The Edinburgh Reporter November 2019

November 2019 

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk 

NEWS 

Will we know it's Christmas? 

Read more on Page 3 

WHAT'S ON 

After Dark Programme LeithLate19 

Read more on Page 17 

Autumn in the Botanic Gardens Edinburgh Hanna Furdal age 2 enjoys playing in the autumn leaves at the Botanics. PHOTO Alan Simpson Photography 

Our changing skyline 

The largest retail-led 

development in Scotland will be 

ready for opening by this time next 

year, but perhaps more importantly 

for us who live here, the works at 

Picardy Place will be complete 

by mid December 2019. This is 

ten months ahead of schedule 

and Martin Perry, Director of 

Development at Edinburgh St 

James, is really pleased about it. 

In terms of the Growth 

Accelerator Model which is a 

financial relationship between 

the developer, The Scottish 

Government and the council (and 

a means of paying for the £1 

billion development), Edinburgh 

St James is the contractor for the 

Picardy Place works. 

Mr Perry explained : ”Some of 

those works were originally in 

the tram contract which did not 

get built as you are aware. What 

we are doing is completing the 

council's design which they have 

consulted on previously. There, 

the traffic works to create the 

final layout will be completed just 

before Christmas this year - which 

is about ten months before we 

need to complete them under 

the contract. We have been able 

to bring that piece a lot further 

forward." 

Read more on page 6 

FOOD 

The opening party at the 

Scottish Café Read more on 

Page 25 

FEATURE 

The very colourful Mairi Helena 

Read more on Page 26

2 

NEWS 

ABOUT US 

Thank you for reading The 

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Editor: Phyllis Stephen 

editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk 

07791 406 498 

The Edinburgh Reporter 

Letters to the Editor 

Three Peak Challenge 

Dear Editor 

I invite your readers to join an 

amazing charity team climbing the 

three highest peaks in the country. 

When I was just 22 years old, I was 

told I only had three hours to live. 

I was on my way to Norway for 

a work trip when I fell ill. Luckily, 

I wasn’t allowed on the flight 

because I had deadly meningitis. 

I live with long-term after effects 

of the disease - memory loss, 

anxiety, and hearing problems 

and was one of the reasons I 

was so glad I chose to join the 

Meningitis Now team in the Three 

Peak Challenge earlier this year. 

I knew that I was raising money 

for a fantastic cause but I also 

found the most incredible support 

network of people who helped 

me through one of the most 

exhilarating weekends of my life.I 

would encourage anyone, whether 

they have had a meningitis 

experience or not, to join the 

Meningitis Now team. Sign up now 

for Meningitis Now’s Three Peaks 

Challenge 2020 meningitisnow.org 

Holly Jackson - Meningitis Now 

Edinburgh 

Collected 

Several scenes in The Huts were 

filmed around the Wester Hailes 

Venchie, an adventure playground 

built to give children somewhere 

to play. 

The Huts was one of the first 

documentaries made by Channel 4 

and showed how the community in 

Wester Hailes had built community 

huts to provide facilities for groups 

and projects. The photo here of 

Carnival at the Venchie appeared 

in a Sentinel report on the annual 

carnival week that was held in 

Wester Hailes. It shows how 

popular the Venchies were! 

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. It is also a good way 

for organisations to preserve their 

archives in scrapbooks online. 

All Farmers Autocare outlets 

across the city at 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 

Broughton Place Hair & Beauty 

2a Broughton Pl EH1 3RX 

Safety First 

Dear Editor, 

As dark mornings are upon 

us, I would like to appeal to all 

shopkeepers who offer a morning 

newspaper delivery service. 

Please ensure your employee has 

full safety clothing and equipment 

before setting out. Cyclists 

without proper lighting and 

reflective clothing are vulnerable 

on dark, rainy mornings as they 

cross streets on their rounds. 

Especially when young people 

are concerned, I think police 

should prosecute any shopkeeper 

who does not make such safety 

checks. I write as an early 

morning driver who has witnessed 

several near misses. 

Yours etc David Syme 

Muddled thinking 

Dear Sir / Madam, 

There seems to be some 

muddled thinking by the 

authorities, concerning transport 

in the city centre; and very little 

consideration of less-mobile 

citizens (the elderly, or infirm). 

www.edinburghcollected.org 

Please support our stockists! 

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 

Grassmarket Community Project 

86 Candlemaker Row EH1 2QA 

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

We welcome contributions to our website and newspaper. 

The statement that "The number 

of bus stops, particularly on 

Princes Street will be reduced 

in a bid to speed up journeys ..." 

displays a lack of understanding 

of what buses are for. They are 

not something to be got out of the 

way as fast as possible, as if they 

were just an evil to be tolerated. 

They enable people to get around, 

especially people less able to walk 

far. Some of the city centre stops 

are a long walk apart. Making 

the less mobile walk even farther 

negates the purpose of the buses. 

I suspect a lot of this policy is 

driven by younger, fit people, who 

cannot grasp that we are not all 

able to walk far, or ride bicycles. 

Likewise, the emphasis on 

excluding cars fails to take 

account of less-able people who 

are physically unable to use public 

transport. 

Closing roads to buses, and / or 

cars, raises the same problems 

for those less able to get around 

unaided. e.g. Such a person 

wishing to access the post office 

in Forrest Road will have to find 

a way of getting there from a bus 

stop ... where ? ... on Teviot Place, 

or Lothian Street (?), ... how ? ... 

Struggling along in a wheelchair, 

or hobbling on sticks, possibly 

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 

Milk & Honey 

78 Queen Street EH2 4NF 

Ocean Terminal 

Ocean Drive EH6 6JJ 

@EdinReporter 

theedinburghreporter.co.uk 

having to stop here and there to 

get breath. The whole idea seems 

quite heartless. 

Why indeed make any of the 

Old Town streets inaccessible for 

those less able to walk or cycle? 

Is it assumed that such people 

would not want or need to access 

them, or ought not to be allowed to 

in our fit youth culture? 

Previous "consultations" by the 

Council on various matters, - call 

me a cynic, - have seemed to 

me window-dressing, the plans 

already having been decided and 

set in motion long before the 

public were "consulted". The 

abysmal tram project, a vanity 

project if ever there was one, 

seems to have been an example 

of such non-attention to citizens' 

views. I suspect that this City 

Centre Transformation is just 

another example of a "fait 

accompli", masquerading as a 

"consulted" project. 

Yours faithfully, 

Daniel Sutherland 

Scottish Arts Club 

24 Rutland Sq EH1 2BW 

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 

The Royal Scots Club 

29-31 Abercromby Pl EH3 6QE 

Do get in touch if you would like 

to become one of our stockists. 

Our contact details are shown 

below. 

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@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk NEWS 3 

Will there be a Christmas in Edinburgh? 

Building the Christmas Market area in Princes Street Gardens without planning permission. PHOTO Martin P McAdam 

Cliff Hague the Chair of the 

Cockburn Association told The 

Edinburgh Reporter that he does 

not want to stop Edinburgh’s 

Christmas. 

Far from it, he simply wants 

Underbelly who organise the 

festive events on behalf of the 

council to be subject to the same 

rules as anyone else when it 

comes to planning. 

Underbelly began the build 

process for Edinburgh's Christmas 

earlier this week. The area in front 

of the National Gallery of Scotland 

is now covered in a complex 

scaffolding structure. We have 

repeatedly been assured that the 

footprint of the Christmas Market 

is not bigger than before although 

there will be 12 more stalls than in 

previous years. 

