The Edinburgh Reporter June 2021

Wellbeing Captured Persevering Cartoon capers Aiming high

Prom sauna plan runs

out of steam

Page 8

Up Close with leading city

photographer

Page 12

Foodie Juliet welcomes

Leith revival

Page 17

Frank Boyle pencils in historic

football match

Page 20

Latest Gallacher dynasty

star on target

Page 22

June 2021

EDINBURGH’S FREE LOCAL NEWSPAPER...A CAPITAL READ FROM START TO FINISH

You’re

having a

Gira ffe

After a 15 year absence,

gentle creatures return

to Edinburgh Zoo

Jonathan Appleyard

By STEPHEN RAFFERTY

EDINBURGH ZOO opens a new

giraffe house this month to house

five male giraffes which have

arrived in the city after an absence

of 15 years.

Ronnie and Arrow took up

residence at the Corstorphine

Road zoo on 11 May and have

since been joined by Gerald and

Fennessy with Gilbert arriving last.

The zoo partnered with the Giraffe

Conservation Foundation (GCF)

and Glenmorangie Single Malt

Scotch Whisky to bring giraffes

back to the capital and will support

vital work to protect the species

in the wild.

Jonathan Appleyard, hoofstock

team leader at Edinburgh Zoo,

said: “Our giraffe house has been

designed with high level walkways

so visitors can meet these

wonderful creatures face-to-face,

giving them an amazing

opportunity to connect with nature

and be inspired to join us in

protecting them from extinction.”

Full story on page 7

2 NEWS

Just champion

Former athlete Alison Johnstone MSP

appointed as Presiding Officer

Nataliya Dasiukevich was

among the three millionth

vaccine recipients

Editorial

LIFE IN THE CAPITAL has definitely

changed over the last month. Now traffic

is back to almost normal levels, people can

be seen out and about enjoying themselves

both outside and inside cafés, pubs and

restaurants.

In June the government hopes to relax

restrictions even further by moving areas of

the country down to Level 0. Some of this

will depend on people sticking to the rules

meantime, and some of it will depend on

any new variants. The most recent one to

cause concern is the so-called Indian

variant which appears to have resistance

against the vaccine. We are now armchair

scientists and epidemiologists, and of

course a little knowledge goes a long way.

It is best then to listen to the real experts

and one of those whose message has

shone through for me is Professor Devi

Sridhar. Her no-nonsense straightforward

approach is comforting to read, and the

main message is get vaccinated, get tested

and isolate if you receive a positive result.

MOMENTUM

Professor Sridhar, who is Chair of Public

Health at University of Edinburgh, appears

to look up to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr

Gregor Smith, recommending to her Twitter

followers that they read what he says. He

said recently: “Vaccination is our ally. It’s

even more important for momentum to be

maintained and accelerated where supplies

allow. This is particularly true of second

doses to provide full and sustained

protection. Targeting this where there is

lower uptake is especially important.”

But both caution against reading too

much into the data on the new variant

which is still extremely limited.

So here we are in June and moving

towards the summer where the city would

usually fill up with festival goers and

performers. The Edinburgh International

Festival will go ahead, albeit in a more

slender form than usual. Read more on our

What’s on pages 18 and 19.

I very much hope that you and your

families are well and that you enjoy our

monthly look at the news in Edinburgh.

Phyllis Stephen, Editor

MSP FOR LOTHIAN, Alison

Johnstone, was the sole nominee

for the role of Presiding Officer

at The Scottish Parliament

and was voted in by majority,

the second woman to take

up the position.

The ballot is secret, so no-one

can be sure which political party

or individual MSPs voted against

her election, but there were 97

politicians who voted for her and

28 who voted against. Curiously,

the numbers of votes against

with the three abstentions and a

spoiled ballot add up to 31

which is the number of

Conservative MSPs.

Previously a Green Party

politician, Alison is now

politically neutral and must

remain impartial in her new role.

Alison was an Edinburgh

councillor, coming to that job

after working with Robin

Harper, the first Green MSP. She

fought off development on

playing fields at Meggetland in

her first political campaign. As

an athlete - she was the East of

Scotland 800 and 1500 metre

champion - she saw the need to

retain the sports field for

training and exercising. She

remains involved with Scottish

Athletics and is on the board,

but time for coaching has

decreased in recent years.

Alison told us in an interview

before the election that while the

previous Presiding Officer,

Ken Macintosh,

encouraged a more free

flowing question

session at First

Minister's

Question Time,

in her view it still

needs worked

on to become

GET IN

TOUCH

TODAY!

more relaxed and to improve it.

She will be responsible for

chairing all meetings in the

Debating Chamber, selecting

questions to be asked at First

Minister’s Question Time,

chairing Scottish Parliamentary

Corporate Body meetings and

chairing Parliamentary Bureau

meetings. The Presiding Officer

also represents the Parliament at

home and abroad, and she will

be supported in her role by two

Deputing Presiding Officers,

Liam McArthur the Scottish

Liberal Democrat MSP for

Orkney Islands, and Annabelle

Ewing, SNP MSP for

Cowdenbeath.

The Deputies continue to

have party affiliation unless

they are chairing proceedings

in the chamber.

The numbers were important

as the SNP have 64 MSPs - one

short of a majority. They and the

Conservatives were anxious not

to give up any seats. But the

pro-independence parties, the

SNP and the Greens, have a

majority between them if they

need to use it. There is no formal

coalition between the two but

they are the parties most likely to

vote together.

Despite his tireless campaign,

Scottish Liberal Democrat

leader, Willie Rennie, lost one

seat at Holyrood. With only five

MSPs there is no guarantee

Mr Rennie will be

allowed any regular

questions at First

Minister’s

Questions as

the LibDems

are no longer

big enough to

be called a

group.

Coronavirus Statistics

THE NUMBER OF people who have been vaccinated with one dose of

the Covid-19 vaccine now exceeds three million - around two thirds of

Scots adults. Over 1.5 million people have had their second dose. The

national vaccination programme is now inviting those aged 40 - 49 years

old to attend for vaccination and more than 50% of this age group have

come forward.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith, said: “It is down to the

enormous efforts of our vaccination teams around the country that

more than three million people in Scotland – two thirds of the

adult population - have received their first dose and I would like to

say a huge thank you to them and all those who have taken up their

offer of a vaccine.

“The vaccination programme is one of the main ways – along

with restrictions and testing – that we are working to beat this virus

and so it is crucial that everyone attends for their appointments

when they are offered. This is equally important for those receiving

appointments for their second dose as these offer longer lasting

protection against Covid-19.

“Supplies permitting, we still expect to offer a first dose to all

adults in Scotland by the end of July.”

BRINGING THE NEWS TO YOU

THE EDINBURGH Reporter

is distributed through a network

of city outlets including

supermarkets and the EICC

centre which is being used as a

mass vaccination centre for now.

The paper is also distributed at

Leith and Stockbridge Markets.

If you have had your car in

any branch of Farmer Autocare

then you will have received a

free copy of our latest paper

during your visit.

If you can, then please

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About us...

We write about news relating to the Edinburgh area. If you

have any news, or if you would like to submit an article or

photograph for publication then please contact us

Editor: Phyllis Stephen

Designer: Felipe Perez

Photos: Martin P McAdam

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter

@EdinReporter

theedinburghreporter.co.uk

07791 406 498

editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk

3

Cut us some slack

Survey finds lockdown should not mean curtains for barbers

Keep Scotland Beautiful

competition

By STEPHEN RAFFERTY

A QUARTER OF Edinburgh residents want their

barber or hairdresser to be classified as a key

worker should Scotland face another

coronavirus lockdown.

After a year of home haircuts, 25% of city

residents interviewed for a landmark survey of

Scottish image attitudes said they want to see

salons exempt, should any future high street

closures be imposed to curb Covid-19.

The findings were part of a post-lockdown

survey of 1,500 Scots commissioned by

Sovereign Grooming, which has city centre

salons at New Waverley in Edinburgh’s Old

Town and Union Street in Aberdeen.

The survey found that during previous

lockdowns more women (61%) attempted a

home haircut compared to men (53%), while

53% of women said they find their partner more

attractive after a haircut, but less than half of

men (46%) said their partner was more attractive

following a trim. The survey also revealed that

more men are embracing longer retro hairstyles

including 80s “mullets” and 90s “curtains”.

Kyle Ross, Managing Director of Sovereign

Grooming and two-time Scottish Barber of the

Year, said: “Like most, we’ve been overwhelmed

by the client response to us re-opening after

lockdown and our diaries have been packed

for weeks.

“Therefore, I’m not surprised to see such a

large proportion of men, in particular, wanting

to see salons remain open. They play a big role in

male mental health wellbeing.

“The Scottish Government’s approach to

Barbers should be key workers

salons changed quite dramatically between the

first and second lockdown. After the first, salons

were among the last businesses to re-open.

However, this time around the government had

us in the first wave to open. The reality is that

salons are very well controlled and sterile

environments which can be operated safely with

social distancing in place.”

Of the men surveyed across Scotland as

a whole, 36% said they would like to see

barbers classed as key workers in any future

Kyle Ross

lockdown, rising to 40% with under 35s.

The Sovereign Grooming survey also found

that 61% of women attempted at least one DIY

haircut during the two lockdowns, compared to

53% of men, and just 15% said they would

continue to cut their own hair after lockdown.

One major change since the last lockdown has

been the surging popularity of longer, mainly

retro, hairstyles. Kyle Ross added: “A lot of people

have been coming in looking for variations of the

mullet and it is definitely a developing trend.”

City schools

pocket prize

KEEP SCOTLAND Beautiful (KSB) runs an

annual competition for schools and this

year eight Edinburgh schools - Cowgate

Under 5s Centre, Duddingston Primary,

Hillwood Primary, Murrayburn Early Years

Campus, Summerside Kindergarten,

Castlebrae Community High School,

Greenbank Pre-School, and Dean Park

Primary - have won.

The designs for the pocket gardens that

the children created will be published

online allowing voting for the overall

winner. Schools used the four 2021 themes

of The Year of Coasts and Waters, One Planet

Picnic, Wildlife Gardening and Celebrating

Nature on our Doorstep.

Eve Keepax of KSB said: “Many people

rediscovered a connection to nature on

their doorsteps during lockdown, and the

competition has encouraged young people

to celebrate that through their designs. We

are delighted that schools and young

people are finding the benefits of this

competition in learning and teaching about

issues that are important to them.The

Pocket Garden designs we received were

practical, creative, challenging, sustainable

and full of fun.”

Anthony McCluskey, Chair of the Garden

for Life Forum, said: “Nature is in crisis, but

we can all do our bit to help wildlife in our

local areas. Even small gardens and growing

spaces can make a great contribution to

supporting populations of insects like bees

and butterflies, and provide homes and

food for birds, hedgehogs, and amphibians.”

For more information, please visit: www.

keepscotlandbeautiful.org/pocketgarden

Cycle project comes to a halt

Andy Catlin

THE EDINBURGH All-Ability

Bike Centre (ABC) at Saughton

Park has closed due to a lack

of sustainable funding.

The Centre has offered the

freedom and enjoyment of

cycling to anyone with

disabilities which might have

otherwise prevented them

even getting on a bike. With

side-by-side tandems and

trikes the organisation was

able to give anyone the

chance to try cycling in the

fresh air.

Claire Edwards, mum of Joe

who used the service, said:

“ABC provided a safe and fun

environment for my son to

learn how to ride a bike. It was

great for his physical and

mental well-being. Without

supported activities such as

those offered by ABC, young

disabled people are excluded

from opportunities that help

them learn and develop.

“Disabled young people

have been severely impacted

by the pandemic closures,

and the loss of ABC is a real

kick in the teeth as things

open up for everyone else.”

Just before going to press

The Edinburgh Reporter

spoke to Suzanne Forup from

Cycling UK who set up ABC in

2015. Suzanne explained that

the funding has run out, and

she could not say exactly

what would happen, but she

was speaking to other

organisations.

