The Edinburgh Reporter April 2020

April 2020

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk

#Stayathome

The whole of the UK is now

on lockdown as a result of the

Covid-19 pandemic.

The streets are empty and

some businesses have taken the

extra precaution of boarding up

windows.

The Edinburgh Reporter is

#savelocaljournalism #ThereWithYou

committed to bring you the latest

news on our website where a live

news feed with news from primary

sources runs 24 hours a day.

It is key that news is sifted for

truth and that notwithstanding the

crisis, that governments, national

and local, are held to account.

That is where local journalism

comes in. It is where it matters

and can have the biggest impact.

The Independent Community

News Network (ICNN) of which

we are a member is lobbying

government for support. In an

open letter ICNN explained: " The

majority of these news publishers

rely on local businesses

advertising.

"That advertising has almost

disappeared overnight as

businesses are forced to stop

trading. Most advertisers have

already cancelled, the rest will

soon follow.

"According to our figures, if ICNN

was considered a co-operative

media organisation, we would

be the fourth largest news

organisation in the UK. In addition

– we are over a third bigger than

the fifth (Archant) and sixth

(Tindle), combined."

We hope to weather this storm,

and we hope you do too.

The Edinburgh Reporter

2 NEWS


NEWS 3

ABOUT US

This month’s paper should be

full of life and colour. It is a little

difficult to find that when everyone

is confined to barracks. It is trite

to say that even a month ago we

could not have envisaged what

has happened in the world due

to the coronavirus pandemic. We

know now.

Staying at home is easier for

some than others, and our NHS

workers and all caring staff have

little option but to be there on the

frontline.

Journalists and photographers

are in the key workers category

and I have been to some of the

media briefings at St Andrew's

House. Whatever your politics, the

assurance with which the First

Minister, the Chief Medical Officer

and the Health Secretary deliver

the key message of the day is

impressive. The message has of

course changed each day, but the

delivery has not. In contrast with

other governments elsewhere,

The Scottish Government has

communicated well.

In case you have not heard

his name please listen to any

messages from the National

Clinical Director, Jason Leitch.

His explanations of 'flattening the

curve' and 'social distancing' are

clear and concise.

Follow @jasonleitch on Twitter.

We are running a live news feed

on the front page of our website

and will continue to do so for as

long as we are able to.

Many of you have sent us extra

donations - we are truly grateful

to you when many jobs are on the

line and some people have little or

no resources.

We have some ideas for you to

while away the hours at home

where our What's On pages

usually are. As you are well aware

everything is on hold. There are

many good resources for adults

and children, so as long as the

internet holds up there are many

things to see and do to take your

mind off the daily news bulletins.

There are many who have

volunteered in different ways and

we take our hats off to them.

Our newspaper can be delivered

to your front door if you wish. If

you would like to be included in

our deliveries then please email

us.

Meantime stay safe, wash your

hands and be kind to your social

distance partners.

Phyllis Stephen Editor

editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk

Editor: Phyllis Stephen


07791 406 498

From the Lord Provost

Edinburgh our capital city a

bustling metropolis, a world

heritage city and the world’s

Festival City.

A city which attracts millions of

visitors from around the world, and

which on any given day you will

hear dozens of different languages

in our cafés, bars, restaurants and

shops.

Two weeks ago this would have

been a description of Edinburgh

which most people would have

recognised. That was before

Covid-19. Today it is a city in

lockdown, deserted streets,

businesses closed, schools

closed and the majority of citizens

following the best medical advice

and staying at home.

These are not normal times and

while we face an uncertain few

weeks there is also an opportunity

to consider what kind of city and

society we want when we come

out of the current crisis as we

surely will.

One immediate change will be

how we value specific jobs and

careers. Doctors, nurses and

other health workers will be at the

pinnacle of societal appreciation.

Shop workers and shelf stackers

will be seen in a new, and

hopefully more appreciative,

light. Public sector staff who will

ensure that our city continues to

operate during this crisis might be

recognised for the jobs they do.

Normally, as we look to

improve our city we have to fight

against the “dead weight” of the

status quo. This is true of all

our major strategic initiatives

from Low Emission Zones, City

Centre Transformation, Tourism

management and the pressures

from ever increasing commuting.

In an attempt to overcome this,

The Rt Hon Lord Provost of Edinburgh Frank Ross

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Road, 34 Hillhouse Road, 111 Piersfield

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status quo, we normally focus

on mid to long term planning to

implement incremental change,

the most recent of these initiatives

being the 2050 Vision project

which engaged with 50,000

citizens and identified the guiding

principles of sustainability,

thriving, connected and fair.

However difficult the current

Covid-19 crisis is it may have a

silver lining in that the status quo

has been blown apart. We have a

unique opportunity to implement

some of our mid to long term

goals today.

There is no need to automatically

revert to how things were

immediately before the current

crisis, indeed there is a need not

to do so. People’s lives and their

routines have been turned on their

heads.

Businesses will be considering

if working from home is the new

normal, possibly dramatically

reducing commuting. Tourism will

not automatically rebound with the

result that there will be reduced

demand for short term lets, retail

will need to reinvent itself and our

festivals may need to reshape how

they deliver their programmes.

Obviously our immediate

priority has to be the safety of

our citizens and we must follow

the best medical advice if we are

to minimise the impact on our

citizens and our city.

However we should use this time

to be bold and make the changes

we know will improve the quality of

life for all citizens for generations

going forward.

In many instances we will be

starting with a blank canvas. Let’s

ensure that the picture we paint is

a forward-looking one.

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We welcome contributions to our website and newspaper.

WhatsApp is

running the

country

by Christine Jardine MP

It’s been astonishing watching

how well people have been getting

to grips with life in this strange

and restricted time.

Coronavirus has created a

different way of life and, even

though there has been some

panic buying and some have

found social distancing more

difficult than others, we are largely

adapting.

Politicians too are dealing with a

very different set of problems from

those constituents were coming to

us with as recently as two weeks

ago.

Among them are constituents

trapped half-way across the

world, and their families at home

who need the one word which is

becoming the most important in

the politicians’ lexicon.

Reassurance.

I am normally no fan of either of

our Government’s – UK or Scottish

– but that does not matter in this.

All of us have a duty to work

together to make sure that the

public has the information and

that word reassurance that they

need.

While there are some steps that

the UK Government is that I

would normally want more time to

question, in these circumstances

I am willing to offer a measure of

trust, but make it clear that trust

must not be abused.

I will continue to scrutinise and

ask for changes but co-operation

and mutual support for the public

must come first.

Last week that co-operation was

evident at Westminster in a way

that has not always been the case.

MPs’ WhatsApp has never

been busier with cross-party

conversation.

And that is as vital to the people

we serve as it is to all of us as

individuals in tackling this.

Because if we trust each other we

can build a positive way ahead.

More news from our Edinburgh

politicians on pages 8-11.

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The Orchard Project

Greyfriars Kirk are taking part in

a new ecumenical project to create

an orchard in the churchyard.

The Orchard Project believes

that community orchards can

transform lives, build resilient

communties and improve

wellbeing by helping nature to

thrive. In the last 10 years more

than 420 community orchards

have been planted.

Five heritage fruit trees which

were celebrated in the 17th

century were planted as part of

Church and Community Orchards

Twinning programme and to

mark the 400th anniversary of

Greyfriars.

Visiting minister Rev. Anne Ross

described the new project: “If I

knew that tomorrow was the end

of the world, I would plant an apple

tree today. Martin Luther is often

quoted as saying apple trees are a

sign of hope.

"They are an investment in the

future. In our case an investment

in the future of the Greyfriars’

congregation, the Grassmarket

Community Project and the future

of the Kirkyard. We want to make

this green spot in the middle of the

Old Town even greener. We want

to observe the seasons through

the apple and pear trees. We want

to look at them as signs of God’s

generosity and life in fullness that

he wants for us to experience.

People from the Grassmarket

Community Project and the

congregation want to care for the

trees jointly and will be trained

in doing so. Being aware of the

long history of the church and the

kirkyard, the selected varieties will

include heritage apples from the

17th century.”

The project in Scotland has been

inspired by a similar initiative in

Hungary, where the Reformed

Church planted more than 6,000

native Hungarian fruit trees in 165

church gardens.

Rev Dr Richard Frazer, minister

of Greyfriars Kirk, was very keen

to take part in the initiative. He

said: “The Orchard Project forms

part of our vision at Greyfriars to

tend and care for our immediate

environment, to engage members

of the Greyfriars congregation,

members of the Grassmarket

Community Project (GCP) and

local people to work together to

beautify our famous and historic

Kirkyard.

“Greyfriars is celebrating its

400th anniversary in 2020 with a

range of exciting events running

throughout the year, but the story

of Greyfriars goes further back, as

far as the 1400s, when a group of

Franciscan Friars established an

apothecary garden in what is now

the Greyfriars Kirkyard.

“They grew medicinal herbs to

treat the sick and tended to the

needs of the poor.

James Houldsworth planting the first of five fruit trees in Greyfriars churchyard with Chris the gardener, Rev

Anne Ross who is visiting from Germany, Rev Urzula Glienecke, the Greyfriars Kirk probationer minister,Jenny

Payton-Williams and Paul Williams who is leading the Church and Community Orchards project for The Church

of Scotland. 15 March 2020 Photo: Martin P. McAdam www.martinmcadam.com

"In 2010, we began to grow herbs

again in the Kirkyard as one of

the many therapeutic projects we

undertake in the GCP.

“In the past, fruit trees were

cultivated here, and there are still

a couple of very ancient crab apple

trees that produce fruit every year.

“Just as we make use of the

herbs we grow, so also, in time, we

will be making jams and chutneys

with our apple harvest.

“For many years, one of our aims

has been to work in partnership

with others to enhance the

biodiversity of the Kirkyard and

to improve the experience of the

hundreds of thousands of visitors

who find their way to this green

oasis in the heart of the Old Town

of Edinburgh.

“We are delighted to be working

with Eco-Congregation Scotland

and overseas partners in this

international project to care for our

environment.”

St Ninian's Scottish Episcopal

Church in Comely Bank is also

taking part in the scheme

which is assisted by £17,000 of

funding from European Christian

Environmental Network.


4 NEWS


NEWS 5

Civic pride makes it easy to clock on for summertime in Edinburgh

by Stephen Rafferty

We’ve been springing forward

since 1916, when the Summer

Time Act was passed at the height

of the First World War.

Moving our watches and clocks

forward by one hour officially

marks the start of British Summer

Time (BST) – we have more light

in evening but less in the mornings

– and it followed a campaign

started in 1907 by William Willett

to stop people wasting valuable

hours of light in the summer.

Almost everyone of a certain

generation relies on their phone or

mobile device to provide accurate

time but for traditionalists there

is no shortage of “civic clocks” in

and around Edinburgh from which

they can take the time of day.

In fact, according to Edinburgh

City Council, there are 38 civic

clocks or timepieces under their

care and which are maintained

by the famous Edinburgh

clockmakers James Ritchie & Son.

Here are a few of The Edinburgh

Reporter’s favourites –

Bank Clock, Stockbridge

Housed in the building of the

former Edinburgh Savings Bank,

then Trustee Savings Bank, and

now part of Pizza Express, it has

guarded the main thoroughfare in

Stockbridge beside the Water of

Leith since 1900.

Morningside Clock

This originally stood in the

middle of the road and was the

clock for Morningside Station

which operated from 1884 until

it closed to passengers in 1962.

The clock was designed by

James Ritchie & Son and was

cast at the Saracen Foundry

in Glasgow and installed in

1910. It was gifted to the city by

Councillors Inches, Inman and

Torrance, representatives for

the Morningside ward at a time

when you could travel by train

from Morningside to Waverley via

Haymarket in just 13 minutes.

Bell's Tower Clock, Lothian Road

Once the bane of Usher Hall

audiences because its chimes

could be heard during concerts,

the clock was gifted to the city

in 1962 by distillers Arthur Bell &

Sons.

Designed by T W Alexander of

West Linton and built by Stuart

McLashen & Co of Canonmills,

in 2010 the clock was lifted by a

300 tonne crane and relocated

to its present location in Festival

Square.

Tollcross Pillar Clock

type of mechanism. In 1969 it

was converted to an electric

mechanism located between the

dials. Junction improvements in

1974 led to the clock's removal,

causing public consternation, as a

result of which it was returned to a

spot close to its original position.

St Stephen's Church

Housed in a 160ft tower, the

clock of the William Henry Playfair

designed church in Stockbridge

boasts the longest clock

pendulum in Europe. The church

was completed in 1828 at a cost

of £18,975 and was designed for a

congregation of 1,600 God fearing

souls, which at one point included

the parents of Robert Louis

Stevenson. The church and clock

tower now has claim to being

one of the most photographed

in Scotland by dint of nearby

picturesque Circus Lane, which

has become a favourite spot for

Instagrammers who descend

daily on the cobbled street to take

photographs.

War Memorial - Hearts Clock

Located at Haymarket is the

war memorial in the form of a

clock tower, principally for former

players of Heart of Midlothian FC

who gave their lives in the two

World Wars but also for players

from other Scottish clubs who

made the ultimate sacrifice,

including Hibs, Raith Rovers,

Dunfermline, East Fife and St

Bernard's. Unveiled in 1922, the

memorial was designed by the

sculptor Henry Snell Gamley and

the clock itself by James Ritchie

& Son.

Floral Clock, West Princes Street

Gardens.

Arguably Edinburgh’s most

famous clock, alongside the

Balmoral Hotel clock which has

chased travellers toward departing

trains at Waverley Station.

The first of its kind in the world,

the Floral Click was installed in

1903 and initially operated with

just an hour hand, with a minute

hand added in 1904.

For the next seven decades the

clock mechanism had to be wound

daily until it was mechanised in

1972.

The cuckoo, which every child

of Edinburgh must have stopped

to watch at some point in their

young lives, did not come home

to roost until 1952 and it now

appears every hour. It takes three

gardeners six weeks to plant more

than 35,000 plants used in the

design, which each year follows

a topical theme, and the clock

flowers from July until October.

Not that we want to remind you,

but the clocks go back one hour

on Sunday 25 October to mark the

official start of winter.

Gifted to the city in 1901 by

Lord Provost James Steel and

city treasurer Robert Cranston,

the Tollcross Clock is one of four

similar Edinburgh clocks made by

James Ritchie & Son. Originally

a weight-driven pendulum clock,

it was altered to a spring-driven

mechanism in 1926 and was

one of the largest street clocks

in Britain to be driven by this

The famous Floral Clock in Princes Street Gardens

St Paul's Church Pilrig All photos Martin McAdam

Bank Clock, Stockbridge

Tollcross Clock

St Stephen's Church has the longest clock pendulum in Europe

Bell's Tower Clock

War Memorial, Hearts Clock

6 NEWS


NEWS 7

Just Eat Cycles news

The city's cycle hire company put

out a recent message:

"We want to thank our customers

for their cooperation and

understanding as we navigate

through this period of uncertainty.

We will focus our efforts on

cycle hire points that are used by

key workers, including the city’s

largest hospitals.

These stations have been

expanded (virtually) to allow for

increased number of users. As a

result, we will operate a reduced

service across the rest of the

scheme.

We will have fewer bikes and a

reduced customer service support

function (contact will now be

exclusively via the Just Eat Cycles

App) – that will service demand.

This situation remains dynamic

and we encourage our customers

to monitor our social channels for

future updates.

Again, we want to wish all of our

customers well and thank them for

their patience throughout these

challenging times."

The Just Eat Cycles team had

just welcomed the arrival of 168

new e-bikes earlier in the month.

The bikes were provided with

help from an investment by Energy

Saving Trust who have provided

TfE with funding for 68 e-bikes.

by John Knox

A few short weeks ago,

coronavirus was something

affecting a far off city in China

which few of us had ever heard of.

Then suddenly it was in not-sofar-away

Italy.

The wave seemed to get

bigger and more threatening as

it approached us. Now it has

overwhelmed the whole world,

killing thousands and causing

economic and social meltdown.

Who would have thought those

few short weeks ago that our

schools would be closed, pubs

and restaurants shut down by

government order, all public

events cancelled, all non-urgent

operations postponed to free

up 3,000 hospital beds and all

of us told to work from home

if possible and observe “social

They run a grant scheme which

TfE accessed, but which is also

available to anyone wanting to buy

an e-bike or an electric cargo bike.

The new e-bikes have a

maximum speed of 15 mph

making Edinburgh’s hills easier to

tackle.

· 168 e-bikes have been

phased into the current scheme

and use the same Just Eat Cycles

app.

· They are available to hire

and drop off at the existing 90 hire

points which are already home to

over 500 pedal bikes.

· Made in Britain by Pashley,

the e-bikes are similar to the

existing pedal models but have a

slightly different frame and a new

colour scheme.

· The rentable e-bikes will

be unlockable for £1.50 - the

same price as a single journey

on the existing pedal bikes - but

will come with an additional per

minute charge of 10p.

Users with an Annual, Uni or

24 hour subscription can unlock

e-bikes for no charge other than

the 10p per minute tariff.

Transport and Environment

Convener Councillor Lesley

Macinnes said at the launch of

the ebikes: “I’m delighted to be

launching the brand new e-bikes

King’s on hold for now

by Nigel Duncan

Bosses of Edinburgh’s popular

King’s Theatre have confirmed

that the redevelopment project

scheduled to start in September

2021 will be temporarily paused.

Capital Theatres, the charitable

trust which runs the theatre,

as well as others in the capital

will now explore the potential of

starting the project 12 months

later, in September 2022.

The King’s, which was opened

in 1906, is an important venue

for touring drama, musicals and

children’s shows.

It is also home to Scotland’s

biggest pantomime production

and each year plays a pivotal

role in hosting the Edinburgh

International Festival.

Dame Joan Stringer, chair,

said: “We are responding to

unprecedented circumstances.

“Our project board and main

B=board met this week during

which we considered the impact

of the coronavirus on our plans for

the King’s redevelopment.

distancing” and “self-isolation.”

And who would have imagined a

Conservative government ditching

“austerity” and announcing a

public spending programme the

like of which we’ve not seen since

the Second World War. Then the

unimaginable - the lockdown

that we have seen in these

other countries arrived on our

doorsteps.

The SNP Scottish government

has abandoned its plan to hold a

second independence referendum

this year.

And there’s even talk of putting

Brexit on hold for an indefinite

period.

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon,

wasted no time in taking the lead,

closing schools, cancelling exams,

calling for football matches and

other large gatherings to be


Learning to live with the virus

E-bikes are now part of the Just Eat Cycles fleet. Photo Martin P McAdam

for Edinburgh, which I know will

open up the bike hire scheme to so

many more people.

“What is absolutely clear is

that we all remain committed

to delivering on our plans to

redevelop the King’s into a modern

venue, celebrating its rich heritage

whilst sustaining it for future

generations of enjoyment.

