The Edinburgh Reporter July 2020

July 2020

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk

Back

to the

Botanics

Following government guidance,

the Royal Botanic Garden

Edinburgh (RBGE) has been busy

getting ready to reopen again.

There will be new health and

safety measures. For example,

only members of staff will

have access to the famous

glasshouses. Visitors must book

a slot online in advance of going

to the garden to minimise any

queuing and also to make physical

distancing possible.

There will be hand sanitiser units

at entrances, and some additional

temporary toilet facilities are in

place.

RGBE staff have been working

hard and are really excited about

reopening to the public.

Continued on Page 3

Hazel France, Senior Horticulturist PHOTO Martin P McAdam

Scottish

Government

moving us out

of lockdown

cautiously

The Scottish Government has

outlined a provisional timetable

for the relaxation of lockdown

restrictions, but it depends very

much on a continued suppression

of the virus.

Large gatherings on Portobello

Beach and in The Meadows

appear to have flouted the

guidance which is in place for now.

Taking a holiday may soon be

possible, and VisitScotland is

busy promoting the staycation

which will help revive the tourism

industry. The travel limit for leisure

and exercise will be lifted and

self-catering accommodation

will be open along with outdoor

hospitality.

While there is also a possibility

of air bridges being created to take

holidaymakers to foreign climes,

that may not yet work out. Some

travel operators have cancelled

flights and it is all a bit confusing,

changing from day to day.

If all goes according to plan,

there will be more relaxation

around who you can meet and

where. From the middle of July

children and young people can

work off excess energy by taking

part in organised outdoor contact

sport, and dental surgeries will be

able to see patients. Non-essential

shops inside shopping centres will

be able to reopen, and all childcare

providers can offer help to working

parents again.

Holiday accommodation, which

includes hotels, will be able to

fully open from 15 July. At that

point the country can also heave a

sigh of relief as hairdressers and

barbers will reopen, albeit with

extra hygiene measures in place.

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2 NEWS


NEWS 3

ABOUT US

The month of July usually means

school holidays, foreign travel and

perhaps even some good weather

at home.

This year, it means looking

back with sadness for those who

have lost loved ones, and looking

forward to a bit of an unknown

future landscape for everyone.

In this issue we write about the

return to school for all pupils,

which is almost universally

welcomed by parents, particularly

those who work.

Many times I have heard about

the household bargaining that has

had to be done over who could use

the wifi or computers.

The return to school might be

welcomed by children too, some

of whom sadly will have been

vulnerable at home.

Voluntary groups have worked

wonders in providing cooked

meals and supplies from food

banks to those families who

asked, or were identified as having

a need.

The Scottish Government is

funding food for those eligible

for free school meals throughout

the summer. There are 175,000

children and young people in

Scotland who get free school

food. This figure rose by more

than 50,000 during the pandemic,

as a result of family incomes

and finances being reduced. For

assistance the free helpline is

0800 111 4000. The text line is

0800 111 4114. Calls will be routed

through local councils.

There have been many calls

on government funding. We are

involved with one specific aspect.


confirmed that The Edinburgh

Reporter, as a member of the

Independent Community News

Network, will benefit from

advertising revenue for a planned

public health campaign. We are

really glad about this as it will help

to fill a gap in our income.

I met the leading cast members

of the King's Theatre Panto on a

hilarious Zoom call and you can

read part of that interview on Page

7. There is a podcast version too.

If you look to the right hand side of

this page you will see the QR code

to take you to the podcast.

We would be very glad to hear

from you if you have a business

which would like to advertise with

us. Or you can sign up to have the

paper sent to you direct at home

or at your office. And do get in

touch if you have any stories for

us.

Phyllis Stephen, Editor

Editor: Phyllis Stephen

editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk

07791 406 498

The Edinburgh Reporter

Colonies are buzzing

Many talented artists live in the Abbeyhill Colonies. We know this to be

true, as they have organised the Colony of Artists (COA) exhibition since

2005, when all the resident artists came together for the first time.

Since then they have opened the doors of their homes each September

to show off their art. During lockdown they have been very creative.

There are now businesses on Easter Road and London Road with gaily

painted shutters.

Closer to home they have created another mural in the COA mural trail.

The murals are part of a wider project to tackle graffiti in the area and

COA is working with local businesses whose premises are constant

targets. The Colony Houses mural (above) is at Holland House who

have generously allowed the use of their car park during COA for the

Hive Music and Drinks hub. The design itself is by artist William Mazur

inspired by Edd Wellesley Davies's work.

The mural was painted by William Mazur with help from Jenny

Haslimeier, Nick Gardner, Christina Robertson and Gill Smith.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Madam,

As a Meadows local, it was

frankly appalling yet again to see

the amount of rubbish left on this

beautiful park.

I have contacted both those

councillors local to the Meadows

and the MSP, calling for a

‘Manifesto for the Meadows’

to address what is a recurring

problem.

This looks at: More bins –

there is a distinct lack of these

and those that are there are

overflowing. Those bins to be

emptied more frequently. Greater

use of litter patrols and on-thespot

fines. Greater signage

The Edinburgh Reporter is

distributed through a network of

cafés and businesses.

Some of those are now open

again. If you have had your car in

any Farmer Autocare branch then

you may have received a free copy

of our latest paper while visting.

Other places where we usually

leave a supply remain closed,

including libraries and some

businesses across the

– calling for people to take pride

in the city and to bag and bin their

rubbish.

A more general campaign,

possibly social media-based

to keep costs down – focusing

on taking pride in the city and

the cost incurred, especially in

the current circumstances, on

having to clear this rubbish up

on a regular basis. This situation

will only worsen as the weather

improves and I would urge

everyone to take pride in their city

and do what they can to keep it

clean.

Yours etc, Alex Orr

Putting news in your hands

city. The News Media Association

has confirmed that newsprint

is quite safe. So our alternative

network has been to use those

volunteers who are distributing

meals and food around the city. If

you have access to any means of

helping us distribute our papers,

while adhering to strict physical

distancing, then please do get in

touch.

It would be a huge help to us.

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

We welcome contributions to our website and newspaper.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Madam,

I have written to the Council

Leader, Adam McVey, about the

complaints I have made for the

last three years.

These relate to the condition of

the footpath in East Claremont

Street, as you highlighted in an

earlier issue.

Recently one of my neighbours

told me that the Council's

Pavement Replacement Works'

Contractor was out surveying the

street. The Contractor advised that

the pavement replacement works

were scheduled to start on 12th

July 2020.

I am pleased about that, but I

would have expected the Council

to inform me when these long

overdue works would be taking

place.

Contrary to Cllr McInnes's claim,

the Council has not kept me

"informed" about this matter. I

continue to be concerned by the

claim made by one official of the

Council that the condition of the

footpath did not merit replacement

before 2018. Simply not true.

Nothing was done about the

dangerous and dilapidated

condition of the pavement in

East Claremont Street until I

relentlessly pursued this issue

three years ago.

I am firmly of the view that

there has been a dereliction of

duty on the part of the council'd

Streetscape Surveyor for allowing

the footpath to deteriorate to this

state.

It should be cause for concern,

because if someone had suffered

an accident and incurred losses,

the council could be held liable for

substantial damages.

The hard pressed council tax

payer can do without having

to fund claims for damages

because Council Officers are not

being diligent. If anyone at the

Council doubts my veracity on the

prevailing situation, I should be

pleased to take them on a local

tour.

I would like to know what

the Council is going to do to

ensure that this disgraceful and

longstanding situation (which I

find egregious) does not recur.

I did copy correspondence on

this matter to the Community

Council and did not receive an

acknowledgement or reply.

Yours etc, Shane Carter

@EdinburghPolice

Following incidents of disorder

in Edinburgh recently, officers are

appealing to the public to refrain

from gathering in large groups.

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Edinburgh's slavery connections

By Phyllis Stephen

Even before the coronavirus

lockdown had ended, thousands

protested across the world against

the police custody death of George

Floyd in the US.

The focus quickly turned to

the matter of statues, with the

figure of slave trader Edward

Colston in Bristol tipped into the

harbour by Black Lives Matter

(BLM) protesters. In Edinburgh

there is a strong history of

slavery connections evident in

our cityscape, none more so than

the statue of Henry Dundas, 1st

Viscount Melville, which sits atop

the 150 feet Melville Monument in

St Andrew Square. Green activist

Adam Ramsay lodged a petition

with the council, and in 2015 he

glued a plaque to the monument

on which he had inscribed a short

explanation of who the "Great

Tyrant" was, and the part Dundas

played in delaying the abolition

of slavery. A committee set up to

agree the wording of a "proper’"

plaque could not agree the exact

form of words. In the wake of the

BLM protest in Holyrood Park,

Council Leader Adam McVey

discussed the wording with one

of the members of the plaque

committee, equal rights activist,

Professor Sir Geoff Palmer. Within

days the inscription was agreed.

Cllr McVey said: “ The debate

City inconvenience

Portobello councillor Callum

Laidlaw demanded that the council

open up public toilets for the

"significant numbers of people

socialising outdoors in parks and

green spaces".

Phase 2 of the lockdown

restrictions did not allow for

parties on The Meadows or on

Portobello Beach, but during the

good weather that is just what

happened.

Responding to the needs of

residents in his own ward, Cllr

Laidlaw asked why they could

not be reopened with enhanced

cleaning procedures in place. He

also wanted the layout of public

toilets at key pressure points, such

as parks and beaches assessed,

and social distancing measures

introduced.

Cllr Laidlaw said: "It is a sensible

response to look at other cities to

see what has been done in other

areas of the UK. This is something

which I think is a pretty reasonable

move. I am asking to get these

on how we tackle prejudice as a

city is not an event, and not solely

focused on our history, but it is

relevant for the here and now. It's

been a privilege to work with Sir

Geoff to help set the historical

record straight."

History Professor Diana Paton of

The University of Edinburgh said:

“Nicola Sturgeon stated that The

Scottish Government will seek to

lead a national discussion about

the implications of Scotland’s

involvement in slavery. To be truly

Professor Sir Geoff Palmer

toilets open again with certain

measures in place."

There is a £50 on-the-spot fine

which can be levied on anyone

relieving themselves outdoors, and

Cllr Laidlaw wanted the council

to remind the public of this which

Convener Adam McVey agreed

would be a good idea.

Cllr McVey, said that it was just

not possible to open any up of the

coucnil owned public lavatories.

He said: "I don't think we can

progress opening of these toilets

right now. That isn't a matter of

opinion, that is a matter of the

constraints on us because of

the public health guidance, and

because of our own capacity. I'm

keen that we open these in heavily

used areas. This will happen as

quickly as it possibly can happen.”