She said: “There has been

lots of upset and tears as we

have run this project for a

long time now. It is much

needed, but is a sizeable

project employing three

part-time members of staff.

We have had lots of offers but

it must be a sustainable

model. Part of the trouble is

that as a little part of Cycling

UK - which has a healthy

balance sheet - the project

does not qualify for some

funding. Some of the trusts

we have applied to have an

Edinburgh ABC

has given many

people a taste

of cycling

income cap so we just don’t

qualify. Someone else might

be able to run it and tap into

different sources of income.”

4 NEWS

You’ve been framed!

Top snapper Harry Benson’s

portrait of Presiding Officer

A PORTRAIT taken by Harry

Benson of the now retired

Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Ken

Macintosh, is on display in the

Scottish Parliament.

Glasgow-born Benson has

photographed every Presiding

Officer of the Parliament and the

new portrait has taken up position

beside the images of the four

others who have held the role

since 1999.

The Rt Hon Ken Macintosh

said: “Harry Benson has the

incredible skill of being able to tell

a story through a single image, a

talent for which he has been

internationally recognised. I am

truly honoured to be the subject of

one of his parliamentary portraits

and to be represented here

alongside the four colleagues who

have held this unique position

since 1999.

“For the past five years it has

been my great privilege to lead the

Scottish Parliament. Despite the

difficulties that we have all faced,

particularly over the last year,

I am immensely grateful to have

been given that honour and I take

with me a real sense of pride in

how the Parliament has risen to

every challenge.”

Harry Benson captured the

image of the Presiding Officer

during a visit to Scotland in 2018.

Benson’s career spans more than

60 years and he has captured many

pivotal moments in world history.

He has a long association with The

Scottish Parliament and one of the

biggest retrospectives of his work

went on display at the Parliament

in 2016.

Benson has taken photos of US

presidents since Dwight D.

Eisenhower, and was standing next

to Bobby Kennedy when he was

shot in 1968. His official

photographic portrait of The

Queen commissioned by The

Scottish National Portrait Gallery

is on display there.

Benson’s portrait - all presiding and correct

Plans for Fountainbridge

THE FOUNTAINBRIDGE

regeneration plans at the

former home of the Scottish

& Newcastle brewery are

moving ahead with the

appointment of a

development partner.

The council staged a

competition for the

brownfield site and will

appoint Cruden Homes

(East) Limited as partner

before the work on the £1.1

million contract begins in

spring 2022. This will allow

Cruden to conduct building

preparation work including

the finalisation of designs

and a net zero carbon

energy solution for the site.

The masterplan was

approved five years ago, but

it has taken consultation

meantime to bring the plans

to this stage. There will be

436 new homes, offices for

start ups, shops, social

enterprise and community

spaces with "high-quality

public realm". The area is

bounded on the west by the

new Boroughmuir High

School and on the east by

Vastint Hospitality's New

Fountainbridge.

From a £100,000

community fund the canal

towpath will be improved,

park spaces will be created

Breathing new life into

Fountainbridge

and local arts projects.

The masterplan provides

work experience placements

and apprenticeship

opportunities for pupils at

the nearby school or those

unemployed long-term.

There will be 113 homes

for social rent, with over 10%

wheelchair accessible, 64

homes for mid-market and

market rent and 259 homes

for private sale or rent.

Rescue at Port Seton

RNLI KINGHORN was called

out to a serious incident which

could easily have turned to

tragedy. The volunteer crew

knew that a dinghy and stand

up paddle boards (SUPs) were

in difficulty about a mile off

Port Seton.

On approach the lifeboat

crew then learned that the

dinghy had capsized and that

seven people, five of whom

were children, were now in

the water.

The crew pulled everyone on

board to safety, as well as a

person who was making their

way back to Port Seton with

three SUPs, but who was

“making slow progress”.

Helm, Neil Chalmers, said:

“On arrival it became apparent

that the dinghy had offered

assistance to two SUP paddlers

and had then capsized a short

time later.

“All casualties were taken to

Port Seton where two

ambulances arrived to check

everyone out along with

coastguard rescue teams from

North Berwick and Fisherrow. It

is understood all were allowed

Kinghorn

Lifeboat

to go home without any need

for further treatment.

“Once all casualties were

safe, we returned to recover

the capsized dinghy and then

the stand-up paddle boards.

“We would always

recommend that you check the

weather conditions prior to

going afloat, particularly on

the sea. If you do get into

difficulty, please call for

assistance as soon as possible.

There is sea safety and advice

for various watersports

available on the RNLI website.”

If you see anyone or anything in

difficulty at the coast, please call

999 and ask for the Coastguard

5

Mark F Gibson

Treasure Trove

on Castle St

Shop manager

Louise Oliver

SCIENNES PRIMARY School played a vital role

in launching Clean Air Day in Scotland which

takes place on 17 June, when they were joined

by the Rt Hon Lord Provost of the City of

Edinburgh, Frank Ross.

Primary six Junior Road Safety Officers

(JRSO’s) Eilidh Mowbray, Amy Yang, Rory

Smith and a group of Primary Seven pupils

unfurled a Clean Air Day Scotland banner

outside the Sciennes Road school. There is now

colourful bunting made by the pupils

decorating the permanent planters outside

the school and the pupils received a Clean Air

Day colouring book with drawings produced

by Scottish art students on the theme of

air pollution and environment.

The school is already well known for its

environmental values as it has a "school street"

outside where the road is closed at the beginning

and end of the school day. They are also known

for their encouragement to pupils to travel to

school by walking or cycling with the School

Bike Bus.

On 17 June, Scots are encouraged to walk or

cycle, rather than use the car, particularly on the

school run or for other shorter trips to schools

and supermarkets. The campaign encourages

people to consider walking or cycling less

polluted side streets after research found this

could reduce a child’s exposure to air pollution

FROM OCTOBER everyone across the

UK will be invited to “Plant a tree for

the Jubilee” in The Queen’s Green

Canopy initiative.

HRH The Prince of Wales, as patron

of the campaign, planted the first tree

in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

This initiative was chosen as

throughout her reign The Queen has

planted more than 1,500 trees all over

the world and has spoken alongside Sir

David Attenborough of the importance

of trees in the Earth’s future.

The project will create a network of

individual or specimen trees, with

avenues, copses or woodlands planted

in honour of HM The Queen’s 70

Pupils adding a sheen

to Clean Air Day

It’s a Clean Air Day

Provost joins Sciennes pupils to launch new pollution initiative

by 30%. Clean Air Day campaigners also want

people to consider the purchase of an Ultra-Low

Emission Vehicle (ULEV) ahead of the ban on

new petrol, diesel cars and van sales from 2030.

Sciennes Primary School’s headteacher

Andrew Hunter said: “Sciennes Primary School

has supported Clean Air Day for many years and

our involvement has helped our pupils learn

about air pollution and how it can affect health.

The campaign supports our promotion of the

benefits of active travel and care for the

environment.”

For more information please visit:

www.cleanairday.org.uk/scotland

Royal platinum planting

year-long reign, including plans for

planting in Edinburgh. Existing

woodland will be dedicated to the

project with commemorative plaques

to preserve forests for the future in the

Queen’s name.

The trees will benefit everyone in

the years which follow and will

rekindle the sense of community that

happened in particular over this last

twelve months.

The initiative is an independent

project led by an executive team along

with the charity Cool Earth.

To find out more, please visit:

www.queensgreencanopy.org

THE TREASURE TROVE is a complete

gem of a shop situated in Castle Street.

A true Aladdin’s Cave, filled with an

array of beautifully handcrafted goods,

delicate Shetland wool baby shawls,

exquisite smocked dresses or Fair Isle

knits, woodwork, knitwear, baking and

fabulous soft toys are just a few of its

many treasures.

Previously known as The Royal

Edinburgh Repository and Self Aid Society,

this unique charity traces its roots as far

back as 1882. It was set up by forwardthinking

women philanthropists to help

“gentlewomen” who had fallen on hard

times, gain an independent livelihood by

using traditional skills, such as sewing and

knitting. To this day the ethos of the charity

largely remains the same.

Late last year, The Treasure Trove

launched online, embracing the everchanging

face of retail and is now available

to the wider world 365 days a year through

the website.

The makers, or Members as they are

known, come from all over the UK, from as

far north as Shetland down to the south

west of England. Anyone who thinks they

have the “skills to help pay their bills” can

apply to become a member by ringing the

shop manager, Louise Oliver on 0131 220

1187 to obtain an application form. The

process is simple – return a completed

application form together with two

samples of work and if the Society’s criteria

are met (in terms of personal needs and

skills), you become a member. You are

given a unique personal number, under

which all your items are sold. Members set

their own prices and The Treasure Trove

deducts just 10% from the sale price

towards administrative costs.

What makes The Treasure Trove even

more special is that when members are no

longer able to produce work, help is

available through the Benevolent Fund,

which provides a twice-yearly payment

dependent on individual need. The shop

staff keep in regular contact with all

members to help combat loneliness, which

is all too common.

Coffee mornings and outings are

also arranged.

The Treasure Trove look forward to

welcoming you in person or online

very soon.

For more information please visit:

www.treasuretrove-edinburgh.com

6 NEWS

Venice and the V&A

The newest exhibition at Dundee museum features an imagined

footbridge over the Union Canal in Edinburgh’s Wester Hailes

EDINBURGH-BASED architects 7N have

worked with Architecture and Design Scotland

and a number of local people in Wester Hailes

to create something which could improve the

area. The project began in 2019 with individual

architects pairing up with five locals from

Wester Hailes and designers in a series

of placemaking discussions.

Local residents Emily Stevenson and

Eoghan Howard (pictured below) discussed

with Katie Hay from 7N how a footbridge

across the Union Canal would provide a

connection to green spaces.

The conversations centred on the places

where people live and what their future hopes

and aspirations are for them. There is a real

possibility of making these hopes a reality by

asking What if..?/.

A film of the process was made by filmmaker,

Basharat Khan, and the exhibition - which was

initially prepared for the Scotland + Venice

exhibition at the 17th International Architecture

Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia in 2020 -

has now been adapted and is on show for the

first time at the V&A Dundee.

In Wester Hailes one of the key topics was

around connections, connecting communities

within the area and providing spaces for human

connections. In 2012 the totem pole in Wester

Hailes was installed to provide a focal point.

This was a huge project at the time,

unveiled by the then Lord Provost,

Donald Wilson, initially thought to be

impossible of course.

Several groups discussed the derelict

petrol station as a potential location for

a community meeting place, expanding

on the way it was once an

important part of the

community and had the

potential to be so again.

Artist’s impression

of the bridge

Leah Black from WHALE Arts, who hosted

the workshops, said: “It feels like a lifetime ago

that Eoghan and I introduced a small group of

local residents from Wester Hailes -

Eunice, Emily, Bahiya, Ili, Chuks and

Louize, to the architects working on

What If...? Scotland.

"We were delighted at WHALE Arts

to play a part in making these

introductions, however the success of

this project was contingent on the

generosity, open-mindedness and

creativity of the group of local

people who are passionate

about improvements to the local area.

"The project was timely for us as we were

working with Wester Hailes Community Trust,

Ian Gilzean and partners on the beginnings of a

Local Place Plan for Wester Hailes.

“This work on the LPP has continued to

develop throughout 2020 and 2021 and we are

thrilled at the notion of being able to

incorporate some of these inspiring ideas into

the long-term regeneration of Wester Hailes.”

Ewan Anderson of 7N Architects said: “When

we first met with these communities in late

2019, who could have foreseen how much our

lives would change?

“It’s interesting that even prior to a year in

lockdown, community and spaces to gather and

meet were of common importance throughout

Scotland. I’m delighted we have found a home

for the exhibition as it is important that these

stories are told. And how fitting that this

exhibition examining our places and how

design affects them will be presented at

Scotland’s first Design Museum V&A Dundee.”