“We are, however, realistic

and recognise that the current

situation will affect our ability to

deliver the project in our current

timescales.”

She added: “We are now moving

into discussions with principal

funders the City of Edinburgh

Council and the National Heritage

Lottery Fund alongside our design

team to pause the project.”

abandoned, always a day or two

ahead of the UK government.

And people, by and large, have

accepted her judgement.

I notice in my local supermarket

some panic buying, but not much.

People are standing correctly at

a distance from each other.

The parks around me and the

Pentland Hills were peppered with

individuals and family groups out

walking at the weekend, but all

now are closed.

Charities are organising food

deliveries to the elderly. Everyone

is being exceptionally polite and

helpful.

But there are troublesome

questions in the air. How long can

this last ? What will the brave new

world look like when the pandemic

is over?

"We’re working hard to make

cycling a safer, more attractive and

accessible transport option for all

those who live in and visit the city.

Call for free transport

for NHS worker

The Scottish Government has

announced that it will provide bus

operators with additional financial

assistance to maintain essential

services.

Environmental campaigners are

calling for people working for the

NHS and other essential services

to be exempted from fares through

this period.

Friends of the Earth Scotland

Air Pollution Campaigner Gavin

Thomson commented:“Reliable

public transport is key to

managing this crisis and

reducing our climate emissions.

Government intervention will be

central to achieving both these

goals.

“This increased Scottish

Government support recognises

"his addition will make a real

difference."

the key role that bus services play

for critical workers, such as NHS

staff. Government and industry

should also be exploring whether

those critical staff could be

exempted from fares during this

crisis.”

“Under the conditions of the

lockdown, very few of us will

be taking public transport at

the moment and services are

already being reduced. We echo

the deserved praise for those

public transport workers who are

continuing to provide these vital

public services throughout this

period. Any government support

for the bus industry during this

crisis, or in future, should ensure

these vital workers are prioritised

and protected.”

A message from

Cramond Volunteers

An example of an offer of help in

one corner of Edinburgh.

Hello – This card comes from

your neighbours in Cramond &

Barnton!

If you are self-isolating or ill,

and need any shopping or errands

run, mail posted, prescriptions

collected – or simply want a wee

chat over the phone – contact

us and we’ll put one of your

neighbours in touch. You can

e-mail us at CramondVolunteers@

gmail.com or call Cramond Kirk

on 0131 336 2036. Should no-one

pick up, leave your name and

telephone number and one of our

volunteers will be in touch asap.

If you’d like to support those in

need within our community, join

CramondVolunteers:facebook.

com

The Venchie ‘starved of council funding’

By Phyllis Stephen

Although The City of Edinburgh

Council has still to decide on

the allocation of grants from

September onwards, they have

said they will continue payments

to existing grant holders until 31

August 2020.

The email which the council

sent out to all applicants was

not entirely clear however, and

some of those whose fate will be

decided in May misunderstood the

message, thinking they had been

overlooked.

At the March meeting of the

Culture and Communities

Committee, the committee room

was full of applicants whose

requests for money had been

rejected.

The council has clarified that

new awards to be made under

the 2020-23 Communities and

Families Grant Programme will

start on 1 September 2020, and

no decision has yet been made

on who will receive funds. This

round of funding will be decided

at a committee meeting planned

for May, although it could fall to be

decided by council leaders owing

to the interim arrangements during

Covid-19.

During the government lockdown

there is all the more need for those

community projects doing good

work to keep it up.

One of those groups is The

Venchie Children and Young

People's Project in Craigmillar.

Their request for a Third Party

Grant of £100,000 was rejected

Editor: Phyllis Stephen


07791 406 498

earlier this month, although it

could of course be under review.

During school term The Venchie

runs a very successful breakfast

club. This sometimes involves

going to the homes of the young

people they are assisting, bringing

them to their base on Niddrie

Mains Terrace, and then helping

them on their way to school with a

good breakfast inside them.

Now it is all different, except to

a degree it is much the same.

There are people in need and The

Venchie is there to help. As a

result of the council's Third Party

Grants funding being in limbo, they

are continuing to do this without

any council funding.

The group receives help in the

form of food from Cyrenians

charity, Greggs and Lid for

Rotary’s Community

Chest

Members of the Currie

Balerno Rotary Club met with

representatives of organisations

which had received grants from

the Rotary’s Community Chest.

The Club allocated £3,000 to

modest projects providing local

benefit. Then Balerno Village

Trust joined in and the two

organisations now look after the

fund between them, giving out

grants twice a year.

Funding of £6000 per year is

contributed equally by the Rotary

Club, Balerno Village Trust and

CALA Homes.

The guests seen in the photo

represent the Balerno Tennis

Club, Riding for Disabled,

Balerno Community High

School, Handicabs, Ratho

Community Council Environment

Group, Nether Currie Primary

School, Kirknewton Community

Development Trust, Balerno Village

Trust, Youth Vision and Currie

Football.

The evening started with an

introduction by Rotarian, Roy

redistribution.

Susan Heron, Manager at The

Venchie explained what they are

doing each day.

She said: "We come in daily and

are preparing meals. One day we

might prepare chicken curry and

rice and that will be kept in the

fridge all night, and then handed

out cold next day with instructions

on how to reheat it.

"We've also been working with

Social Bite giving out around 200

of their packed lunches. We have

sanitary products on the bus, fruit

and veg and oatcakes. We also

have extra food, soup and pastas,

and we're making maybe 60 of

them daily.

"We give the food to children and

families in the Craigmillar area,

some we know and some who are

Stirrat, and, after an enjoyable

buffet supper, Sarah Beauregard

gave a presentation showing

a group of young people from

Youth Vision sinking a water bore

hole and constructing a wooden

operations hut.

Club President Lindsay Craig

closed the meeting.

new to us.

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

We welcome contributions to our website and newspaper.

"The other day we parked up

at Greendykes, and one of the

workers from the care home came

to get some sandwiches for the

pensioners living there."

The staff from The Venchie and

their volunteers all take care and

wear masks and aprons while

distributing the food round the

local area.

Susan continued: "We applied

to the council and didn't get

anywhere with it. We've been

put out of the mix on these third

party grants. We get food from

Cyrenians and for a long time

now we have had some extra.

As we knew we were not getting

any funding from the council, we

'stockpiled' food. Luckily we have

four freezers full of fresh produce

and chicken and mince so that we

can still help right now.

"There's two members of staff

covering the base here, and two

members of staff going out in the

minibus. So we are covering four

bases in the area each day.

"We understand that people might

not want to come out of their

homes now. But if they see us and

want to flag us down then we will

stop and we will go and put some

food at their door.

"We have been handing out

flowers as well because we get the

excess food from Lidl. So we've

been inundated with flowers. We

went to a pensioners' block just

across the road from us and left

flowers and a packed lunch on

their doorsteps, calling out to them

to tell them what we'd left."

Difficult to be a

Rotarian

This is a difficult time to be a

Rotarian, as neither Fellowship nor

Service to Others are particularly

easy to practise in these days of

enforced “social distancing” and/

or “self-isolation”.

So, does that mean that Rotary

is suspended for the foreseeable

future?

Certainly not! Rotarians are

nothing if not resilient and able to

adapt to circumstances.

There are ways to continue

fellowship without face-to-face

meetings.

Clubs are forming WhatsApp

groups and using both phone

conferencing and video

conferencing to hold meetings.

Sometimes all Club Members,

sometimes members of Club

Committees join in, so that both

fellowship and planning for the

@EdinReporter


Susan was emphatic about the

message she wants to send to

the council. She said: "The council

is not funding us, but we are

still here. We are needed in this

community.

"There are three projects in this

community who work with under

twelves. Due to the fiasco with

third party grants, not one of these

projects has been funded. So that

means that there is no council

provision in this area for under

twelves now."

Mike Bridgman is a director of

The Venchie and a former city

councillor. He said: "This is

essential work we are doing. We

applied again this year but sadly

this council appears to have

no social conscience. They are

funding larger organisations and

not grass roots organisations like

this which should be supported.

The council is starving our project

of funding, but people are using

the service which is vital to the

community. We need help."

The Venchie are on the streets of

Craigmillar and area from 11am to

1pm and at the base from 8.30am

to 3pm.

future can continue.

Similarly, our national governing

body, Rotary in Great Britain and

Ireland, has circulated guidance on

how Rotarians can work with local

groups supporting the vulnerable

and isolated, including practical

tasks such as delivering food

parcels and emergency supplies to

older people.

So, you may not see Rotarians,

identifiable as such, out on the

streets collecting money for our

“End Polio Now” campaign or

running Charity Golf Tournaments,

as many would be doing in a

normal spring and summer, but

rest assured that they are still

meeting, planning and performing

“Service above Self”.

These are the things that

Rotarians do best!

For more information on this and

any other aspect of Rotary contact

secretary@rotary1020.org.

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter


8 POLITICS


POLITICS 9

Biggest challenge of a lifetime

by Gordon Lindhurst MSP

We are facing the biggest health

challenge of our lifetimes with

the coronavirus outbreak and we

must all do our bit by following the

Government guidance by staying

at home to help protect lives.

Our NHS services across

Edinburgh are under incredible

pressure and I want to pay tribute

to each and every single health

worker currently on the frontline

fighting the crisis. I am delighted

that charges for parking for

NHS staff at the Royal Infirmary

Edinburgh have been scrapped for

three months. Anything we can

do to support our wonderful NHS

staff during this is welcome and

that is just the start.

In order to try and beat this

devastating virus as soon as we

possibly can, we need to follow

the government advice we have

been given on social distancing.

Hopefully, the sooner we all apply

the guidelines, the sooner our lives

should return to normal.

Of course we need to maintain

social contact through other than

face to face means. Whether by

telephone, email or online, we can

keep in touch and look after each

other.

Of course, as always, social

media and other forms of contact

are no answer to everything! Don’t

let them take over your life –

maybe read a book you’ve not had

time to, organise your home, clear

out quality things you don’t need

by putting them aside to donate

to charity once this is all over.

Everyone will have ideas of their

own.

It is not an easy adjustment for

anyone and that is why it is vital

we all look out for each other. By

showing kindness and supporting

our communities, we can come

through this together.

Parking charges cut for nurses

by Miles Briggs MSP

We all owe those working hard

in our Scottish NHS a huge debt

of gratitude as they work to save

lives and help patients during the

coronavirus outbreak.

The fact that NHS staff have

to pay £7.20 each day to park at

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary has

been an unacceptable situation for

too long with hospital staff being

charged up to £1,500 a year to

park at their work.

Since I was elected three years

ago, I have been campaigning

for SNP Ministers to act and for

charges for hospital staff parking

at all hospitals to be removed.

Last week I again raised the

issue with Nicola Sturgeon at

First Minister’s Questions and

called for action especially during

the coronavirus public health

emergency. I am pleased that an

agreement has now been reached

to suspend parking charges

at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary,

as well as hospitals in Dundee

and Glasgow, for the next three

months. Edinburgh City Council

is also suspending restrictions on

parking bays round the hospital.

Our amazing NHS staff shouldn’t

have to pay to park at work at the

best of times and they deserve no

less as they put themselves on

the front line of the public health

crisis. Scottish Conservatives will

continue to campaign to have

the parking charges scrapped

completely after the three month

suspension period ends.

There will be a lot we will all

need to do to support our NHS

staff in the coming days and

weeks.

This must be just the start.

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Thank you to everyone on the

Covid-19 frontline

by Ian Murray MP

This is a deeply worrying time

for families across the capital.

We have never witnessed

anything like the coronavirus

outbreak, and it will be some time

before life returns to normal.

First and foremost, my thoughts

are with those who have lost loved

ones to this invisible disease.

Thank you to everyone working

on the frontline in NHS Lothian,

and to all the council workers,

Lothian bus drivers, pharmacists,

refuse workers and other key

workers who have been keeping

us safe.

It is important that we protect

the NHS and its workforce by all

following the official government

Standing together

by Ben Macpherson MSP

The coronavirus has posed a test

to every community across the

world and there is no doubt that

Scotland will be a very different

place for the foreseeable future.

However, I have seen rays of

hope that continue to remind me

of how proud I am to serve as the

MSP for Edinburgh Northern and

Leith. I have seen members of the

community in West Pilton coming

together to provide services for

vulnerable groups. In Leith, I have

advice, which is constantly being

updated.

Amid the outbreak, I have been

working hard on behalf of local

businesses in Edinburgh South

to ensure they survive, and

demanding greater support for

workers in the city, particularly the

self-employed.

The correspondence coming

into my office is unprecedented in

volume, and my team are working

from home.

For the first time since I was

elected back in 2010, I must

prioritise what is most important,

focusing mainly on coronavirus

issues affecting constituents.

Thank you for your

understanding at this time and

please stay safe.

seen sing-alongs of “Sunshine

on Leith” to lift spirits of those

self-isolating. Businesses and

organisations have been in touch

with my office, offering their

services in this time of crisis. All

of this gives me hope that as a

community we will pull together,

stronger than ever before. If you

want to offer your services to help

others, Volunteer Edinburgh would

be very grateful to hear from you

on 0131 225 0630 or on via www.

volunteeredinburgh.org.uk

Securing income in a crisis

by Tommy Sheppard MP

Like everyone else I and my staff

are doing our best. Our offices

are closed but we are all working

from home and trying to deal with

increased concerns from anxious

people.

We will get through this. The UK

and Scottish governments have

already committed major funds

to individuals and businesses

affected by the emergency. And

more will follow.

What is already clear to me is

that there is much we can learn

from dealing with this crisis.

And things will need to change

afterwards.

Ten years of austerity has

pummelled the health service

and left it in a weakened position

to cope. The heroic women and

men of the NHS will deliver for

us – but they must never be so

compromised again. That means

in the UK, and in Scotland too, we

need to revisit the share of wealth

that stays in private rather than

public hands.

Poverty and inequality are

the things that most weaken

our resilience as a society.

Intellectually the Tory government

has now accepted the need for

everyone to have an income during

this crisis even if they cannot work

because of it. When the crisis

ends we need a new system of

work and reward which ensures

every citizen has a basic income

whether employed, self-employed,

volunteering or unable to work.

Do help out

by Gordon Macdonald MSP

We are in unprecedented times

and all of us have a role to play in

meeting this challenge.

The help being offered by

individuals and organisations in

Edinburgh is quite spectacular

and I would like to thank everyone

for all that they are doing. There

are many local community

support groups popping up in my

own constituency of Edinburgh

Pentlands and right across

Scotland, and it is inspiring to see

everyone pulling together in such

a way. If you are on social media,

you can search on Facebook and

find your local community support

group.

There are also many businesses

and employers who have taken the

correct decision to shut down for

the time being, for the protection

of their staff and the public.mTo

them, I say “thank you”.

To those who have not, the

advice from the First Minister and

Scottish Government has been

clear, employers should only be

open if they are essential to the

fight against coronavirus—for

example, by making medical

supplies or manufacturing

essential items—or to the

wellbeing of the nation, such as

food supplies. If your businesses

does not fall into these categories,

the advice is to close. By choosing

to remain open you put yourself,

your staff, the public and our NHS

at risk.

Understandably, this is an

anxious time for everyone.

We are worried about parents,

grandparents, friends and

neighbours - and it’s now clear

that things won’t return to normal

for some time. We all have to take

simple, sensible steps to limit the

spread of this virus and make sure

our NHS has the capacity to treat

those who need support.

The only permissible reasons for

people leaving their homes are to

shop for necessities, to take part

in one form of exercise a day, for

medical/care needs, to provide

help or support to a vulnerable

person, or to travel to and from

work but only if it is a necessity.

Lives really do depend on us all

sticking to this guidance.

Call 0131 443 0595 or email

Gordon.MacDonald.MSP@

parliament.scot if you need help.

Politics

suspended in

a pandemic

by Sarah Boyack MSP

The last few weeks have been

extraordinary as we witnessed

coronavirus take hold. It has had

a frightening impact as the global

death toll surpasses 19,000, but

the effects have been felt in all

aspects of our lives.

All of us have had to adapt in

the way we communicate: social

distancing, utilising technology

and social media in new and

unusual ways, and hopefully

demonstrating a better side to

ourselves as we reach out and

help those who need us most.

Scottish Parliamentarians, too,

must find new ways to work

with each other and support our

constituents as we attempt to

answer their questions and hold

The Scottish Government to

account, and I've been sharing

advice and updates from the

Government as it seeks to steer

the Scottish people through

this pandemic. It is not a time

for petty point-scoring. For me

the key issues are supporting

our NHS staff and ensuring that

everything we do helps people

and businesses to survive in these

challenging times. We need to

support each other through the

coming weeks and months.

Keep in touch with friends and

neighbours and support local

initiatives so that we build a

long-lasting, better society when

we finally emerge at the other side

of this pandemic.

Miles Briggs MSP

0131 348 5946

Miles.Briggs.msp@parliament.scot

Milesbriggsedinburgh

MilesBriggsMSP

www.milesbriggs.scot

M2.15,

The Scottish

Parliament, Edinburgh,

EH99 1SP

Clear advice

- stay home

and save lives

by Joanna Cherry QC MP

We now have clear instructions:

stay at home to save lives.

It is absolutely crucial that we all

follow these instructions – lives

really do depend on it.

The Scottish Government has set

out the very limited circumstances

in which we may leave our homes

for at least the next few weeks.

These limitations are:

attending to medical or care

needs.

travelling for essential work.

shopping for basic necessities.

taking exercise once a day.

Despite this, I have been so

impressed to see how quickly local

communities in my constituency

have rallied around older and

vulnerable people.

I have been working with

Community Councils, local

councillors and volunteer groups

to organise practical support for

people in need.

Although my constituency office

is currently closed to the public,

please be assured that I am still

available to help you.

Contact me by telephone on

0131 600 0155 or email me with

any concerns you may have at

joanna.cherry.mp@parliament.uk

Please feel free to make a

telephone surgery appointment

and I will do my best to help you in

that way.

Keep calm and

drink some

tea

by Deidre Brock MP

I’m taking a couple of minutes

to have a wee cup of tea and a

time out from the chaos that is

my email inbox at the moment.

I’ve got dozens of constituents

stranded in various places around

the world and more stuck on

cruise ships and I’m getting emails

from them and from family and

friends. I assume all MPs are

getting the same.

We’re getting hundreds of emails

about support for businesses

and individuals during the

coronavirus pandemic and we’re

getting hundreds more about

people having difficulty with the

movement restrictions. There

are people being told by their

employers that they have to turn

up (even in non-essential jobs)

and there are people worried

about getting their medicines

and access to their doctors. I’ve

answered thousands of queries

about coronavirus, too, on top of

the normal work my office has.

One thing that keeps me going is

the collective spirit of the people

finding a way through this.

I know we’ll survive this together

and come out at the other end to

start rebuilding our communities.

