The Edinburgh Reporter September 2019

Talbot preeesseeenntss 

Heeeidi 

Speeecial, Jameeess Yorksstonn 

Duukeee 

Brìghdeee Chaimbeeeuul 

& 

2222 Seeep, Theee Quueeeeeenn'ss Hall 

Suunn 

September 2019 

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk 

Out with a bang! 

WHAT'S ON 

After a busy August there’s lots 

to do in September. 

Read more on pages 15 - 19 

PHOTOS 

What we saw in and around 

the city in August. Read more on 

pages 20, 21 and 22 

FOOD 

Juliet likes an oyster or two 

Read more on pages 24 and 25 

August began and ended with 

classical music in open air venues. 

At the beginning of the month, the 

LA Philharmonic Orchestra played 

at Tynecastle at the Aberdeen 

Standard Investments Opening 

Event. 

Organisers believe that over 70% 

of the audience of around 15,000 

were attending a classical concert 

for the first time. 

At the end of the month The 

2019 Virgin Money Fireworks 

Concert came from Princes Street 

Gardens as usual with an audience 

of 250,000 watching from the city 

centre. The Scottish Chamber 

Orchestra played Berlioz’s 

Symphonie fantastique and Dukas’ 

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice while 

Pyrovision synchronised 400,000 

fireworks overhead from the Castle 

ramparts. The concert ended with 

white strobing Chrysanthemum 

fireworks bursting 225 metres 

above the castle. 

How rich the cultural scene is 

here in the capital during August. 

With books, classical music, 

comedy, cabaret, circus and 

tumbling troupes in the mix you 

could never weary. 

Look at the photos we took 

around Edinburgh in August on 

Pages 20 and 21. 

PHOTO Martin P McAdam 

NEWS 

Oor Wullie says Cheerio! 

Read more on page 4

190826_DOD_CententaryCelebration_EdinburghReporter.pdf 1 28/08/2019 14:57 

2 

NEWS 

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The Edinburgh Reporter 

Take a look at Edinburgh Collected 

Edinburgh Collected is an 

online community photo archive 

managed by Edinburgh Libraries. 

You can add your own photos to 

help preserve the city’s history for 

the future. 

All Farmers Autocare outlets 

across the city, 

194 Queensferry Road, 225 

St John's Road, 34 Hillhouse 

Road, 111 Piersfield Place, 19c 

Strathearn Road and 108B Market 

Street Musselburgh. 

All city libraries. 

Bonhams 22 Queen St EH2 1JX 

Boardwalk Beach Club 

50 Marine Drive EH4 5ES 

It is also a good way for 

organisations to preserve their 

archives in scrapbooks online. 

www.edinburghcollected.org 

Morningside Heritage 

Recycling wait too long 

by David Bol Local Democracy 

Reporter 

The council has been accused of 

“making it as difficult as possible 

to recycle” in the capital – with 

delays to bulky item collections 

raising fears of increased 

fly-tipping. 

Following recent questions by 

Liberal Democrat councillors, 

figures revealed that more than 

half of bookings this year, which 

cost residents £5, have led to 

waiting times of longer than four 

weeks. 

More than 10,000 bookings have 

been made so far this year for 

uplifts but only 1,093 of these 

have been carried out within two 

weeks. A total of 5,683 requests 

this year have taken more than 

four weeks – 55 per cent of the 

overall applications. 

Edinburgh Council offers a 

service where residents can 

pay £5 to have large items, 

such as old fridges, televisions 

and furniture, taken away to be 

recycled or they can be reused free 

of charged. 

Liberal Democrat Cllr Kevin 

Lang said: “It does feel as though 

SNP councillors in Edinburgh are 

making it as difficult as possible 

to recycle. 

“First we had the garden tax. 

Then we had a cut it the opening 

hours of recycling centres. Now 

we learn that most people are 

having to wait up to two months, 

just to get their bulky items taken 

away. I’ve spoken to people in my 

own ward who made bookings, 

paid their money and were left 

astonished at having to wait so 

long to have their items picked up. 

“I am pleased that new 

performance targets are now 

going to be introduced. However, it 

is even more important that action 

is taken to reduce these average 

waiting times.” 

Broughton Place Hair & Beauty 

2a Broughton Pl EH1 3RX 

Café Lowdown 

40 George St EH2 2LE 

Candersons Sweet Shop 

102 Leith Walk EH6 5DT 

Close Gallery 

4B Howe St EH3 6TD 

The Doo’cot 

731-733 Ferry Rd EH4 2UA 

ESPC Showroom 

107 George St EH2 3ES 

Association have recently had a 

donation of the archives of the 

55th Edinburgh Boys Brigade 

Company, based in Morningside 

Parish Church ( formally St 

Mathew's ) Is anyone you 

Concerns have also been raised 

that the delays could be resulting 

in unwanted items clogging up 

tenement stairwells. 

Green Cllr Gavin Corbett 

said: “A wait of more than four 

weeks for bulky uplifts is far too 

long, particularly for people in 

tenements or flats, where storage 

options are limited. 

“Sadly, it can simply lead to 

items being dumped in stairwells, 

streets or in green spaces, where 

the council will have to deal with it 

as fly-tipping but lose the income 

at the same time. So there has 

to be a sweet spot where more 

responsive pick-up can help 

encourage greater use of the 

service and increase income. 

“I would also strongly encourage 

residents to look at some brilliant 

re-use options like Freegle or the 

various Facebook share sites. In 

my area, the “Slateford Share” 

is awash with people making 

good use of items other people 

no longer want or need and so 

avoiding having to use bulk uplift 

at all.” 

Please support our stockists! 

Grassmarket Community Project 

86 Candlemaker Row EH1 2QA 

Henderson's 94 Hanover St EH2 

1DB and Holyrood Rd 

The Hideout Cafe 40-42 Queen 

Charlotte St EH6 6AT 

Leith Walk Police Box Pop Up 

Croall Pl EH7 4LT 

Maialino 34 William St EH3 7LJ 

Scottish Arts Club 

24 Rutland Sq EH1 2BW 

know in the photo? Among the 

photographs in the collection are 

many taken by Bill Smith who was 

Company Captain throughout the 

1950s. 

Environment chiefs have told 

officials to draw up performance 

targets in an attempt to improve 

the situation and have moved to 

reassure residents that problems 

with the service have been 

identified and measures put in 

place. 

Transport and environment 

convener, Cllr Lesley Macinnes, 

said: “The problem had already 

been recognised and indeed some 

quite swift action has been taking 

place in recent weeks. 

“We have already seen he figures 

drop dramatically in terms of 

waiting times. There were two 

reasons for this – systems issues 

and capacity to meet demand.” 

David Bol is the Local Democracy 

Reporter covering Edinburgh. 

The Local Democracy Reporting 

Service (LDRS) is a public service 

news agency : funded by the BBC, 

provided by the local news sector, 

and used by qualifying partners. 

Local Democracy Reporters cover 

top-tier local authorities and other 

public service organisations. 

St Bride’s Community Centre 

10 Orwell Terrace EH11 2DZ 

Strumpets 

35 William Street EH3 7LW 

Summerhall 

1Summerhall EH9 1PL 

The Queen's Hall Box Office Clerk 

St EH8 9JG 

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29-31 Abercromby Pl EH3 6QE 

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4 NEWS 


NEWS 5 

Over a million visitors 

Oor Wullie’s BIG Bucket Trail has 

attracted over a million visitors 

since the 200 sculptures were 

installed across Scotland in June. 

The trail app, which has been 

downloaded over 40,000 times 

by Wullie fans, lets users digitally 

collect sculptures, with some great 

prizes up for grabs for app users 

too. So far users have racked up 

an incredible 13,000,000 steps, 

equating to 24,000 miles, with the 

average person walking 11 miles 

while doing the trail. More than 

13,500 selfies have been uploaded 

to the app. 

Wullie fans can see the 

sculptures for one final cheerio 

at Oor Wullie’s BIG Bucket Trail 

Farewell Weekend (13 – 15 Sep). 

The free event will run from 

9am-8pm on Friday and Saturday 

and 9am-5pm on Sunday. All 

Edinburgh sculptures will be 

gathered in the Square, Plenty of 

fun activities to keep wee ones 

entertained and exclusive Wullie 

merchandise will also be on offer. 


Funding for biodiversity in the city 

Almost half a million pounds 

will be shared among three nature 

projects in Edinburgh which are 

all trying to create better places 

for wildlife to thrive within the city 

boundaries. 

Edinburgh Shoreline’s project 

willtry to improve breeding areas 

for puffins by removing invasive 

non-native species, such as tree 

mallow,. They will also create eight 

new coastal wildflower meadows 

linking up with other existing 

sites and help pollinators to travel 

around. 

Buglife's Central Scotland 

B-Lines will create 100 hectares 

of wildflower habitat across 

50 urban sites, connecting 

East Dunbartonshire, South 

Lanarkshire, Falkirk and Edinburgh, 

helping pollinators to move freely 

through towns and cities. Local 

community groups will take 

on ownership of each site. The 

project includes training in areas 

such as managing and monitoring 

of local sites, and how to increase 

habitat connectivity across the 

Central Belt. 

Little France Park will be 

brought to life by the Edinburgh 

and Lothians Greenspace Trust’s 

project. It will transform the site 

and create a corridor for nature 

from the centre of Edinburgh to 

Midlothian. 

As well as improving the 46 

hectare park’s existing habitats, 

such as hedges, scrub and 

grassland, a network of new 

habitats will be created, targeted 

at butterflies, including the 

northern brown argus, common 

blue and small copper. 

Painted Lady butterfly in Leith © Mike Shepherd 

Rotary – what 

is it all about? 

Have you ever seen this wheel, 

on a poster or a hotel plaque, and 

wondered what a Rotary Club is? 

Well, a Rotary Club is a group of 

people who enjoy friendship and 

fellowship, but whose main raison 

d'être is “Service above Self” 

meaning that they work to help 

those who may be less fortunate 

than themselves, both within their 

local community and further afield. 

Rotary Clubs meet regularly so 

that members can enjoy each 

other’s company and discuss 

projects. Edinburgh Rotarians 

have made a difference locally and 

globally, from organising an annual 

Forth Bridge Abseil to building a 

school in Sierra Leone. 

There are 11 Rotary Clubs that 

meet within 10 miles of Edinburgh 

City Centre, about 190 clubs 

in Scotland, and 33,000 clubs 

worldwide, with over 1.2 million 

members. New adult members 

are always welcome, regardless 

of age, gender, sexual orientation, 

race, colour, religion or politics. All 

we ask is that you share our desire 

to put something back into our 

community. 

In the next few issues we’ll tell 

you about our local clubs and what 

they are doing to enhance our city 

and our world. Maybe you’ll find 

one that suits you. 

For more information please 

email secretary@rotary1020.org 

Walled garden 

restored 

A leading Scottish chef and a 

TV gardener have teamed up to 

restore one of Scotland’s most 

historic walled gardens. 

Derek Johnstone, Head Chef at 

Borthwick Castle, has announced 

a collaboration with garden 

designer and horticulturalist 

Pete Jackson to redevelop the 

Midlothian private-hire venue’s 

original walled garden. 

Expected to open in spring 

2020, Borthwick Castle’s four-acre 

walled garden will also be home 

to Scotland’s first kitchen garden 

to specialise in growing historic 

herbs, vegetables and fruits. 

The Borthwick Castle kitchen 

garden will cultivate culinary herbs 

dating back to the 16th century, 

alongside heritage vegetables 

which will be supplied directly to 

the kitchen. 

Funding for 

community 

cinema 

by Nigel Duncan 

CENTRE for the Moving Image 

(Edinburgh Filmhouse) and Africa 

in Motion Film Festival are among 

12 community cinema projects 

across Scotland to receive 

funding. 

The Centre for the Moving Image 

will upgrade cinema screens at the 

Edinburgh Filmhouse. 

Rod White, head of programming, 

Filmhouse, Edinburgh: “Having 

had the necessary equipment to 

run audio-described screenings 

in Edinburgh for quite some time, 

we’re acutely aware of how much 

the service means to those who 

use it. 

“This award will also help us 

maintain the highest standards of 

film presentation.” 

Africa in Motion (AiM) from 25 

October to 3 November 2019 

brings together the best of African 

cinema to Scottish audiences. 

They will use their funding 

to update their mobile cinema 

equipment. 

Justine Atkinson, their festival 

producer, said: “Our mobile cinema 

has been an invaluable asset over 

the last four years. 

“We have ventured into 

community centres, integration 

networks, bars, churches and more 

and it has allowed us to create 

accessible cinema for a variety of 

different audiences.” 

Jennifer Armitage of Screen 

Scotland, said: “From community 

cinemas to touring operators, to 

multi arts venues and full-time 

cinemas, these awards are 

helping to improve and expand 

cinema provision in every context, 

increasing its reach, depth and 

inclusivity across Scotland.” 

Who is in charge at the City Chambers? 

After an announcement by 

Council Leader Adam McVey that 

he was about to take six weeks 

adoption leave, a spat over who 

would actually be leader may have 

been resolved. 

We spoke with Labour Group 

Leader Cammy Day who is Depute 

Leader of the council. Edinburgh is 

run by a coalition administration 

between the SNP and Labour 

groups. 

Cllr Day was absolutely clear on 

the matter. 

He said : "I am quite clear as 

Deputy Leader that it will be my 

role to deputise for the Council 

Leader, during any period of 

absence. I hugely congratulate 

Adam and his partner on adopting 

two boys. I have known about 

their plans for about a year now. 

Adam has had some challenges 

as there is no policy on adoption 

leave for elected members, so it 

is up to Edinburgh to lead on that. 

Previously you would probably 

have been expected to resign 

from your position to allow the 

council to pay someone else to 

do your job. That has never been 

considered here. 

“In England and Wales they 

already have a policy for elected 

members, but Edinburgh has 

a limit of 24 senior positions 

and a monetary limit of around 

£600,000. We cannot breach that, 

News in Brief 

AIRPORT SECURITY 

You may be able to keep your 

liquids and electrical equipment 

in your bags when going through 

airport security in future. The 

Prime Minister announced that all 

major UK airports will introduce 

new 3D cabin baggage screening 

equipment by 1 December 2022, 

claiming it will keep people safer 

by providing security personnel 

with better images of cabin 

baggage. 

Transport Secretary Grant 

Shapps said: “The new screening 

equipment will improve security 

and make the experience 

smoother and less stressful for 

passengers. It could also mean an 

end to passengers having to use 

plastic bags or rationing what they 

take away with them. 

“As an outward looking global 

nation, our transport hubs 

are more important than ever, 

and investing in our security 

and it is only because there are a 

few Senior Responsible Allowance 

(SRA) vacancies that it can be 

afforded in this instance. 

"I think the council is progressive 

in supporting adoption leave and 

now we need COSLA and The 

Scottish Government to make 

changes as to how this can be 

promoted and encouraged across 

Scotland. 

"But I am quite clear that it will 

be my job to lead the council for 

the next six weeks.” 

Although Cllr Day will not be 

paid any increase in salary in the 

next six weeks, council approved 

a motion by which Cllr Ellie Bird 

(temporary leader of the SNP 

Group) will receive a pro rata 

payment of £39,310 on top of her 

basic councillor salary. 

The Labour Group leader told The 

Edinburgh Reporter that he did not 

believe it entirely necessary. He 

was already in place to do the job. 

But he continued : "It is for the 

SNP group to decide who they 

want to be the link between the 

coalition partners. The easy way to 

describe it is that I am 'acting up' 

for Adam and Ellie is acting up for 

me in my role. I believe there were 

some challenges in the SNP Group 

but that is for them too.” 

We also spoke to Cllr Bird just as 

it had been announced that she 

would get an increased salary. 

infrastructure means we are 

investing in our nation’s future.” 

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE 

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has 

unveiled a new plan that will put 

Scotland at the forefront of the 5G 

technological revolution.5G is the 

next generation of mobile internet, 

offering faster speeds and 

enhanced connectivity that could 

transform transport, education, 

healthcare and agriculture among 

other sectors. 

The plan, Forging our Digital 

Future with 5G, sets out how the 

Scottish Government will work 

with industry, the regulator and 

other public sector bodies to make 

sure all of Scotland – including 

rural areas – benefits from the 

technology. 