The council will decide on this

measure on 9 July. Meantime they

are using social media to remind

everyone that it is not acceptable

to relieve themselves out of doors.

effective, this national discussion

should address not just how

Scotland’s past is represented in

our streetscapes and museums,

but also the long-term implications

of that past, for the Caribbean and

for race equality in Scotland.”

An unnamed group has

'renamed some streets' saying:

"In renaming these street signs

we are removing the names of

the elite who do not deserve to

be honoured for mass atrocities

and honouring ideas of freedom,

The George to remain shuttered

EXCLUSIVE

By Phyllis Stephen and Stephen

Rafferty

One of Edinburgh’s most

prestigious hotels will remain

shuttered until early 2021 as the

damaging impact of the Covid-19

epidemic rifles through Scotland’s

tourism industry.

The four star The George is in

consultation with more than 200

staff over redundancies but The

Edinburgh Reporter understands

the city institution will not reopen

for business later this month when

the Scottish Government gives

the green light for the hospitality

industry to restart.

The George owners,

InterContinental Hotels Group

(IHG), earlier confirmed they

were consulting with more than

600 staff at their four Scottish

luxury hotels which also includes

Edinburgh sister hotel Kimpton

Charlotte Square.

One of the proposals under

consideration is that the George

will remain closed until February

with staff who are made redundant

encouraged to reapply for their

jobs next year. It is understood the

Kimpton, and the Crowne Plaza

Edinburgh which IHG manages,

will reopen this year and will be

more closely aligned with the

Scottish Government’s Covid-19

routemap to recovery.

A hotel source told The

Edinburgh Reporter: “The hotel

management held a meeting of

non-colonial education and an end

to oppression. We stand with local

activists and academics who have

dedicated years of their own time,

study, passion and resources in

researching this. We demand that

Edinburgh streets named after

people with links to slavery are

changed to reflect Black history

which is vibrant, diverse and about

so much more than slavery. We

demand that statues of slavers

are removed and replaced with

monuments to the people whose

stories and lives were stolen."

furloughed staff and they learned

they would all be made redundant.

They were also informed that

they will be able to reapply for

jobs when the hotel reopens in

February 2021.”

The George reopened

last October after a major

refurbishment, marking its return

to the InterContinental Hotels

Group stable. The 240-bedroom

Grade 2 listed building was

originally a collection of five town

houses built in the 1780s and has

been a hotel since 1881.

A spokesman for IHG refused

to confirm plans for The George

and said a number of proposals

were under consideration. A

statement added: “This is a very

difficult time for our industry,

The George will remain closed

Back to the

Botanics

Continued from Page 1

Ahead of reopening of the

Botanics, Regius Keeper Simon

Milne, MBE, said: “We look forward

to welcoming back visitors to all

four Gardens. This connection

with the environment is vital for

the well-being of all. With the

safety of our staff and visitors

remaining our prime concern,

we have amended operations on

all sites to introduce measures

that should build trust and

confidence. Lockdown has been

a difficult time for everyone,

caution is widespread and life

will remain away from what

we regard as normal for some

time. Travel restrictions remain

in place and, for the immediate

future, all four Gardens will be

restricted to welcoming their local

communities. However, this is a

first hugely important step in our

return to extended outreach.”

A new measure for the reopening

of the Edinburgh flagship Garden

is the introduction of time slots

tickets, to be booked in advance

by visitors. Time slots can be

booked online now. Admission to

the Garden remains free of charge.

A temporary booking system will

enable staff to limit the number of

visitors in the Garden at any one

time, gradually building capacity

when all are comfortable the

operational guidelines work.

and we have done everything to

protect and retain jobs for as long

as possible. Most of our hotels in

the Scotland are currently closed

and while we are looking forward

to welcoming guests back when

we can reopen, it will take time

for travel and tourism to return to

pre-coronavirus levels.

“We have launched a

consultation to resize and

restructure our teams in three

of our Edinburgh hotels, which

unfortunately is likely to involve

some redundancies.”

In addition to The George,

Kimpton Charlotte Square and

Crowne Plaza, IHG directly

manages the Grand Central and

Kimpton Blythswood Square in

Glasgow.

4

POLITICS


@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk NEWS 5

Research

could save in

the long run

by Gordon Lindhurst MSP

I have welcomed a huge funding

boost from the UK Government to

support financial research led by

the University of Edinburgh.

A fund of £55 million was

announced by UK Government

Business Secretary, Alok Sharma.

It will be used to fund research to

understand financial behaviours

and address financial challenges

such as fair access to credit,

property ownership and savings.

The timing of the funding could

not be better.

It will allow our highly skilled

researchers at the University

of Edinburgh to look into how

people will be behaving financially.

With the economic effects of the

Covid-19 pandemic set to be felt in

the coming months, this funding is

very timely.

Challenges will be faced with

people spending differently and

perhaps not being able to save as

much, and we need to know how

we can support people with these

effects.

Our University of Edinburgh

team are world-leading and I look

forward to seeing the results of

their research in due course.

For editorial and advertising

enquiries please email

editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk

Voting reform

brings more

inclusivity

Jeremy Balfour MSP

Last month Members of the

Scottish Parliament voted

unanimously in favour of

amendments to the Scottish

Elections (Reform) Bill which

could make voting easier at future

elections for those who are visually

impaired.

Having worked alongside the

Scottish Government’s Minister

for Parliamentary Business and

Veterans, Graeme Dey, to pen

these amendments and as the

convener of the Cross-Party Group

on Disability, I was encouraged

to see the amendments receive

unanimous cross-party support.

The result of these amendments

is that a new electronic voting

system for people with disabilities

will be piloted at the next Scottish

Parliament Election, due to happen

in May 2021. For hundreds of

people who are blind or partially

sighted, this may be the first time

they are able to vote without

requiring help from someone in the

polling booth. Over the years there

has been significant improvements

to the electoral system, becoming

more inclusive for those with

disabilities, but it would seem that

people with visual impairments

have been left behind.

Therefore, I celebrate the passing

of these amendments, however,

I will also continue to call upon

the parliament to ensure that no

particular group are left behind in

future advances to make Scotland

more disability-inclusive.

A long haul

but let's build

a better future

Deirdre Brock MSP

Restrictions on the pandemic

lockdown are easing, people are

starting to look forward with some

hope, society looks a bit like it is

ready to press play again. It looks

like the virus is under control, at

least, for the present and we can

start thinking about the future.

Here’s a thing, though - the

future isn’t looking all that bright

for a whole lot of people. There

are folk whose lives won’t be

going back to normal or anything

like it for a long time. Some are

bereaved - deprived of a loved

one in circumstances where

they never even got the chance

to say goodbye. Likewise some

have lost a friend and could only

stand in the street to watch the

cortege pass by. Others will suffer

the long term effects of having

the virus - effects we don’t know

much about yet. Others have lost

their livelihoods - businesses they

have built up, swept away in the

maelstrom or severely damaged;

employers having to cut back on

staffing levels; some sectors of

the economy shrinking so much

it’s difficult to tell when they will

recover. Even where businesses

have survived the customer base

may be smaller because money is

tight and fewer folk are in work.

The long haul is still ahead of

us. We’ve shown that we can help

each other. There is hope, just look

at how folk reacted in the darkest

of times. Let's hang onto that

hope, and look to build a better

future.

Exorbitant

interest is just

too much

by Owen Thompson MP

I raised the matter of sky high

interest rates with the Business

Secretary Alok Sharma.

This came to my attention

after a Midlothian company was

offered a loan through a newly

accredited CBILS (Coronavirus

Business Interruption Loan) lender,

Fleximise, at 14.99% interest.

I also wrote to Mr Sharma calling

for the UK Government to cap the

interest on CBILS loans in line with

the Bounceback scheme at 2.5%.

Emergency loans backed by

the government should not be

charging sky-high interest rates,

leaving cash-strapped companies

struggling in debt.

We know thousands of small

companies have been turned

down by the big banks for the

government-backed loan scheme.

The scheme is fundamentally

flawed with the banks acting as

gatekeepers of who can get help.

Now it looks like the bluechip

companies will have received

preferential rates while other

companies are being left to the

wolves.

An interest rate of 14.99% is not

acceptable. This is not lifeline

support, it is more like scavengers

picking the bones of previously

thriving companies. At this rate

we'll soon have payday lenders like

Wonga accredited to offer loans in

this government backed scheme.

Fairer greener

future is what

is needed

by Alison Johnstone MSP

The Scottish Government must

move quickly to invest in green

jobs such as projects upgrading

homes to make them warmer and

more efficient.

The First Minister’s Advisory

Group on Economic Recovery

warned of a “potential tsunami”

of job losses and recommended a

job guarantee for young people in

Scotland.

The Scottish Greens secured an

additional £25m energy efficiency

investment earlier this year, and

have called for the programme to

be upscaled to provide thousands

of vital construction jobs.

I raised the issue at First

Minister’s Questions. Half of

working Scots are concerned

about losing their jobs. Thousands

already have, so I welcome that

the jobs guarantee from our 2016

manifesto now has cross-party

support. This needs urgent action,

and as the chief executive of

Scottish Power said, "reports and

plans don’t create jobs".

The jobs we need are in the

sectors that will build a fairer,

greener future, and one of these

is ensuring all homes are warm

and energy efficient. Earlier this

year the Greens secured tens

of millions of pounds for these

programmes, but by going further

and faster with this investment

now, the Scottish Government

could create thousands of jobs as

well as tackling fuel poverty and

the climate emergency.

Snappers turn island negative to positive

By Stephen Rafferty

A dream contract on a Caribbean

island which would have pushed

an emerging photography

business on to new heights ended

in a dramatic evacuation because

of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rod Penn and Jodie Mann

believed landing work from a

large international client for an

advertising campaign for a 5-star

luxury resort was the breakthrough

which would underpin Pennmann,

which they launched last year.

However, just one day after

arriving in the Dominican Republic,

Rod and Jodie and their creative

team of hair, makeup, models and

support crew, were forced to return

home as international borders

closed.

Rod said: “Our big break came

when we won a pitch to work on

an advertising campaign for a

very large international client and

we knew this job would catapult

our business forwards in so many

ways.

“It was by far the highest profile

job of our careers and we worked

on the project exclusively for a

month prior to the shoot. The

pandemic seemed to be growing

rapidly, and there were reports

about borders closing, people

being quarantined on ships and in

hotels. We were very concerned,

but we had our sights and

ambitions set on fulfilling this job.

“We made it out to the Caribbean

as planned, and started the

two-day prep for the production,

but sadly on the first day it was

decided that there was simply too

much risk of the whole cast and

crew being trapped or quarantined

on the island, so it was cancelled

and we were flown home almost

immediately.”

Jodie added: “It was a very

close call as the day we began

our journey home, America swiftly

cancelled all transit visas and

we were the last flight allowed

to transit in the USA before the

border closed. We got home by the

skin of our teeth.

