The Edinburgh Reporter Newspaper February 2020

February 2020

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk

Flagging over Brexit

This month will be the first since

the UK leaves the EU. Of course a

lot of detail has still to be worked

out but the Prime Minister was

adamant about leaving, and now

the process has begun….

It will undoubtedly have an

impact on all our lives in the

coming years.

On 31 January 2020 the EU flag

at Holyrood was due to be lowered

according to the parliament's

corporate body management

team. Just as we went to press a

vote was due to take place in the

Debating Chamber on whether

to keep the EU flag flying at

Holyrood.

The Scottish Government Brexit

Secretary Mike Russell said the

decision to remove the flag was

wrong, and that it was a symbol

of solidarity with the EU27 and all

EU citizens in Scotland. Presiding

Officer, Ken Macintosh, said he did

not want this to become a political

issue, and that the flags reflect

'our relationships in law'.

NEWS

Council makes plans for 2030

Read more on Page 6

FOOD

Juliet has been to The Broughton

this month Read more on Page 24

WHAT'S ON

Tyrannosaurs and Flies are just

two creatures featuring here!

Read more on Pages 14-19

Budgeting

for the

future

Now we have to look ahead

to budget setting at local and

national levels later this month.

The Scottish Government’s budget

will first of all be published on 6

February 2020.

The Cabinet Secretary for

Finance, Derek Mackay, is

responsible for drafting it. Mr

Mackay was taken aback that

the UK Government announced

a date for the UK Budget without

any engagement with The

Scottish Parliament whatsoever.

He tweeted : “Absolutely no

engagement or respect shown to

The Scottish Parliament or our

budget process. UK Gov have

failed to respond to our efforts to

get clarity or an orderly process

agreed.”

He said when announcing the

Scottish date - postponed from

12 December which turned out

to be the date of the General

Election - that the timing of the UK

Budget made it impossible for The

Scottish Government to publish

their own budget after the UK’s. It

would have drastically reduced the

time for parliamentary scrutiny.

Sajid David the Chancellor of

the Exchequer will leave number

11 Downing Street with the red

box to present the UK Budget at

Westminster on 11 March 2020.

So it is a bit of an oddity

which means that the Scottish

Parliament will agree a budget in

the absence of knowing specifics

about UK funding to Scotland.

STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 4

SPORT

Lots of news from banks and

pitches on our sports pages

Read more from Page 29

2

NEWS

ABOUT US

Thank you very much for

reading The Edinburgh Reporter

newspaper this January.

We have no real idea what will

happen after Brexit Day on 31

January 2020, but there is still

news to read and as local as we

can find.

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Editor: Phyllis Stephen

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07791 406 498

The Edinburgh Reporter

More to Care than Caring

Can you help PPC?

The Pregnancy and Parents

Centre is moving to new premises

this year. Their new home require

some TLC and so they have

launched a crowdfunder to raise

£30,000 to make the new hub into

a safe and welcoming space.

The centre is truly a one-off and

helps pregnant women, partners

and new families.

This will be used to help people

in Edinburgh who are sleeping

rough on the streets get access

to a bed and food along with

professional support such as GPs

and mental health care.

The charity’s care shelter is

open for 32 weeks in a year and

is a lifeline for those who might

otherwise be out in the cold.

With its small team Bethany

works with volunteers and

donations from churches and

individuals. The venue is provided

by Gorgie Dalry Stenhouse Church.

Alasdair Bennett, Chief Executive

at Bethany Christian Trust said:

“We are truly overwhelmed by

the generosity of support from

individual donors, businesses,

companies and churches who

have given to our Buy a Bed

campaign. We are so grateful

that people have chosen to give

All Farmers Autocare outlets

across the city

194 Queensferry Road, 225

St John's Road, 34 Hillhouse

Road, 111 Piersfield Place, 19c

Strathearn Road and 108B Market

Street Musselburgh.

All city libraries.

Avalanche Gapinski Waverley

Mall Princes Street EH1 1BQ

Bonhams 22 Queen St EH2 1JX

They have to move from their

current location at Lower Gilmore

Place where they have been for 11

years as it is being demolished.

Now they will take up residence

at 188 Pleasance, but they need

some help to make it pretty. That

can be by way of a contribution

to the crowdfunder, but they also

have a list of items which could

be donated - from carpets to

towards our mission of ending

homelessness in Scotland, one

person at a time.

“Thanks to their generous

support, this incredible amount

raised will significantly contribute

towards our operating of the Care

Shelter right through till May.

While substantial support has

been generated this year, there

is still a continuing need for this

life-saving project alongside our

wider work.

“Rough sleeping is only one but

very visible aspect of the complex

issue of homelessness. Bethany

Christian Trust works to not just

meet people at the point of crisis,

but we also aim to prevent people

from becoming homeless in the

first place and to support people

to sustain their own homes.

Therefore, the need is growing and

future support is vital.”

Boardwalk Beach Club

50 Marine Drive EH4 5ES

Broughton Place Hair & Beauty

2a Broughton Pl EH1 3RX

Café Lowdown

40 George St EH2 2LE

Candersons Sweet Shop

102 Leith Walk EH6 5DT

Close Gallery

4B Howe St EH3 6TD

The Doo’cot

731-733 Ferry Rd EH4 2UA

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

We welcome contributions to our website and newspaper.

‘There’s More to Care Than

Caring’ - a national campaign to

increase the adult social care

workforce was launched at Tribe

Porty in Portobello recently.

Around 145,000 people currently

work in adult social care in a range

of roles, including supporting

people with physical disabilities,

dementia, autism, older people

and those with mental health

conditions but more are needed.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman

and Children and Young People

Minister Maree Todd attended

the campaign launch saying that

this can be a rewarding job and

books and toys. The Pregnancy

and Parents Centre began in

1985 in founder, Nadine Edwards'

living room. From their various

central Edinburgh locations, they

have offered local families a safe

and comfortable place to come

together and share experiences,

develop confidence and make

strong friendships to carry them

through the challenges of early

parenthood.

pregnancyandparents.org.uk

Please support our stockists!

ESPC Showroom

107 George St EH2 3ES

Grassmarket Community Project

86 Candlemaker Row EH1 2QA

Henderson's 94 Hanover St EH2

1DB and Holyrood Rd

The Hideout Cafe 40-42 Queen

Charlotte St EH6 6AT

Leith Walk Police Box Pop Up

Croall Pl EH7 4LT

Maialino 34 William St EH3 7LJ

@EdinReporter


warning that Brexit threatens the

future of our health and social

care services.

Lee Robertson, 43, is a care

worker at Enable Scotland, who

moved to the sector after working

in retail. He supports Steven Imlah,

25, who features in the campaign

and works at Tribe Porty.Lee

said: “I love being a carer and I’m

passionate about letting others

know why it’s such a rewarding

and satisfying career choice. In my

previous job,I honestly felt like I

was working for the sake of it. But

now that I’m caring for Steven, I

feel like I’ve found my calling and

come away every day knowing

that I’ve made a big difference. It’s

a good feeling." CareToCare.scot

Bethany Christian Trust’s Buy a Bed campaign

raises over £100K for emergency night shelter

Milk & Honey

78 Queen Street EH2 4NF

Scottish Arts Club

24 Rutland Sq EH1 2BW

St Bride’s Community Centre

10 Orwell Terrace EH11 2DZ

Strumpets

35 William Street EH3 7LW

Summerhall

1Summerhall EH9 1PL

The Queen's Hall Box Office

Clerk St EH8 9JG

The Royal Scots Club

29-31 Abercromby Pl EH3 6QE

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter

Fares changes

Reimbursement of

from 2 nd February

2.1%

For every £1 of your fare 98p goes back into running our bus network

www.lothianbuses.co.uk

77.5%

19.6%

0.8%

concessionary fares

Miscellaneous

Local authority

supported bus services

based on 2019 Lothian group

Where does my bus fare go?

60%

11%

10%

5%

4%

5%

3%

2%

Fuel

Engineering

Depot overheads

Dividend



Find us on:


4 NEWS


NEWS 5

Budgeting for the future

The City of Edinburgh Council

appears to be dead set on finally

pulling the plug on the arms’

length body responsible for selling

the capital to the world.

The death by one cut began

when the council tried to slash

funding for the body which they

had previously supported with just

under £1 million a year.

The council set up the

organisation to promote the city

as a world-class destination in

which to live, work, study, visit and

invest, but appetite for it seemed

to wane under the new council

administration since 2017.

In February 2019 councillors

pressed ahead with a cut of

£300,000 to Marketing Edinburgh’s

budget. This was actually a

reprieve, as the council had

initially considered cutting the

financial support by 89% over two

years.

The board’s business plan put to

the council only last autumn set

out a route to achieve zero council

funding by merging Marketing

Edinburgh with the Edinburgh

Tourism Action Group.

The phased transition was

intended to set up a new body

Edinburgh & Partners by 2022.This

included a proposal that integral

parts of Marketing Edinburgh such

as Convention Edinburgh and Film

Edinburgh would be evaluated

separately, and that possibly Film

Edinburgh would move in-house at

the council.

The council’s Housing

Homelessness and Fair Work

Committee which is responsible

for the marketing body did not

accept this proposal leading to

the resignation of the entire board

of Marketing Edinburgh (https://

edinburgh.org/) last November.

At the time Gordon Robertson

was Chairman of the Board. He

wrote in a letter to the council

that the plan was the only one

that the board felt ‘would meet

the needs of the city by involving

all, providing a forum for tourism

beyond the current and driving

change. We therefore have no

option but to step aside and

allow you to proceed to appoint

Directors that share the Council’s

view and plan and immediately put

in place what is needed to execute

your plan.’

Mr Robertson continued : “We

regret that as it stands Edinburgh

is left with no plan to engage

with residents, to manage the

city brand, to understand tourism

trends or data, develop policy,

manage the new tourism strategy;

no climate for partnership or to

provide a cross industry forum to

manage tourism for the better in

the city.”

Mr Robertson signed off the

2018-19 Annual Review and

acknowledged the difficulties the

business faced. He wrote : “Well,

events caught up with us at the

beginning of 2019 and we find

ourselves having to transform or

cease to exist following a 34%

cut in Council funding and an

additional cut to income the will

reduce council funding to zero by

April 2020.”

According to documents The

Edinburgh Reporter has seen,

the board’s plan did not envisage

simply winding the body up, but

putting it onto a different format,

all with a purpose.

The proposal was to build a new

membership style organisation

with a series of partners.

It was hoped that these would

include the council, the former

Marketing Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Tourism Action Group, Festivals

Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Chamber

of Commerce and VisitScotland.

This partnership network was to

be developed for organisations of

different sizes to support the city’s

tourism businesses with growth

and high-quality experiences. They

also proposed working with bodies

like the World Heritage Trust and

Essential Edinburgh to advise the

council on many matters including

dispersing visitors across the city

with better wayfinding.

The four core activities for

Continued from Front Page


will meet on 14th and 20th

February 2020 to set a three-year

budget for the capital.

The details of these proposals

will be published on 10 February

after discussion by all political

groups.

It is clear that the budget will be

challenging in light of uncertainty

about funding from the UK and

Scottish governments, and also

due to an ongoing need to make

cuts in the revenue spend.

The council along with others

in Scotland is obliged to produce

what is called a 'balanced budget'.

Council Leader Adam McVey

said: "Despite the uncertainty

brought about by delays to

the UK Government’s budget

announcement, we’re committed

to setting a balanced three-year

budget for Edinburgh – paving the

way for record capital investment

in our schools and transport over

the next 10 years.

“We've already started outlining

our long-term plans for making

the city more sustainable and

accessible while managing our

city’s growth more fairly and

effectively. But to reach these

goals, we need to act now and

make the smartest use of the

resources we have available.

“Yes, there will be some difficult

decisions we'll need to make –

that's no secret. But it's extremely

the new organisation would

have been Tourism Planning,

Communications, Industry Support

and Research. They would have

informed the council with their

tourism strategy - something

which they obviously need in light

of the city’s discussion online and

off.

It was also thought that the

new body would both administer

and allocate funds raised by the

proposed Tourist Tax as soon

as that is given the green light

by Holyrood. The organisation

fought to gain control of the

edinburgh.org URL and knew that

by using that they could engage

with residents in surveys and

consultations.

But that plan was rejected by

the council, and we were told that

staff were to be made redundant

last month.

In 2019, bodies who

supported Marketing

Edinburgh published an open letter

to councillors about their financing

proposals. It stated : “Spare a

thought for Marketing Edinburgh –

the body that promotes Scotland’s

capital – who just days ago found

out that the City of Edinburgh

Council intends to almost

immediately remove 64% of its

budget from the organisation,

rising to 89% in year two. The

proposal – if passed – will go

live in a little over eight weeks,

disappointing that budget

information, much of it inaccurate,

has found its way into the public

domain, causing unnecessary

alarm in our communities.

“We won’t let this cloud the

process or stand in the way of

our priority, which is to agree

the best budget for the people

of Edinburgh; one that supports

people out of poverty, responds

to the climate crisis and allows

our residents to share in our city’s

success."

Depute Leader Cammy Day

added: "While many Councils

across the country will be meeting

next month or even later to set

a one-year budget, we're going

further, outlining our spending

plans until March 2023.

"Despite challenging budgets

and continued pressure on local

government finance, we will set

a three year budget to allow the

Council, partner organisations and

our residents some certainty for

the next few years.

“We will prioritise and invest in

the areas our citizens have told us

really matter to them, with a focus

on poverty and sustainability. I'm

confident that our future planning

will see the capital city with a

positive and progressive outlook

for the future.”

Remember that you can either

attend any meeting of the council

or indeed watch as it happens on

their live webcast.

Or follow our live tweets! @

EdinReporter.

Is it the end of the road for Marketing Edinburgh?

leaving Edinburgh as the only

major city in the developed world

without a Destination Marketing

Management Organisation.

“This is despite Marketing

Edinburgh having demonstrated

that they return £99 to the local

economy for every one pound

spent by them. It ignores their

central role in the £74M business

tourism and £16M film promotion

economies. And it undermines the

work they do to attract investment

from the private sector, which

they completely reinvest in city

campaigns.

“They also run the city’s

consumer digital channels, unite

city stakeholders, facilitate

thousands of conventions,

support hundreds of film and TV

productions…the list goes on.

“But all this seemingly doesn’t

matter to the Council, who want

to pull the rug with no obvious

contingency or regard for the

damage that will be done.”

The marketing body reported a

huge return on investment last

summer generating £900 million

of investment for the capital or

a 90:1 ratio. Not a bad return for

a body which the council now

regards as superfluous.

The council will meet to set its

budget this month but it may

already be too late for Marketing

Edinburgh .

Councillors criticised

for budget leaks

by David Bol

The capital’s Finance Convener

has criticised coalition councillors

who leaked budget proposals

amid fears the action is adding to

a “climate of fear” over where the

axe will fall.

The City of Edinburgh Council will

agree plans to make up to £40m

of cuts from its budget when

councillors meet this month.

In January it was revealed that

one proposal under consideration

was to cut £500,000 from

Edinburgh Leisure’s budget.

Green finance spokesperson, Cllr

Gavin Corbett pointed out that the

leak was made before opposition

councillors had seen the proposals

– pinning the blame on the

SNP-Labour coalition.

He added: “The only source could

have been from administration

councillors or some other

source – but not from opposition

councillors. The clear conclusion

is that administration members

must have been briefing the press

by David Bol

Plans to knock down a former

Masonic hall and wire works to

make way for a six-storey block

of student flats were approved by

planners last month.

The proposals by Maven Property

are to demolish the vacant

buildings on Murieston Crescent,

and built accommodation for 120

students. No car parking will be

provided as part of the scheme.

The accommodation will be

made up of 102 en-suite studios,

three cluster apartments with

four bedrooms for sharing and six

accessible studios.

The cluster apartments will have

four en-suite bedrooms centred on

a kitchen, dining and living room

area.

A management team will be on

site daily, with student wardens

appointed to provide support out

of hours. CCTV will be in operation

across all the communal areas.

A total of 120 cycle parking

spaces will be provided within a

two-tier storage system.

Planning officials had

recommended that Edinburgh

City Council’s development

management sub-committee

grant planning permission for the

and the administration needs to

take responsibility for that.”

Cllr Alasdair Rankin, the council’s

finance convener, hit out at

whoever has leaked the document

ahead of publication.

He said: “Leaks are always to be

deplored. It encourages people to

focus on one particular proposals

which may or may not be in the

budget.

“We expect all councillors to

observe the code of conduct that

you don’t rush off to the media

and hand over a briefing note. This

is simply not the way that any

councillor ought to behave.”

Conservative Cllr Andrew

Johnson added: “Why has nothing

changes from last year which

created the same climate of fear?

We now find ourselves back again

with very concerned individuals.”

David Bol is the Local Democracy

Reporter covering Edinburgh. Local

Democracy Reporters cover top-tier

local authorities and other public

service organisations.

Planning approval for Gorgie student flats

proposals.

The application was almost

put on hold after concerns

raised by ward councillor Denis

Dixon that a report drawn up by

planning officers was “inaccurate”

relating to the number of

objections and the stance of a

community council.

But officials confirmed that Cllr

Dixon was referring to a previous

application and stated that the

community council had written to

the authority, pledging its support

for the scheme.

Cllr Dixon also raised concerns

about parking and the potential to

use the roof space.

He said: “Murieston Crescent

is a particularity bad area for us

with congestion – it’s very narrow

there.

“On the roof of the building,

there’s no opportunity for that to

opened up is there?”

But officials reassured Cllr Dixon

that the sloping mansard-style

roof could not be used for another

purpose.

Planning Convener, Cllr Neil

Gardiner, welcomed the proposals

but pointed to potential changes

in student housing rules that could

be included in the forthcoming

Edinburgh failing the

homeless

New homelessness statistics

have showed an increase in people

using temporary accommodation

– including families with children.

