The Edinburgh Reporter April 2021
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Decked
Pull up a seat at new
Porty pizza outlet
Page 3
Shining a light And action! Tattie scones
Laser show spreads Love,
Hope and Kindness
Page 8
Amazon drama starts filming
at Leith studios
Page 12
Juliet’s gran had a killer
touch in kitchen
Page 17
Crossroads
Where do the Jambos
go from here?
Page 23
April 2021
EDINBURGH’S FREE LOCAL NEWSPAPER...A CAPITAL READ FROM START TO FINISH
Registered...
...and raring to go
Martin P McAdam
First time
voters get set
to cast their
ballots
THE COUNTDOWN is on to 6 May
when Scotland goes to the polls and
elects 129 MSPs in what will be the
sixth election since the Scottish
Parliament reconvened in 1999.
And the four friends pictured (left)
will be paying closer attention than
many as a typical cohort of 73,100
young people aged 16 or 17 (1.7% of
the electorate) who have registered to
vote for the first time.
While voters have to be aged 18 to
vote in the UK Parliament, in Scotland
16 and 17 year olds have been eligible
to vote in The Scottish Parliament and
local government elections since 2015.
According to the National Records
of Scotland 4,227,700 people are
registered to vote on 6 May, the
highest ever recorded and up by
60,300 since 2019, with 394,700
Edinburgh voters registered.
The deadline to register to vote is
Monday 19 April but postal voters
must register by 6 April.
Full story on page 10
2 NEWS
An uneasy
springtime?
Vaccination team
at the Edinburgh
International
Conference Centre
Editorial
WE CONTINUE TO observe lockdown as
the political parties begin their campaigns
for election to The Scottish Parliament’s
sixth session. By the end of April,
restaurants and pubs will reopen along
with some other retail shops, still subject to
some restrictions to maintain Covid safety.
Now that the parliament is over two
decades old it feels to me that it should
perhaps come of age. It might be a better
place if there was more cross party action
and less party combat. Some of the MSPs
who served in the last parliament said the
same in the series of interviews I conducted
with them just before we went to press and
which you can read on Page 4.
In a period when politics was the only
story in town, Holyrood was a hotbed of
Votes of No Confidence and mud slinging.
The question is what was accomplished
from it all?
NEW HOSPITAL
Spring is just around the corner, even if a
holiday abroad is not yet on the horizon.
We are still advised to stay within our local
authority areas until restrictions are relaxed.
All of this seems to be working as the
numbers just before we went to press
show. Over half of the adult population in
Scotland have received their first jag.
Thank goodness for the scientists and
doctors who are guiding us through. The
Sick Kids in Sciennes has closed its doors
and the new hospital next to the Royal
Infirmary of Edinburgh has opened with its
brightly coloured interiors. I remember
clearly the front steps of the old building,
arriving there with my parents for a
scheduled operation as a five-year-old, the
nurses and the strict visiting hours. Many of
you will have your own memories of the
hospital which has now been replaced with
something shiny and new - albeit a bit late.
We do need to keep hoping that this will
be the last full lockdown, and that we can
go back to work in offices, shop in stores
and take a tram or a bus to wherever we
fancy. But for now just remember to wear a
mask and use hand gel. Stay safe.
Phyllis Stephen, Editor
John Knox looks forward and back
By JOHN KNOX
AS I POKE MY HEAD out from
the long hibernation of winter I
just don’t know what to expect.
None of us do. When will life get
back to normal? Will there be a
new normal?
We’ve been allowed to return to
work in my local nature reserve in
the shadow of Arthur’s Seat. Just
four volunteers at a time, socially
distanced of course. But even here
among the trees, ponds and reed
beds, the spring seems hesitant.
Herons sit cautiously on their
nests high in the trees. Smaller
birds twitter uneasily, carrying
twigs to their nests. The geese and
swans on the loch argue loudly
among themselves. Buds and
flowers are only slowly unfurling.
Being confined to our local
district, popular places for
walking have been crowded. Try
finding a parking place at Bonaly,
or Cramond, or Hillend, or
Flotterstone. Try walking along
the promenade at Portobello or
cycling or running along the
canal path or the Water of Leith.
GET IN
TOUCH
TODAY!
Try booking a slot at the
Botanic Gardens.
We’ve all learned to queue
respectfully outside coffee
takeaways, go to the supermarket
when it’s not too crowded, never
to leave home without a mask
in your pocket. And, the hardest
of all, to live and work at a
social distance.
There’s a growing sense of
weariness after this dreadful
winter. Some are just plain tired,
like NHS staff, and some are worn
down by seeing their jobs and
businesses disappearing down the
Covid black hole. School pupils
and students have felt abandoned.
But we emerge into a still
uncertain world. Covid may yet
have surprises in store. The
economy may not spring back as
quickly as we imagine and it may
be different – more online, more
working from home, more
unequal.
We don’t quite know what form
our summer holidays will take.
It’s all so unsettling.
It might be better to be living
in less interesting times.
Martin P McAdam
Coronavirus Statistics
THERE are now more white areas than purple on the map produced by
Public Health Scotland of the 7 day positivity rate per 100,000 population
in Edinburgh. This means there are few cases - probably under 5 in those
areas. But some purple patches remain, representing higher numbers.
These include Murrayburn and Wester Hailes North, Parkhead and
Sighthill, The Calders and Broomhouse and Bankhead where the cases are
as high as 200 to 399 per 100,000 population. In Edinburgh as a whole the
number is at 50 per 100,000 with a 7 day positivity rate of 2.5%.
Over half of adults in Scotland have now received their first dose of the
Covid-19 vaccine, although that is lower in Edinburgh where only 42.8% of
the population have received their first dose - that is 323,380 people.
If there are any daily briefings on Covid-19 during the election campaign
then the BBC has confirmed they will broadcast them to provide key
public health information. Live briefings will be shown on BBC One only if
there is major new information, and if a UK Government briefing is
broadcast live in Scotland then there will be additional coverage for
Scottish parties to respond. Any live briefings by a Scottish government
minister will include contributions from members of the other main
parties to comply with Ofcom rules around impartiality in the run up to
elections. We continue to report the daily figures online each day.
HOW TO GET YOUR COPY
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About us...
We write about news relating to the Edinburgh area. If you
have any news, or if you would like to submit an article or
photograph for publication then please contact us
Editor: Phyllis Stephen
Designer: Felipe Perez
Photos: Martin P McAdam
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3
Entering the fold
Porty deckchairs set to return to beach as Civerinos take slice of prom action
By STEPHEN RAFFERTY
RENTAL DECKCHAIRS could be on the way
back to Portobello Beach after an absence of
more than 30 years in an initiative by new pizza
specialist Civerinos Slice.
City parks officials are considering a proposal
by Civerinos owner, Michele Civiera, to hire out
up to 60 deckchairs on the beach directly in
front of his soon-to-open outlet located at
Noble’s Arcade.
Income from the deckchairs would be used to
pay staff to manage and maintain the furniture,
and keep the immediate beach and Promenade
area clean, with any profits being distributed to
three local Portobello charities.
The Deck Chairs That Care plan would see
between 40 and 60 deckchairs available for hire
to the general public, not only Civerinos
customers, and 100 per cent of proceeds would
be donated to Portobello Toddlers Hut,
Portobello Beach Wheelchairs and Edinburgh
Dog & Cat Home.
Michele explained: “Ranks of deckchairs
were a common sight on Portobello sands for
most of the last century and local families had
concessions to rent out the chairs to visitors
during the summer months. We would be
reintroducing a long-established seaside
tradition which would add a new dimension
to the beachside environment and benefit
local charities.
“The deckchairs will be placed to ensure there
is enough room for dog walkers during high
tide and will be brought in every night and
stored securely. We will employ a dedicated
beach litter patroller, who will keep the beach
clear of discarded food and packaging.
Pizza on
the beach
Michele Civiera ready to
open on Porty Prom
“Our staff will have it written into their
contracts that they will be expected to monitor
the local environment and to maintain a tidy
walkway and beach, setting an example for
visitors and other local businesses, and we will
cover the cost of any additional general waste
and recycling bins that are needed.”
Civerinos is already well established
in the city with other outlets at
Forrest Road, Hunter Square
and St John’s Road in
Corstorphine and Michele hopes
to open for business at Prom Slice
around 8 April in an initiative
which will create up to 26 jobs.
As a Portobello resident who
swims daily in the Forth,
Michele said the deckchair
venture was not focused on profit but about
putting something back into the local
community on his doorstep.
He added: “I love Portobello and its unique
atmosphere and this is more a personal project
than generating revenue. I am really excited
about opening Prom Slice but if we can add
benefit to the local community and increase
environmental awareness, then that is a
big win for me.”
The new outlet will have indoor seating for
about 20 people but the focus will be on
takeaway and collection and is expected to
be open from 11am to 11pm daily, serving
New York-style pizza, meatballs,
fries, salads and a selection of
non-alcoholic drinks and beers.
www.civerinosslice.com
Hot Slice Studio
Dalriada plans
move up a gear
MILLIONAIRE GAMES developer Leslie
Benzies has been granted approval to
convert the former Dalriada Hotel in
Portobello into a single home.
Benzies, who made his fortune as a
creator on the Grand Theft Auto series,
purchased the popular beachside watering
hole in September for £1.3 million after it
was placed on the market by owners Terry
and Alison Magill at offers over £950,000.
A number of prominent licenced trade
operators were interested in acquiring the
property but any lingering hopes that the
Dalriada would remain as a pub ended on
18 March when the city council granted
planning permission for a change of use.
The proposals, lodged by agent Jennifer
Dinwoodie of Pendant Interiors on behalf
of Mariah Ventures Ltd, is for a six
bedroom home, with extensive living and
dining areas and kitchens on the ground
and first floors, two bathrooms, an ensuite
shower room and ensuite bathroom, and
an oval office on the top floor overlooking
the beach.
Benzies made his reputation as the lead
developer of the global gaming success
story Grand Theft Auto series which is
estimated to have sold one quarter of a
billion copies and grossed more than $6
billion. In 2005 he and Rockstar Games
president Sam Houser, were awarded a
BAFTA Special Award, followed in 2015 by
a BAFTA Fellowship, which celebrates
outstanding artistic achievements in
movies, television and video games.
He departed Rockstar in 2016 and
launched a legal case claiming he was due
$150 million in unpaid royalties which was
settled in 2019. Last September, The
Telegraph reported that Mr Benzies had
raised £32 million from investors to
develop his new science fiction game
Everywhere, which is being created by his
company Build a Rocket Boy, which
employs 400 staff working on the project
at studios in Leith and Budapest.
University of Edinburgh Covid-19 research
THE UNIVERSITY of
Edinburgh will lead research
on the impact of Covid-19 on
children and young people
with intellectual disabilities.
Researchers hope to build a
picture of what has happened
to make it easier to support
families when lockdown eases,
as they think this group of
young people has been
significantly impacted.
The researchers say the main
factors are limited access to
education, respite care and
specialist services which along
with restrictions on family
support could result in
unknown consequences.
Intellectual Disability (ID) is a
recognised term meaning
those who have certain
limitations including
communication and it has
been reported recently that
those with ID are more
susceptible to mental health
issues from Covid.
Lead researcher Karri
Gillespie-Smith, of the
University of Edinburgh’s
School of Health in Social
Science, said: “The experiences
of young people with ID, and
their caregivers, has so far
been unexplored – yet this will
be crucial to help us
understand how families can
be supported in the transition
back to normality.”
The University
of Edinburgh
Martin P McAdam
4 NEWS
Holyrood report card
Phyllis Stephen pulls up a chair with sitting MSPs to hear what they have achieved
POLITICS CAN be ruthless. You can be a
government minister one day and out on your ear
the next. Some of that is truly the nature of the
job, but once every five years it is up to the
electorate to change things. We get the chance this
year to vote for 129 MSPs to form a new
government. This will be the sixth since The
Scottish Parliament was set up in 1999.
Some of those who have represented the
various areas of Edinburgh and Lothian will not
be re-elected by voters in the complicated
Holyrood voting system. Others like Neil Findlay
and Ruth Davidson are choosing to step down.
Andy Wightman has resigned from the Scottish
Greens and is standing as an independent
candidate in Highland Region. He has raised
almost £15,000 for his election campaign.
Looking back over the last parliament I spoke
to some of the MSPs to establish what they
thought their achievements were and what might
be improved in The Scottish Parliament.
Andrew Cowan / Scottish Parliament
ASH DENHAM, SNP
Ash Denham is SNP MSP for
Edinburgh Eastern. First elected in
2016, she became Minister for
Community Safety - a portfolio which she
describes as "quite a technical brief and it can be
a bit dry”. She was pleased to reform the law on
defamation "which was long overdue”. Ms
Denham said updates to the Children
(Scotland) Act dealing with family courts and
family law were overdue. This piece of
legislation took two years to put in place. Ms
Denham said: "I really looked at the policy and
tried to think about how it would impact on
people because this is going to be in place for a
long time.” But the highlight was changing the
law on sale of fireworks. She said: “I think there
was this acceptance, this changing mood of
the public, that they were just sick to the back
teeth with people using fireworks in in
anti-social ways.”