Mr Hague said : "I think there 

should be a temporary stop 

notice to pause this significant 

development until the issue is 

resolved. It is a horse and cart 

issue." 

Following enquiries by Terry 

Levinthal the Director of the 

Cockburn Association, it emerged 

on Friday that there is no planning 

permission or application in the 

system. 

The galleries have said all of this 

has nothing to do with them. But 

we have been advised that there 

were several sets of engineers 

working on the design of the new 

Edinburgh's Christmas layout 

and one of those represented the 

galleries. 

A spokesperson for Underbelly 

told The Edinburgh Reporter 

: “Underbelly agreed with the 

Council that it was not possible 

to make a planning application 

until the plans had been agreed 

with the Council as the landlord 

of Edinburgh's Christmas. 

Discussions about the plans 

began with the Council in April 

and were not agreed until October 

12. Following that agreement, 

Underbelly is now compiling its 

planning application which it will 

submit at the earliest possible 

opportunity. 

“The scaffold currently going 

in allows the Christmas market 

to continue in the gardens while 

working round the ongoing 

changes to the landscape and 

also ensures we are taking every 

measure to protect the gardens.” 

A statement is apparently to 

be made to councillors at the 

beginning of the week following a 

review of what has happened and 

what steps Underbelly have taken 

in relation to planning permission. 

It is of course essential to have 

permission including alcohol 

licences before members of the 

public enter the site in a few 

weeks time. 

At the June meeting of the 

council an emergency motion 

was presented advising that a 

two year contract extension had 

been negotiated by the Director 

of Place under delegated powers. 

Underbelly will pick up the cost 

of additional works to protect the 

new bankings installed by the 

National Galleries of Scotland 

during their programme to create 

a new entrance and pathways. As 

allowed in terms of their original 

contract Underbelly asked for 

a three year extension but this 

was curtailed to two to allow 

for everything Christmas and 

Hogmanay related to be reviewed 

in the next 18 months. 

When Underbelly took over 

the contract there was planning 

permission in place until 10 

January 2018. 

The council administration 

included planning matters in 

their Business Plan including a 

commitment to "Improve planning 

enforcement to ensure that all 

developers, large or small, conform 

to Edinburgh’s policies and 

developer’s commitments". 

Council Commitments on a 

planning system that works to 

protect and develop our city 

Prioritise the use of brownfield 

sites and work with public sector 

and private landowners to develop 

land for affordable housing 

Ensure that Council policies 

on planning, licensing and sale 

of Council land give substantial 

weight to the needs of residents 

while still encouraging business 

and tourism 

Review the Council's policy on 

promoting mixed communities. 

The review should be completed 

by summer of 2018 and should 

include homes of multiple 

occupancy, short term temporary 

lets and student housing 

Improve planning enforcement 

to ensure that all developers, large 

or small, conform to Edinburgh’s 

policies and developer’s 

commitments 

Work with the Scottish 

Government to review planning 

policy and overhaul the planning 

appeal system to make it shorter, 

more independent and give 

communities the right to appeal 

Protect Edinburgh World 

Heritage Status and make sure 

developments maintain the 

vibrancy of our city in terms of 

placemaking, design and diversity 

of use. 

Remembrance Garden - Frank Ross, the Right Honourable Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, led a special group of wreath-layers at the annual Opening Ceremony of the Edinburgh 

Garden of Remembrance, at the Scott Monument, Princes Street Gardens at the end of October. Members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, attended the event which 

marked the start of the traditional two-week Remembrance period. This year has added significance as it is 100 years on from the first Remembrance events that were held following 

the end of the First World War. The service was organised by Legion Scotland and will provide the chance to remember those who have fallen in the Great War as well as the many 

subsequent conflicts. More than 30 wreaths were laid at the service.PHOTO Martin P McAdam

4 

NEWS 


David’s actively clearing the way 

David Hunter is Active Travel 

Volunteer of the Year 2019 by 

Paths for All. David has worked 

to make Edinburgh's streets safer 

and better for pedestrians. 

His work has included compiling 

street audits to point out the 

barriers that people face while 

walking along our city streets.. 

These audits led to the council 

enforcing a ban on A boards last 

November. 

Stuart Hay, Director, Living 

Streets Scotland said: "Our 

volunteers are vital to Living 

Streets’ success, so we are 

thrilled that David’s work has been 

recognised. David has done so 

much for the city to make it more 

accessible for people of all ages 

and abilities to enjoy. 

“Banning A-boards is by far the 

most progressive walking measure 

ever introduced by the council – 

and it came as a result of David’s 

tenacity and hard work combined 

with his ability to bring together 

the right people with his infectious 

passion for safer streets.” 

Ian Findlay CBE, Chief Officer, 

Paths for All said: "Getting outside 

and going for a walk is so valuable 

for our own personal health and 

for the health of our planet, so it’s 

very important to take the time to 

thank volunteers like David whose 

selfless efforts are making this 

easier and safer for others around 

him. It’s inspiring to think that, 

collectively, our volunteers who 

are invested in making walking a 

bigger part of daily life are helping 

to incite important behavioural 

change.” 

David Hunter photographed with 

BBC presenter Fiona Stalker and 

Joe FitzPatrick, Minister for Public 

Health, Sport and Wellbeing. 

November - Remembrance month 

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost and 

Veterans Champion, Frank Ross 

writes : 

This November, Edinburgh 

will join the rest of the world in 

commemorating the sacrifices 

of members of the armed forces 

and of civilians in times of 

war. Whether it's by attending 

a Remembrance Service or 

parade, or by simply taking a 

moment of quiet reflection, we 

can all embrace the opportunity 

to observe the season of 

remembrance. 

Every year, as Edinburgh’s 

Veterans Champion, I am 

honoured to lay wreaths on behalf 

of all citizens. I am also so grateful 

to everyone who helps our city 

show enormous gratitude and 

appreciation for the sacrifices 

made over 100 years ago. 

As Scotland’s capital city, we 

should pride ourselves on our 

long military history and our work 

to support our Armed Forces 

community and veterans. Yet, 

we do not need to wait to bear a 

poppy on our blazer to support 

our service men and women - this 

commitment must be year round. 

This month, the Council will 

be presented with the Employer 

Recognition Scheme Gold Award, 

which is the most prestigious 

award an employer can receive 

from the MOD. It follows our work 

to embed support for the services 

in everything we do, 12 months 

a year, to better help Edinburgh’s 

service families, reserves and 

those transitioning back into 

civilian life. 

We reaffirmed our commitment 

by signing the Armed Forces 

Covenant in Business earlier this 

year and we recently reviewed 

and updated our Reserve Forces 

Training and Mobilisation policy. 

We’re also in the process of 

creating an Armed Forces network 

to further support our employees. 

The enormous contribution 

members of the armed forces 

make to their country is well 

known but some employers 

are unaware just how strong 

Edinburgh’s forces community is, 

or that our veterans, reservists 

and cadets can bring a wealth of 

experience to many different roles. 

I held a business breakfast in 

September to try and change that. 

It was a unique opportunity to 

discuss Edinburgh’s commitment 

to our veterans and encourage 

other employers to follow. 

Small changes can make a big 

difference. 

This is in addition to the work 

of the Lord Provost’s commission 

on the Strategy for Our Veterans, 

which I’ve established to drive 

forward our city’s commitments. 

Settling into civilian life after time 

in service and as a service family 

member can be a difficult time for 

many, but with the right training, 

employment and support it doesn’t 

have to be. 