COMMUNITY COUNCIL 

Leith Harbour & Newhaven 

Community Council meets in the 

Shore room of Leith Community 

She told us : "My understanding 

and the understanding of my 

group is that I will 'act up' over the 

next six weeks in Adam's absence 

as senior group member or leader 

of the group, and, alongside 

Cammy will perform the role of 

Council Leader. The council cannot 

appoint another Council Leader, 

and clearly Cammy is Depute 

Leader of the Council." 

Cllr Macinnes is the Depute 

Leader of the SNP Group but 

Centre on 24 September 2019 

between 7.00pm and 9.00pm. At 

their August meeting they were 

considering planning applications 

in Industry Lane (which has 

been withdrawn) and the new 

application for a major housing 

development on the gap site at 

Bath Street and Tower Street. 

WEE SLEEP OUT 

On 7 December 2019 10,000 

young people across Scotland 

may organise their own sleep 

outs. This is a programme which 

involves under 18s in the charity 

Social Bite’s project to end 

homelessness. Get involved here 

www.weesleepout.co.uk 

ON THE BUTTON is a huge 

sale of vintage and collectable 

buttons. It is on at St Andrew’s 

and St George’s West Church, 

13 George Street on 6 and 7 

September raising funds for 

Marie Curie. There are buttons 

from every decade from 1850s 

to 1990s, which will attract 

serious collectors, vintage and 

costume enthusiasts and craft 

workers. Every colour imaginable 

chose not to step into the role 

apparently claiming her workload 

prevented her from doing so. 

Cllr Bird was elected two and 

a half years ago when she was 

working in Tommy Sheppard MP's 

office. She now works with Ben 

Macpherson MSP two days each 

week. 

Cllr Bird concluded : "Something 

important to me is the voice 

of young people, and bringing 

young people into politics. We 

and buttons made from everything 

from tortoiseshell to glass, from 

horn to early plastic, metal, wood 

and pearl will be on display. 

10.00am until 4.00pm each day. 

It follows the success of the first 

ON THE BUTTON in 2017, when 

£4,500 was raised for Marie Curie. 

SHOW RACISM THE RED CARD 

Tens of thousands of people 

across workplaces, schools, 

sports clubs and individually 

are expected take part in Show 

Racism the Red Card’s initiative, 

Wear Red Day this year on 4 

October 2019. Iconic buildings 

will be lit up red in an initiative to 

raise awareness of racism and 

there will be funds raised for more 

anti-racism education. 

SEAFIELD STENCH 

If you are affected by the odour 

from the Seafield Waste Water 

Treatment Plant then you should 

know that there is a handy form on 

the Leith Links Community Council 

website which allows you to 

report it to all relevant authorities 

at once. Leith Links Residents 

Association has a crowdfunded 

are not a diverse council and I 

think am at the middle of a little 

storm here. "We still seem to be 

having the debate about bringing 

young 'inexperienced' women 

into the council as well as other 

underrepresented groups. I have 

been called confident and I will be 

using that for this role. I think we 

need a representative democracy, 

and I think we need young women 

- although I wouldn’t necessarily 

class myself as that at 31.” 

on their Facebook page raising 

money to pay a solicitor to act for 

them in dealing with the matter. 

ROYAL INFIRMARY 

Lothian Health Services Archive 

is collecting oral histories from 

anyone familiar with the Royal 

Infirmary of Edinburgh building at 

Lauriston Place. The project has 

been funded by the Edinburgh 

Futures Institute, University of 

Edinburgh, and it aims to capture 

memories from a range of people 

who used the building when it 

was a hospital.The interviews will 

be relaxed and can be conducted 

individually or in groups. If you are 

interested in taking part, or know 

somebody who might be, contact 

lhsa@ed.ac.uk or 0131 650 3392 

We offer great advertising rates! 

Email editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk for more details! 

AWARDS 

ScotRail may win a top 

environmental award in 

recognition for its work to improve 

biodiversity across Scotland’s 

Railway.The train operator has 

been nominated for Partnership 

Scotland Award at the VIBES - 

Scottish Environment Business 

Awards 2019.


6 NEWS 


NEWS 7 

Summertime Streets revisited 

At the August full council 

meeting when the street outside 

was full of the sounds of the 

Festival, it is not surprising that 

councillors wanted to discuss 

traffic arrangements made in the 

new set up called Summertime 

Streets. 

The October meeting of the 

Transport and Environment 

Committee will now consider any 

necessary changes for next year, 

as well as reviewing the format of 

Festival advertising. 

Cllr Miller said some city centre 

drivers have displayed 'pretty 

ingenious driving and parking', and 

queried in writing the number of 

contraventions of street closures 

in Old Town. She was told that 

notwithstanding there have been 

cameras in place these were 

only used for short periods to 

monitor pedestrian numbers and 

behaviours both before and during 

the programme. 

Transport & Environment 

Convener Lesley Macinnes 

replied that she shared some 

frustration but explained that 

: "We have tweaked one or two 

of the aspects as we have gone 

through the operation, hopefully 

to help discourage some of that 

behaviour. 

"It has been a major learning 

exercise for us. Let's not forget the 

prime purpose of the Summertime 

Streets operation which is to 

protect pedestrian safety.” 

More discussion ensued about 

the summer street closures when 

city centre Conservative councillor 

Joanna Mowat demanded a suite 

of reviews about the programme 

including consultation with 

residents and businesses. She 

explained that while closures were 

intended to deal with road safety 

at Lawnmarket, Cockburn Street 

and Victoria Street, it also meant 

that the 35 bus had been lost to 

residents and that businesses 

reported a drop in sales. She 

asked about street clutter during 

the festival, the use of Princes 

Street Gardens for concerts and 

late consents for hot food traders. 

Cllr Mowat explained that 

she wanted more feedback on 

the traffic operation. She said : 

"As with any big change this is 

probably the biggest experiment 

we have done to reduce traffic and 

through traffic on the streets in 

the last 12 years. I had anticipated 

certain responses, but what I had 

not anticipated was the scale of 

these from businesses about how 

much this impacted their trade. 

"I convened a meeting with 

businesses from the top of the 

Royal Mile to Canongate with the 

Director of Place and it was not 

the same message from all." She 

explained that businesses should 

be part of the future conversation 

as some of them are council 

tenants and all are rates payers, 

making it the council’s concern. 

Her demands were not all agreed 

and she told The Edinburgh 

Reporter afterwards that she 

was bitterly disappointed that 

the most important part of her 

motion calling for consultation 

with those most directly affected 

by the programme was not simply 

agreed. 

She said :“Changing the routing 

of traffic and closing streets 

throws up all sorts of challenges 

and it is a dereliction of duty not 

to commit to consulting with 

those directly affected. This is 

a complicated eco system and 

we need to understand what 

impact the changes had so that 

we can improve both safety for 

pedestrians and ensure that we 

don’t damage businesses or make 

life worse for residents in the 

process.” 

Cllr Nick Cook supported his 

colleague saying that the city 

'looks awful', the barriers on the 

Royal Mile looked as though they 

came from a war zone and they 

Fast and Furious to be filmed in 

Edinburgh 

Fast and Furious will be filming 

on the city streets during the day 

throughout September. There are 

a number of pedestrian closures 

but residents’ access will be 

maintained, diversions put in place 

and those with mobility issues will 

be assisted through when safe to 

do so. 

This will be the ninth chapter in 

Universal Pictures’ franchise and 

the 800 crew members will be all 

over both the Old Town and the 

New Town. 

Film Edinburgh and the council 

have been working together with 

the production team for almost 

a year to work out the details of 

the production schedule for what 

will be one of the most complex 

shoots filmed in Edinburgh. 

The production team are keen to 

point out that they will keep any 

impact on residents to a minimum 

and that public safety is a high 

priority. 

Director Justin Lin said: 

“Edinburgh is such a unique 

and iconic location and we are 

incredibly excited about the 

opportunity to celebrate it in the 

Fast & Furious saga. The support 

from all local agencies, businesses 

and the community has been 

invaluable in helping to coordinate 

this shoot. We appreciate the 

entire city’s help and are excited to 

have such a beautiful and historic 

city in the film.” 

Councillor Cammy Day, Depute 

Leader of City of Edinburgh 

Council, said: “Edinburgh has 

provided a backdrop for some 

exciting and high-profile film 

and TV productions over recent 

years. This promotes the city 

to audiences around the world, 

boosts the local economy and is 

great for us to see our home town 

on the big screen! 

“Productions are extremely 

exciting for film fans in the city 

and the Council will continue to 

work closely with the production 

team to ensure there is limited 

impact on the everyday lives of our 

citizens while filming takes place.” 

Rosie Ellison, head of Film 

Edinburgh, said: “Following our 

involvement with Avengers: Infinity 

War and Endgame, we could 

demonstrate that the city has the 

ability to host such a large-scale 

production but were nonetheless 

thrilled when the Fast & Furious 

filmmakers confirmed that 

Edinburgh had been chosen as a 

filming location for the next outing 

of this hugely popular franchise. 

We will continue to work closely 

with the production to ensure its 

smooth-running of the location 

shoot across the city.” 

Filming in Edinburgh is now 

commonplace - some at a more 

leisurely pace. PHOTO ©2019 


just do not fit in with a World 

Heritage Site. 

Cllr Macinnes reminded 

councillors why the measures 

were necessary : "Let's remember 

exactly the reason why we put 

these measures in place - it is 

about serious concerns for public 

safety at one of the busiest times 

in the Scottish capital. 

"This is an initial implementation 

of something we knew would have 

to be monitored and changed. 

"The only purpose of 

Summertime Streets is not 

focused on the impact on 

businesses, important though 

these are. We do intend to listen to 

the businesses and traders. 

"There is absolutely no intention 

that this administration has just 

imposed these measures for the 

sheer hell of it. It is absolutely 

necessary and is about responding 

to changes needed in this city in 

order to keep people safe, secure 

and happy." 

She continued : "I think Cllr 

Mowat's motion was a bit of a 

dog's breakfast and we will be 

supporting the Green amendment 

to it which will help us review and 

make changes for next year." 

Cllr Iain Whyte the Conservative 

Group Leader said : "Summertime 

Streets is awful. 

"It is poorly thought out and 

badly delivered. Everything I 

have seen about this is that 

pedestrian safety at the Tron 

has not improved, and in the 

Cowgate cars appear when people 

don't expect them. There is no 

strategic thought or joined up 

policy. They want to encourage 

tourism but with no regard to the 

consequences. 

"The impression is that the city 

is run by an administration who 

don't care about businesses and 

just want to create a Disneyland 

for tourists." 

Centenary Cavalcade 

on Doors Open Day 

Lothian is ready for a super 

weekend in September with plans 

for a double centenary celebration. 

On 28 September 2019, the bus 

company will host Doors Open Day 

at its Central Garage in Annandale 

Street from 12noon until 4.00pm. 

This will include a line-up of 

Lothian’s fleet throughout the 

decades, a bus-themed kid’s zone, 

bus wash trips and garage tours 

on open top vehicles. It will also be 

the annual Vintage Running Day 

on the number 26. 

On 29 September 2019, Lothian’s 

Centenary Cavalcade will take 

place through the city centre. 

Beginning at 12noon from Wester 

Coates the procession finishes 

on Regent Road. The vehicles will 

then be displayed on George Street 

between 1.00pm and 3.00pm for 

close up viewing. 

Gaynor Marshall, Lothian’s 

Communications Director said: 

“This is a huge weekend for the 

Lothian family and an opportunity 

to celebrate 100 years of 

public ownership with both our 

customers and our staff. The 

weekend’s events will highlight the 

fantastic service our teams have 

delivered for the residents and 

visitors to Edinburgh across the 

last century. 

“Our Doors Open Day event 

is always very successful and 

well-attended and this year we are 

anticipating our biggest and best 

yet. Sunday’s Cavalcade will be a 

great opportunity to see vehicles 

from throughout Lothian’s history 

and showcase the city’s transport 

evolution. We hope the city will 

join with us in this celebration and 

enjoy taking a look back through 

our history books.” 

www.lothianbuses. 

co.uk/100years 

£1000 offered for breakfast clubs 


Entering Kellogg’s Breakfast Club 

Awards, which celebrate inspiring 

volunteers to themed breakfast 

days, could mean £1,000 for your 

school. 

Entries close on Friday 4 October 

and shortlisted schools will be 

announced on Monday 14 October 

2019. 

The winners will be confirmed 

on Monday 28 October 2019 

and they will be invited to attend 

a ceremony at the Houses of 

Parliament. 

Kate Prince, corporate social 

responsibility manager for the 

cereal company, said: “The awards 

are a fantastic opportunity to 

celebrate the inspiring work that 

goes on in schools. “Kellogg’s has 

supported breakfast clubs for 21 

years because we believe that 

every child deserves the best start 

to their day. 

“Clubs offer many benefits for 

the school such as improved 

attendance and behaviour in the 

classroom. 

“The children love them too as 

they get a chance to wake up in a 

fun way before lessons begin.” 

Since 1998, the Kellogg’s 

Breakfast Clubs programme has 

supported over 3,000 breakfast 

clubs by providing training, grants 

and more than 70 million bowls of 

cereal. 

www.breakfastclubawards.co.uk 

Get your kilt on for the Kiltwalk 

Elizabeth O’Hara is urging people 

to join her for the Edinburgh 

Kiltwalk on Sunday 15 September 

to help her raise money for sight 

loss charity RNIB. 

"RNIB helped me a great 

deal when I lost my sight," said 

Elizabeth (50), who has already 

done the Aberdeen, Glasgow and 

Dundee Kiltwalks this year. 

"I literally woke up blind 

one morning due to diabetic 

retinopathy and other health 

conditions. Right now, I can't see 

anything with my left eye and have 

a little residual vision in my right." 

The annual Kiltwalks allow 

people to raise funds for the 

causes they care about and 

receive a 40 per cent top-up from 

Sir Tom Hunter’s Foundation. 

Those taking part can choose to 

walk six, 15 or 23 miles on the day. 

Elizabeth, and those she hopes 

will join her for the Edinburgh 

walk, will do six miles - 'the Wee 

Wander’. 

Register on the Kiltwalk website. 

University letting 

service has good year 

A university service which 

allocates second and subsequent 

year students, on a first come first 

serve basis, with private sector 

and university-owned homes in 

Edinburgh has delivered its best 

ever year. 

Relaunched in summer 2018, 

after more than 20 years of 

student letting, the most recent 

academic year has seen “Domus” 

reach a key milestone – housing 

students across more than 300 

properties in the city and providing 

accommodation for 860 students. 

Operated by The University 

of Edinburgh’s Domus team, 

landlords can receive a rental 

income without having to manage 

tenancies. 

The university takes care of all 

aspects of letting. 

While the team attracted a record 

number of landlords to its portfolio 

in the last year, they are calling 

on more property owners to join 

the scheme for the new academic 

year, with demand from students 

still far exceeding supply. 

If you are interested in this 

telphone 0131 651 2130 or 

email domus.enquiries@ed.ac.uk 

UNISON rejects 

universities' pay deal 

UNISON, the union for higher 

education staff, has criticised the 

Scottish universities imposing this 

year’s disputed pay offer of 1.8%. 

This has been directed by the 

UK-wide Universities and Colleges 

Employers Association (UCEA), 

just as UNISON and the academic 

union UCU prepare to ballot for 

industrial action. UNISON says 

this is the second consecutive 

year that a poor, disputed pay offer 

has been imposed on university 

workers, over the heads of their 

representatives. 

Lorcan Mullen, UNISON 

Scotland’s lead officer for higher 

education, said:“This employer 

behaviour is completely contrary 

to the Scottish Government’s Fair 

Work agenda, and is far removed 

from the relatively progressive 

collective bargaining norms in 

Scottish public services. It’s 

also not a good look when every 

University principal in Scotland 

earns more than the Prime 

Minister and First Minister, and at 

least four earn more than both put 

together.” 

First Minister at TED Summit 

When TED came to Edinburgh they invited the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to talk 

at one of their sessions. She spoke to delegates who had paid several thousands of 

pounds each to be there, about her vision for making collective wellbeing the main 

aim of public policy and the economy. 

Editor: Phyllis Stephen 


07791 406 498 

We write about news relating to Edinburgh and the immediate area. 

We welcome contributions to our website and newspaper. 




edinburghreporter

8 POLITICS 


POLITICS 9 

Calm down 

by Christine Jardine MP 

The summer recess is meant 

to be a calmer time for MPs. It 

gives us chance to spend more 

time meeting constituents without 

being distracted by the rough and 

tumble of Westminster politics. 

