci-fi, giallo and

westerns. It also includes a

mini-season of films from the first

years of the Guild, by directors

such as Pabst and Sternberg.

The Guild not only screens

films for its members, it is also

an educational charity. We run

film and media courses, often in

conjunction with Lifelong Learning

at the University of Edinburgh.

We have sponsored lectures as

part of the Film Festival. All our

activities are run by volunteer

members of the Guild. We have

our own 31-seat cinema within

Filmhouse, and a club-room where

members can relax before or after

our screenings and chat to each

other about the films they have

seen. We welcome new members

and you can become one for as

little as £25!

The Edinburgh Film Guild has

been contributing to the city’s

cultural life and educating our

citizens about cinema for nine

decades.

Care Crew are here to provide a quality

care service in our clients’ own homes

Call us on:

07738 625 021

www.carecrew.co.uk

30

SPORT


Ladies Football - Spartans host

Motherwell

by Thomas Brown

Spartans Women and Motherwell

shared the spoils at Ainslie Park

last week after the home side let a

two-goal lead slip.

Debbie McColloch’s side took the

lead when Becky Galbraith broke

away from the defender in the box

All photos Thomas Brown

and calmly slotted the ball into

the net.

Katie Frew then doubled

Spartans lead before the interval

with a cross come shot that sailed

into the net.Despite Spartans

dominant first half performance

the visitors pulled one back just

before the interval.

This spurred Motherwell on and

they were in control of the second

half but couldn’t find an equaliser

until the last minute when they

awarded a penalty kick.

The striker stepped up and rolled

the ball in the net to ensure them

a point.

Special Guest at

Football Memories

Hibs’ legend Pat Stanton

attended the Football Memories

meeting at Easter Road earlier

this month and enthralled the

members and volunteers during

a question and answer session

conducted by club historian Tom

Wright.

Around 100 attended the event

which was held in the Behind

the Goals bar in the Famous Five

Stand, the largest number since

the initiative began eight years

ago.

Pat recalled his home debut

against Dundee where he was

asked to mark the great Gordon

Smith who was a hero of his father

and also playing with and against

many great players in the sixties

and seventies.

He maintained that Willie

Hamilton was the best player he

played with at Hibs and told tales

of the many glorious European

nights under the floodlights.

Pat recently turned 75 and a

special event was held for him

at the Usher Hall where he was

joined on stage by numerous

former team-mates and friends

including Sir Alex Ferguson.

Tom presented Pat with a

matchday programme from

The Team For Me

Does your life revolve around

your football team? Does your

team’s result on a Saturday make

or break your weekend? Would you

leave your wife on the day she was

due to give birth to go to a cup

final 140 miles away? Or miss your

daughter’s 4th birthday because

you were in Madrid for a UEFA Cup

tie?

The Edinburgh Reporter’s Mike

Smith is a life-long Hearts fan

having followed Edinburgh’s oldest

football club for half a century. The

Team For Me is his latest book

with a foreword by Jim Jefferies

and is the ideal Christmas gift

for Hearts supporters. Available

in all good bookshops and from

Amazon.

by Thomas Brown

Hibs Ladies hosted newly

crowned league champions,

Glasgow City, at Ainslie Park last

week and Scott Booth’s team

showed why they are champs.

The visitors took the lead after

sixteen minutes when Clare Shine

broke away and prodded the ball

under advancing Hibs keeper and

into the net.

Despite good spells of play from

Hibs they went in at half time a

goal down.

a game against Clyde on 3

November 1973 where he scored

his only hat-trick for the club and

made a donation to his favoured

charities, CLASP Children with

Cancer and Leukemia Advice and

Support for Parents and Muirfield

Riding.

Hibs Ladies v Glasgow

City

After the break Hibs started

to control the play but found

themselves two behind when City

struck with a good counter-attack.

A crossed ball landed at the feet of

Megan Foley and she smashed the

ball into the back of the net.

Hibs did pull one back through

Collette Cavanagh who got on the

end of a perfectly placed cross

to head the ball beyond the City

keeper.

Late in the game Jordan

McLintock secured the three

points when she broke away from

the defence before slotting the ball

home.

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk SPORT 31

IFSC European Lead Climbing Championship 2019

Words and Photos by John

Preece

At the beginning of October the

Edinburgh International Climbing

Arena (EICA): Ratho took centre

stage as it welcomed some of the

world’s leading sport climbing

athletes for the IFSC European

Climbing Championships 2019.

With nineteen countries

represented, and a total of 179

athletes taking part across Lead

and Speed, Sunday tickets at EICA

Ratho for the Semi-Final and Lead

Final were a sell-out.

The atmosphere in the arena

on both days was buzzing with

excitement and anticipation as

the routes laid out were extremely

challenging, leading to a great deal

of tension amongst the spectators

as even some of the favourites fell

off unexpectedly.

Men's Lead Gold finally went to

Adam Ondra of Czech Republic,

one of the best rock climbers in

history and currently training for

Olympic qualification for Tokyo

2020. Silver went to Alberto Ginés

López of Spain and Bronze went to

Sascha Lehmann of Switzerland.

The Women’s Lead event was

won by Lucka Rakovec of Slovenia,

with Laura Rogora of Italy taking

Silver, and Luce Douady of France

taking Bronze.

A number of GB Climbing

athletes were looking to hit those

buzzers and took to the spotlight

in front of a home crowd. With

the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

just around the corner, it was the

perfect international stage for

these young climbers to rack up

some more experience and hone

their skills.

Some of the easy looking

sections produced problems.

Three or four climbers could be on the wall at any one time for qualifying.

Only one GBR male made it through to the Men's Final.

A leap of faith for this

Czech competitor.

Eventual Women's Champion, Lucka Rakovec, solves a tricky section.

We’re social!


ai15722541481_Xmas reporter ad back page.pdf 1 28/10/2019 09:15

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journey at edinburghtrams.com

The Edinburgh Reporter November 2019

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