If remembrance season inspires 

you to improve your forces friendly 

credentials, please don’t hesitate 

to get in touch with me on lord. 

provost@edinburgh.gov.uk and I 

will support where I can. 

Focus on getting rid of 

street clutter 

Last year the council banned A 

boards from Edinburgh streets 

and although a few rogue boards 

remain (along with the odd 

advertising bike here and there) 

the streets have largely been 

cleared. 

Earlier this summer the Living 

Streets Edinburgh Group carried 

out a project to tackle even more 

of the stuff we have to walk 

around. 

They wanted to identify at least 

100 objects which get in the way 

of walking. And showing that 

they are actually doing something 

positive, they aim to have at least 

some of these removed. 

They walked the streets, using 

suggestions from community 

councils and were joined by 

some community councillors and 

elected members of the City of 

Edinburgh Council. 

News in Brief 

The Portobello and Craigmillar 

Neighbourhood Network invites 

applications from community and 

third sector groups. 

This opportunity is for local 

groups to use in a variety of ways 

- a start-up grant for new groups 

or community projects, buying a 

new piece of equipment for your 

group, improving or developing 

your community group's activities, 

raising awareness of your group's 

activities, finding out about the 

needs in your community or small 

scale projects to enhance quality 

of life and complement other 

improvements in that area. 

The Portobello and Craigmillar 

Neighbourhood Network 

Community Grant fund offers two 

levels of grants to constituted 

voluntary and community groups: 

Level 1 is a larger grant from 

£501-£2,500; Level 2 is a smaller 

grant up to £500. The application 

process opened this week and 

closes on 22 November 2019 at 

4pm. 

Art for the disabled 

An Edinburgh-based art gallery 

and studio has adopted new 

technology to improve customer 

experiences for disabled visitors. 

Edinburgh Printmakers, which 

is home to a gallery, printmaking 

studio and café, is one of the latest 

businesses to have subscribed 

to Welcome by Neatebox. The 

innovative platform, which was 

developed by former guide dog 

They found 290 items of clutter 

- signage poles, guard rails, large 

rubbish bins, phone kiosks and 

roadworks signs. They have 

reported all of these to the council 

and are awaiting a response. 

In the Council's Street Design 

Guidance there is provision to 

minimise street clutter, but Living 

Streets feel that the effects of this 

are limited in practice. 

They plan to produce a report 

and video when they have the 

funding to do so. 

At the moment they drew this to 

our attention. 

One piece of clutter which can 

be removed as it is no longer of 

effect is the vertical pole with a No 

Loading sign on it. 

Do you have any of those on your 

street? Do tweet a photo to us or 

to Living Streets if you do! 

mobility instructor Gavin Neate 

allows users to notify venues 

ahead of their arrival and request 

additional support if needed. 

Royal Yacht in tourist poll 

Age UK Mobility, one of the UK’s 

leading stairlift and disability 

equipment providers, have 

conducted research by combining 

multiple datasets to uncover the 

most (and least) accessible of the 

UK’s top attractions. 

Royal Yacht Britannia was ranked 

in the top 5 most accessible 

attractions in the UK. TripAdvisor’s 

30 best-rated UK attractions have 

been entered into a unique ranking 

system that takes into account 

various different existing data 

points pertaining to accessibility – 

such as the existence of disabled 

toilets and whether guide dogs are 

welcome. . 

Lyell's notebooks join university 

collection 

Remarkable notebooks belonging 

to a scientist admired by Charles 

Darwin will join the University of 

Edinburgh’s collections, after a 

successful campaign.Close to £1 

million was raised to purchase a 

collection of writings by Scottish 

geologist, Sir Charles Lyell. 

Money donated by more than 

1,000 supporters of the campaign, 

a grant from the National Heritage 

Memorial Fund (NHMF) and a 

contribution from the University 

has successfully secured the 

books. 

We offer great advertising rates! 

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


Possible community buyout at crucial stage 

by Andy Richardson 

Campaigners in Leith have 

reached a crucial stage in their bid 

to take a threatened building into 

community ownership. 

Local residents are setting up 

a body to buy the sandstone 

building on Stead’s Place, if it is 

put up for sale. An application 

by current owner Drum Property 

Group to replace it with student 

flats was rejected by City of 

Edinburgh Council in January. 

Drum’s appeal to that decision is 

being considered by the Scottish 

Government. 

In the meantime, campaigners 

have been gathering signatures 

and preparing the way for a 

buy-out. They believe the move 

would support local entrepreneurs 

and respect the heritage and 

diverse cultural mix along Leith 

Walk. 

In October almost 100 people 

attended a public meeting held 

in Leith Dockers Club where 

Colin Grey, from Community 

Right to Buy (CRTB), Morven 

Campbell, from Community Shares 

Scotland, and the Save Leith 

Walk Campaign, outlined how the 

buy-out could happen. 

The process requires a 

community to prove there is 

significant local support for the 

proposal. 

The meeting heard that 

signatures have been gathered, 

the business plan is done, and 

the community body, whose 

name is 'Our Leith Walk', has been 

registered at Companies House. 

The group expected to submit 

its application forms at the end 

of October. CRTB will organise 

a postal vote for the ENH6 5** 

postcode area to verify that there 

is sufficient local support before 

government ministers assess the 

application. If that is approved, the 

owner of the sandstone building 

New Moderatordesignate 

announced 

A minister who set up a mental 

health support service following 

the suicide of Frightened Rabbit 

frontman Scott Hutchinson 

has been chosen to be the 

next Moderator of the General 

Assembly of the Church of 

Scotland. 

Rev Dr Martin Fair will take up 

the ambassador role next May. He 

said he was left “devastated” after 

the singer of one of his favourite 

bands took his own life and 

decided he could no longer stand 

idly by and do nothing. 

The 55-year-old, minister of 

St Andrews Parish Church in 

Arbroath, Angus, oversaw the 

rollout of three services delivered 

by the congregation’s social action 

project, Havilah, earlier this year. 

Dr Fair said faith groups and 

other bodies have an “obligation” 

to fill gaps in public provision 

because the level of statutory 

support for drug addiction and 

mental health in Scotland is 

“desperately short” of what is 

needed. 

He said too many vulnerable 

people were being failed and 

politicians must redouble their 

efforts to address the crisis. 

Dr Fair was ordained and 

inducted into St Andrew’s Parish 

Church in 1992. 

He said he hoped to highlight 

addiction and mental health 

issues during his year in office. 

He will be the first Moderator 

from Arbroath to serve as the 

Kirk’s ambassador both at 

home and abroad. Fittingly his 

appointment begins in 2020 which 

will be the 700th anniversary year 

of the Declaration of Arbroath. 

is obliged to give the community 

body the first chance to buy it if 

they decide to sell. Our Leith Walk 

would then have eight months to 

come up with funds to buy the 

building for the community. 

Anne Atkinson, a spokesperson 

for the campaigners, said: "Money 

should not be a problem. Local 

people will be able to buy shares 

in the enterprise which would 

then be owned and governed by 

the community it serves. We are 

working with Community Shares 

Scotland, and as a not-for-profit 

we can apply to a wide range of 

funding bodies for money. 

"I feel passionate that a 

community buy-out of Stead's 

Place would give us the 

opportunity to keep rents low and 

make sure future tenants are what 

is needed and wanted in our area." 

For more information contact 

Anne saveleithwalk@gmail.com 

There’s stIll tIme! 

The Scottish Government-funded scheme 

to help you install cavity or internal wall 

insulation at a reduced cost has been 

extended for Edinburgh residents*. 