The exhibition is called What if…?/Scotland

and will run until 21 November 2021, giving

everyone plenty of time to visit.

www.vam.ac.uk/dundee

Community taking action

Centre for the

community

A COMMUNITY ACTION Group,

supported by locals, has applied to

The City of Edinburgh Council to

turn the Meadows Pavilion into a

community hub by using a

Community Asset Transfer.

The Meadows Pavilion

Community Action Group (MPCAG)

formed last March. Amanda Scott,

who has run the café for ten years,

has been unable to open it for a

year, and The Pavilion Café has been

sorely missed by all. As lockdown

restrictions ease, cafés and bars

open again and the Meadows

remains one of the few places

where people can gather safely, the

community are taking matters into

their own hands.

Amanda said: “The Pavilion is a

vital part of the Meadows landscape

and community, and the cafe has

served the Meadows and wider

Edinburgh community for 15 years.

Before the pandemic, it was a busy

and friendly wee spot, and has been

sorely missed by all this past year.

We need to keep this building in the

hands of the community."

MPCAG led by Amanda is made

up of community members from all

over the city, including the Shrub

Cooperative and Re-Rooting

Gardening Cooperative, who have

redesigned the Pavilion Garden with

the help of local volunteers since

the beginning of this year.

After canvassing local schools,

community groups and sports

clubs, the group held an open

meeting which was attended

by 50 people, all supportive

of the transfer.

The group has now drawn up a

vision for the Pavilion which makes

it into a community hub, with a

community garden, a food-surplus

sharing hub in collaboration with

The Shrub, a tool library in

collaboration with the Edinburgh

Tool Library, a pop-up shop

available to small local businesses,

space for sports clubs and schools

to run activities, and a healthy and

affordable café.

All are welcome to get involved

with the Action Group to help

make the Meadows Pavilion a

community hub.

For more information, please email:

pavilioncommunityhub

@gmail.com

7

Walk together for Maggie’s

Lost loved ones

remembered in

charity walk

Rob Flett with his sons and wife

Moira who died last year

Locals want to

keep toilets open

THE PUBLIC TOILETS in Colinton are at risk

of closure. Meanwhile Colinton Community

Council (CCC) continue their campaign for the

council to keep the facility open, although

the council has said it is not a realistic

possibility. CCC say that they need much

more information if they are to enter

discussions about a possible community

asset transfer.

CCC Chair, Tom McDonald, wrote to

Transport Convener, Cllr Lesley Macinnes: “It

would be sensible to have at minimum the

value of the property as recorded in the

council’s books, a full legal description, and

an open market valuation.”

A NEW FUNDRAISER for

Maggie's Edinburgh, the centre

based at the Western General

Hospital which supports people

living with cancer, will involve a

short walk on 12 and 13 June.

It is hoped that those taking

part will walk a 5K route which

means something to them, or

which will remind them of

someone they have lost.

Maggie’s Centre visitor,

journalist Rob Flett, will be

walking a 5km route with his sons

Jamie and Euan to remember his

wife and Jamie and Euan’s mum,

Moira, who died last year.

“The boys and I will be

taking part in Together We

Walk in celebration of Moira’s

life and to thank Maggie’s for

all their support.

“We were so lucky the day after

of Moira’s diagnosis, a nurse at

the Oncology department

advised us to go to Maggie’s, it

made the prospect of Moira’s final

months less scary.”

Maggie's Centres are named

after Maggie Jencks, who lived

with cancer for two years. She

was determined that she would

not lose the joy of living in the

fear of dying. She believed in

information and using strategies

to reduce stress and support

patients psychologically, all

delivered in a relaxed setting.

First Corstorphine

residents welcomed

to new giraffe house

By STEPHEN RAFFERTY

WOBURN SAFARI PARK’S loss is the Royal

Zoological Society of Scotland’s gain after five

male giraffes took up residence in Edinburgh for

the first time in a decade and a half.

The world’s tallest species are becoming

accustomed to the green pastures of

Corstorphine Hill as the latest big attraction to

pull in visitors to Edinburgh Zoo in a newly

built £2.8 million giraffe house.

The zoo has partnered with the Giraffe

Conservation Foundation (GCF) and

Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky to

bring giraffes back Edinburgh and will support

vital work to protect the species in the wild.

Jonathan Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at

Edinburgh Zoo, said: “It is incredible to

welcome giraffes back to Edinburgh Zoo and we

are so excited to start introducing them to our

charity’s members, patrons and visitors after

they have settled in.

“Numbers of giraffes in the wild have

declined by almost 30% since the 1980s due to

habitat loss and poaching, so this is a really

important opportunity for us to raise awareness

A tower of

giraffes take up

residence in

Edinburgh

and support the Giraffe Conservation

Foundation’s work to save the species.

“Our brand-new giraffe house has been

designed with high level walkways which

means visitors will be able to meet these

wonderful creatures face-to-face, giving them

an amazing opportunity to connect with nature

and be inspired to join us in protecting them

from extinction.”

Julian Fennessy, co-founder of GCF, said:

Head and shoulders above the rest

“There are only about 117,000 giraffe remaining

in all of Africa. Their numbers have dropped by

almost 30% in the last three decades. As this

decline has happened largely unnoticed, it is

now time that we draw more attention to this

silent extinction.

“Zoos play an important role in sharing this

message and the new giraffe herd at Edinburgh

Zoo can play a vital role in raising awareness and

funds for the plight of their wild cousins in Africa.”

THREE NOT-SO-TALL

EDINBURGH ZOO

GIRAFFE TALES

• July 2002 – The first

Scots-born giraffe Sapphire

arrives, delivered by proud

mother Jade.

• Oct 2003 – Sapphire stops

eating due to a fractured jaw.

Vets considered putting her

down but veterinary surgeon

Professor Paddy Dixon

performs keyhole surgery,

usually used on horses, to

save Sapphire’s life.

• Oct 2004 – Sapphire moves

to Foto Wildlife Park in

Ireland and goes on to

become a mother to at least

six surviving calves.

Thomas Moradpour, President and Chief

Executive of The Glenmorangie Company, said:

“These amazing animals are under threat of a

silent extinction, which is why we are proud to

be official partners of giraffe conservation at

Edinburgh Zoo, and to support the work of GCF

in the wild. Through this global partnership, we

hope to raise awareness of the plight of the

giraffe, and ensure these wonderful creatures

remain part of our world.”

8 NEWS

Plans for Porty

sauna sunk

Soul Water Sauna hits a wrong note

with planners and local residents

A BID TO OPEN a mobile sauna on

Portobello Promenade proved too hot to

handle for councillors and local residents.

Kirsty Carver’s street trader licence

application to operate Soul Water Sauna

at the foot of James Street attracted 73

public objections and was rejected when

it came before councillors at the city

council’s licensing sub-committee.

The council’s Road Services team

objected, claiming the location was

unsuitable and a potential safety risk for

Prom users, while environmental health

officials said the sauna would breach the

Control of Smoke Free Zones and would

likely cause nuisance to nearby residents.

Conservation watchdog The Cockburn

Association also waded in, claiming that

if the sauna application was approved it

would set a precedent for other

temporary facilities to be able to set up

shop on the Prom.

Ms Carver had hoped the wood fired

sauna would be popular with wild

swimmers and would introduce “sauna

culture” to Edinburgh, helping users to

reconnect with nature in addition to

offering health benefits.

But her plans for a Promenade

hotspot received a cool welcome.

She said: “The result of the

meeting was disappointing, but

we’ve heard and appreciated the

support received from the

community. Local residents and

businesses, as well as

councillors, are interested to

see the possibility of a greater

focus on wellbeing,

community and leisure

on Portobello’s popular

promenade.

“We are encouraged by

suggestions and ideas of how to make

this better for all and to look at

alternative locations. So, we take

comfort that the idea itself was not in

question, which leaves us optimistic

that we can deliver our aims.

“We’re going to continue with our

intentions of bringing an authentic

sauna experience to Portobello, we’re

just taking the longer journey to the

destination. This seems much in the

spirit of thoughtful development of a

location we all treasure.”

It’s Ok

to Ask

New fully-electric

vans for hire

ENTERPRISE SCOTLAND has added 30

fully electric vans to their Scottish fleet,

offering more low emission transport to

their customers in Edinburgh.

Diane Mulholland, General Manager,

said: “We see rental as a way of facilitating

change because it enables people to try

out zero-emission electric vehicles for a

short period of time. We will be using our

new ZOE fleet to ensure our employees

are familiar with EV technology and act as

experts to help customers understand

the benefits of these vehicles and

overcome any concerns they may have.

“We are planning to encourage all our

customers to try EVs. That means

replacement customers who get a car

from their insurance company when their

vehicle is being repaired will have an EV

option, as well as our business and leisure

customers as lockdown eases.”

enterprise.co.uk

NHS encouraging

patients to ask about

their treatment

SCOTS ARE ENCOURAGED to ask questions

about their care and treatment so they

can understand what is being recommended

for them.

The NHS 24 campaign, “It’s OK to Ask” is

designed to support patients and healthcare

professionals in creating positive conversations

about care and treatment.

Head of Pharmacy with NHS 24, Dr John

McAnaw, said: “It's happened to us all - you

come out of a healthcare appointment realising

the questions you forgot to ask, or worrying

over the questions you wanted to ask but didn't.

This new campaign encourages a little bit of

forward planning around what you’d like to

know about your care from your healthcare

professional. Before an appointment or

discussion, take some time to think about what

you'd like to know about your treatment. Some

handy questions are:

“What are the benefits of my treatment?

“What are the risks of my treatment? Are

there other treatments I can try?

“What if I do nothing?

“These kind of questions can help you feel

more involved in decisions about your care, and

give you confidence in following your healthcare

plan. Your healthcare professional is happy to

answer any questions you might have, as they

know it’s better to have patients who are content

and informed about their next steps, and simply

by being more involved, you’ll be able to make

better decisions for you about your own care.”

To find outmore, please visit:

www.nhsinform.scot/oktoask

9

History crash course

Messerschmitt engine in East Lothian has links to Hitler deputy

By JOHN HISLOP

AN AIRPLANE engine on display at the

National Museum of Flight (NMOF) at

East Fortune has a big story attached to it.

On 10 May 1941, a plane flown by the deputy

leader of the Nazi Party, Rudolf Hess, crash

landed in East Renfrewshire.

Hitler’s right-hand man was rumoured to be

flying to Scotland to meet the Duke of Hamilton

after the pair originally met at the 1936 Berlin

Olympic Games. Some experts believe that Hess

was acting independently to initiate peace

negotiations between the UK and Germany,

while others questioned his sanity.

Hess was subsequently arrested and later

convicted at the Nuremberg Trials, and the real

reason for the visit was never uncovered.

Eighty years later, one of the Messerschmitt Bf

110’s engines is on display in the NMOF’s

Military Aviation hangar, on loan from the board

of trustees of RAF Museum.

Steve McLean, General Manager at NMOF,

said: “The engine belonging to the aircraft

Engine from Hess’ plane

carrying Rudolf Hess is one of the most

thought-provoking items on display at the

Museum. It is a popular object due to its rich

history and we love sharing with our visitors

details of the mysterious events that unfolded

that day 80 years ago.”

Located at East Fortune Airfield in East

Lothian, the museum displays a range of historic

aircraft, from Concorde to a Spitfire.

Rudolf Hess

It is open seven days a week between

10am-5pm. Timed entry tickets are available to

purchase in advance from the website.

In line with Scottish Government guidelines, a

range of measures have been put in place to

ensure the safety of visitors and staff including

pre-booked timed entry, face coverings,

enhanced cleaning, sneeze screens, handsanitising

stations and one-way routes.

Planning rules

relaxed on sheds

FOR THOSE of you seeking shed space

the planning procedure has been

simplified. If you have a bike and need

somewhere to keep it, you can now put

up a bike store without formal

permission. Sheds and bike stores in

front or back gardens are allowed under

new planning rules for “permitted

development” for flat and house owners.