But with a hard-line Brexiteer 

cabinet in charge, hell bent on 

bypassing parliament to take us 

out of the EU without a deal, this 

summer has felt somewhat more 

unsettled than usual. 

I continue to believe passionately 

that the best deal for the UK is the 

deal we have right now as a full 

member of the EU, and that’s why 

I’ve been fighting to stop Brexit for 

more than three years. 

In this moment of national 

emergency, the Liberal Democrats 

stand ready to work with anyone 

to stop no-deal, and to put the 

question back to the people. 

To do this we desperately need 

to remove Boris as PM and install 

a government of national unity, 

led by an MP who is respected 

on both sides of House of 

Commons and can command a 

majority without seeking to lead a 

government in the long-term. 

This autumn will be turbulent, but 

if we want to weather the storm, 

now is truly the time for working 

together. 

Festivalling in Leith 

and North Edinburgh 

by Ben Macpherson MSP 

Edinburgh is a world-famous 

artistic centre, and I am very 

glad to say the arts and creative 

industries are increasingly finding 

ways to promote and showcase 

their work within Leith and North 

Edinburgh. 

Leith Theatre continues its 

transformation, following a 

Scottish Government grant of 

£190,000, and has showcased 

several high-profile acts as part 

of this year’s Festival including 

Neneh Cherry and Kate Tempest. 

North Edinburgh Arts is a hub for 

community members to gather 

and use the space for various 

activities including music, art and 

even knitting. 

At Custom Lane in Leith, 

events are lined up throughout 

the autumn including one 

called Trading Post which is a 

marketplace that will include food, 

drink art, and design. Excitingly, 

we also have the prospect of a film 

studio opening near the Shore, 

bringing even more television and 

filmmaking talent to the area. 

Local Politicians have their say 


Public finances mean we must 

stay in the UK 

By Ian Murray MP 

In August, the official figures for 

Scotland's public finances were 

published. 

The SNP’s own data has 

demonstrated one of the most 

positive arguments for Scotland 

remaining in the UK as they 

show that we enjoy a large public 

service spending dividend. 

The pooling and sharing of 

by Ash Denham MSP 

This summer I have made a 

special effort to meet with a 

number of employers in my 

Edinburgh Eastern constituency 

who are paying their staff the real 

living wage. 

The real living wage is an 

initiative from the Poverty Alliance 

and the Living Wage Foundation, 

and supported by the Scottish 

Government, to encourage 

employers to pay their employees 

and any third-party contractors 

a wage independently calculated 

each year based on what 

employees and their families need 

to live on. 

The wage is calculated to be £9 

per hour - significantly higher than 

the UK Government's minimum 

wage of £7.70 for under-25s and 

£8.21 for over-25s. 

In August I visited Edinburgh Dog 

and Cat Home, who only recently 

became accredited living wage 

employers, to hear their Director 

resources means that Scotland 

contributes 8% to the entire UK pot 

but receives a share close to 9.3%. 

That’s a lot of extra money into our 

schools, hospitals and cherished 

public services to the tune of an 

extra £1,661 for every person in 

Scotland. 

If Scotland left the UK, the 

only options to plug that gap 

are massive cuts to public 

of Operations, Lindsay Fyffe- 

Jardine, speak so passionately 

about how proud they are to be the 

first animal welfare organisation 

expenditure, eye watering 

borrowing, and/or significantly 

higher taxes. 

The wrong-headed arguments 

for Brexit are the same as for 

independence. It's time we 

rejected the divisive nationalism 

of Boris Johnson and Nicola 

Sturgeon and started to 

concentrate on what really matters 

to the people of Edinburgh. 

Support for the Real Living Wage 

in Scotland to be real living wage 

employers, saying "we value our 

staff as much as we value our 

animals". 

Sickening tale 

by Gordon Lindhurst MSP 

The saga surrounding the 

new sick children’s hospital in 

Edinburgh shows no signs of 

abating. 

We now have no guarantees 

from the SNP’s Health Secretary 

Jeane Freeman when it will open 

at all, leaving families and staff 

completely in the dark. 

While it is absolutely right that 

issues surrounding the site and 

building are investigated, the 

buck has to stop with the Health 

Secretary and NHS Lothian who 

appear to have taken their eye off 

the ball regarding the planned new 

hospital. 

With costs threatening to spiral 

News from Strasbourg 

by Sheila Ritchie MEP 

July was a big month. I, and 

16 other pro EU Members of 

the liberal family took our seats 

in Parliament on the 2nd. My 

opening day had that first day 

at school feel. I had got into 

Strasbourg about 11pm. 

Strasbourg is beautiful and 

my colleagues, Lucy and Jane 

and I had rented a student flat 

right in the centre of the old 

town. My bag, however, decided 

a week in Amsterdam would be 

more fun, which left me at the 

formal opening in the clothes 

I stood up in (and a bright 

yellow Stop Brexit t-shirt). 

I’m now on two key committees, 

Agriculture and Rural 

Development, and Budgetary 

Miles Briggs MSP 

0131 348 5946 

Miles.Briggs.msp@parliament.scot 

Milesbriggsedinburgh 

MilesBriggsMSP 

www.milesbriggs.scot 

M2.15, 

The Scottish 

Parliament, Edinburgh, 

EH99 1SP 

out of control, including NHS 

Lothian paying £1.4m every 

month for use of the building, the 

Government and the Health Board 

have not been anywhere nearly 

as transparent as they should 

be regarding a facility which 

should have been providing so 

many benefits to youngsters and 

families across the city. 

With years already spent on 

this project, people will rightly 

be asking why issues were not 

spotted well before it was due to 

open. 

The need for a full Scottish 

Parliament inquiry is evident to get 

the answers for families and staff 

that are long overdue. 

Control. But the highlight was 

securing a Human Rights 

emergency debate in the full 

Parliament about children in 

US refugee camps. I was asked 

to raise it by Jody Rae, from 


In my speech I said: “The US 

taught the world that life, liberty 

and the pursuit of happiness are 

inalienable rights. These camps 

fall far short of those lofty ideals. 

The US Government should end 

these cruel policies and begin to 

unite families once more.” 

I was delighted that the 

emergency resolution passed. 

The big job now, is to stop 

Brexit - leaving the EU would be 

disastrous for Scotland and the 

UK. 

Westminster must address 

pensioner poverty 

by Gordon Macdonald MSP 

Recently, a Tory-affiliated think 

tank - the Centre for Social Justice 

- chaired by close Boris Johnson 

ally, Iain Duncan Smith - proposed 

that the state pension age be 

raised to 75. 

The consequences of this would 

be dire and disproportionate 

across parts of Edinburgh and 

Scotland. 

According to NHS Health 

Scotland, in parts of my 

constituency, life expectancy for 

men is 68 and 74 for women. 

Whilst life expectancy is 

improving in Edinburgh, this 

change would result in many never 

enjoying a retirement. 

And this is yet another blow to 

older people across the country. 

The Tory Government’s approach 

to the UK’s elderly population and 

state pension policy has been 

cruel and callous. 

From the burning injustices 

facing the WASPI women who 

have been denied the right to their 

state pension, to the stripping 

away of free TV licences and the 

clawing back of pension credit for 

the over 75s. This government’s 

attitude towards its older people is 

shameful. 

There are currently 170,000 older 

people in Scotland already living 

in poverty. Recent OECD research 

found that the UK state pension 

was the worst pension scheme in 

Dealing with drugs 

by Miles Briggs MSP 

Readers will be sadly aware of 

the shocking drug death statistics 

which were published last month 

which revealed that last year 1,187 

people in Scotland died from drug 

related death, an increase of 27% 

from the year before. 152 of those 

drug related deaths were here in 

NHS Lothian, where the number of 

drug related deaths has increased 

by over 50%, compared to 2015. 

Last week a report from the 

National Records of Scotland 

showed that Life expectancy 

in Scotland has stalled in part 

due to the rise in drug deaths, 

with the report stating that “The 

largest causes of the stall in 

life expectancy are the slowing 

of improvements seen in the 

reduction of deaths from heart 

disease and increases in drug 

related deaths”. 

Alcohol and Drug Partnership 

staff across Lothian work 

incredibly hard to provide 

treatments for patients with 

alcohol and drug addictions, 

however Scottish Government 

cuts to funding along with poor 

workforce planning has made 

what is a difficult job even harder. 

Last month it was reported that 

the Edinburgh Integrated Joint 

Board had also failed to utilise 

£1.4m of funding for alcohol and 

drug treatments. It is inexcusable 

that funds that were meant for 

drug and alcohol services have 

been withheld and unutilised for 

over a year. Waiting times for 

Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in 

Lothian are higher than anywhere 

else in Scotland and these were 

funds that they badly needed over 

the last year. 

There needs to be a major 

redesign of alcohol and drugs 

services in Lothian and across 

Scotland, with a redirection 

of funding into rehabilitation, 

recovery and wrap around support 

services. As we mark 20 years 

since the Scottish Parliament 

was reconvened perhaps it’s time 

to ask ourselves how we have 

managed to reach a point where 

as a nation we have the highest 

drug deaths in the world. 

That is why for our part Scottish 

Conservatives have called for a 

cross-party summit on Scotland’s 

drug emergency and for the 

First Minister to show personal 

leadership on this tragic and 

pressing issue. We have called 

on SNP Ministers to set a clear 

target to halve the number of drug 

deaths in Scotland over the next 

five years and increase the number 

of drug users accessing treatment 

to 60 per cent. In November last 

year I launched the Scottish 

Conservatives drug strategy, at 

the centre of which is a call for a 

the developed world. And, a new 

report that found the proportion 

of elderly people living in severe 

poverty in the UK is five times 

what it was in 1986 - the largest 

increase among western European 

countries. 

This is shocking and the UK 

government needs to heed these 

warnings. 

Instead of rolling out policies 

written up by the architects of Tory 

austerity, the new Prime Minister 

should take action to address the 

dire levels of pensioner poverty in 

the UK. 

The Tory government must take 

a step back and tackle these 

injustices - rather than ramping up 

the threats. 

personalised “Life Plan” for every 

drug user so that, rather than 

simply managing addiction, all 

policy and intervention is designed 

to support users into rehabilitation 

and services. The strategy also 

includes a “second chance” plan 

that would mean that drug users 

caught for the first time could 

choose to avoid having a criminal 

record, so long as they agree to 

attend Local Commissions and 

receive treatment if necessary. 

Above all we need to get serious 

about taking action to stop the 

creation of a new generation of 

addicts and problematic drug 

users. 

I have personally spent the 

parliamentary summer recess 

traveling around Scotland meeting 

with and listening to those at the 

front line of drug and addiction 

services in order to develop new 

Scottish Conservative thinking 

and proposals and I will be 

constructively engaging with the 

Scottish Governments new drugs 

deaths taskforce. It is clear that 

the approach taken to date in 

Scotland simply is not working 

and has led to the public health 

emergency we see today. I hope 

all political parties returning to 

Holyrood will make taking forward 

a new national approach the 

priority it so desperately needs to 

be. Because for many of our fellow 

Scots it is literally a matter of life 

and death.

10 

POLITICS 

Stop No Deal 

by Tommy Sheppard MP 

Under the new Prime Minister, 

the UK’s headlong dash towards 

the No Deal Brexit cliff edge has 

accelerated. 

Johnson makes demands he 

knows the European Union cannot 

accept. He demands the removal 

of the backstop. The backstop 

was designed to protect the 

Good Friday Agreement and thus 

peace in Northern Ireland and is, 

let’s not forget, an international 

treaty which is overwhelmingly 

supported by the people of both 

Northern Ireland and the Republic. 

The EU has repeatedly ruled out 

changes to the backstop so it is 

Engineering the future 

by Lorna Slater Co-Leader of 

Scottish Green Party 

I am very grateful to the 

members of the Scottish Green 

party for electing me as one of 

the new Co-leaders of the party. 

As Co-leader my role is to be a 

spokesperson for the party, to 

communicate party policy to the 

public and be the external face of 

the party. Unlike other political 

parties, our policies are developed 

at the grassroots by our members, 

neither Patrick nor I take a lead in 

this process. Our party members 

tell us what to do, not the other 

way around. 

This position gives me the 

platform to work on things that 

Stopping Brexit 

by Joanna Cherry QC MP 

I was at the Church House 

declaration in Westminster in late 

August. 

The legal moves to prevent the 

suspension of Parliament have 

already been commenced in the 

Scottish courts. I am proud to 

be the lead petitioner in the case 

which will be heard at the Court of 

Session in Edinburgh on Friday 6 

September. 

The Church House meeting was 

clear that Johnson is deliberately 

asking for the impossible while 

gearing up to blame No Deal on 

Merkel and Macron. I 

n doing so, he is gambling with 

all our futures. The warnings of the 

economic and social effects of No 

Deal are clear. 

The SNP has been open that we 

will work with all interested parties 

and do whatever it takes to stop 

No Deal. Scotland overwhelmingly 

rejected Brexit and we will not be 

left at the whim of Boris Johnson. 

People in Scotland deserve the 

choice of a better future than the 

Brexit Britain being imposed on us. 

I am passionate about: getting 

more women into politics, 

implementing a Scottish Green 

New Deal and developing a vision 

for Scotland as an independent 

country. 

We’ve got our eyes on the 

Holyrood 2021 elections where we 

intend to get more Scottish Green 

women into parliament than ever 

before. 

My day job is working as an 

engineer in renewable energy 

and I’m hoping that by being an 

ordinary person in politics that I 

can inspire other ordinary people 

to get active in politics. Parliament 

should represent the people and 

be as diverse as we are. 

all about advancing the cross 

party parliamentary strategy to 

stop a No Deal Brexit, and it was a 

huge success. 

A No Deal Brexit would cost 

jobs and lower living standards 

badly. While the SNP Scottish 

Government put in place 

the means to hold a second 

independence referendum it 

is right for SNP MPs to work 

cross-party to protect Scotland’s 

economy and society from the hit 

that would be caused by No Deal. 

Local Politicians have their say 


GERS reveal hyper austerity 

by Daniel Johnson MSP 

The latest Gers figures released 

in August clearly show the 

shocking reality that many people 

still refuse to accept, mainly 

that Scotland would be forced to 

endure hyper austerity if it became 

independent. 

The vote that took place in 

2014, was as clear as these latest 

official figures. 

by Deidre Brock MP 

New railways please me. There 

hadn’t been any in recent years 

until the Borders line and the 

Airdrie-Bathgate line got started 

but they’ve whetted the appetite 

and more are planned. 

The recent announcement of the 

new line to Leven is lovely (apart 

People in Scotland, and 

especially my constituents in 

South Edinburgh, do not want an 

independent Scotland. 

Scotland’s notional deficit stands 

at £12.6bn which equates to 7% 

of GDP. That is over seven times 

higher than the UK. 

But this is only half the picture. 

Given the commitment to setting 

up a new currency, with the need 

On the right track 

from the jokes about Leven on a 

jet train) and I hope there will be 

many more to come. 

It isn’t quite reversing Beeching 

or returning to a golden age of 

trains but it might help change 

or view of train travel to chime 

more with our continental friends 

that with our memories of British 

Editorial - Our Festival City 

I know the council is on it, with 

the City Centre Transformation 

Project, but that will take a 

while. Meantime, I have a few 

suggestions for them on how to 

improve things during the Festival 

period, and also at other times of 

the year. These comments are not 

just intended to improve things 

for visitors (important though they 

are) but also for those of us who 

live in the city. And I would love to 

hear from you with yours! 

Congestion causes frustration 

and as anyone who has driven on 

a motorway knows 'Frustration 

causes accidents'. Police need 

to curtail the speed of all traffic 

using our city streets. One black 

cab driver told us that he knew he 

was driving us home at 35 mph 

but the 20mph speed limit really 

did not apply to taxis.... It is not 

all about taxis of course, there are 

large vehicles and small speeding 

along our streets putting everyone 

in danger. 

Leith Theatre was used for 

Edinburgh International Festival 

again with fabulous entertainers 

like Jarvis Cocker and Neneh 

Cherry. But there were nights 

during August when this great 

venue was empty and unused. 

Get it booked up on other nights 

for Fringe acts so that people are 

encouraged to go to Leith rather 

than everyone cramming into 

Bristo Square. And while we are 

at it, St Bride's Community Centre 

which has a terrific adaptable 

theatre space did not appear to 

booked during August. The council 

own it - they are supposed to be 

'maximising their assets'. Make 

sure that all the schools and 

buildings owned by the council are 

publicised as Fringe venues first. 