“Everyone completely

understood and agreed with what

was a very difficult decision, but

it was a big disappointment for

us all. When we arrived back into

Rod Penn and Jodie Mann of Pennmann agency

the UK, we all had to face the

disappointment and the financial

anxiety of the looming lockdown.”

Pennmann was launched last

June from a studio in Leith

after Rod and Jodie decided

to leave their jobs as head

photographers with fashion and

beauty specialists the Makeup

Academy. In their first year they

worked with local designer brands,

a large American client, and shot

a campaign for the National

Museum of Scotland.

A Scottish Enterprise grant

has helped keep the business

afloat and the creative pair have

devised two online tutorials for

fashion, beauty and portraiture

photographers.

Rod said: “We go into great

depth about the methods, tips and

tricks we’ve learnt throughout our

combined 20-year career, giving

our customers a real insight

into how to produce high-quality

imagery they can be really proud

to show to a client.

"We believe that both tutorials

compliment each other well, and

with practise and studying the

techniques that we reveal in each

class, a photographer or editor

could go from complete beginner

to high-level very quickly.”

www.pennmann.co.uk/tutorials

Bikes just eat

up the miles in

Edinburgh

Edinburgh Cycle Hire is

celebrating achieving 100,000

hires so far this year - 80 per cent

as many as the total hires in 2019.

Just Eat Cycles, which is run by

Serco on behalf of Transport for

Edinburgh, has also seen more

than double the number of hires

every month compared to last

year. The Covid-19 lockdown and

good weather are likely to have

contributed to the boom, along

with several capital streets being

closed to other traffic.

The total of 100,000 hires was

achieved in June but last year

it took until September to reach

that milestone. There were a total

of 124,000 trips made in 2019.

The scheme also broke its daily

hire record on Saturday 20 June

with 2,428 trips. These covered

a total of more than 8,500 miles

- the equivalent of cycling from

Edinburgh to Disney World in

Florida and back in a day. Trips

made so far this year total some

330,000 miles.

Alex Macdonald, General

Manager of Just Eat Cycles,

said: “Having established a new

scheme record days earlier,

moving past 100,000 trips marks

a key milestone for the scheme in

our journey towards getting more

people on bikes. We are proud to

provide a brilliant service to the

city and it is a good moment to

thank our fantastic customers for

using the scheme. We are looking

forward to a busy summer with

more records broken.”

Miles Briggs MSP

0131 348 5946

Miles.Briggs.msp@parliament.scot

Milesbriggsedinburgh

MilesBriggsMSP

www.milesbriggs.scot

M2.15,

The Scottish

Parliament, Edinburgh,

EH99 1SP

Christine

Jardine MP

Telephone Surgeries

In line with Government

guidance and to keep people safe,

I’m now holding telephone surgeries.

Please call the team on 0131 285 5972 to

make an appointment

6

NEWS


@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk FEATURE 7

Tattoo marches to Buster's tune

The Royal Edinburgh Military

Tattoo has appointed Major

General Buster Howes as its new

Chief Executive.

He will be the first Royal Marine

to take up the position at the

charity, but has a few years

experience behind him. He has

been a non-executive director of

the Tattoo for five years.

Buster’s last military

appointment was as Head of

the British Defence Staff in the

USA, working to the Obama

administration. Prior to that, he

Commanded the Royal Marines.

He was subsequently the Chief

Executive of Here be Dragons, a

commercial-philanthropic hybrid,

dedicated to the conservation

and sustainable development of

the Island of Principe, a UNESCO

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Biosphere Reserve in the Gulf of

Guinea. Most recently, he advised

the NHS, helping them to enhance

organisational and individual

resilience through the coronavirus

pandemic.

He succeeds Brigadier David

Allfrey who advised last year

that he would give up the chief

executive role after ten years.

Major General Buster Howes

said: “It is an honour to be

appointed as Chief Executive

of The Royal Edinburgh Military

Tattoo, an organisation I have

been a part of for five years and

one which I have admired since

I was a wee boy. I have worked

alongside David throughout my

time as a non-executive director

and have witnessed first-hand,

his commitment, creativity and

Mask company Hass it sussed

Edinburgh stay-at-home-dad

Hass Peymani, set up Screen &

Shield after becoming alarmed at

the poor quality and unavailability

of face masks for his family as he

faced lockdown with his wife who

was pregnant, and his dad who

was in a high-risk category.

Hass had previously set up a

successful global video business.

He spent 10 weeks researching

the market before launching his

#sasMASK brand from home, in

the midst of national lockdown.

The #sasMASK is manufactured

in Europe and complies with

the latest material and layering

guidelines for non medical-grade

face coverings. It has not only

Shielding will help community groups

been designed to be washable,

comfortable and affordable,

but also comes in more than

30 designs, with this range due

to double in size in the coming

weeks.

With the wearing of face masks

now compulsory on public

transport in Scotland, Screen &

Shield expects business to boom.

Hass, 40, said: "My family and

I were stuck in lockdown and

we were shocked to hear how

key-workers on the frontline were

struggling with PPE shortages.

"I am totally confident our

business supplies the best face

mask for public use in the UK. Not

only are they high quality, three-

transformation of the Tattoo.

“I’m very much looking forward

to taking the reins and I am

delighted to be asked to lead a

team of talented and dedicated

professionals. I have lived and

worked in Scotland both as a

‘Bootneck’ and civilian, and I am

delighted to embrace and evolve

this important part of the country’s

heritage.”

The Tattoo has evolved to

become a spectacular event

celebrating Scottish and military

culture and music. WIth an

audience of 220,000 at Edinburgh

Castle and global TV viewing

figures of 100 million each year,

it really puts Edinburgh on the

map. In recent years it has also

included visits to Australia and

New Zealand.

Major General Buster Howes

layered and affordable, but as

the wearing of masks becomes

commonplace, the range of

designs allows people to make

a choice that matches their own

individuality.

“But a fundamental aim of the

#sasMASK brand was to create

a business model that also

benefited charities that support

frontline workers and community

groups. It seemed to me that – in

a health crisis – anyone who was

selling masks should be giving

back to the community, and

especially to those hardest hit.

“I set up Screen & Shield so

that 10% of all online sales go to

NHS-related charities. But any

participating community groups/

charities/influencers buying

masks for their network also

receive 10% of the sales value

– as well as their members also

receiving a 10% discount.

“Along with local and national

charities, we’ve had the likes of

a cheerleading squad, a group

of redundant BA staff, a nursery

group and a community centre

in Somerset all sign up to our

community programme. They

understand their community will

likely buy face masks at some

point, and working with us they get

high quality products and can also

generate funds to put back into

their community.

“As we continue to grow the

company, I want to generate lots

of money for those affected by the

pandemic as well as providing a

comforting level of protection at

the same time."

Keep Scotland

Beautiful

Ten brand new interactive online

learning courses will be available

for young people across Scotland

during July.

These new online learning

programmes have been developed

to provide a fun and enjoyable way

for young people to continue their

environmental learning during the

summer holidays.

The courses cover a range

of topics and environmental

activities which encourage young

people and families to explore the

world around them and to think

how to protect and improve the

places they love.

Included are courses on

Eco-Schools, heritage, food

and the environment, and

climate change, as well as other

environmental topics.

Each course consists of a

combination of online learning

and practical, fun activities, and all

those who complete a course will

be rewarded with a certificate of

involvement.

Registration is now open for

each course.

www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/

learning

Council £30m

funding gap

The council's in-year funding

gap has been reduced from the

previous figure of £56 million to

just under £30 million.

According to the Head of

Finance, Hugh Dunn, this reduction

has been achieved by the council's

finance department managing

the level of its savings, although

it does not yet allow the council

to balance its revenue budget. Mr

Dunn confirmed that by August

the Finance Department will come

forward with additional solutions

to those produced so far. He

answered questions about a BBC

report on English councils which

may face bankruptcy, explaining

that The City of Edinburgh Council

had set a three year budget

last year, putting it in a better

position than some other councils

elsewhere. He said that in the

various departments of the council

there is both the "means and will'"

to achieve financial stability.

The council delayed furloughing

staff until the middle of June

in common with other Scottish

local authorities. Mr Dunn also

pointed out that there may still be

some additional UK Government

finance available for the council's

homelessness services, but it is

difficult for the council to confirm

a clear financial position until that

finance is made available.

Parking charges, which are a

major income for the council, have

been reintroduced but the council

has not changed its financial

projections in this area. So if

people pay to park now, some of

that may well help the council

balance its books.

All city school

children back

in August

The Education Secretary, John

Swinney, announced a full return

to school in August for all pupils

in Scotland without any need

for physical distancing. This

is dependant on the continued

suppression of the Covid-19 virus.

The City of Edinburgh Council

had prepared a plan for blended

and digital learning, allowing half

of Edinburgh pupils to be taught

in school half of the time. This has

now become a contingency plan

and will only be put in place if the

virus reappears anywhere in the

city.

Councillors said their inboxes

were full with parents' concerns

about the plans to reopen schools

for only half the number of pupils

at any one time, and how this

would affect their children.

The council has set out in its

Delivery Phasing Plan the steps it

might need to take if they had to

deliver part time learning or digital

learning.

When the plan was drawn up

the council had to envisage that

only some pupils would return to

school to allow 2 metre physical

distancing to be put in place.

Edinburgh TUC said they

opposed the sudden change in

education policy.

A spokesperson said: "While

everyone wishes to see schools

operating at full capacity again,

and whilst both pupils and

staff are anxious to move from

home working to being back in

classes full time, this statement

has been made without any

consultation with the relevant

union memberships and

parent associations and risks

undermining progress made so

far in reducing Covid-19 infections

and deaths in Scotland.

"We believe that any return to

school should only take place

after proper risk assessments

and development of safe working

procedures, and the fullest

consultation with teachers’ and

support staff unions and parents."

There are 49,000 pupils in

Edinburgh schools.

Education Convener, Cllr Ian

Perry said: "It is a great relief that

schools will go back full-time. This

threw up difficult issues and now

we have more time to address

these."

The council has pre-cleaning

procedures in place in all schools

which have been closed since

March. It continues to work closely

with NHS Lothian to control any

infections, and all schools will also

remain vigilant about any pupils

and staff developing symptoms of

Covid-19.

Council Leader, Adam McVey,

said: "It has not been a waste of

time to have made preparations

for a scenario which has been

superceded."

Podcasting pantomime with the

kings of the Leven Street stage

By Phyllis Stephen

Think of panto in Edinburgh and

you inevitably think of Grant Stott,

Allan Stewart and Andy Gray. They

have been treading the boards

each Christmas since 1998 in one

show or another.

We also have to include Jordan

Young, the newest recruit, who

joined the team last Christmas,

and is now firmly part of the

family. A graduate of Queen

Margaret University, he has also

appeared in Filth, River City and

was in panto with Elaine C Smith

in Aberdeen for a number of years.