It has emerged that Edinburgh is

the worst offender for breaches of

the Homeless Persons order.

Sarah Boyack MSP said, “The

increase of people overall in

temporary households – over

11,000 households – shows a

worrying trend and indicates

that the government is no further

along in solving our housing and

homelessness issues.

“This increase, the highest

figures since the provision of the

Housing (Scotland) Act in 2002,

is unacceptable. Even worse,

a quarter of those households

include children; over 7000

children let down by SNP local

government cuts.

“Families struggling to provide

security and stability for their

children spend an average of

212 days in B&Bs before finding

a home. What kind of message

new local development plan.

This includes proposals for

student projects over a certain

size to have a proportion of

housing included.

The planning convener also

wants student accommodation to

be easily adaptable to residential

housing in the future.

He said: “Murieston Crescent is

a hidden gem in the Gorgie-Dalry

area with an excellent square in

the middle.

“The building has been derelict

for 10 or 15 years and it’s

somewhat of an eyesore. We have

to deal with the current guidance

are we sending to our children

when we cannot even get the

basic necessities such as housing

right?”

Edinburgh topped the list

of Breaches of the Homeless

Persons (Unsuitable

Accommodation Order) (Scotland),

reaching 295 by October last year.

Shelter Scotland Director,

Graeme Brown, said: “These

statistics lay bare the reality of our

housing emergency. More children

in temporary accommodation than

we’ve seen in the last 17 years and

many households turned away

altogether.

“While it’s good that Edinburgh

is now being transparent these

figures show the council has not

been meeting its statutory duties,

a situation which we have already

highlighted in Glasgow.The sheer

numbers of occasions when

people are being turned away to

fend for themselves is scandalous.

Who knows what happens to

these people when they leave the

council offices? Councils can’t

pick and choose which laws they

adhere to.”

as it stands.”

Following the decision, local

ward Cllr Ashley Graczyk criticised

the decision to approve planning

permission.

She said: “Gorgie has excessive

student developments and zero

proposals for standard tenements

that would be accessible for

all, but apparently, more student

development is the answer.

“Once again, there are zero

community benefits for Gorgie and

high rent will continue to rise.”

David Bol is the Local Democracy

Reporter covering Edinburgh

Police news

VANDALISM

Edinburgh Police have appealed

for information following

vandalism to a number of

premises in the city centre.

Two incidents took place in The

National Museum of Scotland,

on 24 and 25 January 2020 when

glue was applied to different areas

of the venue’s toilets. A further

similar incident has since been

reported at the Festival Theatre on

Nicolson Street.

Inspector Trish Robertson, of

the West End Community Policing

Team, said: “Thankfully nobody

has been seriously injured as a

result of these incidents, however

these thoughtless acts were

extremely irresponsible and could

have potentially harmed young

children. Officers are conducting a

thorough investigation and I would

urge anyone with any information,

of who may have seen something

suspicious, to contact Police via

101, quoting incident 2808 of 27

January.”

TEENAGE ARRESTS

Two teenage boys have

been arrested and charged in

connection with an assault at a

shop in Edinburgh. The incident

happened around 6.55pm on

23 January, 2020, at the Hay

Convenience Store on Hay Avenue.

Two men, aged 38 and 49,

who were working in the shop,

were racially abused before

being physically assaulted.

The teenagers, aged 15 and 16,

appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff

Court on 28 January 2020, one

appearing from police custody.

Edinburgh Leith Area

Commander, Chief Inspector Gill

Geany, said: "I want to make it

clear that this type of behaviour

will not be tolerated. Police

Scotland is committed to ensuring

that those responsible will face

the consequences of their actions.

"Enquiries remain ongoing into

this incident and I am appealing

for anyone who has information

and has not yet spoken to police

to come forward."

ASSAULT CHARGES

A 30-year-old man and a 33-yearold

women were arrested and

charge in connection with six

assaults and robberies which took

place in the Wester Hailes area.

The incidents took place

between 8.50pm on Thursday, 23

January and 8am on Saturday, 25

January. The 30-year-old man and

33-year-old woman were due to

appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court

on 27 January.

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6 NEWS


NEWS 7

New galleries at Surgeons’ Hall

Museums Galleries Scotland

have given £60,000 to Surgeons’

Hall Museums to allow them to

develop two new galleries. The

galleries will be used for a new

project called Body Voyager.

The project will explore the

rest of computerised and robotic

technology in medicine with lots

of interactive exhibits.

The museum was first renovated

in 2015 with Heritage Lottery

funding of £4.4million. Their

exhibitions

Chris Henry, Director of

Heritage said: “It is clear from our

evaluations that there is a deep

and unwavering interest in the

human body and what happens

to it during illness. Therefore, we

feel that it is now time to look at

the future of surgery and try to

address changes that have taken

place since the opening of the

museum in 2015. In four short

years much has changed in terms

of the use of computerised and

robotic technology in medicine.

An exponential rise in the use of

robotics has led us to envisage

new galleries to consider the

changes this will bring.”

There will be four zones in the

galleries: an introduction, the head,

the torso and the limbs. Each area

will look at the extent to which

robotics has been introduced into

certain procedures already, as well

as charting the development of

robotic equipment.

Body Voyager will open in the

autumn of 2020.

Support for The Quaich Project

The Quaich Project say that

their most recent plans have

been received positively by

members of the public. They ran

a consultation late last year and

got more than 1,000 responses

with two thirds of respondents

supportive of the changes to the

gardens.

A second consultation event

will be held soon, prior to the

submission of a detailed Major

Development application to the

council.

The discussion asked whether

participants liked the plans for a

new Welcome Centre and whether

they approved of the events to

be held in the amphitheatre. The

idea behind these is to support

community use of the building.

The Quaich Project began with a

£5 million donation from Norman

Springford of Apex Hotels and is

now gathering steam ahead of the

planning application. The project

will include new paths, list access

and less steep inclines to access

the gardens.

David Ellis, Managing Director

at The Quaich Project, said:

“The results of the public

consultation on the designs have

been incredibly encouraging.

As the product of four years’ of

engagement with stakeholders

and the people of Edinburgh,

the designs presented at the

most recent public consultation

will transform West Princes

City Region Deal news

Deal will boost skills and career

support.

The Housing Construction and

Infrastructure Skills Gateway (HCI)

will be supported by £6 million

from The Edinburgh and South

East Scotland City Region Deal

and The Scottish Government over

the next seven years.

HCI offers a range of short

work-ready courses in renewable

energy for homes, electric

vehicle charging points, roads

infrastructure, environmental

technology and working with

school pupils. Universities and

colleges in the region all deliver

the HCI Skills Gateway.

In this, the fastest growing area

of Scotland, around 145,000 new

homes will be built in the next 20

years, and there could be a skills

gap which HCI Skills Gateway

hopes to reduce.

Professor Sean Smith of

Edinburgh Napier University sees

this as an opportunity to “enable

the region’s low carbon ambitions,

embedding new technologies and

clean-tech approaches for future

Street Gardens, making it more

accessible, open and useful for all.

“We also asked people if they

were in favour of a small number

of major events facilitating smaller,

community-focussed events

and it’s heartening to receive the

backing of almost three quarters

of respondents for this approach.

Currently, the Ross Bandstand

is outdated and inflexible and

the plans we’re putting forward

open up possibilities for a whole

range of community groups and

activities around the year.”

The City of Edinburgh Council will

continue to regulate the number

and type of activities taking place

in the gardens.

homes and buildings”.

Scottish Government Cabinet

Secretary for Infrastructure

Michael Matheson said: “The

Scottish Government’s £300m

investment to the Edinburgh and

South East Scotland City Region

Deal includes a £25m commitment

to improving skills within the

region. I’m delighted to see that

the HCI skills gateway is set to

benefit thousands of people in

the years to come, helping to

create the expertise that we need

in the Housing, Construction and

Infrastructure sectors in order to

achieve a sustainable, carbon-free

future for Scotland.”

Change is on the way

by Phyllis Stephen

At the moment the council is all

about considering what the next

decade will bring. It appears to us

that they are looking to the past in

many ways to create a sustainable

future.

In that vein it has drawn up what

is called a Choices document

which is now published for an

eight week consultation. The

aim is to have a draft Local

Development Plan in autumn

2020 for approval by The Scottish

Ministers.The last time the council

drafted a Local Development Plan

it was rejected by the government

so this time they have adopted

a more thorough and modern

approach. The next LDP will be

adopted in 2021. In the Choices

document planners set out to

achieve four aims:

A more sustainable city supporting

mental and physical wellbeing of all

who live here

Somewhere that you do not need a

car to get around

An affordable place for everyone

to live

Everyone shares in its economic

success.

These are lofty principles and

difficult to achieve even in ten

years, but they set the tone of an

ambitious set of proposals. One

of the main changes is to the

provision of affordable housing

within any development. If

approved, then any development

with more than a dozen houses

must also provide affordable

housing at a new increased rate of

35% of the total number of units.

Currently this is 25%.

Public events will be held.

Planning Convener Neil Gardiner

was keen to say that the various

choices contained in the report are

not in any way mutually exclusive.

As always there will be a

diversity of views on the proposals

which will be discussed in detail

during the eight week consultation

Copies of it are available in

libraries and online

Cllr Gardiner said: “Edinburgh is a

vibrant city, with a great quality of

life. We have a beautiful green and

historic environment, a thriving

economy and numerous cultural

attractions to be enjoyed. But, like

many cities, we have increasing

levels of poverty and health

inequalities in our communities,

rising housing costs and in some

areas, traffic congestion and

poor air quality. We also need to

adapt our city to meet the needs

of an aging population, address

the increasing impact of climate

change and ensure growth is

sustainable.

“We need to have an open

conversation with our residents,

businesses and other stakeholders

about how our city grows and

changes to meet future needs

where this growth takes place.

City Plan 2030 is about us making

the right choices now so that our

residents can make reasonable

and informed choices about how

and where they live and how they

get around in the future.

“We’re embarking on one of

the most significant periods of

transformation in a generation

and we need to rethink the way

we expand to accommodate our

growing population. We’re already

committed to building 20,000

affordable and low-cost homes

by 2027 but the city needs more

housing, with particular emphasis

on affordable homes.The plan we

finally publish will affect us all to

some degree and it’s important

that we hear from residents on this

journey to accommodate future

needs. The history of Edinburgh

is about successfully adapting

and evolving – now it’s our turn to

come together to think about how

we can plan most effectively for

the future.”

Vice Convener, Cllr Maureen

Child, added: “To meet our

ambitious climate change targets,

we must develop differently in the

future and all houses and other

buildings will need be much more

energy efficient. We will work

with our partners in the industry

to ensure we make the best use

of the limited space we have and,

going forward, we’ll be asking

developers to think more carefully

about location, density and design.

"Where historically you may

have built a supermarket on a

brownfield site, we need to think of

a mix of opportunities and uses for

the site, including housing.

“Of course, connectivity is

central to this and our Transport

and Environment Committee is

considering an ambitious new City

Mobility Plan, designed to improve

sustainable transport over the

next decade, while enabling the

type of growth we’re aiming for in

City Plan 2030.”

Twenty housing sites

by David Bol

The City's planning committee is

moving towards production of the

new Local Development Plan. The

Choices document is out for public

consultation now.


insists that it does not want to

open up green belt sites for new

development, with brownfield

sites that have been previously

developed the authority’s

“preferred option”.

But five green belt sites have

been identified as potential new

housing sites – along with a host

of brownfield sites in the urban

area, which could be part of

mixed-use developments.

Officials warned that to pursue

a brownfield strategy, compulsory

purchase orders could be used

to free up land for housing if

engagement with the landowners

fails. The sites include :

1.West Edinburgh green belt site

An area between Edinburgh

Airport and the A8 corridor has

been identified by council chiefs

as potentially being released for

housing development.

2. Kirkliston green belt site

The village of Kirkliston in the

north west of the capital is already

set to expand dramatically and

council chiefs have identified

further land, currently green belt,

that could be allocated for further

development.

3. Green belt site east of

Riccarton

An area to the east of Riccarton

has also been identified for

potential green belt release.

Council officials say it would

“create a new urban extension to

Edinburgh” and link communities

in west Edinburgh across the city

bypass to Heriot Watt University.

4. Calderwood green belt site

An area of green belt in

Calderwood, on the very western

boundary of the city, could

also be released for housing

development. The location is next

to development taking place in

West Lothian.

5. Green belt in south east

Edinburgh

A large swathe of south east

Edinburgh could be developed,

close to the Sheriffhall roundabout

and Shawfair Park. The housingled

development could run along

to the Straiton and Midlothian

Gateway.

6. Edinburgh Airport

decommissioned runway

Get in touch today!

The Crosswinds site, located at

the former decommissioned 12/30

runway at Edinburgh Airport, could

be turned into a housing-led mixed

development. But plans have

also been touted for the site to be

transformed into a ‘digital quarter’.

7. Seafield

A large strip of land along the

seafront, which is currently home

to car dealerships and a bus depot

on Seafield Road East has been

marked up for potentially being

turned into housing development.

The land, currently owned by the

private sector could either be sold

to developers or the council could

resort to compulsory purchase

powers in order to overhaul the

site.

8. Redford Barracks

The future of Redford Barracks

has been uncertain for several

years – with a planned closure

delayed by the Ministry of

Defence. But the site could

be designated for housing

development.

9.Royal Victoria Hospital

The former Victoria Hospital

on Craigleith Road could

be earmarked for housing

development. The building closed

in 2017 and has remained vacant.

10. Liberton Hospital

Liberton Hospital on Lasswade

Road is currently owned by NHS

Lothian – but council chiefs have

marked up the site for potential

housing development on the

brownfield site.

11. Bath Road

Industrial units on Bath Road

is Leith could make way if the

city council presses ahead and

reclassified the area as suitable

for housing development.

If taken forward, the site

wouldn’t be the first former

industrial area in Leith to be

transformed into new homes.

12. Jane Street

Jane Street, which is found just

off Leith Walk, is home to garages

and industrial buildings. Planning

bosses have earmarked some

industrial buildings that could

become suitable homes for new

housing developments in the north

of the city.

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enquiries please email


13. Powderhall waste transfer

site

Housing leaders at City

Chambers already have a vision

to turn this former waste transfer

station into a hosing-led mixed

development, including green

space. Located on Broughton

Road, opposite Broughton Primary,

the site is currently being cleared

after the waste site closed and

was dismantled.

14. Astley Ainslie

Astley Ainslie Hospital near

Morningside could be redeveloped

into housing. NHS Lothian is in a

process of winding down services

at the site and intends to close it

by 2025.

15. Saughton House

Saughton House, which is

currently home to offices for The

Scottish Government, has also

been included on a list of potential

sites to be turned into housing-led

development.

The building, in the Broomhouse

area in the west of the Capital,

is within walking distance of the

tram line through the west of the

city.

16. Murrayburn Road

Council bosses could reclassify

one of their depots, located on

Murrayburn Road in Wester Hailes,

as suitable for a housing-led mixed

development.

17. West Craigs Industrial Estate

West Craigs Industrial Estate is

located between Mayburn Road

and Turnhouse Road in the west

of the city. It is currently home

to various businesses including

Jewson, but could be earmarked

for housing development in the

future.

18. Gorgie Road

Council officials say a former BT

office block on Gorgie Road could

also be turned into housing if a

brownfield or blended strategy is

pushed forward by the authority.

19. Swanfield Industrial Estate

The industrial estate between

Bonnington Road and Great

Junction Street could be turned

into housing development, under

proposals by city planning chiefs.

20. Carron Place

Industrial units situation on

Carron Place, close to Salamander

Street, could be marked up for

housing development. The site

between Leith and Seafield could

be reclassified by council officials

in the new city plan.

@EdinReporter

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter


NEWS IN BRIEF

Safety on Scotrail

ScotRail has launched a new

campaign encouraging people to

stop and think about their own

personal safety while travelling or

at work.

During 2019, more than 670

minor customer and employee

injuries were reported across

Scotland’s railway, the majority of

which were avoidable and a result

of unsafe behaviours.

ScotRail’s new ‘Watch Yourself’

campaign is targeted at customers

and colleagues and aims to

challenge the most common

behaviours which can lead to

accidents and injuries. These

include texting while walking,

running through busy stations, and

not holding handrails on stairs and

escalators.

Local bike campaigning

On Monday 23 March 2020

the Lothians cycle campaigners

Spokes will hold their spring

meeting from 7.30-9.30pm. Doors

open 6.45pm for coffee, stalls and

chat.

Augustine United Church,

41 George IV Bridge, EH1 1EL

#SpokesMtg

New Defibrillator

There is to be a new defibrillator

installed on the outer wall of the

Deli on Lanark Road in Juniper

Green, the result of a funding drive

by the Juniper Green and Baberton

Mains COmmunity Council along

with the C&B News. in the event

of someone collapsing nearby,

anyone can dial 999 to gain

access to the defibrillator and

obtain advice on whether its use

is appropriate while an ambulance

or other responder is dispatched.

Emergency telephone operators

are trained in guiding people in the

use of the equipment, which has

led to more lives being saved.

Stockbridge takes over from

Giffnock

According to the recent Scottish

Index of Multiple Deprivation

(SIMD) 2020 Stockbridge is the

least deprived are in Scotland,

replacing Giffnock. The most

deprived is in Greenock town

centre and there are no such areas

in the Western Isles, Shetland and

Orkney. Levels of deprivation have

fallen in the City of Edinburgh

since the last report in 2016. The

figures are based on income,

employment, health, education,

access to services, crime and

housing.

Edinburgh tax

Revenue Scotland say that the

CIty of Edinburgh has paid 33 per

cent of the residential Land and

Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT)

due every year since the tax began

in 2015. The total is more than a

third of all tax due. No other local

authority area pays more than 9%

of the total due in any one year.

Moderator calls for end to

bitterness

Moderator Rt Rev Colin Sinclair

has joined church leaders from

across the country in signing a

statement calling for an end to the

bitterness and divisions of Brexit.