BEN MACPHERSON, SNP
Ben Macpherson is SNP for
Edinburgh Northern and Leith. He
rose to become a minister and has
now held three portfolios - and is Minister for
Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment. The
constituency has a population of around 95,000
people. Ben helped the Lorne Street community
avoid eviction, and helped deal with motorbike
thefts which were a problem in the area. He
said: “I am not saying I was the one who
resolved the issue with opportunities and
mentorship for young people - it was a real
team effort.” He also backed the Save the Walk
campaign to save Stead’s Place on Leith Walk
from development and was involved with the
“Seafield Stench”. He was instrumental in
getting real investment to fix that. Ben found
that he is not the first in his family to support
independence - he discovered his great-great
grandfather was the first on the score. He knew
Keir Hardie who believed in home rule.
Not a lot of people know Ben once walked
from Edinburgh to London for the charity
Peace One Day.
GORDON MACDONALD, SNP
Gordon Macdonald is SNP MSP for
Edinburgh Pentlands. Brought up in
Cumbernauld, he became a cost
accountant working with Lothian Buses. One of
his recent achievements was forming the cross
party group on convenience stores. He said: "It
brought together small shops through the
Scottish Grocers' Federation that serve all of our
communities - the corner shop, the
neighbourhoods, a parade of shops, whether in
the countryside or in urban areas. And it gave
them a focal point. One of the issues was retail
crime and this group of around 30 to 50 people
paved the way for Daniel Johnson's Protection
of Retail Workers Bill which I was then happy
to support.
"Parliament works best when we bury our
political differences, and we work together for
the benefit of the people of Scotland.” The
winner of a bronze medal for singing at the
Clyde Fair in 1972, he doesn’t do much singing
these days, preferring to speak up for his
constituents instead.
DANIEL JOHNSON, LABOUR
Daniel Johnson is Scottish Labour
MSP for Edinburgh Southern where
he is part of the Labour tag team with
Labour's only Scottish MP, Ian Murray, who
represents Edinburgh South. First elected in
2016 and with a background in retail, it was a
pretty obvious thing to Johnson to introduce a
Members Bill protecting retail workers which
passed into legislation earlier this year. He feels
this is a rewarding job, but mentioned his
sadness at losing three women MSPs from the
chamber, largely due to the pressures of travel
and childcare. He said: “If I put myself in their
shoes I am not sure that I could have continued.
Both my wife and I work and we have young
daughters. The problem is not the time spent in
the chamber, but rather the stuff that happens
after decision time at 5 o’clock.”
To relax Daniel set up a guitar group with
other MSPs. He said: "I think to be able to
build friendships and interests across party
lines is important and makes doing the job a
lot better. I am very keen to expand our line up
both in terms of instruments and indeed
political parties.”
ALEX COLE-HAMILTON, LIBDEM
Edinburgh Western MSP Alex
Cole-Hamilton used to work for
charity Aberlour advocating for
children’s rights. He said that in spite of the
tectonic shifts in the last five years with Brexit et
al he has "loved every minute" and would be
heartbroken if he did not win the constituency
again. He said: "I got the airport Skylink 200
introduced and you know, that may not sound
huge, but actually it's killed several birds with
one stone because through that campaign, we
have reduced car dumping in Corstorphine for
people who jump on the airport bus.
"We made it easier for people who work at
the airport to get there and back, and the
airport is still the biggest employer in my
constituency. We got ScotRail to stop trains in
Nicola Sturgeon deals with
questions at FMQs
Dalmeny to pick up passengers there. Finding a
way to help people is one of the most rewarding
feelings in the world.”
JEREMY BALFOUR, CONSERVATIVE
Jeremy Balfour is Scottish
Conservative MSP for Lothian. He is
also a solicitor and an ordained
minister, and was previously an Edinburgh
councillor. He has been an advocate for disabled
people and the biggest change he is proud of is
getting Changing Places toilets for disabled
people onto the planning bill. He explained
there are few in Scotland and Lothian, but now
there is a requirement that any large
development has to have one. The new St James
Quarter will have a Changing Places toilet for
example. Jeremy said: " I think it will help
disabled people, and will help the economy as
well because people with disability will come in
to town and shop more or go to facilities.” A
chocoholic, he changes his evening snack with
the seasons, for the moment it is chocolate
creme eggs.
ALISON JOHNSTONE, GREENS
Alison Johnstone is the Scottish
Green MSP for Lothian. This will be
her third Holyrood election and she
was previously a councillor. She worked for
Robin Harper who was the first Green MSP
having begun her political career campaigning
to retain greenspace at Meggetland. She is
proud of removing unnecessary face-to-face
assessments for disability benefits and the
5
mountain hare can now rest easy as Alison
made sure it is protected. Previously East of
Scotland 800 and 1500 metre champion, she
trained as an athletics coach. She had to learn to
do the pole vault and found “it was definitely
something which was harder than it looks. I was
hardly leaving the ground but felt I was
touching Pluto”.
GORDON LINDHURST, CONSERVATIVE
Gordon Lindhurst is Scottish
Conservative MSP for Lothian Region
and has worked hard to help
individual constituents - although the size of his
email inbox did surprise him. He particularly
enjoyed helping locals in West Edinburgh when
the council planned to close two schools
creating one super school. During lockdown he
went back to his late mother’s cookbook and
began baking. He said: "I’m not MasterChef
standard - it is only for my own amusement. His
speciality is pancakes but admits "that's a pretty
simple one though!” His previous career as an
advocate has stood him in good stead heading
up the Economy Committee making technical
changes to matters such as the Access to Data
Bill - a committee bill which is one of only three
of its type passed at Holyrood.
SARAH BOYACK, LABOUR
Sarah Boyack is Scottish Labour MSP
for Lothian. Except for a period of
three years she has been an MSP since
1999, and was a member of Donald Dewar’s
cabinet. She said: "I was chair of the Planning
Institute in Scotland, but when I got elected I
was given the brief of Planning, Transport and
the Environment. That was a massive role and I
created the first national parks we have ever had
in Scotland - still unfinished business as we only
have two. I introduced bus passes for over 60s
and new railways - like Stirling to Alloa and
started looking at the Borders Railway. Being in
charge of a brief that was historically male was
quite interesting. There were occasions when on
entering meetings people would think my six
and a half feet tall Private Secretary was the
minister and not me.” Her recent job was Vice
Convener of the Local Government Committee
examining how the Community Empowerment
Act has worked. This re-examination of laws
passed is something Sarah would like to see
more of. For relaxation she has recently become
a member of a community garden (something
which makes her friends and family laugh). She
said: “It has surprised me how much I have
enjoyed it.”
MILES BRIGGS, CONSERVATIVE
Miles Briggs is Scottish Conservative
MSP for Lothian. His brief has
involved health and mental health. He
said: "I'm most proud of bringing forward a
Member's bill - Frank’s Law - to extend free
personal care for those under the age of 65. That
is probably my greatest achievement. I also
campaigned for the cleft palate surgery unit to
stay in Edinburgh and now it is the Eye
Pavilion. He said: "I welcome the elective centre
in Livingston being used as a place for eye
surgery, but at no point was that going to be a
replacement for the a pavilion, which the SNP
are now suggesting it will be. I just think it
would be ridiculous for Edinburgh to be the
only major city in the UK not to have an eye
hospital.” As an economics graduate he thinks
the next parliament will be all about the
economic recovery - with the cultural sector
also key in Edinburgh. His lighter side was on
display when his phone rang… no ordinary
ringtone - just the sound of a quacking duck.
Disability Benefits...
...or should they be Enabling Benefits?
SCOTLAND WAS given a unique opportunity to change disability social
security when powers were devolved from Westminster in 2018, but what did
they come up with? An exact carbon copy of the rest of the United Kingdom!
The Scottish Government, in their defence of this squandered opportunity,
said they wanted to allow for a safe and secure transition period from
Westminster to Holyrood, before embarking on a more comprehensive
shake-up of the system.
So with an upcoming Scottish Parliament election in May, this can be the
time to envisage a social security system for the disabled people of Scotland
that is human rights based, enabling rather than disabling and one which
supports independent living.
However, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, there are many examples of
best practice from countries across the world.
Take Australia for example. It has a National Disability Insurance scheme for
those aged 7-65 and focuses on capability rather than disability. It works by
devising a plan to help you achieve your aims and sets budgets for support
according to these goals. So could Scotland have one system like Australia
that changes with you throughout the stages of your life?
Could we take the lead from Denmark? In their social security system, a
social worker is responsible for each claimant’s case, deciding who needs to
be involved and what needs to happen in the assessment. France have a
similar process of using a multi-disciplinary team for the assessment process.
Should Scotland change to an enabling form of assessment?
Germany has, as part of its social security system, a benefit that focuses on
reintegration into the workplace, with payments for training programmes and
health and wellbeing treatments. Could Scotland help disabled people to get
into - and stay in - work by providing a benefit to support those services?
Scotland has another opportunity to create a world leading social security
system. One that truly helps disabled people to reach their full potential and
have equal participation in society.
So the next government must not ruin this second chance!
Jeremy Balfour MSP
Salmond’s Alba Party
FORMER FIRST MINISTER, Alex
Salmond, announced a new
pro-independence party with
candidates who will stand in the
Scottish Parliament election.
He said the Alba Party expected
to field at least four candidates on
each regional list.
During the online launch Mr
Salmond said: “I am announcing
the public launch of a new
political force - the Alba Party.
“Alba will contest the upcoming
Scottish election as a list only
party under my leadership,
seeking to build a super majority
for independence in the Scottish
parliament.
“Over the next six weeks we will
promote new ideas about taking
Scotland forward, giving primacy
to economic recovery from the
pandemic and the achievement of
independence for our country.
“We expect to field a minimum
of four candidates in each regional
list and are hoping to elect Alba
MSPs from every area of Scotland.”
6 NEWS
Paying for your parking
Locals say they were not told about the council’s CPZ proposals
A CONSULTATION on introducing controlled
parking zones (CPZ) into certain areas of the
city has just ended. In Saughtonhall, one of the
affected areas, locals including former Lord
Provost Norman Irons said they knew nothing
about the consultation. Many said they did not
receive any of the 17,000 leaflets which the
council say were distributed. Dr Irons’ daughter
Elizabeth told The Edinburgh Reporter: “While
my parents and their neighbours have tried to
contact as many residents as they can, these
proposed changes affect thousands of
households and it is not possible, nor is it their
responsibility to contact everyone. These
proposed changes affect thousands of people in
the Saughtonhall area – the consultation leaflet
needs to be delivered to every household and
the consultation extended to allow people the
opportunity to respond.
“The leaflet provides no substantive
information on the proposed changes and
directs people to go online to look at an
interactive map.”
Local councillor and current Lord Provost,
Cllr Frank Ross, said: “My in box has been in
overdrive. Overwhelmingly in the
Corstorphine, Saughtonhall , Murrayfield and
even in the Maltings at Roseburn there has been
a negative reaction to the CPZ proposals, not
least because people aren’t being asked if they
want a CPZ - the basic assumption of the
consultation is that controls are happening.
“The vast majority feel that the Council
proposals are heavy handed and there is no
Council plans a Controlled
Parking Zone in Saughtonhall
clear understanding of what problem they are
meant to be solving. Saughtonhall residents
almost unanimously see no need for controls.”
Transport and Environment Convener, Cllr
Lesley Macinnes, said: “This review responds to
the concerns of residents across the city, many
of whom have told us that they want to see
controls introduced to help limit the impact of
non-residential parking. Proposed controls are
about helping residents to park near their
homes, so of course we want to know what the
people who live here think about them. Our
suppliers have delivered over 1600 leaflets in the
Saughtonhall area to try to reach every property
in this area and around 17,000 as part of this
phase of wider consultation. We also have
physical copies of the surveys available for those
that may need them."
The consultation also covered Easter Road,
West Leith, Bonnington, Willowbrae North,
Murrayfield, Corstorphine and Roseburn.
The findings will be considered at the June
meeting of the Transport and Environment
committee.
Sunday no
fun day
FROM SUNDAY 11 APRIL anyone visiting
the city centre will have to pay to park This
has been a long time coming, and is being
introduced against objections posed by
many, including city churches.
To accommodate those objections charges
will only be payable after 12.30pm, by which
time most churches are presumably closed
again for the week. The council says its City
Mobility Plan will reduce traffic dominance.
Cllr Karen Doran, Transport and
Environment Vice Convener, said: “These
updated controls are about improving
conditions in the city centre, creating a safer
environment and tackling inconsiderate
parking, as well as providing greater flexibility
for residents to park nearer their homes.