I can think of no better people

to be stuck in a pandemic with

and I’m looking forward to the day

when we can all meet again to

celebrate.

Chin up friends, we’ll get there.

Love your

neighbour and

yourselves

by Jeremy Balfour MSP

During this pandemic, as people

begin to work from home, shops

shut and schools close, it is

easy to become inward looking,

worrying only for our own

wellbeing. We need only look at

the empty shelves in supermarkets

to see that, in this time of crisis,

polite British culture has quickly

turned into an every-man-forhimself

mentality.Now more than

ever, it is incredibly important we

are taking practical steps to care

for those in our social circles and

community. Here are three ways

to be a good neighbour during the

spread of COVID-19.

Do not stockpile. What this is

doing is preventing those that

really need these items from

getting them. When you are next at

the supermarket, think of others.

Secondly, follow government

guidance on handwashing and

staying at home. You may not be

in the high-risk category, but you

would probably be surprised at

how many of the people that you

come across in your day-to-day

life are.

Be courteous and play your part

in preventing the spread of the

virus. Lastly, pick up your phone

and regularly check in on friends,

family and neighbours. Offer to

do their shopping and leave it on

their doorstep – you might be their

only way of getting food.These are

worrying times but as individuals

we can take steps to make it

easier for everyone.

Tune in, tune

up and stay

home

by Daniel Johnson MSP

These are extremely challenging

times. Many will find themselves

fearful and anxious.

What is paramount is that

the expert advice is heeded.

Employ social distancing and

stay at home. For most people

unlucky enough to get infected by

COVID-19 it will be a mild illness,

however we should not downplay

the risk.What makes it dangerous

is its contagiousness. It is far

more contagious than flu and

it is this risk of passing on that

infection that makes the stay at

home rules so important.

We all have a responsibility to

follow the medical guidance.

These next months are going to

be difficult. These measures will

cause great strain, especially on

mental health but these measures

are necessary. We will eventually

get through this outbreak through

the combination of kindness for

those most vulnerable and calm

resolve we are known for in this

city.

I have just subscribed to Disney

+ and the girls are looking forard

to Mary Poppins and Star Wars for

me! I have also got all the Bond

movies on DVD - very reassuring

at a time of national emergency to

know that James Bond is certain

to save the world. Finally, Fender

Play - an app that teaches you to

play guitar has been made free for

the next three months - use the

lockdown to learn an instrument!


10 POLITICS


POLITICS 11

Robertson can be Central to Edinburgh

Angus Robertson is seeking the

SNP nomination so that he can

become the SNP candidate in

Edinburgh Central for the Scottish

Parliament elections in May 2021.

The formal process for choosing

the party's candidate is due to

begin in mid-April. Whether or

not that process will proceed

according to the anticipated

timescale is a matter for debate,

but The Edinburgh Reporter

interviewed him before the

coronavirus pandemic took hold.

On the basis that something will

have to happen about electing

new members of The Scottish

Parliament which is supposed

to take place every five years,

there will probably have to be an

election of sorts by May 2021.

Both he and Joanna Cherry, QC,

MP, have announced that they

will seek the party's nomination

for the same seat. Cherry is at

present the MP for Edinburgh

South West which was formerly a

Labour stronghold under former

Chancellor Alistair Darling.

It is now three years since

Robertson held elected office

as MP for Moray. He rose to

become Deputy Leader of the

SNP at Westminster, holding

parliamentary office between 2001

and 2017 until he lost the Moray

seat to Tory, Douglas Ross.

Meantime he established a think

tank on independence called

Progress Scotland and is now

writing a book about Austria.

He spent some years living and

working in Vienna for the BBC

World Service as a journalist and

writing seems a natural path for

him.

I began with the easy question

of whether his hopes for election

to Holyrood might just be a shot

at becoming party leader in

succession to Nicola Sturgeon?

He immediately refuted the

suggestion. He is a veteran

politician with many an election

campaign fought and won behind

him, so it was not unexpected that

he is also mindful of the way the

process works. He ran for election

at Holyrood unsuccessfully once

before in 1999, long before being

unseated in 2017.He said: "My

ambition is to become the SNP

nominee, and to then run and

then hopefully to win because,

well, there's two things about this.

First - one should never take for

granted the notion that one would

ever be elected in the first place,

you actually have to ask the voters

whether they would wish you to be

their representative. And secondly,

there's a wider point in this. I have

never been elected to Holyrood

before. And there are very talented

people in the Scottish Parliament

in the SNP and in other parties

too."

Robertson explained that when

he first joined the SNP the party

was in fourth place at Westminster

and that the position of the party

today is a world apart from where

they were three decades ago.

In 2001 he got the chance to

stand in Moray where he had

family connections. But he

really knows Edinburgh having

been brought up in Stockbridge,

attending both school and

university in the capital. He

explained: "Not only do I have a

personal connection in that I do

come from Edinburgh Central, but

I think that what the SNP is trying

to do, is the best prospectus for

people living here. And I think

that's the best combination that

one one can have."

He makes much of the fact

that he would be a 'full-time'

MSP, clearly a reference to the

accusations against current MSP,

Ruth Davidson, that she has not

paid enough attention to her city

centre constituents.

Davidson won the seat last time

with a margin of 610 votes for the

Conservative Party, succeeding

SNP's Marco Biagi and Labour's

Sarah Boyack before that.

He explained his plans for being

an MSP: "The first thing I want to

do is be a good MSP for people

Angus Robertson aiming for a new political career PHOTO ©2020 The Edinburgh Reporter

living in Edinburgh Central. And I

think unfortunately, that is not an

experience that people here have

had for a number of years.

"That's because the current

incumbent I don't think ever

expected to be elected as the MSP

for Edinburgh Central, and has

been pretty absent. She has been

absent from community issues

and organisations that matter

to people, has not been holding

open public surgeries. She may

have been doing them in private,

but I think in this day and age, we

still need to find ways in which

the public can literally walk into

their local library, meet their public

representative and ask for their

help.

"I want to reinstate that level of

commitment to constituents in

Edinburgh Central, whether they're

SNP voters of not. An MSP should

be there to work for everybody

whether they vote for your party,

another party, or don't vote at all.

And I would want to make that my

absolute number one priority to be

a good constituency MSP. "

The constituency straddles the

whole of the city centre, unlike

the Westminster constituencies

which all have a piece of the city

centre within them, rather like the

spokes on a bicycle wheel. We had

discussed this at the beginning of

the interview.

Robertson said: "There are other

wider issues for Edinburgh Central

and for Edinburgh as a capital city,

which I think need a strong voice.

"Edinburgh Central is only

represented as a contiguous

constituency in The Scottish

Parliament.

"It isn't at Westminster, and I

think there's a need to try and

grasp the nettle of a number of

issues that are facing Edinburgh

Central but Edinburgh more widely,

which I think matter to people.

"There are very publicly

discussed and debated issues

about the kind of city that we

are, the kind of city that we are

becoming. I think there are some

very strategic developments which

are going ahead which I welcome.

"For example, in relation to the

transportation changes that need

to happen in the city as we deal

with the climate crisis that we're

in, and also in relation to the

economy of the city.

"We're facing a very big challenge

because of Brexit, which of course

Edinburgh voted overwhelmingly

against, but we are currently

represented by somebody whose

party is in favour of that. That's

another reason why we need

somebody new in Edinburgh

Central who will actually speak up

for the views of people who live

here."

Principally, Angus Robertson

is all about independence for

Scotland as you would expect.

"If Scotland becomes

independent, which I believe it will,

and Edinburgh is its capital as

it is, then Edinburgh Central and

Edinburgh itself will be the capital

city of a sovereign state.

"And what that will mean for

Edinburgh to my thinking will be

hugely beneficial. It will bring

jobs, it will bring people from

other countries. We will actually

have a full diplomatic presence

in the city. It will improve our

transport connections, it will

be transformational, I think, for

Edinburgh. And I don't think that

that's something that we've had

much discussion of in Edinburgh,

and I would like to be a part of

that."

I reminded Mr Robertson

that one of the headers that

the independence question fell

down on last time round was the

economic one. As you may have

anticipated, he has an answer for

that.He said: "If one looks at how

our neighbouring countries have

dealt with the challenges that we

faced in the 2008 financial crisis,

smaller countries like Denmark,

Norway, Iceland and Ireland, I think

we need to acknowledge that

every single one of these other

countries is more economically

successful than Scotland is as a

part of the UK.

"One of the upsides of being in a

smaller country is the accessibility,

the understanding of who the

decision makers are, influencing

the decision making process."

Musings of a millennial dad

by Cllr Nick Cook

Recently a clutch of

announcements from MSPs have

shared a similar theme – being

a politician is difficult to juggle

with a young or growing family.

It is proving a key driver in MSPs

opting not to seek re-election in

2021.

Edinburgh Central’s Ruth

Davidson (disclaimer: my boss),

Clydesdale’s Aileen Campbell and

Caithness, Sutherland and Ross’s

Gail Ross have all spoken of the

toll their Holyrood political careers

have taken on family life.

In standing down, each are

opting to make a different choice.

They are placing family first –

entirely the right choice, in my

opinion.

Holyrood has no formal

maternity or paternity policy

for elected members – almost

suggesting it was once considered

improper for politicians to

procreate.

Renewed calls for Holyrood

proxy voting and technological

solutions continue to be swiftly

rebuffed with flimsy statements

around issues of practicality.

You can almost hear Edinburgh’s

big financial services companies

laugh out loud, given how they

actively encourage employees -

junior and senior alike - to work

from home and video call into

meetings throughout the day.

Why I am I writing about this

issue, you ask?

After all, I am a councillor rather

than a parliamentarian, and a male

one to boot.

Because as a father to a young

daughter and a local politician, I

feel strongly that the issue isn’t a

gendered one, or applicable only to

one level of government.

It affects both mothers and

fathers, particularly millennial

dads, upon who there are modern

societal expectations, something

that simply wasn’t the case for our

fathers, or their fathers before.

In my experience, parenting -

alongside that of the dozens of

new Edinburgh dads that now

make up my primary social circle

- is a 50/50 endeavour in almost

every household.

The growing popularity of local

charities like ‘Dads Rock’ bears

this out.

However, often dad is still

expected to continue to work full

time and provide with their salary,

where mums often make careful

considerations about how many

hours they can afford to cut from

their own jobs, at least during the

earliest years of parenthood.

As is the case for MSPs, there is

no formal provision for councillors

around maternity, paternity or

adoption leave. A situation both

myself and Edinburgh Council

leader, Adam McVey have had to

grapple with in the last two years.

It will prove an unpopular

statement amongst those serving

in Holyrood, but it is widely

accepted by many that the evening

and weekend engagements of

a local councillor can often far

outstrip those of a middling

regional list MSP.

Whilst it is true that, returning

home to your own home at

10pm is better than an evening

in an Edinburgh hotel miles from

your family, serving on a local

authority attracts a fraction of

the remuneration of a member

of parliament. Childcare fees are

expensive.

Families come in many shapes

and sizes. For example, while

someone may work close to home,

they might not have relatives

Does Covid-19 mean dilution of

local democracy?

by Cllr Gavin Barrie

Readers may be unaware that

The City of Edinburgh Council

has instigated special decisionmaking

powers to assist in

getting business done during the

COVID-19 pandemic. Currently

all Committee business has been

suspended and, in its place, a

select group of elected members

known as the Leadership Advisory

Panel has been constituted. This

is in line with current terms of

reference for Committees. The

panel consists of the Council

Leader (SNP) Deputy Leader

(Labour) and a representative

from the Greens, LibDems and

Conservatives.

Gone is the previous accepted

normality of each Party being

given seats on a committee in

relation to the numbers of elected

members they have, or in the case

of the 63 elected members of

Council, every individual member

being able to debate and vote

on agenda items. This panel of

five elected members, will in fact

be acting and taking decisions

instead of Full Council, or any

committee of the Council.

The first meeting of the Panel will

see in excess of 20 items on the

agenda including some that may

be classified as ‘B Agenda Items,’

not available for public viewing

for various reasons such as

containing personal or financially

sensitive information.

In addition to this, elected

members have accepted that in

the fast-moving world of a global

pandemic the Chief Executive,

in consultation with the Council

Leader and his Deputy, can make

urgent decisions relating to

Council issues and COVID-19.

Hence various decisions being

made like closing schools,

suspending parking charges,

sending staff to work from home

and many more, and all of these

done without discussion by a

committee of elected members as

would be the norm.

All fair enough you might say;

special measures for special

circumstances?

From my point of view,

perhaps but not quite. For many

months now the Independent

Councillors, who for various

reasons are no longer members

of main stream political groups,

have been trying to get their

voices and views, and those of

the residents they represent,

heard at a committee level in

the Council. This had met with

resistance form the SNP Labour

Administration and the Green

Party. So great is this resistance

that they voted, unprecedently,

to completely ignore a report

by the Council Chief Executive

that, acknowledging Electoral

Commission advice on what

constitutes a Party, and using the

same formula that awards them

seats on committees, to deny

Independent Members seats on

committees.

Why does this matter even more

now?

As described above, the

Leadership Advisory Panel only

consists of members of the

main-steam political parties, and

this Panel may be in place for

many months ahead. They will

be acting on behalf of Council

where all elected members have

rights. That means that whilst

Independent Members can put

a formal motion to the Panel for

consideration, they can take no

part in any discussion, question

officers, or vote on any matter

up for decision. This is a failure

of democracy that can easily be

remedied. An early decision of

the Leadership Panel could be

to include a member to speak

on behalf of the Independent

Members. I am already aware that

this would be supported by the

LibDem and the Conservatives

Groups.

I’ll leave it the reader to surmise

why the SNP, Labour and Greens

Groups would deny full democratic

representation at this time of

crisis.

The Independent Councillors

want to do what they can to assist

in the running of the city at this

extraordinary time.

Personally, I believe it is time

petty Party Politics aside for the

good of the city and its citizens.

Cllr Gavin Barrie acts as

Secretariat to the Edinburgh Party of

Independent Councillors (EPIC)

Photo of Nick Cook by Thomas Brown

nearby to help with childcare.

Similarly, someone required to

travel four hours into work might

have both sets of grandparents on

hand to help out.

This reflects the diversity of

modern family and that of our

society. It is only a strength.

At all levels, our political

institutions - assuming they do

wish to continue to make strides

to better resemble the public they

seek to represent – must urgently

make it into the 21st century and

better harness readily available

technology to ensure politicians

can exercise their democratic

functions.

by Ash Denham MSP

At the time of writing the country

is one day into an effective

lockdown as the Scottish and UK

governments work together to

do what can be done to slow the

spread of the coronavirus across

the country.

At this time of unprecedented

challenge, I take so much heart

from the inspirational actions

taken by the local community to

look out for one another.

Community organisations such

as the Goodtrees Neighbourhood

Centre and the Venchie Children

& Young People's Project are

delivering meals to families in

need across the constituency.

At the same time volunteers

at local foodbanks are working

harder than ever to support those

who are struggling financially but

need to feed themselves and their

families.

I made a donation of needed

supplies this week to the Trussell

Trust, who are low on items such

as UHT milk, diluting juice, tinned

meats and biscuits.

If you are able to donate in some

way to their cause you can do so

by visiting www.trusselltrust.org/

get-involved/ways-to-give/

Last week a £350m fund was

This must include those

instances where family

commitments inevitably throw a

spanner or two into the works.

Failing to catch up and become

more flexible will only result in an

over-abundance of ‘central-belt

singles’ making the decisions that

affect the length and breadth of a

country our political chambers fail

to properly resemble.

Nick Cook is the Conservative

Councillor for Morningside

Nick and his wife have an

18-month old daughter

Lockdown inspirations

announced by The Scottish

Government to help communities

in need.

Important helplines for elderly

people and businesses affected

by coronavirus have also been

supported with vital government

funding.

Age Scotland have expanded

their helpline service and are

available on 0800 12 44 222, while

Scottish businesses can contact

0300 303 0660.

Information on the coronavirus

can be found on their website

noted below where the most up to

date medical will be found.

Constituents who would like my

support or advice can contact me

at ash.denham.msp@parliament.

scot or by calling 0131 659 4707.

My office in Craigmillar is closed

at this time but other than that it is

business as usual for my staff and

I as we work from home to support

constituents through a number

of issues, coronavirus-related or

otherwise.

Please continue to look after

yourself and those around you

by complying with the Scottish

Government's medical advice

to stay at home unless it is

absolutely essential.

www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus

For editorial and advertising enquiries please email



12 BUSINESS


BUSINESS 13

Vert offers free compressor hire

An Edinburgh company is

offering to loan its own leadingedge

compressors to any

businesses in Scotland who are

struggling in the downturn due to

coronavirus.

Vert Rotors was inspired by

a gin maker which switched to

producing hand sanitiser. It could

offer the free loan of a compressor

to any small bottling plants, gin

distillers or any other companies

who switch to making hand gel for

vulnerable groups or are helping

the effort in other ways.

The company's quiet A100

compressor is powered by its own

Conical Rotary technology which

offers 100lpm flow and 10 bar

pressure. The compact unit fits

neatly under a worktop or bench,

so it can be sited close to the

point of use.

The low levels of vibration ensure

minimal impact on surrounding

equipment and people.

Vert’s chief executive, Dr Phil

Harris, said: “Whilst our expertise

isn’t in virology, we may be able

to offer some small and medium

sized Scottish businesses a bit

of help to get through the next

few months whilst cash-flow is

under immense pressure. For

manufacturing companies that

have a reduced staff presence but

need air for one or two production

machines – we have a small stock

of compressors we can offer for

short term use free of charge so

that pressuring a whole factory

airline is not required. Every penny

helps when cashflow is s under

pressure.

“We can also offer a short-term

free loan of our compressors

The Isle of Harris Distillery,

or the Social Distillery as it is

often referred to, has provided

high-strength alcohol from the

spirit-making process to a number

of local businesses to act as a key

ingredient in the production of

hand sanitiser. Those benefitting

from the donation of the raw

spirit for this vital product

include Amanda Saurin of A.S.

Apothecary, who lives in the

village of Northton in South Harris

and Essence of Harris in Tarbert.

Drawing on her apothecary

roots, Amanda has produced

25ml bottles of hand sanitiser

spray with essential oils including

rosemary and mint, with microbial

properties added. Lavender oil

is also included to help calm

stressful minds. Both A.S.

Apothecary and Essence of Harris’

for anyone who cannot get into

their place of work but are able

to continue producing their

goods at home with a source of

compressed air.

“Our stock of compressors might

be able to assist small bottling

plants, gin distillers or any other

companies which switch to

making hand gel for vulnerable

groups or are helping the effort in

other ways.

“We don’t have huge resources

to pull on, so unfortunately can

only offer these to Scottish

companies. And it will be first

come first served, but please get in

touch.” www.vertrotors.com

Harris Gin shows spirit by handing

over sanitiser ingredients

sanitisers are being distributed

for free to local care homes,

vulnerable people, community

shops, NHS workers and other

vital services in Harris.