CALL US FREE on 0808 808 2282 or email 

insulation@se.homeenergyscotland.org 

to register your interest. 

*Subject to funding and confirmation by technical survey. Eligibility criteria apply. 

Art and Craft 

exhibition and 

sale 

After a busy year of creativity 

and fun, the ECAS Art and Craft 

groups are ready to welcome 

visitors to their Art and Craft 

Exhibition and Sale. 

Drop by the ECAS offices from 

5-8 November 2019 to see their 

work which is on display and for 

sale. The exhibition will be open 

from: 

Tuesday, 5 November: 

2.00-4.00pm 

Wednesday, 6 November: 

10.00am-4pm 

Thursday, 7 November: 10.00am- 

4.00pm 

Friday, 8 November: 10.00- 

11.00am 

Ecas is an Edinburgh-based 

charity (number SCO102790), set 

up in 1902 to help those who have 

a physical disability. 

Moderator Designate Rev Dr 

Martin Fair PHOTO ©2019 The 

Edinburgh Reporter

6 

NEWS 


Edinburgh St James is changing 

the skyline and the retail circuit 

continued from page 1. 

"There is still some work to think 

about on the island site in the 

centre. That still has some council 

consultation to go on that. 

"There is also another piece 

where we are trying to finish off 

the connection. This is the area 

which comes across in front of 

the Cathedral and up to Edinburgh 

St James. We are looking at this 

currently and improving the whole 

of that public realm with new 

natural stone, planting and trees 

and some kiosks. All of this will 

make this area a lot more lively on 

that dead side of John Lewis. 

“There is at the moment a strip of 

empty tarmac - that is the tram bar 

The Quaich Project is the 

private-public partnership to 

design and redevelop the Ross 

Bandstand in West Princes Street 

Gardens as well as the area around 

it. 

It is one of Europe’s most 

significant green space 

developments, and those behind 

it hope it will allow the Gardens 

to emerge as one of the most 

acclaimed city gardens in the 

world on a par with projects such 

as New York’s High Line and 

Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. 

The vision is to reimagine the 

gardens as a space for all to 

celebrate and enjoy in new ways. 

It began with a gift of £5 million 

from local businessman Norman 

Springford. 

Work has included a major 

capital spend of £2 million on 

renovating the Ross Fountain This 

project was also backed by private 

funding. 

where the new tram stop will go 

and feed on to the central island 

site. All of that is done, prepared 

and completed ready for the tram 

contract to come in and actually 

put the tram tracks and tram stop 

in place. 

Where we sit at the current 

time from a traffic movement 

and disruption aspect we are 

doing the last leg of that and it 

will be complete by the middle of 

December." 

Walking from Princes Street this 

time next year you will have a new 

destination as Edinburgh St James 

will be open. Mr Perry explained 

this from the developer's point of 

view. He said : "Some concerns 

There is now a new drive to 

raise the extra funds needed to 

create a new space fit for the 21st 

century in the gardens with an 

international launch last month. 

Work has been carried out 

to completely renovate The 

Gardener’s Cottage, one of 

Edinburgh’s best known sights. 

The project is currently within 

the design development stage, all 

building up towards a planning 

application which will be 

submitted in 2020. 

Dates for public consultation on 

The Quaich Project have now been 

announced : 

Central Library, 7-9 George IV 

Bridge, EH1 1EG 

Saturday 9 November 10:30am- 

4:30pm 

Monday 11 November 1:00pm- 

7:30pm 

Tuesday 12 November 10:30am- 

4:30pm 

have been raised about the state 

of Princes Street. We see it as 

the ability to create a dynamic 

retail circuit and have specifically 

avoided going after tenants who 

are already in the city such as 

Primark and Marks & Spencer. 

They are currently the anchors of 

Princes Street. 

"Apple is also an anchor on the 

main street along with the likes of 

H & M. 

"Essentially what we are trying to 

do is create a circuit which uses 

Hanover Street, Frederick Street 

and George Street coming into 

St Andrew Square past Harvey 

Nichols and through the luxury 

sector on Multrees Walk." 

West Princes Street Gardens - 

Consultation dates for the diary 

Wednesday 13 November 

1:00pm-7:30pm 

Thursday 14 November 10:30am- 

4:30pm 

Friday 15 November 10:30am- 

4:30pm 

Saturday 16 November 10:30am- 

4:30pm 

Morningside Library, 184 

Morningside Road, EH10 4PU 

Tuesday 19 November 

1pm-7:30pm 

Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Road, 

Edinburgh EH6 4AE 

Wednesday 20 November 

1pm-7:30pm 

Portobello Community Centre, 3 

Adelphi Grove, EH15 1AP 

Thursday 21 November 

1pm-7:30pm 

Drumbrae Library Hub, 81 

Drumbrae Drive, EH4 7FE 

Monday 25 November 10:30am- 

4:30pm 

Twenty is having an 

impact 

by Council Leader Adam McVey 

When we first began to roll out 

a network of 20mph roads across 

the Capital in 2016 - becoming 

Scotland’s first 20mph city - we 

envisioned safer, calmer and more 

welcoming streets, encouraging 

walking and cycling and increasing 

social interaction. 

I’m delighted therefore to see 

that slower speed limits are 

already having a real impact on 

the safety and well-being of our 

residents and visitors, as reported 

to the Transport and Environment 

Committee earlier this month. 

Public support for the scheme 

is up, with 65% of those polled in 

household survey, now in favour 

(24% of whom, strongly) compared 

to 58% (20% strongly) before the 

rollout. People who walk and 

cycle report doing so much more 

Gucci leads the way 

at the City Chambers 

No truly this is not all about 

councillors' expenses and the Lord 

Provost's underwear. 

Gucci is a dog. 

Edinburgh Councillor Derek 

Howie took some time recently 

to introduce us to Gucci - his new 

guide dog. She is a golden cross 

Lab/Retriever, and is very sweet 

indeed. 

With a genetic eyesight disorder 

Cllr Howie has had several guide 

dogs before. His most recent, 

Lloyd, was very well known around 

the City Chambers and had joined 

Waverley Mall, Edinburgh 

welcomes back its popular 

seasonal pop-up shop, Calendar 

Club to the centre in time for the 

busy Christmas period. 

Customers can shop their 1,000+ 

products in-store or choose from 

an extended range of a further 

5,500 available through their 

special order service in-store. 

Their range includes calendars 

and planners, diaries and 

frequently now streets are calmer 

and respondents feel Edinburgh’s 

traffic speeds are “very safe” for 

cycling. 

Speeds are falling across the 

city, with significantly fewer people 

driving at 30mph+ and a rise in 

drivers travelling below 20mph. 

With an estimated 6% reduction 

in accidents for every 1mph drop 

in speed, these figures speak for 

themselves. 

Of course, there’s more to be 

done to encourage compliance 

and, with the roll-out of 20mph 

only completed last year, it’s still 

bedding in. But, with new drivers 

passing their tests every day with 

20mph as the norm, communities 

across the city calling for more 

streets to be added to the network 

and support for the scheme 

growing, I’m confident that 

we’ll see more and more people 

adhering to speed limits, helping 

deliver the many benefits that 

safer, calmer streets can bring. 

Derek on his campaign trail when 

he became a councillor. Cllr Howie 

said this is his sixth dog and he 

had just been passed by the Guide 

Dogs for the Blind Association as 

a new 'unit 'with Gucci. 