“Under normal circumstances, there is no
doubt Edinburgh is a seven-day city, and we
simply must address this as restrictions begin
to be lifted and people return to the centre
for shopping and socialising.
“We want to support businesses to recover
from the Covid pandemic and greater
parking controls on a Sunday will encourage
customer turnover, allow more access for
servicing and create a more pleasant
atmosphere for everyone.”
The charges are part of the Parking Action
Plan approved in 2016 and part of the city’s
aim to become carbon neutral by 2030.
The council says the changes will bring
Edinburgh into line with many other UK cities
which already charge for Sunday parking,
including Glasgow, Manchester and
Birmingham.
Have yourselves a
merry little Christmas
THE COUNCIL is asking residents about plans for
Edinburgh’s Christmas and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay
from 2022 onwards.
The council is contractually bound to Underbelly
until then.
Cllr Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities
Convener, said: “We want to hear from the people of
Edinburgh both on how our Winter Festivals should
be delivered and indeed what should be delivered.
Their feedback to our consultation will shape the
future direction of our celebrations from 2022
onwards, when the current arrangements come to an
end. This is a good time to take stock and look at
what people think and what people want.
“Our Winter Festivals have grown in size and
renown both at home and throughout the world.
Their cultural and economic importance is well
documented and through this consultation we will
establish a balanced knowledge of how Edinburgh
citizens regard these celebrations, both positive and
negative. It is therefore important that as many
people as possible make their views heard and I
would urge everyone, whatever their views, to spend
the small amount of time needed to complete the
survey and have their say.”
The consultation will close on 19 May and the
results will be presented to both the Festivals and
Events All Party Oversight Group and to the Culture
and Communities Committee later this year.
The Tron is on the
At Risk register
Tron’s future
again in doubt
Heritage body moves out of Tron
THE CHARITY Edinburgh World
Heritage (EWH) took over the Tron
Kirk in 2018 as part of a long-term
effort to conserve it.
It is on the ‘at risk’ register and
it is said to be one of Edinburgh’s
most difficult conservation
challenges.
Only three years later EWH is
moving out on 1 April due to lack
of funding.
It was big news when EWH
moved into the Tron on the High
Street to stage a historic
exhibition - Our World Heritage
- about the city centre, and the
Old and New Towns complete
with an array of photos featuring
local people. Over 600,000 visitors
have attended the exhibition
since then, learning the story of
the building itself and the
archaeology beneath it.
While the visitors largely said
they supported the refurbishment
of the Tron to create a heritage
centre it will take “significant
capital expenditure”. The
refurbishment would need
sensitive conservation work and
that would require secure funding.
Last December the council
decided that they could not
commit to funding this work due
to “significant unbudgeted capital
pressures”. The likelihood of others
stepping up with contributions is
considered low if a central tranche
of funding is non-existent.
EWH said that they remain
committed to helping to find a
sustainable use for the Tron. The
building was previously leased for
use as a market.
7
Beechgrove Garden
presenter Brian Cunningham
Tackling the
global climate
emergency
Ryan Scott
Basil (6) and Ivy
(4) Anderson got
a close look
Rainbow of Hope on the Mound
THE NATIONAL Day of
Reflection was marked by the
Scottish horticulture industry
who collaborated on planting a
Rainbow of Hope on The
Mound. The 20 metre rainbow
of primroses was only in place
for a few days before all the
plants were distributed to
charities including Thistle,
Edinburgh Community Food
Aerial view
and Trellis, a Scottish charity
dedicated to therapeutic
gardening.
The initiative was
coordinated by Stan Green,
Director of Growforth, a plant
wholesaler in Dunfermline and
Andrew Scott, Director of
Reynard Nursery in Carluke,
to promote the benefits
of gardening as people reflect
on the pandemic.
Ivy (4) and Basil (6) Anderson
had a good look at the
primroses when they were
unveiled. Brian Cunningham, a
presenter with Beechgrove
Garden and the Head Gardener
at Scone Palace, also cast a
professional eye over the
rainbow set out by council staff
and volunteers from nurseries.
The Scottish ornamental
horticulture industry
contributes £2.2 billion to
Scottish GDP directly and
indirectly and supports 53,900
jobs. The Scottish garden retail
sector directly contributes £152
million to GDP and supports
6,700 jobs. The Scottish plant
production industry is worth
£38 million.
SCOTLAND’S CLIMATE Assembly lodged
its interim report with The Scottish
Parliament just before it rose for the election.
The report sets out 16 gaps for tackling
the climate emergency covering issues from
domestic heating to emissions and land use.
The Assembly warned that: “If we fail
to act now we will fail our current and
future generations in Scotland and across
the world”.
This was the second citizens’ assembly to
be held in Scotland, with 100 members
representing the country in terms of age,
gender, household income, ethnicity and
geography. The assembly completed all
of its work entirely online, meeting seven
times over five months and hearing
evidence from over 100 experts on the
question “How should Scotland change
to tackle the climate emergency in an
effective and fair way?”.
Co-convener Ruth Harvey said: “I am full of
admiration for the contribution members of
the Assembly are making to Scotland
through their hard work and determination
in grappling with so much complex,
technical evidence. This is a learning
journey I believe all of us in Scotland now
need to take together. For the first time,
ordinary folk are today setting out for our
Parliament a concrete programme so that
Scotland can take the lead in tackling the
climate emergency.”
The Assembly’s full report with detailed
recommendations will be published in May
following the election.
Open - two years late
Sick Kids Hospital at Sciennes moves to Little France site
The colourful interior at the Sick Kids
THE ROYAL HOSPITAL for Sick Children
(the Sick Kids) has now closed its doors at
Sciennes and all patients have moved to the
new building at Little France right next to
the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
The new Royal Hospital for Children and
Young People has been open for some
outpatient services since last July and
earlier this year the Child and Adolescent
Mental Health Service (CAMHS) inpatient
facilities all moved to the new site.
There was a delay in opening in July 2019
when the ventilation system in the critical
care unit was discovered to have failings.
The £150 million campus was then
mothballed while remedial works were
carried out. A public inquiry chaired by
Lord Brodie into delays at the Sick Kids
and issues at Queen Elizabeth University
Hospital in Glasgow built by the same
construction firm began last August. It is
charged with considering the planning and
construction of the two hospitals, issues
around ventilation, water contamination
and whether the buildings provide
"a suitable environment for the delivery
of safe, effective person-centred care.
The Inquiry will make recommendations
to ensure that any past mistakes
are not repeated in future NHS
infrastructure projects."
Hearings will begin on 20 September
with a procedural session on 22 June.
Fiona Mitchell, Service Director,
Women's and Children's Services, NHS
Lothian, said: “The Royal Hospital for
Children and Young people is such a
fantastic facility for patients, their families
and our staff. This move has been much
anticipated and I am delighted that we can
now call this amazing space our new home.
“The Royal Hospital for Sick Children at
Sciennes may have closed its doors for the
final time, but the same amazing teams are
on hand at our incredible new facilities at
Little France to offer care, treatment and
support to children and young people up to
the age of 16.”
All patients and any child or young
person requiring access to A&E, must now
go to the new hospital at Little France.
The Royal Hospital for Children and Young
People is located at 50 Little France Crescent,
Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ.
For more information on how to access
The Royal Hospital for Children and
Young People and the facilities that are
available visit: www.children.nhslothian.scot
In an emergency, dial 999
8 NEWS
The parallel beams shone out
from Edinburgh Castle
Jack and Isla
top baby names
list in Scotland
Martin P McAdam
Beam me up Scotland
Light show lands in Edinburgh on international tour
Seven rays of laser light
made up a rainbow
BURNS&BEYOND,
Edinburgh’s flagship Burns
Festival, made a surprise
return to spread Love, Hope
and Kindness with the
Scottish premiere of Yvette
Mattern’s spectacular laser art
installation - Global Rainbow
- which illuminated the skies
above the capital for a couple
of nights.
Global Rainbow beamed
seven parallel horizontal rays
of high specification laser
light, representing the
spectrum of the seven colours
of the rainbow from the giddy
heights of Edinburgh Castle.
Having recently been
shown in Kobe, Japan,
Edinburgh joins a list of
international cities to present
Global Rainbow including
New York, Berlin, São Paulo
and Toronto.
Shining above the
National Monument
THE NATIONAL RECORDS of Scotland
(NRS) has announced that the first name
choice for baby girls is now Isla which
overtakes Olivia in second place ahead of
Emily in third.
Jack retained the top spot for boys for
the 13th year in a row. Noah is in second
place up from number seven, and James
stays in third place.
The name Maeve has jumped 130
places to 86th and Ayda rose 63 places
to the 91st place. The climbers in boys’
names are Roman, up 68 places to 332,
and Finley which rose by 48 places
to 88th.
From 23,968 girls born, there were
4,347 names used and for 22,387 boys
3,375 names were used.
Children now seem less likely to share a
name with classmates than their
grandparents would have.
Julie Ramsay, Vital Events Statistician,
said: “We can see from the 2020 names
lists that different generations of
parents have different preferences for
naming their babies.
“Isla, the most popular name for girls in
2020, was the most popular name with
mothers aged 35 and over, but it only
ranked 7th with mothers aged under 25.
“However, Olivia, the most popular girls
name of 2019, was ranked 1st by younger
mothers and 6th by older mothers.
“Jack, the most popular name for boys
in 2020, was the 2nd most popular name
with mothers aged 35 and above, and
only 17th with mothers aged under 25.
“James was the most popular name for
boys with older mothers while Noah was
ranked 1st for younger mothers.”
Smith, Brown, and Wilson have been
the three most popular surnames
since 1975.
Online discussions in the Old Town
THE OLD TOWN Association
on 8 April discuss “The Melville
Monument: A view from the
pavement.” This is an online talk
from Edward Duvall about the
evidence underpinning the recent
changes to the plaque.
The Old Edinburgh Club on 14
April will discuss “John Ritchie
Findlay (1824-98): architectural
patron and benefactor”. Dr Clarisse
Godard Desmarest talks about this
interesting Edinburgh character.
On 21 April in “A Tale of Two
Explosions”. Eric Drake discusses
two memorable explosions that
rocked Edinburgh neighbourhoods
a century apart.
Pete’s a top man in the country
THE FORMER principal of the
University of Dundee has joined
the Board of Scotland’s Rural
College (SRUC).
Professor Sir Pete Downes
(pictured left) is a top biochemist,
chair of Dynamic Earth and
President of the UK Biochemical
Society.
He said: “I’m excited to be joining
the SRUC Board at a time of great
challenge when only the most
resilient and enterprising
organisations will thrive. My
appointment fulfils a lifetime of
interest in the countryside, its
natural resources and the people
who live and work there.”
9
CEO tackling poverty and isolation
Bridie Ashrowan listening to post-Covid recovery plans in Edinburgh
THE NEWLY appointed CEO of the
Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations
Council (EVOC) has set out her wish
list for tackling poverty and isolation in
the city.
Bridie Ashrowan has more than 30
years’ experience in the community sector,
was previously chief executive of
community development trust Space &
Broomhouse Hub, and was instrumental
in leading the £3.2 million rebuild of the
centre there.
Her new role covers all areas of the city
and she told The Edinburgh Reporter the
biggest part of her job will be simply
listening to what people have to say to her.
EVOC aims to be a “catalyst of social
change” and Bridie describes her role as
The colourful interior at
“redesigning the Sick Kidsthe airplane while you are
flying it”. She said: “I am thinking about
changing things while we are still in the
air, but I am listening and recognising the
things that I don't actually know.
"I am interested in radical kindness,
from policy making to championing the
work that you do which exemplifies that in
every corner of the city, and when it is
allowed, I hope to get out to those corners.”
So what about the upcoming election?
What will she be looking for from the
politicians elected in Edinburgh? "I think
there are some key things for me. We need
to look at the post-Covid recovery that
will have to address endemic issues that
we already had - and we have shone
a light on.
“I mean things around poverty and
isolation - isolation is a poverty of quality
of life. We actually now have some ‘hows’
to resolve those issues. We want to
hold politicians accountable for some
of the ‘hows’ - for example how we
address poverty.
“Specifically in Edinburgh we've got a
bit of a road map now in the Edinburgh
Poverty Commission (EPC). If someone
says we don't know what to do about that,
well we do, and we have to ask what their
response is to that Commission.
"And we have an economic recovery, but
the findings of the EPC also included
people with lived experience of that, and
that will help us in the economic recovery.
The other part for me is the green recovery.
If we just go back to business as usual, we
are not really learning from why we have
had the pandemic - which is that we are
very distanced from nature. We have
opportunities to make the city a nicer
place to be.”
EVOC CEO,
Bridie Ashrowan
New members
on parade at
police board
Guild members in
Zambia last year
Church raises half-million for good causes
THE CHURCH of Scotland Guild
has raised more than £500,000 in
the last three years which has
been shared among a number of
international projects.