A bike store can be any size, but there

can only be one, and the rules do not

apply to listed buildings or within the

Edinburgh World Heritage site. A shed

cannot obstruct light to a neighbouring

building, and if it is to be used as a

separate dwelling then planning

permission will be required. The council

has a handy quick guide on its website.

MSPs sworn in at Holyrood

New funding for

early years

FROEBEL TRUST has awarded £500,000

funding, (half of funds available for the

UK) to Cowgate Under 5s to increase

understanding of a specific approach to

early years education.

Dr Sacha Powell, Chief Executive,

Froebel Trust said: “This funding will give

more young children and their families

the opportunity to access a Froebelian

approach to early education – with plenty

of outdoor play, creativity, learning

through nature - and the myriad of

benefits to learning a Froebelian

education can bring.”

The Froebelian Futures team will be led

by Dr Lynn McNair of University of

Edinburgh and Lian Higgins at Cowgate.

The team will collaborate with Scottish

councils and colleagues in the Czech

Republic and Greece.

Cowgate Under 5s Centre is a Froebelinfluenced,

City of Edinburgh Council

day nursery where children play freely in

and outdoors.

Dr Lynn McNair said: “It feels more

necessary now than ever to drive forward

child-centred practices. We’re particularly

interested in the entanglement and

complexity of children’s lives, believing

that diversity matters.”

Four new faces will represent Edinburgh and Lothians

LORNA SLATER

MSP SCOTTISH

GREENS

Lorna was born

in Canada and is

co-leader of the

Scottish Greens alongside

Patrick Harvie. She trained as an

engineer and has worked in the

renewables sector.

A fierce environmentalist,

Lorna travelled to Antarctica

as part of a three women team

on the Homeward Bound

trip to study the effects of

climate change.

She became interested in

politics in 2014 during the run up

to the Independence referendum

and has campaigned in favour of

independence. She spends her

spare time honing her skills as an

aerialist. Lorna arrived in Glasgow

initially on a one way ticket from

Calgary, and has never left.

SUE WEBBER MSP

SCOTTISH

CONSERVATIVES

Sue is an Edinburgh

councillor for the

Pentland Hills Ward,

and has confirmed that she will

retain both jobs until the council

Students waiting

elections to see in 2022. the Duke As the transport

spokesperson for the Conservative

group at the City Chambers she is

well used to defending the people

who live in her own ward and

elsewhere in Edinburgh. She is

very critical of the Spaces for

People measures which the

council has introduced as a

temporary response to Covid-19.

At the same time she is also

critical of the government

settlement for local authorities,

and campaigns for fairer funding

for Edinburgh. She also runs her

own business providing services

and medical supplies to the NHS.

It was the independence

referendum in 2014 which began

her political career as part of

Better Together.

ANGUS

ROBERTSON

MSP SNP

Angus is well-known

to most Scots as he

was previously the

Deputy leader of the SNP at

Westminster. He was elected at

the same time as Scottish

Conservative leader, Douglas Ross,

who is now an MSP on the

Highland list, as well as being MP

for Moray. It was Ross who took

the Moray seat from Angus

Robertson in 2017. Since then

Angus established a think tank

called Progress Scotland and was

writing a book about Austria

between elected positions. He

lived and worked as a journalist in

Vienna for the BBC World Service.

Although coy about his plans now

that he is at Holyrood, he has to

be a top tip as successor to Nicola

Sturgeon in due course. He was

appointed to the new Cabinet as

Minister for the Constitution.

He criticised his predecessor,

Ruth Davidson, saying that she

was a part-time constituency

representative.

FOYSOL

CHOUDHURY MBE

MSP SCOTTISH

LABOUR

Foysol was born in

Bangladesh and is

Chairman of the Edinburgh and

Lothian Regional Equality Council

(ELREC) alongside human rights

activist Sir Geoff Palmer. He is an

entrepreneur and took over his

father’s business turning it into a

success. He has interests in many

areas such as catering and property.

As founder of the Edinburgh Mela,

he is a lifelong activist and

politician, and is now the first MSP

of Bangladeshi origin to be elected

to Holyrood. He has been waiting

for a long time to become a

politician, standing at several

elections, and it will be interesting

to see what he can achieve.

10 NEWS

Quiet and safe space

Kirsty

Baird

Urban pod gives peace a chance at Broughton mental health centre

Brave enough

for the Chief?

By STEPHEN RAFFERTY

A NEW MENTAL health resource will provide a

quiet and safe space for one-to-one counselling

between staff and people using Support in Mind

Scotland’s (SiMS) Stafford Centre.

Work has started on an “Urbanpod” –

dubbed Peace in a Pod – and which was the

result of a £15,000 fundraising effort by

generous supporters and service users.

An anonymous supporter generously got the

building fund underway with a £6,000

donation, before fundraising duo Bilal Akram

and Asim Ali added a further £3,000 through a

driving challenge. A team of pupils from

Holy Rood High School - Todd Burgess, Lucas

Martin, Pierino Crolla and Matthew Korecki

Aguirre - also chipped in with their £3,000 prize

from the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative.

The target was reached thanks to donations

from other well-wishers, including customers

and staff from Lothian Buses who have selected

Support in Mind Scotland as their Charity

of Choice. Volunteers from Lothian have

also given their time to do the prep work

for the pod.

The modern outdoor office unit will fit snugly

into the back garden of the bustling Broughton

Street centre, and will provide a timely boost for

the charity, which has endured a tough year

during the pandemic.

Michele Mason, Edinburgh Area Manager for

SiMS, said: “The fundraising effort and the

goodwill shown towards us from the people of

the city has been magnificent.

“The Pod and its furniture will look

spectacular and having this new safe space will

give everyone a big lift after the challenges we

have faced together over the past 15 months.

“What makes this even better is that I can’t

Tom Angel’s award-winning

‘Otherness Garden’

remember us ever having something new at the

centre. We usually make do and mend, and so

much of what we have is either second hand

or patched up. For us to get something brand

new and sparkly will be really appreciated by

everyone who uses it and there is a real buzz

of anticipation.”

Michele also thanked Livingston-based firm

Urbanpods for kindly offering a substantial

charity discount. The idea for Peace in A Pod

was first conceived when the charity

collaborated with Urbanpods and top landscape

garden designer Tom Angel on his awardwinning

exhibit at Gardening Scotland 2019.

Tom’s stunning creation, which took the

prestigious Best New Show Garden and Silver

Gilt prizes, highlighted paths to recovery from

mental illness, and was centred around a pod

similar to the one that will soon take pride of

place the Stafford Centre.

AN INDEPENDENT Edinburgh radio

station is on the hunt for DJs.

Chief Radio is a not-for-profit

community station owned and run by

musicians which supports the local

community and promotes Scottish music

and unsigned artists.

Founded by Kirsty Baird, the station is

looking for presenters with some

broadcast experience but will provide

training for enthusiastic applicants who

are confident speakers and who have a

keen interest in Edinburgh.

Kirsty said: “In an ideal world we are

looking for someone with a little

experience in presenting and radio,

however, that seems hard to find, so it

could be someone who is interested in

radio or who podcasts. We want people

who are aligned with Chief Radio values

which could be community, unsigned

artists and Scottish music.”

Chief is now a registered Community

Interest Company so any profit goes back

into improving and developing the station.

“We can train people if they have good

PC skills and are either Edinburgh-based or

have their own equipment such as a

laptop, microphone and their own music,”

said Kirsty. “It is a very rewarding job, as

much as we are small we are developing

all the time. We just need people who

are willing to learn and be committed

to the station.”

The station are also hosting fun Rookie

DJ sessions where would-be-presenters

learn basic broadcasting skills. Starting on

Sunday 13 June, all monies raised from the

sessions, priced £15 and £12 for kids, will

go to funding the station.


www.chiefradio.com

11

EDINBURGH DOG AND CAT HOME

NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION

LEITH WALK POLICE BOX

LOVE YOUR BUSINESS

GIOVANNI’S

Rescue, reunite, rehome. Edinburgh

Dog and Cat Home accepts any

animal which reaches its door in

need, and works tirelessly to secure

happy and loving forever homes.

They need donations.

26 Seafield Road East EH15 1EH

0131 669 5331

Subscribe today and have your own

copy of The Edinburgh Reporter

delivered in a compostable envelope

to your front door from next month.

Pay just £2.50 a month or £30 a year

and help to support local

independent news.

ter.ooo.subscribe

Very reasonable rates allow start-ups

to use this small pop-up space as the

first rung on the ladder. From food to

political parties and all manner of

organisations in between. Have a look

at their pop-up garden when you visit.

Croall Place EH7 4LT

hello@leithwalkpolicebox.com

Love Your Business networking club is

relaxed informal and good fun, and is

now online on the last Thursday of the

month with a host of inspiring

speakers sharing their entrepreneurial

journeys and invaluable business tips.

www.lybnetworking.com

Facebook/howtolyb

Edinburgh’s best fish and chip shop

has been in the same family for half a

century. Pizzas, kebabs and burgers for

delivery or collection. Open 4.00pm to

12am daily.

94 Northfield Broadway EH8 7RU

giovannisonline.co.uk

0131 669 0462

PAPER TIGER

DI GIORGIO’S CAFFE & BAR

SCHOP

CRAIG BANKS TAILORING

FRANK BOYLE ART

This year the shop celebrates their

40th birthday with an amazing diverse

range of cards, stationery gifts

supporting local makers,

manufacturers and illustrators Now

open and all stock is also available

online or for local bike delivery!

www.papertiger.co.uk

Di Giorgio’s have lots of cakes and

slices, coffee with a smile and pasta

and lasagne to go.

Morning rolls and ciabattas are also

available, but this is brownie heaven

and do ask about their birthday cakes.

Open 7 days 10-4pm

1 Brandon Terrace EH3 5EA

This is an easy, convenient and

eco-friendly alternative to a supermarket

shop. Working in partnership

with independent retailers, Tim at

Schop offers to deliver a huge range of

great quality food and drink straight to

your door - saving you a journey.

schop.co

Bespoke tailoring for men. Craig’s

focus is on making the highest quality

personally tailored attire that others

will aspire to. His pyjamas and dressing

gowns will make your video calls

so stylish!

0131 226 7775 • 45 Thistle Street

EH2 1DY • craigbankstailoring.com

From the award-winning cartoonist, a

gift for fans of either capital team.

A print of the first recorded Edinburgh

Derby football match on Christmas

Day 1875. Available in two sizes A3

and A2.

boylecartoon@gmail.com

frankboyleart.bigcartel.com


INDEPENDENT WINE COMPANY

SOMETHING FISHY

BIG HEARTS COMMUNITY TRUST

DADS ROCK

Subscribe today and have your very

own copy of The Edinburgh Reporter

delivered by Royal Mail in a

compostable envelope to your front

door from next month.

Pay just £2.50 a month to support

local independent news.

ter.ooo.subscribe

A specialist importer of boutique fine

wines from Italy. Carefully hand-picked

award-winning wines of premium

quality sourced direct from the

winemakers. Oleg and Elvira visit every

vineyard personally. Free UK delivery

- same day delivery to Edinburgh

available. www.independent.wine

Independent fishmonger , Daniel,

provides quality fresh and cured fish.

At the beginning of lockdown there

was some question over availability -

but this wee shop has kept going. Use

Schop to have your fish delivered.

16a Broughton Street EH1 3RH

0131 556 7614

Using the power of football to create

positive social outcomes, the charity

will be on the road delivering

Christmas essentials. Hearts fans or not

get involved by volunteering with Big

Hearts and their fundraising appeal.

www.bighearts.org.uk

0131 603 4926

A fabulous charity which provides

support for dads, and support for

families. They help men understand

the important role they play in their

children’s upbringing. They do this

with activities like Dads in the Wood

- when they take dads and children

outside to play. dadsrock.org

ARDGOWAN DISTILLERY

BROUGHTON PLACE HAIR

THE WATERSHED

STOCKBRIDGE MARKET


Ardgowan Distillery has now

launched Shipwright, its second

whisky in the Clydebuilt series.