He said : “As Church leaders, we

are united in wishing to seek God’s

guidance and a sense of common

purpose as we move from this

chapter of the Brexit process

into the next. As Christians, we

affirm our belief that all people are

equally created in God’s image.

Our country should be one that

offers sanctuary to refugees

and is intolerant of those who

hate because of a person’s race

or nationality. Both Leave and

Remain campaigns agreed on this

– we must now make it a reality.

Keep Scotland Beautiful

The countdown to Scotland’s

Spring Clean is on - and

environmental charity Keep

Scotland Beautiful invites you

to step up and play your part in

ridding the nation of litter.

Poor local environmental quality

is having a negative impact every

day and litter levels remain at the

highest recorded in a decade.

Amongst the many significant

environmental challenges facing

Scotland, the charity says litter

should be one of the easiest

to tackle with individuals and

communities able to get out

and about to take action in their

local areas. With the 2019 Spring

Clean attracting more than 45,000

people, Keep Scotland Beautiful

is calling for even more people

to register to take part in 2020,

arrange their own Clean Up event

during April and May and help to

remove litter from local streets,

parks and public places.

Consumer Scotland

The Scottish Parliament voted

recently to set up a consumer

champion for Scots in creating

Consumer Scotland. Scotland’s

national consumer advice service,

consumeradvice.scot, said the

proposal will deliver a ‘positive

change to the Scottish consumer

landscape’.

consumeradvice.scot was

launched in April last year with

financial support from the

Scottish Government following the

devolution of consumer powers,

and is operated by the Glasgowbased

charity Advice Direct

Scotland. It provides free, impartial

and practical advice directly to

consumers in Scotland.

The deadline for our March

newspaper is 24 February 2020.

The deadline for our April

newspaper is 24 March 2020.

The deadline for our May

newspaper is 24 April 2020.

Do get in touch if you

have a story editor@


8 POLITICS


POLITICS 9

Marking 75 years since the

liberation of Auschwitz

by Jeremy Balfour MSP

The 27th January 2020 marked

75 years since the surviving

prisoners of Auschwitz were

liberated from the concentration

camp. I had the privilege of being

able to visit Auschwitz last month

and pay my respects to the 1.3

million people who suffered there

at the hand of the Nazis.

No matter how many times

you hear accounts of visits to

Auschwitz, nothing quite prepares

you for how chilling an experience

it is until you are there yourself.

Walking through the gates, it is

almost unbearable to think about

the people who entered and never

left… but we have to think about

it. If we do not remember those

horrendous events we not only

disrespect those that suffered;

we risk a similar thing happening

again.

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If I was struck by one thing

on my visit – it was that we

absolutely must do everything in

our power to ensure that nothing

like this ever happens again. We

all have a part to play in that by

making sure that we act in such

a way that shows tolerance to

those around us no matter their

religion, race, gender or any other

characteristic on which we differ.

As horrific as Auschwitz was,

we cannot change the past. What

we can and must do, is make sure

that history does not repeat itself.

SNP playing catch up with the NHS

by Gordon Lindhurst MSP

Our NHS staff across Lothian

do wonderful work day in day out

across our health service.

However, they are being badly

let down by an SNP government

which has had full control of our

health service for almost 13 years.

The most recent waiting time

targets for NHS Lothian made for

appalling reading with almost one

in five patients not seen within

the SNP’s four hour waiting time

target.

It becomes clearer all the time

that the SNP have completely

failed to prepare for the future in

terms of staffing and funding our

health service and are now playing

catch-up.

That only does a disservice

to patients and puts a greater

pressure on our staff.

I challenged the SNP Health

Secretary on the failure to

meet the waiting time targets

in Parliament but was met with

the usual deflection answers

of focusing on issues at

Westminster.

This is a complete dereliction

of responsibility from the Health

Secretary who should be looking

closer to home and outlining how

she will support NHS Lothian

going forward.

That is the least our hardworking

NHS deserve from the

Government.

Westminster’s airy dismissiveness

by Tommy Sheppard MP

The UK Government’s dismissive

attitude to Scotland’s specific

needs is growing increasingly

tiresome. Every constructive

suggestion of compromise made

by the Scottish Government is

flatly and high-handedly rejected.

Now, the Scottish Government

has put forward a detailed,

viable proposal for a devolved

Scottish visa system to meet

Scotland’s particular demographic

and economic needs. The plan

has been widely welcomed by

employers and industry groups,

including by the Federation of

Small Businesses and Scottish

Council for Development and

Industry.

Yet, the Westminster response

has been airy dismissiveness.

“Immigration will remain a

reserved matter”, says the Home

Office.

And it isn’t the first time.

Remember the Scottish

Government’s well thought out,

open and reasonable paper

Scotland’s Place in Europe.

If you recall, this outlined a

way of reconciling Scotland’s

overwhelming vote to remain in

the European Union with the wider

UK vote to leave. This would have

involved Scotland continuing to

be part of the UK but keeping

full access to the EU single

market and retaining freedom

of movement with continental

Europe.

This reasonable and workable

compromise was dismissed out

of hand by Westminster. To add

insult to injury, this is very like

the outcome that Boris Johnson

appears to have conceded for

Northern Ireland and will place

Scotland at a big competitive

disadvantage for inward

investment.

How much longer can Scotland

afford to put up with a government

in London that appears to care

nothing for our needs and

priorities?

@EdinReporter

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter


SNP failing on schools

by Daniel Johnson MSP

The importance of education

and a positive pupil experience is

surely something that people of

all political persuasions can get

behind.

However, the current

mismanagement of our schools

nationally, creates great strain on

our schools locally.

Lack of proper funding has seen

class sizes in Edinburgh schools

remain far higher than the average,

with four schools in my own

constituency with pupil rolls of

600 or above.

The Scottish Government

will site local capacity issues,

by Christine Jardine MP

Another month, another set of

alarming data showing Edinburgh

to have the worst air pollution of

any Scottish city. The analysis

from the Centre for Cities claims

Edinburgh also has the highest

proportion of deaths attributable

to pollution in Scotland, ahead of

Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen.

More than one in 29 deaths are

caused by air pollution here, with

157 deaths being directly linked

to the pollutant PM2.5. These

terrifying figures make it clear that

we must be taking fast and direct

action to tackle pollution in our

city.

but surely a responsibility of

government is to properly fund

education, especially for our

growing capital city that is

crying out for investment across

the board from The Scottish

Government.

Constituents have shared their

concerns with me about the

inadequacies of education under

the SNP, with standards and

confidence slipping.

I will always listen to the

concerns of parents to how their

children’s schools are run and will

not shirk in my responsibility to

hold The Scottish Government to

account on its failed record on

education.

Dying for a breath of

fresh air

The Council’s City Mobility Plan

includes a number of initiatives

to reduce the need for private

car use, but this must include a

Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) that

incorporates heavily polluted

areas in the west of Edinburgh.

And quite rightly, the Council is

already under pressure to review

the proposed boundaries for the

new LEZ.

The current plans seriously

risk concentrating pollution

along hotspots in the west of

Edinburgh, such as St John’s Road

and Queensferry Road. I urge

Council members to listen to the

thousands of Edinburgh residents

who have already asked them for a

city-wide LEZ. In light of these new

figures, limiting the LEZ boundary

is totally unjustifiable.

Rebuilding Liberton High School

in a bid to get support from the

welcomed Scottish Government.

by Miles Briggs

I am pleased that Edinburgh

City Council is looking at bringing

forward plans in their budget to

rebuild Liberton High School. The

council have proposed a 'dual

campus' model alongside a new

dedicated Gaelic high school,

Liberton High School has long

been overdue a replacement

building with a long list of

essential building maintenance

needing completed. Parents.

teachers and pupils must be

included in the consultation

between City of Edinburgh Council

and the Scottish Government.

One thing is certain, that a new

building is needed, so that pupils

in Liberton and the surrounding

area have a school with the best

possible environment for learning.

For too long Liberton High

School has been overlooked for a

replacement school building and

that must change and we must

see action taken to deliver the new

building.

Making the Most of the City’s Brown

Sites

by Sarah Boyack MSP

Over the last few months, like

many elected representative

campaigners, the election gave

me the opportunity to visit homes

across the city and the region. It

was a visual reminder of the

acceleration of change. All around

me I saw more and more housing

developments around the bypass

and, in the city, more and more key

boxes on the entrances to flats

and tenements as former homes

became rented property, let out

year-round to visitors.

Tourists are welcome to

Edinburgh, bringing a vibrancy

and life to our city, as well as

much-needed revenue. However,

getting the balance right between

the housing needs of residents

and the numbers of tourists is

critical, whether we are looking

at the city centre or the concept

of ‘boatels’ on the canal. Also

Last month Edinburgh Eastern

MSP Ash Denham hosted an

advice surgery in Portobello for EU

citizens who had questions about

the EU Settlement Scheme and

crucial is the way we develop

and invest in our communities

for the future, and so I welcome

news that the council plans to

earmark more brown sites for

future development – a welcome

departure from relying on our

ever-decreasing green spaces.

However, change needs to

come in other ways, too. We need

to think ahead in terms of the

climate, which should remain at

the forefront of planning - and

we need to change our habits.

Instead of using easily-available

green sites, we must make use

of existing buildings. It is by far

the most climate-friendly option

but it will require both councils

and communities investing

in tenements and under-used

buildings.

Modern shopping habits have

altered the use of our high streets.

Town centres change before our

eyes as people jump in cars and

drive to supermarkets for plasticpackaged

foods leaving town

EU Surgery in Portobello

how Brexit will affect them.

53 constituents, representing

nine EU nationalities, attended the

Q & A session led by Ms Denham

and Karen Brown from Citizens

Advice Scotland.

The MSP had written to all EU

citizens in her constituency to

make them aware of the surgery.

Ms Denham said: "I felt it was

important to put on this event to

make sure that EU citizens felt

reassured about the EU Settled

Status Scheme and to give them

an opportunity to ask questions

specific to them and their family.

"There was a strong turn out of

centre properties vacant. The

decay that sets in affects more

than the properties – it affects

community cohesion and civic

pride.

Halting this erosion seems like

a tall order. Investing in brown

sites is more expensive that green

sites, but the longer-term cost will

be greater if proper local authority

funding fails to materialise in the

next budget.

In the coming months, it is vital

that communities have a voice

in Edinburgh Council’s local

plan, whether it means talking to

councillors, attending meetings or

making your own representations.

It is only by uniting community

needs with council planning

objectives that a realistic,

long-term green solution to our

housing and community issues

will be found. Take a look at the

consultation events and the draft

plan on the council website : www.

edinburgh.gov.uk

53 constituents representing nine

different EU nationalities, and

everyone could ask questions.

”I made it clear that EU citizens

are valued for the contribution

they make to our society and our

culture, and that I want them to

stay.

"If any EU citizen would like

advice or support in completing

their application, the Scottish

Government has committed to

providing a 'Stay in Scotland'

package of support.

"This includes the funding of

Citizens Advice Scotland.

"They have a help line available

weekdays between 9.00am and

5.00pm The number is 0800 916

9847."

Brexit is bad for

Edinburgh

by Ian Murray MP

Labour deputy leadership

candidate

I am writing this just hours

before we leave the European

Union.

As readers will know, I fought

tirelessly to prevent this

happening.

It is therefore deeply upsetting

and worrying that Brexit is upon

us, particularly for Edinburgh’s

economy.

But what I won’t do is respond in

the way the SNP has - by trying to

make things even worse through

leaving the UK as well.

Instead, I believe we must

concentrate on rebuilding our

relationship with Europe.

I am standing in the election

for Deputy Leader of the Labour

We had a look at the Scottish

Cabinet papers which were

released in January. These papers

are published when they have

been archived for 15 years, so

some of what we read seemed

pretty recent and familiar.

Malcolm Chisholm MP for

Edinburgh North and Leith was

Health and Community Care

Minister. He wanted to hold a

consultation on banning smoking

in public places. Stewart Maxwell

Party, and I have pledge to launch

a Labour Campaign for Britain’s

Future, with the party’s values of

togetherness at its heart.

The Labour movement must

make the case for a much closer

relationship with Europe, restoring

our reputation, and working to

grow our economy on behalf of

workers in every UK community,

Leave or Remain.

Ultimately, I believe we should

never rule out campaigning to be

part of the EU again in the future if

it is in the national interest.

The Labour Party’s values of

internationalism and solidarity are

why we should always be a pro-UK

and a pro-Europe party.

Never again can we face both

ways of the biggest issues of our

time.

If we can’t stand up for the future

of the UK and play a central part in

Europe, then we stand for nothing.

Scottish Cabinet papers

2004

had initiated a Private Member’s

Bill and Ireland had already put

a ban in place. A Breath of Fresh

Air for Scotland indicated a move

to reduce tobacco related harm

and public education on passive

smoking and environmental

tobacco smoke. The consultation

was launched on 7 June that

year in a smoke free pub. The

government wanted to test public

acceptance for legislation to stop

people smoking in certain public

areas. Interestingly the document

was on paper and was returnable

by FREEPOST.

10

POLITICS

Get in touch today!

For editorial and advertising enquiries

please email


@EdinReporter

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter



Ian Murray for Deputy Leader

PHOTO John Preece

Heather is MEP for

three days

The European Parliament

officially recognised the SNP’s

Heather Anderson as Scotland’s

newest MEP just three days before

the UK left the EU.

The appointment came after

Alyn Smith stood down from the

European Parliament in order to

take up his post as Westminster

MP for Stirling.

The appointment also meant that

four of Scotland’s six MEPs voted

against Boris Johnson’s Brexit

deal, a proportion which reflects

the referendum result in Scotland.

The European Parliament voted

on the Withdrawal Agreement on

29 January 2020.

Ms Anderson said: “I’m delighted

to be taking up my post, if only for

a few days.

“The people of Scotland

resoundingly rejected Brexit

at the referendum and have

underlined that position at every

subsequent election. It’s therefore

important that a full complement

of Scotland’s MEPs is in place

to register that view in the

parliamentary record.

“We know that the UK is

leaving the EU at the end of this

week. Scotland has a clear route

back however – and I hope to

be able to return to Brussels

in the not so distant future to

resume work as an MEP for an

independent member state.”

The Edinburgh Pentlands MSP,

Gordon MacDonald, asked The

Scottish Government “what impact

the Tory government’s plans to

impose further restrictions on

EU workers coming to Scotland

will have on our internationally

acclaimed festivals.”

He has asked this often before.

Festival organisers have

previously described the visa

process for performers who

want to appear at Edinburgh arts

festivals as “humiliating” and

“Kafkaesque”.

In response the Cabinet

Secretary for Culture, Fiona

Hyslop, highlighted that the

additional restrictions on people to

coming to this country will affect

both artists and visitors.

She said that the “attitude of the

Scotland's only Labour MP, Ian

Murray MP, launched his campaign

for the party's deputy leadership

role last month at his former

school, Wester Hailes Education

Centre.

Mr Murray said : "We must reach

out and listen to every corner of

this country and every person in

our country."

“Our party can only win by

winning support across the whole

of the United Kingdom, by building

a coalition of all types of people

with a variety of interests.”

He added that the Labour party

must not become "a party of

perpetual opposition", but must be

seen as "credible opposition".

He continued : “I’m embarrassed

about the cancer of antisemitism

UK Government and its attitude

towards Europe will affect how

people see this country”.

Mr MacDonald has repeatedly

highlighted the “devastating”

impact that the UK government’s

hostile environment has had on

the ability to attract international

guests to Edinburgh’s festivals.

In a Members’ Debate that he led

last year, Mr MacDonald argued

that since the Tory government

introduced hard-line visa controls,

visa applications for performers

have been hit by refusals, errors

and delays, with some acclaimed

international writers, actors and

musicians forced to cancel trips to

festivals across the capital.

He has now written to the

UK government to raise these

additional concerns for the future

in our party.

Miles Briggs MSP

0131 348 5946

Miles.Briggs.msp@parliament.scot

Milesbriggsedinburgh

MilesBriggsMSP

www.milesbriggs.scot

M2.15,

The Scottish

Parliament, Edinburgh,

EH99 1SP

"As deputy leader I will ensure

a zero-tolerance approach

to bullying, harassment and

antisemitism."

“I will take personal responsibility

for the grievance and complaints

process, and I will be held

responsible for enforcing that

zero-tolerance approach."

He added: “Never again do I want

any Jewish person to feel that they

do not have a home in the Labour

Party, that they can’t trust us to do

the right thing, or that they feel our

party would make the country a

more dangerous place for them."

The ballots for Leader and

Deputy Leader open on 21

February, with the results

announced on 4th April 2020.

Threat to Edinburgh Festivals

of the capital’s festivals.

Mr MacDonald, said: “The

Edinburgh Festivals are world

class and have enormous cultural

and economic benefits, not only

for our capital, but for Scotland.

“The success of the Festivals

rely on the seamless flow of

artists and people from across

the world - something that the

Tory government seem intent on

preventing.

“For years now, artists have

been deterred from coming here

because of the UK government’s

humiliating application process

and their current obsession with a

hard Brexit looks like it is going to

make this situation worse.

“The UK government need to

open their eyes to the damage

they are causing to our festivals.”

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk NEWS 11

Proposals for a Scottish visa

The Scottish Government

has issued a paper which says

that they need powers over

immigration policy which is at

present reserved to Westminster.

A new Scottish visa would work

with devolution to increase the

number of people coming to

Scotland and reduce any skills

gaps which might come about

from the new UK immigration rules

after Brexit. The government says

that all of Scotland’s population

growth in the next quarter century

will come from migration. Anyone

applying would have to live in

Scotland and have a Scottish tax

code.

Historical find during the Tram to

Newhaven works reveals writings

relating to Burns, coins and

newspapers.