It was Scotland's Year of Young
People in 2018 and many
initiatives centred around
providing opportunities for
younger generations including
the Boys Brigade, Journeying
Together - a partnership
between the former World
Mission Council and the Guild
- lifting teenage mothers in
Zambia out of poverty.
Other projects to benefit
included Malawi Fruits, which
helps young people to farm cash
crops and to irrigate using
solar-powered pumps, and
Seema's Project, a charity
working with street children in
Pune, India.
The other two groups which
benefitted were Join Up the
Dots, a partnership between
CrossReach and the Guild, which
tackles loneliness and isolation,
and The Sailors' Society, which
provides practical and spiritual
support to those in the maritime
industry.
Guild secretary, Iain Whyte,
said: "As we come to the end of
the three years of our current
projects, it's really heartening to
know that the Guild has raised
the amazing amount of over
£520,000 for our project
partners, despite the challenges
of the past year when Guilds
couldn't meet.
"With the Malawi Fruits project
having our funds matched by
the United Nations, the total
raised came to almost £600,000
- money that will deeply affect
lives across the world."
The Moderator of the Church
of Scotland, the Right Reverend
Dr Martin Fair, raised £1,500
when he hosted an online quiz.
The Guild’s new 2021 - 2024
partner projects will be
announced soon.
THE SCOTTISH POLICE Authority (SPA)
Board, which oversees Police Scotland, has
appointed six new members who took up their
new roles on 1 April.
The six include Dr Robert Black, Scotland’s
first Auditor General and serving chair of the
Audit Committee of the British Library; Paul
Edie, Chair of the Care Inspectorate since 2013;
former Chief Fire Officer of Scottish Fire and
Rescue, Alasdair Hay; senior risk and
compliance expert Katharina Kasper; Fiona
McQueen, former Scottish Government Chief
Nursing Officer; and Catriona Stewart who has
worked in an advisory capacity at national
level, including to the Independent Review of
the Mental Health Act (Scotland).
Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf, said: “I am
pleased to announce the appointment of these
new members who will bring a wealth of skills
and experience to the SPA, strengthening an
already strong Board as it continues to
scrutinise Police Scotland.
“In the last year, policing has never been
more important as a key frontline service in the
drive to keep people safe during our response
to Covid-19.
“The new members, along with
improvements in governance and
engagement, will better enable the SPA to
address the many new and unprecedented
demands on Scottish policing.”
10 NEWS
Getting on their marks
Holyrood politicians hoping for youth vote from teenage fanclub
THEY MAY only represent 1.7%
of the electorate but votes from
Scotland’s 16 and 17 year old will
be keenly contested by all
political parties.
Lara Hunter-Douglas, 18, and
friends Emma Clarkson, Archie
Weetch, Jenny Curruthers, all 18,
and Sofia Macchi Watts, 17, are part
of the 73,100 younger registered
voters who are excited about placing
their first X in the ballot box.
Lara, who works for PR firm
Holyrood Partnership and has
applied to study English Literature at
university, said her vote is likely to
go to the party which can best
manage the Covid-19 pandemic
recovery and the economy.
She said: “For me and other young
people it’s about who is capable of
handing the pandemic that is
important. Obviously that has never
been an issue before, but it will be a
prominent factor this time, especially
for young people who want to get
back out and live our lives.
“Parties who have not only got the
older generation on the agenda, but
issues that affect young people like
universities and jobs will do well,
because it’s a real struggle just now
even getting a part time job.”
VOTING DEADLINES: POSTAL, 6 APRIL • TO REGISTER, 19 APRIL • PROXY VOTE, 27 APRIL
EMMA
CLARKSON
Age: 18
Abbeyhillbased
Emma
will vote for the first time
in May. She is studying
physical education at
University of Edinburgh
which she loves. She also
enjoys dancing and has
done some modelling.
Handling pandemic
could be young
vote winner
ARCHIE
WEETCH
Age: 18
Archie will
vote this year
for the first time. Archie
who lives near Newington
is studying to be a vet at
University of Edinburgh
and hopes to specialise in
equine veterinary
medicine - although he has
only been let loose on the
smaller animals for now.
JENNY
CARRUTHERS
Age: 18
Jenny lives in
Blackford and
deferred entry to university
until this year. She will
begin studying Psychology
and Sociology at the
University of Aberdeen in
the autumn where she is
looking forward to the
social life. She loves to
dance the tango.
LARA
HUNTER-
DOUGLAS
Age: 18
Lara works in
PR. She will be voting for
the first time and thinks it
important to vote in
person at least the first
time. In school there was a
big push to encourage
every one to register to
vote, so Lara thinks most of
her friends registered then.
SOFIA
MACCHI
WATTS
Age: 17
Sofia is in her
final year at school. She
plans to go to Glasgow
University and study
English and Theatre
Studies after the summer.
She has registered to vote
already and wants to go
and vote in person.
Martin P McAdam
Soul sauna on
song for Porty
beach users
TEMPERATURES On Portobello Beach
could soar if a bid to operate a mobile
sauna gets city council approval. Local
resident and wild swimmer Kirsty Carver
has applied for licence to locate her wood
fired Soul Water Sauna on the Promenade
close to James Street.
The sauna would be “a relaxing
experience offering escapism, a wide range
of health benefits and reconnecting with
nature” councillors will hear. It is claimed
the sauna would support growth in
adventure tourism which is a VisitScotland
priority, and would appeal to wild
swimmers, kayakers, paddle boarders,
rowers and runners who use the Prom.
Kirsty (pictured above) said: “We’re eager
to introduce the sauna culture to the wider
community, those who have not tried it
before and as a place to bring friends and
families together. We would also like to
support locally run mental health
organisations and charities to offer
wellbeing experiences at a significantly
discounted rate.”
Keen to clarify that the facility is mobile
and would not be a fixed structure, and to
address concerns about mixing a hot
environment with cold water swimming,
Kirsty added: Portobello will be the Soul
Water Sauna’s home although it will be
fully mobile. It’s right for people to be
aware of risks although I’d like to add that
there are many health benefits of cold
water immersion and sauna use, and I’ll
certainly be enjoying them myself. “The
sauna is there for relaxation, sea views and
connecting to landscape, if customers
choose to swim it’s their personal choice,
separate from the business.”
Stephen Rafferty
annamoffat.com
Euan Cherry
Silence observed
at Ferrylee Care
Home Leith
Silence marks one year of lockdown
ON 23 MARCH, the anniversary of
the UK going into the first national
lockdown, the grim milestone was
marked by people all over the
country falling silent for two minutes
at noon.
Charity Marie Curie led the
National Day of Reflection,
remembering all those who have
died of Covid-19 in the last year. Over
250 organisations were behind the
day, with landmarks in Scotland lit up
yellow to mark the day.
In addition, the nation was invited
to appear on their doorsteps at 8pm
shining a light using phones, candles,
and torches, all signifying a beacon
of support for the millions who have
lost a loved one in the last year.
Marie Curie’s Chief Executive,
Matthew Reed, said: “The last year
has been one of the most traumatic
and uniting in modern history.
With so many of us losing
someone close, our shared sense
of loss is incomparable to anything
felt by this generation.
“Many of us have been unable to
say a real goodbye or comfort our
family, friends, and colleagues in
their grief. We need to acknowledge
that - and that we are not alone.
“That’s why, Marie Curie with over
250 supporting organisations, came
together to reflect on our collective
loss, celebrate the lives of the special
people no longer here, support those
who’ve been bereaved, and look
towards a much brighter future.”
11
The Edinburgh Reporter Best of...
EDINBURGH DOG AND CAT HOME
FLAT TO RENT
LEITH WALK POLICE BOX
LOVE YOUR BUSINESS
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26 Seafield Road East EH15 1EH
0131 669 5331
86/1 West Ferryfield EH5 2PU
Virtual viewing available for this
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Landscaped grounds and parking
space. Rent £925 pcm.
flat2rentedinburgh@gmail.com
Very reasonable rates allow start-ups
to use this small pop up space as the
first rung on the ladder. From food to
political parties and all manner of
organisations in between. Have a look
at their pop up garden when you visit.
Croall Place EH7 4LT
hello@leithwalkpolicebox.com
Love Your Business networking club
which is relaxed informal and good
fun is now online on the last Thursday
of the month with a host of inspiring
speakers sharing their entrepreneurial
journeys and invaluable business tips.
www.lybnetworking.com
Facebook/howtolyb
Subscribe today to have your very
own copy of The Edinburgh Reporter
delivered by Royal Mail to your front
door from next month.
Pay £2.50 a month to support local
independent news.
ter.ooo.subscribe
PAPER TIGER
DI GIORGIO’S CAFFE & BAR
SCHOP
CRAIG BANKS TAILORING
FRANK BOYLE ART
This year they celebrate their 40th
birthday. They stock an amazing
diverse range of cards, stationery gifts
and support local makers,
manufacturers and illustrators.
Everything in the shop is also available
online or for local bike delivery!
www.papertiger.co.uk
Di Giorgio’s have lots of cakes and
slices, coffee with a smile and pasta
and lasagne to go.
Morning rolls and ciabattas are
availalbe, but this is brownie heaven
and ask about birthday cakes.
Open 7 days 10-4pm
1 Brandon Terrace EH3 5EA
This is an easy, convenient and
eco-friendly alternative to a supermarket
shop. Working in partner- ship
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Schop offers to deliver a huge range of
great quality food and drink straight to
your door saving you a journey.
schop.co
Bespoke tailoring for men. Craig’s
focus is on making the highest quality
personally tailored attire that others
will aspire to. His pyjamas and dressing
gowns will make your video calls
so stylish!
0131 226 7775 • 45 Thistle Street
EH2 1DY • craigbankstailoring.com
From the award-winning cartoonist, a
gift for fans of either capital team.
A print of the first recorded Edinburgh
Derby football match on Christmas
Day 1875. Available in two sizes A3
and A2.
boylecartoon@gmail.com
frankboyleart.bigcartel.com
NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION
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Pay £2.50 a month to support local
independent news.
ter.ooo.subscribe
A specialist importer of boutique fine
wines from Italy. Carefully hand-picked
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winemakers. Oleg and Elvira visit every
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- same day delivery to Edinburgh
available. www.independent.wine
Independent fishmonger , Daniel,
provides quality fresh and cured fish.
At the beginning of lockdown there
was some question over availability -
but this wee shop has kept going. Use
Schop to have your fish delivered.
16a Broughton Street EH1 3RH
0131 556 7614
Using the power of football to create
positive social outcomes, the charity
will be on the road delivering
Christmas essentials. Hearts fans or not
get involved by volunteering with Big
Hearts and their fundraising appeal.
www.bighearts.org.uk
0131 603 4926
A fabulous charity which provides
support for dads, and support for
families. They help men under- stand
the important role they play in their
children’s upbringing. They do this
with activities like Dads in the Wood
- when they take dads and children
outside to play. dadsrock.org
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Botanical design studio run by Kirsty,
creating floral designs for weddings,
events and businesses. Find a selection
of dried flower bouquets, wreaths, gift
boxes and the new dried flower cloche
collection online. Local Edinburgh
delivery every Wednesday and UK
postage. www.boyesbotanics.com
The floating café is owned and run by
Lindsay and sits just next to the
Leamington Lift Bridge on the canal.
With their range of smoothies and
coffees accompanied by macarons
and a host of other treats, it is not to
be missed. They will have tables and
chairs soon. EH3 9PD
You may know about Leith (Saturdays)
and Stockbridge (Sundays) Markets
but did you know that you can order
online and pick up all of your shopping
at once? Using the NeighbourFood
site you simply choose what you want
pay and then collect.
www.neighbourfood.co.uk/markets
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12 FEATURE FILMING IN EDINBURGH
Leith,
Camera,
Action!
Phyllis Stephen raises the curtain on
Scotland’s new film studio and production
hub in Leith’s historic docklands
The opening of First Stage Studios in Leith is
already paying dividends for the city with
filming just begun on a dark thriller penned
by local screenwriter David Macpherson.
The six-part Amazon Original series, The
Rig, which is being produced entirely in
Scotland, includes a cast headed by Edinburgh’s own Iain
Glen, who starred in Game of Thrones, Downtown Abbey,
Resident Evil and too many others to mention.
The cast also includes Martin Compston, DS Steve Arnott
in the hit series Line of Duty, and also on board is The
Bodyguard director John Strickland who also worked on the
popular police drama, as did executive producer, Derek Wax.
Other confirmed cast include Compston’s fellow Scot Mark
Bonnar who recently starred in Guilt, Owen Teal (Game of
Thrones) and Emily Hampshire from Schitt’s Creek.