They have the infrastructure to 

make them accessible too. 

Give us more places to sit 

down. Put out moveable tables 

and chairs wherever we can in 

our parks and open spaces. In 

Paris parks they have beautiful 

metal chairs (some of them with 

reclining backs to encourage you 

to have a wee snooze at lunchtime 

perhaps). These get moved around 

to the places people really want 

to use them, making their own 

configurations to suit the moment. 

Take the wooden benches away 

from the south side of Princes 

Street. This is a busy pedestrian 

area at the best of times and it is 

now too narrow for anyone to sit 

there as well as allowing people to 

pass by. When Summer Sessions 

were on in Princes Street Gardens, 

the benches were corralled behind 

ugly barriers (more of them in a 

minute) and unusable anyway. So 

put them somewhere else - either 

to build currency reserves to back 

it up, this will only add pressure to 

this deficit figure. 

The reality is that in an 

independent Scotland, the only 

way you can introduce a new 

currency is if you either cut public 

expenditure or borrow. 

Borrowing would be extremely 

expensive for a new country with a 

new currency. 

Rail. Clean and comfortable trains 

on well laid and well maintained 

tracks taking people to work, study 

or leisure. Let’s be ambitious 

I can’t help contrasting the 

beauty of opening these normal 

lines, lines to serve people, with 

the utter mess of HS2 and I think 

there’s a wee politics lesson in 

there – do what’s needed, not 

what’s flash. All aboard! 

during the Festival or all year 

round - for people to actually sit 

on and enjoy a view. We could 

replace them with flip up or down 

seats attached to the railings in 

case someone really does need 

to take a seat there. Take them to 

Portobello Prom or George Street, 

Craigmillar outside the Library, 

Westside Plaza in Wester Hailes 

or anywhere that we should be 

encouraging people to sit awhile. 

Get the rubbish and street 

cleaning sorted out. All too often 

I passed bins overflowing with 

rubbish. Either encourage people 

to take their rubbish home or the 

council needs to give the areas 

which are heavily used a deep 

clean in the early morning hours 

Oh and please take the 

companies behind Silent Discos 

aside and suggest that they use 

less well-populated areas. It would 

be best for everyone's safety and 

sanity, even if for some obscure 

reason we cannot licence them. 

It would be as well to remove 

these ugly metal barriers used 

to move people off the streets 

but also to keep people off the 

War Memorial outside the City 

Chambers. These have no place 

here in our beautiful city, so who 

has a better idea to guide people 

away from places they should not 

either walk or drive?

www.leithwalkpolicebox.com 


12 BUSINESS 


BUSINESS 13 

Meeting the new CEO at the Scottish 

Paul Denton is the CEO of the 

Scottish Building Society. He is 

recently appointed to the post, 

travelling in to his still relatively 

new office from Fife each day. 

He explained : "This is week 

five and along the way I have 

spent a lot of time out with our 

key stakeholders so I have met 

our internal colleagues as well 

as a lot of members at our recent 

AGM which was just prior to me 

starting. I've been out visiting a 

number of Edinburgh agencies 

which is a key part of our overall 

proposition. 

"I have also met with a large 

number of our mortgage 

intermediaries which is also 

important to us. Getting to 

understand the business and 

meeting our key stakeholders 

in the first few weeks has been 

incredibly important for me." 

The Scottish Building Society is a 

members owned building society, 

owned by its 33,000 members. 

The organisation has 80 people 

working directly for SBS. The HQ 

is in Dalry Road and has a branch 

attached to it. They welcome 

anybody to the branch who wants 

to visit. 

Mr Denton said : "We are a 

very traditional building society. 

Of all the building societies left 

across the UK we are the oldest 

remaining, established in 1848. 

First supermarket Listing for Chain 

Pier Distillery 

Edinburgh based, Chain Pier 

Distillery signed a contract with 

Asda to produce an exclusive Extra 

Special Scottish gin, available 

in 50 Scottish stores. It draws 

inspiration from the Scottish 

landscape and is infused with the 

flavours of nettle and gorse. 

It’s the first gin listing for the 

distillery which is owned by spirits 

and wine producer Halewood 

Wines & Spirits who are also 

Scotland’s largest independent 

drinks manufacturer and 

distributor. Chain Pier opened 

earlier this year, marking the first 

in a series of investments into the 

Scottish artisanal sprits industry. 

John Foster, National 

Account Manager at Halewood 

International, explained : “It’s a 

very exciting time for craft spirits 

as we’re experiencing a period 

of sustained growth, which has 

allowed us to invest £50m back 

into the artisanal spirits business. 

We are extremely proud to produce 

Asda’s Extra Special Scottish Gin 

using the finest local ingredients 

to give Asda customers a real 

taste of Scotland.” 

Heather Turnbull, Regional 

Buying Manager at Asda, added 

: “We know just how much our 

Photo by Ian Georgeson 

customers value locally soured 

produce, so we’re delighted to be 

working with Chain Pier Distillery 

to capture traditional Scottish 

flavours and bring it to market as 

an Extra Special Gin. We’re proud 

to support Halewood International 

and its new distillery as the gin 

market continues to grow.” 

Leith Walk Police Box Pop up space 

Thursdays 12noon to 7pm - En Elladi - Greek artisan 

produce - Greek honey, olive oil & mountain herbs 

Saturdays - Edinburgh Tool Library 10:30am - 1pm 

7th September - 1pm-5pm Edinburgh Northern and Leith 

Labour Party on the Walk 

Our business is formed from retail 

deposits from our members and 

we lend on residential property 

here within Scotland. 

"Put simply, people deposit 

funds and we lend out for the 

purchase of homes.We are in 

profit and throughout the course 

of the last 10 years - which have 

been difficult for a lot of financial 

services - we've had sustained 

growth throughout that period. 

We've benefited from a prudent 

approach to lending - a very 

Scottish prudent approach to 

lending over the course of recent 

years. That has stood us well 

through some difficult times for 

financial services. 

"But inevitably we have come out 

of the financial crisis far better and 

far stronger. For myself coming in 

as a new CEO I feel very blessed 

that our balance sheet is actually 

in a very healthy position, and we 

have strong reserves that we can 

grow from. 

"We don't pretend to be the scale 

and size of Lloyds or RBS. We are 

a small player within the market. 

We are well funded on our balance 

sheet and we are well controlled 

from a credit position. 

"And we are blessed that our 

members trust us with their 

deposits and we therefore have 

money to lend out to potential new 

borrowers.” 

New face at 

Hamilton & 

Inches 

Jonathan Payne is the new 

managing director of jewellers 

Hamilton & Inches. 

The company, who are Royal 

Warrant holders, plan to invest in 

the training and development and 

make significant infrastructure 

updates.Victoria Houghton, 

the company's CEO, said: “His 

understanding of Scotland as a 

retail destination will add credence 

to our global development 

strategy." 

The firm aim to double turnover 

over the next five years and say 

that renovations to the George 

Street showroom will deliver a 

fresh retail approach which has 

not been seen before in Scotland. 

Payne said: “Hamilton & Inches 

represents everything a luxury 

jeweller should be. This includes 

the talented team in the workshop 

handcrafting exceptional 

silverware and jewellery, the vastly 

knowledgeable and experienced 

retail team and the longstanding 

relationships the team has 

developed over many years with 

clients and brands." 

Jonathan was involved in the 

growth of a £35m turnover in four 

locations including Edinburgh, 

when he worked at Laings. He was 

also sales and operations director 

at Holland & Barrett. 

Edinburgh Trams kick 

off new rugby season 

Edinburgh Trams and Scottish 

Rugby will be ‘As One’ this season. 

In a new partnership there will 

be advertising panels inside the 

trams to reflect the Scottish rugby 

calendar. 

To mark the new deal the 

Scottish Rugby squad travelled by 

tram to Edinburgh Airport ahead 

of their opening 2019 summer test 

in Nice. 

The squad travelled on a 

uniquely branded Scottish 

Rugby Tram, which features fan 

favourites Stuart Hogg and John 

Barclay in the new Scottish Rugby 

kit for the forthcoming season. 

Louise Marshall piped the 

players into the airport wearing a 

kilt in Edinburgh Trams tartan. 

11th and 13th September 11am to 6pm - Tipico quality 

nuts plus delicious Sicilian confectionery 

20th September - 11am - 6pm - Tarot card readings with 

AmberLee Alchemy 

27th September 11am - 5pm - Veez Vegan pies 

28th September 2pm - 4pm - Invisible Edinburgh 

Street Barber 

29th September 11am - 6pm - Wild Maremma artisan 

handmade pasta and tiramasu 

Spotlight on Cramond Residence 

Cramond Residence in north 

west Edinburgh provides the 

highest quality care for older 

people, including nursing, respite 

and dementia care. 

Designed to an exceptional 

standard, it has a selection of 

luxury ensuite bedrooms, first 

class-facilities and latest care 

home technology to meet all care 

needs. 

The thought of recovering at 

home without medical and nursing 

assistance may feel daunting for 

anyone who has recently spent 

time in hospital, due to surgery or 

debilitating illness. 

A temporary stay at Cramond 

Residence can help, with shortterm 

care packages available from 

one week up to three months for 

people over the age of 50. 

Care and support complements 

a doctor’s recovery strategy. It 

aims to help people return home 

as strong and independent as 

possible. 

Staff are available 24 hours 

to assist with post-operative 

procedures and to oversee 

medication. Cramond also has a 

visiting GP ensuring guests are 

comfortable and taking part in 

their rehabilitation programme. 

Now in Scotland! 

6 HOTELS IN 4 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS 

To book, call 0845 3000 165 or visit leonardohotels.co.uk 

Calls cost 12p per minute from UK landlines. Call charges from mobiles may be higher, based on your plan and service provider. 

The Residence provides a 

comfortable home-from-home 

with spacious bedrooms, assisted 

bathrooms and wheelchair access 

throughout. 

Cramond Residence has a 

partnership with physiotherapists 

Balanced offering optional health 

and wellbeing support. 

An in-house physiotherapy 

gym allows people to exercise 

safely under the supervision of 

a specially trained rehabilitation 

physiotherapist. Regular body 

balance classes, clinically proven 

to reduce the likelihood of falls, are 

also available. 

The Residence has something 

to suit everyone with a private 

cinema for watching the latest 

blockbusters or classic movies, a 

hairdressing and beauty salon for 

a spot of pampering and a café to 

share a cup of tea with friends. 

There are musical performances, 

history talks, arts and crafts and 

visits from the local nursery and 

primary school and their therapy 

dog, Toffee. 

Good quality food and nutrition 

is essential for wellbeing and 

happiness. Cramond’s chefs work 

in partnership with nutritionists 

to create healthy and delicious 

menus from the very best 

ingredients. 

T 0131 336 1064 

cramondresidence.co.uk 

• Convenient, 

central locations 

• Spacious, comfortable 

bedrooms 

• Complimentary 

high-speed WiFi 

• Meeting & Events Suites 

• Wedding Venues 

• Onsite Parking* 

• Leisure Centre* 

*Select hotels

14 

NEWS 


More teacher training at Napier 

Edinburgh Napier University is 

addressing teacher shortages in 

areas of science and technology 

by training more people on the 

Professional Graduate Diploma in 

Education programme. 

The first batch of students 

enrolled for the year long course 

at Sighthill will study a secondary 

teacher education curriculum 

in Biology, Maths, Physics and 

Chemistry. They will use new 

Andrew Gallacher greets the new trainees 

teaching tools like video analysis 

of body language as well as 

studying verbal communication 

and practical skills. 

Andrew Gallacher, Head of 

Teacher Education, said: “We are 

hugely excited about getting this 

postgraduate programme under 

way, and look forward to producing 

people who will be a real asset to 

Scotland’s local authorities. 

“We will help students 

develop their confidence and 

communication skills so that in 

time they will be ready to embrace 

the diverse demands of the job 

and inspire children to thrive in the 

classroom.” 

The university plans to expand 

the General Teaching Council for 

Scotland-accredited programme 

by offering courses in Computing, 

English and Modern Languages 

over the next three years. 

Rachel wins top award 

Rachel Gateley from Balerno 

won a top award for her final 

degree project at Scotland’s Rural 

College. She graduated last month 

with a degree in Applied Animal 

Science. 

22 year-old Rachel was 

awarded the Texel Sheep Society 

Educational Award for Best 

Honours Dissertation. She studied 

the use of new technology to 

investigate differences in feeding 

behaviour between Lleyn and 

Scottish Blackface sheep. 

She said: “I was honestly so 

shocked and grateful to receive 

the Texel Sheep Society award for 

my dissertation. 

“Throughout my project I didn’t 

once consider the award – I was 

too busy sorting data – so to 

be recognised for my work on a 

subject which could hopefully 

benefit the industry was great. 

“It also made all the difficulties 

and disasters – including 

smashing my memory stick – 

faced during those months worth 

it. 

“I’d like to thank my supervisors 

Dr Nicola Lambe and Dr Ann 

McLaren for all their support and 

input.” 

Dr McLaren said: “I’m delighted 

that Rachel’s hard work 

throughout her project has been 

recognised through this award 

from the Texel Sheep Society. 

“The study was one of the first 

to assess individual sheep feeding 

behaviour using newly available 

technology and a number of 

findings from Rachel’s dissertation 

will hopefully go on to be 

extremely useful in future research 

projects. 

“Rachel was a pleasure to work 

with and I wish her all the best for 

the future.” 

Gallery and gift shop 

Open Monday – Saturday • 10am – 5pm 

Sunday 11am – 5pm 

Fifty artists in one gorgeous space: 

art, jewellery, fashion, homewares, 

gifts, candles, cards... 

93 Causewayside Edinburgh EH9 1QG 

0131 629 9123 

www.artcraftcollective.co.uk 

WHAT’S ON IN SEPTEMBER 

Doyenne Duo brings a 

programme by lyrical masters 

to the Scottish Arts Club on 13 

September 2019. 

French flute favourites Cécile 

Chaminade, Philippe Gaubert and 

Michel Blavet, American Daniel 

Dorff’s spiritual odyssey Three 

Lakes, dreamy improvisations 

of English composer Ian Clarke 

and François Borne’s Fantasy on 

Bizet’s tragic heroine Carmen. 

The programme begins with 

the majesty and fireworks of the 

Concertino for flute and piano 

by the first lady of French flute 

repertoire, Cécile Chaminade. 

The wistful elegance of French 

Baroque virtuoso Michel Blavet’s 

Sonata “La Lumagne” will be 

followed by American composer 

Daniel Dorff’s programmatic suite 

Three Lakes depicting the lakes 

of his childhood in the Northeast 

of America. Lyrical, charming and 

Debussy-esque, Gaubert’s 3rd 

Sonata will be followed by Ian 

Clarke’s popular Hypnosis based 

on improvisations with Clarke, 

David Hicks and Simon Painter 

during their studio sessions and 

time performing together as a rock 

group. Bringing the programme to 

a close, will be the tour-de-force, 

showstopper by François Borne, in 

his take on well-known melodies 

from Bizet’s opera Carmen. 

Equal parts fiery and melodious 

-a programme not to be missed. 

Theatre Art Music Shows Festivals 

The Scottish Arts Club entertains 

Tickets from the club 0131 229 

8157. 

As part of Doors Open Day on 

23 September 2019 there is a talk 

about The Bauhaus –a moment in 

the story of man and machine by 

Dr James Lawson. 

The Modern can seem a 

destructive force, visiting 

obsolescence on the 

long-practiced and cherished. 

With the headlong development 

of industrialised processes of 

organisation and production, in the 

nineteenth century, the craftsman 

was seen by many as the victim. 

A sanctuary was required for the 

preservation of the arts and crafts. 

The art school and the guild were 

given the role. 

Walter Gropius and his 

At the Royal Lyceum 

The Royal Lyceum Theatre, 

Malthouse Theatre and Lyric 

Hammersmith Theatre have just 

announced that the actor playing 

Kris Kelvin in the UK run of David 

Greig’s adaptation of Stanisław 

Lem’s Solaris is to be Polly Frame. 

David Greig said: “Writing the 

adaptation for Solaris was as 

fascinating as exploring a newly 

discovered planet. 