During the tramworks the Burns

statue on Constitution Street has

been moved for safekeeping. This

is not the first time the statue has

been moved. It was also moved in

1961 by a mere 18 feet. This time,

it has been sent to Nic Boyes for

an overhaul while the tramworks

make progress. Workers found a

time capsule which they believed

dated from 1898 underneath it and

it was finally opened on the eve of

Burns Night. Sadly, it had already

been opened in 1961 and some

artefacts added to it then.

It was placed in a specially

carved place within the plinth, and

was covered with lead. The various

things inside included newspapers

and coins with pennies from 1898

carefully wrapped in paper and

details of crime rates from 1897.

Conservator Nic Boyes was in

charge of taking down the Robert

Burns statue and he was in charge

of opening the capsule. He was

very excited and explained that

The First Minister Nicola

Sturgeon said: “Migration to

Scotland supports economic

growth and the delivery of public

services and helps to address

the serious issue of long term

demographic change – as well

as enhancing and sustaining our

communities.

“Yet the latest proposals from

the UK Government to control

immigration and end freedom of

movement would be disastrous

for our economy and society and

would risk acute labour shortages.

“Migration is an issue which

is crucial for our future, but the

he had to be careful with the

contents which our predecessors

had put in the vessel for us to

find. He said before the opening

: "We have to open this in such a

way as to conserve the contents.

Conservation is all about

recording.

"We use handtools only and will

remove the neck of the capsule

before opening it by cutting it

along the top."

Scottish Government doesn’t

currently have the powers needed

to deliver tailored immigration

policies for Scotland.

“Devolving immigration powers

by introducing a Scottish Visa

would allow Scotland to attract

and retain people with the skills

and attributes we need for our

communities and economy to

flourish.”

The proposal is based on similar

regional immigration schemes in

Canada and Australia.

Time capsule under the Burns

statue opened

New Scottish Bank

The Scottish Parliament

unanimously passed a new

piece of legislation to establish

a Scottish National Investment

Bank.

The new bank will direct

investments that deliver economic,

environmental and social returns,

and help Scotland’s achieve its

goal of net-zero carbon emissions.

It will aim to increase innovation,

give support to small and medium

size enterprises (SMEs), and

build a high-tech and inclusive

economy.

The bank should be operational

before the end of 2020. It will

have an initial capitalisation of

£2 billion over 10 years with the

aim that it will ultimately become

self-financing.

Economy Secretary Derek

Mackay said: “The Scottish

National Investment Bank has the

potential to transform Scotland’s

society by powering innovation

Lothian’s engineering team is

looking for new apprentices to add

to its technical team. There are

ten positions open to anyone aged

16-19. The Apprentice Technician

posts run for four years and

provide a route to an SVQ in Bus

and Coach Mechanical/Electrical.

This scheme is run in

partnership with Glasgow Training

Group. Apprentices are given the

chance to develop their skills in

a modern, purpose-built centre

and get practical experience at

Lothian’s garages. The company

has an ongoing partnership with

Volvo Truck and Bus Scotland.

In the last ten years Lothian has

trained over 80 apprentices with

the majority of those still currently

working within the company.

Jim Armstrong, Lothian’s

Engineering Director, said: “At

Lothian, we understand the

importance and value of helping

develop technical skills amongst

our young people and for nearly

twenty years we have worked

and building a high-tech, inclusive

economy.

“Most importantly of all, the

bank’s primary mission will be

to face up to the global climate

emergency by accelerating the

just transition to net-zero carbon

emissions. Harnessing private

sector activity to achieve this has

never been more important.

“We know from the experience

of other countries that national

investment banks can deliver real

change, but this impact will not be

delivered overnight. It will require

determination, patience and

support from partners right across

Scotland.

“In passing this Bill today, the

Scottish Parliament has taken

the crucial first step towards

creating an institution that is

commercially minded and also

publicly accountable to the people

of Scotland.”

Fancy being an

apprentice with Lothian?

hard to make sure they receive

the best quality training possible.

Our apprentices are also able to

draw from the experiences of our

dedicated engineering team and

receive vital on the job training

to help ensure their skills are well

rounded.

“We are delighted to be able to

welcome more apprentices across

2020 and look forward to meeting

some of the applicants that I’m

sure will go on to have successful

careers within the company and

help to future proof our business.”

You have until Friday 28th

February to submit an application.

You must have received or be

working towards National 4 or

above in Maths, English and

either a Science of Technical

subject. Standard Grades 1-4

and Intermediates will also be

accepted.

Contact Glasgow Training

Group on 0141 950 5663 for more

information.


12 BUSINESS


BUSINESS 13

Business Awards

The Edinburgh Chamber of

Commerce Business Awards takes

place at EICC on 27 February

2020. There will be winners in 15

categories with businesses of all

sizes.

This year the ceremony will be

the most sustainable yet with

measures taken to reduce waste.

The EICC is already focused on

this by using energy efficient

practices and local food whenever

they can.

This year the Circular Economy

Innovation Award will recognise

businesses who adopt Circular

Economy practices.

This is part of Zero Waste

Scotland’s £73 million Resource

Efficient Circular Economy

Accelerator Programme funded

by The Scottish Government and

European Regional Development

Fund (ERDF). This tries to

improve economic performance

while reducing the impact of

economic activity on the natural

environment.

Liz McAreavey, Chief Executive

of Edinburgh Chamber, said:

“The annual business awards

are a tremendous opportunity for

the city’s business community

to come together to celebrate

achievement and success, and to

recognise the vitally important role

that commerce plays in the civic

life of the Capital.”

“We are delighted to be working

with the world class EICC again

with a focus on sustainability. In

place of the traditional goodie

Edinburgh St James

appoints MD

Nick Peel has been appointed as

Managing Director of the £1 billion

Edinburgh St James development.

Some parts of the scheme - the

retail and leisure elements will

be finished later this year and Mr

Peel will oversee the day to day

management as it is handed over.

The apartments, cinema, apart

hotel and the hotel will be opened

next year in 2021.

Previously head of asset and

estate management at Battersea

Power Station, Nick has years

of experience of operational

management and commercial

property. He also worked

previously at Arsenal as their retail

director.

Nick said: “This is an extremely

exciting project and I’m especially

keen to continue to raise the

profile of Edinburgh St James

within consumer brands and

businesses as it opens, which will

help ensure a truly sustainable

project. I’m committed to

driving the best environmental

practices and working on our

digital approach to benefit our

consumers for the future.”

Martin Perry, Director of

Development at Edinburgh St

James, commented: “Edinburgh

St James will reflect the

city’s position as a European

cosmopolitan city with a thriving

economy and unique appeal to

residents and tourists alike.

“Nick brings a wealth of

experience and leadership quality

to ensure the management of

the completed development is to

a world class standard befitting

the aspirations of the project.

Nick shares our vision for the

site and will help to build strong

relationships with the exciting

brands we are bringing to the city

– complementing and enhancing

everything Edinburgh has to offer.”

bags we are introducing reusable

gifts for guests, and digital copies

of the brochure will be available

for download via a QR code on the

evening.”

There is still time to book

a place at the event. www.

edinburghchamber.co.uk

New post office

A new post office has opened at

190 Dalkeith Road at Amir & Sons

Newsagents.

The branch will offer a wide

range of services.

You can post letters and parcels

and also return items which you

have bought online.

As well as postal services there

is also a range of banking services

available.

The new Post Office is open

6.00am to 9.00pm Monday –

Friday and 7.00am to 9.00pm on

Saturday and Sunday

The new branch aims to offer

even more convenience to Post

Office customers by extending the

availability of Post Offices services

in Edinburgh.

Angela Smith, Post Office

Change Manager said: “We want

to make it as easy as possible

for customers to pay their bills,

withdraw cash from their bank

accounts, and send and collect

their mail at a time and place that

suits them best.”

She added: “We know how

important our services are to

customers.

"We are confident that this brand

new Post Office alongside our

other branches, will ensure that

people in the community have

easy access to our services.”

Lord Hodge now second in

command at the Supreme Court

A Scottish judge, the Rt Hon Lord

Hodge has been appointed Deputy

President of the UK Supreme

Court succeeding Lord Reed. HM

The Queen made the appointment

on the advice of the Prime

Minister and Lord Chancellor,

following the recommendation

of an independent selection

commission.Lord Reed took up

the position of President on 11

January 2020, replacing Lady

Hale who retired after serving as

President of the Supreme Court

since September 2017. He was

sworn in as President on 13

January.Lord Hodge will be sworn

in at a special ceremony on a date

to be announced.

Lord Hodge said: "It has been

a great privilege to have served

on the Supreme Court since

2013 and it is a great privilege

to have been chosen to follow

Lord Reed as Deputy President

of the Court. I feel honoured to

have this opportunity and look

forward to continuing to work

with my colleagues from each

of the jurisdictions of the UK in

upholding the rule of law."

Lord Hodge became a Justice

of The Supreme Court in October

2013. He was admitted to the

Faculty of Advocates in 1983

and appointed QC in 1996.

From 1997-2003, he was a part

time Law Commissioner at the

Scottish Law Commission.

Prior to his appointment to the

Supreme Court, in April 2013, Lord

Hodge was the Scottish Judge

in Exchequer Causes and one of

the Scottish Intellectual Property

Judges.

Ken Hom coming to Edinburgh

Ken Hom OBE is coming to the

capital to prepare a charity dinner

with pupils from George Heriot’s

School.

The renowned chef, writer and

broadcaster, is joining pupils from

the school to prepare dinner in

support of Action Against Hunger.

George Heriot’s has taken up the

challenge of developing S6 pupils’

cookery skills and food knowledge

with a hands-on course that puts

pleasure at the heart of learning.

Once a week, a group of S6 pupils

learns new recipes, cooks together

and enjoys each other’s company

over lunch. Emphasis is placed on

cookery as an essential life skill –

one that builds pupils’ confidence

and prepares them for the future.

Whilst pupils were aware

their learning experience would

include preparation of a dinner

in support of a chosen charity,

they were taken aback to learn

it will be for 90 paying guests

and be overseen by one of the

world’s most admired chefs. They

will work alongside Ken Hom in

the production of an elaborate

Chinese banquet.

The cookery skills programme

reflects the school’s commitment

to promoting positive mental

health through a culture of

kindness, respect and inclusion.

It is this aspect of the initiative

that particularly appeals to Ken

Hom. “George Heriot’s focus on

food education is something

to celebrate. It reminds us that

cooking and eating together has a

humanising effect. It requires us

to listen to each other, enjoy each

other’s company and build strong,

meaningful relationships. Sharing

food and drink, and hosting others,

is one of life’s greatest pleasures.”

Speaking of the programme,

George Heriot’s School Principal,

Lesley Franklin said: “We are

championing this project because

we want young people to have

the skills to cook healthy, tasty

meals for themselves. The

progress our S6 pupils have made

in their cooking skills throughout

this year has been tremendous.

Connecting with other people

through conversation and enjoying

each other’s company is beneficial

to everyone’s mental health. What

better way to do that than by

cooking and sitting down to eat

together?”

The evening on 20 February

2020 will include a drinks

reception; Ken Hom in

conversation with Donald Sloan,

Chair of the Oxford Cultural

Collective; and a three-course

dinner with wine.

Commencing countdown, engines on

Skyrora the Edinburgh company

intent on going to space is ready

to test its newly built 3D printed

liquid bi-propellant rocket engine.

The new 3-tonne engine was

made with advanced materials

and uses a regenerative cooling

approach. The 3D process is called

‘powder bed fusion’ which uses a

laser to melt and fuse the metal

powder together. The company

used the printing method as it

increases the accuracy of the

component parts which also

decrease in number, leading to

lower costs.

Skyrora’s commercial sub-orbital

vehicle Skylark-L is expected to be

ready for launch by Summer 2020,

and the company plans to start

testing this engine in Scotland

soon.

Dr Jack-James Marlow,

Engineering Manager at Skyrora,

said: "Completion of the 30 kN

engine manufacture is a key

milestone for us, and allows

Skyrora to proceed with hot fire

testing for validation. Additive

Layer Manufacturing was a real

gamechanger, as it allowed us to

integrate the cooling channels into

Leonardo Hotel

Edinburgh Murrayfield has

been transformed!

To exceed the expectations of

our guests we have invested £2.6 million

to upgrade all hotel facilities.

You must come and see what we have done.

one printed chamber piece.

“At Skyrora, we are always

looking to expand the impact

space can have on our lives. Our

vision is to make the UK a world

leader in the growing space

sector, unlocking the benefits of

increased access to space for all.

“This development places

Skyrora as a leader in the

European launch vehicle market.

With our plans to start testing

and then launch, 2020 is going to

be an exciting year for us. We can’t

wait to get started.”

On another planet

Planet Kuku founded by Mat

Noniewicz and Maria Janowczyk

are now working from a new

commercial kitchen in Telferton

Industrial Estate near Portobello.

The new 1800 square feet space

will allow them to increase

production of their Middle Eastern

frittata-style delicacies.

Their turnover has risen from

£37,000 to £90,000 in the last two

years - and they expect to double

last year’s figure in 2020.

They began making their unique

dish, known as Kuku, which is

100% vegan, using chickpeas,

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

187 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UG

flower, water and Scottish cold

pressed rapeseed oil, in their home

in 2015 and selling at various

markets and food events.

They have had assistance from

Business Gateway Edinburgh and

Head Susan Harkins said : “We are

delighted to be able to help Planet

Kuku to grow their business with

ongoing support in many different

areas, including 121 mentorship,

research and network building.

“They have carved out a fantastic

niche product which is guaranteed

to continue to grow and be a huge

success.”

14

THE BEST OF...


The Edinburgh Reporter Best Of...

Broughton Place Hair & Beauty

A luxurious, elegant salon

with a very happy and friendly

atmosphere. They aim to make

your experience a relaxing,

enjoyable and glamorous one!

0131 556 4478

2a Broughton Place EH1 3RX

www.broughtonplacehair.com

21st Century Kilts

Designer boutique for quirky, off

the peg and bespoke kilts made

from tartan and contemporary

textiles. Howie Nicholsby

redefined the kilt that you need.

Strictly by appointment.

07774757222

48 Thistle Street EH2 1EN

21stcenturykilts.com

The Haven

A great cosy café for breakfast

lunch and coffee. Free wifi.

They don't take table bookings.

Fabulous cakes and happy friendly

staff.

0131 467 7513

9 Anchorfield, EH6 4JG

Facebook @TheHavenCafe

Ardgowan Distillery

Enjoy the newly released

Clydebuilt Coppersmith - a limited

edition blend of malts matured in

first fill Oloroso sherry casks. “…a

super balance of sweet and spicy,

heather honey, sultanas and very

dark chocolate...”

£49.99

shop.ardgowandistillery.com

Little White Pig

Combines the comfortable,

unpretentious environment of a

Scottish pub with tasty, local &

seasonal food. Family friendly, dog

friendly, foodie friendly place to

bring friends and make new ones.

0131 556 3036

26B Dublin Street EH3 6NN

littlewhitepig.co.uk/

Your Business

Talk to us about our advertising

packages and features. We have

the numbers and the audience

that could help put you and your

business on the map this year.

editor@theedinburghreporter.

co.uk

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

Rescue, reunite, rehome.

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

accepts any dog or cat that

reaches their door in need, and

works tirelessly to secure happy

and loving forever homes.

26 Seafield Road East, EH15 1EH

0131 669 5331

info@edch.org.uk

Mind Generating Success –

Hypnotherapy Practice

A helping hand to rid yourself

of unwanted habits. Contact

me today to arrange an initial

consultation. Evening/weekend

appointments and home visits

available.

07521 353 787

mgs-hypnotherapy-services.co.uk

The Broughton Pub & Eatery

This is the latest place on

Broughton Street. Embracing the

new while giving a respectful nod

to the familiar. Everyone’s Local.

0131 556 6608

46-48A Broughton Street EH1 3SA

hello@thebroughtonbar.com

www.thebrougtonbar.com

Queen’s Hall

Did you know this independent

charity needs £100K each year

to look after the building and run

outreach projects? Add a donation

when buying tickets!

85-89 Clerk Street, EH8 9JG

0131 668 2019

www.thequeenshall.net

Candersons Sweet Shop

Debbie Anderson invites you

to take yourself back to your

childhood with all the traditional

sweets in the jars at her shop.

0131 554 1401

102 Leith Walk EH6 5DT

candersons-sweetshop.

com

Craig Banks Tailoring

Specialising in bespoke tailoring

for men. The focus is on making

the highest quality personally

tailored attire that others will

aspire to.

0131 226 7775

45 Thistle Street EH2 1DY

www.craigbankstailoring.com

Art & Craft Collective

A unique gallery and gift shop

experience in Edinburgh's

Southside. Join their mailing list

for exclusive invitations to preview

events, and new art and craft

work.

0131 639 9123

93 Causewayside EH9 1DG

artcraftcollective.co.uk

Joy Rides Edinburgh

Lissa will take you for a hurl on

Betsy the trishaw bringing joy,

exhilaration and fun for all whether

it is through The Meadows or

along the foreshore.

07834 916 230

joyridesedinburgh@gmail.com

Facebook @joyridesedinburgh

The Hideout Café

A cosy hideout in Edinburgh

serving speciality coffee, tea,

treats and brunch. Open daily. And

you can pick up The Edinburgh

Reporter there too! Also at 5 Upper

Bow EH1 2JN

0131 555 5289

40-42 Queen Charlotte St EH6 6AT

www.thehideoutcafe.co.uk

RHET GALA

In celebration of their 21st

Birthday, The Royal Highland

Education Trust (RHET) are

holding their first ever Gala Dinner

on Friday 21st February 2020 to

help raise funds to continue, build

on and expand their fantastic

work.

RHET works with volunteers

to provide free educational

activities and experiential learning

opportunities for Scotland’s

children. Arranging farm visits

and classroom education and

providing teacher training and

educational resources, RHET’s

purpose is to bring farming and

the working countryside and its

practices to life for young people.