Whiskymaker, Max McFarlane

says: “It is a truly sumptuous dram,

made to ignite your imagination of

far-off lands.”

shop.ardgowandistillery.com

A luxurious, elegant salon with a very

happy and friendly atmosphere where

the aim is to make your experience

relaxing, enjoyable and glamorous.

Appointment essential.

0131 556 4478

2a Broughton Place EH1 3RX

www.broughtonplacehair.com

The floating café is owned and run by

Lindsay and sits just next to the

Leamington Lift Bridge on the canal.

With their range of smoothies and

coffees accompanied by macarons

and a host of other treats, it is not to

be missed. They have tables and

chairs now. EH3 9PD

You may know about Leith (Saturdays)

and Stockbridge (Sundays) Markets

but did you know that you can order

online and pick up all of your shopping

at once? Using the NeighbourFood

site you simply choose what you want

pay and then collect.

www.neighbourfood.co.uk/markets

Subscribe today and have your very

own copy of The Edinburgh Reporter

delivered by Royal Mail in a

compostable envelope to your front

door from next month.

Pay just £2.50 a month to support

local independent news.

ter.ooo.subscribe

Playing to the ga

12 FEATURE CHRIS CLOSE

Phyllis Stephen chats to award-winning

photographer Chris Close about his photos

and exhibiting the work of others

One in a series of photos

of majestic icebergs

Chris

Close

I

first met Chris Close at the Book

Festival where he sets up what is

effectively an outdoor studio and

takes beautiful portraits of the

authors who appear there.

The series of portraits were put

up around the garden. He always

appeared to be pretty relaxed

about his work, but that is often

the way with someone who is

really good at what they do.

Close’s work encompasses landscapes as well

as portraits - people and places. He owns the

only independent photography gallery in

Scotland on Howe Street in the New Town, and

is quite honest that he knew nothing about

running a gallery before he opened one - and

that he keeps fairly irregular hours there. But if

you turn up and the doors are shut then he may

be only a phone call away, or of course in some

far flung place on a shoot.

Chris explained: “I just thought

that a gallery for photographers was

something that has been missing.

I was involved in a photography

festival for a number of years and

have been trying to establish a

Scottish national photography

centre, which has not come into

being. I was looking for a space to

work from, and possibly also a

studio space. The shop on Howe

Street became available and I

thought ‘I know. I’ll have a

gallery.’ I’m learning on the hoof

as it were, but I had no experience so it was a

labour of love in some ways.

“Sometimes I pick photographers and other

times they approach me. I first approached John

Claridge who is one of my heroes - one of the

greatest photographers. I just about fell off my

chair when he agreed to exhibit with Gallery

Close. People of my generation would look to

see what John was shooting for clients around

the world.

“It is a real mixed bag of work that I exhibit,

from last year’s Rock Stars exhibition, to film

stills, landscapes or abstract work.”

This year Chris will be showing work by

Julian Calverley who published an A3 sized

book called North Northwest. Calverley is a

landscape and commercial photographer and

the exhibition will feature some of his larger

prints. Although not Scottish he has spent a lot

of time here, putting places like Harris and

Lewis on the map before they became popular.

Close himself is a master of the moody

landscape, and showed me photos of

Newfoundland which he took on a trip he made

“just to find somewhere that nobody else had

I just thought that

a gallery for

photographers was

something that

has been missing

photographed”. He said: “I just turned up with

no preconceptions. And that is how I like to

approach landscapes, otherwise you end up

going to all the obvious places.”

Later this year another exhibition will feature

a photographer called Murray Close (no

relation). Chris said: “He has the job that I

13

Edinburgh Skyline

When I was at college

I wanted to be a stills

photographer on a film set

Salen

llery

Dame Evelyn Glennie

would have love to have done. When I was at

college I wanted to be a stills photographer on a

film set. Murray did it. He is Canadian and

when he started off he landed a job working

with Stanley Kubrick.

“At the moment Murray told me he is

working in Berlin. Of course that means he was

working on the latest Mission Impossible with

Tom Cruise. This was planned ages ago to tie in

with the Edinburgh Film Festival, but of course

even now nobody knows what is happening

with one thing and another these days.”

Since Murray’s work is commissioned by the

film company, much of it is not his to sell, but

there are stills from the classic movie Withnail

and I which will be available.

Close admits that his own first ambition was

to be a film director, but at the moment he is

studying screenwriting and just loving it. What

he actually did on his professional journey was

study for a BSc in photographic sciences. For

his final year project he went to London’s West

End and took photos of what was happening

backstage, where he got to meet some “amazing

real characters”. The learning about actual

photography came from working as assistant for

a number of professionals.

He also studied marketing in Glasgow

finishing off with a project for Radio Forth.

He said: “I always thought I would go back to

London one day. In some ways I still think I

should have, but you make your choices. And

Edinburgh is a very hard city to leave.”

That is not to say that he is always in the

capital however. His work has taken him to

some far flung places in the past, like the

Seychelles for the Tourist Board. And there is

still a lot to do and achieve. Even with a portrait

of percussionist Evelyn Glennie hanging in the

Scottish National Portrait Gallery, he still feels

he hasn’t quite got there yet.

Gallery Close, 4B Howe St, EH3 6TD

www.gallery-close.com

14 NEWS

Smart

Amanda puts

Edinburgh First

outfit

Charity supports women back

into work with coaching

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

SMART WORKS is a great name for a great service. The

charity based in Annandale Street Lane offers any woman

with a job interview professional advice on interview

techniques - as well as an outfit to wear. Since 2014, the

charity has helped over 1,000 women to interview success.

Reading new MSP Emma Roddick’s tweets recently about

the expense of starting a new job, reminded me of the

excellent work that this charity does - at least at initial

interview stage. It is a small outfit. Beth Reid is manager

working with administrator, Caroline Levack. Beth said: “We

have eight UK centres and Edinburgh is the only one in

Scotland. We provide interview clothes and coaching to any

unemployed women.

”We offer a two hour appointment when our clients are

fitted with a complete outfit with accessories, toiletries, a

goodie bag of makeup, all for free. We also provide

one-to-one interview coaching delivered by our

experienced volunteers, who all have a background in HR

and recruitment. They may go over specific questions which

might come up, perhaps helping clients to explain a gap in

work history for example. A lot of it is about confidence

building, important when someone has been out of work for

a long time or have faced redundancy.”

The good quality ready-to-wear clothes are donated by

professional working women or the charity’s retail partners

including Burberry, Hobbs, Whistles, M&S, and John Lewis.

For more information, visit: smartworks.org.uk

AMANDA FERGUSON, who is one of

Scotland’s most experienced business

tourism figures, has been appointed by

Edinburgh First.

With more than 15 years of experience,

her appointment to the business

development team at Edinburgh First –

the commercial arm of the University of

Edinburgh – will be key in re-establishing

the success of the University’s large hotel

and venue portfolio after a tumultuous

year for the hospitality sector as a whole.

Amanda was formerly Head of Business

Tourism with Marketing Edinburgh, the

destination business shelved by

Edinburgh Council. She says she is

determined to help the University’s

hospitality business to grow using its

extensive venue portfolio to help take

the city’s knowledge economy back to a

top global ranking.

Amanda said: “I’m really passionate

about doing what is right for the

University and the City.

“The economic fallout from the

pandemic has brought the whole

hospitality and business tourism sector to

a standstill. Our goal and ambitions are to

use Edinburgh First’s world class products

and services to boost the local economy

and mobilise the city again. I’m excited to

work with the new business development

team and to reignite Edinburgh’s

hospitality sector.”

World’s first

plant-based

bottle

S’Wheat success is natural

Crusade against plastic pollution is core ethos of eco business

JAKE ELLIOTT-HOOK and Amee

Ritchie started their own business

in 2018 and after three years of

planning and adapting, they have

launched a range of reusable

products inspired by nature and

its raw materials.

The S'Wheat products are

designed in Scotland, inspired by

the country's lochs and mountains.

The water bottle they have designed

is intended to be your constant

companion, no matter where you

go. The S'Wheat bottle, with its

eco-insulated wall, is made to keep

your drinks cold or hot.

The BPA-free bottle is durable

and easy to clean. It is also made

from sustainably sourced wheat

straw and plant-based materials. It

is a one of a kind and the company

says it removes 360 single use

plastic bottles with each sale. And

they will also plant a tree for you.

You can track your forest's growth

at swheatbottle.com.

The company started up in 2018

with a mission to reduce the world's

single use plastic bottle pollution

by creating a reusable bottle with

sustainability and practicality

in mind.

From small beginnings, with a

crowdfunder campaign, the

founders took heart from the huge

support they received. They raised

230% more than their initial goal,

and since then they have been

planting trees, taking plastic out of

the oceans and trying to make a

real difference.

S'Wheat can make co-branded

bottles for large and small

companies offering a high-quality

etching of a firm's logo on the

bottle, allowing you to give the

bottle to customers and staff as

a gift. This also allows businesses

to reduce their carbon intake

by reducing the number of

plastic bottles used by any one

business or their staff.

Company founder, Jake

Elliot-Hook said: “Sustainability is

the core value of S’wheat and it

remains at the heart of everything

we do, we are constantly pushing

ourself to be the most sustainable

brand out there, we are very

grateful to have the support we’ve

been given from our customers and

corporate clients, and this is what

makes it possible for us to make the

world a cleaner place, together we

can do a lot of good for the world."


www.swheatbottle.com

15

No.1 at The Balmoral

Maid of the

Forth sets sail

Mathew Sherry appointed as new Head

Chef at Michelin-starred restaurant

MATHEW SHERRY has

been appointed as the new

Head Chef of Number One

at The Balmoral.

Edinburgh-born Mathew joins

the fine-dining Michelin-starred

restaurant from his role as Head

Chef of Michelin-starred

Northcote in Lancashire,

where he worked closely

with Executive Chef Lisa

Goodwin-Allen.

Prior to Northcote, Mathew

honed his skills under Chef

Patron Dominic Jack, working

for seven years at Castle Terrace

in Edinburgh.

Mathew will continue to use

seasonal Scottish produce at the

forefront of the restaurant’s

dining experience. He has

developed a new 3-course

menu and 7-course seasonal

menu using classical flavours

and modern techniques.

The Balmoral’s Executive Chef,

Gary Robinson, said: “Excellence

is at the heart of everything we

do at The Balmoral and Mathew

brings this ethos in abundance.

His flair and classical training,

coupled with his passion for

incredible Scottish produce,

makes for an exciting chapter

ahead for Number One.”

Mathew Sherry said: “I am

honoured to return to my home

city to head up the kitchen at

such an iconic restaurant and to

work with the many seasoned

professionals already here at

The Balmoral.

“The detail on each dish has

been carefully designed, from

sourcing seasonal ingredients to

the way they are displayed and

plated, everything has been

thoughtfully considered.

“I am thoroughly enjoying

working closely with Restaurant

Manager, Emma Lonie and her

established front of house team.

We will ensure that we continue

to deliver a truly special

experience for every guest.”

www.bit.ly/3uaEScE

Mathew Sherry

Maid of the Forth

THE SIGHTSEEING cruises on

Maid of the Forth from South

Queensferry are back.

Passengers can blow away

the cobwebs, enjoy the great

outdoors and enjoy music

onboard.

To ensure the safety of

passengers and crew, the

family-run business has

reduced capacity on each

sailing. Face masks remain

essential as well as prebooking.

It is only possible to

book through a ticketless

online system.

A 90-minute daytime

sightseeing cruise sails under

all three bridges and round

Inchcolm Island. The top deck

is ideal for spotting the marine

life such as grey seals,

porpoises, dolphins and the

occasional Minke whale.