Although the sanitisers are

intended for local community use,

a version of the A.S. Apothecary

sanitiser is available to buy online

at £5.25 from www.asapoth.

com with proceeds used to cover

manufacturing costs.

Amanda Saurin, Founder of A.S.

Apothecary said: "As a maker

of skincare products, we have

years of experience of making

gentle, effective preparations. We

approached the hand sanitiser

in the same way thinking about

which plants would enhance

its action and do the minimal

damage to the skin. The alcohol

Letter to the Editor: Royal Bank of Scotland Covid-19

support

Dear Madam,

Scotland is experiencing one of

the most challenging periods in

its history. As a bank where many

of our colleagues are neighbours,

friends and even family to your

readers and our customers, we

want to make sure that we are

doing all we can to help our

communities and make banking as

straightforward and as supportive

as possible during these difficult

times.

We are monitoring the impact of

coronavirus across Edinburgh to

ensure we can support everyone

appropriately through this period

of disruption. Whether young

or old, a personal or a business

customer, we are working with

local authorities, governments,

regulators and other banks to

ensure we are doing everything

that we can to support our

communities and the local

economy.

To help the public cope with

these challenges, Royal Bank of

Scotland customers over 70 and

those in isolation can now access

a new dedicated support line. This

has been set up so we can help

those most in need and is open

from 8am until 8pm, seven days a

week. Those who need it can call

us on 0800 051 4177.

The current situation has made

everyone fully appreciate the

impact and pressure our NHS

staff are experiencing. To help

them help the most vulnerable

in our society at this time, we

have introduced an emergency

customer care line for NHS and

critical workers to help with

emergency banking support such

as lending assistance and lost and

stolen cards. This line is open 24

hours a day, seven days a week

and can be contacted on 0800

0466734.

We understand the challenges

and the circumstances those

affected by coronavirus might face

and we want to be there to make

sure they don’t fall into financial

difficulty as a result. As such

we want any customers who are

affected to get in contact to allow

us to understand their individual

situation and to see what we can

do to help them.

We want to help. Every single one

of us is here to support you.

We’re doing everything we can

to keep our services running for

customers. Our branch network

remains open but following

relevant public health guidance,

we have reviewed our opening

hours and we’re prioritising core

opening hours from Monday to

Friday, from 10am to 1pm.

Our colleagues in branches

are working incredibly hard in

difficult circumstances and we’re

encouraging customers not to visit

their branch unless it's critical and

if they do, to practice safe social

distancing.

This same guidance has forced

us to make the difficult decision

to pause our mobile fleet with

immediate effect. But customers

can continue to access their

banking services through our other

channels including digital, mobile,

ATMs, video banker, telephony

and Post Office – and we are

proactively keeping customers

aware of any changes that affect

their local service through our

website.

Local businesses lie at the heart

of our community and many

readers face the responsibility

of looking after their company

as well as their colleagues. To

assist we have set aside a support

fund of a £500 million of working

capital support. We’re able to

offer emergency fee-free loans

RBS Chair Scotland Board Malcolm Buchanan

and overdrafts to relieve some

of the pressure and through our

consultants and relationship

managers help offer advice and

facilitate the support channels

being offered by the Government

and the Bank of England.

This is a fast-changing situation

and could potentially change

quickly. Our colleagues across

the bank are working together

throughout this challenging period

to offer the public a service which

makes banking as straightforward

as possible during a difficult

period.

I want to reassure you that the

bank is doing all it can to help

Vert chief executive Phil Harris

from the Isle of Harris Distillery

is particularly good because it

is excellent quality which really

helps. We are using the alcohol at

70% ABV which our microbiologist

suggests to be the optimal level.”

Simon Erlanger, Managing

Director of Isle of Harris

Distillers Ltd, added: “The Harris

Distillery team is very pleased

to support these two important

local initiatives which require a

high-strength alcohol as a key

ingredient. It is vital we all keep

working together to protect our

community at this critical time,

and we hope this donation of

our spirit will play a small part in

keeping our key workers and wider

island family safe while we face

the challenges which lie ahead."

www.harrisdistillery.com

customers, your readers and

communities across Scotland.

We will constantly review all the

actions we are taking to make sure

they are having the right impact.

We will also look for new ways

of supporting our customers and

will continue to work with a wide

range of stakeholders, including

governments and local authorities,

to find solutions to the problems

we are all facing and to plan for a

positive and proactive future.

Malcolm Buchanan, Chair,

Scotland Board, Royal Bank of

Scotland

LOVE Care - begin recruitment campaign to find

professional carers during Covid-19 crisis

Leading Scottish care provider

LOVE Care, part of the LOVE

Group, has launched a campaign

to boost recruitment into the

care sector amid the Covid-19

outbreak.

Although the Government’s

announcement to help workers

and businesses fight through this

GTS Solutions reinforces board

with two appointments

GTS Solutions CIC, one of

Scotland's most successful social

enterprises, has strengthened its

management team with a brace of

senior appointments.

Roger Horam, a director with

the European Development

Innovation Network, has joined

the Edinburgh-based company as

a non-executive director with a

focus on funding applications and

tenders. He also has extensive

experience as a project manager,

from small start-ups to multimillion-pound

operations.

Also joining as a non-executive

director is Brian Cameron, formerly

head of business development and

marketing at Grant Thornton.

GTS Solutions CEO, Chris

Thewlis, said: "I am delighted to

have Roger and Brian on board.

They bring a wealth of experience

from different fields which I am

confident will help GTS as we

continue the company's growth

plan.

"Our focus is on the creation of a

fully integrated security service so

that we can become the one-stop

provider.

"As technology advances, it

crisis has been welcomed by most,

LOVE Care forecasts that many

individuals will still struggle to pay

their bills or, especially in the case

of those self-employed, might not

eligible for the grants.

However, in the midst of what

could lead to an economic

recession, the coronavirus

is more important than ever to

create a joined up reactive and

coherent safety and security

service which also delivers a triple

bottom line and strong insight

from our analytics SaaS products,

which assist with productivity and

customer experience.

"These appointments will help us

achieve that target."

Brian, who was a regional

director and UK board member

at global talent solutions group

Hudson prior to joining Grant

Thornton, said: “The ethos and

social aims and objectives of

GTS align very well with my

own principles. I look forward to

supporting Chris and the board

in what promises to be a very

exciting time for the company.

"I have been very impressed

at the innovation and strategic

direction of the business. As a

Community Interest Company,

there can be a misperception that

organisations within the social

enterprise sector are not able to

compete with more established

private sector companies.

"As private organisations

continue to come under pressure

to utilise more ethical supply

No need for lawyers...

There is a new policy in place in

our criminal courts which allows

an advocate to appear without an

instructing solicitor by his or her

side.

This has already been the

practice in civil courts, but has

been temporarily extended to

pandemic has also led to a surge

in jobs from a variety of sectors,

including social care.

LOVE Care has said it is

looking to attract those that are

self-employed or that might have

been laid off in order to fill the

high demand of care services that

this health crisis has caused, in

chains, there is definitely an

opportunity for GTS to fill this

demand."

Roger Horam said: "I’m delighted

to be joining the board of GTS

Solutions CIC. Having worked with

and supported the organisation

for a number of years, I love the

CIC model of GTS Solutions and

the social economic development

approaches that Chris searches

out and promotes.

"After 20 years in the

hospitality and catering

sector and another 20 years in

economic development, I bring

a strong background of project

management and experience and

a practical approach to turning

ideas into reality.

"I look forward to using my

fundraising and investment

experience to further develop

both GTS and the sector through

diligence, insight and my own

networks to ensure projects not

only receive funding, but that

they are structured correctly from

the outset to deliver the desired

outcomes for the stakeholders,

funding entities and commercial

participants."

www.gtssolutionscic.com

criminal cases.

Dean of Faculty, Gordon Jackson

QC, stated in a Dean's Ruling:

"Until further notice, counsel may

appear without an instructing

agent, if the circumstances

require, for all criminal work other

a sector that already has clear

recruiting problems per se.

Based in Hamilton but active

across Scotland, LOVE Care offers

a wide range of professional care

services, tailored to individual

service user needs and undertaken

by highly trained carers.

Its campaign seeks to highlight

the various roles and opportunities

available in the sector with a

specific focus on attracting those

from a non-care background who

might be looking for a temporary

solution or a change of career

during the current health crisis we

are living through.

LOVE Care will put those who

successfully pass the selection

process through intensive training

for two weeks and will facilitate

PVGs so they can begin to work

as soon as possible. The care

provider does also pay all its

employees above the real living

wage and offers qualified training

and promotion opportunities.

Lynn Bell, CEO of the LOVE

Group, said: “This recruitment

campaign comes against one

of the greatest public health

challenges in recent history which

Researchers at the University

of Edinburgh say that introducing

minimum pricing for tobacco

products would improve the health

of people living in economically

disadvantaged areas.

They want The Scottish

Government to increase the price

of the cheapest cigarettes to help

reduce smoking related disease.

The average purchase price was

50p less for a pack of 20 and 34p

less for loose tobacco in areas

with the lowest average household

income than in other more affluent

areas. Researchers say that the

likelihood of smoking is related

to cost, so increasing cost could

be key to some people stopping

smoking.

A team of researchers from the

Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow

and East Anglia investigated how

tobacco price varied in Scottish

convenience stores.

They compared retail price with

has led to a higher demand than

normal for care workers.

“During normal circumstances

we already operate in a sector

where there are clear recruiting

problems, and this crisis will make

the disparity between the demand

for services and the number of

care providers even bigger.

“We are calling for all of those

who this outbreak might affect

their jobs and sources of income

to consider the care sector as an

opportunity, even if it is just as a

temporary solution until we go

back to normality.

“The career pathway we provide

through intensive training will

support individuals to be ready

to work in a matter of weeks.

Later on, those who wish to

remain in the care sector will

also be supported to gain the

qualifications to move through

the ranks of the industry and help

them establish this as a career of

their choice.”

Those interested in applying

for these roles should contact –

recruitment@l-o-v-e.org.uk

www.l-o-v-e.org.uk

Call for minimum price

on cigarettes

No fly zone

National Museums Scotland had

a sad announcement: “We are

sorry to announce that Scotland’s

National Airshow, which was due

than trials.

This includes preliminary

hearings, appeals and bail

appeals.

"Plainly if there is an available

instructing agent then the usual

way of proceeding – with the

neighbourhood income deprivation

and whether the shop was in a

rural or urban setting.

Researchers analysed more than

120,000 purchases in some 270

stores during one week in April

2018.

The study was funded by NHS

Health Scotland and is published

in the journal, Tobacco Control.

Professor Niamh Shortt, of

the Centre for Research on

Society, Environment and Health

at the University of Edinburgh,

said: “Cheap tobacco products

are clearly very important in

maintaining high levels of smoking

particularly in the most deprived

areas, which in turn entrench

health inequalities.

This study should add to policy

discussions around tobacco

retail interventions including the

potential of a Minimum Unit Price

on tobacco products.”

to take place on Saturday 25

July at the National Museum of

Flight in East Lothian, has been

cancelled.

"Currently all of our museums are

closed until further notice."

agent in attendance – should be

adhered to. But if not then counsel

may appear without an instructing

agent."

He added that the ruling was

passed with the blessing of the

Lord President.

Future Edinburgh

Choices for City Plan 2030 || City Mobility Plan

Give us your views

on how our city

develops

Screen Scotland have announced

that First Stage Studios have been

appointed to run the new film

studio in the Port of Leith.

The large industrial building

has already hosted major

productions with parts of Marvel’s

Avengers:Infinity War created

there.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary

for Economy, Fair Work and

Culture, said: “This announcement

represents a great step forward

in Scotland’s ambition to drive

growth across all aspects of the

film and TV sector.

“Having a studio of this scale

will provide a home in Scotland for

film and high-end TV productions,

generate significant revenue for

Scotland’s wider economy and

support sustainable careers

across the film and TV industry

from writers, producers and

directors to those working in craft

and technical areas.”

Screen Scotland’s Executive


Film Studio for Leith

Director, Isabel Davis, said: “The

studio is key in expanding film

and TV production in Scotland.

We’re delighted to be working

with First Stage Studios to bring

it to life. Bob and Jason bring a

wealth of expertise and industry

knowledge that is invaluable to the

development of the studio.

“Scotland is internationally

renowned for its world-class talent,

crews, facilities and breath-taking

locations. This facility means we

can raise the visibility of Scotland

on screen, anchor more film and

high-end television productions

in Scotland and capitalise on the

global boom in the industry.”

Bob Last of First Stage Studios

added: "We look forward to

building on the strong interest

already expressed by international

and UK customers. We are grateful

to Screen Scotland for their

commitment to an ambitious film

and television sector and look

forward to contributing to its

development."

Jason Connery of First Stage

Studios said: “There is no question

Scotland needs a film studio, I

could not be more excited to be

involved in bringing it to fruition.”

Welcoming the announcement

Leith MP Deidre Brock said: “This

is great news for Leith and for

Edinburgh. I’ve spoken to Bob Last

and Jason Connery about their

plans and I’m delighted with some

of the ideas they’ve got.

“I like the way that they’re talking

about opening up opportunities

for local young folk to get a foot

in the door and I like the way

they’re talking about Edinburgh

being ready-made for the industry

and the chance to hire local crew

quickly.

“We have two recognised names

in the film industry which will help

to bring production here and get

the ball rolling. With the support

of the Scottish Government and

Edinburgh City Council we should

see things start to happen.”

The Bath Road site will include

five sound stages and 27,000 sq ft

of flexible production office space.

Declaration of

Arbroath 1320

It is the 700th anniversary of

the Declaration of Arbroath a

letter which was signed in 1320.

The declaration was written in

Latin and sealed by eight earls

and at least 40 barons. It was

sent to Pope John XXII seeking to

confirm Scotland’s status as and

independent nation.

The Pope listened to the

arguments and encouraged

Edward II to make peace with

the Scots. Eight years after the

Declaration on 1 March 1328 the

new English King signed a peace

treaty between Scotland and

England.

This passage from it is widely

quoted

“... for, as long as but

a hundred of us remain

alive, never will we

on any conditions be

brought under English

rule. It is in truth not

for glory, nor riches,

nor honours that we are

fighting, but for freedom

– for that alone, which

no honest man gives up

but with life itself.”

15

It is thought to be the

document on which the American

Constitution is based and it is

read out ahead of the New York

City Tartan Day Parade each year

which takes place around Tartan

Day.

This day was decreed by a US

Presidential Decree to be observed

each year, as it already was in

Canada.

This year's Tartan Day Parade

was to be led by actor Brian

Cox CBE but has of course

been cancelled. The organising

committee is adamant that there

will be a marking of the day

however.

President Kyle Dawson has

called for everyone to hold a

virtual Tartan Day.

He said: "On 6 April we want you

to flood our social media accounts

withh videos and photos showing

you in all your Scottish splendour.

Post to our Facebook page and

tag uus @nyctartanweek on

Instagram and Twitter.

"Gather your pipes and play your

wee hearts out, record us a Celtic

tune or recite your best Burns

quote! Covid-19 You may take our

parade this year, but you'll NEVER

TAKE OUR PRIDE!"

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/FutureEdinburgh

Edinburgh Leisure #ThereWithYou

It has been challenging days

for Edinburgh Leisure who have

closed all facilities, including golf

courses.

Edinburgh Leisure CEO, June

Peebles, said: “It certainly is

strange and unsettling times for

everyone just now, no matter what

industry you work in.

“Following our news regarding

the full closure of Edinburgh

Leisure venues and with the

Government’s announcement

which introduced stricter

measures, we have now also

included the closure of our golf

courses and our tennis courts.

"We’d like to say a big thank

you to our loyal customers. We

have been overwhelmed by the

outpouring of support on social

media and in direct emails to me,

all voicing their commitment and

pledging for us to get through this

together.

“So many really value the

important services that Edinburgh

Leisure delivers – we value their

support too and together we will

get through this. Many people

do not appreciate that Edinburgh

Leisure is a charity. Every penny

we receive from memberships,

coaching, lets, events and funding

is reinvested back into our

venues and funds the services we

provide – therefore shutting our

venues and freezing customers’

memberships has huge

consequences for us and also the

health of Edinburgh.

“Many customers have

expressed that they would like

to continue to pay their monthly

direct debit. We appreciate

that not everyone will be in a

position to do this but over 1,100

customers have signed up to

continue paying.

"This support is greatly

appreciated and will help us

to ensure we are in the best

position possible to welcome

our customers back when the

situation improves.

"We want to continue keeping

Edinburgh a healthy and active

city, just like we have done for over

22 years.

“For now, our venues might

be shut but you can still keep

active and moving with Edinburgh

Leisure, even when in ‘lockdown’.

"In partnership with our fitness

class partner, Les Mills, we are

providing free digital workouts for

our customers to use at home.

"There are over 100 workout

options, with eight categories

to choose from. Head over

to Edinburgh Leisure’s website to

find out more.

"We’ll be updating it regularly

and sharing lots of useful tips and

advice. In the meantime, keep safe

and keep active. "

www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

Art exhibition to

proceed

The Scottish Arts Club in Rutland

Square are going to hold their

members’ exhibition as normal -

except of course it will be a virtual

exhibition.

The club is embracing

technology and has invited all its

members who want to draw paint

or make something to do so, take

a high res photo of it and then

send it in to the club.

They will then show all the art

online and are even planning an

online preview evening when they

can chat with a glass of prosecco

from their own homes.

16 The Edinburgh Reporter


17

New Town's old slavery shame

By Phyllis Stephen

Walking to his office in Forth

Street, Sir Geoffrey Palmer,

often casts an eye over the two

handsome Georgian properties

which stand at number 12 and 24,

both distinct from other buildings

in the street and each sharing a

notorious link to the past.

Born in Jamaica, Sir Geoffrey

moved to London aged 15 to join

his Windrush generation mother. A

specialist in grain science, he rose

to the top in brewing chemistry

and was Scotland’s first black

professor. The first European to

receive the American Society of

Brewing Chemists Award (the

Nobel Prize of brewing) Sir Geoffrey

was made Professor Emeritus at

Heriot-Watt University’s School of

Life Sciences on his retirement

A well-respected human rights

activist he is Honorary President of

Edinburgh and Lothians Regional

Equality Council (ELREC) which has

its office on Forth Street and it's

through his work in holding a light

to the horrors of the slave trade

that no 12 and 24 Forth Street

hove in to view. Both addresses

are mentioned in the records of the

Slave Compensation Commission,

published by University College

London, which is effectively a

census of slave ownership in

the British Empire in the 1830s

and which was set up to manage

the distribution of a £20 million

compensation to slave owners.