2020 marks the 21st birthday

of the highly respected charity

and so, in celebration, they are

organising a Gala Dinner with a

difference. The evening will treat

guests to a three course meal

of delicious Scottish produce,

much of which will have been

produced by RHET volunteer

farmers and will be expertly

prepared by the chef from Saltire

Hospitality, entertainment from

farmer, comedian and compere

WHAT’S ON IN FEBRUARY

Theatre Art Music Shows Festivals

Jim Smith, as well as music and

pipers, and last but not least, live

and silent auctions with dozens

of unique and exciting prizes and

experiences. There will also be a

few additional surprises on the

night!

The auction, in particular, will

be a showstopper, including a

number of ‘money can’t buy’ items

such as ‘Curly Sue’ the Highland

Cow, made by Kev Paxton at ArtFe

which travelled around Scotland

with George Lawrie on the

RHET Tractor Run this summer.

Individuals or businesses able

to contribute prizes or support

the event through gifts in kind,

sponsorship or goodie bag

donations are encouraged to get in

touch as soon as possible.

Katrina Barclay, RHET Executive

Officer, said: “A Gala Dinner like

this is a first for RHET and we are

so excited. I am determined that

our guests will enjoy an evening

with a difference that will truly

entertain, as well as providing

a wonderful Scottish dining

experience. Fundraising is key to

any event like this, but so too is

ensuring that our guests have a

fantastic evening and go away

feeling as though their donation

was thoroughly worthwhile.

The Scottish Blues Weekend

6-10 February 2020 St Bride’s

Centre

The opening concert will be held

at Leith Dockers’ Club with hard

rocking blues from John Bruce’s

Safehouse. But most other events

will be held at St Bride’s Centre

in Gorgie with its wonderful

accessible auditorium where you

can attend 11 concerts and listen

to 16 bands.

The Jazz and Blues Festival’s

music students will play alongside

some established names in the

business. The programme has

been curated by three Edinburgh

blues musicians who want to

showcase the best of Scottish

music. Singer Nicole Smit and

guitarists Jed Potts and Sandy

Tweeddale have their fingers

on the pulse of what’s hot in

Scottish blues and we are excited

to premiere some brand new

projects over the weekend. They

say “The Scottish Blues Weekend

shines the spotlight on Scottish

Blues and offers a platform for

new projects. It's great to be

able to showcase such a diverse

range of blues, as well as a host

of bands led by women. We hope

“If you can’t make it along that

night, never fear, you can still

bid on the auction prizes. Social

media is going to be absolutely

key in helping us to spread the

word and fundraise for the dinner

and so please do keep an eye on

that over coming weeks to find

various fun ways you can get

involved.

“We are also still seeking auction

prizes and other commercial

support to help with our

fundraising goals and so if you

have anything you can contribute,

I should be delighted to hear

from you. Everything we raise will

be used across the entire RHET

national network.

“The next generation is critical

to Scotland and so the more we

can work together to give them a

deeper understanding of farming

and food production, the more that

rural Scotland will continue to get

the recognition it deserves. We’d

love you to support us in that aim

in whatever way you can.”

The Gala Dinner will take place in

the Lowland Hall, Royal Highland

Centre, Ingliston, on Friday 21st

February and tickets are on sale

now from www.jumblebee.co.uk/

RHETGALA21

that you'll enjoy the weekend, and

we especially hope that you'll see

someone you might not have seen

before."

www.edinburghjazzfestival.com

LeithLate100

There are events over two

weekends in February to celebrate

the 100 years since Leith joined

Edinburgh.

On 2 February LeithLate will

be back at Leith Theatre with a

Sunday matinee screening of

the 1988 documentary ‘Leithers’,

directed by Alistair Scott. The film

documents the people who lived

and worked in Leith during the

1980s and explores the changing

socio-economic landscape of Leith

at that time. The screening will

be accompanied by a short film

produced by The Local Way with

Citadel Youth Centre and Screen

Memories.

The event ends with a free

outdoor projection on Saturday 8

February 2020

LeithLate and Double Take

1 February – 28 March 2020 at

Ingleby Gallery 33 Barony Street

EH3 6NX

Marine Hugonnier is an artist

work whose work researches

the politics of vision. Across

film, photography and a variety

of other mediums she engages

with an on-going questioning of

image-making and understanding.

She studied philosophy and

anthropology before becoming

an artist and these disciplines

continue to influence her approach

to making art.

Projections present a unique event

revitalising and animating Leith’s

much-loved History Mural for one

night only.

Tim Chalk and Paul Grimes’

mural created in 1986 depicts

Leith's rich and varied social

history.

As part of this event Double Take

Projections - the creative team

behind Edinburgh's Castle's recent

Castle of Light spectacular - will

artistically re-imagine the mural

through light projections using the

artists' original artworks.

Attendance is free and booking is

not required.

The mural is located on the

corner of Ferry Road and North

Junction Street, next to Leith

Library and Leith Theatre.

MARINE HUGONNIER

For this exhibition Hugonnier

unveils a new body of work under

the title TRAVEL POSTERS, a

series of large format images

exploring the acclaimed Pan Am

advertising campaign designed

by Chermayeff and Geismar

in 1971 and photographed

by Magnum's photographers.

These posters which feature

evocative, unspectacular and

anti-corporate images of far-flung

places, are emblematic of the

most progressive design of the

1970’s and now a symbol of late

modernism.

The Royal Scots Club

The Royal Scots Club is one of

the finest members’ Clubs in the

country. It is now 100 years old

and has an open membership

policy. Join today!

0131 556 4270

29 Abercromby Pl EH3 6QE

www.royalscotsclub.com

Serap Couture

Serap makes individually designed,

made to measure wedding gowns,

bridesmaid dresses and mother

of the bride outfits. ask about the

shoes!

51 William Street EH3 7LW

T 07582 601818

Facebook Serapcouture/

Cairngorm Coffee

Robbie and his staff serve great

coffee and even better grilled

cheese and toasted bacon to

keep you going. Two city centre

locations. Free wifi and funky

seating. Buy some threads!

1 Melville Place EH3 7PR

41a Frederick Street EH2 1EP

www.cairngormcoffee.com

Meet Gilbert at Stewart Christie

One of the best ideas in town in

2019. Gilbert is the phone box

outside 63 Queen Street named

after Sir Giles Gilbert Scott the

designer of the red phone box.Pop

into Stewart Christie get the key

for the box and take your selfies.

All for a donation of £3 which will

go to the charity Save the Children.

Leith Walk Police Box pop up

space

This offers a short term flexible let

from as short as 4 hours and they

welcome budding entrepreneurs,

charities and community groups.

Got a great idea – try it out!

Croall Place EH7 4LT

07842 482382

Got an event to share?

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

16

WHAT'S ON

Theatre Art Music Shows Festivals @EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk WHAT'S ON 17

February at The Queen’s Hall

3 February 2020

Doors open 7.00pm

Judy Collins

£27

Award-winning singer-songwriter

is esteemed for her interpretations

of traditional and contemporary

folk standards and her own

poetically poignant compositions.

She will highlight new material

from ‘Winter Stories’.

5 February 2020 7.30pm

Scottish Ensemble: Chamber

Notes

£5-£14

Felix Mendelssohn: String Octet

in E flat major

George Enescu: Octet for Strings

in C major

With guest director: Marianne

Thorsen, violin


Ute Lemper: Rendezvous with

Marlene

£12-£32

This show is based on a 3-hour

phone call between Dietrich

and Ute in 1988. Tonight Ute

tells Marlene’s story, singing

her fabulous songs from all the

chapters of her life, from the Berlin

cabaret years to her fabulous Burt

Bacharach collaborations.


Classic Rock Show

£23.50-£38.50

Paying tribute to many of the

world’s all-time classic rock greats,

the musicians power through

legendary performances from Led

Zeppelin, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton,

AC/DC, Queen, The Eagles, The

Who and much more.


Black Glass Ensemble

£12-£17

New Music Scotland Award

winner, and The Queen’s Hall

Associate Artist, Michael Begg

unveils his astonishing new

collective, the Black Glass

Ensemble, which combines the

cream of Scotland’s chamber

players and longstanding pioneers

of the UK’s avant-garde electronic

underground. Support from

Glasgow-based Irish composer

Linda Buckley.


Rob Roy with live

accompaniment by David Allison

£10-£14

This impressive and rarely

screened biopic of one of

Scotland’s best-known outlaws,

stars David Hawthorne in full

tartan kilt and tammy and tells the

story the MacGregors in the early

18th century.

Multi-instrumentalist and

composer David Allison, will

accompany the film with a new

score commissioned by the

Hippodrome Silent Film Festival.


Mairi Campbell and The

Pendulum Band

£8.50-£18.50

Mairi Campbell, ever questing for

new musical experiences, brings

together some of the country’s

finest musicians to make up the

Pendulum Band. Ranging from

the tender re-setting of Burns’s

‘Lea Rig’ to the pulsating, rhythmic

whirl of ‘The Rough with the

What's on in brief

Edinburgh The Worst

Edinburgh World Heritage invite

you to a humorous guide to the

worst places to visit in Edinburgh

in times gone by with author

Charles Maciejewski

On Thursday 6 February 2020 at

6.00pm

Lecture venue: Augustine United

Church 41 George IV Bridge, EH1

1EL Tickets £12. Tel 0131 220

7731

Creative Circles : On the Road

This event takes place at the

Smooth’, this is music to move

your heart and your feet.


Scottish Chamber Orchestra

£6-£37

Beethoven: Overture, Coriolan

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto

No 1

Schubert: Symphony No 4 in C

minor ‘Tragic’

Nicolas Altstaedt: Conductor/

Cello


Scottish National Jazz Orchestra

£3-£25

Planet Wave by Tommy Smith

and Edwin Morgan featuring

actor Niall Greig Fulton. Through

music, theatre, sound effects and

poetry, explore waves of history

from the beginning of time to the

construction of the great pyramid.


SCO Afternoon Recital

£6-£16

Mozart: Piano Sonata No 10 in

C, K330

Beethoven: Trio in C minor, Op 1

No 3

Mozart: Piano Concerto in A,

K414 (String Quintet version)

Kristian Bezuidenhout:

Fortepiano

SCO String Ensemble


Pavel Kolesnikov

£16-£25

Programme to include:

Liszt: ‘Wilde Jagd’ from Études

d’exécution transcendante; ‘La

Cloche Sonne’ S238; ‘Vision’ from

Études d’exécution transcendante;

‘Wiegenlied’ S198

Beethoven: Sonata Op 31/2 ‘The

Tempest’

Schubert: Sonata in C minor

D958


Scottish Chamber Orchestra

£6-£37

Haydn: Symphony No 52 in C

minor

Beethoven: Triple Concerto

Mozart: Symphony No 38

‘Prague’, K504

Kristian Bezuidenhout: Piano /

Harpsichord / Conductor

Benjamin Marquise Gilmore:

Violin

Philip Higham: Cello

SCO PLATFORM, 6.45pm:

Performance by students from the

City of Edinburgh Music School

Bookmarket in Waverley Mall on

18 February 2020 from 8.30am

to 10.30am. Registration is free.

You will meet fellow creatives

and freelancers in a creative

space. You are promised coffee,

community shout outs and

opportunity to speak to the

Fruitmarket team and find out

about progress in Market Street.

Animate at Manipulate

Edinburgh’s Manipulate visual

theatre festival launches with

dancers from “Sketches”, a show

featuring a series of vignette

dance performances by Scottishbased

choreographer and

performer Katie Armstrong.

Manipulate is an innovative

festival of international, awardwinning

visual theatre, puppetry

by Adam Zawadzki

A selection of awards season

favourites is coming to a cinema

near you in February.

Oscar nominee Margot Robbie

(Bombshell) reprises her role of

Harley Quinn in the superhero film

‘Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous

Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)’

from the 2016 film ‘Suicide Squad’,

for which she won the Critics’

Choice Award for Best Actress in

an Action Movie.

Due for release on 7 February

2020, the film is the eighth

instalment in the DC Extended

Universe and features Ewan

McGregor (Doctor Sleep) alongside

Robbie, who also co-produces.

Also released on the same day is

the fantasy adventure ‘Dolittle’ with

Oscar nominee Robert Downey

Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) as Hugh

Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle as well as

and animated film showing at

Edinburgh’s Summerhall and

The Studio venues and starting

on Friday 31 January 2020 and

running until 8 February 2020

Performers Lucy Ireland

and Katie Miller are pictured

practising “Sketches” on The

Meadows, Edinburgh. www.

manipulatefestival.org

At the cinema this

month

Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory)

and Michael Sheen (Far from the

Madding Crowd) in other live action

roles.

Oscar winners Emma Thompson

(Late Night), Rami Malek

(Bohemian Rhapsody), Octavia

Spencer (The Shape of Water) and

Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One

Night) feature in a high profile voice

cast giving life to the animals.

Another adventure film will

be distributed on 21 February

2020. Oscar nominee Harrison Ford

takes the leading role in ‘The Call of

the Wind’, a remake of the 1935 film

of the same name, itself based on

the 1903 novel by Jack London.

Nominated for two Satellite

Awards, ‘Dark Waters’ is released

on 28 February 2020 with Oscar

nominees Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)

and Mare Winningham (Georgia)

and Oscar winners Anne Hathaway

(Ocean’s 8) and Tim Robbins

(Mystic River).

Mount Strange and

the Temple of Fame

This is the new art exhibition

at Summerhall which runs until

15 March 2020. The fact that it

will be in place over International

Women’s Day is a big clue that all

of the artists are female.

These are four women with very

different backgrounds and styles.

Their aim is to uncover some

forgotten histories and only dimly

imagined pasts for this multi-room

staging curated by Edinburgh

based contemporary visual arts

specialist Wendy Law.

It presents work showing how

women have either been written

out of or have simply just never

appeared in history when written

down. There are six galleries

inviting you to wonder what is real

and what is not.

We met three of the four artists

along with Wendy and had a chat

with them to try and bring you

a flavour of what you will see

when you visit Summerhall in our

podcast which you can access on

Anchor.FM by scanning the QR

code below.

And with work as diverse as this

there is bound to be something

that tempts and interests

everyone, men and women.

Victoria Clare Bernie is a

visual artist concerned with the

tension between natural entropy

and human design, exploring

wildness through human

minutiae. Her film Mount Strange

and the Temple of Fame gives

the exhibition its title. She is

presenting two other films,

including Daedalus - exploring the

mysterious true story of Hitler’s

Deputy’s fateful flight to Scotland

in search, perhaps, of a peace

treaty - and Office of Woods.

In Queridas Viejas (Old

Mistresses), Maria Gimeno stages

a gendered intervention on

the ‘bible’ of art history; E.H.

Gombrich’s The Story of Art. Using

a sharp tipped kitchen knife

and an academically rigorous

approach, Gimeno carefully inserts

the artists Gombrich ‘forgot’ - the

women - and invites us to examine

our own relationship with art

Play a part in the Easter Play

A restaurant, Easter Road

football stadium, The Scottish

Parliament, a nightclub and a

police box are among the venues

to be used for an ambitious

citywide retelling of the Easter

story this year.

People of all faiths and none

from across the city will join

together to tell the story of the

trial, death and resurrection of

Jesus in a large-scale community

passion play.

The director is now looking for

community groups and individuals

who would like to take part this

April.

Contact the team by email

hello@edinburghpassion.com

The weekend-long event, which

is being produced by Cutting Edge

Theatre, will start on Thursday 9th

April with the Last Supper, telling

the story hour-by-hour in real time,

and conclude on Easter Sunday

(12 April 2020) at Easter Road

stadium.

As part of the weekend, a new

version of the traditional Easter

history, and the primarily white,

male collections of our major art

institutions. On 8th March, Marie

Gimeno will perform Queridas

Viejas for the first time in the UK

to celebrate International Women’s

Day in the Anatomy Lecture

Theatre.

Glasgow-based, Iranian-British

artist and facilitator Mina Heydari-

Waite’s work is concerned with

hierarchical dynamics in cultural

history and cultural participation.

Her work (Hamsafar / Companion

Traveller) investigates the role

diasporic identity plays by weaving

together semi-imagined histories

of the Iranian diaspora created

after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Alix Villanueva is a multi-media

Edinburgh-based artist and

cosmoecologist, interested in the

use of the strange and the folkloric

within ecological thought and in

investigating where domesticity

and the wild entangle. She is

presenting items worn during her

happenings, including ‘Landscape

Play will be staged in Princes

Street Gardens on Saturday 11

April 2020.

Meanwhile, The Edinburgh

Passion will take the story out

into the city, into restaurants,

nightclubs, churches, parks and

the homeless community.

The story will be split into hour

long segments and brought to life

in theatre, music and dance by

groups from all over the city.

Director Suzanne Lofthus, a

leading director in community

theatre in Scotland, was inspired

by The Passion, a 72-hour

production staged in 2011 in Port

Talbot by National Theatre Wales

and Michael Sheen, involving over

1,000 people from the town as

cast and crew.

She said: “We’ve staged the

Easter Play in Princes Street

Gardens for 15 years. This year,

we want the whole city to tell the

story.

“The events of Easter are almost

continuous — the trial of Jesus

happens through the night — so

Skirt’ - a healing ritual. MOUNT

STRANGE AND THE TEMPLE OF

FAME

Victoria Clare Bernie, Maria

Gimeno, Mina Heydari-Waite and

Alix Villanueva

Fri 24 Jan 2020 - Sun 15 Mar

2020 11am - 6pm daily (closed

Mondays & Tuesdays)

Summerhall.

Sciennes, Corner and Meadows

Galleries Admission: FREE

that gave us the idea of telling the

story in real time in different parts

of the city and involving different

local groups of all kinds.

“The people in the Easter story

were just ordinary men and

women to whom something

extraordinary happened.

"We are surrounded by similar

stories in our everyday lives, we

just don’t always see them.