"I had no idea Stanisław Lem’s 

book was so funny, so moving, and 

such a fascinating philosophical 

disquisition on the eternal human 

problem of our relationship with 

‘the other’ – whether that other 

is a person, a planet, a lover or a 

monster. The premise is simple: 

there are three scientists on a 

space station orbiting a great 

planet, a psychologist arrives 

to check on their wellbeing, and 

strange things start to happen – is 

the planet communicating with 

them? Or are they imagining it? Is 

it a god? Or a demon? Or a child? 

"It’s a huge pleasure to be 

teaming up with the bold and 

brilliant Malthouse and Lyric 

Hammersmith theatres, and I’m 

delighted to be working with 

Matthew Lutton again." 

The cast also includes 

internationally celebrated actor, 

Hugo Weaving (Lord of the 

JOIN IN SEPTEMBER 

GET OCTOBER FREE 

colleagues at the Bauhaus, 

founded in Weimar a century 

ago in the immediate aftermath 

of the Great War, chose not to 

lament, but to put to use the tools 

of modern industry, exploit the 

economies of which they were 

capable, and supply the practical 

and aesthetic needs of the many. 

In developing the educational 

programme suited to those ends, 

art, craft and modern modes of 

production would collaborate. 

There is an ancient history of 

dialogue and difference between 

art and craft, and the economics 

of production had long been 

problematical for supply. Quality 

of product had usually been in 

an inverse relation to quantity. 

The Bauhaus boldly resolved the 

opposition. 

At Museum of 

Edinburgh this month 

Past Lives of Leith Exhibition. 

This coincides with the 

publication of the results from 

the archaeological excavations 

undertaken by The City of 

Edinburgh Council and Headland 

Archaeology in 2009. 

These excavations were done 

before any work was carried out 

in preparation for the Edinburgh 

Tram project in Constitution Street 

in Leith. 

They unearthed an unknown 

section of the graveyard 

associated with South Leith Parish 

Church. 

The exhibition explores the 

results of the detailed forensic 

analysis undertaken of the nearly 

400 burials uncovered, which have 

shed new details on the life and 

death of the ordinary inhabitants 

of Leith. 

It also showcases forensic art 

reconstructions undertaken for 

The Tumbling Lassie Ball takes 

place on 5 October 2019 at 

Prestonfield House Hotel. 

This is the largest anti-trafficking 

fundraiser in Scotland. 

Tickets are £90 each or £850 for 

GET MORE 

FOR YOUR MEMBERSHIP 

at the biggest club in town this summer. 

Join online today at edinburghleisure.co.uk 

Terms and conditions apply. Offer ends 30th September. 

Registered Scottish Charity No: SC027450 

the project by students working 

as part of an internship developed 

between CEC Archaeology Service 

and the University of Dundee 

Centre for Anatomy and Human 

Identification. 

A publication Past Lives of 

Leith: Archaeological Work for 

Edinburgh Trams accompanies 

this exhibition priced at £35. 

And next month join in a drop 

in family art session when the 

Royal Mile is closed during Open 

Streets in October, with artist 

Rachael Forbes. Make beautiful 

collages inspired by your favourite 

buildings in old Edinburgh. Bring 

some photos along of your 

favourite places. Free - no need to 

book. 

Open Streets opens up streets 

to people by closing them to 

vehicles. The idea behind it is 

to help people explore, use and 

become aware of the connected 

areas in the Old Town. 

Tumbling Lassie Ball 

a table. 

Have a look at their website 

where you can learn about the 

court case that spawned a charity. 

www.tumblinglassie.com 

Rings trilogy, Cloud Atlas, The 

Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta, The 

Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of 

the Desert), who features via video 

as Gibarian, the ill-fated doctor 

whose love and fascination for the 

mysterious planet Solaris causes 

his mysterious demise just before 

Kelvin arrives on board the space 

station. 

The original footage 

accompanies performances from 

an international cast. 

Solaris will open The Lyceum’s 

2019/20 season on 12 September 

2019, running until 5 October 

2019. 

It will transfer to Lyric 

Hammersmith Theatre on 10 

October 2019, running until 2 

November 2019.

16 

WHAT'S ON 

Theatre Art Music Shows Festivals @EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk WHAT'S ON 17 

At Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop 

As part of the Edinburgh Art 

Festival 2019 , the Edinburgh 

Sculpture Workshop (ESW) ran a 

series of exhibitions of work from 

three contemporary sculptors 

displayed for, at least, the duration 

of the Festival (some of them are 

still there). 

Lucy Wayman was 

commissioned to create a new 

public sculpture for the cycle 

path close to Edinburgh Sculpture 

Workshop which connects 

Newhaven to Edinburgh City 

Centre. Her practice makes use 

of craft techniques, such as 

weaving, knotting and macramé, 

Photo by John Preece 


but at a dramatic scale. The 

work, created from marine rope, 

follows Wayman’s interest in the 

industrial and historic uses of 

rope, connecting ideas of system, 

control and release with skills 

recognisable from the domestic 

realm. 

ESW also commissioned Adam 

Benmakhlouf to make a new 

sound work for its beacon tower. 

His practice mixes painting, 

writing, print, sculpture, sound 

and video. The works he produces 

reveal hints of autobiography, 

friendship and intimacy, which 

can be tender, honest and candid. 

‘The Noise of Making Spills Over’ 

is a looping sound collage of 

the noises of ‘working it out’ and 

informal education. 

It is played through four 

speakers set high in the tower. 

As a response to the radical ESW 

Schools Programme, recordings 

of the primary 5s describing their 

own and each other’s artworks 

are mixed into noises of inclusive 

and community music groups’ 

warm-ups and reheasals, putting 

the listener in a rich soundscape 

of practice and the steady 

progress of collaborative learning. 

ESW invited Caroline Achaintre 

to make new work for the central 

courtyard space. She is known 

for her sculptures in ceramic and 

metal as well as her drawings, 

prints, watercolours and fabric 

pieces in the form of tufted 

Planning permission has been 

granted by The City of Edinburgh 

Council for a new kind of space at 

Edinburgh Park. 

This is not just another boxy 

style building however, but a 

multi-purpose building and 

art installation to be built by 

Parabola.. It is designed by 

well-known Scottish artist David 

Mach and will be made from 

shipping containers. This is a 

joint project between architectural 

studio Dixon Jones and David 

Mach. The end result is a 

dynamic blend of architecture and 

sculpture. 

Parabola will also commission a 

Scotland-based poet to write and 


rugs.For this project Achaintre’s 

outdoor sculptures, made from 

constructed and cast metal as 

well as elements of ceramic, will 

be an extension of her drawings 

of multipersonalities. The 

imaginative co-existence within 

one object-body, and a deftness 

perform a poem about Mach 1 in 

the new building. Working with 

the Scottish Poetry Library (SPL), 

the poet chosen will be expected 

to produce a long poem, for which 

they will be paid £3,000 and will 

be expected to perform the piece 

at Mach 1next year In addition 

to securing planning permission 

for Mach 1, Parabola received 

in use of materials creates a 

perception of fluidity despite the 

rigid constituent parts. Achaintre 

often integrates small sculptures 

within larger support structures, 

called ‘display furniture’, and 

within whole exhibition schemes. 

Mach 1 is Go at Edinburgh Park 

planning permission to site its 

sculpture collection at Edinburgh 

Park. The collection includes work 

by Geoffrey Clarke (Past, Present, 

Future); Brian Kneale (Pendulum); 

Kenneth Armitage (Reach for the 

Stars) and Sir Eduard Paolozzi’s 

Vulcan, one of the last works of 

the Edinburgh-based artist. 

Colony of Artists 2019 

Colony of Artists at Abbeyhill 

takes place on 21 and 22 

September 2019. 

From 12 noon to 6.00pm each 

day there will be art on display, 

music to listen to and food and 

drink to enjoy in this creative 

corner of the city. 

With 66 artists and 40 venues 

(which are the artists' own homes 

in many cases) there is a lot to see 

and enjoy. 

The artists who live in the colony 

houses at Abbeyhill have held 

the community exhibition for 14 

years. It was artist Gill Smith and 

her partner Bob Giulianotti who 

organised the first few years and 

since then artists Bill Mazur and 

Kat Chisholm have led the way. 

There are paintings and artwork 

of all kinds including photography, 

textiles, ceramics, paintings, 

handblown glass, woodcraft, 

socks, knitwear and upcycled 

plastic bags, jewellery to see and 

buy. 

Narcissus Flower School will 

show off their contemporary 

floristry design and McBarkers will 

sell homemade dog treats. Nick 

Gardner will do tarot readings. 

Venues include the colony 

houses just off London Road to 

The Hive (a music stage set up on 

Rossie Place), Abbeyhill Primary 

School with a whole programme 

of children’s events, The Artisan 

Bar and The Safari Lounge, Citadel 

Books and Century General Store 

on Montrose Terrace 

Our suggestions for Doors Open 

Days 28-29 September 2019 

Doors Open Day in Edinburgh 

on 28 and 29 September 2019 

is a great opportunity for you to 

get into buildings that you may 

have admired for a long time from 

the outside and wondered what 

treasures they hold inside. And it 

is all free. 

There are behind the scenes 

tours, talks and exhibitions which 

will tell you more about the history 

of each one. It is organised 

by the Cockburn Association, 

Edinburgh's Civic Trust. The 

Scottish Civic Trust act as the 

umbrella organisation to bring all 

the regional programmes across 

the country together. 

Here are our top suggestions 

for buildings you may never have 

been inside : 

Leith Town Hall and Sheriff Court 

at 29-35 Queen Charlotte Street 

EH6 7EY are both within Leith 

Police Station. Built in 1828 there 

is also (who knew?) a debating 

chamber inside referred to as 

Leith Town Hall. The building is 

unaltered since 1864. 

Town HQ 603 Squadron RAAF 

25 Learmonth Terrace EH4 1NZ 

Booking Cpl Alex Mills 0131 332 

2333 This is a Victorian mansion 

designed in 1891 for whisky 

distiller, Arthur Sanderson. Since 

1925 it has been the home of 

603 Squadron. The interiors were 

decorated by William Scott Morton 

with each room individually 

designed.The Drawing Room is 

inspired by Robert Adam. Tours at 

1.00pm and 3.00pm 

Arthur Conan Doyle Centre 25 

Palmerston Place EH12 5AP This 

is another Victorian Townhouse 

built in 1881 and was the home of 

William McEwan of The Fountain 

Brewery who gifted The McEwan 

Hall to Edinburgh University. Have 

a cuppa at the Sherlock Holmes 

tearoom. 

Queen Street Gardens Central 

and East Districts. It was a private 

Act of Parliament in 1822 which 

safeguards the private gardens 

along one side of Queen Street. 

Anyone living in the area can pay 

to get a key and enjoy the pleasure 

gardens. 

Another garden is Grove 

Community Garden which is a 

mobile community garden - or 

part of a 'meanwhile' project in 

Fountainbridge. The project has 

brought some life to brownfield 

sites not currently being used 

for development and it moves on 

when they are. It is to be found on 

Drysdale Road EH11 1FA and you 

will be offered refreshments. 

Queensferry Parish Church 

The Loan EH30 9HY (there is a 

personal reason for including 

this one here! You will have to 

ask me when you see me.) This 

church was opened in 1894 during 

the reign of Queen Victoria and 

there are some nice stained glass 

windows. 

Sir Patrick Geddes Apartment 

Ramsay Garden EH1 2NA Although 

you may have visited the Patrick 

Geddes Centre at Riddle's Court 

this is an apartment in the iconic 

Arts and Crafts building at one end 

of the Castle Esplanade. It was 

designed by Geddes and retains 

many original features. Advance 

booking required 

Harlaw House Visitor Centre 

is at Harlaw Road Balerno EH14 

7AS and if you visit here you will 

be able to see the Harlaw Hydro 

project and meet representatives 

from Malleny Angling Association. 

It was built as a waterkeeper's 

cottage and is now an information 

centre. 

The Institut Francais d'Écosse 

is the former Lothian Chambers, 

taken over in recent years as a 

little piece of France in the city 

centre. The building upstairs 

has some beautiful architectural 

features and downstairs there is a 

fabulous bistro where they serve 

the best soup. 

JM Architects invite you to their 

office at 64 Queen Street EH2 4NA 

on Saturday only. This is a 17th 

century A-listed townhouse built 

for the 7th Earl of Wemyss. 

For children one of the most 

popular events is getting on a bus 

and going through the bus wash 

at Lothian's garage on Annandale 

Street. You have to book early. 

Advertise your business in 

The Edinburgh Reporter from only 

We’re social! 

Email editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk to book your space! 

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk

Story and Development of 

The 

Press and Publishing. 

Print, 

early beginnings during the 

From 

Dynasty, via the invention of 

Han 

printing press, to the world of 

the 

publishing today. 

magazine 

Crawford Hay has worked 

Kathy 

the publishing industry for 

within 

than 40 years, with books, 

more 

and newspaper 

periodicals 

in Edinburgh, London 

publishers 

Melbourne. She became 

and 

of PPA Scotland, the 

Head 

which supports 

organisation 

publishers for more 

magazine 

12 years, before becoming 

than 

Hydropathics in 


Scotland 

the late nineteenth century 

In 

were over 20 'Hydropathic' 

there 

in Scotland. This talk 

institutions 

look at where they were, 

will 

took place there and what 

what 

to these interesting 

happened 

establishments. 

Dr Jane Neil- 

After 

retired from the 

MacLachlan 

she forged another career 

NHS, 

writer and novelist under the 

as 

name of Jane Tulloch. A keen 

pen 

into local social history, 

forager 

interest has led her into many 

her 

nooks and crannies of 

interesting 

life which she enjoys 

Scottish 

we got to the 

How 

moon... 

24 humans have ever been 

Only 

the Moon and back. One of 

to 

brought some tartan along 

them 

the ride. Journey with a 

for 

geek who never got 

space-race 

see a Saturn V fly and still 

to 

forgive himself for missing a 

won't 

Shuttle launch. Alastair 

Space 

completed his PhD in 

Bruce 

in 2018 and currently 

astronomy 

at the Royal Observatory 

works 

He splits his time 


researching active 

between 

and working for the 

galaxies 

Webb Space Telescope UK 

James 

Engagement Campaign. 

Public 

going to the Moon. Alastair 

We're 

bring the Lego... 

will 

First New Town 


James Craig 

of 

the space of a generation, 

In 

experience a profound 


- and social - 

physical 

This talk will examine the 

change. 

to the construction 

background 

Edinburgh's famous New Town 

of 

learn something about the 

and 

and the early 

buildings 

Eric Melvin is a retired 

residents. 

teacher and headmaster 

history 

has published many books on 

and 

history, this is sure to be 

Scottish 

fascinating morning that 

a 

who has spent time in 

anyone 

New Town is sure to 

Edinburghs 

enjoy. 

Scientific History of 


Instruments 

Musical 

Campbell will be joining 

Murray 

to explain how Western 

us 

instruments work, how 

musical 

developed historically, how 

they 

are manufactured, and how 

they 

are used to make music. An 

they 

fascinating talk which 

incredibly 

delighted anyone with an 

will 

Three 

Edinburgh’s 

Cathedrals 

Story and Development of 


Press and Publishing. 

Print, 

early beginnings during the 

From 

Dynasty, via the invention of 

Han 

printing press, to the world of 

the 

publishing today. 

magazine 

Crawford Hay has worked 

Kathy 

the publishing industry for 

within 

than 40 years, with books, 

more 

and newspaper 

periodicals 

in Edinburgh, London 

publishers 

Melbourne. She became 

and 

of PPA Scotland, the 

Head 

which supports 

organisation 

publishers for more 

magazine 

12 years, before becoming 

than 

18 

WHAT'S ON 

Theatre Art Music Shows Festivals @EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk WHAT'S ON 19 

At the Queen’s Hall in 

September 

7 September doors 7.00pm 

Last Podcast on the Left Hosts 

Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks and 

Henry Zebrowski talk about all 

sorts of dark subjects like Jeffrey 

Dahmer, werewolves and iconic 

hauntings. A look at the dark side 

of humanity. Don't be scared to 

book! 

9 September 8.00pm An Evening 

with Richard Jobson of The Skids 

with special guests Bruce and 

Jamie Watson.The legendary 

Richard Jobson who launched 

the punk rock band in 1977 with 

partner Stuart Adamson. Now 

revived presumably with the aid of 

some oxygen they toured in 2018 

to mark the release of their new 

album. He has also written his 

memoirs. Get a ticket if you can. 