After a spell working for the late Liberal Democrat MP
Charles Kennedy, Macpherson left the Highlands to work in
the party’s whips office in the House of Lords, returning later
to Scotland to work as a civilian researcher for the police in
Aberdeen. To him Edinburgh is “the writer’s city”, but despite
doing plenty of writing he wasn’t brave enough to opt for
a creative writing course, and instead plumped for
environmental studies when he returned to university
in the capital.
It was last August that Macpherson enjoyed a “wow”
moment when he received the news that The Rig, based on a
North Sea oil rig, had been picked up by Amazon. And he is
delighted it is being filmed at the Leith studios set up by Jason
Connery and Bob Last, which many believe could herald an
exciting new chapter for the Scottish film industry.
He said: "In many ways it's all the things that, when you
try and become a screenwriter, they tell you probably
won't happen. It has been a brilliant experience,
Martin Compston
We can’t wait to take you
to one of the harshest
environments on Earth for
an action packed story
that pushes to the
absolute limits
Capital cameos
Jonathan Melville selects five of
his favourite glimpses of Auld
Reekie on the big screen
FROM HIGHWAYMEN to superheroes,
skinheads to schoolteachers, Edinburgh
has been a favourite location for
filmmakers for decades.
1. The Prime of Miss Jean
Brodie (1969)
This adaptation of Muriel Spark's classic
novel of an Edinburgh teacher and her girls
found Dame Maggie Smith (Brodie)
walking with her pupils along The Vennel
joining Lauriston Place with The
Grassmarket. Robert Stephens (Teddy
Lloyd) can be seen leaving a flat on
Merchant Street.
2. Trainspotting (1996)
One of the defining UK films of the 1990s,
Trainspotting's opening scenes were shot in
the centre of Edinburgh, with Renton (Ewan
McGregor) first seen running past Boots the
Chemist on Princes Street, before heading
to Calton Road and Calton Street Bridge.
3. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Long before WandaVision hit Disney+,
Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch) and Paul
Bettany (Vision) made their way to the Old
Town to film scenes for this blockbuster,
along with Chris Evans (Captain America)
and Anthony Mackie (Falcon). The Royal
Avengers Director Joe Russo
Edinburgh and and Lord Provos
13
Mark Mainz
Members of the
cast (from top to
bottom) Iain Glen,
Emily Hampshire,
Mark Bonnar and
Owen Teale
I often set my stories in
Scotland because I think
we’ve got some of the
best landscapes and
vistas in the world
Filming of Belgravia
in New Town
Writer David Macpherson
surveys the set inside the big
shed in Leith where the
series will be made
a wild ride, and very exciting."
When we spoke, filming was just about to begin and
Macpherson was doing some redrafting of his script. He has
enjoyed strong support from Amazon, as he explained: “Their
whole thing when we started was, ‘don't hold back, go big’, and
they've been incredibly helpful.
“When I got the go ahead from Amazon, I had just written a
Twitter thread about being unsure if I had broken into the
industry yet, or if I was still an amateur screenwriter. Literally
half an hour later our producer Derek called me to say we had
the green light.
"I love showing off Scotland and cannot wait to get the crew
here and let them see the country. I often set my stories here
because I think we've got some of the best landscapes and
vistas in the world.”
The Rig is the first of his scripts to make it into production,
although he has written other pieces which are at various stages
with Rosie Ellison of Film
t of Edinburgh, Frank Ross
Mile, Cockburn Street, St Giles’ Cathedral
and Waverley Station all get some time in
the spotlight.
4. Restless Natives (1985)
Modern day highwaymen Will (Vincent
Friell) and Ronnie (Joe Mullaney) ride
their motorbike around the city c entre in
this vintage comedy. The pair speed down
The Mound, before crossing Princes Street
and onto Hanover Street. Victoria Street is
also part of the chase.
5. Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story
of a Dog (1961)
of development. During an essentially self-taught career path
he wrote WRATH - developed with Balloon Entertainment -
which was shortlisted for the All3Media New Voices Award
2018 and also for the 2019 TV Brit List of the best unproduced
scripts in the UK.
He believes it was WRATH which got him noticed. He is
also a previous winner of the Edinburgh Short Film Festival
Script Pitch Competition with CAPES, and was one of
Edinburgh City of Literature's Story Shop participants in 2015.
Produced by Wild Mercury Production, The Rig is set on
the “Kinloch Bravo” platform where the crew find themselves
cut off from all communications as a mysterious fog rolls in
and they are “driven to the limits of both their loyalties and
their endurance, into a confrontation with forces beyond
their imagination".
SCIENTIFIC PHENOMENA
The plot’s twists and turns are under wraps but Highland-born
Macpherson did share a little insight: “It has a strong mystery
element, and there's a touch of sci-fi and thriller. There will be
big stunts and big action, and it crosses lots of genres. But we
are trying as much as possible to ground everything in the real
- so even the more sci-fi elements will all trace back to as close
as we can to real scientific phenomena. And we are trying to
make our rig as real as possible - and authentic."
Macpherson has leaned on earlier memories from stories
told by his father Keith who worked in the Nigg yard on the
Cromarty Firth building massive oil and gas rigs and later on
rigs all over the world. Growing up in Ardross, Macpherson
felt that oil platforms were always in his life, towering over the
town when they came back in for repair.
He said: “My dad always came back with stories and I just
find them a fascinating sort of microcosm of life - so important
to Scotland, but also still a very hidden world unless you're
working in it.”
He added on Twitter: “We can't wait to take you to one of
the harshest environments on Earth for an action packed story
that pushes to the absolute limits. You won't have seen
anything like this before!’”
It is an ironic twist that a screenplay and drama series based
on the oil industry is being filmed in studios once home to a
wave energy company and part of the move away from heavy
oil to green energy, but he’s happy he can propel himself by
bike to the location in 20 minutes from his home in Portobello.
A release date is yet to be announced for The Rig which
will be available on Amazon Prime Video
The story of the little Skye Terrier
who spent 14 years at the graveside
of his owner, John Gray, was brought
to the screen by Disney in 1961.
Though much of the film was shot
inside film studios, the crew did
come to Edinburgh for some of the
exteriors, visiting Greyfriars Kirkyard
and Edinburgh Castle. The small
statue of Bobby outside the Kirkyard is
Edinburgh's smallest listed building.
Jonathan Melville is a freelance arts
journalist and editor of
reelscotland.com
Statue of Greyfriars Bobby
Fairytale city is
movie manna
Revenues down but outlook positive
By PHYLLIS STEPHEN
EDINBURGH IS A natural
amphitheatre for filming and already
plans for four large-scale dramas have
been confirmed in 2021. Using
Edinburgh as a backdrop is popular
whether for period dramas such as
Belgravia, or lighthearted features like
the Eurovision Song Contest inspired
The Story of Fire Saga.
The direct economic impact of big
budget films coming to Edinburgh
averages around £7 million per year.
In 2019 it rose to £14.4 million - the
second highest year ever. In 2020 the
economic benefit understandably fell
to just over £2 million due to
Covid-19. The city council made only
£17,668 from filming last year
compared to almost £250,000 in
2019, with revenue generated from
the use of public buildings or spaces
like Calton Hill.
Rosie Ellison, Film Commissioner at
Film Edinburgh, said: "Things simply
fell through the floor. There was
filming but these were small-scale,
using local production companies
which did not need hotel
accommodation or much in the way
of equipment hire. But we did have a
lot of preparation for drama which
might come to Edinburgh in 2021."
While the pandemic continues,
production companies keep staff
safely bubbled up and industry
guidelines have been
established on how to film
safely. Nobody wants to
encourage adoring film
fans to congregate.
In 2019, 157
productions were
filmed in Edinburgh
- not all blockbusters
- government
information films and documentaries
like Men in Kilts, The Grand Tour and
Great British Bake Off (which attracted
9.2 million viewers for the final).
When we spoke Rosie was on the
hunt for locations that could serve as
criminal courts, but on other
occasions it could easily be a
Mediterranean style beach or a
building which might double up as a
police station (which city council HQ
Waverley Court did in Case Histories).
Once Rosie has located places for
the production companies to film, her
job moves on to how to
accommodate large numbers of crew
and associated equipment in the city
without causing too much disruption
to business and daily life.
The tech vehicles used on a set
could include 20 or 30 large trucks
and sometimes production
companies with deep pockets have to
"buy out" the businesses in whole
streets to allow filming to proceed.
The council might need to switch the
streetlights on and off while filming is
in progress, and Rosie deals with
those sorts of requests to make it
easier for filming to be carried on in
the capital.
Rosie's job may appear to be
glamorous, but she spends more time
helping to find locations than she
does schmoozing with the A-listers
on set. She said: "I love seeing
Edinburgh on the screen and I really
like meeting owners and managers of
all the locations, but my time meeting
the stars is limited. It is more often the
production crew who need to talk to
me. We have a wide range of locations
from buildings to homes available. If
anyone wants to have their property
added to the list of potential locations
then they can get in touch.”
www.filmedinburgh.org
Film Edinburgh
14 BUSINESS
Bonnie & Wild
New eateries to open in St James Quarter later this year
Roly Simpson
GARY MACLEAN, the 2016 MasterChef, will open his first
solo restaurant in Bonnie & Wild's Scottish Marketplace in St
James Quarter later this year.
This area of Edinburgh is shaping up as Edinburgh's new
food quarter with the food hall promising to be jammed full
of all kinds of delicious produce.
The first wave of food specialists has been revealed and
include eight exclusive food stalls, three speciality retailers, a
patisserie and three bars. The open plan area will be an
exciting place to visit.
Gary is opening a casual dining spot along with Creel
Caught where he will champion Scotland's seafood matched
with seasonal ingredients. His headline dishes will include
Lobster Thermidor Mac 'n' Cheese, grilled langoustines with
seaweed butter and monkfish scampi with fries.
Gary said: “This is set to be a Food Hall like no other and
it’s precisely why I chose Bonnie & Wild as the location for
my first ever solo dining venture. Creel Caught will showcase
the very best seafood this country has to offer,
something we know diners can’t get enough of.”
Other names lined up for the food hall include
Edinburgh's East Pizzas with their slow-fermentation
sourdough pizzas featuring locally sourced ingredients.
Gary added: “Being alongside the likes of Mac & Wild and
East Pizzas is testament to Scotland’s incredible food scene.
We all offer something different, something for every taste
but all with Scottish produce at the heart.”
Roly Simpson of East Pizzas said: “I think Bonnie & Wild’s
new Food Hall is going to be an amazing venue that will
celebrate the breadth and depth of Scottish food and drink.
I’m delighted East Pizzas is going to be a part of this
adventure as we expand our Edinburgh base.
“Like the Bonnie & Wild team we are very much
focused on locally sourced products, with an emphasis
on using organic products when possible. For example,
our organic mozzarella cheese comes from
Dumfriesshire, while our venison salami is provided by
the excellent Great Glen Charcuterie and our smoked
chorizo from East Coast Cured. But of course we’ll be
celebrating seasonal food, and offering an everchanging
and innovative line-up, offering up some
beautiful classics as well as some exciting surprises.”
And the food destination will include a new name
in ice-cream - unless you spotted them at Leith
Market last year. Husband and wife team Joe and
Lucie Sykes, the entrepreneurs behind Joelato, will
bring their luxury artisanal gelato to Edinburgh on a
full-time basis.
Flavours are just a bit different - look forward to trying
out Ferdi's flavour, which is a salted honey gelato with
homemade honeycomb, all made with locally sourced milk,
cream, eggs, berries and herbs from Joe and Lucie's own
garden in Perthshire.
Joe learned the craft of gelato at the world-famous
Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna. He said: “Joining
Bonnie & Wild Food Hall is an exciting step for us. We've
been running a popular gelato delivery service over the past
year, and already experienced huge interest in our artisanal
gelato. Now, we’re looking forward to collaborating with
other premium food businesses who are all working together
to showcase the very best that Scotland can offer.”
When it opens later this summer, Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish
Marketplace will be able to accommodate 700 guests, who
can choose from a wide range of freshly prepared, locally
sourced food and drink. Alongside the unrivalled food
offering, the venue will also contain a private dining area,
flexible events spaces, children’s play area, and a
demonstration kitchen complete with broadcast capability.
www.bonnieandwildmarket.com
Set for June opening
MasterChef
Gary Maclean
ST JAMES QUARTER will open to the public on 24 June after five
years in the making. The £1 billion development has natural
ventilation and is easily reached by public transport. In case you
need them there are covered car parks on site. The first phase of
the newest destination in town will include some big names in
the fashion world as well as the Bonnie & Wild food hall. John
Lewis is to open on 14 May after their makeover - perhaps made
all the easier during lockdown. At first shoppers can enter the
store by Leith Street and Little King Street and from its own
entrance in St James Quarter in June. Over the next 18 months
the W Edinburgh, Everyman Cinema, 152 New Eidyn apartments,
and a Roomzzz Aparthotel will open. We are promised an
“unrivalled guest experience” and “an enviable events
programme in new and attractive public spaces”.