Sir Geoffrey said: "I looked at the

compensation list from 1833/34,

and I saw 24 Forth Street and 12

Forth Street on it. I know them very

well because I pass them on my

way to the ELREC office.

“I thought, these can't be on

the compensation list. These are

addresses which I know. I know

the Gallery of Modern Art and

Bathgate Academy was built by

slave owners, and I know about

Dollar Academy, but what are slave

owners doing on Forth Street?

"So I immediately went down to

24 and stood in front of it. And it

was quite worrying, but also awe

inspiring, because there was a

house which somebody owned,

who received money for their

slaves, and where I pass quite

frequently."

Number 24 is marked out from

the rest of Forth Street with

decorative Juliette balconies and

neo-classical windows on the

top floor. In 1821 an Archibald

Crawfuird resided here and letters

were posted to this address

regarding the shipment of sugar

and rum from the Three Mile River

plantation in Jamaica to London,

Hull and Glasgow.

At 12 Forth Street two large

entrance doors sit side by side,

which Sir Geoffrey believes may

have provided the owners with

a separate entrance from their

servants. The UCL records list

Adam Wilson, Depute Clerk of

Session in Edinburgh, as being

awarded compensation as the

trustee and executor of the estate

of William Wilson who had links to

Tobago.

He added: "What I think is

significant here, is that slavery

made that big difference in terms

of the construction of houses.

It was a statement of wealth. It

was a statement of being part

of a big business. It wasn't an

embarrassment.

"This is the thing about slavery,

when we talk about it today, a lot

of people say to me - 'these are

Scottish people, how could this

happen?' They feel that Scots

could not have been involved with

something like that. And I think this

is the fascination of people with it,

but there's also a sense of a bit of

embarrassment."

But Forth Street is far from

unique and a stroll around many

New Town streets will throw up

similar shady links to the slave

trade and Scotland’s strong

connection, as Sir Geoffrey points

out.

He said: “57 Albany Street is on

the list. 24 Broughton Place is on

that list. York Place, India Street

are on the list and Rodney Street is

one of the most significant streets

in Edinburgh as it is named after

Rodney, the British admiral sent

to Jamaica in 1782 with the Royal

Navy to defend Jamaica against

the French.”

Not surprisingly the Port of Leith

produced one of the largest (and

wealthiest) slave owners in John

Gladstone, father of Prime Minister

William Gladstone, who held

2,508 slaves for which he received

today’s equivalent of £83 million in

compensation.

Scotland’s involvement in the

slave trade is often downplayed,

believes Sir Geoffrey, conveniently

overlooking that at one point

Scottish owners controlled 30% of

Jamaican slave plantations.

Even today, Scotland’s tarnished

links to slavery casts a shadow

with historians, campaigners

and Viscount Melville in dispute

over the wording of a new plaque

for the Melville Monument in St

Andrew’s Square. Sir Geoffrey sits

on a panel which is looking at the

controversial matter of how best

to acknowledge Henry Dundas’s

(1st Viscount Melville) role in

prolonging slavery by fighting for a

“gradual” abolition, which delayed

emancipation for 630,000 slaves.

A solution would be an ideal gift

for Sir Geoffrey's 80th birthday this

month, but the only breath he is

holding is reserved for candles.

Human rights campaigner Sir Geoffrey Palmer

Murky slavery past is in plain

sight for anyone looking carefully

A walk through Edinburgh's

historic city centre is a joy

regardless of season or weather.

Yet scrape below the surface of

the majestic New Town and it's

not difficult to find evidence that

pre-Enlightment the Athens of the

North benefited handsomely from

the horrors of the slave trade.

• By 1817, thirty two percent of

Jamaican plantations were owned

by Scots.

• When slavery was abolished in

1833 the British government paid

3,000 slaveholders £20 million in

compensation, today’s equivalent

of £2.4 billion.

• The Slave Compensation

Commission listed 320 addresses

in Edinburgh belonging to 148

individuals.

• Peter McClagan of Great

12 Forth Street linked to slave trade in Tobago

King Street was paid £21,480 in

respect of 407 slaves he held at a

plantation in British Guiana, about

£2.6 million in today’s terms.

• William Alexander, Lord

Provost of Edinburgh in 1753,

owned four ships which often

returned from colonies with

rum, muscovado sugar, rice and

mahogany and Leith was a major

port for receiving tobacco from

American slave plantations.

• James Gillespie’s School was

founded with money left by the

eponymous shop owner who made

a fortune selling Virginian tobacco

and snuff from his premises at

231 High Street.

• The Countess of Stair was

reported to have the first black

servant in Edinburgh, a man

named Oronoce, who lived in her

home in 1740 at what is now the

Writers' Museum.

• Bute House in Charlotte

Square, the official residence of

Scotland’s First Minister, was

home to John Innes Crawford in

the 1790s. Crawford inherited

his father’s Jamaican estates

including the Bellfield sugar

plantation and several hundred

enslaved people. Annual revenues

from the estate was £3000

(£363,000).

• A stone in St John’s Church in

Lothian Road is believed to mark

the only known Edinburgh grave of

an enslaved person. Malvina Wells

was born in Grenada in 1804 and

spent most of her life working as

a servant to the well-connected

McCrae family at 33 Great King

Street. Malvina died aged 82 at 14

Gloucester Place on 22 April 1887.

24 Forth Street has slave trade connections 57 Albany Street

India Street in the New Town

The Melville Monument in St Andrew's Square

18

Lockdown listening

Keeping the mind occupied and

boredom at bay will be a challenge

for all households as the lockdown

bites.

The Edinburgh Reporter has

picked out a few BBC podcasts

which will help while away a few

hours. All are available on BBC

Sounds or on the BBC website.

Grayson Perry portrait © Katie Hyams

The Coronavirus Newscast is

a daily offering featuring well

esablished BBC journalists Adam

Fleming, Political Editor Laura

Kuenssberg, Fergus Walsh and

Chris Mason - the same group who

brought us Brexitcast throughout

last year with its every twist and

turn of the Brexit drama.

The Quaich Project

podcast now online

The Edinburgh Reporter recently

sat down with David Ellis, the

Managing Director of The Ross

Development Trust, and Cliff

Hague Chair of the Cockburn

Association.

The vexed question of what kind

of development is appropriate for

West Princes Street Gardens will

have to wait until the city recovers

from the many challenges of

coronavirus.

But now that we have a captive

audience, we are releasing our

podcast on anchor.fm (see

P2) about the proposals. The

Quaich Project is a public private

partnership between The Ross

Development Trust, a charity,

and The City of Edinburgh

Council to design, fund and build

improvements in West Princes

Street Gardens. It surprised us

that there were not daggers drawn

over the need for the project. It

is of course in the execution that

opposing parties have different

views. And the devil is in the detail.

Cliff Hague said: "The difficulties

for us are really two or three

concerns and they're all interrelated.

One is the the scale of the

new performance area arena. My

understanding is that it will more

or less double the capacity of the

existing Ross Bandstand.

"Linked to that is the intervention

beneath Princes Street to create

what's been called the Welcome

Centre. So together, we think

there's pretty major interventions,

and they're intrinsically disruptive.

They're going to take quite a long

time to construct when there will

be a mess. They're high end items

that will require a lot of money

and a lot of risk. Our concern is

that this then leads you into an

overly commercialised solution,

when what we think is that a

pragmatic set of relatively small

scale interventions could actually

deliver an outcome that more or

less everybody in the city would be

supportive of."

David Ellis countered: "When this

project started. When Norman

Springford and I first sat down and

looked at how we were going to go

about this and what we were trying

to provide as a replacement for the

Ross Bandstand, there were only

two large events a year - one was

the Festival fireworks and one was

Hogmanay. So when this project

first started, these are the calendar

of events that are causing all

the controversy at the moment.

They weren't even in the gardens.

Now, the bandstand that we're

providing is focused on being a

space for small community, mainly

unamplified performances. That's

what it's always been about."

Listen on anchor.fm


A charge that has been levelled

at some of the Covid-19 coverage

in newspapers and online is that

we should leave coverage of the

coronavirus pandemic to health

and science correspondents

who can bring their expertise to

bear on answer-shy politicians.

Coronavirus Newscast does

feature political journalists

but based on the success of

Brexitcast it is worth a listen.

OPERA

New York's Met Opera is

internationally recognised as one

of the world's best performing arts

centres.

It is temporarily closed but it

is offering free streaming of its

past performances featuring

famous divas and tenors who

have graced the Met stage.To view

the schedule of performances,

just head to their website. www.

metopera.org

The Opéra National de Paris

also has some opera and ballet

on video which can be watchd for

free. www.operadeparis.fr

COMEDY

The Stand Edinburgh streamed

some live comedy (without an

audience) on their YouTube

channel, although it is not clear

whether that can continue. Keep

an eye on their website for any

information www.thestand.co.uk

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS

The Rotterdam Philharmonic

has recorded Beethoven’s 9th

Symphony (Ode to Joy) and

broadcast it on their YouTube

channel. It looks as though they

used Zoom - which is everyone’s

new favourite app - and it is just

brilliant. Well worth a listen. We

do hope that the RSNO rise to the

challenge.

www.youtube/3eXT60rbBVk

13 Minutes to the Moon is

especially interesting. The

programme is in two series on

BBC News World Service and

there is also a six episode podcast

about the doomed Apollo 13 space

mission. There is one episode

featuring German composer Hans

Zimmer explaining how he created

the theme music. There is video

content for you to enjoy too.

“Houston we’ve had a problem.”

The Mirror and the Light by

Hilary Mantel may be the end

of the Thomas Cromwell series

but it could be a good way of

introducing yourself to her weighty

tomes if you haven’t already

ventured there. Anton Lesser reads

the finale to her Booker-winning

trilogy which includes Wolf Hall

and Bring Up The Bodies. Abridged

by Katrin Williams.

The all-time favourite for many

has to be Desert Island Discs.

Here is the well-established

pattern of suggesting to someone

who is otherwise quite sane that

you are going to cast them away

to a desert island. With them they

can only take music and a never

ending supply of something they

cannot live without. At the present

time a desert island sounds like

the perfect retreat from reality.

There are endless episodes here

(well 2,251) dating from the days

when Roy Plomley first hosted

the programme in the 1940s. The

MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES

There are 2,500 museums which

you can visit without leaving

home. The virtual tours will no

doubt be a welcome alternative to

flipping through the TV channels

(although we have some ideas on

that too).

artsandculture.google.com is the

web address you need to access

these delights across the world.

We have three suggestions for

you:

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

in Santa Fé is one of my absolute

favourites. She is one of the most

important 20th century artists

with the dramatic flowers and

New Mexico landscapes featuring

alongside images of bones and

skulls against the desert sky.

O’Keeffe married her art dealer,

Alfred Stieglitz, who was also a

renowned photographer. They

left the skyscrapers of New York

behind (which she also painted) to

live in New Mexico where she died

aged 98 in 1986.

National Palace Museum Taipei

allows you to ‘walk’ through their

vast collection. Find the Jadeite

Cabbage which is one of their

most important exhibits as well

as the meat-shaped stone (yes

honestly it looks like a piece of

meat!)

“At first glance, the meat-shaped

piece of stone looks like a

Guardian has a spreadsheet with

data listing every DID guest and

what they chose as their luxury

and the name of the book which

accompanied them. The late

Labour Party leader, the Rt Hon

John Smith, chose an Anthology of

Poems and a case of champagne.

His favourite track was Mozart's

The Marriage of Figaro - Final Aria,

which is well worth a delve into

from time to time.

The Reith Lectures is a series

which has run from 1948. Far

from the high brow reputation of

old, the series hopes to give some

time and space to discussing

topics in detail with ‘brilliant and

entertaining’ people. They are a

little bit longer than a TED talk

followed by a Q & A. The four

recommended lectures are those

by artist Grayson Perry, (pictured

left) author Hilary Mantel (yes her

again!), former doctor and surgeon

Atul Gawande and conductor and

pianist Daniel Barenboim.

Grayson Perry was the subject

of an exhibition at the Dovecot

last year during the Edinburgh Art

Festival. His groundbreaking work

was the focus of a solo exhibition:

Julie Cope's Grand Tour: The Story

of Life by Grayson Perry. It was the

first solo exhibition in Scotland of

the celebrated Turner Prize winner

and self-titled 'unapologetic

fetishist'.

Speaking of TED Talks, there is

a daily podcast with every subject

under the sun covered. You can

task Alexa to find it for you. “Alexa,

ask TED Talks for the latest talk.”

Armchair culture for all tastes

luscious, mouth-watering piece of

Dongpo pork. Made from banded

jasper, it is a naturally occurring

stone that accumulates in layers

over many years.” Also do explore

the Ju Ware - ceramic bowls and

cups which date from the Northern

Song dynasty in the late 11th

century.

The Scottish National Portrait

Gallery is also online for you

to enjoy. There is a wonderful

photograph of skating on

Duddingston Loch by John Patrick

dating from 1900. And of course

there are several photographs

by pioneers David Octavius Hill

and Robert Adamson from 1845.

Funnily enough little has changed

at The Scott Monument since

then.

The National Museum of

Scotland

At NMS they have a selection

of online games to entertain

children and a playlist from their

YouTube channel which features

stories from their collection. They

suggest taking a look at their blog

where the curators (who really do

know everything) and collection

services teams write about the

exhibitions and objects on display

in Chambers Street.

nms.ac.uk

We can only imagine that by this

time the Tyrannosaurs are actually

ruling the roost at the museum . . .

PRINCIPAL FUNDING PARTNERS

Investment managers

SUPPORTED BY

MAJOR FUNDING PARTNERS

THE

BOSHIER-HINTON

FOUNDATION

FUNDING PARTNERs

DIGITAL WORLD

SHAPE IT

THE

RUSSELL

TRUST

Edinburgh Science Festival, scheduled for

4–19 April 2020, was cancelled due to the

global spread of COVID-19. Although the

event won’t go ahead as planned we will be

launching a digital #EdSciFest in April. Keep

your eyes peeled for online entertainment,

curated articles, and downloadable resources

covering all your Science Festival favourites.

We are incredibly grateful to all

of our sponsors for their continued support

during this challenging time.

sciencefestival.co.uk

#edscifest



21

Funeral arrangements

Scotland’s largest independent

funeral directors, William

Purves, has announced new

measures for funerals in light

of the COVID-19 pandemic

and the latest government and

industry guidelines.

Their ten offices across

Edinburgh now have temporary

restricted access to the public with

all funeral arrangements being

handled remotely by video call or

telephone.

To adhere to government

guidelines, attendance at funeral

services will be restricted to close

family members with live video

links or recordings provided as an

alternative.

Social distancing will be in

effect at all times and home visits

are not being offered, however

the team will be communicating

with families and providing

every support possible. To stop

the spread of the virus, the use

of company limousines is not

provided, instead family have

the option of the hearse going

home and family following, or

alternatively meeting the hearse at

the crematorium or cemetery.

RNIB advice

Blind and partially sighted, the

majority of whom are older and

may have other health conditions,

can still access services from

sight loss charity RNIB Scotland,

whose main office is based in

Edinburgh.

"In the current period of

uncertainty and confusion it is

more important than ever that

those who are among the most

vulnerable in society still have

confidence that they have help and

support," said the charity's director

James Adams.

Currently, around 170,000

people are living in Scotland

with significant sight loss.

Although most are over the age

of 60, around 3,500 children and

young people also have a visual

impairment.

"First, and most importantly, our

Embalming and viewings are

still permitted with viewings taking

place in-branch and adhering to

social distancing guidelines.

Chairman Tim Purves said:

“While we are having to change

how we would normally

support families throughout

the loss of a loved one, we are

nonetheless fully committed

to providing a first-class

service within the confines of

current legislation.

“Our role is to ensure

that loved ones get

the send-off they deserve and

their families get to share in a

celebration of their life. It may

not be what we envisaged a

month or even last week, but

it is the new reality and we are

ensuring we carry our families’

wishes respectfully in line

with government guidelines.

“We know saying goodbye to

a loved one is hard at the best

of times and we fully realise the

impact these restrictions will have

on families. Crucially, we are here

24/7 for anyone who needs us,

and our staff are working round

the clock so that we can continue

to carry out our services safely.”

helpline is still open on 0303 123

9999," said Mr Adams. "This can

give advice and information and

refer people on to other services.

"Information on issues of

concern to people with sight loss

will also continue to be broadcast,

as well as entertainment

programmes, by our Connect

Radio station, available on

Freeview 730 or online. RNIB's

Talking Book library can still post

or download the thousands of

titles we have available in audio

and other formats."

The social work service that

the charity offers in Edinburgh,

East Lothian and Midlothian can

be contacted on 0131 652 3140

on Mondays to Fridays, between

9am until 12 noon. However,

staff will not be undertaking any

home-visits unless these are

clearly identified as an emergency.

Wide Days postponed till later in

unable to attend in person.

the year

A Message from the organisers

of Wide Days

Following WHO and UK

government advice in relation to

coronavirus, we have taken the

decision to postpone Wide Days

until 23-25 July.

While some areas of the

programme might need to be

adapted, our priority is to deliver

the showcases and the conference

as planned, with additional panel

content focusing on the many

issues arising from the current

situation. We are also exploring

a range of streaming options for

speakers and delegates who are

NHS and emergency services

staff in Midlothian are being

served a boost by Scotland’s top

curry restaurant.

The Radhuni in Loanhead,

voted the country’s Best Curry

Restaurant last November, has

announced it is cutting prices of

its takeaway food by 20 percent

for essential service workers and

extending the discount to carers.

“There have been examples of

health service employees, police

and other emergency service

staff going to shops after lengthy

exhausting shifts and finding it

difficult to get certain foods,” said

the restaurant’s Managing Partner,

Habibur Khan. “We’re determined

to make sure they eat well to give

them the strength they need to

carry on with their magnificent

work.”

“The pandemic is also causing

enormous hardship and stress

for our elderly citizens so we’re

also making our contribution to

the fight against the coronavirus

by reducing prices for everyone

caring for others at home or in

The decision has been made in

consultation with our partners,

performers and speakers and

we would like to thank them and

everyone who has continued to

support Wide Days. We hope that

by choosing postponement over

cancellation, we can continue

to host an important forum for

the music community, while also

providing our freelance event

team with some income in the

difficult months ahead. During

the coming weeks we expect

everyone to be focused on coping

with the immediate impact of

the pandemic, so we won’t be

making any further programme

announcements until May.

However, we plan to post

previous panels from our archive

and are happy to share news of

crowdfunders, artist streams

and any other initiative which

can help our friends in the music

community. We hope to see you

in July.

xx Michael, Olaf & the Wide Team

Wide Days was launched in

2010 and is hosted every April

in Edinburgh by Wide Events CIC

It attracts key music industry

players from the UK, Europe and

North America and in 2019 drew

360 registered delegates with a

further 800 registrations for the

evening showcases snapped up by

members of the public.