Allan had just finished the run

of his Big Big Variety Show at

the King’s, celebrating 60 years

in show business, when the

pandemic closed the theatre.

Grant and Andy were also in the

show which kicked off with Allan

singing I’m Still Standing. They

are all very adept at poking fun at

each other, as well as themselves,

but I must reveal that during our

Edinburgh Reporter podcast there

was a moment when I made Andy

Gray cry. Andy had been shielding

at home for three months, and

when we spoke he had just come

back from his first walk outdoors.

It was nothing to do with that,

that made him well up. It was the

thought there might be no panto.

Of course it was a bit of a gag, and

although they know how to make

you laugh, there is a serious side

to what the alternatives are if there

if this year's panto is cancelled.

Andy calculated how much

time they have spent talking and

laughing together in the King's

dressing room during the intervals

over the 20 years or so they have

been on stage together. It's easy

to understand why - we ran out of

time during our call, they had so

much to say.

The truth is that nobody knows

yet whether audiences will again

take their seats in our theatres,

or indeed when it will happen. So

for the moment the panto boys

Zoom together on Thursday nights

to keep in touch, and make each

other laugh.

Allan is in London with his

family where he has made a video

with his version of David Bowie’s

Space Oddity, recorded in tribute

to Captain Sir Tom Moore who

raised £32.7 million for the NHS.

He recorded the charity number at

his son David's recording studio,

and director Ryan Dewar (Wonder

Boy according to Allan) made the

video.

With 750,000 viral hits within

days he said he was ‘really

chuffed’ but he is still in awe of

Grant’s video "Save Lives" which is

a clever rendition of his trademark,

"That’s Fife", accompanied by

photos of Edinburgh’s Covid-19

empty streets by photographer,

Tom Duffin, and also deftly edited

by Ryan.

So, the panto might be on (Oh,

yes it is) and this band of panto

villains and dames discuss the

wealth of possibilities each

Thursday night.

Grant said: “The only form of

information I have had from a

reliable source was from Fiona

Gibson, the new Chief Executive

of Capital Theatres on my show.

I asked the question and she

genuinely doesn’t know either.

They are following everything

closely regarding government and

health advice. As it stands nobody

knows.”

But there are all sorts of ideas

under discussion such as

using technology - including

the possibility of using canned

laughter in an empty theatre while

recording.

But panto is very much an

in-person experience as Andy

Enter, stage right, with plans for a theatre fit for a king

Plans for the redevelopment of

The King's Theatre are making

progress but like most major

projects the £25 million revamp

has been delayed by the Covid-19

pandemic.

Applications for Planning and

Listed Building Consent have

now been submitted to The City

of Edinburgh Council by Bennetts

Associates, the architects charged

with breathing new life in to the

Tollcross institution.

Opened in 1906, "the King’s" as it

is universally known in Edinburgh,

is one of the UK’s most opulent

theatres and one of the few which

is Grade A listed. Now it receives

more than 200,000 visitors a

year and in addition to hosting

important touring productions

it welcomes major Edinburgh

International Festival shows,

alongside the much loved annual

Edinburgh Gang Show and sell-out

Christmas Panto.

Widely respected Bennets

Associates will oversee an

ambitious programme to revitalise

the Old Lady of Leven Street,

ensuring it meets the needs

of modern day audiences and

performers and to safeguard its

reputation for the years ahead.

The interior and exterior of

the theatre will be overhauled

to enrich audience experience

and create a renewed sense of

destination. The public will have

access to new spaces for the

first time and a new flytower and

technical infrastructure will allow

the artistic programme to be

extended.

Internally, revitalised heritage

spaces in the Edwardian

building will include the bars

and hospitality areas, with foyer

areas overhauled but retaining

their heritage and charm, and

providing flexible and enjoyable

entertainment spaces for pre and

post-performance.

A learning and participation

studio, new stairs and a new

box office is scheduled while the

installation of lifts will enable

visitors with mobility issues to

be able to access all areas of the

King’s for the first time. A street

café with access from Leven

Street will add to the day-long

buzz in the building.

James Nelmes, Director,

Bennetts Associates said: “I

am delighted Capital Theatres

has chosen to push ahead with

the planning application for the

King’s Theatre. As someone who

has lived a stone’s throw from

the King’s for twenty years, like

so many others in the city, I am

looking forward to not only the

reopening of the theatre, but to a

time when the building is as busy

throughout the day as it is at show

time.”

Redevelopment works were

scheduled to begin in September

2021, with the theatre closed

for 20 months, reopening in

summer 2023, however, due to

the impact of the coronavirus,

Capital Theatres have taken the

difficult decision to pause the

redevelopment and are looking

at starting the project 12 months

later.

Dame Joan Stringer, Chair of

Capital Theatres, said: "Like

so many, we are responding to

unprecedented circumstances.

Both our Project Board and Main

Board met recently, during which

we considered the impact of the

coronavirus on our plans for the

King’s redevelopment.

"What is absolutely clear is

that we all remain committed

to delivering on our plans to

redevelop the King’s into a modern

venue, celebrating its rich heritage

whilst sustaining it for future

generations to enjoy.”

Famous stars of stage and

screen who have trod the boards

at the King’s include Tollcross’s

own Sean Connery in a 1959

production of The Sea Shell (he

was also a stage hand). In the

1930s celebrated Russian ballet

dancer Anna Pavlova visited

with her dance company as did

Paul Robeson, Noel Coward and

Sir Laurence Olivier. In 1957,

legendary opera singer Maria

Callas gave one of her few UK

performances outside of London

in a production of La Sonnambula,

while Katharine Hepburn appeared

in 1952 in George Bernard Shaw’s

The Millionaires.

As part of the revamp you can

donate to have a seat named after

you or a loved one. Seats in the

rear of the stalls are £800 each

and fund raised will go direct to

redevelopment fund.

Panto zoomers - but not out of choice

stressed. He said: “Theatres

need to get people in the doors.

That’s why they are there in the

first place, and they need to

make money. If there is ay kind

of social distancing whatsoever

it will affect the atmosphere, the

number of people in the theatre

and ticket prices. There are a lot of

decisions to make. It would have

to be something that the theatre

company and the production

company were on board with too.

It would have to look good.”

Jordan added: “The entire thing

is that you need the audience

Capital Theatres, the

independent charity that manages

Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre,

King’s Theatre and The Studio,

has risen to the challenge of the

coronavirus pandemic.

Raise the Curtain, a new

wide-ranging programme of

activities which anyone can

engage with online is designed to

fill the theatre void.

The programme includes creative

play for toddlers and contactless

afternoon teas for those a little

older.

Contactless Afternoon Parties

are intended for people living

with dementia, their families and

supporters.

In a partnership with Cake My

Day, free afternoon teas will be

delivered to those taking part.

These will be contact-free delivery

to the front door, all in time for the

audience to assemble and watch

the performance by the Capital

Theatres House Band online.

Tea and Jam is Capital Theatres'

usual monthly celebration of

music making for all ages, which

has also moved online.

Professional musician Gus

Harrower leads the jam on the last

Friday of the month from 11am.

Play Days is for all ages 6+ with

instruction in arts and crafts, from

costume making to script and

lyric writing. On 6 July they have a

panto theme.

Wee Creatives is for families

with pre-schoolers. The sessions

will include craft activities based

there. If you tried to recreate this

on Zoom you could never recreate

the timing or what the live feeling

really is.”

Andy passionately believes that

Scottish panto is a peculiar and

unique brand of its own, based

as it is on music hall with heaps

of drama, great music, as well as

beautiful scenery and costumes.

We just have hope that Allan

gets to wear his dresses on stage

this winter, rather than saving the

dressing up for the Zoom calls

with the boys. (Oh, yes he will).

Raising the curtain is fun for all

on the theatres' upcoming stage

shows. There will be how-to

videos by different engagement

artists with things like making a

bird feeder, mixing up your own

playdough and also some Zoom

sessions which involves more

interaction.

There is no charge and booking

is first come, first served.

Earlier in the year Capital

Theatres put out a call for

contributions to Joy to the

Moment which will be shown

throughout the year.

This was a shout out to all

creatives for mini performances to

be part of a film for those who are

unable to go outside.

The project is the idea of Gracie

Irvine, a pupil at The Edinburgh

Steiner School, who was worried

about people who are isolating or

are in care settings. Gracie wanted

to find a way to entertain them

even though they themselves

cannot go outside.

Gracie's call asked for people

to record themselves doing

something creative outdoors.

This was intended to include

dance, music, singing, poetry,

comedy, art or anything creative

done outdoors. The intention was

that anyone from the household

could contribute to the video,

whether families or flatmates.

The recordings are up to fifteen

minutes long and a series of films

will be edited and produced from

all this creative content.

www.capitaltheatres.com


8 FEATURE


FEATURE 9

Vintage ladies breathing new life in to auld claes

Edinburgh style icons find value in city charity and vintage shops

while drawing inspiration from 40s and 50s movie starlets

Heidi Smith

By Stephen Rafferty

Vintage dress but not vintage

values is how one group of modern

women sum up their fascination

with fashions from bygone eras.

The members of The Auld

Holyrood Club dress in classic

clothes stretching through the

last century and as far back as

Victorian and Edwardian times,

but that’s where the poodle skirts,

pedal pushers and petticoats

stop. To a woman, they would

baulk at any suggestion that they

subscribe to outdated notions

which place women firmly in the

home, while the dominant male

figure acts as protector and

provider.

An international blend of modern

career women - sisters, daughters,

mothers and grandmothers - their

attention to detail and an eye for

oh-so-cool garments which have

lasted the test of time draws

widespread admiration.

Former vet Irene Guerrero, 32,

originally from Cadiz in Andalusia,

can sometimes be spotted on

Portobello Promenade where often

there is an atmosphere of times

past. It was in making Edinburgh

her home that she made the

switch to vintage and reproduction

clothes, in part because of

easy access to a good range of

specialist shops.

Irene said: “The pin-up look is

something I always wanted to try

but I didn’t have the confidence

and it was only three years ago

that I bought my first reproduction

dress. I started buying some

original vintage pieces and I

treasure all of them. It’s just

wonderful to wear something

so old and I can’t see any of my

modern pieces being wearable in

70 years or more.

“I started with the 1950’s

style because it’s easier to find

affordable repro clothes, I love

how feminine the style is and

I discovered the clothes really

suited my body shape. I’ve never

Veronica Schreuder

felt good in modern clothes and all

my life I’ve been trying to change

my body, when all I needed to do is

change my style. I love 1940s style

too and I move between the two

eras, but I can’t resist a full skirt

and a petticoat. I really love the

style but none of the group feels

we were ‘born in the wrong era’

and our mantra is ‘vintage style,

not vintage values’.”