Femi Kuti is the son of Afrobeat 

pioneer Fela Kuti. He is Grammy 

nominated and began his career 

by playing in his father's band the 

legendary Egypt 80 in 1979. 


Peter Hook & The Light The 

background is Joy Division 

and New Order. You know what 

to expect. More than just the 

greatest hits they will also play 

lesser known material during the 

set. 

20 September 7.30pm Duncan 

Chisholm The Gathering. The 

award-winning fiddler comes back 

to the hall with his music rooted 

in highland music. His latest 

album, 'Sandwood', explores the 

specific area of Sandwood Bay 

and chronicled his own personal 

journey through the Highlands 

to this place of beauty, which 

became his muse. 

22 September 7.30pm QH@40: 

Folk singer Heidi Talbot presents 

Duke Special, Brìghde Chaimbeul 

Heidi has shared the stage and 

recorded with Mark Knopfler, 

Graham Coxon (Blur), Eddi 

Reader, Idlewild, Matt Rollings, 

King Creosote, Kris Drever, Tim 

O'Brien and Jerry Douglas and has 

performed globally in the world’s 

finest concert halls. 

27 September 7.30pm Scottish 

National Jazz Orchestra and Bill 

Evans. An American Journey Here 

is Evans reunited with the SNJO 

to perform a new programme of 

wild-at-heart, cross-genre music 

in the true spirit of the west and 

the music and performance are 

guaranteed to raise the bar again 

for jazz music in Scotland. 

28 September 7.30pm Phil 

Cunningham & Aly Bain. 

Traditional music. Traditional 

musicians par excellence.What 

else do you need to know? 

29 September 7.30pm Penguin 

Café with their beautiful, haunting 

and memorable music. They have 

released three albums of music 

much to the delight of their band 

of devoted followers. 

At Soundhouse in 

September 

Two of the many events 

organised this month. 

Drummer Alyn Cosker leads 

a powerful, exciting group 

presenting exhilarating virtuosity 

and accessible melodies on a 

deep, funky groove. 

With the Scottish National 

Jazz Orchestra Cosker has 

featured alongside luminaries 

including Randy Brecker, 

John Scofield, Mike Stern, Joe 

Lovano and Dave Liebman and 

as a freelance musician he has 

worked with Larry Carlton, Frank 

Gambale and Jim Mullen, Hue and 

Cry, Eddi Reeder and Capercaillie. 

His group features 

keyboardist Steve Hamilton and 

guitarist Davie Dunsmuir (both 

currently touring with Billy 

Cobham) and bass guitarist Colin 

Cunningham (Larry Carlton). 

Along with award winning special 

guest Konrad Wisznieski on 

tenor saxophone – the group will 

perform material from Cosker’s 

albums Lyn’s Une and KPF as well 

as new material.30 September 

2019 The Traverse Bar 7.30pm 

£12 

The Budapest Café Orchestra 

take the stage on 16 September 

2019 to celebrate their 10th 

birthday year. This concert is 

part of their tour of Scotlandia to 

some of the most midge-ridden 

parts of the Highlands and now 

Edinburgh.16 September 2019 The 

Traverse Bar 7.30pm £12 

www.traverse.co.uk 

Bach Choir Stages Its 

First “Come And Sing” 

by John Knox 

The Edinburgh Bach Choir has 

been performing in the “city of 

song” for over a hundred years. 

It’s now to open its doors to 

anyone who wants to sing for a 

day and enjoy two classic works 

– Vivaldi’s Gloria and Handel’s 

Coronation Anthems which include 

the famous Zadok the Priest. 

Conductor Stephen Doughty 

said: “These are wonderful, joyous 

works and I’m sure anyone who 

comes along – whether they have 

sung them before or not – will 

have fun and be inspired.” 

The Bach Choir wants to 

take advantage of the current 

popularity of “come and sing” 

events to encourage more people 

to take part in the musical 

life of the city and experience 

for themselves the thrill and 

challenges of the classical 

repertoire. 

It also wants to swell its own 

ranks and it’s hoped the day will 

give potential recruits a taste of 

what the choir has to offer. 

As you would expect, the 

70-strong choir performs a lot of 

Bach – most recently the B Minor 

Mass and the St John Passion. 

And Bach’s Magnificat will be 

part of its Christmas concert this 

year. 

But its recent programmes have 

also included Beethoven’s 9th , 

Rossini’s Petite Masse Solennelle 

and Bernstein’s Chichester 

Psalms. 

Future plans include Kodaly’s 

Missa Brevis and Seiber’s 

Hungarian Songs. 

The “Come and Sing” will be 

held at the Methodist Church, 

Nicholson Square, EH8 9BX on 

Saturday 7 September 2019. 

The rehearsal will run from 10am 

(with breaks) and a performance 

will begin at 3.00pm. 

Scores will be provided. Tickets 

for singers cost £15 and audience 

tickets for the performance cost 

£5. 

Book on Eventbrite. 

www.edinburghbachchoir.org.uk 

Tapestry 

evolving at 

Dovecot 

All summer at Dovecot Studios 

they have been weaving a 

magnificent new tapestry to a 

design created by artist Victoria 

Crowe. Titled Richer Twilight, 

Venice the tapestry can be seen 

from the public Tapestry Studio 

Viewing Balcony. It is available for 

sale and will be completed by the 

end of September 2019. 

It is a meditation on the city’s 

Byzantine palette and distinctive 

skyline which excites artistic 

comparison with Edinburgh. In 

Venice two Scottish artists are 

taking part in the 2019 Biennale. 

This is Crowe’s fourth 

collaboration with Dovecot, 

marking a celebration of her 50 

year career. Dovecot Studios 

and City Art Centre are offering 

a special ticket offer to current 

exhibitions Victoria Crowe: 50 

Years of Painting, and Julie Cope’s 

Grand Tour: The Story of a Life 

by Grayson Perry. Valid until 13 

October. The offer allows half 

price entry to the exhibitions upon 

presentation of full price ticket 

from the partner venue. 

At the 

National 

Museum 

Microscopes: Nature Revealed 

Until Sun 15 Sep 2019 

Exhibition Gallery, Level 1 

Free 

This display will tell the stories 

of the makers and users of 

an instrument that has been 

fundamental in improving our 

understanding of the natural 

world. Using examples from this 

significant collection, you will see 

how optical improvements saw a 

change in the public perception 

of the microscope from being a 

simple optical toy to a reliable 

instrument of science. 

nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events 

Body Beautiful: Diversity on the 

Catwalk 

Until Sun 20 Oct 2019 

Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3 

Free 

Discover how today’s fashion 

industry is challenging perceptions 

and championing alternative 

ideals of beauty on the catwalk, in 

advertising, editorial and behind 

the camera. 

nms.ac.uk/bodybeautiful 

Wild and Majestic: Romantic 

Visions of Scotland 

Until Sun 10 Nov 2019 

The Magic of Makhazhin 

Sat 5th Oct 2019, 10.30am 

Free 

Art Walk Porty 2019 

There is lots on in Portobello 

from 7 September. You will have 

to get the Art Newspaper from 

a local stockist as there is too 

much for us to tell you about here 

- but we have a couple of walking 

suggestions : 

A Sunday stroll led by Deirdre 

Macleod called ‘Cul-de-sac' 

Walks on 8 and 29 Sept and 20 

October 

Three Sunday strolls around 

the suburbs of Gilberstoun, 

Newcraighall, and Musselburgh. 

These suburban walks will 

explore and appreciate the 

particular character of the 

different residential estates and 

Adult £10, Over 60s £8.50, 

Student, Unemployed, Disabled* 

£7.50, Child (5–15) £7.50, Under 

5s free 

Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3 

Dramatic highland landscapes, 

heroic histories, tartan and 

bagpipes are among the defining 

images of Scotland for many 

people around the world today. 

This exhibition considers the 

Photo by Neil Hanna 

speakers coffee mornings 2019-2020 

at the royal scots club 

Free to attend & 

Everyone welcome! 

us on the first Saturday of every month for a tea, coffee and biscuits from 10.30am followed by 

Join 

interesting speaker. Non-members welcome. 

an 

Free to attend but please book in advance at www.royalscotsclub.com/coffee-mornings 

Sat 2nd Nov 2019, 10.30am 

Free 

the changing edges of the city. 

Residents from each area are 

particularly invited to join. 

Suzanne Parry 'In my shoes' 

Sound Walk 9 September, 

6.00-8.00pm 

When we walk from A to B, the 

places and people in between 

are so often left a mystery, an 

irrelevance, an obstacle.This 

circular sound walk invites 

participants to experience their 

environment through a series 

of intimate sound portraits with 

QR codes to scan at a number of 

waypoints. Bring mobile phone 

and head/ear phones with you. 

artwalkporty.co.uk 

origins of these ideas and explores 

how they were used to represent 

Scotland around the world. 

nms.ac.uk/wildandmajestic 

Early Doors for Autism 

Saturday 7 Sept 2019 

9:00 -10:00 

Free, booking required 

(contact Communities.L&P@nms. 

ac.uk) 

Join in the pre-public opening 

sessions for autistic children and 

their families. In the September 

event explore the exhibition Body 

Beautiful: Diversity on the Catwalk, 

investigate costumes and create 

your own fashion piece. 

nms.ac.uk/earlydoors 

Sat 7th Dec 2019, 10.30am 

Free 

Sat 4th Jan 2020, 10.30am 

Free 

At the City Art Centre 

this winter 

At the City Art Centre there will 

be a group exhibition featuring 

work by nine contemporary artists 

based in Scotland - Sara Brennan, 

Michael Craik, Eric Cruikshank, 

Kenneth Dingwall, Callum Innes, 

Alan Johnston, James Lumsden, 

Karlyn Sutherland and Andrea 

Walsh. 

Beneath the Surface features 

the artists displaying a minimalist 

and abstract approach to their 

work, which ranges from drawings, 

paintings and constructions to 

ceramics, glass and tapestry. 

All of their artworks have an 

economy of gesture in common 

- a limited tonal palette or a 

monochrome colour plane. 

The surface of any artwork is 

often the most readily accessible 

component. 

However, what lies behind 

or beneath the surface often 

deserves a closer look. 

With most of the artworks in the 

exhibition, the process of making 

is not hidden. 

Making constitutes the very 

subject of some of them, as is the 

case with the works by Callum 

Innes, Michael Craik and James 

Lumsden. The layering and 

reduction of materials are 

processes that feature repeatedly 

Sat 1st Feb 2020, 10.30am 

Free 

in their work, used to create 

effects of translucency or depth, 

as well as to portray the passage 

of time. 

Whereas for Kenneth 

Dingwall the thought and 

reaction produced in the act of 

making seeks a form that carries 

analogies to aspects of human 

nature and emotion. 

For artists Sara Brennan and Eric 

Cruikshank, their inspiration 

derives from something more 

tangible such as nature or 

landscape. They use these 

elements as starting points, but 

without the intention of creating 

literal representations. While 

artists Alan Johnston, Karlyn 

Sutherland and Andrea Walsh are 

concerned with the interaction of 

light and shadow on surfaces and 

the definition of space or memory 

of a place. 

Beneath the Surface 

Sara Brennan | Michael Craik | 

Eric Cruikshank | Kenneth Dingwall 

| Callum Innes | Alan Johnston 

| James Lumsden | Karlyn 

Sutherland | Andrea Walsh 

16 November 2019 to 1 March 

2020, 

City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, 

Edinburgh EH1 1DE 

Admission Free 

Sat 4th Apr 2020, 10.30am 

Free 

Got an event to share? 

interest in music. 

Email editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk with the details! 

a Consultant. 

presenting to others. 

B o o k o n l i n e , c a l l 0 1 3 1 5 5 6 4 2 7 0 o r e m a i l e v e n t s @ r o y a l s c o t s c l u b . c o m t o r e s e r v e y o u r t i c k e t s 

a Consultant.


20 PHOTOS 


PHOTOS 21 

Out and about in Edinburgh 

It has been a visual feast over 

the last month in Edinburgh 

with our streets full of Fringe 

performers and we have done our 

best to take as many photos as we 

could. 

Our first photograph taken by 

Martin P McAdam shows the 

scene at Tynecastle where the 

LA Philharmonic played some 

classics from the movies. It was a 

gorgeous evening! Actor Brian Cox 

was spotted among the audience 

of 15,000 who attended the 

Aberdeen Standard Investments 

Opening Event. 

We met Fringe act Diane Chorley 

at the bespoke nightclub that 

Assembly had created for her. She 

was a hoot! 

John Preece was at the 

Edinburgh International Book 

Festival and he snapped local 

Val McDermid there in the press 

area. He also went to many of the 

Edinburgh International Festival’s 

photo calls too. 

Sitting atop the old car below is 

one of the members of Leith-based 

Creative Electric who put on their 

shows each weekend at Army at 

the Fringe.

22 

PHOTOS 


@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk FEATURE 23 

ESPC announce charity partnership 

ESPC has announced their 

charity partner for the upcoming 

year. Fresh Start an Edinburghbased 

organisation helps people 

who have been homeless get 

established in their new home. 

possibly some volunteering 

days throughout the year, so it 

is already set to be a successful 

partnership. 

“All of this support will allow us 

to raise awareness of the issues 

surrounding homelessness and 

help fund direct service costs that 

help some of the most vulnerable 

people across Edinburgh. Through 

ESPC's help we can make a real 

difference to those affected by 

homelessness and provide them 

with the social and practical 

support they need to move 

forward with their lives." 

Working with local volunteers 

and organisations they deliver 

services to provide practical and 

social support to help people 

resettle successfully. They help 

thousands of new tenants like this 

each year. 

Paul Hilton, CEO of ESPC, said: 

“We are really excited to be 

working with Fresh Start over 

the next year. The service they 

provide to the local community 

is fantastic. The team will get 

involved with volunteering and 

fundraising to help Fresh Start 

provide support to the thousands 

of new tenants they help settle 

into homes every year.” 

Jen McQuistan from Fresh Start 

said : "We are absolutely delighted 

to be selected as ESPC's chosen 

charity for 2019/20. As a small 

local charity, the fundraising they'll 

be doing throughout the year and 

the awareness raised will make a 

big difference to the people Fresh 

Start support. 

“The ESPC team have already 

started planning some exciting 

fundraising events and we also 

hope to get them involved in 

Starter Pack collections and 

Colourful Edinburgh 

The Virgin Money Festival 

Fireworks are a sight to behold. 

We took up positions on Calton 

Hill where it seemed there was a 

bigger audience than usual. The 

woman in blue above is Catherine 

Cohen who won the Dave’s 

Comedy Awards Best Newcomer 

category. And she is as her show 

title said GORGEOUS! 

While we were out and about 

at the Fringe Ian Georgeson 

was taking photos at the Royal 

Edinburgh Military Tattoo. 

Performers of The Tattoo Dance 

Company align in glorious colour 

and symmetry at Camera Obscura 

representing the seven hues of the 

kaleidoscope - this year’s theme 

at The Royal Edinburgh Military 

Tattoo against the backdrop of 

The Tattoo’s official tartan. 

Climate change advice for property owners 

A new guide has been published 

advising property owners on the 

impact of climate change on 

traditional buildings in the capital. 

It provides practical advice on how 

to protect such buildings against 

damage and decay. 

The Guide to Building 

Maintenance in a Changing 

Climate reports on the effect 

of fluctuating weather patterns 

on the condition of Edinburgh’s 

buildings, and provides step-bystep 

advice and guidance on how 

to identify damage and carry out 

repairs to keep properties wind 

and watertight. 

New guidance suggests that 

Edinburgh will face unprecedented 

weather events, and homes will 

be disproportionately affected 

by changing rainfall patterns and 

an increase in extreme weather 

events. It also cautions that 

damage such as blocked drains, 

ineffective gutters, inappropriate 

vegetation growth, and stone 

erosion can adversely affect the 

ability of Edinburgh’s buildings to 

keep out wind and water. 

Recommendations to property 

owners include taking simple 

actions that can mitigate the 

risk of having to pay for greater 

repairs further down the line, 

especially following major weather 

events. Research quoted in the 

new guidance states that “every 

£1 ‘saved’ by not carrying out 

preventative maintenance could 

cost £20 in repairs within 5 years”. 