In his leader's report, Council 

Leader Adam McVey said : “ I 

welcome the newest recruit to 

the full Council fold, Cllr Howie’s 

new assistance dog, Gucci. I’m 

sure everyone will give her a warm 

welcome as she makes her debut 

in the Council Chamber, following 

in her predecessor Lloyd’s 

well-practised pawsteps." 

Calendar Club is back 

stationery. You will find Calendar 

Club outside Yours Clothing. 

Jacquelyn Stewart, General 

Manager, Waverley Mall says: 

“We’re thrilled to welcome 

Calendar Club back to the 

centre this festive season. Their 

appearance on our mall always 

signals the imminent arrival of 

the Christmas period, with all the 

excitement that it brings so it’s a 

great reminder that Christmas is 

just around the corner!”


New technology developed in 

Edinburgh to diagnose cancer 

Imaging tools help cancer team 

build clearer picture of tumours 

Early diagnosis and treatment of 

cancer patients could be helped 

by new imaging technology that 

sheds light on how tumours form. 

Researchers at University of 

Edinburgh’s Medical Research 

Council Centre for Reproductive 

Health have developed a tool that 

can detect the key cells involved 

in the formation of metastatic – or 

secondary – tumours. 

This could also help scientists 

track how the tumours are 

progressing. 

Insulate and reduce your heating 

bills 

The temperature is dropping so 

we’re thinking about turning on our 

heating at home again. 

One of the best ways to avoid 

wasting money on your heating 

bills is to make sure there is no 

heat loss through the walls of your 

The probe lights up small groups 

of previously unseen immune 

cells which help cancer cells form 

tumours. 

The team hopes to help find 

out how different types of 

immune cells influence tumour 

development, either negatively or 

positively. 

Doctors could use the 

technology to monitor patients’ 

response to treatment. 

The study was funded by the 

European Commission, the 

Medical Research Council and the 

Wellcome Trust. 

property. 

Up to 33% of the heat in an 

uninsulated home escapes 

through the walls and installing 

insulation is one of the most 

effective ways to keep the heat in*. 

The City of Edinburgh Council, 

Home Energy Scotland and 

Changeworks are working together 

to deliver cavity and internal wall 

insulation projects in Edinburgh. 

Thanks to Scottish Government 

funding, insulation will be available 

to Edinburgh residents at a 

Dr Takanori Kitamura, of the MRC 

Centre at Edinburgh University 

said: “This technology allows us to 

see how a specific type of immune 

cell affects how tumours grow. 

This advance will be important in 

improving patient diagnoses” 

Dr Marc Vendrell, of the 

University of Edinburgh’s Centre 

for Inflammation Research, said: 

“This is an important advance in 

our abilities to study the role that 

immune cells play in tumours. We 

hope that this new technology will 

accelerate the design of better 

therapies to halt the development 

of metastasis.” 

Charity warns we must do more to 

prepare for the needs of elderly 

Age Scotland warns that 

Scotland needs to urgently 

prepare for the health, care and 

housing needs of a rapidly ageing 

population, as well as a steep rise 

in older workers. 

New figures from National 

Records of Scotland predict a 

23.2 per cent rise in the number of 

pensioners by 2043, equivalent to 

more than 240,000 older people. 

Only 62 per cent of the 

population will be working age, 

compared to 64 per cent in 

mid-2018. 

With more deaths than births 

each year, growth could stall by 

2043 if migration does not fill the 

gap. 

Brian Sloan, Chief Executive of 

Age Scotland, said: “It’s welcome 

news that we’re living longer, but 

we need to do more to prepare 

for the health, social care, and 

housing needs of a soaring older 

population. 

“This trend has been clear for 

years, but we are still not investing 

nearly enough resources in our 

NHS and social care system. They 

are already buckling under the 

strain, with delayed discharges 

out of control and too many older 

people unable to access the care 

they need, when they need it. 

"Health and Social Care 

Partnerships across Scotland are 

also going to have to start firing 

on all cylinders to get this right. 

And it is only going to get more 

challenging with rising demand 

and fewer younger people to 

support them. 

“Our research shows that 

thousands of older people are 

stuck in unsuitable homes and are 

unable to downsize or adapt them 

to fit their needs. We urgently need 

to build much more accessible, 

adaptable, age-friendly homes, 

that are part of communities and 

allow people to live independently 

as long as possible. 

“With fewer people of working 

age, it’s essential that businesses 

do more to support older workers 

and invest in life-long learning. 

Working longer is becoming 

part of life, but too many older 

employees feel that their skills and 

experience aren’t valued. 

"We need to prepare for 

the future by creating more 

age-inclusive workplaces. These 

would include better health 

support and flexible working 

opportunities, as well as a 

commitment to tackling age 

discrimination.” 

reduced cost**. 

Register your interest in 

having insulation installed 

by calling Home Energy 

Scotland free on 0808 808 

2282 or emailing insulation@ 

se.homeenergyscotland.org 

*Based on a typical 

semi-detached house in Great 

Britain. 

**Subject to funding and 

confirmation by technical survey. 

Eligibility criteria apply. 

Autumn celebration 

for Atlantic rowers 

Two men who rowed 3,000 miles 

across the Atlantic Ocean in aid 

of veterans’ mental health charity 

Combat Stress will share their 

tales of adventure at a lecture this 

month. 

The annual lecture is on 

Wednesday 13 November at 

Loretto School in Musselburgh. 

Robin Drysdale and Will 

Theakston – two of the ‘Men of 

Oar’ rowing team – will describe 

how they overcame the sheer 

adversity of this year’s Talisker 

Whisky Atlantic Challenge, 

regarded as the world’s toughest 

rowing race. 

Rowing unsupported from the 

Canary Islands to Antigua and 

facing daily 20-foot waves, it is a 

monumental challenge. In fact, 

more people have been to space 

than have completed the race. The 

two men saw the challenge as the 

perfect opportunity to inspire both 

themselves and others in dealing 

with psychological pressures. 

Tickets are free but donations 

to the charity can be made upon 

booking. 

To commemorate the charity’s 

centenary, the event will include 

a raffle to win one of the 

commemorative ceramic poppies 

that featured in the ‘Fields of 

Blood and Red’ display outside the 

Tower of London. 

combatstress.org.uk 

SPOKES Bulletin 

Spokes is the Lothian Cycle 

Campaign – a non party political 

voluntary organisation, founded 

in 1977. It has a long history of 

effective campaigning for better 

CARGOBIKES 

Use of cargo-bikes for local transport of everything 

from parcels to goods to children is common in 

Europe and growing rapidly in Britain. 

Edinburgh looks set to join, notably with Council and 

Sustrans cargo-bike support for Leith Walk businesses 

during tramline construction. More at our public meeting! 

SPOKES CARGOBIKE CASH GRANTS 

Thanks to a kind anonymous donor, Spokes offers grants 

up to £1500 or 50% of the cost [whichever is least] for 

community groups in Edinburgh or Lothian needing a 

cargo bike. Grants at our discretion; conditions apply. 

For information sheet and application form go to 

spokes.org.uk : documents : advice : cargobikes. 

Larger grants and loans are available to a range of 

organisations, for cargo-bike and ebike fleets, from 

energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/grants-loans/ebike-grant-fund. 

TRY/HIRE/BUY A CARGO BIKE 

CBs can be hired from Harts Cyclery [see p4 advert] and 

from Festival of Cycling, edfoc.org.uk/cargo-bike-hire. 

CBs can be purchased from Harts, Laidback and 

Edinburgh Bicycle Coop [see p4 adverts for contacts]. 