For retail worker Irene, vintage

has become a lifestyle choice.

“Initially it was a weekend thing

but now I dress vintage every

day. Vintage style makes me feel

more like myself, gives me more

confidence and I also love vintage

hairstyles which I think really

brings the look together,” she said.

Irene collects ideas from social

media and particularly Instagram,

and rather than imitating the

classic looks of film star greats

or period drama characters she

prefers to follow what regular

women wore at the time.

“When I am out people stare – a

lot. I guess it's hard for people to

think this is your everyday style,

but what I enjoy most is when

older people tell you that you

remind them of their youth and

you can see that spark in their

eyes, that really makes my day.”

By day Veronica Schreuder, 32,

is an archivist at the National

Records of Scotland, helping make

our historic records available

to the public and handling

documents from the early 1100s

to the present day. Her early

fascination with how people lived

in the past, what they wore, and

the aesthetics of different time

periods now manifests itself in

how she dresses.

Veronica said: “When I was

younger, I really enjoyed looking at

pictures of my grandparents in the

40s and 50s. My gran looked so

glamorous, both dressed up and

in everyday life. She really loved it

when I wore vintage dresses and

it brought back memories for my

granddad of when they would go

to dances at the Palais. I wanted

to try and emulate what my

grandma would have worn which

was a quite feminine style, well put

together and taking pride in your

appearance.”

Veronica borrows ideas from

social media and from television

hits such as Mad Men, Call the

Midwife and Netflix’s glamour-fest

Hollywood, but like other vintage

veterans she has no time for

old-fashioned attitudes. “We are

very much modern people and it is

Irene Guerrero and Anya Mackay PHOTO darja-bilyk.com

more about taking the aesthetics

of that time period and wearing it

in a modern world. When I started

I decided I wanted vintage right

way. There is nothing wrong

with reproduction clothes but I

went out and bought anything

that I thought resembled vintage

and ended up with a lot of stuff

that I didn’t love. Now, I save my

money and look for things that

really appeal to me, and I only

buy special vintage buys every so

often.

“When you buy vintage clothes

and put them on, it makes you feel

really good about yourself, you

hold yourself differently, you feel

done up. It’s also an ethical thing,

you are giving clothes a new life

and a new home and there is a

tangible connection to the past.”

Growing up in the 1970s, Anya

Mackay loved dressing up for

weekend tea parties with her mum

and granny and pulling on fake

fur coats and hats had a lasting

impact which developed as a

teenager when she discovered the

joy of second hand shops.

Project manager Anya, 46, said:

“I quite liked 60s style for a while

with its shorter mini dresses, then

I lost my way a bit and followed

High Street fashions, but I didn’t

feel confident in my body shape

because it never matched what

was available on the High Street.

“I moved to the east coast and

on discovering there was great

second hand and vintage shops

in Edinburgh, a whole new world

opened up to me. I realised that

vintage clothing suited me a lot

better, it was more body positive

and I could celebrate my curves.

“My favourite era at the moment

is the 1940s, it is quite elegant and

it’s something you can wear on a

day-to-day basis. We bought an old

Victorian property and restored it,

but once all the messy jobs were

done I decided to bin all my old

chinos and replace my wardrobe

bit by bit, and now I dress vintage

every day. Life is too short to have

your nice items hidden up the back

of a wardrobe being saved for a

nice opportunity, and I am now

at the age where I think ‘sod it, it

makes me feel good’, so I might as

well just wear it every day.”

With friends she has met in the

vintage world Anya meets up with

other enthusiasts at vintage fairs,

picnics, Edinburgh Fringe shows,

museum and lunch trips and even

murder mystery events.

She said: “The Auld Holyood Club

has teenagers and pensioners

and people from all walks of life.

It is very international and we

have people from Finland, Spain,

the United States, Latvia, Poland,

Russia and Germany, and it’s

nice to meet so many interesting

people.”

Fashion makeup artist, Heidi

Smith, 17, is one of the youngest

members of the Auld Holyrood

Club but has been dabbling in

vintage 50s style since she was

just 14.

She said: “When I first began

my fascination was mostly

centred around the elegance and

femininity of the 1950s and the

iconic women of old Hollywood

who really made the looks their

own. Marilyn Monroe was my

biggest influence because I was

so intrigued by how she had

created an individual persona

which epitomised glamour and

allure, and this was something I

was keen to replicate. As my style

has evolved, I’ve found myself

really captivated by 1940s fashion

and although my everyday style

is mainly 40s with some 50s

mixed in, I also enjoy dabbling in

the 20s, 30s and 60s from time

to time, especially when putting

together creative looks for online.

I also really admire Rita Hayworth

and I definitely take a lot of 40s

hair styling inspiration from

her and I find Gene Tierney and

Ginger Rogers’ style to be really

beautiful. All these women were

so glamorous but they were also

very talented and paved the way

for their own careers through their

own dedication and hard work,

which is very inspiring to me.”

Heidi has also found that

maintaining her vintage approach

to life has been helpful during

the Covid-19 crisis. “Before the

pandemic began I was dressing

vintage almost every day, with

the off-day being most often on

Sundays where I’m in my comfy

clothes,” she said.

“I dress vintage around three or

four times a week and personally,

I’ve found my passion for vintage

and sharing my own artistic

content on social media has been

really therapeutic during this time

of uncertainty. Sometimes people

ask why I’m ‘so dressed up’ and

if I’m going to an event, when in

reality I’m just going to Tesco. I

think the most important thing

about your own self-expression is

that if you're not harming anyone

else and it truly makes you happy -

dress however you like!”

Insta @auldholyroodclub

Arusha rushes to open

Arusha Gallery on Dundas Street

has reopened after staging a

virtual exhibition for the last three

months.

They are now able to throw

open their doors and show Ilona

Szalay’s Some Are Born to Sweet

Delight, Some Are Born to Endless

Night. It is still online just in case

you are not yet able to visit the

gallery in person, but staff have

hung it for display until 12 July.

The gallery has put measures

in place to ensure physical

distancing and a high level of

hygiene to protect clients and their

own staff.

Agnieszka Prendota,

Creative Director at Arusha Gallery

said: “We feel a huge sense of

relief and release being able to

open up the gallery and share the

wonderful work that our artists

create with people in person again.

It is a huge step forward.

"Our wonderful audiences

and customers have been very

supportive throughout this period

but I know that we will all feel

more joy for being able to come

together, albeit within restrictions,

to experience our artists’ work first

hand and to reawaken parts of our

souls that have remained locked

up in recent months.

Art by Ilona Szalay to go on show

Collective Gallery at the City

Observatory will partially reopen

to the public from Thursday 9 July.

The outdoor grounds and viewing

platform will be open to visitors

and the takeaway coffee kiosk will

serve drinks, snacks and picnic

food to enjoy in the picturesque

surroundings on top of Calton Hill.

A series of works by Tessa

Lynch, Turns, will be on

view. Tessa collaborated closely

with landscape architects Harrison

Stevens to develop the communal

seating areas throughout

Collective, where visitors are

invited to congregate and reflect.

Observers Walks and trails for

families can be downloaded from

Collective's website. This is a

series of audio guides created

by artists including Ruth Ewan,

Patrick Staff and Tris Vonna-

Michell, all to be listened to in situ.

In the Hillside space, the shop,

Collective Matter, will re-open in

“We are in full mode preparing

for the reopening, with a supply of

masks, gloves and sanitiser to be

accessible at the entrance to the

gallery. We will have an A-board

outlining the social distancing

measures within the gallery where

visitors will move clockwise

around the exhibition space.

"We have worked out that six

people can be in the gallery at

any one time. With all of these

measures in place though, the

atmosphere in the gallery can

remain relaxed and open. It’s

certainly easier than navigating a

supermarket!”

Artis Szalay, a graduate of

Central St Martins, describes her

exhibition: “In the paintings we

see statues petrified and bound on

their pedestals.

"Disembodied arms which

encircle with dependence and

dominance. Broken mythological

figures seemingly stunned by their

own constraint and ineptitude.

"Gloriously ambivalent gods

and goddesses remain coolly

indifferent to what seethes below.

And of course ‘the cage’ - the

Blakian cage for the robin - the

frame itself that holds the image,

frozen in postures of pleasure,

sensuality, pain, confusion,

titillation and torture.”

Collective observations

a new pop-up form, showcasing

items for sale from artists and

makers.

Collective will aim to re-open

Julijonas Urbonas’ exhibition

‘Planet of People’ in the City

Dome from August, with the

re-opening of the City Observatory

and a return to a full exhibition

programme in the autumn. The

restaurant, Lookout by Gardener’s

Cottage, is ready to reopen as

soon as Scottish Government

guidelines allow.

Kate Gray, Collective Director,

said: “The path back to normality

will be challenging to navigate for

us and many other charities and

small businesses whose revenue

has been hit hard in the past few

months. As custodians of the site

‘in the common good’ it is in that

spirit that we ask you to work with

us to bring it back to life."

www.collective-edinburgh.art

Curations

add colour to

digital artwork

Look out for a special online

exhibition as part of ART UK’s

Curations initiative.

Art UK is an online platform

which allows public collections

in the UK to share their artworks

with audiences around the world.

Edinburgh has approximately

1000 paintings listed from its wide

collection of artworks displayed in

the City Art Centre.

Curations are groups of artworks

selected, arranged, and published

by Art UK’s community of users –

including Front of House Choices

from Museums & Galleries

Edinburgh.

The exhibition highlights the

personal choices of the Culture

and Communities Convener

and Vice-Convener, as well as

members of staff, including

Visitor and Monument Assistants,

many of whom deliver tours and

interpretation to visitors.

Culture and Communities

Convener Donald Wilson said:

"This wonderful online tool

has allowed us to continue to

share over 1000 pieces from our

collection and is a great reminder

of our treasure trove.

"Online is a wonderful way to

preserve digital exhibitions and for

now it is the next best thing until

we can welcome visitors back to

the City Art Centre.

"The choices in the exhibition

are very personal and showcase a

variety of artworks.

"The selections represent our

very valued, knowledgeable and

enthusiastic front of house team

who give tours and share their

knowledge with visitors.

"For mine, I selected The Black

Hat by Francis Cadell, I’m a fan of

the Scottish Colourists and the

painting itself was on display in

the City Chambers during my time

as Lord Provost."

Culture and Communities Vice

Convener Amy McNeese-Mechan

added: “It was great to browse the

collection online, however being

asked to choose a favourite from

our City Art Centre is almost an

impossible task

"For my contribution I selected

Victoria Crowe’s Italian Reflections

(1993) as it contains so many

elements I love: the drenched

jewel-like colours, the mysterious

framed view of a winding road

lined with those iconic Tuscan

poplars. It was very tough to settle

on one, but the beauty of the

initiative is I can now curate my

very own. I’d encourage everyone

to explore the collection for

themselves.”