This guide, a joint Edinburgh 

Adapts project between Edinburgh 

World Heritage and Historic 

Environment Scotland (HES), 

contains practical and effective 

solutions designed for property 

owners to help them ensure 

that their historic homes and 

businesses are climate ready, 

including: 

What to expect from climate 

change in Edinburgh 

How both daily and extreme 

weather events affect historic 

homes 

Why maintenance is important 

and who is responsible for it 

Step-by-step guides and 

checklists for roofing, windows, 

gutters, stonework, paintwork, 

walls, chimneys and more. 

Adam Wilkinson, Director of 

Edinburgh World Heritage said: 

“Although efforts to prevent 

climate change are necessary and 

urgent, there is no question that 

we must now confront the already 

substantial and unavoidable 

impact of climate change on our 

historic homes. 

“The resilience of the historic 

buildings in our World Heritage 

Site is dependant on our ability 

to act now to maintain them. 

Systematic and proactive 

measures taken today to prevent 

decay and damage is one of the 

most important things we can do 

to prevent damage and loss in the 

future.” 

Mairi Davies, Climate 

Change Manager at HES, said: 

“Edinburgh’s climate is changing 

at an unprecedented rate, making 

it more urgent than ever that 

we deal with the impact on the 

historic environment. We are 

moving towards warmer, wetter 

winters and an increase in 

the frequency and intensity of 

extremes. 

“This guide provides a practical 

toolkit which will empower 

owners of historic buildings 

across the capital to adapt their 

properties and enhance resilience 

to the effects of climate change, 

protecting these irreplacable 

heritage assets for the future.” 

Download The Guide to Building 

Maintenance in a Changing 

Climate here, or pick up a 

copy from one of the following 

locations: 

The Tron Kirk, High Street 

Citizen Advice, 58 Dundas St 

City Archive, Edinburgh City 

Archives, Level 1, City Chambers, 

Edinburgh, EH1 1YJ 

Planning Department at City of 

Edinburgh Council, Waverly Court 

Edinburgh Central Library, 

Edinburgh and Scottish 

Collections, George IV Bridge 

Hanover Scotland Housing 

Association, 95 McDonald Road. 



Email editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk to book your space!


24 FOOD 


FOOD 25 

Recipe of the month 

Ballotine of Corn Fed Chicken 

with Truffle Mash, Sweet Carrot 

puree, Braised Gem Lettuce, 

Shaved Truffle, Baby Onions, 

Pickled Grapes 

This tasty recipe is written for 

The Edinburgh Reproter by Glenn 

Roach, Regional Executive Chef 

of the Surf & Turf restaurants 

situated in Macdonald Rusacks 

Hotel, St Andrews & Macdonald 

Holyrood Hotel, Edinburgh. 

For the mashed potato recipe 

you will have to read the online 

version of this article. This looks 

complex - but it is pretty easy. 

Here's what you have to do : 

Carrot Puree - Peel 1 kg of 

carrot and grate. In a pan of 

boiling water, add the carrot and 

cook for 5 minutes. In a food 

processor blend until smooth and 

pass through a fine chinois. 

Braised Gem Lettuce Take 1 

Head gem lettuce, an orange, 

250ml chicken stock, 1 

clove and1 bay leaf In a pan 

add chicken stock, orange, clove 

and bay leaf and bring to the 

boil. Add the gem lettuce to the 

boiling stock for 2 minutes remove 

and cool. 

Ballotine Chicken Take 1 chicken 

breast and wrap it in cling film to 

make the shape of a long cylinder. 

Steam for 20 mins. Remove 

chicken from the cling film and 

slowly crisp the skin until golden 

brown in a frying pan with 10ml of 

vegetable oil. 

Braised Baby Carrots Take 2-3 

baby carrots, trim and peel them 

and boil in salted water until 

soft. Melt butter in a pan a brush 

the carrots and add Malden salt 

to taste. 

Pickled Red Grapes 50g red 

seedless grapes, 10ml white wine 

vinegar, 10ml water and10g sugar. 

Put vinegar, sugar and water to 

a pan and bring to the boil until 

sugar dissolves. Halve the grapes 

and add the pickling liquor. Leave 

for 20 mins 

Baby Onions Peel baby 

onions and roast in the oven at 

120 degrees until golden. 

Shaved Truffle Shave truffles on 

a mandolin slicer and use a 25ml 

pastry cutter to cut in to circles 

Assembling the dish! On the 

bottom of the plate place carrot 

puree and drag across the plate. 

Slice the chicken and place at 

the side of the puree. Add 

gem lettuce to the plate and 

scatter onions and grapes 

around the plate. In a piping bag 

add mashed potato and place 

black truffle circles on top and 

baby carrots in the middle of the 

plate. 

A guide to Edinburgh’s 

oyster howffs 

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson 

Now deemed the height of luxury 

oysters weren’t always the treat of 

the rich. Once an abundant food, 

oysters were usually served in 

drinking dens, otherwise known as 

Howffs, sometimes in a steak and 

oyster pie but more often eaten 

raw with their shells scattered on 

the floor. Up until the 19th century 

they were cheap and plentiful. 

Sadly you’d struggle to get an 

oyster in a working man’s boozer 

these days and whilst I hate to 

be a gentrifier, I prefer my oysters 

with champagne rather than stout. 

Luckily for me there are plenty of 

great places to indulge. 

The Cafe Royal Circle Bar on 

West Register Street has to be 

one of Edinburgh's most beautiful 

pubs. I recently had three oysters 

with a glass of Veuve for £15. This 

bar has a terrific atmosphere and 

is a true unspoilt gem. 

At Le Di-Vin Oysterman Events 

is back, shucking his oysters for 

the customers. Expect to see 

the Oysterman there on 20th 

September, 25th October and 29th 

November. Le Di-Vin has plenty of 

fantastic wines by the glass and 

the fresh Loch Fyne oysters are on 

the house. 

Ondine continue to offer their 

oyster happy hour and at only £1 

for any raw oyster it’s a great way 

to try not only various species 

but one of Edinburgh’s top 

seafood restaurants. Great for an 

after work treat, from 5.30pm to 

6.30pm. 

Of course if you’d rather shuck 

your own my current favourite 

oyster purveyor is Something 

Fishy on Broughton St. Owned by 

the charming Daniel, I’ve always 

been really pleased with the 

quality of all his produce but his 

oysters are some of the best I've 

tasted. Just remember to buy a 

good shucking knife and a chain 

mail glove unless you fancy your 

evening ending in A&E rather than 

shellfish Viagra. 

Juliet's Food Diary 

Well thank goodness that’s over. 

Whilst I enjoyed a few Fringe 

shows I found the plethora of 

catering trucks utterly depressing. 

Having enjoyed a pleasant 

and pretty low budget lunch at 

Civerinos on Hunter Square: a 

stunning sandwich, fries and a 

soft drink for £10, it surprised 

me to see a pop-up stall selling 

the same thing. The former was 

delivered to me while I sat in an 

albeit hipster, but comfortable, 

environment, the latter to be eaten 

on the pavement. 

The Festival used to take us 

to parts of the city we rarely 

frequented and resulted in 

restaurants, cafés and bars 

earning extra income having had 

the decency to open all year round. 

I know, it’s uncool to be an ‘it was 

better in my day’ bore, but it’s true. 

The Festival, and its catering in 

particular is beyond redemption. 

Hopefully the establishments of 

Leith fared well in August. While 

there are a few great venues in 

the north of the city they’re yet to 

be ruined with an artisan venison 

burger stall or pop up Prosecco 

camper van. 

I’d be pushed to name my 

favourite establishment in Leith, 

as there are so many but La Riva 

Pizzeria on Assembly Street 

is now my ‘go to’ when I want 

something great value for money, 

cooked brilliantly. 

On a recent family outing I had a 

Hellboy: tomato sauce, fiordilatte, 

pepperoni, nduja, chorizo and fresh 

chilli. It was a triumph, as was 

my daughter’s kids' margherita 

in the shape of a bunny rabbit. 

All their pizzas are made with 

traditional stone ground flour and 

the other ingredients are also 

top quality. However, an Italian 

restaurant without atmosphere 

is like David Hasselhoff minus 

speedos. Fortunately La Riva has 

the wonderful Andrew Byatt as 

manager and front of house who 

really made the evening special 

for us. If you recognise Andrew 

it might be because he’s also an 

actor who has appeared in not 

one, but three episodes of Taggart, 

as well as numerous forays onto 

stage and screen. He certainly 

plays a starring role here so if 

you’re booking, make sure he’s in. 

I was delighted to attend the 

packed launch of Noto, Stuart 

Ralston's second Edinburgh 

restaurant on Thistle Street. The 

canapés served were utterly 

stunning and the front of house 

staff beyond welcoming. The 

décor was, save for some plants, 

minimalist in the extreme and very 

bright. If your eyesight isn’t what 

it once was this is the restaurant 

for you. However judging by the 

canapés the food here will be 

beautiful so why not show it off? 

However if sumptuous décor 

and flattering lighting are more 

your thing, and my goodness 

it’s mine these days, dinner at 

The Bonham in the West End 

is a must. I took the Silver Fox 

boyfriend to their Bluesy Snoozy 

evening, where they have a couple 

of supremely talented acoustic 

musicians and an incredible 

offer of three courses from their 

Market Menu with half a bottle 

of wine for £25 a head. There’s 

not a better bargain to be had in 

Edinburgh. Bluesy Snoozy is on 

the first Thursday of every month. 

The SF was so relaxed he even 

managed to shrug off his recent 

poor golfing performance whilst 

stroking my knee under the table: 

it’s restaurant valium! See my full 

review at www.edinburghreporter. 

co.uk 

Make it Edinburgh! 

Hotel investment from 

global brands is reinforcing 

Edinburgh’s appeal as a worldleading 

conference, incentive 

meeting and events destination. 

The city currently ranked 

27thin the International Congress 

Association (ICCA) World 

Rankings and second in the UK, 

only to London, is also the number 

one ‘hot spot’ for hotel investment 

and development in the UK*. 

YOTEL Edinburgh’s arrival as the 

brand’s first city centre hotel in 

Europe,follows InterContinental 

Hotel Group’s takeover of the 

Principal Edinburgh George 

Street, making the newlynamed 

InterContinental Edinburgh - The 

George, the first hotel in the group 

outside of London in the UK. 

This comes after last year’s 

announcement that Sir Richard 

Branson will open the first 

Virgin Hotel outside the USA, 

in Edinburgh’s historic India 

Buildings on Victoria Street. 

Coupled with its reputation 

as a unique centre of 

excellence, innovation and 

heritage, as celebrated 

in the city’s current Make 

it Edinburgh campaign, 

these developments further 

boost confidence in the Scottish 

capital as the perfect place to host 

conferences and events. 

Amanda Ferguson, Head 

of Convention Edinburgh 

commented: “Continued 

hotel investment from global 

brands gives conference and 

event organisers just one more 

reason to choose Edinburgh 

as a host city. Accessible, 

compact and beautiful, Edinburgh 

is renowned for its thriving 

knowledge economy and worldclass 

academic credentials in 

sectors such as Technology, Life 

Sciences, Creative Industries, Food 

and Drink, Renewable Energy and 

Financial Services. These are 

huge drivers of business tourism. 

“For the past 18 months, the 

Make it Edinburgh campaign, a 

collaboration of private and public 

organisations operating in the 

conference and meetings industry, 

has been striving to showcase 

these strengths to the business 

events market. 

"So, it’s great to see Edinburgh 

gaining recognition globally as a 

place to invest. 

"The more conferences we 

bring in to the city, the greater 

the opportunity for collaboration, 

innovation and lasting impact 

within these sectors, whether 

that’s through knowledge 

share, developing new technology 

or raising Edinburgh’s profile 

within these fields.” 

We offer great advertising rates! 

Email editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk for more details!

26 

FEATURE 


The secret is out and it’s tartan! 

Vixy Rae is one of the owners 

and the creative director 

of Stewart Christie, an old 

established outfitter in Edinburgh 

which mainly works in tweed. 

Recently she invited some of her 

friends down to Custom Quay in 

Leith for a photo shoot - and asked 

them all to don some tartan. 

She has just completed writing a 

book and these photos were being 

taken to complete the final pages 

of it. The Secret Life of Tartan will 

be published next month by Black 

and White Publishing. 

Tartan's status means we all 

have a relationship with Scotland's 

famous fabric, but how much 

do we really know? The Secret 

Life of Tartan goes behind the 

scenes - and beyond the kilt - to 

stitch together never-before-heard 

stories, fascinating anecdotes and 

historical gems. 

From supermodels to clan 

patriarchs, from New York's Tartan 

March to classic wedding finery, 

tartan transcends boundaries. 

Stunning images show a different 

side to tartan, celebrating the 

romance and style of a cloth that 

shaped a nation. This landmark 

book is a visual guide to the poetry 

of tartan, looking at the dark past 

of the most majestic of cloths. 

It covers the types and styles of 

tartan, exploring colour and craft, 

texture and cloth, viewing aspects 

of sustainability, from the handing 

down of kilts to the lost art of 

vegetable-dying yarn. 

It features the people behind 

the cloth: families, weavers and 

designers, mixing tradition and 

heritage with the contemporary. 

From the shortbread tin to the 

catwalk, regal palaces to highland 

bothies, The Secret Life of Tartan 

showcases tartan's dramatic 

diversity and outstanding heritage. 

Publisher: Black and White 

Publishing 

ISBN: 9781785302596 

Watch Vixy and some of her 

friends telling us the story of their 

relationship with tartan on our 

video on YouTube 

Scan the QR code below 

The Callum MacDonald Memorial 

Award 2019 

Entries are encouraged for an 

award now promoted by the 

Scottish Poetry Library (SPL). 

The Callum MacDonald Memorial 

Award was established in 2001 in 

memory of the Scottish publisher 

to encourage and reward the 

publication of poetry in pamphlet 

form.The award was founded by 

Callum Macdonald's widow, Tessa 

August Crossword 

Across 

7. How dumb ! Hats are spoiled by 

watery earth mixture (8) 

9. Covering of frozen water in a 

nice capital (6) 

10. Thin sort of clue (4) 

11. One lacking seamanship might 

blunder round lab (10) 

12. Members of Royal College of Art 

fib about the material (6) 

14. Giant snake from Canada ? No (8) 

15. Set Tam against the least 

wild creatures (6) 

17. Some people often donate a piece 

of strong tissue (6) 

20. Carts her off to this French city (8) 

22. Debt is compounded for 

small room (6) 

23. Sequence of cards makes Queen 

turn red (5, 5) 

24. Rip out old rate and replace it (4) 

25. Some ideal errands for one 

distributing cards (6) 

26. Coil silk round slippery film on 

surface of water (8) 

Crossword by David Albury Answers on page 29 

Ransford OBE, who died in 2015. 

She was a poet ,founder of SPL 

and an energetic supporter and 

campaigner for poetry in Scotland. 

The publisher will receive £500, 

and the poet will receive an 

additional award of an Inspiring 

Scotland Bursary (up to £1500) 

from the Saltire Society. The 

bursary is intended to fund a 

Down 

1. Smoke-producing source covers 

gum in fat (8) 

2. Help in placing a wager (4) 

3. In hospital I created a new 

print form (6) 

4. All crime swept away in this torrent 

of water (8) 

5. Odd, old beer restores one's feeling 

of vitality (3-7) 

6. How horrible ! Fed nag on 

cigarette butt (3-3) 

8. Used an unusual method to create 

this ice-cream concoction (6) 

13. Manage to make barrel 

distinguished (10) 

16. I refer us to a dead-cert winner ! (8) 

18. Ices a nun drops are a source 

of annoyance (8) 

19. US code for foreign currency (6) 

21. Shove out initially using horse's 

feet (6) 

22. Contemplate how bold he 

appears (6) 

24. In the toilet I let others lay a 

floor covering (4) 

second print of the winning 

pamphlet, the print of a new one, 

or travel to book festivals. 

The SPL manage the 

administration of the award along 

with the Saltire Society, and it will 

be presented in November 2019 at 

the Saltire Literary Awards. 

Submissions must be made to the 

SPL by 4 October 2019 at 5.00pm. 

1 2 3 4 5 6 

7 8 9 

10 11 

12 13 14 

15 16 17 18 

20 21 22 

23 24 

19 

25 26 

Susan’s shortlisted 

Just as we were going to press 

we heard that Susan Harkins who 

is Head of Business Gateway 

Edinburgh was shortlisted for the 

Women of Influence Award at the 

Scottish Women’s Awards. 

