Dear All

The Whitehouse Kitchen is on BBC Radio Scotland’s Kitchen Cafe TODAY, Thursday, at 1.30pm, helping celebrate the best of Scottish food. This excellent local community cafe is one of my absolute favourite places for lunch. See here: https://mobile.twitter.com/whitehouse70/status/699581723995217920/photo/1  Use playback if you miss it!

Do you have an old trumpet, saxophone, trombone, tenor horn or euphonium that no longer gets played?  Would you like to give it a new home, or lend it to someone who would love the opportunity to play? The Wash House, in partnership with Oi Musica, is setting up a new brass group, open to all abilities and free to join. The group will specifically target young people who don’t have the opportunity to learn an instrument, so all donations or loans will be greatly loved and appreciated. Questions? Please phone Marcus Britton on 07787 763 830 / email marcus@oimusica.co.uk. More info at www.oimusica.co.uk

Last week the Evening News pictured Runner Neil Renault on Portobello beach with Towerbank Primary pupils John-Henry Lloyd, Lewis Hay, Alexander Hodge, Rachel Spence, Leila Jones and Maisie Barnes to call on people to compete in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival on May 28-29 and raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The OneCity Trust is open for grant applications this year. It’s focus is on innovative projects and initiatives that effectively address social exclusion through partnership working. Wherever possible, OneCity Trust seeks to encourage the active involvement of people in sectors of society that do not normally work together. All details here: .http://www.onecity.org.uk/grants/apply-for-a-grant/

The Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) fund has been given a boost by Greggs; through the 5p ‘plastic bag tax’ they collect. The fund aims to increase community use of local greenspace, particularly within disadvantaged communities. Over 40 grass-roots projects will receive grant funding, ranging from conservation and educational schemes, such as developing a safe natural learning space for children, community gardens for local groups to tend, and biodiversity activities such as planting and improvements to ponds and wetlands to protect local wildlife. See more here:  http://www.centralscotlandgreennetwork.org/news-and-events/news/1101-green-cash-boost-for-community-projects-in-central-scotland

The Thistle Foundation in Craigmillar are launching a series of ‘Conversation Cafes’ for people who want to practice their English on Thursday mornings, 9:30am-11am, between the 25 Feb and 17 March.  Go along for a cup of tea and a chat. The conversation cafes are free an held in the Health and Wellbeing Room 3, Wighton House, Craigmillar.  More here: https://www.facebook.com/thistlefoundation/photos/a.183017532826.133359.97526602826/10153213905052827/?type=3#!/thistlefoundation/photos/a.183017532826.133359.97526602826/10153213905052827/?type=3&theater

Remember Pancake Day Portobello 1979?  See photo here: https://www.facebook.com/maureen.child.18/posts/971431032906539 And in 1984 we made BBC TV with Revel Alderson reporting:  https://amp.twimg.com/v/f1650a9d-e2a5-4be5-8663-20844e519ebe

As part of a small public consultation, local resident Eve Parsons is gathering some information, thoughts and ideas about developing community gardens in and around the Portobello area. I filled out this survey and you can too:  https://eve43.typeform.com/to/gGRqpG . No personal information gathered will be sent on to any third parties, and Eve will only contact those who wish to be updated for further information. There’s compelling evidence that community gardening is good for us, reported here:  https://www.farmgarden.org.uk/news/major-new-study-shows-green-care-benefits-mental-health

Local photographers Margaret Drysdale and Peter E Ross have created another installation in the Porty Light Box at the top of Bellfield Street and have installed a series of photographs taken on and around Portobello beach – if you get a moment please wander down and take a look.  More here: https://portylightbox.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/oh-i-do-like-to-be-beside-the-seaside/

“I do like to be beside the seaside“– a ‘Lost Edinburgh’ Portobello photo I hadn’t seen before from the 1960s: https://www.facebook.com/lostedinburgh/photos/a.251802618210762.62536.162922127098812/1055313477859668/?type=3#!/lostedinburgh/photos/a.251802618210762.62536.162922127098812/1055313477859668/?type=3&theater

Single bus tickets enable the people we support to access vital services, say those who support vulnerable adults. Lothian Buses are proposing doing away with books of tickets and charities like Bethany have got up a petition. The Lothian Buses plc decision would restrict their ability to get around the city. See more here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/lothian-buses-to-continue-seling-adult-city-single-books?source=facebook-share-button&time=1455394754

Here’s a nice piece in the Edinburgh Evening News about our proposed new park: http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/portobello-high-school-green-space-concepts-unveiled-1-4027695

I know of two incidents a few years ago where people’s cards have been ‘skimmed’ at ATMs in Portobello. Be vigilant and take the police advice: https://business.facebook.com/EdinburghPoliceDivision/photos/a.1396506803938831.1073741828.1396473497275495/1673220149600827/?type=3&theater

A reminder of the two National Trust Newhailes snowdrop walks are this Sunday. You need to book:  http://m.nts.org.uk/Events/Newhailes/Snowdrop-and-winter-walk

This is Update coming out a bit earlier in the week as it’s the February break and I am taking Friday off to do fun family stuff.  I’m still likely to pick up emails though! (-;

Best wishes

Maureen