Businesses can borrow CBs free for a trial period from 

Sustrans Scotland. Info: Search cargo bike at sustrans.org.uk. 

conditions for cyclists, especially 

in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The 

SPOKES bulletin is available in 

bike shops, libraries and online at 

www.spokes.org.uk/bulletin 

NEW CYCLING SOLUTIONS 

EDINBURGH CYCLE HIRE E-BIKES 

The first 30 Just Eat Edinburgh e-bikes can now be tried out at community 

events (such as Open Streets on the first Sunday of each month). The full 168- 

bike fleet will be launched for public hire in the Spring. The bikes give e- 

assist up to 15mph max and can even zoom up Ramsay Gardens (photo)! 

They will be located with the normal bikes and unlocked the same way. 

Contact edinburghcyclehire.com for more info or to discuss possible ebike events. 

Fri 15 Nov : SPOKES PUBLIC MTG 

Advertise your business in 

The Edinburgh Reporter from only 

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

8 

POLITICS 

Found wanting 

by Deidre Brock MP 

In a country as rich as ours 

no-one should need to be 

worried about putting a meal on 

the table but we have massive 

problems. People are going for 

days without eating, some are 

choosing between paying for 

food, electricity or rent, parents 

go without food to make sure their 

children get something, some 

people are left with nothing. 

A recent discussion with some 

experts in the field made it all too 

clear to me the shame that folk 

feel if they have to ask for some 

help. They told me about the 

stress and worry that an uncertain 

food supply creates and about 

how hunger is just a small part of 

the problem. 

Benefits sanctions are part of 

the problems and the increasing 

prices caused by Brexit will make 

it worse but it’s not the whole 

story. People working full time but 

struggling to survive are a growing 

percentage of our population. It’s 

going to need a collective effort 

to address it and we’ll need ideas 

and indignation to change the 

situation so the first thing is to get 

informed. 

Catch up with the info at 

menuforchange.org.uk/ and have 

a look at the Found Wanting report 

in their Latest News. Let’s see if 

we can find a way to change it. 

Getting on with the 

day job 

by Ben Macpherson MSP 

While Westminster has been 

a chaotic shambles recently, 

the Scottish Parliament and 

the Scottish Government have 

been diligently and successfully 

“getting on with the day job” and 

taking Scotland forward. For 

example, on the 9 October the 

Scottish Parliament passed the 

Transport (Scotland) Bill which will 

help transform our communities 

into cleaner and healthier places 

to travel through and enjoy. 

This new law enables Local 

Authorities, like The City of 

Edinburgh Council, to: 1) introduce 

low-emission zones that will 

improve air quality and public 

health; 2) manage roadworks more 

effectively, reducing disruption and 

improving our road network; 3) 

implement measures to reduce car 

use and support public transport; 

and, importantly in Edinburgh, 4) 

enforce a strong ban on pavement 

and double parking. 

This new law is just one recent 

example of the progress that The 

Scottish Parliament has delivered 

over the last 20 years - in a year 

when Holyrood has passed 12 

substantial pieces of legislation 

and Westminster hasn’t even 

managed to pass 1. 

Local Politicians have their say 


People’s Vote 

by Daniel Johnson MSP 

Although it has been said many 

times before, it’s clear we find 

ourselves in the most important 

weeks of the Brexit process. 

After the vote on Super Saturday, 

Parliament ruled - and the court 

of public opinion seemed to agree 

with them - that the Prime Minister 

and his new deal could not be 

trusted. 

Boris Johnson planned to push 

through his deal with only three 

days of parliamentary scrutiny, in 

order to meet his 31st of October 

target. That deadline appears lost 

by Gordon Macdonald MSP 

In the last month, the new 

Transport Bill has been passed 

in The Scottish Parliament and 

is set to bring forward radical 

improvements to Scotland’s 

transport network. 

It will tackle air pollution in 

Scotland which, although it has 

reduced in recent years, remains 

an issue predominantly due to 

road transport. Edinburgh will now 

be able to designate Low Emission 

Zones to transform our city into 

a cleaner and healthier place to 

travel and enjoy. 

The bill also means that, not only 

will there be no change to the age 

of eligibility for the free bus pass, 

but the scheme will be extended to 

include carers of under-fives with 

disabilities. 

Additionally, it will introduce 

standardised ticketing technology 

to ensure compatibility, and an 

now. 

A document that is 110 pages 

long, with 125 additional pages of 

explanatory notes. 

Not only was this perilously little 

time for scrutiny but it also only 

legislates for a transition period 

of up to December 2020, with no 

further Parliamentary approval 

required. 

This raises the very serious 

prospect of a no deal Brexit 

through the back door. 

This all underlines the need to 

take this question back to the 

people in a People’s Vote. 

The drugs debate 

by Tommy Sheppard MP 

We have a serious problem in our 

country. Last year 1187 people 

lost their lives in a drug related 

death. That’s a statistic that 

should shame all of us. 

I’ve been talking about this 

for some time now, and the 

Scottish Affairs Committee in 

Westminster has heard evidence 

from academics, practitioners and 

those with lived experience as part 

of our drug inquiry. The war on 

drugs has not and will not work. 

We need to take a different 

approach. 

At the SNP’s annual conference, 

I proposed a motion along with 

colleagues Alison Thewliss 

MP and Ronnie Cowan MP. 

I’m proud and heartened that 

delegates voted unanimously 

to devolve drug laws and 

support decriminalisation of the 

possession and use of drugs 

to allow health interventions. 

Scotland wants to do things 

differently. We want to save lives. 

The UK government must let us. 

Transport Bill motoring on 

advisory body to best support 

practical Scotland-wide smart 

ticketing. 

Given the number of complaints 

I have received over the years, I 

am pleased that this Transport Bill 

will prohibit double parking and 

parking on pavements. Edinburgh 

and other councils will be given 

the powers needed to enforce this 

important change. Although there 

can be exemptions made to the 

ban on parking on pavements in 

some areas, there are strict criteria 

that must be met. 

I am sure many drivers and 

public transport users will 

welcome, this legislation 

will strengthen the powers 

of the Scottish Road Works 

Commissioner to better regulate 

road works. 

Councils will also now be 

able to implement a workplace 

parking levy on employers, with 

Making 

Brexit 

worse 

by Ian Murray MP 

The SNP’s opportunistic drive 

for a second independence 

referendum during the Brexit crisis 

will not solve the Brexit problem, 

but simply multiply its damage. 

The solution to the break-up of a 

political and economic union is 

not to break up a much older and 

more deeply ingrained one. 

Two wrongs do not make a right 

and the answer to Brexit is not 

Scexit. 

Here in Edinburgh – where so 

many residents work in sectors 

like higher education and financial 

services – we simply cannot 

afford the consequences of 

leaving the EU single market and 

the UK single market. 

Too many jobs depend on the 

ability to trade seamlessly across 

borders, yet the SNP is now openly 

talking up a hard border with 

England. 

We face many challenges as a 

country, from climate change to 

poverty, but none of the pressing 

issues will be addressed by the 

creation of more national borders. 

the proceeds ring-fenced to fund 

local transport strategies. This 

money will directly fund better 

transport services and the levy 

will be shaped by local needs and 

local transport objectives - locally 

appropriate exemptions is a key 

part of that. However, there are 

national exemptions for blue 

badge spaces, NHS and hospital 

properties and GP practices. 

Councils can also apply local 

exemptions to any premises, 

persons or vehicles; they can vary 

the charges to different days, 

times of day, different parts of the 

licensing area, different people 

and different premises. 

