Dear All

Thank you to everyone who was with us on Wednesday to help celebrate the life of Jo Cox MP, a victim of a truly appalling hate crime in another part of our increasingly fractured country.  A big THANK YOU to Kim Wallace, family and friends for bringing us all together at Portobello beach on what would have been Jo’s 42^nd Birthday, as part of a fabulous Global celebration. We must campaign for a better world in her name.  I say – with Jo – that as human beings we all have more in common than that which divides us. Living that core principle – for justice, equality and fairness – as Jo Cox did, is more vital now than ever. The hate for ‘otherness’ of any kind tarnishes and diminishes us all and it begins to strike more fear in the hearts of those individuals most vulnerable and targeted for everyday slights, comments, aggression and hatred – just for who they are or appear to be or what they believe. 

A few of us locals met in local solidarity last Saturday at 12 noon at ‘the cake stand’ at the foot of Marlborough Street and we intend to meet there again this Saturday if you can make it. You would be very welcome to join us, in body or in spirit.  #LoveLikeJo #MoreInCommon

Myplace: Edinburgh is a competition to celebrate the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016. Please do enter it to help populate Edinburgh’s part of a cities exhibition currently open on the Mound and create an archive for the future too.  You have until 10 July 2016 to add a photograph of your favourite Edinburgh place (e.g. a building, location, open space…) to https://www.edinburghcollected.org/ and say what makes it special to you. More details of how to enter are here: https://talesofonecity.wordpress.com/2016/06/01/myplace-edinburgh-a-competition-for-the-year-of-innovation-architecture-and-design/ Portobello/Craigmillar must feature heavily – of course!

Portobello Community Council will meet this coming Monday 27th June, 2016 at 7:30 pm in Portobello Baptist Church Hall, 185 Portobello High Street. On the agenda is: Police report; Environmental update; Old Bellfield Parish Church – update on the prospect of community acquisition; Baileyfield PAC – presentation from Barrats on PAC proposals; Community Council Elections – discussion on how to promote the elections; Big Beach Busk and Sandcastle Competition – update on plans; Edinburgh Airport Flightpath Consultation – update on consultation; Planning – including discussion of Conservation Area consultation; Web: https://www.portobellocc.org/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/PortobelloCommunityCouncil e-mail: secretary@portobellocc.org

Justin Kendrik of the Save Bellfield/ Action Porty campaign sent his round recently: It would be great if you could help support the next stage of the push to Save Bellfield by coming to the fundraising Cabaret at Bellfield Old Parish Church. The Cabaret is at 7pm on Sunday 26th June, and you can get hold of your tickets at the Skylark or Cove. Update on the campaign: We have secured £16,315 from the Scottish Land Fund for the Stage One work needed to ascertain (1) the community’s needs, (2) the potential of the building, and (3) a sustainable proposal to enable the buildings to meet vital community needs into the future.  In the process, we are seeking to become the first urban community to be granted the Community Right to Buy, for which we will need as many Portobello residents as possible to sign a paper petition asking the Scottish Government to grant this.  More information at: http://bellfield.scot This push for signatures will be launched at the Cabaret – do come! You’ll have a great time and can find out how to help with this vital next stage. See you there!

The opening date for pupils to the new Portobello High School is now Wednesday 26 October. The school opening had been delayed from August 2016 following water drainage issues but close liaison between the Council’s project team, contractors Balfour Beatty and Scottish Water in the past few months has resulted in those issues being resolved.  A letter went to parents/carers on Tuesday to inform them of the new opening date. The October school holiday week is being extended to allow staff to move into the new building.  Over the coming months, Balfour Beatty will accommodate orientation visits by school staff and pupils to the new school.  The demolition of the existing school is planned to start shortly after the move takes place followed by the construction of the new St John’s RC Primary School and the new park. Scottish Water start work on the permanent drainage situation next week (delayed for a week beyond what they anticipated).  This involves running a new pipe across Portobello Golf Course and they have been working closely with Edinburgh Leisure and the Portobello golf clubs to minimise disruption while the works are taking place.

Fabulous to hear that the City of Edinburgh Council is working with the Edinburgh International Festival to create a three year arts residency in Castlebrae Community High School from 2015 until the end of 2017.  This builds on all the truly excellent partnership work already going on our local Craigmillar school, which is going from strength to strength. 

Duddingston Bioblitz coming this weekend! Go along and explore the green spaces of Duddingston June 25th all day! http://www.bnhc.org.uk/?post_type=bioblitz&p=8515

The Council’s 21^st Century Homes house building goes on apace.  A Council Committee report this week detailed a  programme and more detailed plans about how this will be expanded to meet the ambitious target of delivering 8,000 homes over the next 10 years.  As part of that, Council has agreed to deliver 193 new homes in Craigmillar on brownfield land in addition to all those 1000s already on site, built or about to start.  This would include new colonies homes building on a unique Edinburgh housing design popular across the city, a development that would be a major boost to the regeneration of Craigmillar Town Centre, subject to planning consent of course.

Visit your local library to download the Edinburgh Evening News for free – and other newspapers too!  http://yourlibrary.edinburgh.gov.uk/pressreader?platform=hootsuitev  The libraries also have a paper version of a pocket map for this up-coming family fun event for you t pick up:  https://www.facebook.com/PortobelloLibrary/posts/10153940546939580:0  The 4^th highly successful “Here Comes the Summer” event is on Portobello Beach, this year on Saturday 2^nd July. The event is free and is for the community. Local agencies offer many activities free of charge. The event launches the summer programmes, has a sporting theme to keep families active over the holidays, and a market place of local agencies showing what services are available within the community. Prepare to come along, have fun and join in!

Lastly – more than ever, hold your friends and family close and – like Jo and Brendan Cox – ‘bathe them in love’. Assure those nearby in our community who fear for our future now that it is even more scary and uncertain, that you will stand beside them in solidarity and face down any abuse of any kind.  That’s where we will begin to make all the difference in the World.

Best wishes

Maureen