Coaches call time to pitch alarm business
TWO EDINBURGH football
coaches have joined forces in a
bid to become a winning
business team in the city.
As members of the Spartans
Youth set-up, Kenny Cameron
and Craig Dinwoodie have
nurtured some of the game’s
brightest prospects.
The coaching colleagues are
now turning their thoughts
towards life away from the pitch
and have set up the Edinburgh
Alarm Company.
The security firm will offer a
range of services including
domestic and commercial alarm
installations, fire suppression
systems, smoke and heat
detection alarms as well as the
latest CCTV technology.
One of the first members of
staff at the sports-based social
enterprise in the capital, he has
been helping youngsters in the
north west of Edinburgh for
nearly two decades. As the
Youth Work Manager at
Spartans Community Football
Academy, Kenny is responsible
for the development and
growth of key social impact and
youth work programmes.
Kenny, (40), said: “I’ve been a
youth worker for 17 years, and
at Spartans for around 12 years
and I think there is a length of
time after which you stop being
effective in that role.
“I love my job with Spartans
and I’m not going to turn my
back on the youth work
completely but I definitely
wanted to have other
professional interests.”
Supported by a team of
experienced alarm engineers
and qualified electricians, the
Edinburgh Alarm Company will
cover domestic and commercial
properties in the city and the
surrounding areas.
Kenny Cameron
Craig Dinwoodie
15
They’ve got the Write Stuff
Pawel
Ferguson
Independent Stockbridge stationer sold to assistant manager
THE INDEPENDENT Stockbridge stationer
The Write Stuff has now been sold.
Former owner Mae Douglas said: “I am
delighted that Antonia Secchi, who currently
works as my assistant manager in the shop, is
buying the business, and is due to take over on
6 April. I leave knowing that the shop is in
good hands.”
Antonia plans to continue the huge range of
traditional and modern stationary products,
alongside printing and photocopying services.
Together with loyal staff, Marta and Natalie, she
and her two teenagers will continue to provide
the friendly, personalised service for which The
Write Stuff is known.
Paying tribute to the former owner, Antonia
said: “When Mae told me she was considering
selling the business, my heart sank. She’s the best
boss I’ve ever had, and I’ve hugely enjoyed
working for her over the past four years.
All smiles at
dental deal
DENTAL GROUP Clyde Munro
has made an acquisition in
Edinburgh driving its plans to roll
out more expertise in implant
technology in the east of Scotland.
Founded and led by implant
pioneer Dr Duncan Robertson,
Fairmilehead Dental Practice &
Implant Centre in the capital is
the latest addition to the Clyde
Munro portfolio.
A graduate of University of
Edinburgh, Dr Robertson is a
renowned implantologist and he
has joined Scotland's most
dynamic dental group, Clyde
Munro, as part of the business
deal. He set up his own practice
in 1993.
Duncan completed the business
deal in eight weeks and he will
now become a crucial member of
Clyde Munro’s clinical
“With her energy, enthusiasm, knowledge
and can-do, positive attitude, I know she’ll
be missed by all our customers. She’s done
an amazing job single-handedly keeping
development team for at least two
years, focusing on growing the
group’s expertise in advanced
dentistry and implantology in the
east of Scotland.
He said dentists across the
country are increasingly feeling
the pressure of running their
businesses in the face of greater
regulation and compliance while
still trying to do what they really
love - treating patients.
Those issues have only been
made more difficult by lockdown.
The accomplished
implantologist said: “I spoke to a
number of dental groups to weigh
up whether the practice could
benefit from joining a larger
organisation.
“Clyde Munro stood out for its
ambition to provide a network of
Scottish-based family dentists,
L-R Antonia Secchia
and Mae Douglas
each given the support to
provide the very best dental
care while retaining their
individual character.
“They were impressed by our
expertise in providing a broad
spectrum of quality, family dental
care along with more complex
restorative and implant
treatments.
The Write Stuff alive during the lockdowns.
“No one could replace Mae and it’ll no doubt
take me a little while to get up to speed, but I
hope to make my own mark and continue to
build on the success of The Write Stuff.”
Antonia said: “I’m excited though nervous
about taking on a business in such uncertain
times, but I’m looking forward to contributing to
the recovery of Stockbridge’s vibrant high street
and can’t wait to greet all our customers again
very soon.”
Mae said: It has been a difficult year, but the
business has survived due to the ongoing support
and loyalty shown to us by our customers, so I
cannot thank them enough for this. I hope they
will continue to support Antonia, especially
when she can open the doors again, and I wish
her and the staff a very successful future at The
Write Stuff.”
Laura Vida
Xyyy Caption Dr Duncan for in
here Robertson please
“We will now have a central role
in implant treatments for other
Clyde Munro practices in
Edinburgh and surrounding areas.
“This is incredibly important to
me. For 20 years I have been
utterly fascinated by every aspect
of this treatment which has
revolutionised dentistry and
continues to do so.”
Beautiful Planet
zero waste shop
BEAUTIFUL PLANET has just opened
at The Biscuit Factory off Bonnington
Road. The zero waste shopping
experience has a large range of foods
which can all be weighed and packed
in customers’ own containers. There
are drinks, oils and infused oils as well
as household goods such as
detergents, laundry products and
dog products.
Customers can buy online for next
day cargo bike delivery or click and
collect. Walk in customers will be
welcome on Mondays, Fridays and
Saturdays from 10am to 5pm.
Pawel Ferguson, who has set up the
new business, is particularly keen on
caring for the environment and zero
waste. He has committed to doing this
all his life from a very young age. The
concept of the Beautiful Planet was
drawn up during lockdown and with
his experience in retail and hospitality
Pawel will bring his unique charm to
the business. He will work with local
and independent suppliers and
producers.
Pawel said: “Ethical household
goods are just some of the things
Beautiful Planet have to offer. The
days of buying from the supermarket
should be a thing of the past and the
use of single use plastics also. We have
not reinvented the wheel – just offer
our own approach and style on the
supply of zero waste shopping –
online, by delivery or in person
collection. Beautiful Planet offers
a happy and welcoming shop
and we cannot wait to meet all
our customers.”
The Biscuit Factory, 4-6 Anderson Place,
Edinburgh, EH6 5NP
Tel: 0131 664 3062
www.beautifulplanet.store
16 HOME FRAGRANCES
CROSSWORD
Compiled by David Albury
Pentland Aromatics
is smelling good
AT THE BEGINNING of lockdown there was a shortage
of toilet rolls, but now there appears to be a global
shortage of wax to make candles.
Many have taken a creative path, diverting themselves
from the incessant day to day of lockdown, but one
woman has turned her creativity into a new business in
the Pentland Hills.
Nadine Pierce has launched Pentland Aromatics, a new
business selling candles and diffusers to make working
from home a more fragrant experience. All of these lovely
items use natural products with quality essential oils for
their wonderful fragrance and also their skin and
mood-boosting properties. Buy for yourself or sign up for
Nadine’s candle subscription service.
Involved in a tech business, developing business
simulation games to train staff in team working, it is
something of a first for Nadine to have an online presence
all of her own. The steep learning curve has been
conquered and Pentland Aromatics is beautifully
presented online. The luxury home fragrances are made at
Nadine’s home. All products are vegan friendly, crueltyfree
and made in small batches. She is involved at every
stage from devising the recipes to posting out the
products. It is typical of a cottage industry that the
founder has to learn to do everything themselves first,
and Nadine said she has really enjoyed teaching herself
everything beginning with soaps and moving on to
soy candles.
She said: “It has been a bit of a journey setting up this
wee business and now I am busy packing parcels to send
my candles out far and wide. I am anxiously awaiting the
delivery of more wax as I have already sold out of the Lime
Basil and Mandarin candle and the Sea Salt and Driftwood
candles. So when I get some more I will be back at my
bain-marie crafting more. It is really exciting how many
people have found my website already, and it is a really nice
hobby to have alongside my full time job with ROCKET.”
Return the bottles your product is provided in, then
they will be used again.
pentlandaromatics.com
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)
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)
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.
Premium Italian wine - all online
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Each focuses on a different
region, grape or style of wine so
there’s always something new to
learn about. Whether it’s
lesser-known wines of top
quality from Alto Adige, or how
Pinot Noir is influenced by
altitude - each session will be a
deep-dive into the terroir and
wine-making techniques used by
some of Italy’s best independent
wineries. “Signature wines of
Sardinia” and “Re-discover Italian
White Wines: Gewürztraminer,
Vermentino and Pinot Grigio
Riserva”. Tickets start from £89
per household.
www.independent.wine
17
Juliet’s food diary
Online
cookalong
Gran’s Tattie
Scones are killers
I’M OFTEN ASKED what my favourite cookbook is.
I’ve probably owned hundreds over the years but my
most precious are two of my late grandmother’s
notebooks where she kept her, mainly baking recipes
from the 1920s, all handwritten in her beautiful
cursive script.
I also inherited her jewellery collection and although
Agnes Wilson (nee Lawrence) was no Liz Taylor she
could certainly have given Mary Berry a run for her
money. These books were well used during her life and
seem to be preserved in a thin crust of flour dust. With
three hard working men to feed, she would spend
every Saturday baking an assortment of pies, cakes,
scones and endless treats to keep the workforce going.
These were stored in a marble shelved larder named
The Morgue and I was well into my teenage years
before realising that most morgues don’t tend to store
baked goods and jams.
I was inspired to leaf through these tomes when I
heard that Museums & Galleries Edinburgh are
launching a “Cooking Up The Past” series of videos on
YouTube, the first episode featuring the museum staff
attempting Soda Scones from a 1932 edition of Plain
Cookery Recipes from the Edinburgh College of
Domestic Science. I’m not fortunate enough to possess
such a glamorous guide to the kitchen, but I do have
my Gran’s 1946 copy of the Scottish Women’s Rural
Institute Cookery Book which features a “Mottoes”
page including gems such as:
Ladies who wish to keep their spouses
Content and happy in their houses,
Must learn that food to be a blessing
Must not be ruined in the dressing.
It’s very nice to be good looking,
But that will not excuse bad cooking;
And Men have got such funny natur’s,
They’ll judge you by your beef and ‘taters;
So if you want to rule and lead them,
You’ll do it if you nicely feed them.
If you’d rather finish your husband off, you might turn
to page 182 and whip up “A Fitless Cock”, which is a
well boiled dumpling consisting of oatmeal, onion, egg,
milk and suet. Guaranteed to make him croak or leave
you. A “fry up” was a daily staple in the Wilson
Household and Agnes would sometimes make my
father two. The meal was not complete without several
Potato Scones. She would pre-cook them on the
hotplate of a Baby Belling before frying them in
dripping. Before you think the Wilson clan began
Scotland’s obesity crisis, think on. They dined like kings
in the morning, princes at lunchtime and paupers in
the evening, as was the custom of that place and time.
Although well fed, none were overweight.
Juliet Lawrence Wilson
Granny
Wilson
AGNES WILSON’S
POTATO SCONES
(Makes 4)
• 4 tablespoons mashed
potato
• 1 ¼ tablespoon flour
• Pinch salt
Mash the potatoes very
smoothly. Mix in the flour and
salt. Work till smooth and then
roll out until fairly thin. Cut in
four and prick with a fork. Bake
on a hot griddle until brown on
both sides. Cool inside a fresh
clean towel.
If you don’t own a Baby
Belling hotplate or a griddle, a
dry heavy bottomed frying pan
will do. My Gran would have
kept these in a tin in her
death-themed pantry but
regular refrigeration for a day
or so would suffice for the rest
of us.
My favourite use of potato
scones is undoubtedly a
breakfast with smoked fish and
poached egg, although I often
elevate this to a supper dish,
using a lightly smoked and
roasted piece of salmon and a
ridiculously simple sauce of
2 oz browned butter, juice of
half a freshly squeezed lemon
and a tablespoon of capers,
which adds an unctuous but
pleasingly acidic balance to
such a rich meal.
I WAS AGAIN reminded of my
grandmother as she was a survivor of the
Clydebank Blitz, which happened 80 years
ago last month, and I wonder what she
would make of our present-day crisis?
Her generation lived through two World
Wars, Spanish flu that killed off more
people than the first war, rationing and
a life that involved hard work as a
full-time housewife.
I’m sure she’d have something to say
about my current gripe of closed pubs and
Zoom calls not being quite “the same”.
A global pandemic and Brexit haven’t
affected my food shopping one iota and I’m
as spoilt as I ever was. My only recent
experience of depravity was that Lidl didn’t
seem to have any ripe avocados and Tesco
had run out of pine nuts. Fortunately,
I had gin and vermouth in the cupboard
and managed.
I have embraced the Church of Zoom
and recently hosted my first online
“cookalong”, making an elegant three
course meal in real time with four guests.