These funds will be in addition 

to the recently announced £27 

million to support more than 

200 cycling and walking projects 

across the country and the £500 

million investment towards bus 

priority infrastructure.

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk POLITICS 9 

Regressive tax will harm the most 

vulnerable 

by Jeremy Balfour MSP 

In October the Scottish 

Parliament passed the Transport 

(Scotland) Bill. While there 

is much about this bill that I 

welcome, as a disabled person, I 

am deeply concerned about the 

consequences that some aspects 

of the bill could have on those with 

disabilities. 

Of greatest concern is the 

introduction of a Workplace 

Parking Levy which will be of 

particular disadvantage to people 

with a disability who cannot use 

public transport. This places a tax 

on the disabled and in the cases 

where employers have to pay the 

cost of parking for their disabled 

employees, it will inevitably 

result in discrimination within the 

recruitment process. 

Despite this, the amendment 

proposed by my Conservative 

colleague, Michelle Ballantyne 

Delay, worry and expense 

by Gordon Lindhurst MSP 

Yet again, numerous MPs in 

the Westminster Parliament 

deliberately delay our exit from 

the EU. Yet again, a slap in the 

face for our European friends 

and neighbours who have twice 

agreed a compromise with the UK 

Government to ensure an orderly 

and agreed Brexit. 

Not that leaving without a 

deal would be disorderly. The 

WTO rules which are the basis 

for many large trading nations 

across the globe would apply 

instead of the current EU ones. 

The only real problem is the 

continuing irresponsible worrying 

and delay fuelled by extremist 

remainers intent on frustrating the 

referendum outcome. 

This delay has a high economic 

price, as companies do not know 

the basis on which trading will 

take place going forward. 

It is that uncertainty, caused 

solely by the failure to agree a way 

forward and deliver Brexit quickly, 

which has caused huge expense 

to the UK. 

It is clear that opposition parties, 

in particular the SNP, will stop 

MSP, which would have given 

exemption to all those in receipt 

of a disability living allowance, a 

personal independence payment 

or disability assistance, was 

rejected. 

The parties that voted against 

the amendment – the SNP, the 

Liberal Democrats and the Greens 

– regularly emphasise their 

support for inclusion and diversity 

in the workplace. My question 

therefore is: when will this 

inclusivity extend to the disabled? 

at nothing to reject the result of 

the referendum. Nothing new 

there from the SNP - they have 

continually sought an Indyref2 

since losing in 2014. 

Perhaps new over the recent past 

have been the attempts by party 

politicians and others to use the 

courts to enforce their political 

will where they have failed by 

democratic means in Parliament. 

It is no wonder that ordinary 

voters are losing faith in 

Parliament and other institutions 

when the referendum decision 

remains undelivered. 

Three jobs Davidson criticised 

Edinburgh Central MSP Ruth 

Davidson has been openly 

criticised for taking a third job 

while still serving as a member of 

the Scottish Parliament. 

She has been appointed by 

Tulchan Communications to a 

£50,000 a year advisory position 

alongside former Conservative 

Party chair Lord Feldman. 

Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay 

is putting forward a Member’s Bill 

at the Scottish Parliament aiming 

to stop MSPs like Ruth Davidson 

from having a second job. 

Neil Findlay MSP said : “Ruth 

Davidson’s actions bring the 

Scottish Parliament into disrepute. 

“Instead of standing up for her 

constituents in parliament she will 

be standing up for the firms that 

her bosses are paid to lobby for. 

“You cannot be a parliamentarian 

and a highly paid lobbyist at the 

same time. 

“If she wants to continue 

pocketing tens of thousands of 

pounds from this lobbying firm she 

should resign as an MSP. 

“The people of Edinburgh 

deserve an MSP that will represent 

them, not private corporations.” 

Scottish Green MSP for 

Lothian Alison Johnstone 

said: “The people of Edinburgh 

Central elected Ruth Davidson 

to represent them, not use her 

position to earn £50,000 from 

lobbyists. 

“This is clearly a conflict of 

interest. Davidson needs to resign 

from the corporate body and as 

an MSP so Edinburgh Central can 

elect a committed representative. 

“Most folk who take second jobs 

do so through pressing necessity. 

It’s time for a by-election in 

Edinburgh Central, not to mention 

a change in the law. Neil Findlay’s 

bill on second jobs for MSPs 

should be fast tracked to stop this 

happening again.” 

Ms Davidson was recently 

appointed by broadcaster STV as 

a mental health adviser. 

A breath of fresh air 

by Christine Jardine MP 

The impact that breathing toxic 

air has on our health has been 

underlined by a series of worrying 

medical studies over the past 

few weeks. So I was delighted 

with Edinburgh Council’s recent 

decision to review the boundaries 

of their proposed Low Emissions 

Zone (LEZ), following a threemonth 

public consultation which 

received almost 3,000 responses. 

As things stand, the proposals 

would introduce a full LEZ in the 

city centre only, where the most 

polluting vehicles in all categories 

will be charged a levy to enter. 

There would be another city-wide 

zone which would only apply to 

buses, coaches and commercial 

vehicles. 

This means that cars in some of 

Going Green 

by Councillor Claire Miller 

As the Green councillor for the 

City Centre, I prioritise protecting 

our urban green spaces and 

trees. I’ve been working hard to 

champion the idea of our parks 

and gardens being spared large 

scale and high impact events. 

However, one of the difficulties 

this throws up is where to stage 

the events that we want to host. 

I’ve long been of the view that we 

have to use existing paved spaces 

in our city for the outdoor events 

we would like to attend. Readers 

will all be familiar with fantastic 

central event locations such as 

Castle Street with its view of the 

castle, Festival Square outside 

by Councillor Gordon Munro 

It was good to get a tour of the 

‘still-getting-built’ Duncan Place. 

This will be an exciting addition 

to Leith when it opens in January 

2020 and is the result of hard work 

by a dedicated bunch of volunteers 

who fought to keep it open for the 

community. 

Council officers have gone 

the extra mile to help make this 

happen and it was good to hear 

acknowledgment of that work 

from the volunteers on our tour. 

The refurbishment keeps alive 

the most polluted areas of the city 

would be exempt from the rules, 

and pollution-spewing vehicles 

would still clog up hotspots 

across wider Edinburgh like St. 

John’s Road and Queensferry 

Road. However, it was clear from 

the consultation that there is a 

huge appetite for the boundary 

to be extended, and it’s great that 

the Council has listened to our 

concerns. 

Their commitment to a boundary 

review is a big win for all those 

who backed my campaign. I look 

forward to seeing the revised 

plans, but this isn’t just a local 

issue requiring local solutions - all 

levels of government, in all parts 

of the UK, must take responsibility 

for properly tackling toxic 

emissions, before it’s too late. 

the Sheraton, and its sister space 

Conference Square, but all too 

often they’re passed over for parks 

and gardens. 

We also desperately need to 

debate the glaring lack of indoor 

events venues in Edinburgh. I 

would welcome the creation of 

new venues for clubs and gigs - 

not just to replace those which 

have closed, but to increase 

the number. How can we be the 

cultural capital when the live 

music scene requires a commute 

to Glasgow? 

So let’s start that conversation 

now. Contact me @cllrcmiller 

on Twitter to discuss the events 

spaces our city centre needs. 

Constituency matters 

the tradition of community 

learning on this campus which 

goes back to when Leith was a 

burgh in its own right. 

The Edinburgh Shoreline Project 

is an exciting initiative and had a 

display panel for public viewing 

in the reception area at the City 

Chambers. 

