8NEWSby June Peebles CEO ofEdinburgh LeisureLast year was one many of usweren’t sad to see the back of.Covid-19 stopped everyone intheir tracks – introducing so manychanges and uncertainty into allour lives.We watched lockdown have ahuge impact on people's healthand wellbeing. While some peoplewere more active than ever, usingtheir daily exercise allowance toget outside and walk, run, cycle ordo a spot of wild swimming, manyothers struggled.For people who already facedbarriers to being active, suchas those with long term healthconditions, unpaid carers, andfamilies living on low incomes,lockdown resulted in a sharpdecline in their physical andmental health.Edinburgh Leisure is a charityon a mission to help everyone inThe Edinburgh ReporterStaying active in the communityHappy 2021June PeeblesEdinburgh lead healthier, happierand more active lives. We arepassionate about the positiveimpact physical activity has,which is why we are proud thatour Active Communities (AC)programme supports over 10,000people affected by disabilities,health conditions, poverty andinequalities to be active each year.We know that the people thatAC supports were amongst thosehardest hit by lockdown, with asudden loss of routine, an abruptend to the support networksthey relied on and increasedsocial isolation exacerbating theproblems they already faced.Edinburgh Leisure has beenworking hard to ensure our ACprojects remain safe and we havebeen delighted to start welcomingparticipants back since the end oflast October.We are currently supportingpeople with a combination ofin-person and virtual activities.We have adapted programmes sothat when Edinburgh was placedin the Scottish Government Level3 and we were unable to deliveradult group sessions indoors, wemoved some activities outdoors,pre-recorded sessions for peopleto try at home and will shortlybe launching a live streamingservice so that people can workout alongside their instructor andgroup in real time.One project that recentlyre-started is Active Mums, whichsupports mums and their familiesaffected by poverty to get active.They have swapped indoorsessions at Leith Victoria SwimCentre for outdoor sessions atnearby Pilrig Park.One mum, Laura, said: “I’m lovingbeing part of the Active Mumsgroup. The instructors have beenso creative, finding ways for us toexercise together outside. Not onlyare the sessions fun, but we feellike a community of friends whoare there for one another.”Although a vaccine has arrivedand brings some element of hope,winter still lingers and so does thevirus.If there is one thing that we havelearnt in 2020, there has neverbeen a more important time forus to look after our health andwellbeing. As well as improvingour physical health, it can improveour mood, boost our energy levels,reduce stress and help us toswitch off.With our venues and servicesreopened and our AC programmehaving re-started, we are lookingforward to supporting everyoneaffected by lockdown to rebuildafter a challenging year and worktowards a healthier, happier andmore active 2021.edinburghleisure.comMural honours Leith character ArthurIf you have been down Leith Walkrecently you may have missedthe lovely new mural on the sideof Casa Amiga. Stop and havea look at artist Shona Hardie’spainting of Arthur Williams whichis both a tribute to the local manas well as a fundraiser for charity,Streetwork.It is painted on the side wall ofthe café - where else but on ArthurStreet?Arthur (83) is well known inLeith and distinctive with his longdreadlocks. He was homeless, andslept rough in the area for over 20years. Finally, after much trying,his family obtained guardianshipfor him and he has lived in a carehome since 2013, where he iswell fed and looked after and hecontinues to thrive.His family wanted to givesomething back to recognise theyears of tolerance, kindness andgenerosity from locals which keptArthur safe and alive all thoseyears. They decided upon themural which will honour him andgive some cheer to the community.Ben Macpherson, MSP forEdinburgh Northern and Leith,said: “This stunning mural is areally uplifting tribute to Arthur,who I know is doing well in his newhome. The widespread positiveresponse that the painting hasreceived already is testament tohow much Arthur is loved by thecommunity in Leith and beyond.It’s also testament to ShonaHardie’s magnificent artwork.What’s more, the generousdonations that are being made tothe family’s fundraising campaign,for Streetwork, emphasise thatpeople want to help those in needwhere they can, like local peoplein Leith supported Arthur over theyears, and our shared commitmentand determination to tackle andprevent homelessness.”Jan Williamson, AssistantExercise helps us to lead a healthier lifestyleDirector for Streetwork, said,“We are so grateful to Arthurand his family for arranging thismural for the community of Leith,and for raising awareness ofhomelessness and mental health.The team at Streetwork werehonoured to know Arthur and tohave been part of his remarkablestory, he is a real gentleman and atrue Leith legend and this mural isa fitting tribute to him.”As part of Trams to Newhaven,there is a project to liven up utilityboxes on Leith Walk. The boxbelow the mural will have text withinformation for those who arehomeless or need help with mentalhealth issues.You can donate to Streetworkwhich is part of the SimonCommunity Scotland. As littleas £1 pays for someone to havea warm drink in a safe place offthe street, and £5 pays for a hotshower and access to laundry.justgiving.com/campaign/StreetworkArthurBy Cllr Cammy DayDepute Leader of The City ofEdinburgh CouncilEdinburgh Labour group alongwith our MSPs Daniel Johnson andSarah Boyack have championedthe investment for a new LibertonHigh School and Wester HailesEducation Centre.Along with my colleaguecouncillors, Lezley MarionCameron and Ricky Henderson, weare excited to see this now beingrealised. The Scottish Governmentconfirmed its support for someof the schools investment. Wehave plans in the administrationto invest £500 million in schoolsas part of an inclusive netzero carbon city. This meanscommunity lifelong learningand sports hubs where publicservices are co-located, linksto active travel networks, greeninfrastructure and strategic publictransport networks.There are also new schoolinvestments such as CastlebraeCommunity High School, SouthQueensferry and our ambitiousplans for a new Trinity Academyin my own ward. We must keeppressing the government tofully fund our growing city, andparticularly our need for modern,efficient, state of the art schoolsand learning hubs for the nextgeneration to learn.Wishing you all the best and aHappy New Year for 2021.Network Railfined £135,000The Office of Rail and Road(ORR), Scotland's Crown Officeand the Procurator Fiscal haveall prosecuted Network Rail overa safety failure relating to therailway fencing near Musselburgh.The company was fined £135,000for failing to maintain and improvethe fencing.A 13 year-old boy was left withserious injuries after enteringvia a gap in the fence on therailway track near Queen MargaretUniversity. He climbed on theroof of a tank wagon on a freighttrain stopped at signals and cameclose to the overhead electricitycable. He made contact with the25,000 volt cable which caused anelectric shock and serious burns.HM Chief Inspector of Railways,Ian Prosser, said: "Network Railhas done a lot of work to limit thenumber of trespass issues on therailway and raise awareness of thepotential life-threatening dangersthat can follow. But on thisoccasion it failed to maintain anadequate boundary to stop peoplegetting onto the railway track andpreventing an incident like thisoccurring."The railway is an extremelydangerous environment and Iwould urge parents to talk to theirchildren about its hazards andremind them to stay away from thetracks."
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