Radhuni currying favour with the

NHS

Rajesh Karki Front of

House Manager

care homes.”

Mr Khan, widely known as

“Scotland’s Curry King,” added:

“Restaurant businesses like ours

have taken a huge financial hit

but we’ve always been a staunch

supporter of our local community

and there has never been a more

crucial time to step up efforts.”

The Radhuni is enforcing tough

hygiene measures at its Clerk

Street premises, with a maximum

of two people allowed in at any

one time and use of hand sanitiser

compulsory before and after

collecting meals.

The restaurant is open from 4.30

pm to 9.30 pm daily. Discounts

are valid from Sunday through

Thursday. theradhuni.co.uk

Statues - David Hume - of Hume and Bondage

We have a new feature for you this month. We will take a different statue around the city and show it to you with the story behind it. This month the statue is the

one of philosopher David Hume which sits outside the High Court. For some reason people have begun to rub his toe as they think it brings good luck.

Alicia Roux and family

Words and Photos by Martin

McAdam

David Hume (1711 to 1776)

outstanding philosopher

and atheist looms large over

Edinburgh.

The statue outside the High Court

in Edinburgh depicts Hume as an

ancient Greek philosopher.

He rejected religion and

Edinburgh is Scotland’s leading

city when it comes to celebrating

the achievements of women with

commemorative plaques.

It also holds top spot for plaques

superstition and would be

surprised as tourists on The Royal

Mile rub his big toe for good luck .

Photographed above, French

student Alicia Roux who is

attending Heriot-Watt University

as an intern and her family give

the toe a good rub as she says she

needs a lot of luck to get the best

results in her studies.

Hume’s image features on the

marking inanimate objects, usually

buildings.

Research by Holiday Cottages

found that Edinburgh had 59

female-dedicated plaques, far

The Hume Mausoleum

frieze in the Scottish National

Portrait Gallery on Queen Street

and his statue also appears

outside it on the north west corner

of the building.

The site of his former house on

8 South St David Street is now

occupied by The Ivy and TK Maxx.

A stone carving on the building

that previously occupied the site

has disappeared, too.

His tomb in the Old Calton Burial

outstripping Dumfries in second

place with just five and Glasgow in

third place with a paltry four.

The capital obviously has a

fondness for throwing up a plaque

Ground became a Hume family

mausoleum. His desire for a

simple inscription is now replaced

with tributes to his nephew’s (also

called David Hume) wife Jane

Adler.

The original latin 'Natus' and

'Obiit' strangely chiseled out and

replaced with ‘Born’ and ‘Died’.

Another capital mystery.

Plaque is the new black as Edinburgh takes top spot

in general, as it was in top spot for

the number of object-dedicated

plaques with 65, Glasgow lagged

way behind with just 25, while

Stirling and Falkirk was placed

third with eight.

The Open Plaque research

found: “The city of Edinburgh has

more commemorative plaques

dedicated to significant objects

than to female figures. Sixty five

out of their 156 plaques celebrate

objects of note, meaning that

almost a quarter of their total

plaques are dedicated to objects.

“However, Edinburgh does have

the most plaques dedicated to

women out of any other county

in Scotland, with 59 plaques

honouring inspirational female

figures. We also found that more

than 50% of Edinburgh's plaques

are dedicated to men, showing

a significant disparity when it

comes to the gender divide of the

plaques.

“Although significant objects

are commemorated more in

Edinburgh, they still have more

plaques honouring women

than any other Scottish county.

Generally, the number of plaques

dedicated to female figures is

remarkably low in Scotland, with

a large number of counties only

have one plaque that honours and

inspirational woman.”

Some interesting objectdedicated

plaques which featured

in the survey included:

Empire Palace Theatre, the

first moving picture screening in

Scotland in 1896;

Royal Caledonian Horticultural

Society, 1809 (which is on

The Dome); Royal Infirmary of

Edinburgh 1729;

The Vaults, Leith's oldest

warehouse, built in 1682;

The Hall of the Royal Medical

Society 1852;

Portobello Town Hall 1878;

Church of Scotland's General

Assembly Hall used to house

Scottish Parliament 1999;

The Flodden Wall 1513.

Hart Street Studios, formerly Pan

Audio owned by The Corries 1974.

holidaycottages.co.uk



23

No dough? Pay what you can afford at Granton bakery

By Phyllis Stephen

Charlie Hanks has already been

in the Granton Garden Bakery for

a couple of hours when I arrive.

There are loaves ready to go in

the oven and by the time I leave, I

have bought one to take with me.

The smell of freshly baked bread is

just too tempting.

But this is not just any bread.

It is made by hand with heritage

flour produced by Scotland the

Bread. This is bread which is more

naturally produced and so more

digestible according to the master

baker himself. Community Food

and Health Scotland provided

some of the funding for the bakery

and there has been a bit of other

investment too.

Charlie’s mission is to produce

tasty, healthy, affordable bread for

North Edinburgh - natural food,

produced locally. Most of his

bread is wholemeal, made with

heritage flour, but he explains that

he also now uses white flour made

from modern wheat so that he can

provide white loaves for those who

want them. It is clear that this is

something he has done with great

reluctance, but he understands the

need to meet customer demand.

Charlie explains his journey from

studying French to making French

baguettes: "I got into baking more

as a food activist than as a baker,

through working with food waste.

I saw that as a symbol of what is

broken in our food system. It all

felt very negative, but when I got

into bread I thought that was an

equally powerful symbol of how

our food system works and how it

doesn't.

"There are more positive ways

of creating alternatives. Ninety

eight per cent of the bread we

Seared Seabass with crab, new

potatoes and sauce vierge

This recipe is brought to you by

Tony Harkess, Head Chef at The

Garden Bistro in Saughton Park,

who were all set for a very fancy

opening party which sadly had to

be cancelled at the last minute.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Sea Bass fillets

• 100gm white crab meat

• 300g new potatoes

• 12 cherry plum tomatoes

• 12 asparagus spears

• ½ crushed garlic clove

• 1 finely diced banana shallot

• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil

• 25 ml vegetable oil

• 25g butter

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 1 tsp chopped chives

• 1 tsp chopped basil

• 1 tsp chopped coriander

• Salt & Pepper

To garnish:

• Washed tender pea shoots

• Wedge of lemon

• Cracked black pepper and sea

salt

Charlie Hanks carrying on baking in Granton

eat in this country is made from

flour produced from grain which

is destroying our soils and then

in turn destroying our digestive

systems. This is one reason

why there is so much gluten

intolerance.

“The other reason for that is

the way the bread is processed

once the flour has been made.

Production times have been

reduced and the process relies on

chemical additives and enzymes

to such an extent that we really

don't know what we're eating any

more.

"But we do know that since a lot

of these enzymes have recently

been banned that they are not

doing us any favours. It really is

possible to make delicious bread,

which is not making us sick, and is

available to everybody.

METHOD:

To make the sauce vierge briefly

blanche the tomatoe’s , peel,

remove seeds and dice.

In a pan mix and heat slowly

to approximately 65 degrees to

infuse garlic, shallot, juice of one

lemon and 50ml of olive oil along

with the basil and coriander, add

diced tomatoes, season and set

aside

Wash, peel and boil the potatoes

in salted water until they are 90%

ready. Drain, return to pan, cover

and set aside.

Pre-heat a non-stick pan until

hot, then add 25ml of vegetable

oil.

Season sea bass skin with salt

and add to pan, skin side down.

Press down lightly so skin is level

in the pan.

Season fish side with salt and

pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes

until the skin is crispy. Turn fish

over, remove from heat, add butter

and baste with the browned butter.

Set aside to rest.

"In all the bread I make there are

three ingredients, flour, salt and

water. That is all you need to make

bread."

Charlie is now employed baking

two days a week. He started his

baking career at Breadshare in

Portobello and says that since last

June when he set up the Granton

Garden Bakery he has learned so

much about baking bread - and

that he uses the best ingredients

that he can get.

Granton Garden Bakery is part of

Granton Community Gardeners, a

Scottish Charitable Incorporated

Organisation based in North

Edinburgh, where there are now

six part-time employees. The

community gardeners have also

planted and harvested their own

wheat on street corners, but of

course there is not enough to keep

From the Garden Bistro - a taste of things to come

Can't wait for The Garden Bistro to open

Return the potatoes to the heat,

add 50 ml of olive oil, juice of one

lemon, salt and pepper.

Crush with the back of a fork

then spoon in the chives and crab

meat. Keep warm.

Chargrill the asparagus for 2-3

minutes until charred. Squeeze

Charlie supplied in flour all year

round. When he is not working

in Granton, Charlie has been

working on a Climate Challenge

Fund project growing wheat in

Perthshire.

Charlie explains he was inspired

by the Small Food Bakery in

Nottingham who have been at the

forefront of a revival in artisanal

baking. He explained they work

“with integrity”, focusing on where

the food supply comes from,

working with local farmers, and as

a team in the bakery.

He continued: "If it's made

properly it will have more flavour

than you could possibly imagine

bread could ever have. It will be

much better for your gut, keep

you going much longer and will

not leave you feeling bloated,

like industrial bread tends to.

the juice of one lemon over them

and season with salt and pepper.

On a hot plate, place the crushed

potatoes into a centrally placed

metal ring (or shape into a circle).

Place 3 asparagus spears neatly

on top.

You could have one slice of this

for breakfast and it will keep you

going all day.”

In the run up to Christmas Charlie

was baking at capacity for three

days but now everything is pared

back to prep day on Thursday and

then baking on Friday.

From the window in the ground

floor bakery on Boswall Parkway

he hands out the loaves on Friday

and people pay what they can

afford. You can get your hands on

one on a first-come-first-served

basis. Although the community

centre of which the bakery forms

part is closed, he will continue

to bake on Fridays for as long as

possible.

"It is our attempt to make

healthy, delicious locally produced

bread available to everyone

who wants it regardless of their

means. We try to bake enough to

fulfil everybody's demands but

obviously the earlier you come

along the better."

Finally, he puts out a plea for

some help: "It is a community

project, part of a wider community

organisation which is all about

people getting involved in any way

they can. The way the gardeners

tend to operate is that people will

come to us with an idea and we

will make it happen. That is really

what happened to me with the

bakery.

"We are at a point now where

it is more or less viable in terms

of producing bread for the

community one day a week. But

there's so much more we could

be doing. We could be baking

more, we could be doing more

workshops, we could reach a wider

public."

Place the seabass fillet on the

top.

Top with a generous serving of

sauce vierge and garnish with pea

shoots and a wedge of lemon.

www.thegardenbistro.co.uk

Elements of #EdSciFest

Sadly, this year’s edition of

the annual Edinburgh Science

Festival, scheduled for 4–19 April,

was cancelled due to the outbreak

of Covid-19. Although the event

won’t go ahead as planned, the

team behind it aren’t letting the

pandemic stop them and are

putting together an exciting

digital version of the Festival to

run across the original dates and

beyond.

Called Elements of #EdSciFest,

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson

If your own binge watching

habits give you a self-inflicted

guilt trip, that’s nothing to the

annoyance of having to watch

endless episodes of your child’s

favourite tv programmes.

Parents of novice TV watchers

take comfort, the minute you reach

for the brick to sling at the telly is

the moment your darling offspring

immediately loses interest and

moves onto the next stage of their

screen watching career.

So how to survive screen time on

the online Festival will draw on the

‘Elemental’ theme of the original

programme that was planned for

the April event.

A series of online live Q & A’s

with Festival speakers, curated

articles, fascinating content

and downloadable science

activities for kids and adults

will explore the challenges

and opportunities facing us as

individuals, societies and a planet

through the lens of earth, air, fire,

lockdown?

The key is to find programmes

the whole family enjoys.

Blue Planet and any David

Attenborough programmes are

always reliable and kids get an

education at the same time. For

some animal comedy,

CBBC's The Zoo is a favourite in

our house, with camp alpha gorilla,

Jurgen being possibly one of the

best anti-heroes on the small

screen.

A quick parent WhatsApp survey

reveals that Celebrity Bake Off and

water and aether.

Edinburgh Science has a wealth

of experience in creating fun,

engaging Science experiments

that can be done with equipment

you might find around the house.

This is set to be a fantastic

resource for families confined

to their homes with many

parents trying their hand at

home-schooling at the moment.

Instead of the Dinosaur Weekend

that was planned for children at

SCAN HERE!

Watch TV - you are not alone....

Race Across The World are regular

adult and child watching features.

Our favourite is C4's The Great

Pottery Throw Down, particularly

the episode where they make their

own toilets.

Children need to know what’s

going on in the world but

understandably the news can

make then nervous and fearful.

Newsround, now presented by

a bunch of kids rather than John

Craven, handles current affairs in

a child friendly but straightforward

and intelligent manner.

the Pleasance, the Festival has

designed a series of dinosaur

crafts that kids can download

and make at home. Plus, two

events that were planned for the

Festival’s flagship family venue,

the City Art Centre, will now take

place in digital form as part of an

Edinburgh Science takeover of

the popular Earth Live Lessons

YouTube series. On 10 and 11

April, viewers can livestream talks

focused on our amazing oceans

and Scottish wildlife.

The Festival’s outdoor

photography exhibition, Into the

Blue, is now being brought indoors

and on to our screens for everyone

to enjoy from home. Every day

the Festival is uploading a new

picture from the exhibition on to

their Instagram, taking users on a

fascinating journey around some

of Scotland's most remarkable

coastlines with stunning

photography from local artists.

The full digital programme will be

announced soon on the EdSciFest

website and you can keep up to

date with what the Festival has in

store on their Facebook, Twitter

by John HIslop

Hibs distributed fresh fruit and

vegetables, dairy products and

perishables which were intended

for the postponed game against St

Johnstone to local charities and

community groups.

Hibs fans were joined by

supporters of other clubs on social

media with the vast majority

praising the actions of the club

with several quoting former

Famous Five legend Eddie Turnbull

who famously said: “There’s

class, there’s first class and there

is Hibs class.”The match was

postponed at short notice due to

and Instagram pages.

Facebook: @

EdinburghScienceFestival

Twitter: @EdSciFest

Instagram: @edscifest

#EdSciFest

sciencefestival.co.uk

Earth Live Lessons on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=eJHyX13nNw4

Food finds its match

the coronavirus pandemic as work

was ongoing to prepare lunches

for hundreds of supporters who

had purchased the matchday

hospitality packages in the various

suites inside the West Stand.

The Hibernian Community

Foundation, the charitable arm of

the Football Club, has close links

to local charities and community

groups who were delighted

to receive the food. Regular

foodbanks donations are normally

accepted at the stadium The

Foundation are raising money to

deliver 5000 hot meals to children

across Edinburgh.


24 FOOD


FOOD 25

Cooking with Barry

Spelt Loaf

A quick and easy dense soft loaf,

from grains to plate in under two

hours.

This loaf is similar to a rye loaf

so expect a rich darker flavor with

a slightly healthy (gulp) feel but

the extra water in this recipe keeps

it fairly airy, it’s fantastic to cut

thin and eat with pate or smoked

salmon but if you are going to use

this for a sandwich then my top

tip would be salt beef, pickles and

mustard mayo ( and slice it thin)

INGREDIENTS:

• 500g spelt flour/ or strong

white/wholemeal breadflour mix

40/60

• Pinch of salt

• 7g of fast acting yeast ( 1 x tsp)

• Sprinkle of dried herbs ( I used

Thyme)

• 400ml hot but not boiling water

• 20ml of honey

• 20ml of olive oil

Method:

Add flour, yeast and salt to a

bowl and with meticulously clean

hands rub it all together

Sprinkle in the dried herbs and

run through

Add honey to the warm water

and mix together

Add honey/water to your dry mix

and bring together adding the olive

oil as you go

On a clean work surface knead

dough for 5 minutes

(it will feel a tad sticky which

is good but will leave no residue

on your hands as you knead, also

good)

Shape your kneaded dough into a

baton or a boule

Place your shaped dough

carefully into a deep tin or bowl

and cover with cling film ( don’t let

the cling film touch the dough, use

something higher then it to create

a tent effect)

Place somewhere warm for 45

minutes and allow to rise/prove

After 45 minutes take a sharp

knife and score a little into the top

of the loaf

Heat the oven to 180 degrees fan

assisted

I Spry with my little eye


Matt Jackson and his fiancée,

Marzena Brodziak, are quite a

couple. Owners of Spry Wines

on Haddington Place they work

in harmony together, Matt being

an expert in Natural wines and

Marzena putting tasty small plates

together in the kitchen.

I recently enjoyed some

unctuous duck rilletes and her

zingy and super sharp home made

pickles. Visiting on a Tuesday

night last month, everything

seemed dandy. The minimalist

but cosy space was well filled and

for a new venture, business was

pretty good.

Bake loaf for 40 minutes

Remove from oven and give the

bottom a wee tap, it will feel crispy

on the base and tap a bit and it will

sound a bit hollow

Cool for 15 minutes

Then slice

Chef Barry Bryson

Juliet's Food Diary


Here we are in the worst of

times, where your favourite eatery

has transformed into a take away

joint or pulled the shutters down,

not before stripping out the stock

in fear of looting.

No doubt you’ll have seen the

various memes doing the rounds.

They tend to go something like

this: “And the people went home,

and they read, and they meditated,

they did yoga and made their own

hummus . . .” usually there's an

“and they breathed“ thrown in for

good measure.

I’ve never managed to reach the

end of one of these insufferable

musings but one must hope they

end with everyone choking on their

falafel or whatever these smug,

stretchy breathing people eat.

All very well if you’re still

employed or on the 80% wage but

patronising in the extreme if you’ve

closed your business. Independent

business owners are the last to be

paid when open and the last to be

thought of by the government now.

Some restaurants will reopen

and survive this but others won’t,

particularly small independent

and newer businesses, and that’s

when, if you’re lucky enough to be

employed through this, you’ll have

to decide how much you want

your favourite restaurants and

bars to exist. Perhaps forgoing a

holiday to spend the money eating

out instead? Those are the kind

of decisions that will have to be

made.

In the meantime, breathe . . .

Enough of the doom and gloom.

The kiddywinks are home and the

shops still have stocks of spirits.

These two things must surely be

related.

And yes it’s a chance to teach

them some ‘life skills’, or drudgery,

if you prefer. My daughter’s already

put a wash on, done the Hoovering

and cleaned a chimney and its

only 11am on the first Monday off.

The best part is, she thinks these

chores are fun.

Let’s see how long that lasts.

Certainly we could all use this

opportunity to teach our children

how to cook.

So let's begin with something

safe and fun. At the time of going

to print all the ingredients for this

recipe were to be found in my local

supermarket as it doesn’t use any

eggs or flour.

Seriously, where have all the

artisan bakers come from? The

other plus to this sweet treat is

you can use any sort of biscuit or

sweets in it.

We like marshmallows but

Maltesers and Smarties are also

lovely.