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh

is a collection of 13 venues

owned and managed by The City

of Edinburgh Council. They have

around 220,000 objects in their

care, only some of which are on

display at any time.

www.artuk.org

10

BUSINESS


Virtual viewing could be the norm

for home buyers seeking a move

Restless residents may be

considering a home move after

being cooped up in Covid-19

lockdown.

We spoke to Ken Robertson,

Head of Residential Property at

legal firm Balfour+Manson to find

out how the land lies for those

feeling the urge to move.

Ken suggested that rather than

open viewing of houses on the

market, arrangements will be

strictly viewing by appointment,

allowing sufficient time for viewers

to see round. If the owner of

the property is present, they will

have to stay outside, or maintain

physical distancing.

He also suggested that only two

people may be allowed to view at

any one time.

Virtual viewings have been

encouraged recently and potential

purchasers will not get to view

in person until they have first

seen the property on video. But,

he admitted that virtual viewing

is a bit of a mixed bag with a full

video for some properties costing

around £250-£300 depending on

the size of the house. Ken said:

"Generally speaking, prior to the

lockdown these did not prove to be

overly popular.

"Having said that, our property

manager has taken new

instructions from a few of our

A city hotel is to reopen to the

public for the first time since it

provided a safe haven during

lockdown for more than 500

frontline medical workers.

Ten Hill Place will build on its

proud lockdown legacy offering a

discount staycation deal for other

frontline workers all over the UK.

Delighted staff will begin a

carefully phased reopening

from 15 July, after the Scottish

Government approved that date

for hospitality venues to resume

operations.

Scott Mitchell, managing director

of Surgeons Quarter, which

operates the hotel, said: “We had

the privilege of accommodating

hundreds of Edinburgh’s frontline

health workers at the height of the

crisis.

“Now we want to extend a

welcome to similar frontline

workers from the rest of the

UK. Summer holiday plans have

clients and they have opted

for it. So we're waiting to see

whether that is actually going to

be compulsory for new properties

coming on the market."

Ken admits he is not a tech

geek, but he has discovered

messaging service WhatsApp is

invaluable "for a number of things

I never used it for before".

He said: "It's been great for

certifying documents and that

type of thing. So that is another

possibility - clients may prefer to

do live WhatsApp calls and speak

to the prospective owners who can

answer any questions around the

house and show them what needs

to be shown."

Ken Robertson, Head of Residential Property

Surgeons hotel poised for big op

been wiped out for millions of

people and foreign travel may

still be a long way off. This is an

amazing city and many of those

who have earned a holiday and

want to spend that precious time

somewhere special will be looking

to Edinburgh. We want to give

them an extra reason to visit.”

Ten Hill Place is Edinburgh’s

biggest independent hotel and

Staycation a cut above the rest at Surgeons hotel

Interestingly the pandemic

seems not to have overtly

impacted on property prices in

Edinburgh.

"In our discussions with

surveyors they are very much

taking the view that they are

sticking to past values," he said.

"The way they value a property

is historic, it's not what happened

last month. It's really what is

the trend over the last couple of

years, so it's a slow moving ship

in terms of adjusting the value.

At the moment, basically, we can

pretty much assume that the

surveyors are going to adhere to

the pre-lockdown valuation."

www.balfour-manson.co.uk

at the height of the coronavirus

pandemic it offered free

accommodation and meals to

more than 500 exhausted hospital

staff in a gesture which cost the

hotel owners £100,000.

The £249 deal is for two nights

bed and breakfast and a meal

and bottle of wine in the hotel

restaurant.

Chester off to

racing start

Chester Race Company has

taken over the management of

Musselburgh Racecourse.

East Lothian Council earlier

selected Chester Race Company

as preferred operator for an initial

10-year period. Musselburgh now

joins Chester and Bangor-on-Dee

as the third racecourse in the

Chester Race Company portfolio.

Chief Executive of Chester Race

Company, Richard Thomas, said:

“We are delighted to be formally

appointed as the new operators

of Musselburgh Racecourse.

We are committed to the long

term running and success of

the racecourse and ensuring

its reputation within the local

community and Scottish racing is

upheld.

“The entire team is excited to

begin this new chapter and

deliver proposals to maximise the

available opportunities for the

racecourse. We will look to build

upon the pre-existing successes in

ensuring Musselburgh continues

to deliver an integral experience

for visiting horsemen, racegoers

and members of the local

community alike.”

Musselburgh's Bill Farnsworth,

said: “Chester’s management team

has an excellent track record and

we are delighted to be working

with one of the best racecourse

teams in the country."

Restrictions on housing moves in

Scotland have been relaxed.

On 29 June, the Scottish

Government relaxed some of

the restrictions on house moves

that were put in place at the end

of March due to the Covid-19

pandemic.

The following are now allowed:

•Visiting estate or letting

agents, developer sales offices or

show homes.

•Viewing residential properties to

look for a property to buy or rent.

•Preparing a residential property

to move in.

•Moving home.

•Visiting a residential property to

undertake any activities required

for the rental or sale of that

property.


indicated that the process of

Job seekers

offered advice

More than half of Scottish

workers are worried about their

jobs after the pandemic.

The Survation poll fund that 51%

of workers were very concerned

and six per cent had already lost

their job. Benny Higgins, chair

of the group advising Scottish

Ministers on how to repair the

economy, said Scotland faces a

"tsunami of unemployment".

Advice.scot, which is operated by

the charity Advice Direct Scotland,

has launched a dedicated

coronavirusadvice.scot service

with free and impartial advice on

employment, personal finance and

housing.

Andrew Bartlett, chief executive

of Scotland’s national advice

service advice.scot, said: "This poll

shows that many Scots workers

are deeply worried about their jobs

following the Covid-19 outbreak.

“With unemployment already on

the rise and predictions of a tough

recession, it’s little wonder that

people are anxious.

“Job uncertainty is troubling at

any time, but amid an ongoing

public health and economic crisis

this is an incredibly difficult period

for many families. Our dedicated

coronavirusadvice.scot service is

constantly being updated with the

latest employment advice, and our

advisers are on hand to provide

free, impartial advice to anyone."

Moving house made

easier post Covid-19

moving home will be different to

pre-Covid-19. For example, more

of the process should be done

online if possible (virtual viewings

and valuations) and open viewings

should not take place.

There will also be additional

health and safety precautions and

all parties involved will need to

follow government guidance on

moving house.

Paul Hilton, CEO of ESPC,

said: “We have seen significant

evidence of rising demand from

Scottish property buyers and

sellers in recent weeks. Many

home movers will be pleased

that some restrictions have

now been eased. However, the

moving process will be different to

before Covid-19. As the Scottish

Government advises, anyone

thinking of buying or selling

a property should speak to a

solicitor to find out more.”

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk THE BEST OF... 11

The Edinburgh Reporter Best Of . . .

Lighthouse Bookshop's Life Raft

This will keep you and the

bookshop afloat while the shop

is closed. The Lighthouse online

shop is accepting all book orders.

Email the titles and the shop will

send a payment link and arrange

dispatch.

More details on

lighthousebookshop.com

The Hideout Café

A cosy hideout in Edinburgh

serving speciality coffee, tea,

treats and brunch. Iced lattes and

other goodies to sort you out.

Open daily

0131 552 5289

40-42 Queen Charlotte St EH6 6AT

www.thehideoutcafe.co.uk

The Eco Larder

Zero waste shop on Morrison St.

Matt in Edinburgh manned the

shop, but his wife and co-owner,

Stephanie ran the website from

Bute - and looked after her mum.

Show them some love and buy

their products now. Ask about

soapnuts. Collect/Cargo bike deliveries

www.theecolarder.com

Ardgowan Distillery

Enjoy the recently released

Clydebuilt Coppersmith - a limited

edition blend of malts matured in

first fill Oloroso sherry casks.

FREE shipping with a branded

Glencairn nosing glass.

shop.ardgowandistillery.com

Twelve Triangles

If you are desperate for a sweet

treat the Brunswick Street and Portobello

High Street shops opens at

8.30am until they have sold out of

everything. Also delivery next day

where possible, minimum order

£15.

twelve-triangles-myshopify.com

Something Fishy

Independent fishmonger providing

quality fresh and cured fish. At the

beginning oof 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

Roeder & Bell

Each week, gourmet parcels of

fresh provisions are meticulously

curated by the team and packed

with glorious things to eat, drink

and enjoy, delivered directly to

your home. large, small and vegetarian

boxes available alongside

a well-stocked pantry section

roederandbell.com

Independent Wine Company

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

themselves. Online deliveries

available.

independent.wine

Schop

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.

schop.co

Queen’s Hall

The hall is an independent charity

which needs £100,000 each year

to look after the building and run

outreach projects. If you can send

a donation - much needed now.

85-89 Clerk Street, EH8 9JG

0131 668 2019

www.thequeenshall.net

Rose Theatre Café

You don't know what you've got till

its scone . . . Mary and Sinead say:

"We are open for takeaway, come

grab a coffee and a scone, it can

be part if your daily walk routine

in this crazy new world order." Preorder

bread by FB Messenger

www.facebook.com/rosetheatrecafe

Craig Banks Tailoring

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!

45 Thistle Street EH2 1DY

0131 226 7775 craigbankstailoring.com

Art & Craft Collective

A unique gallery and gift shop

experience in Edinburgh's Southside

- literally a cornucopia of all

media. Join their mailing list and

buy art online.

93 Causewayside EH9 1DG

0131 639 9123

artcraftcollective.co.uk

The Fine Wine Company

The Portobello wine shop has

stepped up delivery of wines and

spirits, even champagne if you feel

like it. Adam and Alex Rankine are

also helping us by distributing our

papers. Delivering to EH7, EH15

and EH21 at the moment. Shop

open from 10am to 6pm

thefinewinecompany.co.uk

Love Your Business

Love Your Business networking

club, which is relaxed, informal

and good fun, is now online on the

last Thursday of the month with a

host of inspiring speakers sharing

their entrepreneurial journey’s and

invaluable business tips.

www.lybnetworking.com and

Facebook @howtolyb

AT

HOME

Bring a little bit of Edinburgh Leisure

into your home.

Online classes, advice and more.

edinburghleisure.co.uk/fitness-at-home

Craigie's Farm Shop

Online ordering of fruit and

vegetables, quality butchery and

dairy products and what they call

'indulgent treats'.

The farm shop is open but you can

choose safely online, and either

have your order delivered, or go to

collect it.

craigies.co.uk

The Glenturret Shop

Four individually hand crafted

Glenturret glass baubles filled with

different single malts.

It is the perfect gift to send to any

whisky lover, and of course you

can do this, or order a bottle or two

for yourself online.

theglenturret.com

Roots

They are offering veg boxes with

zero contact delivery and collection

options. Free delivery in certain

cases. Support local business!

