Dear All

I got over-excited last week about the reopening of Portobello Library and got it wrong.  It is – in fact – not until the following week, Monday 24 June.  Staff will be in there getting ready to welcome the public in a Covid-safe way.  More here: https://edinburghcoun-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/more-libraries-set-to-reopen

Some of the changes to public roads under the Scottish Government funded ‘Spaces for People’ scheme to enable social distancing and safer active travel during the pandemic, might be retained.  This is subject of discussion by Elected Members  at the Council’s transport and environment committee on 17 June.  The Council carried out a consultation and market research to gauge the desire to retain or remove those temporary schemes.

You can read more about this here: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/spaces-people-1/spaces-people-moving-forward-1/2?documentId=13143&categoryId=20299. The Committee will decide what comes next. If they decide (for example) the scheme on Duddingston Road should be retained, the Council will start an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) process during which all residents can get involved.

The Portobello Central team are keeping us updated with progress on getting our Town Hall reopen after their success in becoming preferred bidder for a long term lease of the building to bring it back into community use.  Catch up here: https://www.portobellocentral.org/?fbclid=IwAR3N2piigZl3kboGTJNILU5NiPQX4eBpEm2us2TrggiHnDSBmlZY-kS_4-Q. And sign up to get regular updates.

On Thursday this week, I had the absolute pleasure of a trip to visit the new Castlebrae Community Campus, currently under construction and due to be open early 2022.  Meeting up at the current school, I tramped along in boots two sizes too big with some lovely members of the teaching staff, including the deputy head and support for learning and social subjects teachers.  The construction work is all coming along nicely and the new building is due to open in early 2022.  So very, very exciting!  It will be an amazing building, fit for an already wonderful school community.  If you don’t believe me, get on to the school and arrange a visit! You will be absolutely blown away by how good a school it is, even in its current building.

Have you ever received a suspicious email? Maybe it’s asking you to login to an account or “verify” your payment details? You can report it by forwarding the email to report@phishing.gov.uk.

The artist Yvette Cunningham-Hunwick has opened a brilliant new ceramics workshop, Edinburgh Pottery Studio, at the Peffer Business Centre in Craigmillar. The Studio is collaborating with Connecting Craigmillar to offer a 6-week beginners course on Saturday mornings, between 10am-12pm, starting on the 26 June. Living locally and want to try it out? Let Will Golding know by sending a message to connectingcraigmillar@gmail.com. The course is being funded by Connecting Craigmillar but participants are asked to pay £15 (£2.50 per session) towards the cost of the clay.

The monthly Portobello Market in Brighton Park is back again tomorrow, Saturday 5 June from 9.30am to 1.30pm.  Full details here: https://www.pedal-porty.org.uk/food/portobello-market/stallholders-for-portobello-market-saturday-5th-june/

Portobello Community Council has put up on the website its excellent annual report which was presented at the AGM last Monday.  Well worth a read: http://www.portobellocc.org/ 

Action Porty had their AGM last Monday too.  And here is David Calder’s Porty Podcast interview with Chair, Justin Kenrick, recorded the weekend before and well worth a listen: https://www.buzzsprout.com/71622/8625751?fbclid=IwAR2VuZMjz2X-zy_ZyxUNxXjh1KqhjCYogqjZ2jiil4KOwxlyk0ykD0PlaI8

The next Line Walk Mindful Drawing event is taking place this Saturday, 5 June, 10am -12pm, starting at Thistle Foundation’s Centre of Wellbeing on Queen’s Walk. The artist Jonathan Baxter has been leading walks through Little France Park on the first Saturday of each month since the start of the year as part of the Craigmillar & Communities Walking Residency with Art Walk Porty. There is more information – and some very beautiful records of Little France Park from previous walks – on the group’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/linewalkmindfuldrawing. Saturday 5 June is the 6th walk and her is what it’s all about: http://artwalkporty.co.uk/craigmillar-and-communities-walking-residency.html

This was a lovely story in the Edinburgh Evening News this week: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/recommended/lifestyle/edinburgh-wild-swimmer-learns-important-life-lessons-helping-a-78-year-old-to-swim-3253738 

Have a lovely weekend and do stay safe and well.

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: @MaureenMChild1