The Maid’s 3-hour cruise

includes a 90-minute excursion

on Inchcolm where visitors can

ramble around the monastic

abbey, explore the trails and

relax on the beach.

Fizz on the Forth is a two

and a half hour cruise with live

music from multi-genre singer

Cailean McLean. Fizz on the

Forth sails on 24 July, 14

August and 18 September

(£28 per person).

Jazz Cruises on 16 July and 6

August cost £23 per person

with live music. The Folk Cruise

programme sails on 2, 9 and 23

July, 13 and 20 August, 3 and 10

September three hour cruise.

www.maidoftheforth.co.uk

or call 0131 331 5000

Made to last

The Polar opposite to throwaway fashion

Gemma Livingstone

A NEW EDINBURGH fashion start up

which launched in March is championing

the slow fashion concept, encouraging

people to buy fewer clothes and keep

clothes for longer.

Polar Bears & Navy was founded by

Edinburgh-based Gemma Livingstone, 35,

who left her job as a digital marketer at

Skyscanner to focus on designing clothes

from fabrics produced to high

environmental and welfare standards.

Gemma studied law at the University of

Edinburgh, but also worked in marketing

with Sainsbury's and Logicalware Ltd. She

hopes to increase awareness of the

dangers of fast fashion and the benefits of

buying garments made to last, and has

taken a stand at the UN Climate Change

Conference - COP26 - in Glasgow later

this year.

The business began by providing two

options - a British Wool Coat and a Merino

Wool Blazer. To make sure the garments fit

and are long lasting they are made in the

company's Edinburgh studio where

durability lies at the heart of the design.

Every coat comes with a lifetime repair

service or the company will help

customers find a local professional to help.

The range has now expanded with

women's tops, and a blush pink top

inspired by the Meadows blossom

trees will be available shortly.

Gemma said: “People are buying

60% more clothes than they did

just 15 years ago. The more

clothes we create, the more

natural resources we use,

whether that is animal fibre,

plants, oil or water - it’s not

sustainable.

“The biggest change we

can make in the fashion

industry is to encourage

each of us to buy less and

to keep what we do buy for

longer. By buying clothes

that will stand the test of

time, we can reduce the

pressures the current rate of

fashion production puts on

worker pay and conditions,

animal welfare, natural resources

and waste management.

“At Polar Bears & Navy we will always

use fabrics and materials that are

produced to high environmental and

welfare standards, and work closely

with fabric producers to ensure

traceability. Where possible, we

source from local businesses to

help them grow with us.

“This is something I have felt

passionate about for a while. So

while it can be daunting to

turn your passion into a

start-up, it has been a really

rewarding experience, and

I’ve been working every

available hour to fulfil orders

and respond to high levels

of enquiries since we

launched, so the demand

for slow fashion is

definitely there.”

To find out more, visit:

polarbearsandnavy.com

16 FOOD

Flavours of

South America

Hanover Street restaurant promises to be Superico

CROSSWORD

Compiled by David Albury

Scott

Wise

ACROSS

1 Alas, I adopt another name (5)

4 Speak unclearly in minimum

bleakness (6)

9 Move her on so she goes towards

the land (7)

DOWN

1 Place me on federation union, as

previously discussed (14)

2 Rerun is arranged by one who accepts

premiums (7)

3 Gin sooths those upset by firings (9)

10 Arrange berth or setting for sibling (7)

4 A master at Morse code (7)

11 Greet new bird (5)

5 Pa’s comb rips headwear (7)

12 Sad effort at arranging swops (5-4)

6 In igloo set us free (5)

13 One ruse or another could be

wrong (9)

14 In the wadi Europeans say ‘farewell’ (5)

15 Fish containers stank horribly (5)

17 Tribe look as if they act like

automata (5-4)

20 One boss is upset by a fixed idea (9)

22 A top I lay over this paved area (5)

23 Sell pie in shape of a distorted circle (7)

24 Adorn in blazing fire with a

metal bar (7)

25 In a broadcast let this be described as a

fortified building (6)

7 If shut, have a look round (6)

8 No strippers use places on the

body where bleeding might be

controlled (8, 6)

14 Notepad is re-written on the other side

of the world (9)

16 Sentinel not in position to settle down

comfortably (6)

17 Mitre - an unusual item of clothing (7)

18 Bag Dean placed in first aid box (7)

19 Termini changed in the meantime (7)

21 Apse I change colour of - to this (5)

Mike

Lynch

26 Potassium? Not an iota found in these

drainage containers (5)

Down: 1 Aforementioned, 2 Insurer, 3 Shootings, 4 Maestro, 5 Mobcaps, 6 Loose, 7 Shufti, 8

Pressure points, 14 Antipodes, 16 Nestle, 17 Raiment, 18 Bandage, 19 Interim, 21 Sepia.

CITY CENTRE Eatery Superico

is the creation of chef, Scott Wise,

and mixologist, Mike Lynch, who

have gathered together a team of

five bringing a flavour of South

America to Hanover Street. The

restaurant at number 83 has just

opened, and in late June the

Superico Bar & Lounge at 99

Hanover Street will also open its

doors. The style is influenced by the

big, bold flavours of South America,

where Scott spent time travelling.

With over 30 years combined

experience between them, Scott

and Mike were part of the team that

launched the Devil’s Advocate

restaurant and bar in Edinburgh’s

Old Town in 2013.

Scott previously worked in The

Witchery by the Castle and The

Tower. Now his signature dishes will

include ceviche and crudo inspired

by Nikkei cuisine in Peru, beef cheek

with mole from Mexico and fresh

mojo sauces inspired by Chile.

Mike is a hospitality manager and

award-winning mixologist, having

won the title of UK’s Best Cocktail

Bar for Bramble Bar on Queen Street

in 2019, and he represented the bar

at industry events and takeovers in

cities such as London, Copenhagen,

New York and Denver.

Mike said: “We can’t wait to bring

a unique South American flair to

Edinburgh’s Hanover Street. Expect

a fun, vibrant and stylish setting

across both of our two venues with

outgoing, knowledgeable and

attentive service.

“Guests will enjoy hustle and

bustle in the restaurant where

they’ll get the chance to see the bar

and kitchen team work side by side

in the open space to the rear of the

restaurant.

“With our sights firmly set on the

launch and growth of both our

venues, Superico has the ambition

to quickly become a well

established social venue in

Edinburgh with global recognition.”

Chef Scott Wyse, added: “I’m not

just looking at the typical styles and

flavours that you may associate

with South America, but also how

other cultures have influenced

them such as Nikkei cuisine which is

the Japanese influence on Peru.

“Expect some niche flavours, but

I will make them approachable and

fit the fun and relaxed atmosphere.”


www.superico.com

ANSWERS

Across: 1 Alias, 4 Mumble, 9 Onshore, 10 Brother, 11 Egret, 12 Trade-offs, 13 Erroneous, 14 Adieu,

15 Tanks, 17 Robot-like, 20 Obsession, 22 Patio, 23 Ellipse, 24 Andiron, 25 Castle, 26 Sumps.

Refillable containers at Morrisons

MORRISONS HAS brought back

refillable containers at their meat,

fish and deli counters.

In an effort to reduce the amount

of single use plastic packaging used

in stores, the supermarket group has

reintroduced eco-friendly shopping.

All staff on these counters will ask

customers if they have brought their

own container to be filled rather than

automatically putting products into

a plastic container.

If every Morrisons customer used a

refillable container for their counter

purchase, it would save 2,000 tonnes

of plastic a year. Elsewhere,

Morrisons also plans to remove 900

tonnes of plastic from packaging

used on butcher and fishmonger

counters each year by introducing

new lighter weight recyclable trays.

Natasha Cook, Packaging Manager

at Morrisons, said: “Reducing plastic

in our stores is an important part of

our sustainability agenda and it

really matters to our customers too.

The service was very popular with

our customers when it was first

introduced before lockdown, and

we’re pleased to see it return with

some great value deals on our fresh,

British quality products.”

17

Juliet’s food diary

Good Stuff hits

right note for

spandex ballet

Tasty meals from

Good Stuff

Getting a new

lease of life

Leith revival welcome after Covid downturn

MY FAMILY ARE an entrepreneurial bunch and

I’ve been self employed for so long I subsequently

find myself unemployable. Times of hardship are

also periods of opportunity. I’m certainly not

saying the pandemic hasn’t been terrible for the

hospitality sector but it has been heartening to

see businesses adapt and new ideas coming to the

fore over the past year. In my neck of the woods it

appears there will soon be four new

establishments taking on empty premises, three

of which had been vacated before Covid struck...

• The old Sofi’s bar on Henderson Street will

become the Three Marys cocktail bar run by

Dale McPhee and Malt and Hops and Old

Chain Pier owner Calum Mackay.

• There’s the former Pizza Express on The Shore,

set to welcome a Victor Hugo Delicatessen

• The miserable unit that was Kcal Kitchen, where

nobody has managed to make a success of in

decades, is to be opened as a fine dining

restaurant run by the two chefs behind the

popular at-home dining pop up Bad Seeds.

Tomás Gormley and Sam Yorke have an

impressive combined experience in some of

Edinburgh’s most revered restaurants.

• For city centre fab food, Pizza Geeks are

collaborating with Cask Smugglers cocktail and

whisky bar for a new rooftop Waverley Centre

experience. Lets hope for a good summer.

• Last but by no means least, The Pond is having

a revival yet again. I’m not sure what the new

name will be, but let’s hope they retain some of

the Leith “characters” the bar was well known

for. Ah yes, the drinks were cheap and the

entertainment free...

In Wilson Manor, no fry up’s complete without

a lovely succulent slice of black pudding, so I was

delighted to try some from Mathiesons of Ratcliffe

Terrace in the southside of Edinburgh, which has

been serving locally sourced meat since 1880,

making it the oldest butchery in the city. Their

black pudding is made in-house every week to a

secret recipe. I can honestly say it’s the best I’ve

tasted. Mathiesons pride themselves on history,

skill and a passion for the trade. It certainly shows.

Juliet Lawrence Wilson

BLACK PUDDING

WITH CREAMY

CHEESE, FRUIT AND

WALNUTS

I’ve gone for a fancier supper dish for

this week’s recipe. The combinations in

this dish is scrumptious. Serve with a

salad of rocket or watercress.

SERVES TWO

• 2 1-inch thick slices of

Black Pudding

• 2 1-inch thick rounds of ripe goat’s

cheese (or substitute with any soft

cheese that you prefer)

• 2 ripe pears, peeled and quartered

with the core removed

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

• 8 walnut halves

METHOD

Pre heat the oven to 200° C. Place the

pear wedges on a baking tray with a

drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of

fresh thyme. Roast in the oven for 8-10

minutes depending how ripe they are.

They should soften but hold their shape.

Fry the black pudding for a couple of

minutes each side then place on baking

tray with the pears. Top with the cheese

and roast in the oven for five minutes

then add the walnuts. Roast for two

minutes more. Serve with the pear and

walnuts on top and the salad leaves on

the side.

NOW THAT BARS have reopened it might

be time to tone up and shed some

lockdown love handles. Let’s face it, hiding

an expanding waistline on a Zoom call

is all too easy. I know a fair few people

who never eat junk food, embrace salads

and a flexitarian diet, yet still can’t shift

the pounds.

There’s a huge misconception that

healthy eating equals a slim figure but as a

nutritionist once told me, it ultimately it

doesn’t matter what you eat if you’re

consuming more calories than you’re

burning. Many healthy foods like olive oil

and avocados are loaded with calories, so

the key is portion control. I know, so boring.

I was delighted to try the new meal prep

service, Good Stuff, as the meals sounded

so tasty and come with all the nutritional

info you need, as well as all the allergy

alerts and calorie counts. I opted to try the

Harissa Cod, a mere 398 calories, and

Chicken Pad-Thai, a throw-the-spanks-tothe-wolves

561 calories. Both certainly

delivered on the taste sensation front and

were incredibly filling, so much so that I

had each split between a lunch and dinner.