It was the best fun I’ve had in ages and
thankfully everyone’s dishes turned out
a treat. Highlights of our evening may be
appearing on The Edinburgh Reporter
website soon, so if you haven’t already,
please subscribe to our Facebook and
Instagram feeds for all the latest news
of this and our planned interactive
food evenings.
It was great fun for all involved, and we
made Monkfish stuffed with buffalo
mozzarella wrapped in parma ham served
with a creamy shallot sauce with saute
baby potatoes and a warm salad of rocket
and french beans.
For pudding we compiled a trifle of
mascarpone, blood orange and marsala.
But of course we got going with a cocktail
made with Campari, prosecco and
blood orange.
And I showed the guests how to make
the easiest starter of bruschetta with
gorgonzola. Buon appetito!
18 WHAT’S ON
CULTURE • LITERATURE • EVENTS • MUSIC • MUSEUMS • ONLINE LEARNING...
Open to the
possibilities
For the last year we have dutifully remained at home,
with glimpses of outside life scattered along the way.
It is now looking hopeful that this relaxation of
lockdown will be sustainable and more places will
open to visitors.
Here is our eclectic list of suggestions – if and when
you decide to step out...
ARCHIPELAGO BAKERY at 39
Dundas Street now has a Deli further
up the street (23c) where you can
get takeaway coffee with your
groceries including fresh veg and
something readymade and lovely
for lunch.
BIRCH TREE GALLERY Dundas
Street is open online and will open
properly at the end of April.
Meantime the beautiful birch branch
which owner Jurgita wrapped in
yarn to decorate the gallery at
Christmas has started to bud.
It was a broken branch and has
has little in the way of TLC. Jurgita
would love to have more photos of it
if you pass by.
THE BOTANICS has been a
saviour for many people in recent
months, open for local outdoor
recreation and exercise.
You can visit with your household
or extended household although
you have to book ahead online.
It is free although you might
consider making a donation or
buying something from their
online shop.
COBBLED ROASTERY on Thistle
Street will fuel you with caffeine
when you visit the city centre. They
are also beginning to stock freshly
baked pastries - but nothing will
beat their coffee for freshness as
they roast the beans on the
premises.
Sniff the air on approach. You can
also subscribe to have coffee
delivered at home.
cobbledroasters.co.uk
CONIFOX at Kirkliston is one of
the newest child centred
experiences in the Edinburgh area
and are already open for those living
in Edinburgh only. They have a
takeaway BBQ cabin, toilets and as
long as you visit in line with any
government guidance as to numbers
then they will be pleased to see you
and entertain your children.
DOVECOT STUDIOS on Infirmary
St opens on 6 April for click and
collect from their shop. Pick up a
coffee while you collect from Pinks
at Dovecot.
www.dovecotstudios.com
EDINBURGH ZOO is open to
locals for now. All indoor areas and
the gift shop are closed but toilets
and takeaway catering is available
(card payment only).
RZSS CEO David Field and The
Cheeky Panda mascot Colin remind
us that the zoo has set up a
Crowdfunder to help them keep
going. Eco-brand The Cheeky Panda
have donated £50,000 to it with all
funds raised being used to feed the
zoo’s animals
Animal fans can choose from a
range of experiences and gifts,
including memberships, adoptions,
virtual tours and feeding giraffes
when the animals arrive at the zoo
later this year.
FINGAL in Leith opens on 17 May
when you can have afternoon tea in
the Lighthouse Restaurant and Bar
and enjoy the Art Deco interior with
views over Leith Docks.
Tel 0131 357 5000 • fingal.co.uk
Admire the Tropical Houses
from outside for now
Zoo CEO David Field
with Cheeky Panda
JUPITER ARTLAND at Wilkieston
will open on 24 and 25 April for
Scotland's Gardens Scheme Open
Day. £10 entry. Worth it to go and
see the swimming pool designed by
Joana Vasconcelos. Otherwise open
from 1 April for local members only.
Membership allows you to visit as
often as you wish.
jupiterartland.org
MAIALINO at William Street in the
West End serves everything
breakfast until noon (one of the best
bacon rolls in Edinburgh) lunch with
soup and sandwiches and an
afternoon tea box which you can
pick up at the door.
Tel 0131 226 5953
RESTORATION YARD at Dalkeith
is open but if you arrive by car then
you should know that in April they
will begin charging £3 a car for
parking. There is food available from
the Food Truck at weekends, and the
food hall is open with other
shopping online.
www.restorationyard.com
ROSELEAF BAR in Leith will open
again on 27 April at 10am without
alcohol until 17 May. Numbers will
be limited. Book by email or call
0131 476 5268 for information.
info@roseleaf.co.uk
INGLEBY GALLERY reopens on
Barony Street with Kevin Harman’s
exhibition Glassworks which has
graced the gallery walls since the
start of the year and will finally open
to the public on 28 April until 22 May.
There is an online viewing room
for artlovers to admire Harman’s
work, and now there is a date when
you will also be able to see it for
yourself. The gallery also has a short
film in which Kevin discusses the art
which comprises Glassworks with
writer Irvine Welsh.
www.inglebygallery.com
WALDORF ASTORIA offers
Brunch to go - for pick up or delivery.
Perhaps they will continue when the
virus is in the dim and distant past?
Hotel opens on 26 April.
Kevin Harman at
Ingleby Gallery
TORRANCE GALLERY continue
online for now featuring Howard
Flanagan and his hyper-real
paintings until 10 April in his first
solo show in Edinburgh. Next will be
the Dundas Street gallery’s Spring
Exhibition - a mixed show.
www.torrancegallery.co.uk
19
Podcasts to keep
you company
Following on from last month when we shared some of the
best podcasts, here are some more suggestions...
Thank you
for the music
EMERGING ARTIST Isla Ratcliff
has announced her debut single.
It is written to show her
gratitude for the connections and
mental wellbeing that music has
given her, and so many others,
during the pandemic.
The rich vocals and dynamic
fiddle playing and intricate piano
work of The City of Edinburgh
Music School former pupil
(pictured above) shows her to
be an exciting young artist.
Cannot Steal the Sound is Isla’s
first body of work featuring her
as a solo singer.
Isla said: “This song is one of
the quickest and most instinctive
pieces of music I’ve ever written.
The inspiration came from the
realisation that music has helped
a lot of people to cope during
lockdown, myself included. I have
listened to numerous albums. I
have learned to play new
repertoire. I have watched online
concerts and music festivals. I
have collaborated with musicians
from around the world and I have
continued to teach my violin and
fiddle students online. I have
played piano duets with my
elderly granny, whose dementia
worsened during lockdown, yet
she remembers how to play
many Scottish tunes.
“During a very difficult year,
music has served an important
function as a medium that takes
us away from our immediate
reality and connects us to each
other, albeit virtually. Music has
provided an escape into a more
cheerful world, and for this I am
very grateful.”
Isla didn’t want Covid
restrictions to delay the release of
her track. So she built a “duvet
fort” to record her vocals and
fiddle parts, recording piano on
her late grandfather’s piano in
the family living room.
Isla learned violin from the age
of five and quickly gained an
abundance of writing and stage
experience, performing a duet
with Nicola Benedetti at the
Usher Hall aged 13.
THIS AMERICAN LIFE is a Pulitzer
winning weekly public radio
programme which has run for 25
years and is hosted by the mellifluous
voice of Ira Glass. To give you an idea
of how big a deal Glass is, he was
once depicted on The Simpsons, and
had a voice-only role as himself on
American Dad! Last July The New
York Times bought Serial
Productions, owned by Glass and the
production team behind Serial, for
$25 million. With a wealth of stories
on a huge range of topics from selling
second hand cars to a love break up
and the original 14 minute musical by
Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton
fame, the podcast was bought.
Too good to mention them all.
There is nowhere better than to start
with the latest episode and then dig
back into the archives. If you need
help with that there is a New York
Times article in which Glass makes
some recommendations from the 700
or so episodes. You may be gone
some time.
If crime is your thing then do start
with Serial which began as a spin off
from This American Life.
Exposing some of the faults in the
US justice system as well as wrapping
you up inside a real life crime starting
with the disappearance of Hae Min
Lee at high school in Baltimore in
1999 it is nothing short of immersive.
The series, which began unbelievably
in 2014, is hosted by Sarah Koenig
who was discovering the same story
as the listener at much the same time.
The fact that there is audio from
inside the courtroom is only one of
Learney Incantation
(Tornaveen)
Robbie Bushe
the ways that our own court system
differs. The story has been
downloaded a staggering 340 million
times. Start at the beginning, and like
any good story you will be sad to
leave it at the end.
And if you are more musically
inclined then there is a huge library of
podcasts from Desert Island Discs to
listen to. Now presented by Lauren
Laverne, it was the idea of Roy
Plomley in 1942 who is still credited
in each new episode. The website has
all sorts of statistics from the most
chosen pieces of music to the weirdest
luxury items the castaway wants to
take with them. The archive of
podcasts is conveniently arranged n
five year segments and is a social
history of the second half of the 20th
century. It is impossible to pick a
favourite episode but looking for
some comedy there is one with one
half of the Two Fat Ladies, the late
lamented, Clarissa Dickson Wright.
From time to time we host our own
interviews on anchor.fm
At Open Eye Gallery
ROBBIE BUSHE’S practice centres on the depiction of detailed,
suggestive narratives, frequently set within expansive architectonic
constructions. Bushe has exhibited his narrative paintings since 1990.
Inspired by the characters and the places where he has lived and worked,
his work has won several national awards, including the inaugural W.
Gordon Smith Painting Prize. Most recently he is a shortlisted prize-winner
of the 2020 John Moores Painting Prize at the Walker Gallery Liverpool.
Born in Liverpool in 1964, Bushe grew up in Aberdeenshire before
graduating in painting at Edinburgh College of Art in 1990.
Having simultaneously undertaken a career as artist and art lecturer, he
taught painting at Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, was Head of Fine Art at
the University of Chichester, and has lectured at Kent Institute of Art and
Design and Oxford Brookes University. Bushe returned to Scotland in 2007
to become the Coordinator of Short Courses at Edinburgh College of Art.
He is currently a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh.
Bushe was elected as a member of the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) in
2017 and is currently serving as its Secretary.
34 Abercromby Place • 4 - 24 April • www.openeyegallery.co.uk
20 ART AND INNOVATION
The pandemic
looking back
Edinburgh Libraries scrapbooks will hold our memories
IF YOU HAVE a look at Edinburgh Collected
you will be transported back only a year to the
beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic with
pictures and memories of the impact of this
time on all our lives.
It was on Monday 23 March 2020 when
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced
that people in the UK must Stay at Home.
Apart from those working in essential key
industries and services, people did stay at home
to prevent the spread of the virus. Schools,
community centres, libraries, museums and
galleries in Edinburgh had already closed
during the previous week.
The public were permitted to leave home only
to shop for essentials, to get medical assistance,
to provide help or care for a vulnerable person,
or to take daily exercise.
The Edinburgh Collected scrapbook records
the impact of this time in the city, from deserted
streets and “closed” signs, to the little acts of
creativity and messages of thanks and positivity
that began to appear.
www.edinburghcollected.org/scrapbooks/271
Alexander Wood
1817 - 1884
Edinburgh Sketcher
Artists hosting a new online workshop
THE EDINBURGH Sketcher
Mark Kirkham and artist Julie
Galante are hosting a new
workshop on Saturday 24
April which combines
sketching and mixed media.
Join them for a full day of
creativity as you are guided
from initial ink drawings
through watercolours and
onto mixed media, using your
initial sketches to work
towards a finished original
artwork of an Edinburgh
cityscape.
During the day you will join
Mark and Julie for three Zoom
sessions during which each
will share the tips and
techniques they use in their
own art works. You will learn
how to use scale, perspective,
and various mediums and
textures to tell the story of
what you see around you,
building your confidence and
learning useful tricks of the
trade that you will go on to
use again and again.
In between the sessions
you are encouraged to
continue building on what
you’ve done, either heading
outside to find inspiration in
the city, or working from
reference photos of
Edinburgh which will be
provided for you.
Participants can order a kit
of materials when booking
(UK addresses only) or source
their own (a detailed list will
be provided).
Workshop without
materials - £95. Workshop
plus materials kit (including
UK shipping or local
Edinburgh pick up) - £150.
For more detail and to book
your place on this exclusive
course please visit:
www.edinburghsketcher.
com/workshops
City physician Alexander
Wood pioneered syringes
AN INDISPENSABLE piece of medical
technology, the hypodermic syringe, is
essential to the current mass Covid-19
vaccination programme now underway in
Edinburgh and throughout Scotland.
And its origins can be traced back to New
Town resident Alexander Wood, who in
1853 while living at 19 Royal Circus,
combined a glass syringe with a hypodermic
needle to inject morphine into patients who
could not take the medicine orally.
