Dear All

To show solidarity with our friends and family from the EU and further afield, and to remind them and others that Edinburgh is their home and they remain welcome here, the Edinburgh Equality and Rights Network (EaRN) is on social media using #EdinburghForEveryone.  We are aiming to get out the message that Edinburgh is open and welcoming and we are united against racism and intolerance.  Please do promote all of the amazing work being done in Edinburgh communities to tackle inequality, discrimination and intolerance.  EaRN will also producing posters and flyers with this message. Do check out the EaRN website and join up: www.equalityandrightsnetwork.org.uk  We’re a new and growing membership organisation working in partnership with Police Scotland, Council, NHS Lothian, voluntary sector and others – including individual members – to promote equality and human rights.

Under the banner (or small corex board) saying #MoreInCommon a core group – and anyone else who wants to come  – are meeting again this Saturday at 12 noon in solidarity with those who might feel especially vulnerable due to the events of the last couple of weeks, in particular.  We are not yet sure what will come of this, but it is good to talk in these worrying times.  I will repeat what I sent out the day after Joe Cox MP’s murder, in the hope that some of you will see the importance of every single one of us taking action in our everyday lives to keep people safe – as individuals and friendship groups, neighbourhoods and communities.  A city-wide Keep Safe initiative was launched on Thursday 17 June to help root out hate crime and the kind of low-level abuse some people face daily. This is the first of its kind in Scotland and it aims to support and encourage disabled, vulnerable and older people to keep safe and enjoy an ordinary day-to-day life and activities without fear of abuse, intimidation and harassment. The initiative will work in partnership with Police Scotland and ‘I Am Me Scotland’, to encourage the creation of safe places for disabled, vulnerable or older people to go if they need help, if they’re lost, scared or if they’re a victim of crime. Individuals are offered a Keep Safe Card to carry with them, with information about themselves and the key people to contact if they need help. Partners agencies like People First, Edinburgh Crisis Centre and many more will help push the message out in our communities and neighbourhoods. Find out how to become a Keep Safe Member and for further info, please contact edinburghpreventandintervent@scotland.pnn.police.uk or visit http://www.iammescotland.co.uk/keep-safe-areas/

Our monthly Portobello Market is tomorrow, 9.30am to 1pm in Brighton Park.  Details here: http://www.pedal-porty.org.uk/food/portobello-market/stallholders-for-portobello-market-on-saturday-2nd-july/  St John’s RC Church and Hall is usually also open that day and will welcome visitors.

Joppa Tennis Club’s Summer Pay and Play Programme starts on Monday, 4 July. Non-Members pay £1 for adults and 50p for children (16 and under) per 30 minutes of tennis. Call 07599 99 66 94 to check availability or make a booking. Pay and Play will operate Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm throughout the summer holidays. (4 July to 12 August).

The National Trust at Newhailes have their second Annual Dog Show on Sun 17 July 11-4pm.  Details on their website www.nts.org.uk or email Newhailes@nts.org.uk or phone 0131 653 5599.

Street representatives are needed for the Save Bellfield Campaign to systematically collect as many petition signatures as we possibly can to support our community buy-out bid for Bellfield Church and Hall..  Details here: http://www.portobellocc.org/pccpn/2016/06/28/street-reps-wanted-for-save-bellfield-campaign/

For those wondering, yes the Council does still spray ‘weeds’ (aka native plants in the wrong place) with glyphosate weedkiller, but they are trialling other methods and that the outcome of those trials will be reported to Transport and Environment Committee in the autumn.  Once Southfield Duddingston and the Durhams are done, that is the spraying completed.  Other areas in parks are being left as part of Edinburgh’s Living Landscape:  See more here: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/livinglandscape

The Summer edition of the fabulous quarterly Portobello Reporter community newspaper is now on line at http://porty.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/rep_summer_16.pdf with lots of great content and adverts for local businesses.  Do read ‘cover to cover’ and share!  I also have it in a 3Mb PDF format if you want a copy sent to you.  If you live in Portobello, you should be getting a hard copy through the door.  Do let me know if you are being missed out and I’ll pass that information on.

A reminder about the My City Photography Competition.  Get snapping your favourite place(s) to be in Edinburgh (Craigmillar and Portobello, among them) and tell us why you love it.  Details here:   http://thisisedinburgh.com/blog/myplace-edinburgh-photography-contest/  This all feeds into our part in Pop Up Cities Expo which is currently on The Mound as part of the Festival of Architecture, until 17 July.  The Edinburgh pavilion which contains the city’s own part of the  exhibition was designed by architects who live locally – Konishi Gaffney – and is beautifully spotlighting our Edinburgh places and spaces alongside that from other participating cities. More here: http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2016/06/pop-up-cities-at-the-mound/

A new toastmasters club has started in Portobello, called Porty Communicators. The first meeting attracted 16 guests and 11 established Toastmaster members at the Dalriada. Penny Haywood and David Calder now have four fortnightly slots, starting on Wednesday 6th July: 7.15 -9.30pm. So Porty people are finding their voice at Toastmasters!

There are things for children and young people of Craigmillar and Portobello to do every day throughout the summer holidays from Friday 1 July to Tuesday 16 August at Craigmillar Library.  Children over 8 are welcome to our events (unless age range is specified). Any children under 8 must be accompanied by a parent/carer over 12.  Events are subject to change. For more information on any events please speak to staff. Craigmillar Library, 101 Niddrie Mains Road, EH16 4DS | 0131 529 5597 www.facebook.com/CraigmillarLibrary  Don’t forget Here Comes the Summer on the beach and Promenade tomorrow to have fun and find out what else is happening for you locally.  No ‘I’m bored!’ excuse!

Christians Path between Windsor Place and Brighton Place and the path at Gilberstoun a section of NCN1 have been closed since 20 June, with diversions signposted.  This is a safety precaution because of Scottish Power work to the pylons and high voltage cables.  I have more technical details if you really want them.  I’m afraid I don’t yet know when this work will be completed.

New street names have been put forward to us three local Councillors for the new development at Baileyfield, reflecting the history of the area.  The Council have provisionally given the following names to the new streets:  Skylark Place.  Named for the pleasure boat Skylark which used to run from Portobello Pier. Walford Drive, Named for Lucy Bethia Walford, artist and novelist who was born in Portobello on 17 April 1845. Some of her work was exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy. Cullet Walk. The bottle factory which was on this site stored the cullet or broken glass in the vicinity of the new street. The factory was located here from 1829-1968 until, as United Glass, it was closed.

I am going off on holiday for three weeks from next Wednesday with family and friends.  It will not be at all restful, with lovely grandchildren, but it will be a welcome change.  I have a lot to do to clear my inbox, try to close off lots of cases and am about to go into yet another Planning Committee all afternoon.  I hope to see some of you around in the next few days and do, please, say ‘Hello!’ But if I don’t see you around, do have a great summer and see you towards the end of July.  I will not have mall or mobile phone or social media presence during that time.  I DO love my job, but I must say, after all that has happened, the break is going to be bliss!

Kind regards

Maureen