But then again I’m only five foot nothing

and straight out of The Shire.

I was also impressed with the sustainable

packaging and how well the food heated

up, particularly the cod, without being

overcooked. For the quality and flavour I

think the meal bundles starting at £32 for

five meals is excellent value. Spandex,

here I come.

18 WHAT’S ON

CULTURE • LITERATURE • EVENTS • MUSIC • MUSEUMS • ONLINE LEARNING...

Absolutely alone

Exclusive – radio sitcom writer Moray Hunter looks to the future

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

MORAY HUNTER is the writer of Alone, a

highly successful Radio 4 sitcom, shortlisted

earlier this year in the Audio Drama Awards.

Angus Deayton plays Mitch, a widower and

part-time therapist looking to put his life

together again as a singleton. He and his

younger, unhappily divorced, brother live

together, supposedly temporarily, but it has now

gone on for three seasons.

I asked Moray, (who cut his comedy teeth as

a local at the Fringe, but went on to greatness

with Spitting Image and Absolutely) to tell

me about Alone and other projects he is

involved in.

Is there going to be a fourth series?

“I hope so. I’m biased but I think there’s

plenty of legs in these characters yet. We’re

pitching for another series soon, as it happens,

so I’ve been thinking up some possible

storylines for that and we should hear back in a

couple of months. I’m hopeful, but you never

know and it’s always a bit tense until you get a

definite response.”

One of the characters is played by Abigail

Cruttenden - and with that surname she has to

be related to comedian Hal who is a stalwart at

the Fringe. Is she related?

“Yes, she’s his sister and he’s her brother, as is

I can definitely say

we’ll be meeting up for

a few beers and a

natter when we’re able

often the way. I don’t know Hal’s work very well

I’m afraid but if he’s half as good at stand-up as

his sister is at acting, he’ll be a hoot.”

The series is also directed and produced by

fellow Edinburgh lad, Gordon Kennedy, also of

Absolutely fame.

Anything else planned together?

“Yes. Gordy produces a lot of programmes for

Radio 4 out of our Absolutely Production

company and I do script editing work on some

of those. In fact we’re teaming up over the

summer to make a Radio 4 pilot called

Disordered, a comedy drama by a fairly new

writer, George Mason, which is set in

Edinburgh. It’s about a single parent father with

mental health issues, and we think it’s funny

and warm as well as pretty dramatic. We’re

planning to record it in Edinburgh and it’s due

to air later this year. And we’re also developing

another project by a new Welsh writer also for

Radio Four. We are pitching it soon as well. I

don’t want to hex it by saying more than that.

But we’re hopeful. You do a lot of hoping in this

line of work.”

Are you guys doing any more Absolutely when

you get a chance?

“The Absolutely Radio Show is on hiatus

right now, but never say never. I can definitely

say we’ll be meeting up for a few beers and a

natter when we’re able. I’m beyond hopeful

about that.”

I guess we have to mention Chief Miekelson -

another Absolutely chap?

“You do, of course. And I’m seeing him in a

couple of weeks as it happens, so I better dash

off and catch up on his recent interviews with

Nicola and the other leaders so that I’m up to

speed when I see him. I’m hoping, yet more

hoping, that he’s doing the same with Alone.”

Time for a festival

Tickets for all EIF concerts go on sale on 11 June

EDINBURGH International

Festival (EIF) will go ahead from

7-29 August. There will be concerts

and performances at three open air

venues and, contrary to what was

first thought, some of the city’s

theatres will be used to “dip a toe in

the water” of staging indoor events

once again.

What has changed is that there

will be reduced numbers of people

at each event watching live,

meaning that the EIF will offer

some of the events with free live

streaming to worldwide audiences.

The programme will feature

classical and contemporary music,

theatre, opera, dance.

Venues include the Old College

Quad where a pavilion will be

specially built, Edinburgh Park

where owners Parabola will make

the empty site available for some of

the more contemporary music

performances. (There are few

neighbours out there to complain

about the noise.) The third venue

will be at Edinburgh Academy

Junior School where a grassed

area will be home to another

pavilion structure which could

accommodate several hundred

people depending on the

government restrictions at

the time.

It is unlikely that any full

Tuning up for

the Edinburgh

International Festival

orchestras from outside the UK will

be able to come to Edinburgh, but

there will probably be individual

visiting artists.

The full line up will be made

public in the first week of June and

booking opens on Friday 11 June.

For more information, please visit:

www.eif.co.uk

19

Spotlight

on Susan

THIS IS A NEW painting of Susan Heron,

manager at The Venchie in Craigmillar.

It is the work of Gillian Cummings the

founding artist of @AnchorClose, which she

describes as a “little arts project” that aims

to capture contemporary folk culture and

untold stories in the capital.

The project will have a website later in the

summer, but in the meantime there is an

Instagram page which is kept up to date.

Gillian is a writer and artist from Edinburgh

with a background in support and

community/folk arts, and she is running the

project for now, but hopes it will attract

other artists in time.

The project is designed to prompt

questions about local people, and the focus

will be on them, rather than the artists, but

Gillian relented and allowed herself to be

identified as the painter.

She said: “This project is about creating a

culture of a different experience of

Edinburgh, and about people in other areas

of the city who are doing interesting things,

perhaps the untold stories.”

Craigmillar Castle is in the background of

the painting and at Susan's feet there are

symbols of music and dancing figures

representing her background in the arts.

She loves being involved with community

drama, saying that she is more of an actor

than a singer.

Susan is depicted holding the globe in her

hand in a recognisable Craigmillar

landscape - something which she

particularly loves.

Susan said: “I love the painting. I feel

she has really captured me and I love that

I have the whole world set within my world

as it were.”

Gillian said: “The reason that we called

the project Anchor Close is really because

we felt that we wanted to reflect and look

at what really anchors the Edinburgh

cultural experience.

“Susan was very instrumental in the way

the painting turned out. We met and I

wanted to paint her, and we had many

conversations about the painting. The

symbolism within the painting is very much

influenced by those conversations.

“I wanted the painting to provoke

questions as well as being reflective of the

work Susan does at The Venchie. I'm glad

she likes it. If people come across it on the

website then the hope will be that any

future stories or events linked to Susan or

The Venchie, then it will shine a bit more of

a spotlight on it.”

PODCASTS...

THE FROST TAPES ON BBC SOUNDS

Wilfred Frost rediscovers his father David

Frost’s interviews with influential thinkers,

politicians and cultural icons. Many of these

tapes were lost for a generation. Until now.

There are nine episodes available including

the most famous one with President Richard

Nixon, and a less famous one with a young

Joe Biden.

CRIMETOWN

Crimetown is already into its second season

so there is a lot to catch up with. The seasons

each begin in a different city in the US

investigating the culture of crime in

Providence Rhode Island and in Detroit. The

website makes it more interesting as there are

many photos of the criminals and the victims.

www.crimetownshow.com

BUNGA BUNGA

Bunga Bunga is the story of the real-estate

tycoon Silvio Berlusconi who caused such

upset in Italian politics. The rise and fall of

Berlusconi hosted by Whitney Cummings

makes for interesting listening, and is perhaps

informative about naughty politicians.

wondery.com

GRAHAM NORTON

And our final suggestion is to join a new book

related podcast with the fabulous Graham

Norton - if you love him, you love him. (It was

only a couple of years ago at the Usher Hall

that he managed to completely sell out an

hour long talk about his new book. The

applause both at the beginning and end was

deafening). Now he has a new Audible

Original podcast discussing books, which you

will find on Amazon.

The Graham Norton Book Club meets

weekly and Graham chats to top authors,

goes behind the mic with famous audiobook

narrators and talks or argues about the book

of the week with co-presenters Alex Clark

and Sara Collins.

Martin Shields

Bigger,

bolder,

better

The Royal Scottish

National Orchestra

returns to our

screens

Nicola Benedetti

By DAVID LEWIS

THE ROYAL SCOTTISH

National Orchestra has

returned to our screens,

following the success of their

2020 digital season. Now back

at home in Glasgow Royal

Concert Hall, the 2021 spring/

summer season is bigger,

bolder and more

ambitious in pretty

much every way. In

addition to the

fortnightly orchestral

concerts – with the ensemble

now back to full symphonic

size and a noticeably more

varied repertoire – the series

has been augmented with

chamber concerts on the

intervening weeks, showing

off the RSNO’s most

accomplished players and

offering listeners a more

intimate performance

experience.

The season opened with the

ever-popular Nicola Benedetti

as soloist in the work that

catapulted her to stardom on

the classical scene,

Szymanowski’s First Violin

Concerto. Not only was her

performance as sensitive and

sophisticated as we’ve come to

expect, but the RSNO and

principal conductor Thomas

Søndergård were on excellent

form with a perceptibly more

assured performance than

their already adept display

in 2020.

Another highlight was the

dazzling RSNO debut of rising

star conductor Angus Webster,

with vibrant renderings of

Brahms’ Fourth Symphony and

Barber’s Violin Concerto (with

RSNO leader Maya Iwabuchi

as soloist).

At just 22 years old Webster

already displays rare clarity

of expression and an obvious,

deep emotional connection

with the repertoire, hopefully

this will be the beginning

of a long and lucrative

partnership between

Webster and the RSNO.

The season continues with

weekly broadcasts until the 11

June and, with the entire series

available until 30 July, you’re

sure to find something to suit

all tastes.

To view the full programme and

book an online viewing visit:

www.rsno.org.uk/digital-season

20 FEATURES

Boyling

Point

Derby match from 1875 draws

attention of cartoonist Frank Boyle

By JOHN HISLOP

AWARD WINNING cartoonist Frank Boyle’s depiction of the first

ever Edinburgh derby is highly regarded by supporters of both sides

but there is much more to the drawing than apparent at first glance.

As always with Frank’s cartoons, the devil is in the detail. The

historic match between the newly formed Hibernian and Heart of

Midlothian took place on Christmas Day 1875 in the Meadows and

while photography was in its infancy, no-one thought the encounter

important enough to record for prosperity.

Hibs formed in August of that year but the Edinburgh Football

Association declined their application to join as they considered

them to be an Irish team, and issued instructions to all member

clubs that they must not play any matches or have any contact with

the new club.

The players trained hard and played practice games among

themselves on the Meadows and eventually Heart of Midlothian

broke ranks and agreed to play the fixture.

Frank learned of the game after reading Alan Lugton’s book

“The making of Hibernian FC” and decided that the event merited

his attention, but it was not just a question of putting pen to paper.

He said: “It was something I had been considering for some time and

had already spoken to the historians at both Hearts and Hibs. Tom

Wright took me to the east Meadows where the game was played so

that I could see for myself. I had a clear idea of the white Hearts strip,

but there was a dispute about the Hibs’ strip. Their first official photo

featured the green and white hoops so I went with that.

“I also went to the Central Library to research what spectators

would have worn in those days, and the policeman is wearing an

accurate City of Edinburgh police uniform. The navvies that

attended the game as bodyguards are also depicted and look as

though you wouldn’t want to mess with them.

“Robert Louis Stevenson would have been around at the time. He

often walked through Edinburgh, so it’s possible he could have been

passing and he is included on the far right.

“Some players were real people, including the two captains

Michael Whelehan of Hibs and Tom Purdie of Hearts. I also

learned that the Hearts’ keeper Jake Reid only had three fingers on

one of his hands. I asked the club Museum Manager Davy Allan if

he knew which hand but he didn’t. A few days later he met one of

Jake’s descendants who confirmed it was his left hand.”

Based in Glasgow, Frank has a large following in the capital

thanks to his daily ‘Boyling Point’ cartoons which featured in the

Edinburgh Evening News between 1999 and 2015 and lampooned

the great and the good of the capital and beyond.