The practice of injections became
commonplace. His biographer and brotherin-law,
Reverend Thomas Brown, describes
his study of a bee sting as inspiration. Wood
published his paper “New Method of
Treating Neuralgia by the Direct Application
of Opiates to the Painful Points” in the
Edinburgh Medical and Surgical
Journal (1855).
Wood is an incredibly interesting
character, in 1855 he was passed over for a
professorship at Edinburgh University
allegedly due to his critical treatise
“Homeopathy Unmasked”
which he had published in
1844. Wood was elected
President of the Royal College of
Physicians of Edinburgh from 1858
to 1861.
He retired from medicine at the
age of 55 in 1872 and among
other activities, he took up a role
as Chairman of the Edinburgh
Tramway Company. The tramway
system encountered strong
opposition. Wood’s biographer
Martin P McAdam
Wood’s Gravestone
reports that the upper classes who drove
their private carriages found “the street-rails
particularly objectionable”. He comments
that “the tramways were the most abused
and most used institution in Edinburgh”.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
Variations of the syringe have been
around for some time, ancient Greeks used
variations of the modern technology to
apply medicines and ointments. Blaise
Pascal, the French inventor, developed a
modern syringe to conduct experiments.
Legend and indeed many legitimate
sources claim that Wood’s wife,
Rebecca Massey, was the first
known intravenous morphine
addict to die from an overdose.
Richard Davenport-Hines in his
book “The Pursuit of Oblivion”
disagrees: ‘It is a myth: she
outlived him, and survived until
1894”. Mrs Wood died aged 75,
eleven years after her husband,
and is buried in Dean Cemetery
in Edinburgh next to her
husband.
Martin P McAdam
22 SPORT
Prize assets
Ross applauds the hard work of Academy staff
Craig Foy / SNS Group
By JOHN HISLOP
HIBS HEAD COACH Jack Ross has
praised the contribution of Academy
staff Eddie May and Gareth Evans for
their work in developing an exciting
crop of youngsters that have already
attracted the attention of top
English sides.
Teenage goalkeeper Murray
Johnson could be set for a
£250,000 move to Wolves having
recently spent a week training with
English Premier League leaders
Manchester City.
He has also attracted the attention
of Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City.
Midfielder Ethan Laidlaw, who has
signed his first professional contract
with Hibs spent a week on trial with
Leeds United.
In addition, former Academy
graduate Ryan Porteous was the
subject of a big money bid from
Millwall, and Josh Doig is continually
being monitored by many of the
top sides.
Ross aims to retain as many of
the youngsters as possible for the
first team.
He said: “With regard to Ethan
Laidlaw and Murray Johnson it’s not
a reflection on me it’s a reflection on
Eddie May and Gareth Evans and all
the guys who have endured a
difficult year in terms of not being
able to come to work on a
regular basis.
“The job they have done with
those players and the fact that they
have become of interest to clubs
who want to take them from us in
terms of paying a fee and you can
add Ryan (Porteous) and Josh
Doig to that, so it paints them in
a good light.
“The challenge for us is to keep as
many of our good young players as
we can and try and progress them to
first team level, then being able to
back fill and ensure we have that
strength within the Academy and
Development Squad as well.
“We need to make a judgement
call as to whether they are good
enough and ready enough and then
you need to be willing to give them
an opportunity in the right
circumstances.
“For us we have managed to marry
the two together during the course
of the past season.
“We have introduced young
players into the squad and into our
training environment.
“There has been progress met in
terms of the development of these
players and we aim to continue to
do that.”
Hibernian’s
Josh Doig
Set sail for cash target
Ian Jacobs
Bartley joins Equality
and Diversity Board
By JOHN HISLOP
FORMER HIBS midfield enforcer Marvin Bartley has
joined the Scottish FA Equality and Diversity
Advisory Board (EDAB) as an Equality Advisor.
The board are determined to unite the game
behind a common agenda to eradicate racism and all
forms of discrimination, whilst promoting equality
for all within the game.
The appointment was made in the wake of
Rangers player Glen Kamara’s claim that he was the
victim of “vile racist abuse” in last month’s UEFA
Europa League tie against Slavia Prague.
Livingston captain Bartley said: “We have seen all
too recently that racism still continues to be a major
issue within football and further demonstrates the
work that needs done to eradicate it from our game.
“I am eager to join Leanne Ross as an advisor to
the Scottish FA, to provide thoughts from a player’s
perspective on issues that are extremely close to
my heart. Recently we’ve witnessed every club in the
country pull together and unite against racism and
now it’s time for us to continue to make sure no
individual is ever left to feel alone or ostracised.
“Rivalries based on the colour of shirt a player
wears on a Saturday is healthy but rivalries based on
their skin colour is not. I’m really looking forward to
helping the Scottish FA and EDAB in their equality
and diversity aims.”
Sailing club shores up funding with sportscotland award
By STEPHEN RAFFERTY
PORTOBELLO SAILING and Kayak Club
(PSKC) are paddling towards a £155,00
fundraising target to create a permanent
water sports hub after being awarded
£77,625 from sportscotland.
The new facility will allow the club to offer
more and better opportunities for
participation in the local community,
particularly for young people from
disadvantaged areas, women and girls, and
people with additional support needs.
The Promenade-based club offers
members use of sailing dinghies, kayaks and
St Ayles rowing skiffs, and the charity offers
training and facilities to encourage people to
participate in water sports.
The club is one of 11 projects across
Scotland to share more than £900,000 of
investment in the latest round of awards
from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund.
This investment is made possible thanks
to National Lottery players, who raise
£30 million each week for good causes
across the UK.
David Crawley, Chair of PSKC, said: “We
are absolutely delighted with the funding
award which has made a significant
contribution to our overall funding target.
The development of a water sport hub will be
the realisation of a long-held vision, and
reward for the considerable effort that past
and present trustees of the club have put into
making this vision a reality.
“On behalf of the club, I’d like to thank
both sportscotland and all those members of
the public who buy lottery tickets. Without
their support, the creation of a water sports
hub to serve the wide and varied needs of
our local community would have been all
the more challenging.”
Minister for Public Health and Sport,
Mairi Gougeon, said: “This latest investment
from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund
will help make a real impact in communities
across Scotland. Over the last year we have
seen the vital role sport and physical activity
has played in supporting our communities to
stay connected and be more active.
“I’m pleased to hear that more projects
are benefitting from this latest round of
funding which will support local projects to
ensure more diverse and inclusive
opportunities are available in communities
whilst increasing access to sport for all.”
Chief Executive of sportscotland, Stewart
Harris, said: “It is fantastic to see the
ambition and commitment from the people
behind these projects who are working
together to improve the lives of their local
communities. We know that sport and
physical activity can play a part in Scotland’s
recovery from Covid-19. Facilities like these
will not only allow more people to
participate but can also provide a place for
communities to come together and support
one another as we work our way out of these
challenging times.”
Since April 2007, sportscotland has
invested over £192 million of Scottish
Government and National Lottery funding
to help sports clubs, community groups,
local authorities, sport’s governing bodies
and other organisations deliver new
and upgraded sporting facilities across
the country.
www. pskc.org.uk
23
Hearts: The real risk of
apathy and indifference
Kelty Hearts
manager,
Barry
Ferguson
Brora Rangers Scottish Cup fiasco was possibly the nadir
By DUNCAN ROBERTSON
IT’S BEEN A FUNNY old season for
Hearts. They sit neatly at the top of the
Championship table, blazing a superior
points per game ratio to Hibs and
Rangers’ previous title winning seasons.
They knocked out Hibs once again at
Hampden and took the quadruple treble
chasing Celtic to the last kick of the game
in the Scottish Cup final. However, there’s
major gloom hovering over Tynecastle
and it poses a big risk to the club and
Ann Budge’s ongoing tutelage.
It’s not hard to point at the source of
this despair. Shamefully the Jambos have
crashed out of both cup competitions in
the early stages to part-time challengers
– of course, most recently to Highland
League Champions Brora Rangers in a
scandal of a result last month.
Secondly, Robbie Neilson, brought in
to deliver promotion at the start of the
season, has presided over some dull
performances that, although arguably
effective based on the league table, have
been a tiresome watch for the Jambos
faithful via a further frustrating internet
streaming experience.
What does this all mean though? Many
Hearts fans are worryingly moving into
the space of shrugged shoulders and
irrelevance. They argue we’ve been in this
decline for some time and not much is a
surprise – Brora was perhaps the nadir.
This is a major concern and should be
ringing the alarm bells in Tynecastle’s
boardroom, virtual or not, for a variety
of reasons.
Of course, being forced into watching
on laptops and tablets is not Neilson or
Budge’s fault – however, the necessary
fact does bring some potential
implications.
The pandemic has taught us that
society’s habits change. We’ve been forced
to use Zoom for work and play, masses
have switched to online shopping, many
are moving out of cities. So, will
thousands of Hearts fans snap up their
season tickets for the 2021/22 campaign?
After more than a year away, will the
prospect of travelling once again to
Gorgie to watch a turgid Hearts side
appeal? A packed and vocal Tynecastle
Park, with all the revenue and
palpable passion that brings, is pretty
intrinsic to the club’s future progress
and ambitions.
This is of course assuming Robbie
Neilson remains in charge and whilst
this is obviously not a given, judging
Ann Budge by her track record it seems
likely. Indeed, her actions perhaps fan the
irrelevance further with the prolonged
Craig Levein sacking a concerning
exemplar of sucking life and energy out
of an ever increasingly alienated fanbase.
The Foundation of Hearts are due to
take ownership of the club very shortly.
There appears minimal appetite for
members to cease or drop their
subscriptions – this seems rightly
disconnected from the current
footballing operation. The handover,
whilst a major milestone and something
to be rightly celebrated given the journey
from administration, does leave the
famous club at a particular crossroads in
how it goes about its business.
Robbie Neilson
Ian Jacobs
Plans to crown
Kelty Hearts
champs again
THE SCOTTISH Lowland Football
League looks set to crown Kelty
Hearts champions after the league
board sent out a proposal to clubs
to end their season.
Edinburgh clubs Spartans, Bonnyrigg
Rose and Civil Service Strollers all take
part in the league which is in the fifth
tier of the Scottish pyramid but has
been suspended from playing since
the latest lockdown was introduced
in December.
It’s understood clubs were asked to
support the proposal of ending the
league on a points-per-games basis due
to prohibitive costs of PCR testing which
they would need to undertake if they
were to return before the 17 May, the
date set by the Scottish Government.
Under the proposal Barry Ferguson’s
team, Kelty Hearts, would be named
champions, for the second season on
the bounce, and put forward to take
part in the pyramid play-off.
The Highland League are thinking of
adopting the same policy even though
only three fixtures were actually played.
This means that Brora Rangers, who
put Hearts to the sword in the Scottish
Cup, would become champions.
They would face Kelty in a repeat of
last year’s cancelled final.
Naysmith’s plumbing job stops him going round the bend
Gary
Naysmith
By DARREN JOHNSTONE
NEW EDINBURGH City manager Gary
Naysmith revealed how he took on a
delivery job for a plumbing company to
ensure his mental health did not suffer.
The former Scotland, Hearts and
Everton left-back returned to football
management at the ambitious League
2 outfit following a 21-month absence
from the dugout.
Naysmith’s most recent post was as a
Loans Manager at Tynecastle, but that
came to an end last June.
And amidst applying for roles in
football during the pandemic, former
Queen of the South and East Fife boss
Naysmith admits he helped distribute
toilet parts to make sure he had
something to occupy the void during
lockdown. Naysmith said: “As a football
player you are used to a routine, in the
morning you know what you are going
to do. During this time, I was just
getting up in the morning, I was not
even taking my boy to school because
he wasn’t going to school.
“You would go for a run, maybe do
the odds and ends like everybody,
go to Tesco.
“It’s like déjà vu. I am not saying I was
struggling with my mental health, but I
was thinking, ‘it’s the same again, same
again, same again’.
“During that time I got a wee driving
job doing some deliveries, that was
great, getting yourself out of the house.
“It was to keep myself busy but more
so for the mental side of it.
“When this wee job came up, just
delivering stuff for City Plumbing,
you were classed a key worker,
because maybe people had toilets
that were broken.
“That job allowed me to go out and
help people, but really I was helping
myself because it was giving me that
routine that was familiar to me my
whole life.
“I was not doing it for the money, I
was doing it to help me really, help me
be as familiar as I could in terms of a
routine and it worked out well for me.”
Naysmith, who earned 46 Scotland
caps, admits he must have left some of
his fellow road users confused when
they saw him in the van.
He added: “I didn’t drive every day, if
they needed me, they needed me but I
probably did it over a period of about
four months.
“It was quite funny, people see you in
the van and sometimes they would do
that double take, ‘is that Gary Naysmith
driving that van?’
“Some people might have said,
‘you’re silly, you could have sat in
the house’. “