Juliet’s Chocolate Tiffin

Ingredients:

• 100g milk chocolate

• 100g dark chocolate

• 100g butter

• 3tbs golden syrup

• 130g biscuits (digestive or rich

tea work best)

• A handful of marshmallows

or combination of sweets of your

choice.

• Raisins, if you’re a killjoy.

• 200g chocolate of your choice

for the topping and decoration.

Method:

Melt the butter, syrup and

chocolate in a small pan over a

low heat, stirring all the time, or

in the microwave, stirring every

30 seconds. In a large bowl, bash

up the biscuits. We use the end

of a wooden spoon and you want

some chunks and powdery bits.

Mix the biscuits with the chocolate

mixture and any marshmallows

or sweets you want to put in.

Pour into a lined 20cm baking

tray and press down. Pop in the

fridge until set then melt the

topping chocolate and pour over,

dotting the top with any sweets or

decorations of your choice. Leave

to set in the fridge then chop up,

eat and worry about the calories

tomorrow.

Reward for cleaning the chimney

Marzena Brodziak and Matt Jackon of of

So what is a Natural wine?

Matt tells me there's no agreed

definition but it is generally made

from organic grapes with as little

human and chemical intervention

as possible. Matt's key points for

choosing the wine he buys are that

they are farmed organically using

only naturally occurring yeasts,

no fining agents and little to no

filtering, yet most importantly that

they taste good.

Matt and Marzena may not have

open doors any longer but they

do have a lot of fabulous stock,

deli products and pickles all to be

delivered on their bikes.

Follow @spry_wines on

Instagram for menus and delivery

options. So what might be a good

self isolating wine to indulge in?

Matt recommends Le Puy,

Emilien, 2016, a blend of Merlot

and Cabernet Sauvignon from

Bordeaux. Le Puy are one of the

only growers that can be sure their

vines are 100% chemical free.

Most of the vineyards in Bordeaux

use lots and lots of chemicals,

and even those who are certified

organic are affected by the run-off

of rainwater combined with these

chemicals. Le Puy, on the other

hand, have vines that are isolated

on a plateau, which means they

are not affected in anyway by the

fertilisers and pesticides of the

other growers.

Another shout out for a start-up

business has to go to @sprEHd.

See what they did there? An

Edinburgh based company

bringing you a perfectly tailored

charcuterie and cheese board with

all the oatcake, cracker, pickle,

olive and pate trimmings of your

dreams. And in a compostable

box! The standard but beautifully

packaged box is £25 for two

people. Order by DM on Instagram

or email sprehd@outlook.com

Food for thought as city chefs step up to the plate

The city’s restaurant trade has

arguably been hit hardest by the

Covid-19 outbreak with hundreds

of outlets faced with no choice

but to call last orders for the

foreseeable future.

A sizable number of restaurants

initially offered slimmed down

versions of their menus for

delivery and takeaway but

with increased awareness

of self-isolation and travel

restrictions it became difficult to

maintain.

However a number of determined

chefs have pledged to keep

serving and are offering limited

delivery options. Here is a

selection:

Roots, William Street

Are offering Roots Veg Boxes

with zero contact delivery and

collection options. Ten per cent

discount for pre-paid orders of

four weeks or more. For vulnerable

or financially desperate people

Roots will attempt to supply free

of charge.

Visit www.facebook.com/

RootsEdin/ for latest info.

Merienda, Raeburn Place

Michelin award-winning

Merienda are offering a Social

Distancing menu for delivery

in and around Edinburgh. With

sister catering company Exec

Chef Cuisine they will deliver

food to help stock fridges and

freezers and they are also licenced

to deliver wines from their

well-stocked cellar.

eat-merienda.com

Fhior, Broughton Street are

working with small local suppliers

to delivery quality produce to

customers’ doors. They said:

“Our amazing team at Fhior are

currently volunteering to get this

service up and running. We would

like to reassure we have them

working from home as much as

possible on this project with the

exception of our small fulfilment

and delivery team.”

instagram.com/fhiorrestaurant/

Cheesemonger I J Mellis is doing

a home delivery service Monday

to Friday to homes in the EH1 to

EH17 postcodes which can also

include eggs, bread and milk.

Orders by 10am for same day

delivery.

mellischeese.net/buy/

Edinburgh Reporter featured chef

Barry Bryson of Cater Edinburgh

is providing a contemporary fine

dining home delivery service

throughout the city centre.

A choice of classic dishes

includes cottage pie, salmon

and hake fish pie, braised beef

burgundy, pork, bacon and fennel

polpetti with tomato sauce, spiced

lamb tagine, lamb shoulder bhuna,

beef chipotle chilli ragu, vegan

tagine and vegetarian rendang. All

orders will come complete with a

serving of rice, potato, couscous

or pasta, as well as a fresh

vegetable box. Cater Edinburgh

is offering a choice of large serve

dishes that can easily be divided

into 30 to 50 portions from one

order. This practical format means

that meals can be easily portioned

and chilled in the fridge for a

number of days or stored in the

freezer for up to six months.

All pre-paid online orders will be

carefully prepared by Barry at his

commercial kitchen in Leith and

delivered to central Edinburgh

locations in Cater Edinburgh’s

dedicated refrigerated van. Barry

can leave orders safely at front

doors keeping a safe distance

and respecting hygiene and social

distancing etiquette, so there will

be no hand-to-hand contact.

To place an order, email barry@

cateredinburgh.com, call 07961

573658 www.cateredinburgh.com

Twelve Triangles shops in Duke

Street and Brunswick Street, Leith,

and in Portobello High Street

remain open for take away only

and also offer a delivery service.

www.twelvetriangles.com

Radicibus in Deanhaugh

Street, Stockbridge are offering

a takeaway menu and delivery

service to the local area.

The collection option is available

Wednesday to Sunday from

5pm-8pm with last orders at

7pm. Deliveries on the same days

can be arranged from 8.30pm to

9.30pm (with the last order in at

7.30pm).www.radicibus.co.uk

Smith & Gertrude in Hamilton

Place are offering a delivery

service Thursday to Sunday for

their cheese, charcuterier and wine

selections. Wine can be ordered

by the bottle and case and mixed

boards and bread is available. S&G

Home will be adding additional

products in the coming days

in collobaration with long term

suppliers.www.smithandgertrude.

com

East Coast Cured in Restalrig

Road are operating reduced hours

to protect staff and customers,

Monday to Saturday noon to 4pm.

They are also taking orders by

phone and online for collection

and local delivery. Charcuterie,

cheese, ferments, oatcakes, eggs,

milk and bread are just some of

the choices.

To place an order call 0131

553 9043 or email hello@

eastcoastcured.com

Aurora in Great Junction Street

are offering a Take Away Menu,

available Wednesday to Sunday,

12pm to 8pm for delivery and

collection.Starters include

butternut squash soup, ham hock

terrine and Moroccan spiced

koftas. Mains include coq au

vin, salmon fishcakes, vegetable

moussaka and Calabrian stuffed

aubergine. Deliveries can be made

to EH1 to EH8 postcodes but if

you live outwith those areas give

them a call and they may be able

to arrange a delivery. Aurora can

also offer a small wine and beer

selection. Delivery teams will wear

personal protective equipment.

0131 554 5537

www.auroraedinburgh.co.uk

26

FEATURE

Paging all book lovers

Lighthouse Bookshop have

launched the Lighthouse Life

Raft to help keep afloat those

booklovers who can no longer visit

the shop in West Nicolson Street.

It is essentially a collection of

author interviews, bookseller

recommends and readings, blog

pieces and special spotlights on

debut books and new releases.

The Lighthouse online shop is

accepting all book orders. Email

the titles and the shop will send

a payment link and arrange

dispatch.lighthousebookshop.com

Golden Hare Books in

Stockbridge are working hard

during the Covid-19 outbreak to

add as many books as they can to

their online bookshop.

"We are keeping the stock

curated to our very best books so

people who are self-isolating can

still order." They are also offering

April Crossword

Across

1. Work, stirring soup (4)

4. Ready to be plucked from pier (4)

9. Scientific notation or description

of mural (7)

10. Turf her out to a greater

distance (7)

12. Hold-up involving a stocking ? (9)

13. Some covers open to the lefthand

page (5)

14. In Malta I like to follow

somebody (4)

15. Postal payment in USA made via

one more dry run (5-5)

17. Overbearing attitude of one

waving arms in the air ? (4-6)

20. Tame sort of group of players (4)

22. Perch made from roots (5)

23. Drinks I've mixed for underwater

swimmer (9)

25. Cool men sporting single eyeglass

(7)

26. Silliness is not responsible for

disease (7)

27. Observe a tricky situation (4)

28. Close-by in one arrangement (4)

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 28

free delivery to all EH postcodes

and a flat rate of £2.50 for the

rest of the UK. Orders by phone

0131 225 7755 or email mail@

goldenharebooks.com

goldenharebooks.com

The Portobello Book Shop offers

an online service. They say: “Thank

you so much for your support

in the past few weeks, and we’ll

need it in the coming months

as well. Indie bookshops rely on

customers like ours to keep us

going and we look forward to

seeing you all in the shop again

someday in the future.”

theportobellobookshop.com

Topping & Company in Blenheim

Place are adding to their online

offering. You can also call 0131

546 4202 or email edinburgh@

toppingbooks.co.uk to place an

order. Delivery is free on orders

over £50, otherwise £2 charge.

Down

2. In the spa, use a short break (5)

3. Turn sad soon, over this despicable

person (2-3-2)

4. Adjudicator turns free e'er long (7)

5. Mail sent by air or via a porn

channel (3,5)

6. Compensate for printing

method (6)

7. Severe reprimand for sending

sword away (8-4)

8. Bodily protection provided by our

ram (6)

11. Horse devours unusual

appetizer (4,8)

16. Wave blown and broken with pace

of wind (8)

17. He rams into female living

quarters (6)

18. Rolling Stones I describe as being

most inquisitive (7)

19. Do tie in new version of book (7)

21. Gloomy ? Sadly more so ! (6)

24. Fourth letter dealt out (5)

Crossword by David Albury

Answers on page 28


Edinburgh Collected

Welcoming spring, people enjoying an early spring day, 2016. Remember when we could go out?

Contributor: John Amoore "The joy of a sunny blue sky spring day brings people out to enjoy Princes Street

Gardens with its splendid carpet of colourful crocus flowers in bloom. Sitting and chatting on the lawn, gently

walking along and stopping to admire. Behind an open top tour bus ready for passengers to show them around

Edinburgh. The Balmoral clock tower reads just after 2pm - but is it actually a few minutes fast to encourage

passengers for Waverley train station to speed up to catch their train?"

Edinburgh Collected is an online community photo archive managed by Edinburgh Libraries. You can add

your own memories to help preserve the city’s history for the future. It is also a good way for organisations to

preserve their archives in online scrapbooks www.edinburghcollected.org

STR8TS

4 1

4 8

5

8 6

2

7 9 4

4 1

3

8 6 4

Medium

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

7

4

© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles

SUDOKU

8 4 6

2 7 6 8

5 1 2

6 4 3

2 1

4 1 5

4 7 6

4 3 5 7

3 5 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.

Very Hard

If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our

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

© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk THE BEST OF... 27

The Edinburgh Reporter Best Of...

Lighthouse Bookshop's Life Raft

This will keep you and the

bookshop afloat while the shop

is closed. The Lighthouse online

shop is accepting all book orders.

Email the titles and the shop will

send a payment link and arrange

dispatch.

More details on

lighthousebookshop.com

21st Century Kilts

Designer boutique for quirky, off

the peg and bespoke kilts made

from tartan and contemporary

textiles. Howie Nicholsby

redefined the kilt that you will need

when this is all over.

07774757222

48 Thistle Street EH2 1EN

21stcenturykilts.com

The Haven

Dreaming about getting back to

Natalie's cosy café for breakfast

lunch and coffee. Free wifi.

Fabulous cakes and happy friendly

staff enjoying a break for now.

0131 467 7513

9 Anchorfield, EH6 4JG

Facebook @TheHavenCafe

Portobello Bookshop

The shop is offering online sales

saying on their website "We'll

need your support in the coming

months. Indie bookshops rely on

customers like ours.

0131 629 6756

46 Portobello High St EH15 1DA

theportobellobookshop.com

Ardgowan Distillery

Enjoy the recently released

Clydebuilt Coppersmith - a limited

edition blend of malts matured in

first fill Oloroso sherry casks.

FREE shipping with free James

of Arran chocolates in the box.

£49.99

shop.ardgowandistillery.com

Fhior Restaurant

Working with small local suppliers

to delivery quality produce to

customers’ doors. “Our amazing

team at Fhior are currently

volunteering to get this service up

and running."

36 Broughton Street EH1 3SB

www.instagram.com/

fhiorrestaurant/

New Edinburgh Orchestra

Friendly amateur 80 player

orchestra conducted by Tim

Paxton.

Weekly rehearsals cancelled for

now but follow their Twitter feed

for links to music from all over the

world!

newedinburghorchestra.org.uk

Serap Couture

Serap makes individually designed,

made to measure wedding gowns,

bridesmaid dresses and mother

of the bride outfits. ask about the

shoes!

51 William Street EH3 7LW

T 07582 601818

Facebook Serapcouture/

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

Rescue, reunite, rehome.

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

accepts any dog or cat that

reaches their door in need, and

works tirelessly to secure happy

and loving forever homes.

26 Seafield Road East, EH15 1EH

0131 669 5331

info@edch.org.uk

Spry Wines

Spry Wines is now delivery only

for the time being.

See their lists for delivery on

Facebook! Order before 4pm to

receive your supplies the same

day.

07885 475874

facebook.com/sprywines

Golden Hare Books

Staff are working hard during the

Covid-19 outbreak to add as many

books as they can to their online

bookshop. They are also offering

free delivery to all EH postcodes

0131 225 7755

mail@goldenharebooks.com

goldenharebooks.com

brougtonbar.com

Roots

They are offering veg boxes

with zero contact delivery and

collection options. Free delivery

in certain cases. Support local

business!

18 William Street EH3 7NH

0131 225 6376

munch@rootsedinburgh.co.uk

Queen’s Hall

Did you know this independent

charity needs £100K each year

to look after the building and

run outreach projects? Send a

donation - much needed now.

85-89 Clerk Street, EH8 9JG

0131 668 2019

www.thequeenshall.net

Candersons Sweet Shop

Debbie Anderson will be there to

invite you back to your childhood

with all the traditional sweets in

the jars at her shop.

0131 554 1401

102 Leith Walk EH6 5DT

candersons-sweetshop.

com

Craig Banks Tailoring

Specialising in bespoke tailoring

for men. Craig's focus is on

making the highest quality

personally tailored attire that

others will aspire to. He can make

you look so good!

0131 226 7775

45 Thistle Street EH2 1DY

craigbankstailoring.com

Meet Gilbert at Stewart Christie

One of the best ideas in town in

2019. Gilbert is the phone box

outside 63 Queen Street named

after Sir Giles Gilbert Scott the

designer of the red phone box.Pop

into Stewart Christie get the key

for the box and take your selfies.

All for a donation of £3 which will

go to the charity Save the Children.

Art & Craft Collective

A unique gallery and gift shop

experience in Edinburgh's

Southside - literally a cornuucopia

of all media. Join their mailing list

and buy art online.

0131 639 9123

93 Causewayside EH9 1DG

artcraftcollective.co.uk

Bon Papillon

Stuart and Ingrid will welcome

you back sometime to their café.

Ingrid's paintings and art sit

alongside Stuart's latest scones.

You can buy paintings meantime

from the website.

0131 538 2505

bonpapillon15@gmail.com

bonpapillon.com

Merienda

Michelin award-winning Merienda

are offering a Social Distancing

menu for delivery in and around

Edinburgh. With sister catering

company Exec Chef Cuisine they

will deliver food to help stock

fridges and freezers.

www.eat-merienda.com

Leith Walk Police Box pop up

space

Although closed for now, the box

offers short term flexible let from 4

hours up. They welcome budding

entrepreneurs, charities and

community groups.

Croall Place EH7 4LT

07842 482382 leithwalkpolicebox.

com

28

PHOTO OF THE MONTH


This month’s photo comes from Anthony Robson.

He said: “There was just something very Scottish about the scene that caught my eye - sitting on the beach, but it’s a grey old day, with

people huddled up under umbrellas, wrapped in a tartan blanket. Enjoying the beach, and the company, no matter the weather. This was

in September 2019 (taken with a Nikon D500 if it’s important, but probably not!).

You can follow Anthony on Twitter @Anth_Ink

The Edinburgh Sketcher

Commission your very own

personal drawing from The

Edinburgh Sketcher like The Haven

building left.

Either on location or from

photographs Mark will create an

Crossword Answers

1 2 3 4 5

original painting of your favourite

scene, or montage of locations.

Prices from £75. Various sizes

and artwork can be mounted

or framed. Email contact@

edinburghsketcher.com for more

information.

O P U S R I P E

6 7 8

O D A O E A A

9 10 11

F O R M U L A F U R T H E R

F E S N E A O M

12 13

S U S P E N D E R V E R S O

E S S E I S U

14 15

T A I L M O N E Y O R D E R

16

N W N O

17 18 19 20 21

H I G H H A N D E D T E A M

A D I O D U O

22 23 24

R O O S T S K I N D I V E R

E W E I T E R O

25 26

Want your photo featured here?

Email your photo to


M O N O C L E I L L N E S S

S A S O T S E

27 28

S P O T N E A R


That Oscars moment

During the John Byrne Award

ceremony at Central Hall there

was a bit of an Oscars moment as

the Award for Critical Thinking was

first given to the wrong person.

First of all Harmony Bury was

called to the stage to lift a trophy

(they are all in the shape of John

Byrne's head) for her project

Scottish Forestry:Has Profit

Trumped Biodiversity? Bury's

installation is a representation of a

Sitka plantation where there are no

flowers as no light penetrates to

the forest floor.

It was left to MC Vic Galloway

and CEO Nialll Dolan to save the

day by producing the second gong

for a joint prize, hastily announced.

Jenny Lindsay, Perry Jonsson,

MC Vic Galloway

Biff Smith and Kevin McLean were

called back to lift the prize in the

same category for their project

At What Cost Do We Demand

That Women Artists and Writers

Perform Their Trauma? This is a

collaboration of film with original

music and invites conversation on

the issue rather than supplying an

answer.

We still don't know who really

won!

Abriele Skaite and Thanos

Kyratzis won The John Byrne

Award 2020 and the cash prize of

£7,500 for their illustrated book

Borders.

The free online competition is

open to applications every day of

the year.

Peat Perfection

Peat embers gently burn. Subtle oak, toffee apple & citrus provide

warmth. Vanilla & sweet spices dance & spark. Wisps of peat

smoke envelop tropical fruits in a soft embrace.