“A lot of my work is with those

who find themselves more on the

sidelines, whether that’s adults

with additional support needs or

people in prisons. I’m aware of

how often we box people in and

create barriers.

“This project is about tearing

down those barriers, celebrating

our humanity and seeing how

powerful and inspiring it is when

we leave those differences behind

and work together.

"Someone described the project

as a tapestry — it may look messy

behind the scenes but when

you weave it together, it creates

something beautiful.”

Actor Sam Rowe (who plays Christ) is pictured with his “disciples” and followers in “Dine” restaurant

in Edinburgh’s Lothian Road area - one of the featured venues. PHOTO Colin Hattersley

SCAN HERE!

Festival of

Ireland 2020

This year’s Edinburgh Festival of

Ireland runs from Friday 13 March

to Saturday 21 March 2020 with a

Grand Finale Concert on Saturday 28

March.

The Festival will include music, song,

dance, comedy, storytelling, film, a

ceilidh and an Irish themed family

day out and pageant on Portobello

promenade.

Festival Committee Chair Willie

Haines said “Edinburgh’s unique

Festival of Ireland continues to grow

bigger and better. As with our very

successful Festival in 2019 there

will be something for everyone in our

celebration of all things Irish. A warm

welcome and a smile is assured and

we expect visitors and guests not

just from the Capital city but from

across Scotland, other parts of the

UK, Ireland and overseas”.

www.edinburghsfestivalofireland.org

3 Mon

Collins

Judy

8 Sat

Lemper: Rendezvous with Marlene

Ute

14 Fri

Roy (1922) with live accompaniment

Rob

15 Sat

Campbell & The Pendulum Band

Mairi

Queen's Hall

The

St, Edinburgh EH8 9JG

Clerk

18

WHAT'S ON

Theatre Art Music Shows Festivals @EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk WHAT'S ON 19

Tyrannosaurs at the National

call it.

Museum of Scotland

The most comprehensive

exhibition ever mounted on

tyrannosaurs makes its only

European appearance in

Edinburgh. Tyrannosaurs explores

the most feared and revered of

all dinosaurs, bringing the latest

palaeontological discoveries to life

and challenging preconceptions

about these ferocious predators.

The exhibition features rare

fossil specimens, cast skeletons

including one of ‘Scotty’, one of

the largest and most complete

T. rex skeletons in the world, and

incredible models of feathered

dinosaurs. Scotty was discovered

in Saskatchewan, Canada in 1991.

The specimen was named by the

excavation crew from the Royal

Saskatchewan Museum after they

had made a toast with malt whisky

whilst deliberating over what to

PHOTOS by Neil Hanna

Dr Nick Fraser, Keeper of Natural

Science at National Museums

Scotland said: “For any of us who

are fascinated by dinosaurs, T. rex

is surely the most recognisable,

whether in popular culture or on

the front of your first dinosaur

book or poster as a kid. I think

there is a real sense of wonder

that such a seemingly fantastic

animal actually walked the earth.

Tyrannosaurs shows visitors

not only the mighty scale of T.

rex, but also their fascinating

family tree, including early Asian

feathered tyrannosaurs which

are some of the most exciting

recent discoveries in dinosaur

palaeontology.”

Museum Lates Jurassic Party 13

March.

nms.ac.uk/tyrannosaurs

Printmakers - The

Botanist's Daughter

Canadian artist Alexandra

Haeseker goes wild at Edinburgh

Printmakers with larger than life

exhibition of plants and insects

Giant colourful prints reframe

our relationship with nature

and highlight the fragility of the

natural world in new exhibition The

Botanist’s Daughter

Marking the beginning of

the 2020 season at Edinburgh

Printmakers, The Botanist’s

Daughter is Alexandra’s first

solo exhibition in the UK. Her

vibrant hyper-real representations

of plants and insects draw

inspiration from the rich and

bountiful resources of hand-pulled

engravings found in Museum and

Library collections, illustrating

botanical and entomological

themes.

The Botanist’s Daughter subverts

relationships of scale between

the viewer and the plants and

insects represented in the

exhibition. Haeseker’s intention is

to encourage us to develop a new

paradigm in relating to the natural

world, by considering more fully

what is often invisible to our eyes,

and below our feet. These large

scale pieces will take over Gallery

1 at Edinburgh Printmakers with

the vibrant almost lurid colour

schemes hinting at something not

quite right.

Alexandra Haeseker told The

Edinburgh Reporter : “Well, the

show has to do with the greater

awareness in a sense that people

have now of climate change. So

I'm looking at two aspects, plant

life and insect life. And at the

same time when I was building

these works it was Fall and so I

was aware of the lingering last few

moths and the fading flies. And so

I'm showing both aspects in this

exhibition.”

Alexandra Haeseker: The

Botanist’s Daughter

18 January to 22 March 2020

Gallery 1, Edinburgh Printmakers

Castle Mills, 1 Dundee St, EH3

9FP www.edinburghprintmakers.

co.uk

Lucy is off to dance in Rome

A gifted young ballet dancer from

Linlithgow has won a place on the

Scottish national team and will

compete at the Dance World Cup

in Rome this summer.

While she trains for the World

Cup, Lucy Roy (14) studies at

Edinburgh Festival Ballet School,

a world-class training academy

opened in the New Town last

year by Olivier-award winning

dance legend, Peter Shaufuss.

Mr Shaufuss is the dancer,

choreographer and director who

famously founded the English

National Ballet in 1988 and has

during his career, performed and

directed all over the world.

He also owns the Rose Theatre

on Rose Street

Lucy urges fellow dancers to

apply to Edinburgh Festival Ballet

School. Auditions take place on

Saturday 22 February 2020 for a

limited number of coveted places

to study from September this year.

Lucy told us: “I started dancing

at the age of three and have

always loved it. The dance

teachers I have grown up with

have been a real inspiration for me

and getting to work with worldfamous

ballet dancers like Peter

Shaufuss and Johan Christensen

has been an incredible experience.

"I’ve learned new styles and

techniques and I’ve enjoyed being

around other people like me who

share that same level of passion

for ballet.

"It would be great to attend the

school full-time in the future.”

“I love performing on stage and

I’ve been lucky enough to dance

at the Queen’s 90th Birthday

celebrations down in London

and big stage productions of the

Nutcracker and Wizard of Oz in

Edinburgh.

"It feels like it’s all been leading

up to this moment in Rome in the

TG010783 Edinbrugh Reporter v2_PRINTFILES.pdf 2 18/12/2019 11:58

summer.

"The whole team is training hard

and we’re super excited to see how

well we can do.”

The audition on 22 February

2020 for a place at Edinburgh

Festival Ballet School is free.

Peter Schaufuss said: “Edinburgh

Festival Ballet School provides

a place where some of the finest

young performers in Scotland

can go to obtain a professional

full-time dance education while

living and training in Edinburgh.

I wanted to pass on what I have

learnt through all my years of

experience in the dance world and

we have been delighted with the

success of the pilot course run in

the past year. I’ve been heartened

to witness first-hand the progress

of our full-time cohort and younger

part-time dancers.

“We are auditioning for places

on our full-time school and our

part-time school so there are

opportunities for both experienced

students who are already on

the way to making a career as

a dancer, as well as those who

have raw talent and the desire to

succeed but only basic experience

of ballet.”

Dancers aged 12 and older can

apply to audition by email lee@

rosetheatreedinburgh.com

Rotary and Peace

On 23 February 2020, Rotarians

will celebrate the 115th

anniversary of the founding of

their organisation, whose original

objects centred around “service” to

society, especially those in need.

February is Rotary International’s

“Peacebuilding and Conflict

Resolution” Month: at first sight,

it might appear that this has

little to do with service, but “the

advancement of international

understanding, good will and

peace” has been an object of

Rotary since it was adopted

at the Rotary International

Convention, held in Edinburgh in

1921. Rotarians played an active

role in the drafting of the United

Nations Charter in 1945 and

even now Rotary continues an

active association with the United

Nations and its many specialised

agencies.

Not all Rotarians consult with

UN agencies, but all can play

a role in promoting peace and

resolving conflict. The Dalai Lama

said that “where ignorance is our

master, there is no possibility of

real peace”, so that overcoming

poverty, inequality and lack of

access to education and key

resources, through projects that

Rotarians the world over are

very good at, are addressing

the fundamental causes of

conflict. Within a developed but

increasingly multi-cultural society

such as our own, educating

our young people in diversity

and compassion, as well as

empowering them to tackle

bullying, can change lives and

perceptions. Rotarians can also

help with preventing modern

slavery, protecting victims of

domestic abuse and sheltering

refugees.

Each year, Rotary supports up

to 100 professionals to undertake

study at one of its Rotary Peace

Centres around the world; many of

these Rotary Peace Fellows (more

than 1,000 have graduated from

the programme) become global

leaders in peace and conflict

prevention and resolution.

Rotarians refuse to accept

conflict as a way of life – the

alternative is so much better!

For more information on Rotary

contact secretary@rotary1020.org.

Soft Play Membership

ONE

February at The Queen's Hall

MONTH

FREE

Sign up in February and

GET MARCH FREE!

• Incredible value with unlimited access to 3

unique soft play venues across Edinburgh

• Exclusive member benefits throughout the year

• Cafes at each venue with healthy snacks and

tasty treats

edinburghleisure.co.uk

Terms and conditions apply.

plus much, much more

thequeenshall.net

668 2019

0131

Registered Scottish Charity No: SC027450


20 PHOTOS


PHOTOS 21

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh’s Burns Supper 2020 STORM

This was a wonderful

evening under the command of

Toastmaster, Philip Henderson,

with an outstanding Address to

the Haggis by Cameron Goodall,

unsurpassed singing of Burns

songs from Robyn Stapleton, an

unforgettable Immortal Memory

by Professor Joe Goldblatt and a

wonderful Toast to the Lassies by

Gordon Dewar of Edinburgh Airport

with a beautifully crafted Reply by

the Fringe's Shona McCarthy. The

Deacon Convener Ian Robertson

recited the Selkirk Grace and

former Lord Provost Lesley Hinds

offered a most appropriate and

entertaining Vote of Thanks.

The Mayor of Dunedin, Aaron

Hawkins, sent a video message

from our sister city, saying that he

hopes to attend in person one day,

The dinner raised around

£20,000 for the Lord Provost’s

charity OneCity Trust. This was

established in 2003 and aims to

combat social exclusion in the

city.

There were donations in kind

on the evening from Bentley

Edinburgh who ferried VIPs in

luxury, James Thomson, owner

of Prestonfield House Hotel, and

Gavin Strang of Lyon & Turnbull

who conducted the live auction.

Other benefactors include Travis

Perkins Managed Services, Engie,

CGI UK Ltd, The City of Edinburgh

Council and Underbelly who made

the charity their partner both in

summer and winter 2019.

In 2019/20 the Trust made

donations of £180,000 to

organisations in the city

including the North Edinburgh

Arts Sharing Shelf and Pilmeny

Development Project whose work

was highlighted in videos created

especially for the guests attending

the dinner.

The Rt Hon Lord Provost Frank Ross with speakers Shona McCarthy

and Gordon Dewar CEO of Edinburgh Airport

And if you weren’t there this year,

then make sure you get the hottest

ticket in town next January! Email

elaine@onecity.org.uk for updates.

Former Lord Provost Lesley Hinds

gave the Vote of Thanks

The facade at Prestonfield House Hotel

In Glasgow on a cold January

morning there was STORM! The

huge figure walked to music

composed by Portobello’s own

Mairi Campbell in a really uplifting

spectacle from Victoria Bridge to

the Concert Hall.

From the makers of Big Man

Walking and Vision Mechanics

from Edinburgh there was a

folklore giant made real, to

begin the Coastal Connections:

Festival in a Day all part of Celtic

Connections. Storm lives in the

waters around Scotland, and in

2020 she walks on land to share

maritime stories of the sea.

At ten metres tall, her eyes are

the colour of oyster shells, her

hair thick strands of kelp, her

voice the chorus of the waves.

Aided by eight puppeteers, Storm

will visit the heart of towns and

villages across the country this

year, gazing down at the beauty of

our coastlines, urging care for the

environment every step of the way.

Professor Joe Goldblatt delivered

a wonderful Immortal Memory

The Lord Provost and the Toastmaster Philip Henderson

The Lord and Lady Provost

Chris Scott (L) and Kenneth Purdon (R) from

Bentley Edinburgh pose with the Lord Provost

Burns & Beyond

2020 is unusual as Burns Night

and Chinese New Year coincided

on the same day, something which

will not happen again for 76 years.

To celebrate all of this culture

from both Scotland and China,

Burns&Beyond along with Johnnie

Walker ran a selection of events

including the fabulous display

of 400 lanterns at St Giles. Actor

Gareth Morrison posed as Burns.

The beautiful ceiling of St Giles above

Singer Robyn Stapleton sang Burns songs to a rapt audience

Deacon Convener Ian Robertson

recited The Selkirk Grace

Shona McCarthy CEO Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

Gavin Strang Managing Director of Lyon & Turnbull ran the live auction

Robert Burns in awe of the Chinese lanterns

Robert Burns - Tae a Dragon perhaps?

Minister Ben Macpherson MSP at the launch

Cameron Goodall made the Toast

to the Haggis

Culture Convener Donald Wilson

Kinnaris Quintet played some rowsing tunes

Watch out for our

YouTube videos

from these and

other events -

scan the QR

code here.


22 FEATURE


FEATURE 23

New laws on Short Term Lets

Impact of short term lets

regulation on long term rental

market

Short term lets in Scotland have

been the subject of controversy

for a while, with some arguing that

the concentration of short term

lets in certain areas is preventing

property being bought and used as

homes for local people.

After the results of a consultation

last year revealed wide support

for regulation of short term lets,

the Scottish Government has just

announced increased powers

for local authorities to regulate

properties that are let out for short

periods of time.

But how will these regulations

work and what will the impact be

on the local property market and

long term rental market?

The licensing scheme will

include a new mandatory safety

requirement that will cover every

type of short term let to ensure

a safe, quality experience for

visitors.

It will also give councils the

discretion to apply further

conditions to address the

concerns of local residents.

Councils will be able to plan

control areas to ensure that

planning permission will be

required for the change of use of

an entire property to a short-term

let.

The local authorities are set

to have the ability to implement

these changes from spring 2021.

It is possible that this change in

regulation will have an impact on

the property market in Scotland.

Owners of short term let

properties in Scotland may

choose to sell in the run up to

local authorities gaining these

increased powers.

This may increase the supply of

homes coming to market, helping

to alleviate some of the strong

demand for property we have seen

in areas such as Edinburgh in

recent years.

Alternatively, the owners of these

properties may choose to switch

to long term rentals. This will

provide a greater supply of homes

for tenants. However, in areas

with strong demand for rental

properties such as Edinburgh, this

is unlikely to have a significant

impact on rent levels and time to

let.

As individual local authorities

will be able to use the powers as

they see fit to address problems

in their specific area, we could see

the impact of these regulations

vary across different places in

Scotland.

Nicky Lloyd, Head of ESPC

Lettings, said: “The long

anticipated recent announcements

about restrictions on short-term

lets has come as no surprise, and

whilst people are voicing concern

on how this might affect the

tourist industry,. It’s worthwhile

considering how it might affect the

long term private rental sector.

“It’s likely that a number of

landlords currently operating short

term lets will step away from this

market over the next 12 months,

with properties either being sold or

converted to long term rentals.

This may result in an influx of

properties coming to the rental

market and diluting the supply of

properties which has been heavily

led with demand over supply.

“However, given the number of

people moving in and around the

city, it is unlikely that numbers of

potential properties coming to the

long term rental market will have

much of an adverse effect.

“It does mean that referencing

and understanding potential

tenants’ requirements will become

more important than ever, in order

to avoid people who were only

looking for a short let signing

a Private Residential Tenancy

and serving their 28 day notice

immediately.”

400th anniversary

events at Greyfriars

The iconic Edinburgh church

known around the world as home

to Greyfriars Bobby, the loyal

terrier who guarded his master’s

grave for 14 years, will celebrate

its 400th anniversary this year

with a series of special events.

Greyfriars Kirk is also famous

for its association with the

Covenanters, church radicals of

the 17th century. The celebrations

will feature both its history and the

vibrant community that the Kirk

represents today.

Festival organiser Gillian Couper

said: “It is 400 years since the

Kirk first opened its doors in 1620,

making it one of Scotland’s oldest

institutions, and it continues to

thrive and grow to this day.

“Events will celebrate the life

and times of Greyfriars past and

present. They will explore the rich

history and stories associated

with it, through which it became a

beacon of the Enlightenment and

leading centre for the arts.

“We look forward to welcoming

visitors, local and from all over

the world, to enjoy these events

and help celebrate this fantastic

anniversary.”

Inspired by renowned figures

from the Enlightenment who are

buried in the Kirkyard, or who were

ministers of Greyfriars, a Festival

of Science, Wisdom and Faith

(5-7 June) will feature a line-up

including forensic anthropologist

Dame Sue Black and writer

Richard Holloway.

A series of talks and panels will

encourage the public to reflect

on the tension that has often

existed between science, wisdom

and faith and whether this has

changed in the modern era.

A new book by local historian

Roy Pinkerton has been launched

to coincide with the 400 years

exploring the history of the 17

churches which have united to

form the present-day Greyfriars

congregation.

In September there will be a

spectacular flower festival which

will see the building filled with

colourful displays paying tribute to

the rich history of the 17 churches.

Musical highlights include a

performance of the Renaissance

masterpiece Spem in Alium by

the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Chorus, led by the conductor

Gregory Batsleer on (29 Feb).

During Lent, in a joint concert,

the Dunedin Consort and Scottish

Ensemble will perform Sir James

Macmillan’s Seven Last Words

from the Cross (27 Mar).

Edinburgh Royal Choral Union

plan a special commission for

choir, soloist and organ from

composer Thomas LaVoy (7 Nov).