18 William Street EH3 7NH

0131 225 6376

munch@rootsedinburgh.co.uk

Cater Edinburgh

Chef Barry Bryson is running a

solo home delivery service with a

choice of classic dishes. Examples

include: Spiced lamb tagine,

cottage pie, salmon and hake fish

pie. Delivered with heating instructions.

Barry@cateredinburgh.com

Tel 07961 573 658

Broughton Place Hair and Beauty

Friendly boutique city salon.

Owner and stylist Juliet is always

happy to discuss your needs

and deliver a highly professional

service. They specialise in long

hair and tape in hair extensions.

0131 556 4478

2a Broughton Place EH1 3RX

www.broughtonplacehair.com

12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9 10

11

12 13 14 15

16

FEATURE

Baargain haircut from

sheep shearer Morag

David wasn't sheepish when his

flowing locks reached crisis point.

Unable to get a haircut during

lockdown, he asked his friend

Morag to tidy up his coiffure.

Originally from Lewis, Morag

admits she is not a qualified

hairdresser but has lots of

haircutting experience.

She honed her tonsorial skills

while shearing sheep, and then

graduated to keeping her father’s

David and Morag

PHOTO Martin P McAdam

Across

1. Small piece of live coal (5)

5. Passage between rows of seats (5)

8. Dates as reckoned according to fixed

points (8, 5)

9. Catalogues items one after another (5)

10. White, like Tintin's dog ? (5)

11. Presentations again, in court, for

example (13)

12. Perfect form (5)

14. Male head of religious order (5)

16. To trouble somebody or put them

out (13)

17. A literary style or type (5)

18. Go in (5)

17 18

balding pate in order.

When The Edinburgh Reporter

happened to pass by, in Leith,

David, who usually pays £60 for a

haircut, revealed he had brought

pizza and sparkling wine in

exchange for Morag's trim. They

had already started when we got

there, so sadly we have no "before"

photo to show you. Thankfully for

the rest of us, hairdressers are

reopening in the middle of this

month.

Crossword by David Albury Answers on page 14

Down

1. Surpass (5)

2. Old-fashioned light seen at zebra crossings

(7, 6)

3. Steps of a ladder (5)

4. People responsible for productions of plays

(5, 8)

5. Very deep chasm (5)

6. The opposition ministers (6, 7)

7. Written composition (5)

12. Sugar-based cake covering (5)

13. Spear-like weapon (5)

14. Nimble (5)

15. Possessive pronoun (5)


Edinburgh Collected

This photo shows an outing to Cramond on the 41 bus, which set out from the Dean Village in Edinburgh's West

End.

Gail Featherstonehaugh contributed the photo to Edinburgh Collected in Dean Village Memories and it shows

left to right Della Marshall of Dean Path, Gayle, Michael Brash of 3 Dean Path, Edward Marshall of Dean Path,

and Ina Copeland who lived in Leith, enjoying themselves paddling in the sea at Cramond.

Edinburgh Collected is an online community photo archive managed by Edinburgh Libraries. Add your own

memories to help preserve the city’s history, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.

Edinburgh Collected will add your contributions to the ‘Edinburgh 2020 – coronavirus pandemic' scrapbook.

www.edinburghcollected.org

STR8TS

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

Juliet's Food Diary - going for the full bhoona

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson

I came across someone the other

day who claimed that no matter

now hard they try, they simply

cannot cook. I think it would be

more accurate to say that they

either didn’t enjoy or are too lazy

to cook. Despite what many chefs

might have you believe, cooking is

pretty easy. Making an emulsified

sauce is a bit tricky, but a basic

sugo, béchamel or gravy isn’t

particularly skilful or taxing. Many

people simply can’t be bothered.

Well, our apathetic chums are

keeping takeaways afloat.

We fancied a socially distanced

curry the other night and although

we can knock up a decent version,

nothing quite beats the real

thing. The spices simply taste

fresher, and butter, or to clarify,

ghee, is used in an abundance

I’d fail to deliver without feeling

the blood drain from my left arm.

We opted to try Shezan on Union

Place, which is usually where I

might drop in for a curry after

going to the cinema or Playhouse

Theatre across the road. I can

only give a sigh these days and

wonder when an area so vibrant

and bustling is going to be fully

revived again. I wouldn’t say my

family are particularly big eaters

but with Indian food you do

Cooking with Barry

Barry Bryson is one of Scotland's

leading private chefs.

www.cateringedinburgh.com

Instagram chef.caterer.edinburgh

Twitter: @barrybryson

Scottish Strawberry Gazpacho

A perfect summer dish that

involves no actual cooking is

just the ticket for good weather

days and the Scottish strawberry

season. This recipe takes

around 20 minutes, needs an

hour to infuse and then you are

ready to enjoy this classic taste

of Scottish/Spanish inspired

sunshine.

Serves: 4 large bowls

Ingredients:

10-12 tomatoes on the vine,

remove the seeds and pulp so you

have the nice juicy skins and juice

1 red onion finely diced

200g of Scottish strawberries,

washed, hulled, chopped, leave a

couple for garnish

3 celery sticks washed and

chopped

2/3 cloves finely chopped really

fresh garlic

2 medium sized red peppers,

want a bit of variety, so after the

usual poppadums and really nice

pickles, we opted for a Special

Karahi Chicken Bhoona which was

rich and pleasantly spicy with a

lovely aroma of fresh ginger. My

mother always chooses a Korma

but slightly upped the ante by

going for a Shahi Korma, which

isn’t unlike the usual, but with

the addition of mixed roasted

nuts - definitely a much more

interesting dish. The owner Shahid

recommended I try the Old School

Lamb Curry which ended up being

right up my street. Pretty spicy

without a searing heat, slow

cooked and super rich. We also

treated ourselves to a small mixed

grill and the usual rice and sweet

pashwari naan. The food was all

absolutely superb and one thing

that stood out for me was the

quality of the meat, not only in the

flavour but the fact it was cooked

to perfection. I’d highly suggest

you try for yourself and hopefully

it will soon be a curry that's part of

a big night out and not only a quiet

one in. Shezanedinburgh.com

A bank manager once told

me that fortunes can be made

during a financial crisis. I’m

not sure about mega riches

just yet but Hannah Gould, on

forced sabbatical from a job in

organising festivals, has embraced

the stove and founded what’s

already proving to be a hit, The

Stockbridge Mac and Cheese

Company. The Mac comes au

naturel or with fancier additions

of wild garlic pesto, caramelised

onions and even jalapenos and

chilli cheese. Specials and sides

available. Gluten free and vegan

options. Order on Facebook.

seeded and chopped

1 tin of good quality chopped

tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato puree

300ml of cold vegetable stock

(ham stock works too.)

50ml cider vinegar or red wine

vinegar

Two tablespoons of honey

2 teaspoons of smoked sweet

paprika

75ml good quality olive oil

1 tea spoon cayenne pepper

Rock salt

Garnish: basil or parsley

Scottish strawberries

Spanish olive oil

Start by placing your

strawberries, tomatoes, chopped

red onion, garlic, celery and

peppers into a food processor

(or you can hand chop this all

brunoise, very small dice but

use a v sharp knife) then pulse it

until you have a nice rustic salsa,

don’t over-do this though, keep

it chunky. Next pass the tinned

tomatoes and puree through a

sieve into the mix in the food

Mac and Cheese know their onions

Korma karma

Scottish strawberry gazpacho

processor so the pure juice is

added to the mix, but the chunky

bits left out and discarded, or use

some Big Tom or similar. Pulse

once again and pour into a bowl.

Now use whisk or wooden spoon

and add in your veg stock, olive

oil, vinegar, honey, spices and a

touch of seasoning, and cover with

clingfilm and place in a fridge to

infuse for around an hour. Remove

from fridge and ladle into bowls,

garnish with herbs, olive oil and

strawberries and enjoy.

Mac and Cheese Stockaree style

Shezan naan

Chef Barry Bryson

14

FEATURE


Bronze bards broke the mould

Words and photos by Martin P

McAdam

Statues have featured a lot in

the news recently especially in

relation to Black Lives Matter

protests. In the Edinburgh

statuescape there is a lack of

many featuring women. We

recently discovered four heads

Bronze statues of Jackie Kay and Naomi Mitchison.

By Stephen Rafferty

Hats off to Edinburgh milliner

Sally-Ann Provan who is turning

heads with the launch of her new

summer collection.

The ‘Solis’ range of summer

straw hats is perfect wear for

those enjoying the sun at home or

opting for a stay-cation holiday.

Sally’s hats are wedding

favourites and often feature at

Royal Ascot, Royal garden parties

and other special events, but the

lockdown has given her time to

create a collection of timeless

wearable casual straw hats that

will last for summers to come.

After an Honours degree in

Jewellery, Sally trained in couture

millinery under the late Queen

Mother's milliner, and in theatrical

millinery with The Royal Opera

House.

Her clients include HRH The

Duchess of Cambridge and HRH

Princess Beatrice, First Minister

Nicola Sturgeon, mezzo soprano

Katherine Jenkins, ITV’s Charlotte

Hawkins, Edith Bowman and the

BBC.

She is Scottish Opera's milliner,

and other clients include Scottish

Ballet and The Royal Lyceum

Theatre. She also worked on the

Robert de Niro film 'The Good

Shepherd' and the stage musical

'The Lion King'.

With no access to a model or

hair and make-up artist, Sally

made a rare appearance in front

of the camera to model her own

collection.

Known for her beautifully crafted

at Lochside Crescent celebrating

Scottish Literary greats. Two of

the bronze heads are of prominent

women - Jackie Kay (sculpted by

Michael Snowden) and Naomi

Mitchison (sculpted by Archie

Forrest). The other two are

Norman MacCraig and William

Sydney (WS) Graham.

Hat tricks for staycation shade

handmade hats and headpieces,

she said: “I wear my hats all

the time and although I’m very

nervous anywhere near a camera,

my clients encouraged me to give

it a go.”

Sally applied her own make-up

and styled the shoot with pieces

from renowned womenswear

boutique Jane Davidson, linens

from Elizabeth Martin Tweed, and

jewellery from Carla Edwards, Kaz

Robertson and Pauline Edie.

She added: “The lockdown has

been particularly hard on small

business and I wanted to help

highlight some of the amazing

Solis hat range putting summer in the shade

Jackie Kay (b. 9 November 1961),

is Scotland’s Makar, or national

poet until 2021. Born to a Scottish

mother and Nigerian father, she

said that growing up in Scotland,

she “got beaten up quite a lot”

because of her mixed heritage.

Adopted by a Scottish couple

(Helen and John Kay) and raised in

talent and shops in Edinburgh.”

The shoot was only made

possible by calling on the talents

of professional commercial and

fashion photographer Alistair

Clark, who happens to be Sally’s

husband.