#PeatedEdition

Discover more at

www.theglenturret.com

PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY • drinkaware.co.uk for the facts

Persevering for the homeless

You can now buy Ramrock

Records The Republic of Persevere

EP which is available online to

raise funds for Streetwork.

Joseph Malik and the Out of

the Ordinary Crew are giving all

proceeds from the digital sales to

the charity which helps homeless

people in Edinburgh.

You get one track immediately

and then you can either buy it for

your self or gift it to someone else.

It costs £5 (or you can give more).

Joseph Malik said: “Included on

the EP is the original version from

'Stranger Things Have Happened'

and the instrumental version.

"Plus, there's a completely

new version but the message of

the lyrics about my love for the

Proclaimers and Mary Moriarty

still stands the same.”

A Streetwork spokesman

said: "Every day we help make

positive things happen for people

in Edinburgh facing extremely

difficult circumstances."

This has never been more

appropriate than right now.

ramrock.bandcamp.com

Tam Dean Burn:

"As ever, Joseph Malik is first to recognise what

needs to be done and pulls the community together

to do it fast - nae messing about”

29


30 SPORT


SPORT 31

Off the beat

by Nigel Duncan

West Lothian Angling

Association (WLAA) and Cramond

Angling Club (CAC) bosses have

urged permit-holding anglers to

stay at home.

Bruce Hope, chairman of West

Lothian Angling Association,

said in a statement: "Whilst we

are in the midst of what the

Prime Minister calls a national

emergency, and the World Health

Organisation has classed as a

worldwide pandemic, I urge all of

our valued members to adhere to

the strict government orders.

“There are arguments for fishing

as it is a sport and that by it's very

nature practices social distancing

and it could be classed as your

one period of exercise a day.

“It is the club's position that we

advise you to stay indoors.

“Our concern is that you may

inadvertently be putting undue

stress on the NHS if you become

injured whilst wading, slip on the

bank, or hook yourself.

“I fully appreciate it's a long

winter with no fishing, but three

more weeks won't make much of

a difference to you but it will allow

the river to switch on.”

WLAA look after a stretch from

Newbridge to Kirkton in Livingston

and Hope added: “Please stay

home, stick to the Government

orders, stay healthy and our

beautiful trout will be waiting for

you when this blows over and we

bounce back."

Cramond Angling Club look after

the stretch from Newbridge to the

foreshore at Cramond and their

secretary Joe Arndt said: “Right

now the Government’s advice is

that we all should stay at home

and if it is not essential don’t do it.”

Harlaw and part of Threipmuir

Reservoirs in the Pentland Hills

will not see fishermen casting a

line for some weeks after Malleny

Angling suspended activity days

before the scheduled opening of

the season on April 1.

The announcement came only

hours after cars parks in The

Pentland Hills were closed and

the moves are in a bid to halt the

spread of coronavirus.

Jim McComb, chairman of

Malleny Angling who administer

Harlaw and a part of Threipmuir,

said: “We all have a commitment

to play our part, no matter how

difficult or inconvenient that may

be. “

McComb added: “Malleny

Angling recognises how

devastating this action will be on

our ability to fish at Harlaw and

Threipmuir Reservoirs.

“The action by the Government

is necessary and Malleny Angling

fully supports any action, no

matter how difficult that may

be, to facilitate, to control and

eliminate the spread of this

disease.

“The sooner coronavirus is

brought under control the faster

we will get back to the sport we

love.”

Harlaw and the section of bank

at Threipmuir is closed for fishing

and day permits are no longer

available until the Government lifts

the current restricts.

He added: “The official policy of

Malleny Angling is to stay at home

and protect yourself and those

around you.

“When this medical emergency is

over, Malleny Angling will re-open,

commence stocking and attempt

to get back to normal as quickly as

possible.”

Meanwhile, all car parks in the

Pentland Hills Regional Park are

now closed.

Jamie's international call up on

hold for the moment

by John HIslop

In sporting terms, Hibs’ striker

Jamie Gullan has been hit

harder than most due to the

suspension of football due to the

coronavirus pandemic after his

first international appearance was

cancelled just as his career was

taking off.

Gullan started in Hearts’ youth

system but was released before

being snapped up by Hibs.

He was initially loaned to

Lowland League side Gala

Fairydean Rovers then Queens

Park but continued to play for

the Development side and scored

one of the goals as Hibs won the

2017 -18 Scottish Youth Cup final

against Aberdeen.

He made his first team debut for

Hibernian in July 2018, in a 2018

- 19 UEFA Europa League qualifier

against Faroese club NSI Runavik.

Neil Lennon recognised his

potential and loaned him to Raith

Rovers where he quickly became

a fans’ favourite. This season he

scored nine goals and helped the

club to the top of the table before

returning to his parent club in

January.

He scored his first goal in Hibs’

Scottish Cup quarter-final victory

over Inverness Caledonian Thistle

and made his first league start at

Pittodrie against Aberdeen.

His performances caught the

eye of Scotland Under-21 manager

Scott Gemmill and he was

selected for the squad that were

due to face Croatia and Greece in a

2019-21 UEFA European Under-21

Championship qualification

double which would have been

the 20-year-old’s first international

involvement at any age level.

Gullan was delighted to gain

international recognition and told

the club website: “It's the first

call-up I’ve had for Scotland at

any age level, so it came as a real

shock It’s a new feeling and in the

last few weeks I’ve had my first

start and my first goal to tick off.

“I’ve had three loan spells and

played a lot of football for the

Development Squad. It’s come

together in the last few weeks,

but a lot’s gone into that along the

way.

“Being told I was going to start

against Aberdeen was such a

buzz because I thought ‘this is my

chance to kick on’. The Scotland

news felt like another landmark

moment. Since I came back from

my loan at Raith Rovers it’s been

unreal.

“I know this is where I need to

get the head down and work even

harder. I won’t get carried away.

It’s been brilliant and I’m really

happy, obviously, but my priority is

making sure there are a few more

firsts to enjoy.

“The Scotland Under-21 call-up

is one that I didn’t expect so it’s

given me a wee confidence boost.

All I look to do is work hard, try to

improve and see where it takes

me.”

Hibs’ Head Coach Jack Ross

added: “What he’s done this

season to date has been really

good.

“I want him to push to be part of

our first team between now and

the end of the season.

“He’s ticked every box, hence the

reason why he’s put himself so

much into our thoughts.

“There are no guarantees in

football but he’s probably in

a good frame of mind that he

believes he can play and score in

first team football.”

No hurrying back to the track

by Nigel Duncan

British Speedway is unlikely to

be back on track before mid-June.

That was the bleak forecast for

fans from the board members of

British Speedway Promoters Ltd.

Members are continuing to

monitor the coronavirus situation.

A spokesman said: “With the

latest information from the

Government stating high risk

groups of people should stay at

home for 12 weeks, it is unlikely

that that there will be any British

Speedway events taking place

before June 15 at least.

“The board have to consider the

public, their members, riders and

officials, some of which will be

included in the high risk group.

Foundation of Hearts discuss fan ownership plans

by Darren Johnstone

Foundation of Hearts chairman

Stuart Wallace has announced

that the coronavirus pandemic has

delayed plans for the handover of

current Hearts owner Ann Budge’s

shareholding.

The 7,500-strong supporters

group, who have now transferred

in excess of £10 million to

the club, had been set to take

the Tynecastle outfit into fan

ownership before the end of the

season after paying back Budge

her £2.4 million loan.

However, with Budge recently

introducing drastic cost-cutting

measures, including asking all

full-time staff to take a 50 per

cent wage cut, the official transfer

of her 75.1 per stake has been

postponed.

Wallace said: “Given the

troubled situation, the board of

the Foundation of Hearts has

taken the decision that this is not

the time to be adding any further

potential disruption by pushing

forward with the handover of the

majority shareholding.

“All parties remain totally

committed to fan ownership and

this handover will, of course,

still happen, but such an historic

event must be conducted at

Foundation of Hearts chairman Stuart Wallace

a more settled time – a time

when the handover enables

the club to proceed seamlessly

with its business and a time

when we can properly celebrate

the achievement of the fans in

reaching this milestone.

“Sadly, this is not a time when

any of us, we believe, has the

inclination for a celebration,

however well merited.”

Wallace, meanwhile, has paid

tribute to the club’s fans for

continuing to play their part in

safeguarding the future of Hearts

as total contributions since the

club’s descent into administration

in 2013 passed the £10 million

“It is the wish of the Board that

every effort is made to start the

new season at the first available

opportunity.

"We have members of the

association continuing to provide

alternative fixture dates as the

situation evolves.”

speedwaygb.co.uk

barrier.

In an update to members, he

added: “On a related front, I am

delighted to let you know that

despite the current public health

crisis and the impact that is

having on all our lives, we have

had almost 100 new or upgraded

pledges over the past week alone.

“This is absolutely astonishing

and demonstrates, if that were

needed, just how passionate and

committed Hearts fans are to our

club.

“This email comes, too, on the

day that the total pledges broke

through the £10 million figure,

which is quite incredible.

“The footballing world is

experiencing huge changes right

now and how things will move

forward remains uncertain. One

thing is clear, however. Hearts fans

will be there for our club and will

continue to provide the financial

support – through the pledges

– which is absolutely crucial to

Hearts’ economic wellbeing.”

The Famous Five remembered

by John HIslop

It is 70 years since 100,000 fans

crammed into Ibrox Stadium to

watch the Hibs’ Famous Five

forward line take on the Rangers

Iron Curtain defence in a match to

decide to Scottish League title.

The pair shared the title in the

seven years after the after the war

and were generally considered

to be the top two clubs in the

country.

Hibs were admired by fans of

all the other clubs due to their

attacking style of play and their

formidable forward line of Gordon

Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie

Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie

Ormond attracted massive crowds

wherever they played.

Rangers were less attractive to

watch but had a particularly strong

defence consisting of goalkeeper

Bobby Brown, full backs George

Young and Jock Shaw, centre half

Willie Woodburn and wing halves

Ian McColl and Sammy Cox that

was known as the Iron Curtain.

Hibs led the 1949/50 table until

the beginning of March when a

1-0 home defeat by Third Lanark

severely dented their aspirations

while allowing Rangers to overtake

them at the top of the table.

Facing Hibs that afternoon was

former player Johnny Cuthbertson

who had joined Third Lanark only

at the beginning of the season and

goalkeeper Lewis Goram, father

of the future Hibs and Scotland

by Nigel Duncan

Eliburn Reservoir, fed by the Nell

Burn, is surrounded by woodland

and is a popular dog walking area,

tucked between private housing

estates in Livingston.

The coronavirus pandemic has

forces the closure of the three

acre fishery meantime but club

members are looking ahead.

The water, around 2.5km from

the town centre, is also extremely

popular with coarse anglers.

However, it is not the easiest

place to find, even with a sat nav,

but Eliburn Reservoir, formally

known as Deans, is a three-acre

water where water is up to 13 ft

deep.

Eliburn Reservoir is open

throughout the year for members

and day ticket anglers and it is

located just off Houston Road

between Howden, Ladywell and

Deans.

The water is home to a range

of coarse fish including big carp

– fish of over 20lbs have been

hooked - tench, bream, roach,

perch, ide, pike, barbel and rudd.

Members of West Lothian Coarse

Anglers run the water and they

had been working hard behind the

scenes to prepare for the normally

busy spring and summer season.

goalkeeper Andy Goram. At that

time Goram was still a registered

Hibs player but after a spell on

loan at Leith Athletic he had been

farmed out to the Cathkin side. It

would turn out to be Goram’s only

first team appearance at Easter

Road before his transfer to Bury at

the end of the season.

A convincing 4-2 home win against

Dundee a few weeks later now left

the championship a two-horse

race between Hibs and Rangers,

and it would possibly now all

depend on the game between the

pair at Ibrox.

The previous week Rangers had

won the Scottish Cup and would

be confident of victory, but if Hibs

could take both points it would

guarantee the Easter Road side

the title.

Unfortunately it was not to be.

With the gates closed well before

the start in front of over 100,000

supporters, including a large

number that had made their way

from Edinburgh, an unimpressive

0-0 draw left one newspaper

headline the following day to

proclaim, "No goals, no thrills

and for Hibs no flag". Hibs’ player

Jimmy Cairns had played the last

30 minutes of the game with a

broken leg and Willie Ormond’s

shot shaved the post in the dying

minute.

Both sides were now level on

points. Rangers however still

had a game in hand. In the final

But that groundwork has not

been wasted and a new price

structure will operate when the

fishery near Livingston Community

Football Club – not to be confused

with Livingston FC who play in

Scotland’s top football league -

re-opens.

From March 30, it will cost

anglers over 16 £7 to fish the

water for a day. Last year it was

£5.

Junior anglers will pay £2 but

they can fish free with a paying

adult.

Jason Biggin, one of the club’s

officials, explained that they need

match of the season against Third

Lanark at Cathkin the Ibrox side

now needed just a draw to win the

championship.

With Goram keeping his place in

the Third’s side, just 15 minutes

were remaining when the former

Hibs player Cuthbertson missed

the penalty that would have given

his former side the title but the 2-2

draw allowed Rangers to become

the first ever team to win the

treble.

Whilst Rangers were winning the

title, the Hibs players were beating

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at White

Hart Lane thanks to an own goal

by Alf Ramsay in a friendly match

ahead of a post season European

tour.

Eddie Turnbull later recalled:

“Perhaps it was the nervousness

of both sides but the match

petered out into a poor goalless

draw. The amazing thing was that

Hibs had scored 86 goals while

Rangers could only manage 58.

The secret of their success was

undoubtedly the Iron Curtain

defence and though we envied

them their title we preferred to play

our brand of attacking football.

Our philosophy was set in stone:

no matter how many you score

against us , we will score more."

Hibs only had to wait a short time

to enjoy League success and were

crowned champios the following

two seasons.

ELIBURN HAS NEW PRICES FOR

FUTURE FISHING EXCURSIONS

the additional income to keep up

with the requirements it takes to

run and maintain the fishery.

The extra cash will also be used

towards controlling weed and it

will aid the redevelopment of an

inlet. West Lothian Council are

assisting here.

Fishing times, once the water

re-opens, will vary but anglers can

make their first cast at 8am.

Closing times from the beginning

of April vary as well but they are

between 7pm in early summer and

9pm at the height of summer.

It will be a case of tight lines

when anglers get the chance to

return to the water.

Mental Health matters

by Alan Temple

HIGH PERFORMANCE coach

Don MacNaughton believes a

new-found appreciation for mental

health will ensure Scotland’s

footballers are able to navigate an

unprecedented period of isolation.

The enforced shut-down of

the domestic game due to the

coronavirus outbreak has left a

swathe of elite athletes without

the structure of daily training and

adrenaline rush of competitive

fixtures to complete their week.

Allied with the ongoing

uncertainty regarding when

this time of flux will end, it has

left players facing an onerous

emotional challenge.

MacNaughton, pictured, is

confident players will be able to

cope with a spell without football

MacNaughton is one of the

nation’s most respected experts

in sports psychology and

personal development, having

worked with a host of top-flight

clubs, and the Scottish and Irish

football associations. He has

also published several books

which address the topic. And that

experience tells him that modern

athletes are capable of looking

after their emotional and physical

well-being.

“Players now are more aware

of how important it is to stay

mentally and emotionally healthy,

as well as physically, and how

by Alan Temple

Hearts head coach Daniel

Stendel is adamant there will be

no hard feelings if some Hearts

players decide to walk away from

the cash-strapped Jambos.

Tynecastle stars have been

issued with an unenviable

ultimatum by Ann Budge, with the

owner telling all full-time staff to

either accept a 50 per cent pay cut

or request the termination of their

contracts.

The drastic measures were

made after Budge revealed that

the coronavirus shut-down has

already cost the Edinburgh club

£1 million in gate receipts for

upcoming matches, with the

situation only set to worsen in the

coming months with no income

streams to call upon.

Stendel has admirably agreed to

forego his salary during the hiatus,

while captain Steven Naismith has

agreed to have his wages halves.

However, defender Clevid

Dikamona has already exercised

his right to walk away – albeit he

only had two months left to run on

his deal – and several others are

understood to be considering his

options.

And Stendel would not grudge

any player deciding to walk away.

He said “We have a similar

connected those things are,”

explained MacNaughton.

“Clubs know this too and will

have staff in place to focus on the

psychological well-being of their

players and staff during this period

without football.

“There will be advice and

guidance available and I would

expect a strong focus to be placed

on setting targets, giving them a

purpose – trying to mitigate the

feeling of uncertainty which, if not

addressed, can be difficult.

“Modern footballers have a very

high level of emotional literacy,

they know their strengths and

weaknesses better than anyone.

They are increasingly thoughtful

and consider the game very

carefully, thinking about their own

well-being an awful lot more than

in the past.

“It is a test of self-discipline but,

more and more, players now have

that in abundance.”

Nevertheless, MacNaughton

is loath to underestimate the

difficulty of being cooped up in

their homes for athletes whose

careers are defined by high-level

competition and remaining fit and

active.

‘Controlling the controllables’,

setting achievable goals and

watching old footage to encourage

positive thinking are among his

top tips." Oh and coaching by

Skype!

Stendel stands by his

Hearts players

discussion in Germany and a lot

of people are asking me why am

doing this. But it is my decision

only – and not everybody needs

to do it.

“Everybody has different

situations with family and money.

“Every player must decide alone

what is best for him. Nobody can

decide for other people or judge

‘this is good’ and ‘this is not good’.

“I can only speak for myself and

say, at this moment and with my

experiences with Ann Budge and

Hearts, I wanted to help.”

Stendel, speaking to talkSPORT

from his home in Germany,

believes the painful calls being

made by Budge will ultimately

ensure Hearts survive.

And it is his faith in the Jambos

supremo, allied with his passion

for the club he joined last

December, that fuelled his desire

to aid the finances.

He continued: “I have big trust

in Ann that she will keep the club

safe. It is important that we still

have a club to work and play.

“I asked ‘what can I do?’ and

I spoke with my family and we

decided that we wanted to help

Hearts.

“It was my first idea in this

situation and the best chance to

save money for the club."

Thank You!

Following on from the announcement of temporary venue and golf course

closures, we’ve been truly overwhelmed by your messages of support.

Over 1,000 of you even kindly offered to continue paying your monthly direct

debits to help support us and for that, we are eternally grateful.

Many people do not appreciate that Edinburgh Leisure is a charity, with every

penny we make being reinvested back into our venues and the services we

provide. Your support will help us to ensure we are in the best position to

welcome our customers back when the situation improves.

We want to continue keeping Edinburgh a healthy and active city, just like we

have done for over 22 years so thank you. In the meantime, keep

safe and keep active.

Visit edinburghleisure.co.uk/coronavirus/fitness-tips for free access to over

100 Les Mills digital fitness classes, and tips on staying healthy at home.

Registered Scottish Charity No: SC027450

The Edinburgh Reporter April 2020

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