One of Frank’s cartoons was bought by National Galleries of

Scotland for their permanent collection of drawings. National

Convener of the Scottish Socialist Party, Colin Fox, insisted that

Frank’s cartoons were the best thing in the newspaper and the late

politician Margo McDonald said that she had the “utmost

admiration for his work” and was “chuffed” to be drawn by him.

Former First Minister Jack McConnell claimed they were the

“highlight of the first eight years of devolution” even though they

were occasionally embarrassing and made him cringe but he

accepted that they always made him laugh.

It’s not just politicians who admire Frank’s work however. He

continued: “Rod Petrie has a few prints including the one which

featured after Hibs were relegated. There was a large demo outside

Easter Road and the fans had built a large Wicker Man in the car

park and Rod inside looking out of the window with his hand on a

petty cash box. When he got the job at the SFA he contacted me and

bought a number of prints for his office at Hampden.”

The Edinburgh derby print along with many others

is available to buy from Frank’s online shop.

www.frankboyleart.bigcartel.com/

Early edition discovered

Writer Carolyn stumbles upon rare copy of the 18th century Edinburgh Courant

AYRSHIRE-BASED English tutor

and freelance writer, Carolyn

O’Hara, came across a 316 year

old copy of the Edinburgh

Courant newspaper when

researching a social history book

about one of her ancestors, who

lived and worked in Ayr in the late

19th century.

Carolyn said: “The story is about

my great-grandfather, William

Gilmore Wallace on my mother's

side, who was a journalist.

“He was managing editor of

the Ayrshire Post from 1890.

He decided when he took over

that there were a lot of things

going on in Ayr that needed

"airing"so to speak.”

Carolyn explained that because

he was a journalist, her Grandpa

hoarded journalistic artefacts, and

once the book was published, she

looked at the papers again.

Among them was a poly bag full

of old newspapers with an

envelope bearing her greatgrandfather's

writing. On the

envelope he wrote “First Edition of

Edinburgh Courant 1705”, and the

envelope contained that first

edition - a single sheet back and

front. She said : "When I started

researching I found collectors who

have limited editions of when it

became the Evening Courant, but

no-one seemed to have this copy.

It covers the period from

Wednesday 14th to Monday 19th

of February 1705. I would love to

know where he got it from.

"There are other newspapers

in the bag but nothing as

unique as this."

The story that Carolyn

particularly likes relates the tale of

an alleged bank fraud in

Edinburgh by bank teller, Robert

Pringle, who went off with £425

of the bank's money. There are

articles from Madrid and

Amsterdam included, bringing

news of the Siege of Verue.

But Carolyn also pointed out

that the advertisements are

interesting from a social history

perspective. One advertises

"loozengees" to be sold by

George Anderson at the foot of

Fishmarket and at George

Moubray's Shop, opposite to the

Main-Guard to “stop the

pains of the breast. Price 8

shillings the Box”. Hopefully

they worked.

We believe that the

Edinburgh Courant was the

forerunner to the Edinburgh

Evening News, and of course

we wonder if anyone else has

old copies of the paper. Do let

us know if you do.

22 SPORT

Gallacher

Live Edinburgh News

dynasty

Hat-trick hero Amy joins Hibs greats

By JOHN HISLOP

With the men’s teams playing in different

leagues this season it was up to the women to

quench the Edinburgh Derby thirst and the

Hibs’ players did just that with a memorable 6-0

victory over their city rivals live on BBC ALBA

at Ainslie Park.

“Player of the Game” Amy Gallacher wrote

her name into the history books that day with a

memorable hat trick, joining Gordon Smith,

Lawrie Reilly, Joe Baker, Pat Quinn and Mixu

Paatelainen who all did likewise, and the only

downside was that it wasn’t the seven-nil score

that many fans wanted.

Amy is the latest member of the Gallacher

football dynasty that started with great

grandfather Patsy “The Mighty Atom” Gallacher

who remains a Celtic legend, scoring 192 goals

in 464 appearances, winning six league titles and

four Scottish Cups. Grandfather Tom enjoyed a

successful career with Dundee winning two

League Cups, and uncle Kevin represented

Scotland in the France 98 World Cup and won

an English Premier League medal with

Blackburn Rovers.

The versatile midfielder, who has been in fine

form this season, told The Edinburgh Reporter:

“I’m from Dundee and started playing football

when I was about four or five as I come from

a football family, so you could say that it’s in

the genes.

“I started my professional career with Forfar

Farmington then Chris Roberts signed me for

Hibs. This is my fourth season and I’ve really

enjoyed my time at the club. We’ve won a few

Scottish Cups including the 9-0 victory over

Celtic, but probably the highlight would be

scoring against Slavia Prague in the

Champions League.

“We are aiming for fourth place because

obviously the top three are running away. With

them putting money into their teams it makes

things tougher but I think it’s a good thing. The

league is becoming more competitive. Obviously

Rangers and Celtic are full-time now and we are

going through a transition so we may be there in

a few years, you never know but it’s definitely

good for the league.

“We’ve been playing well but not been getting

the wins our play deserved. “Dean’s (Gibson) a

good manager and we are beginning to play well

under him and hopefully that can continue.

“Personally I’m aiming to keep playing every

week and keep scoring goals. I’ve struggled a bit

with injuries so hopefully I’ll keep fit. I’ve scored

six so far but I am looking to add to that. A lot

of players from Hibs have moved down to

England and gone full-time and that is

something I would like to do at some stage

but I don’t have any sort of timescale. I don’t

really like looking too far ahead so I’ll just see

what happens but I’m still enjoying my time

with Hibs.”

Amy Gallacher in

action for Hibs

Amateur sides

relish return to

football action

By JOHN HISLOP

Last month outdoor contact

sport for over 18s returned,

much to the relief of

thousands of grassroots

footballers throughout

the country.

Amateur teams in particular

have felt hard done by as they

were banned from playing

whilst other teams in

competitions such as the

East of Scotland league

were able to carry on even

though the Covid protocols

were identical.

When the restrictions were

eased, Tollcross Thistle’s Alan

McKay told The Edinburgh

Reporter: “This is a huge day.

Regardless of the level,

people like to play football.

“It’s so important in many

Tollcross Thistle just want to play

people’s lives and everyone

has missed it so much. We are

all so very excited to get back

playing again.”

The Thistle players have

been involved in non-contact

training including runs and

passing drills but within a few

days of the restart they were

due to play old rivals “Sandys”

at the Jewel in the inaugural

Football Nations tournament.

The team play on Saturdays

at different venues, mainly

on the 3G at Saughton Park,

but sometimes at the Oriam

or Peffermill, and the league

is hoping to start in July

or August.

A Scottish Cup semi-final,

held over from last season

awaits, and will take place in

the autumn.

Alan continued: “No firm

dates have been announced

yet in case we have to go into

another lockdown, but the

delay will hopefully mean that

it will allow friends and

families to come and watch.

“We’ve been fortunate as

we have a good team and can

compete for trophies.

“We have been able to

retain all but three of our

players.”

23

Moving onwards and upwards

Despite some patchy performances last season,

Jambos look in good shape for top-flight return

By JAMIE MCINTOSH

ROBBIE NEILSON guided Hearts back to

the Premiership for the second time, scoring

the most goals, conceding the fewest and

winning the league by a 12-point margin,

but despite all this most fans will be glad to

see the back of this campaign.

After Hearts blitzed a Championship

which included both Hibs and Rangers in

the 2014/15 campaign, fans were expecting

more of the same this time around in what

was clearly a much weaker Championship.

Hearts entered the campaign

comfortable favourites and when they

defeated one of their main challengers

Dundee 6-2 on the opening night of the

season it put a massive maroon marker

down. Hearts were excellent that night,

however Dundee showed everyone how

not to set up against Hearts.

Eighteen-year-old Finlay Robertson

started in the middle of the park, alongside

34-year-old Graham Dorrans, 35-year-old

Charlie Adam and 33-year-old Paul

McGowan. To say there wasn’t much

“legs” in that Dundee midfield would be

an understatement and the final score

proved it.

After watching that match many of the

other Championship managers knew

they’d have to play conservative against

Hearts and attempt to frustrate the Jambos.

Many succeeded.

Humiliating defeats to part-time sides

Alloa and Brora Rangers saw Hearts exit

both cups in the early stages and manager

Robbie Neilson was perhaps fortunate to

remain in charge at this point.

Eye-bleeding draws against Queen

of the South, Morton, Dunfermline,

Inverness and Arbroath followed, as fans

became increasingly frustrated, leading

to a protest against the Hearts hierarchy

Hearts are ready for next season

Ian Jacobs

prior to a home game in March.

The pitch, the officials and the

oppositions’ style of play were some of the

explanations given by the Hearts manager

when asked about some below par

performances, but the main gripe from

many fans was the lack of a Plan B when

Plan A wasn’t working.

It didn’t take a genius to work out that

Cappielow, Gayfield and the Indodrill are

tough pitches to play on, or that the

opposition will be compact and play route

one football, but the way Hearts struggled

at these grounds would suggest that the

players nor their manager had varying

game plans to combat different teams

styles and playing surfaces.

Despite all the negativity, Hearts are back

in the Premiership and with a few signings

in the correct areas, I do believe Hearts can

achieve a top four finish, largely due to a

relatively average Scottish Premiership.

Attention now turns to another

important summer transfer window, the

first for new Sporting Director Joe Savage,

who will be helping manager Robbie

Neilson identify the perfect transfer targets

for Hearts’ style of football.

Citizens

Xyyyyy caption for in

here please ta much

Ian Jacobs

arrested

Edinburgh City likely to miss

promotion but signs good for future

By JOHN HISLOP

AT THE TIME OF going to

press Edinburgh City’s hopes of

a historic promotion to League

One appear to have ended with

a cruel play-off final defeat to

Jim Duffy’s team, Dumbarton.

It’s been a remarkable few

years for City since they won

the Lowland League in 2016

and beat East Stirlingshire in

the play-off final thanks to a

late penalty from Dougie Gair

which gained them entry into

Scottish League two.

Since then they have

improved season after season,

finishing third in 2018/19

before losing out to Clyde in

the play-off semi-final.

This season, City were up

against Queen’s Park who more

than lived up to their favourites

tag and as expected ran away

with the title having sold

Hampden Park and invested

the money in a higher standard

of players.

With two games remaining,

however, the Citizens were in

second place but level on

points with Elgin City and

Stirling Albion and one ahead

of Stranraer, meaning that they

could easily have slipped out of

the play-off positions at the

final hurdle, but they held

their nerve and finished best

of the rest.

Unfortunately they met

on-form Dumbarton who

proved too strong after 180

minutes, but City fans are right

to be confident going into next

season as Sporting Director

James McDonagh and manager

Gary Naysmith have built an

impressive squad, which

includes former Hibs’ players

Callum Antel, Callum Crane,

Danny Handling and Alex

Harris plus League 2 Player of

the Year Rafa De Vita.

Fans favourite Ouzy See, in

his second spell at the club,

extended his contract until the

end of season 2022/23 as has

popular left back Robbie

McIntyre who was previously

on the books of Rangers and

Huddersfield Town, whilst

midfielder Danny Jardine has

also agreed to extend his deal

with the club through to the

end of season 2021/22.

Top scorer Josh Campbell,

however, is expected to

return to his parent club

Hibernian in the summer after

an impressive season in the

black and white strip.

The Citizens have now played

their last home game at Ainslie

Park and will be returning to

their traditional home of

Meadowbank Stadium for the

start of season 2021/22 with

modern world-class facilities,

including a state-of-the-art

sports centre with a 500 seat

stand in its shadow, alongside

Citizens may have just missed promotion

a brand new 4G pitch.

An agreement has been

reached in principle with The

City of Edinburgh Council and

Edinburgh Leisure that would

allow the club to build a second

stand on the North side of the

pitch, subject to obtaining

planning permission.

The proposed structure will

have both seated and safe

standing sections, and will be

able to accommodate up to

1500 supporters.

The Edinburgh Reporter June 2021

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