During the Covid-19 lockdown

Sally has been working behind

closed doors and accepting online

orders. Visits to her Edinburgh

Hat Shop and Studio will resume

when possible in Phase 3 of the

Scottish Government routemap,

with consultations resuming in

Phase 4.

www.sallyannprovan.co.uk

Crossword Answers by David Albury

Across: 1 Ember, 5 Aisle, 8 Calendar years, 9 Lists, 10 Snowy,

11 Reappearances, 12 Ideal, 14 Abbot, 16 Inconvenience, 17 Genre,

18 Enter.

Down: 1 Excel, 2 Belisha beacon, 3 Rungs, 4 Stage managers, 5 Abyss,

6 Shadow cabinet, 7 Essay, 12 Icing, 13 Lance, 14 Agile, 15 Their.

Glasgow, in her memoir Red Dust

Road she refers to herself as “part

fable, part porridge”.

In October 2012, before we

knew of Colin Kaepernick and

“taking the knee”, Kay wrote about

kicking racism out of football.

Hear My Pitch remembers

Arthur Wharton, the first black

professional footballer to play in

a UK football league. Wharton,

was born in Ghana, his father was

half-Scottish and half-Grenadian.

He came to England in 1882. By

1894 was playing for Sheffield

United. Jackie read her poem

on the pitch before kick-off at a

Sheffield United v Portsmouth

match on 29 October 2012. The

team are passionate supporters

of the Kick It Out campaign, since

1993. This works with the football

authorities, professional clubs,

players, fans and communities

to tackle all forms of racism

and discrimination. Kay recently

revealed that she worked for

several months as a cleaner for

the novelist John le Carré and that

being a cleaner was great training

to be an author: “You’re listening

to everything. You can be a spy,

but nobody thinks you’re taking

anything in.”.

Naomi Mitchison née Haldane,

(1 November 1897–11 January

1999) was a hugely prolific and

controversial Scottish author.

Perhaps her most well known

work is The Corn King and the

The Edinburgh Sketcher

Mark, The Edinburgh Sketcher,

runs sketching workshops from

various sites around the city

including the city centre, the New

Town and Leith.

Mark will teach you his tips and

techniques for sketching quickly

Shore and tell by Edinburgh Sketcher

Spring Queen (1931) - a vast

novel encompassing a mixture of

history, folklore and magic.

In 1916 she married Gilbert

Richard (Dick) Mitchison a lawyer

and Labour MP. Following the

success of The Corn King, she

and her husband purchased

Carradale House in Kintyre. She

spent most of the years of WWII

at Carradale and became deeply

involved in the local community.

In this period she transitioned

to poetry and created The Alban

Goes Out, a long narrative poem

describing a night spent fishing

with the Carradale fishermen.

Mitchison was no stranger to

controversy. Commissioned in

1932 to write a guide for children

and parents to the modern world,

it became An Outline for Boys

and Girls and Their Parents. While

critics loved it, it was criticised

by conservatives and religious

leaders for alleged Soviet leanings

and lack of emphasis on God and

religion. She also authored We

Have Been Warned, published in

1935. Its depiction of rape, free

love and abortion horrified and

alienated many in polite society.

Mitchison traveled extensively

and was a frequent visitor to

Botswana, where she was made

a tribal mother (Mmarona) to the

Bakgatla people. Mucking Around,

published in 1981, is an account

of her global adventures across 50

years and five continents.

on the go in a relaxed and and

no experience necessary step by

step guide. Book online via his

website below and you could soon

be capturing the world around

you in ink and watercolours.

edinburghsketcher.com

By John Hislop

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk SPORT 15

Leith Walk - a sea of green and white

Mercer - get your predatory

hands off Hibernian Football Club

For Hibs fans of a certain age,

Saturday 14 July 1990 – 30 years

ago this month – will resonate

strongly. It was the day that Hearts

owner Wallace Mercer finally

admitted defeat in his attempt to

take over city rivals Hibs.

Mercer’s humiliating climb-down

was a tremendous victory for

the club, its fans and the Hands

Off Hibs campaign, possibly only

surpassed by the events of 21 May

2016, when Hibs ended a 114 year

drought and brought the Scottish

Cup home to Leith.

Growing up in the Borders, I had

no affinity to any football team. A

Hearts supporting neighbour lured

me to Tynecastle where I shivered

through a boring 0-0 draw and put

up with the overwhelming smell

of hops from the nearby brewery

before, thankfully, my sister took a

fancy to Peter Cormack and took

me to Easter Road.

That was on 14 October 1967 and

I fell in love with Hibs that day. I

know the date as I still have the

programme which cost 6d. We

stood in the old south enclosure

next to the dugout and my breath

was taken away at first sight of

the massive two-tier old east

terracing as we watched Hibs beat

Dunfermline 2-0, with Cormack

scoring from the half-way line.

From that day on I have never

missed a Hibs game at Easter

Road that I was able to go to.

I was lucky enough to grow up

watching Turnbull’s Tornadoes and

have never seen a better brand of

football anywhere in the world. It

was poetry in motion. I was at the

greatest game in history on New

Year’s Day 1973 when Hibs beat

Hearts 7-0 and also at the East

Fife game a few days later when

the great John Brownlie suffered

a broken leg. It was downhill from

that moment, with the 1970s

ending in relegation.

In 1987 there was a glimmer

of hope when David Duff took

over from Kenny Waugh and I

risked divorce by spending my

life savings on buying shares. A

golden generation of youngsters

including John Collins, Mickey

Weir, Paul Kane, Gordon Hunter

and Eddie May, were augmented

by top-quality signings such as

Andy Goram, Stevie Archibald

and Murdo MacLeod, but it was

apparent that all was not well in

the boardroom.

I was one of the first to lose faith

in Duff and Jim Gray and let them

know as they were walking round

the pitch during the Morton game

when Andy Goram scored from

inside his own box.

Sure enough, a series of

disastrous business deals left the

club open to a hostile takeover

and Wallace Mercer was quick to

take advantage with his so-called

“vision for the future” that would

see one Edinburgh side challenge

the Old Firm dominance and the

“end of tribalism” in the city.

In reality, everyone knew that the

move was a take-over bid with

the aim of acquiring Easter Road

and the substantial property

owned by the club. The fact that

he swanned round the capital in

a maroon coloured Jag with the

personalised number XX1 - or

Double Cross One - hadn’t gone

unnoticed.

Speakers at a packed Hands off

Hibs rally, included the great Pat

Stanton, Jimmy O’Rourke and Joe

John Hislop

Baker, who famously kissed the

Easter Road turf, raising the roof

of the East terracing. If Joe had

told us to invade Gorgie at that

moment we would have done so.

The biggest roar came when

Kenny McLean warned Mercer:

“Keep your predatory hands off

Hibernian Football Club”.

The afternoon ended with an

emotional rendering of You’ll Never

Walk Alone by The Proclaimers

and we all left the stadium

determined to save the club.

Politicians and councillors got

involved and popular Leith MP

Ron Brown promised to raise the

issue with both the Monopolies

Commission and the Office of

Fair Trading. Two London-based

Hibs fans, Brian Rogan and Tony

Connor, along with Hearts fan

and former First Minister Alex

Salmond, presented a copy of a

petition to Margaret Thatcher at

10 Downing Street. Unfortunately,

the Iron Lady was running late as

she was having lunch with Nelson

Mandela and the massive crowds

outside waving ANC flags were

persuaded to chant ‘Hands off

Hibs’ whilst waiting on the great

man appearing.

Supporters staged a five weeklong

picket of the Bank of

Scotland’s headquarters on the

Mound, (Mercer’s bankers), and

the campaign even got an airing

on Blue Peter when presenter

John Leslie, against the orders of

his bosses, appeared on screen

wearing a Hands Off Hibs t-shirt.

A Battle Bus containing amongst

others Gordon Strachan and

The Proclaimers joined the Leith

Festival Gala Parade and at a

packed Usher Hall rally chaired

by politician Margo MacDonald,

Hearts legend John Robertson

disobeyed Mercer’s order not to

attend.

Unable to get his "predatory

hands" on enough shares and with

the Bank of Scotland pulling out,

Mercer’s attempt to end tribalism

had backfired spectacularly and

on that Saturday in July 1990,

generations of Hibs fans drew a

collective sigh of relief. If Mercer

had got his way the magnificent

traditions of Hibernian Football

Club would now be consigned to

the history books, and me and

thousands of other Hibees would

never have experienced that

unforgettable weekend in May

2016 when Leith was transformed

in to a sea of green and white.

Uncertainty

and anxiety

for Hearts

by Mike Smith

Hearts traumatic experience

of season 2019/20 has followed

them to season 2020/21 but with

one significant difference.

Last season Hearts were for the

most part, quite awful, and despite

some of those of the maroon

persuasion being in denial, the

Gorgie men seemed destined for

relegation and at least a season

in the Championship – which is

where owner Ann Budge came in

six years ago.

Her proposal for league

reconstruction was rejected by the

SPFL and the club joined forces

with Partick Thistle - who were

also relegated unfairly - to bring

a legal action which is due to be

heard in the Court of Session.

Hearts are looking to be reinstated

to the Premiership and Thistle to

the Championship. If not, they will

ask for substantial compensation.

If neither are forthcoming the

drastic action could be to force a

delay to the Premiership starting

on 1 August, which would be

catastrophic for Scottish football.

Clubs in the Championship won't

start league games until October.

The trauma the coronavirus

pandemic has inflicted on

the world puts Hearts current

woes into perspective, but the

uncertainty of which division

Hearts will be in at the start of

the new season has added to the

anxiety of the Hearts support.

The Scottish Rugby Union has

said it would make BT Murrayfield

available to Hearts, and this would

certainly help with any social

distancing measures that may

be required when clubs do return

and fans are allowed back inside

grounds.

But with the greatest respect, the

prospect of facing Alloa Athletic

on a wet and windy Wednesday

evening at the home of Scottish

Rugby will do little to entice Hearts

supporters to part with their

hard-earned cash.

With any luck, this time next

year Hearts will be preparing for

a return to the Premiership after

winning promotion. But a tough 12

months beckons first.

#Staysafe

when using the tram

Please don’t use the tram

if you are feeling ill

– stay at home

Cover your cough or

sneeze with a tissue, then

throw the tissue in a bin

Please respect

social distancing and

stand apart at the stop

Buy tickets using the

TfE app so that

you don’t need to use

the ticket machine

Please remember

that you must wear a

face covering when

using the tram

Use all available double

doors – the single doors at

each end of the tram are

currently not in use

Tram doors will open

automatically, then board

the tram one at a time to

maintain social distancing

Before and after

travelling, wash your

hands with soap and

water for at least

20 seconds

We’re all in this together.

Please be kind and

considerate to customers

and our staff

The Edinburgh Reporter July 2020

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