This will develop the theme of

religious freedom in honour of the

Kirk’s anniversary and the landing

of the Mayflower in America 400

years ago.

The Kirk’s history spans five

centuries and the free lunchtime

concert series, Greyfriars at 12, will

explore music from each of them,

plus other celebratory themes.

There will also be chances to

get involved, with a ‘Come & Sing’

Brahms’ Requiem, conducted by

Angus Tully (25 Apr), and further

events planned.

Minister Rev Richard Frazer,

said: “Christmas 2020 marks not

only 400 years of our building but

400 years of our congregation,

an uninterrupted history that has

been sustained from the dawn of

the modern era and an astonishing

record of faith in action.”

Alongside the active

congregations The Grassmarket

Community Project and the

Greyfriars Charteris Centre also

contribute to the local community.

Valentine’s Day ideas

When Harry Met Sally (15) - 12th

February, 7:30pm

Cinema Nights at Leith Theatre

Thomas Morton Hall, 28-30 Ferry

Road, EH6 4AE

A special Valentine's screening

of Rob Reiner's 30-year-old classic

that never grows old!

It's 1977. Recent graduates

Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and

Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) spend

an 18-hour car journey together to

NYC and talk turns to whether men

and women can ever really just

be friends - a question that is at

the heart of the film as we follow

their highs and lows over the next

decade.

Buy some warm apple pie (a la

mode with the ice cream on the

side and strawberry instead of

vanilla if we have it but if not no

ice cream and whipped cream

instead but only if it's real cream

and not out of a can then nothing).

(NB If the above makes no sense

to you then we can tell you need to

come and watch the film.)

Tickets £5 and are available

on the door and online. Doors

and cash bar open at 6.30pm.

Screening starts at 7.30pm and

will be subtitled. There will be one

intermission.

https://harrysally.

brownpapertickets.com

Alternative Valentine's party at

The Edinburgh Grand. Celebrate

friendship with your besties at our

alternative Valentine’s event in the

stunning elegance of The Register

Club, Edinburgh, with cocktails,

laughter and the best cabaret

acts in town. The Edinburgh

Grand hosts the inaugural Grand

PALentine's Party, on Thursday

13 February 2020 £35 per person,

with a complimentary cocktail too.

This Valentine’s Day show the

love to the North Leith Samba

Band Pulse of the Place who are

going to the New York City Tartan

Day Parade with the World Fair

Trade Tartan Clan in April.

As part of their fundraising drive

they are holding a Curry & Ceilidh

night on 14 February 2020 at

Redford Barracks with celebrity

Chef Tony Singh MBE, Major Del

Hamilton Personnel Recovery

Centre Edinburgh and host Gail

Porter. This is sure to be a hot

ticket!

Tania Pramschufer of Hand Up

Events said: “We are just over the

moon with the support we have

been given by Major Del Hamilton

and his Personal Recovery Centre

team alongside Tony and Gail.

"It is a real honour to hold this

fun event in the exclusive Redford

Barracks Garrison Sergeants’

Mess and join efforts in support

of Pulse of the Place and ABF The

Soldiers’ Charity.

"Both charities, even though

different in nature, have got

positive impact and outlook, that

we want to draw attention to and

raise funds for!

“Pulse of the Place have

participated in events organised

by Hand Up Events and performed

in the Scottish Parliament and at

a number of concerts and events

including the World Fair Trade

Fiesta 2017; fashionABLE fashion

shows; World Fair Trade Day 2019

at the Usher Hall alongside our

very own Gail Porter and now aim

to represent Scotland at the Tartan

Day Parade 2020.”

Holocaust Memorial Day 2020

The Holocaust was recognised in

a ceremony at the City Chambers

in Edinburgh, the first one to be

held in the capital. Wreaths were

laid at the National War Memorial

to mark the liberation of Auschwitz

and the 25th anniversary of the

Bosnian Genocide in which 8,372

lives were lost.

The Rt Hon Lord Provost Frank

Ross made a short speech during

which he said : "Well, welcome

to this historic commemoration

of the 75th anniversary of the

liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau

on the 27th of January 1945.

"It's estimated that a minimum

of 1.3 million people were

deported to Auschwitz between

1940 and 1945. And of these at

least 1.1 million were murdered.

The atrocities experienced by

prisoners and civilians alike were

unspeakable at the time and

continue to be so.”

The Lord Provost was joined

by Minister for Community

Safety Ash Denham MSP,

Scottish Government Minister for

Community Safety,Janine Webber,

holocaust survivor, Consul General

of Russia, Andrey Yakovlev, Rabbi

David Rose of Edinburgh Hebrew

Congregation, Rabbi Pinny

Weinman of Chabad Edinburgh

and Rabbi Mark Solomon of

Sukkat Shalom. Hasan

Hasanovi from Interfaith Scotland

represented survivors of the

Bosnian genocide. Adrian Harris

represented the Edinburgh

Jewish Cultural Centre and

Jewish students from Edinburgh

University also joined the

gathering and laid wreaths at the

National War Memorial.

From next month...

We are excited to tell you that

from March our recipe feature will

be produced by Barry Bryson of

Cater Edinburgh.

Barry has cooked in some

fabulous places and for some

fabulous people and now he will

be making seasonal suggestions

for you each month from his

kitchen in Leith. You may have

seen Barry at the Gardening

Scotland Show or in Nigel Slater’s

autobiographical play Toast when

it was on at the Traverse in 2018.

It will be a treat to have him write

for us.

Rotary news

Rotary news from Currie Balerno

December is always a busy

month for our club.

Christmas starts every year

for us with the lighting up of the

Rotary Tree of Life at the Balerno

Parish Church. This took place

on 1 December. The Tree of Life

provides the opportunity at this

time of the year for people to

highlight events important to

them or to remember loved ones

by sponsoring lights on the tree.

They are invited to submit their

messages to the Rotary Club

to be recorded at the Balerno

Parish Church and also on the

Club web-site; and they are

asked with each message to

make a contribution to selected

charities. This year local people

gave £1200. We then moved on

later in December to the Gyle

Shopping Centre. This year we

had three fund raising activities at

the Gyle – our traditional bucket

collection over the week-end of

13-15 December, bag packing at

M&S on 22 December and our gift

wrapping from 12 to 24 December.

And here are just three of our

gift wrapping team – from left

to right Rotarians Andy Howard,

Lindsay Craig and Mike Latimer.

Donations at the Gyle brought our

total, including the Tree of Life,

to some £9000. All the money we

receive goes to charities and good

causes locally and internationally.

We offer our heartfelt thanks to all

those who donated and our best

wishes to everyone for 2020. If

you want to know more about the

Currie Balerno Rotary Club, go to

our website at www.cbrotary.org or

contact Mike Rowe on 449 5701


24 FOOD


FOOD 25

Recipe of the month

Juliet's Food Diary

Sauté cod roe

Willie Little, Proprietor, Little’s

Restaurant Blairgowrie and Fish in

Crieff Fishmongers provides our

recipe this month.

Willie said : “Something that

your grandparents may remember

eating is cod roe, the eggs of the

cod fish - mousse-like, mildly sea

flavoured, and delicious.

In those days it was very much a

case of them not wanting to waste

anything nutritious, but as an

ingredient now cod roe is less well

known, with many people unsure

how to cook and enjoy it.

It is very easy to prepare and

is really something of a delicacy

now. Remember though, it’s only

in season in January and early

February, so why not try it as soon

as you can. Most fishmongers will

have some in stock.”

Here’s Willie’s easy and delicious

recipe to make :

• 200g cod roe per person

• 100g capers

• 200g butter

• ½ lemon

• chopped parsley

• pinch of pepper

Heat the pan - but not too hot.

Melt half the butter and gently

place the cod roe, cook for two

minutes, turn, and cook for two

more minutes.

Add the remaining butter and

allow to froth, then add the capers,

chopped parsley, pinch of pepper

and a squeeze of the lemon. Cod

roe does not need salt.

www.littlesrestaurant.com

Lunch at the Broughton with Kevin Geddes

When the Phoenix on Broughton

Street closed its doors for the final

time the locals were incandescent:

“What a tragedy!” they cried. “An

injustice!” they wailed. If everyone

who lamented the closure of The

Phoenix had actually patronised

the establishment the owners

would have been doing cartwheels

down Broughton Street having just

booked their third holiday of the

year to the Bahamas.

However, wanting to detest

a traditional boozer which had

become a restaurant and bar I was

willing to hate The Broughton.

Yet, on entering the comfortably

designed space I had to weep a

silent tear: it’s a bummer being

wrong. The restaurant area is

delightfully cosy, something

lacking in one of the coldest parts

of the country, and the service

from the outset was incredibly

friendly. As the owner is also the

proprietor of The West Room and

the Seafood Restaurant in St

Andrews this shouldn’t have taken

me aback.

My dining companion was

Kevin Geddes, author of Keep

Calm And Fanny On, a detailed

and entertaining biography of

the legendary chef, author and

all round mistress of reinvention,

Fanny Cradock. More of that in

my food diary to your right.

To begin, Kevin chose the

Roquefort Fritter, Pickled and

Candied Walnuts and Pear, which

he deemed ‘most tasty’, while I

opted for the Duck Liver Pate, Fig,

Hazelnut and Toasted Sourdough.

It was sublime with both fresh and

confit fig, and a lovely tart dressing

to offset the smooth creaminess

of the pate.

Kevin told me his Salt Baked

Carrot, Quinoa, Smoked Ricotta

and Hazelnut Spice which the

chose as a main course was

perfectly cooked and full of

flavour. Being a vegetarian he

says that he finds choosing from

a menu slightly less hassle. What

a chap! My decision was harder

as there were so many choices,

all sounding sublime. In the end

I opted for the Natural Smoked

Haddock, Olive Oil Crushed Potato,

Poached Hen’s Egg and grain

Mustard. There’s never a bit of

smoked fish a poached egg can’t

put a crown on and this one was

of the best quality and unctuous.

Dessert was Pineapple Pavlova,

Passion Fruit, Mint and Rum

Syrup. It looked and tasted a

triumph. “Fanny would have loved

this!” Kevin declared. As did I. My

new mantra: ‘Progress? Embrace

it!’

My full review of The Broughton

and full length interview with

Kevin Geddes are online www.

edinburghreporter.co.uk

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson

So how did we all cope with Dry

January?

I did merely ‘damp’, booze wise,

for the first month of the year,

but goodness knows some of you

must be craving a drinky poo by

now.

One reason to return to the sauce

is the Doddie Beir. Inspired by the

Scottish Rugby legend, Signature

Pub Groups has created a bespoke

Doddie pint with all Profits going

to Doddie Weir’s My Name'5

Doddie Foundation, which helps

sufferers and funds MND research.

This worthy tipple can be found

at Signature Pub Group venues

including The Queen’s Arms and

Cold Town House to celebrate the

Guinness Six Nations until the end

of March. Myname5doddie.co.uk

Another reason to return to the

sauce is the worst day of the year

is coming up. When I was in the

restaurant business Valentine’s

Day was no picnic. One year half

the couples had fallen out before

their amuse bouche, one woman

got so tiddly she threw up on

the lavatory floor and another

guest nicked the salt and pepper

grinders. It was a sorry state of

affairs but at least Valentine’s day

fell on a Tuesday that year.

It was always a pain in the

proverbial if it happened to be on

a Saturday when we’d be packed

out anyway. So my advice would

be to save your cash for another

night and stay in on February 14th.

My own ideal V Day treat would

be a fish supper and a bottle of

champagne. And should there

be some candles lit, I’d feel quite

the princess. Indeed one of my

earliest boyfriends once surprised

me with such a thoughtful dinner,

and not only did he buy a bottle

of champers, he also invested in

a whole bottle of chippy sauce,

quite clearly the food of the gods.

Sparks flew that night, let me tell

you.

Romeo and Juliet, Burton and

Taylor, Fergie and Andrew...

legendary couples, all of them but

none can hold a lit blowtorch to

the love story that was Fanny and

Johnnie.

Edinburgh Fanny fan Kevin

Geddes has spent many hours

recreating Fanny Cradock's most

legendary and bonkers dishes on

his blog keepcalmandfannyon.

blogspot.com and has now

brought out a rollicking biography

of the most flamboyant of TV

chefs.

Having studied Fanny's work

and culinary legacy for his Queen

Margaret University Gastronomy

Master’s dissertation, Kevin takes

us through Fanny's mysterious

early life, her prolific career as an

author of both adult and children’s

novels to her break in television

and long career as the Mistress of

reinvention - “Before Madonna had

even considered it.”

The anecdotes in the book

are often jaw dropping. Double

bigamy, some light insurance

fraud, theatrical food poisoning

and an alleged flirtation with David

Attenborough, there was rarely a

dull moment in Fanny’s world.

Whilst Fanny obviously had

a dark side and could be self

destructive (particularly in relation

to her two sons) and downright

rude (to just about everyone else),

Kevin tells her story with honesty,

generosity and affection.

This would be a great read for

retro food geeks or anyone who

loves a great yarn. Keep Calm

And Fanny On and Kevin's other

book, Its All In The Booklet, Festive

Fun With Fanny Cradock are both

available at fantompublishing.

co.uk

We’re social!


26 FEATURE


FEATURE 27

The Station Mouse

Scottish Book Trust has chosen

the winner of the 2020 Bookbug

Picture Book Prize. Over 13,000

children across Scotland voted

for The Station Mouse by Meg

McLaren.

February Crossword

Across

1. Unbolt stands, reducing them to

basic components (4,3,5)

9. Central area of Pinner, for

example? (5)

10. Eyelet can be destroyed by this

flammable gas (9)

11. How a drink can represent

something one has created (9)

12. Bits of cacti tangled up with

giant (5)

13. Reduction of pain, for example, if

reel is fixed in place (6)

15. Changing climates affect this

climber (8)

18. Programme where people talk

about what cosh to use? (4,4)

19. All together inside frozen

block (2,4)

22. Put forward for sale as part of

fertility rite (5)

24. I can still pick out a minute

amount (9)

26. Dash north in response to this

symbolic message (9)

27. Fixing pin in part of drive-through

service area (5)

28. Tanners knife used by Shelley's

doctor? (12)

Crossword by David Albury

Answers on page 28

1 2 3 4 5 6

9 10

11 12

13 14 15 16

17

7 8

18 19 20

22 23 24 25

26 27

28

Printmaker and illustrator Meg

McLaren graduated from the

prestigious MA in Children's Book

Illustration at the Cambridge

School of Art. She now lives in

Inverness and The Station Mouse

is her third picture book.

Down

1. Therein lies confusion, not one

thing nor another (7)

2. Nonet returned to this joint (5)

3. Resin rail built into flying craft (9)

4. Member of the clergy found inside

a consecrated building (6)

5. Excessive measures to ensure

Orville receives his knighthood (8)

6. Secret meeting place might test a

holy man (5)

7. Compel Attlee to become an

abstainer (8)

8. Sent in to play this game? (6)

14. Regal fop jumping over another in

this game (8)

16. A smart man can be turned into a

weapon-bearing soldier (3-2-4)

17. Helmsman shows way to coax

wins (8)

18. Confusing echo, so select this

one (6)

20. Can't she show the way to

punish? (7)

21. Bride I play golf with scores one

under par (6)

23. Armature turns in either

direction (5)

25. Raised barrier in the middle of

sleeves (5)

21


Newly Wed Couple Stepping Into Taxi On West Maitland Street, 1957 - Angus Quinn and Nancy

Ogilvie just married and off in a taxi to a meal with another couple.

Living Memory Association contributed this photo to Edinburgh Collected which is an online

community photo archive managed by Edinburgh Libraries. You can add your own memories to help

preserve the city’s history for the future. It is also a good way for organisations to preserve their

archives in online scrapbooks www.edinburghcollected.org

STR8TS

Medium

8 7 1 6

2 4

2 8 4

7 1

9

2

4 5 6

8

3 4

How to beat Str8ts –

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

or column. But... rows and columns are

divided by black squares into compartments. 2 1 4 5

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

a set of numbers with no gaps but it can be

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

4 5 2 1

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

and column, and are not part of any straight.

Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’

are formed.

3 5

2

2

1

1

3

4

© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles

SUDOKU

1 2 5 9 4

8 6 1 3

8 7 3

4 8 9

9 4 1

3 6 2 9

9 2 5 4 6

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering

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

box contains every number uniquely.

For many strategies, hints and tips,

visit www.sudokuwiki.org for Sudoku

and www.str8ts.com for Str8ts.

Medium

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Get your children

exercising early

With a soft play membership this

February your children will get the

active habit.

Join in the adventure with

Edinburgh Leisure’s soft-play

membership, where children get

to sample the world of sport and

fitness from an early age. For

those signing up to become a

member in February 2019, March

is completely free.

From only £16.00* per month,

the membership offers good

value, flexibility and of course,

will keep little ones entertained

and burning off energy as they

explore the amazing soft plays.

Little adventurers can visit

as many times as they wish,

enjoying unlimited fun at any

of Edinburgh Leisure’s three

soft play venues across the

city at Clambers at the Royal

Commonwealth Pool, Tumbles at

Portobello and Scrambles at EICA:

Ratho.

if you’re an existing member and

refer a new member before 29th

February 2020, Edinburgh Leisure

will give you £16 cashback.**

There’s no limit to the amount of

friends that you can refer – the

more the merrier.

*£16.00 for one child, £27.00

for two children, £32.50 for three

children and £38 for four children.

**T’s & C’s apply

Care Crew are here to provide a quality

care service in our clients’ own homes

Call us on:

07738 625 021

www.carecrew.co.uk

Water babies

splash in at

Gracemount

Gracemount Leisure Centre

are offering free swim taster

sessions between 3 – 7 February

2020. These will give your child

an opportunity to discover a new

passion and develop a skill for life.

Edinburgh Leisure has over

20 years’ experience helping

children learn to swim, and offers

a safe, positive and inspirational

experience for children of all ages

(and adults) and all abilities to

learn to swim in our nine pools

across the city.