Susan said: “I am absolutely 

delighted to be shortlisted for 

this fantastic Women of Influence 

Award and really looking forward 

to celebrating the achievements of 

everyone who has been shortlisted 

at the Awards ceremony at the end 

of the month. 

“To be recognised for something 

I’m incredibly passionate about 

and really enjoy is wonderful, and 

very unexpected. 

"The entrepreneurs I work with 

are truly inspirational and it’s 

always an honour to be part of 

their journey and help in any way 

I can whether it’s 1-2-1 support, 

funding advice, helping them to 

build their network or business 

planning.” 

Get in 

touch 

today! 

For editorial and 

advertising enquiries 

please email 

editor@ 




edinburghreporter 


Drop-ins on first Thursday of 

the month at the City of Edinburgh 

Council, 4 East Market St, EH8 8BG. 

3 OCT, 5-7PM 

7 NOV 5-7PM 

5 DEC 5-7PM

28 

READER'S PHOTO 

The Edinburgh Reporter @EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk 

FEATURE 29 

Reader's Photo 

NEW - Bloc Gallery 

There is a bright new art space 

on Ferry Road. It is more than 

an art gallery, it is a space for 

any creatives whether artists, 

designers or makers to display 

their work. 

Situated where it is the space is 

just around the corner from Leith 

School of Art so is this going to 

be the next art q,uarter in the city? 

It is also just up the street from 

Coburg House and the owners 

have good links with some of the 

artists who work there. 

The idea is to stage exhibitions, 

classes or host small events in the 

light, bright space with its doublefronted 

windows to the street. 

Keith Paton, one of the owners, 

has a plan for putting up a 

projector... he has lots of ideas! 

We met Keith with co-owner, 

Lisa Arnott, at the new space 

where they hosted their second 

exhibition in August. 'adfectus' 

included some of Lisa's own 

jewellery designs. 

The other exhibitors were her 

fellow jewellery makers from the 

Abbeymount studios at the top of 

Easter Road. 

The jewellery was shown 

hanging on the walls - showing 

it off more like paintings or fine 

art than the way that jewellery is 

traditionally exhibited. 

Both owners live locally and 

coincidentally they had both 

walked past the then empty space, 

and both had the same idea about 

turning it into an artist run space. 

Their first exhibition 2020 vision 

was a collective staged earlier this 

year involving 30 artists looking at 

clear sight, hindsight and related 

themes. 

Keith is a visual artist working in 

paintings, but branching out into 

sculpture now too. 

He explained : "Having a 

space like this is obviously an 

opportunity for us to show our 

own work too." 

Lisa said : "I think the exciting 

thing about this space is that 

when artists put on exhibitions 

the public will get to meet them 

as they will be here. They also get 

to take ownership over that. In a 

commercial gallery you can be 

a bit detached from the people 

who buy work or see your work. 

Here, we are creating a space that 

artists can actually talk to the 

public who can ask more about 

their work and inspiration. The 

world of arts can often seem quite 

an aloof, detached world whereas 

we have created this space right in 

the middle of our local community, 

right next door to Artroom32 

where young people go to make 

their own art. 

"People can find out more about 

the next stages of art and perhaps 

have their own exhibition in this 

space. 

"We hope that with some of the 

other independent arts businesses 

in Leith that we can collaborate 

and support each other's 

businesses. I think that is a really 

important thing. We are not just 

doing this for ourselves, we are 

part of an artistic community." 

Keith added : "We are not trying 

to transform the area we just 

wanted to open the space because 

we think it is great. It will be run 

by artists for artists and it looks 

like a gallery but we want everyone 

to come in and have a look. We 

would love to hear from any artists 

who are interested in having a 

show in our space or working with 

us in any way.” 

There are some new exhibitions 

in the pipeline including art 

exhibitions, printmaking, 

contemporary crafts and pop up 

shops. 

At the end of October painter and 

graphic designer, Alan Lennon, will 

be exhibiting his work there. 

The 25 square metre space is 

available for hire at £350 per week. 

bloc.gallery/ 

hello@bloc.gallery 

Address 

40 Ferry Road 


EH6 4AE 

Walter McGillivray is a keen photographer and we like his photos. He told us about this shot taken in Holyrood Park. “I was walking down from Salisbury Crags on an autumn afternoon and 

took this view which shows the diversity of historic buildings in the city.” Who can spot all the spires in this photo? If you have a great photo then please feel free to share it with us. Email 

to editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk 

Crossword Answers 

Across: 7 Mudbaths, 9 Icecap, 10 Hint, 11 Landlubber, 12 Fabric, 

14 Anaconda, 15 Tamest, 17 Tendon, 20 Chartres, 22 Bedsit, 

23 Royal flush, 24 Tear, 25 Dealer, 26 Oilslick. 

Down: 1 Fumigant, 2 Abet, 3 Italic, 4 Millrace, 5 Red-blooded, 6 Fag-end, 

8 Sundae, 13 Remarkable, 16 Surefire, 18 Nuisance, 19 Escudo, 

21 Hooves, 22 Behold, 24 Tile. 

Get in touch today! 

For editorial and advertising 

enquiries please email 


@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter 


The Edinburgh 

Sketcher can 

teach you to 

sketch 

Go out for the day with The 

Edinburgh Sketcher Mark Kirkham 

and learn how to sketch in 

beautiful surroundings. 

Mark explains : “No prior 

knowledge is needed to sign up for 

my relaxed and friendly workshop. 

I provide all the materials and you 

will create a number of sketches 

out on location before adding 

detail and watercolour whilst 

discussing your pieces over 

refreshments, before leaving with 

a unique piece of art and souvenir 

you created yourself.” 

As well as the West End there 

is a tour in the new Town on 4 

October 2019 for just half a day. 

He says he will give you gentle 

encouragement to fill those sketch 

books! If the weather is cold the 

session will be in the Portrait 

Gallery. 

https://edinburghsketcher.com/ 

sketching-workshops/ 

We're 

social! 

Join the rest of 

our followers 

on Twitter, 

Facebook & 

Instagram! 



edinburghreporter 


1 4 t h a n n u a l e x h i b i t i o n 

a b b e y h i L l 

edinburgh 

WHERE ARTISTS WILL EXHIBIT IN THEIR OWN HOMES 

& OTHER VENUES THROUGHOUT THE ABBEYHILL AREA. 

SAMPLE A WEALTH OF ARTS, CRAFTS, MUSIC & MORE! 

FIND US AT THE TOP OF LONDON ROAD & EASTER ROAD 

2 1 

S T - 2 2 

N D 

S 

E P 

T E M B E r 1 2 - 6 p m 

2 0 1 9COLONY 

O F ARTISTS 

www.colonyofartists.com Join us on Facebook/Twitter for updates:@colonyofartists


30 SPORT 


SPORT 31 

Reilly’s medals to stay at Easter 

Road 

by John Hislop 

The Hibernian Historic Trust is 

planning to host an open evening 

at Easter Road Stadium to thank 

the Hibs’ fans who donated money 

to enable the charity to purchase 

medals won by the late Lawrie 

Reilly. 

The medals which date from the 

club’s last top-flight title wins in 

1951 and 1952, will be displayed 

alongside other artefacts from 

Reilly’s decorated career including 

match worn Hibernian and 

Scotland strips and his boots. 

The nine carat gold medals, 

originally valued at between 

£1,000 and £2,000, eventually 

sold for £12,000 after a flurry of 

offers from anonymous bidders at 

the Thomson Roddick auction in 

Edinburgh on Thursday 22 August. 

Club historian and trust curator 

Tom Wright said : “The final price 

was more than we were expecting, 

but it was worth it in the end. 

“We knew going in that the 

valuation was always likely to be 

much lower than the actual price, 

but we never expected it to go that 

high. 

" I am delighted that the medals 

Meeting Jamie Ritchie 

by Gary Heatly 

Edinburgh Rugby’s Jamie Ritchie 

has just turned 23, but the exciting 

back-row player has packed a lot 

into his life so far and one of the 

pinnacles of his rugby career could 

be just around the corner. 

The former Madrascals [St 

Andrews}, Howe of Fife and 

Strathallan School player joined 

Edinburgh straight from the latter 

in the summer of 2014 and since 

then has gone on to be a star 

player for the national under-20s 

side, the pro outfit and Scotland. 

He is now in the mix to make 

Scotland’s 31-man squad for the 

World Cup in Japan which starts 

next month. 

Since he joined the pro ranks 

he has been seen as one of 

Scotland’s most promising talents 

and he has handled that pressure 

well. 

Indeed, when you realise that he 

and partner Millie have also been 

bringing up a son and daughter 

- three-and-a-half-year-old Oscar 

and 18-month-old Ava - while his 

career has been on an upward 

curve then you have even more 

admiration for this measured 

character. 

“Family life 100 percent makes 

things like this summer camp with 

the national team better,” Ritchie 

said. 

“You can go home after a tough 

day and be exhausted, but the kids 

always have smiles on their face 

and that is great to see. 

“I have been quite lucky in that 

becoming a dad has run almost 

alongside my rugby career, Oscar 

was born the same day as I made 

my first Edinburgh start against 

London Irish [in December 2015] 

for example and Ava has been 

around while I have been making 

my Scotland breakthrough. 

“They keep me grounded and 

busy and while balancing rugby 

and family life can be tough, Millie 

has been brilliant and she puts in 

a lot of hard work with the kids 

to allow me to live out my rugby 

dream. 

“Taking the kids out on the pitch 

after big games like Scotland 

internationals is an amazing 

feeling - it is great that I get to 

share it with them all. 

“I was fortunate to sign for 

Edinburgh straight from school, 

but then I had to get used to get a 

professional game and get used to 

that environment, every player has 

to take their own, different path to 

get to where they want to be. 

“Sometimes you need luck, but 

if you put the hard work in you will 

get there. 

“In the first year at Edinburgh we 

weren’t getting great results and 

will return ‘home’ to Easter Road 

and I’d like to thank everyone who 

donated to the cause.” 

The centre forward, who died in 

2013 aged 84, scored 238 goals in 

333 games for Hibs. 

He won 38 caps for his country, 

netting 22 times. 

there were a lot of injuries so I 

was kind of saying to the coaches 

‘chuck me in’, but I learnt about 

being patient and just getting the 

head down.” 

Ritchie made his Edinburgh 

debut in October 2014 just a few 

months after his 18th birthday, but 

had to wait until December 2015 

to make his first start. 

During the intervening 14 months 

he did a lot of growing up, Oscar 

was born and he remembers one 

Fishing bulletin 


The Almond was fishing steadily 

according to West Lothian Angling 

Association chairman, Bruce 

Hope. 

He added : “There has been a 

welcome spate in the river around 

the right time of year for salmon 

and sea trout to run.” 

The Cramond section from 

Newbridge to the estuary has also 

been fishing well with a number 

of brown trout being caught 

upstream going into the two 

pound mark. 

Chairman Adam Cross said dry 

files have worked well and he 

reported that a number of sea 

trout been taken on wet and dry 

flies on the bottom stretch of the 

beat. A few salmon been also 

been hooked and all the fish have 

been in great condition. 

The Edinburgh and Lothians 

coarse angling club have 

confirmed their match dates for 

the rest of the season. They are 8, 

man helping him a lot. 

“Roddy Grant was a huge help 

to me, he was still playing when I 

was coming through at Edinburgh 

and he was always passing on 

advice and tips,” Ritchie said of 

the former Edinburgh skipper who 

then went on to become forwards 

coach before a move to Ulster this 

summer. 

“The main thing I learnt from 

Roddy was being loud out there on 

the pitch. 

14, 21 and 28 September 2019. 

Meanwhile, 48 pegs are already 

taken for Iain Reid’s two-day 

Memorial Match on Saturday, 

November 9 and Sunday, 

November 10. 

Registration is at the Caravan 

Site at Leven Promenade Car Park 

and it is a measure and return 

event counting for PENN Sea 

League points. 

Entry is £30 and fishing times 

are from 12.30pm to 4.30pm 

(registration 11.30am) and contact 

David Dobbie on 07940 111729 or 

Alan Combe on 07872 899791 

On shore, the Whiteadder is 

in good condition with the river 

holding grilse. Prospects look 

good but the river needs rain to 

keep the level up. 

Thomas Slow from Edinburgh’s 

Portobello area won the ninth 

round of the Bass Rock Sea 

Angling League summer series 

title which was a roving match 

based near Torness Power Station. 

“When you were out there playing 

he would literally talk to you 

constantly in attack and defence 

and make sure everyone knew 

their roles and I realised that for 

me to become a better player it is 

something I had to bring into my 

game. 

“I took that on board and am 

given it my all to make the World 

Cup at the moment.” 

Scotland’s World Cup squad is 

named on 3 September 2019. 

Edinburgh baseball umpire on visit to China 

Thomas Haywood is an 

Edinburgh based international 

baseball umpire. Recently he was 

invited to officiate at the U18 

International Rubber Baseball 

Organisation (IRBO) in Xi'an 

(pronounced "See-Aan), China. In 

2018 Thomas told The Edinburgh 

Reporter he also took charge in 

Taipei, Taiwan. 

He found that the hosts had 

built two full sized baseball fields 

side by side using astro turn on a 

concrete base in just two months. 

Thomas told The Edinburgh 

Reporter : "The weather is always 

a very British talking point. 

During the day it was generally a 

constant 33C and 23C at night, 

however, on the second day of the 

tournament, the whole day was 

lost to rain. Under normal western 

standards, you would shunt the 

games around to make up time 

and everyone would be happy. The 

Chinese answer was to disqualify 

one of the Chinese teams. 

"To say that that team was 

annoyed, was putting it mildly! It's 

a cultural thing. In China, often 

things are dictated to you, you 

don't have an option. The shame 

was the second Chinese team 

was actually quite good. As a 

consolation they were allowed to 

play against the Chinese Taipei 

team which turned out to be a very 

good exhibition game. 

"Rubber baseballs are hollow like 

a tennis ball. They do not give a 

crack when hit by a bat. It is more 

like a dull "boof" sound and they 

do not fly as far. Often when they 

are hit by the bat, they can really 

spin so the umpires have to trust 

the players' reactions (hit by pitch 

etc) and have to wait until the ball 

has spun in the direction it wants 

to go. In all other aspects the 

tournament was played to OBR 

rules. 

"The tournament was won by 

Chinese Taipei in a close fought 

game against China 1st team. 

Korea came third.” 

The strong teams in the 

tournament turned out to be 

Korea, Taipei and China (1st 

team). Singapore and Hong Kong 

sadly did not have the pitching 

or the quality of fielding needed. 

Games against these last two 

teams tended to be lop-sided. 

The Chinese did not waste time 

using the new facility after the 

IRBO tournament. They then 

hosted the National U18 national 

Championships there two days 

later for a 10 day tournament. 

Morton reflects on an emotional day at Meikleriggs 

by Gary Heatly 

When Heriot’s captain Keith 

Morton lifted the silverware 

after his club’s Citylets Scottish 

Cup final victory over Carlton on 

August 25 it was extra special to 

him for a number of reasons. 

For one it means that Keith, 29, 

has now led Heriot’s to a clean 

sweep of trophies during his five 

years at the helm of the first XI, 

this Cup triumph following in the 

footsteps of previous CSL Eastern 

Premier Division glory and wins 

in the National T20 event and the 

Murgitroyd Masterton Trophy. 

And secondly it was a fitting 

way to end what has been a tough 

time personally for him and the 

Goldenacre club who have had to 

deal with the passing of Morton’s 

own father Willie and the passing 

of fellow first XI player Joe 

Kinghorn-Gray’s father Mark during 

the last few weeks. 

Willie was a former Scotland 

Heriot's win the Cup by Donald MacLeod 

internationalist and one of Keith’s 

first coaches while they played in 

a Cup final together for Penicuik 

against Ferguslie back in 2008. 

It was a lovely moment therefore 

when Keith lifted the trophy to 

the sky after their four wicket 

win to show his dad what he had 

achieved and then was able to 

share the moment with his mother 

Donna and his wife Hannah in 

the late sunshine at Ferguslie’s 

Meikleriggs ground. 

“This Cup win is dedicated to the 

people who should have been at 

the match but sadly weren’t - we 

did it for them,” Keith, who has 

now played in four Cup finals and 

won two, said poignantly after the 

match. 

“It has been a tough time, but 

focusing on cricket has helped and 

I put a lot of pressure on myself 

leading into the final because I 

wanted this so much.” 



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