Dear All
There were some delays in Portobello/Craigmillar Ward collections of blue glass recycling and garden waste this week, including our street. I got an explanation about what led to those annoying delays this week. The Council’s private sector agency partner was unable to provide the staff the Council needed to complete the job. The Council liaised with both the contracted agency provider and some off-contract agencies to fill the staffing gap and clear the backlog. Monday 3 July was a Public Holiday for Council collection staff on which they don’t have to work unless they opt to do so. That made collecting on the scheduled day more challenging than normal. Refuse collection worked hard to service the late collections with supervisors and managers also involved in clearing the backlog over the following two days. When delays or missed collections happen, for whatever reason, the sound advice is always to leave the bins out while the guys catch up or come back to the missed street or bin. Do keep on letting me know if there are any further delays – and when those are resolved.
The wonderful social enterprise Tool Library is spreading and now sets up in Portobello Library on a Monday. It attracted 10 new Members on its first Porty outing two weeks ago. It will be there every Monday, just finishing up as I arrive for my weekly ‘surgery’ upstairs. The new initiative was featured in the Evening News this week. Read all about it here:
A date for your diary – the Big Beach Busk is on 26 August this year. Make sure to be there and hope for sunshine!
This weekend, Saturday 8 July, the local gallery Velvet Easel is opening an exhibition called Portobello Mon Amour. More here: http://www.artmag.co.uk/portobello-mon-amour-edinburgh/
A Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) is being lodged with the Council’s planning department by CCG (Scotland) Ltd for the former Lidl retail site, off Niddrie Mains Road behind Craigmillar Health Centre.
Feeling fit for a bit of a jog along the Prom – with or without a dog? Get this! When Gobi joined runner Dion on his 250km run through the Gobi Desert, there began a lifelong friendship that would lead Gobi to living in Edinburgh with his new best friend. You have a chance to jog Dion and Gobi to raise funds for Edinburgh’s own stray and unwanted dogs and cats. This fun family event will take place on Sunday 13 August, starting and finishing at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. After your 2.5KM fun run on Portobello Prom, there will be food and drink stalls, raffle prizes, rehoming advice and more. All funds raised at the event will benefit the Home. Book here: http://bit.ly/2txt6y1
Craigmillar Literacy Trust are looking for a Literacy Programmes Co-ordinator to develop and deliver creative reading, writing and learning programmes for children, young people and families in Craigmillar, Edinburgh. The closing date for applications is 14 July. More here: www.craigmillarliteracytrust.org.uk
Our Councillor colleague Mary Campbell is leading on improvements to Portobello’s beach and the rest of the Portobello/Craigmillar Team are right behind her. More here: http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/mary-campbell-i-would-like-to-be-beside-a-much-cleaner-seaside-1-4491164
Bridgend Inspiring Growth, a new community hub in a historic farm building in south Edinburgh has a grant of £47,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting project called ‘Place, Work and Folk’. Local people will be invited to talk about their memories of the farmhouse when it was a working farm. Learning and creative activity projects based on their stories will link past and present. The eighteen-month project will run from August 2017 and finish in December 2018. More here: http://www.bridgendfarmhouse.org.uk/community-history.html
Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT)is hosting a variety of free fun and educational activities in and around the magnificent woodlands of Craigmillar Castle Park. There are events are for everyone such s guided walks, children’s activities, volunteer tasks and more. For more information, contact Ben McCallum email ben@elgt.org.uk or phone 0131 445 4025. There’s Wild Art on Friday 16 July; Woodfest; Sunday 23 July; Wilderness Survival on Friday 28 July. A good way to spend a couple of hours on a summer afternoon.
My Council colleague Kate Campbell and I have both been appointed to the Board of Craigmillar Opportunities Trust, aka Cre8te in Craigmillar Business Centre. We’re looking forward to our first Board Meeting together next week.
A couple of people have been in touch with me, expressing concern about people begging on the streets on Edinburgh, wondering about what all the agencies in Edinburgh are doing together to address their needs. I have been in contact with the chief social worker who leads for the Council on community safety and coordinates the multi-agency team around this issue and I will be meeting up with her to get an update and learn more about our City’s practical approach to this.
That’s all folks. I am now off to a meeting with the Director of Place and our Portobello/Craigmillar Councillor Team to underline our solid joint determination to have the Council deliver a new Castlebrae Community High School building in Craigmillar Town Centre, as soon as possible. Holyrood and Portobello have great buildings, filling up fast with local children. Now it has to be Castlebrae’s turn for a new building in the new Craigmillar Town Centre for a growing population.
Have a great weekend when it comes!
Maureen
Councillor Maureen Child | Labour Elected Member | Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) | The City of Edinburgh Council | City Chambers | High Street | Edinburgh | EH1 1YJ | Tel 0131 529 3268 | Mobile 07718 666 481 | Twitter @MaureenChild1 | Facebook Maureen Child for Portobello/Craigmillar