The taster sessions are suitable

for children aged 0-4 years and 5+.

To book your free space,

telephone 0131 658 1940. www.

edinburgh.leisure.co.uk

Put on the L Plates!

Teenagers can learn to drive at

half term. Young people between

10 and 17 can learn to drive on

Wednesday 12 February 2020 at

Royal Highland Centre Ingliston.

The lessons take place in a dual

controlled Vauxhall Corsa with a

fully qualified driving instructor.

On a realistic road system

with junctions, traffic lights and

roundabouts, pupils can learn

how to get started, steer, change

gear and even try a spot of reverse

parking thanks to the scheme,

which aims to improve the safety

of the UK’s young drivers.

Young Driver also operates at the

Royal Highland Centre at selected

weekend dates across the year.

Young Driver lessons in a Bentley

Flying Spur are now also available

at selected venues.

Driving tuition is available for

disabled youngsters and birthday

parties can also be arranged.

Lessons must be booked in

advance and last either 30 or 60

minutes.

www.youngdriver.com or call

0333 577 9010.

28

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Get in touch today!

For editorial and advertising

enquiries please email


@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter



Tom Duffin took this wonderful photo during one of last month’s glorious sunsets.

Tom said : ”It has been said that Edinburgh has the best sunsets, but it's probably more accurate that it sometimes has the best sunsets

and if you go out to catch them often enough you will be rewarded. This was one of these sunsets that didn't come alive with colour until

well after the sun had gone. "I was on the verge of walking down Calton Hill when I noticed the edges of the clouds take on a rosy tinge...

then blam! The benefit of this late showing is that the city lights come on - the castle, the Balmoral and all the streetlights, so instead of

a stark silhouetted skyline you get a more balanced foreground showing the city at its best.

Tom Duffin is an Edinburgh photographer with a fantastic portfolio of Edinburgh landscapes and street photography www.tomduffin.com

Crossword Answers

Across: 1 Nuts and bolts, 9 Inner, 10 Acetylene, 11 Handiwork, 12 Titan,

13 Relief, 15 Clematis, 18 Chat show, 19 En bloc, 22 Offer, 24 Scintilla, 26

Shorthand, 27 Rivet, 28 Frankenstein.

Down: 1 Neither, 2 Tenon, 3 Airliners, 4 Deacon, 5 Overkill, 6 Tryst,

7 Teetotal, 8 Tennis, 14 Leapfrog, 16 Man-at-arms, 17 Coxswain,

18 Choose, 20 Chasten, 21 Birdie, 23 Rotor, 25 Levee.

Half term -

Britannia has

it covered

Fresh from working with

superstar Helena Bonham Carter

and international magazine

Harper’s Bazaar, the world’s

coolest corgi, Marcel, hangs out

on The Royal Yacht Britannia.

Britannia’s Visitor Assistant,

Martin Bamford, captured a

#corgiselfie with the cute canine

before they set off to explore the

ship.

Knowing Her Majesty The

Queen was so fond of the wee

dogs, Marcel le Corgi posed on the

Grand Staircase modelling a crown

before finding fuzzy corgi pals on

Britannia’s Cuddly Corgi Treasure

Hunt - the perfect activity to

entertain kids during the February

half term.

Edinburgh Sketcher

If you are planning your wedding

then think about hiring a sketcher

as well as a photographer.

Mark, The Edinburgh Sketcher,

comes to your wedding, moves

around in the background and

draws the details which catch

his eye. He says he likes the

Want your photo featured here?

Email your photo to


flower arrangements, personal

decorations, architectural details

and colourful guests! He then

creates a sketch book full of

original pen and watercolour

illustrations which capture the day

perfectly.

edinburghsketcher.com

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk FEATURE 29

Commonwealth Pool is 50

James Heatly opts for a simple ‘dive’ PHOTO Chris Watt

The Royal Commonwealth Pool

made a big splash celebrating its

50th birthday

The Edinburgh institution was

opened by HRH Princess Anne

half a century ago on her first solo

official visit.

It is the only venue in the world

to have hosted three separate

Commonwealth games and has

become loved by the city.

The Royal Commonwealth Pool

in Edinburgh turned 50 years old

Soft Play Membership

ONE MONTH FREE

Sign up in February and get March FREE!

Terms and conditions apply.

on 16 January 2020 and staff and

swimmers celebrated with lots of

cake.

Generations of locals have

learned to swim within the A-listed

building, which is considered one

of the finest examples of modern

architecture in Scotland.

It is also home to the only

Olympic-standard diving facilities

and the capital’s only 50-metre

pool and has been behind the

success of many of Scotland’s

swimming champions. But while

the facilities have been used

by elite athletes, ˜the Commie”

has also provided years of fond

memories thanks to its iconic

white flumes and recreational

swim facilities and water-based

and dry fitness classes for the

general public.

Edinburgh’s Got Soul Choir sang

Happy Birthday to begin the day's

celebrations while Scottish diver

James Heatly cut a giant cake,

in the shape of the pool. This

amazing construction was made

by West Lothian Cake-tastic, and

was shared with customers and

staff. It was big enough to feed

700 people and by the time the day

was over there wasn’t a slice left.

The candles were blown out by

three-year-old Sophie Ramsay,

youngest grand-daughter of

Charlie Ramsay, who was the first

employee to be appointment at

the pool in August 1969. Charlie

went on to work as the Lifeguard

Training Manager until his

retirement in 2006.

Sophie was assisted by CEO of

Edinburgh Leisure June Peebles

and James Heatly, grandson of

legendary diver Sir Peter Heatly,

another champion who still trains

at the Commie, having won medals

in each of the past three European

Diving Championships, as well

as at the 2018 Commonwealth

Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

James is a superstar and

edinburghleisure.co.uk

Registered Scottish Charity No: SC027450

while he was taking time out of

his training, he was happy to

accommodate the photographers’

request of a staged shot of falling

into the diving pool, holding onto

two helium balloons. This was

definitely a one-shot picture as the

moment James fell into the pool,

the two balloons came loose from

their ribbon and floated up to the

rafters.

There was also a free exhibition

in the foyer of the Commie about

the history of the iconic building.

It ran until the end of the

month and contained some

specially commissioned prints by

Edinburgh-based photographer,

Soo Burnell, which complemented

her poolside photographic

artworks, many of which are

Edinburgh Leisure’s Victorian

pools.

Soak up the atmosphere from

the day in our video by scanning

the QR code

SCAN HERE!

Sophie Ramsay (3) is helped by champion diver

James Heatly and CEO of Edinburgh Leisure June

Peebles to blow out the candles PHOTO Chris Watt


30 SPORT


SPORT 31

Casting around for fishing news

by Nigel Duncan

International angler Kevin Lewis

is looking for enthusiastic women

anglers to join the Scotland sea

fishing squad in the build-up to the

Home International shore angling

championships at Weymouth.

The Tartan Team came second

to Ireland last year on their home

water at Tralee in County Kerry

and coach Kevin is determined to

go one better this time.

Applicants don’t need to be

experienced sea anglers as

coaching sessions will be held

ahead of the event.

The squad of five and a

travelling reserve will also fish

the location at Preston Beach in

Dorset for prior to the two-day

championships in the first week

of July.

England, Wales, Ireland and

Scotland are invited and Kevin

added that equipment can be

provided.

He added: “The girls did really

well last year in Ireland and we are

naturally travelling hoping to win.

“However, longer-term, we

are looking for them to pick up

valuable experience.

“It would be great if we could get

more women coming forward from

the Lothians or anywhere else in

Scotland so we can travel with the

strongest possible squad.”

Anybody interested should call

Kevin on 0797 362 2059

Well-known sea angler Neil

Cuttler from Gateshead won the

Amble Open with a bag of 15lb

7oz including 16 flat fish and one

coalfish.

David Cooper from Edinburgh

was 39th with six cod for 6lb

4oz and Craig Ogilvie from North

Berwick weighed in with 5lb 7oz

thanks to five flat fish and one cod

to take 45th place.

Stuart Fairbairn from Haddington

landed one flat fish for 14oz in a

field of nearly 500. He was 162nd.

Climb every mountain

by Nigel Duncan

The Edinburgh Mountain

Film Festival (EMFF) returns in

February staged at the Gordon

Aikman Lecture Theatre in George

Square from Saturday 15 to

Sunday 16 February 2020.

Tickets start at £5 and are on

sale now at www.emff.co.uk

Among the highlights are a posse

of mountain bikers from Whistler,

aged 11-14.

Skiers drop fearsome-looking

lines in Alaska and sketchy gullies

in the West Highlands. A female

climber scales apparently blank

rock faces using holds the size of

a pinhead, without ropes.

Then there are the parkour

athletes on a stomach-lurching

rooftop race in Paris and a blind

man attempting to lead-climb

the Old Man of Hoy sea stack on

Orkney.

The festival welcomes three

speakers. Jenny Graham from

Inverness recounts her worldrecord

breaking unsupported

cycle around the world, navigating

tornados, bears and Russian

traffic.

Anna McNuff, now blister-free

Diving into the record

books

Edinburgh Diving Club’s James

Heatly won the 3m Springboard at

the British Diving Championships

at Plymouth in January. This is

James' third British individual

title and it was a personal best

points score of 478.50. He

executed a Forward four and a

half somersaults tuck to take the

highest points for one single dive

in the final.

Heatly told British Swimming :

“I’m so happy - I’ve retained my

title, and it’s a personal best as

well, not sure I could ask for more

at this stage of the season.”

Image courtesy of

British Swimming

Heatly is hoping for a place on

the Olympic team heading for

Tokyo at the end of July 2020.

The sea was flat calm and

there was a light breeze and

temperatures reached around 12C

and a spokesman said: “A total of

177 anglers weighed in with 131

cod, 526 flats and 12 coalfish with

a total weight of 736lbs 14oz.”

Elsewhere, Blyth-based Sonik

Sports have released details of

their Gizmo bite alarm which, they

claim, offers a miniature package

giving instant indication for the

slightest of line movement.

Functions are controlled by click

dials which are claimed to be

quick to setup for multiple alarm

heads. An anti-theft and torch

function are included.

Each alarm can also be assigned

a colour channel to instantly

recognise which alarm head has

been triggered.

Prices start from £49.99 for a

single alarm and £199.99 for a

two-plus-one alarm and bivvy lamp

up to £299.99 for a four alarm and

bivvy lamp version.

after her 2,620 mile barefoot

run through Britain and Leon

McCarron who made a 1,000 mile

walk through the heart of the Holy

Land at a pace which allowed him

to meet the people and understand

the challenges of that region.

The festival, staged in

association with Tiso and

Mountain Equipment, expects

big numbers and it has grown to

be one of the most popular and

dynamic events in Scotland’s

outdoor adventure calendar

attracting in excess of 2,000

outdoor enthusiasts.

City race

Race in Edinburgh city centre on

Sunday 15 March 2020.

£20 registration fee, minimum

sponsorship amount £50 You are

encouraged to sign up for Crisis’

Race to End Homelessness, held

in partnership with YTL Hotels The

Glasshouse, a former church

that offered shelter to people

experiencing homelessness.

Crisis’ Race to End

Homelessness is the first of its

kind in Scotland, offering a truly

unique route around Edinburgh, all

while raising money for charity.

https://www.crisis.org.uk/

get-involved/fundraise/calton-hill/

Local angling scene

by Nigel Duncan

TWO local angling associations

have come together to offer

cut-price access to one of

the most popular rivers in the

Lothians.

Anglers who sign up now

will be able to fish on the River

Almond from the Forth Estuary to

Livingston with a £10 deduction

on the cost of a joint ticket.

An adult ticket is £35 for

Cramond Angling Club (CAC) and

£15 for West Lothian Angling

Association (WLAA)

Joe Arndt, secretary of CAC,

explained that if you pay £15 to

WLAA then you would pay £25 to

CAC or if you pay £35 to CAC then

you pay £5 to WLAA which works

out at £40 for 16 miles of fishing.

Bruce Hope, chairman of WLAA,

said both clubs are keen to

promote junior angling and adults

taking up the offer.

Applicants will also be allowed

one junior permit (under 16) free of

charge and thereafter at £5 for the

other water .

Anglers apply for membership

of their home club, including any

junior memberships.

They will be issued with a unique

number which can then be used

The Young People’s Sport Panel

recruitment is now running until

24 February 2020.

Young people in Edinburgh are

offered an opportunity to play their

part in the future development of

Scottish sport.

sportscotland is looking for new

members for the panel which was

set up in June 2018.

Since then they have met

with the Minister for Sport

Joe Fitzpatrick to discuss the

importance of young people as

leaders in Scottish sport. The

panel is working in three particular

areas : on women’s and girls’

sport, access to sport and mental

health and sport.

Panashe Muzambe, a

Watsonians and Edinburgh

University rugby player, is hoping

to be named in the Scotland

Six Nations Squad, and she

encourages young people to apply

for the panel. The 24 year-old said :

"Sport is an opportunity to be free,

it is a freedom expressed as an

to apply to the other club for the

discounted permit or permits.

Applications can be made with a

cheque/postal order/bank transfer

and a stamped self-addressed

envelope to :

Memberships Cramond

Angling Club, 22 Parkgrove

Loan, Edinburgh EH47QX or

Memberships WLAA, 8 Cunnigar

Hill View, Mid Calder, Livingston

EH530SG

The offer provides permits

anglers to fish the other club's

water but does not confer full

voting membership of that club

and either club retains a right of

refusal.

Members will be bound by

the rules of whichever club

water anglers are fishing at the

time and both organisations

urged fishermen to familiarise

themselves fully before travelling.

Permit holders are required to

carry photographic identification

in addition to the permits and will

have to leave the river if requested

by Bailiffs of either club or the

Forth Rivers Trust. Proof of age is

required for junior permits.

Joe said: “Both clubs hope

anglers take advantage to try out

new waters and enhance their

experience of the river.”

Applications for sport

panel open now

individual or in a group. It brings

people with differences together,

bonded by something they have in

common.”

sportscotland.org.uk

Sarah is in the GB team

by Nigel Duncan

Sarah Robertson heads Down

Under for high-profile women’s

hockey clashes with Australia and

New Zealand.

That is short-term. Her long-term

goal is to be picked for Great

Britain’s Olympic squad which

would realise an ambition for the

talented midfielder who has played

on 99 occasions for Scotland.

She has also proudly worn the

Great Britain colours in 42 games,

but the pinnacle would be Tokyo

from July 24 to August 9 2020.

Law graduate Sarah, a former

Edinburgh University star, has

been named in a 22-strong squad

who face Australia, who played

in the Grand Final last year, on

February 1 and 2 and then New

Zealand on February 8 and 9.

The matches are in the FIH Pro

League and coach Mark Hager

has selected all 18 of the players

who secured their Olympic berth

by overcoming Chile at the end of

2019.

This is the first time that the

women have experienced the new

format of playing two doubleheaders

away from home.

It’s a serious challenge but one

Sarah relishes and the double

Commonwealth Games player

(Glasgow and Gold Coast) argued

that playing the best will help

Hager iron out any snags in their

game ahead of the Olympics.

The coach firmly believes he has

versatility in his squad and he is

excited to get the build-up under

way.

So is Borders-born Sarah who

has been a professional athlete

for over two years. The law degree

is parked while she pursues her

dream of Olympic glory and, of

course, Britain returned from Rio

four years ago with gold.

That, said the 26-year-old athlete,

raises the expectation level but the

steely Scot said: “That was four

years ago and there have been

major changes to the squad.

“Around seven of the gold medal

team are still in the squad but

there are a lot of new faces and it

takes time to gel.”

The Dundonian was picked

for the GB squad after a strong

performance in the EuroHockey

Championships II in Glasgow last

year when Scotland won gold and

secured promotion back to the

top tier of European hockey. Since

then, pacey forward Charlotte has

made an impact on the national

side in her five appearances. She

has 67 Scotland caps.

So has Edinburgh-born defender

Costello who has been with the

squad since February 2018 and

has collected 27 Great Britain caps

to add to her 51 for Scotland.

It’s good, admitted Sarah,

to have Scottish voices in the

camp but Sarah, who plays for

London-based, Hampstead and

Westminster, knows the Englishborn

players well from her club

games.

She now opts out of the club

scene to travel Down Under but

her international schedule allows

for a return just before the crucial

end-of-season play-offs.

The Scottish Hickory

Tour revived

On 6 February the first Scottish

Hickory Tour since 1930 will

begin with the James Braid

150th Anniversary Hickory Open

event over 9 holes at Braid Hill,

followed by 9 holes at Merchants

of Edinburgh Golf Club in the

afternoon.

The Merchants was originally

designed by Ben Sayers in 1907

and altered by James Braid in

1936. The course is challenging

and fun, and will be a good test

for players, including past World

Hickory Open Winners Fraser

Mann (Scotland) and Andrew

Marshall (England).

In April Jack’s Open Pro Am will

be played at Musselburgh Golf

Club and Royal Musselburgh on 8

and 9 April 2020.

Hearts overcome Rangers at home

Ladbrokes Premiership – Sunday

26th January 2020 – Tynecastle

by Mike Smith

It was just like old times at

Tynecastle at the end of January

as Hearts produced their best

performance of a troubled season

to come from behind to defeat

Rangers. The Gorgie team secured

three vitally important points in

the Ladbrokes Premiership.

After going behind at the

beginning of the second half

the Jambos roared back and

goals from Steven Naismith and

debutant Liam Boyce secured

Hearts first league win in ten

games. Hearts 2 Rangers 1

PHOTOS Ian Jacobs

Heriot's Rugby welcomed Boroughmuir Bears for a local FOSROC Super 6 match at Goldenacre for their

Round 8 match in the new – for this season – competition. Heriot's swept aside Boroughmuir to go joint

top of the FOSROC Super6 table and maintain their top-four play-off place PHOTO John Preece

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