Dear All

ArtWalk Porty have a fun Art Hunt ‘Keeping Shop’ event tomorrow, Saturday 14 June 2-4pm in Rosefield Park, Portobello celebrating some of Portobello’s old shops. There will be lots of stories hidden away in the park. Find them all and you can win a lovely tote bag and have your photograph taken, Polaroid-style, in front of an old shop. Stories were collected from members of Portobello Older People’s’ Project. An event for all the family.

Meantime, Queen’s Bay Lodge, the Church of Scotland’s care home at 49 Milton Road east, are holding a summer fair this coming Saturday too, from 2-4pm, and all are welcome.

An art installation happening on the beach at the Cake Stand 11am-1pm on Sunday 16 June – some details here: https://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/event/katie-paterson-first-mountain/  And video here: https://vimeo.com/316767895

Edinburgh Living Landscapes Partnership have a week of activities planned at Little France Park to celebrate its wildlife and collect new biological records – a spot of ‘citizen science’, like BBC 2’s brilliant Springwatch. Eventsare happening in the week through Monday 17 June to Friday 21 June. The meeting point each day is the gated entrance on the cycleway (South) at Little France Drive, EH16 4UU. More here: https://edinburghlivinglandscape.org.uk/2019/06/little-france-wildlife-week/

The torrential rain this week – unfortunately – means a delay to the date of the Phase 2 part completion to Sandford Gardens. We’d hope this would be done by June 14 at the latest. Sett-laying work has proceeded apace this week, but rain has delayed the transition from Phase 2 to Phase 2/3 of Brighton Place (up to East Brighton Crescent) to 21 June.  Overall, the project is on time and on its fixed budget (£700,000, not the often misquoted £1 million).

Bridgend Growing Communities is taking part in the Power of Food Festival this weekend.  All details here:  https://poweroffoodfestival.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/2214/

Some great work is being done by local people in a community-led campaign to encourage all seaside visitors to ensure our beach is kept clean. Key messages to all beach user ate to leave only footprints, pick up after your dog and take all your rubbish back home or find a bin!  Medai reports here: https://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2019/06/my-beach-your-beach-coming-back-to-portobello/ and https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/visitors-to-portobello-beach-are-being-urged-to-clean-it-themselves-and-this-is-how-1-4944111.

Work at Portobello Swim Centre will refresh the building and make it fit for the next couple of decades. The work is a lifecycle refurbishment, mainly in mechanical and electrical upgrades to ensure the structural integrity of this important and well used building for future generations amounting to almost £3 million.  Another £500,000 each will be spent on Brunstane and Towerbank Primary Schools this summer .  All of this work is part of the Council’s five year asset management plan, which gives top priority to investment in primary schools in the Council’s built estate. This is in addition to the £76.3 million capital investment already committed or delivered as new buildings in Portobello/Craigmillar Ward over the five years of the programme to deliver three new schools.  See the list attached.

Last weekend was disappointing around lets to Portobello Town Hall with one Council section staff unaware that the balcony seating was judged unsafe, almost three years ago. Great what you pick up on Porty People over the weekend!  However, the Council’s corporate property section pulled out the stops to make the stage OK to use as they had concerns about some hairline cracks in the ceiling plaster getting bigger. Part of the ceiling has been netted off as a precaution. Lothian Dance School had hired the Hall in good faith for their annual show, and banked on selling tickets to the full capacity of the Hall, including the balcony. The good news is that the 2019 show will go on, and the School will get a refund (I have been promised!) But we already know some major investment is required in the building cost estimated as at least £1 million, based on just a visual inspection. The building will have to close on 1 July for some invasive inspections to find out the true scale of investment required.  We local Councillors had a meeting about Portobello Town Hall this week with the Council’s head of corporate property and there will be a report in August to the Council’s finance and resources committee on Portobello Town Hall.  I have attached a briefing note giving the bare facts, as we currently know them.

The absolute highlight of my week was the Business Breakfast at the fabulous Castlebrae Community High School.  A packed hall of the Schools huge range of partners heard from amazing confident young people themselves and adults ,representing partner organisations how they had learned from each other and how the direction of their lives and the practice and fortunes of the organisations had changed.  I had to leave early to catch up on the Annual Planning Committee Tour, but I heard inspiring accounts from young people and adults at Centre of Regenerative Medicine, Columba 1400 and Foxlake. Truly awesome learning opportunities for adult partners and young people in the growing community of Craigmillar.  And that new school building is coming soon, built around all that sector-leading practice!  More here:  https://castlebraechs.wordpress.com/

Spokes Porty have organised an evening talk next Wednesday to share some experiences and ideas for improving public spaces and hope as many local people as possible will come along. Details and free tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-places-for-everyone-tickets-63023658459. See you there?

Have a great weekend!

Maureen

Councillor Maureen Child

Labour Councillor Portobello/Craigmillar Ward

Office: 0131 529 3268

Mobile: 07718 666 481

Facebook Page: Maureen Child Standing Up for Portobello/Craigmillar

Twitter: @MaureenChild1

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