It asks the city to look at the 

potential in its 29 mile long 

shoreline. 

With partners including the Royal 

Botanic Gardens this encourages 

us to reassess this neglected part 

of the city.

10 

POLITICS 


Spotlight - Lib Dem Councillor Robert Aldridge 

Councillor Robert Aldridge is 

leader of the Liberal Democrat 

Group on the City of Edinburgh 

Council, and we believe the 

longest serving councillor. We 

asked him three questions. 

Can you give us a brief synopsis of 

your council career? 

I was elected for the first time 

to the then Edinburgh District 

Council in 1984, in a very close 

contest in Parkgrove Ward. It was 

a three way marginal with fewer 

than 150 votes between the top 

three candidates and became one 

of the youngest councillors at 27 

years old. 

I had been an active Young 

Liberal believing in ‘community 

politics’ i.e. that power should be 

exercised from the grass roots up 

and decisions should be taken as 

close to the people as possible. 

PHOTO Councillor Robert Aldridge 

I also believed that you should 

live in the area you represent to 

experience the consequences of 

your decisions first hand. I have 

always lived in my ward. 

During my council career I have 

combined being a councillor 

with a ‘day job’ and up until the 

last election was also CEO of a 

national homelessness charity. I 

have been group spokesperson 

on virtually everything except 

planning, and am currently Group 

Leader. During the period of the 

Lib Dem led coalition which ran 

the council between 2007 and 

2012 I was Environment Leader. 

Amongst my successes were 

an almost doubling of recycling 

rates, introducing year-round 

free garden waste collections, a 

doubling of the number of parks 

with a ‘green flag’ and the first real 

attempt to combat the ‘Seafield 

New group of independent 

councillors 

Three of the independent 

councillors - Cllrs Barrie, Bridgman 

and Ritchie - have agreed to form 

a political group so that they can 

be considered for membership of 

council committees. 

Cllr Gavin Barrie has brought 

this to the attention of the council 

several times. He explained 

that the Scottish Government 

describes the role of a councillor 

as including serving on panels 

or committees, which the 

independent members could not 

do in Edinburgh. 

smell’ from the sewage treatment 

plant. During this council period 

I was Convener of the North 

West Locality Committee until 

the administration abolished it. 

I am also a Bailie undertaking 

civic duties such as citizenship 

ceremonies on behalf of the Lord 

Provost 

The biggest challenges were 

the very bad winter of 2010/11 

when the council came within a 

few days of running out of road 

salt and important services like 

home dialysis were put at risk, 

and there was a long running bin 

dispute (though there were fewer 

complaints and missed bins 

during that period than last year). 

What has been your best moment/ 

campaign/success? 

My best moments locally were 

working with local people to 

The administration decided on 

a slightly different route than the 

one he intended. 

Cllr Barrie told The Edinburgh 

Reporter : "We were seeking 

recognition on committees but 

now forming a group is a far bigger 

commitment for us. It is also a 

achieve the highly successful 

Drum Brae Leisure Centre initially, 

and then the Drum Brae Library 

Hub when we were in coalition. Of 

course the most satisfying have 

been in helping people in trouble 

find a solution. 

What do you do when you are not 

working as a councillor? 

When I’m not being a councillor 

I spend a lot of time travelling 

to and from London where my 

partner currently works as a 

paediatric consultant. 

We both love contemporary 

Scottish art, film, music and 

theatre. Off duty I can often 

be found with friends in the 

Corstorphine Inn or White Lady. 

Once a year we treat our great 

nieces to a surprise holiday (along 

with their gran) which is the 

highlight of our year. 

On the Workplace 

Parking Levy 

by Miles Briggs 

The new Workplace Parking Levy 

means that a person who lives 

in an adjacent local authority to 

Edinburgh, such as Midlothian, 

West Lothian, East Lothian or 

the Borders, could be charged an 

extra £500 by Edinburgh Council, 

despite having no vote in the 

council elections. 

Many people find driving a 

better option, with the costs of 

using ScotRail trains soaring, 

constant delays, cancellations 

and overcrowding, which makes 

taking the train a much less 

attractive option. It is estimated 

that the 56,000 drivers travel 

into Edinburgh from surrounding 

local authorities to their place 

of employment and 54,000 from 

within Edinburgh. 

Approximately 110,000 workers 

will be impacted by the Workplace 

far bigger loss for other council 

groups. We weren't seeking to 

impose that on them, but by their 

actions we have had to go ahead 

and do that. 

”It is the Green Group who could 

lose most in any rearrangement. 

There is a formula that gives 

seats on the basis of numbers of 

councillors in any one group. 

Miles Briggs MSP 

0131 348 5946 

Miles.Briggs.msp@parliament.scot 

Milesbriggsedinburgh 

MilesBriggsMSP 

www.milesbriggs.scot 

M2.15, 

The Scottish 

Parliament, Edinburgh, 

EH99 1SP 

Meeting the 

Samaritans 

Ash Denham MSP recently 

met with Mairi Gordon from 

Samaritans Scotland to discuss 

suicide prevention statistics and 

to hear about the work being 

undertaken by the charity to 

reduce the devastating impact of 

suicide in Edinburgh and across 

Scotland. Call Samaritans free on 

116 123 at any time of day. 

Parking Levy , many of whom have 

no choice but to drive to their 

place of work. 

The Workplace Parking Levy has 

not been properly thought through 

and the impact on families in the 

capital and surrounding areas has 

not been considered. 

It is a fundamentally unfair 

tax that charges hard working 

people to get to their place of 

work and will have a significant 

impact on families' budgets, with 

some families being hit twice by 

this indiscriminate tax. Tens of 

thousands of workers will be hit by 

this charge, with £500 straight out 

of their pay cheque, just for getting 

to work. 

SNP Ministers must, for once, 

listen to people and seriously 

rethink this deeply flawed new 

legislation that targets hard 

working people across Scotland. 

"Now if the independent 

councillors become one group 

they will be only three people and 

it would be impossible for them 

to take all of the seats the group 

could be offered. We will do our 

very best to service them but time 

will tell just how demanding that 

is whether we can cope as a group 

of three."


Plans for new Business 

improvement district 

Town business improvement 

district proposal 

Nearly 700 businesses will 

vote on proposals to establish a 

business improvement district 

(BID) in the Old Town. It is hoped 

to generate nearly £4 million of 

investment in the Old Town over 

a five year period. Contributions 

from local businesses will be 

raised by way of an additional 

Kat Brogan 

From the Editor 

Who knows what will happen 

as this month progresses? We 

could leave the EU anytime before 

31 January now. As we were 

going to press the Westminster 

leaders of the SNP and the Liberal 

Democrats wrote to the President 

of the European Council urging 

the EU to grant a meaningful 

extension to the Brexit deadline. In 

the joint letter, Ian Blackford and 

Jo Swinson called on Donald Tusk 

to back an extension to the 31st of 

January 2020 to give opposition 

parties the opportunity to “unlock 

what has become a deadlocked 

parliament” by giving people a say 

in an election. 

Both Ian Blackford and Jo 

Swinson confirmed that neither 

the SNP nor the Lib Dems 

would support Boris Johnson’s 

election motion while the threat 

of a no-deal Brexit remains on the 

table. 

Before that the focus was on 

business rate levy.Businesses 

within the proposed geography 

of the BID will cast their vote on 

the proposals by 5pm on 28th 

November. Kat Brogan, Managing 

Director of Mercat Tours, said : 

“There is a great deal of change, 

and therefore opportunity 

ahead for local businesses in 

the Old Town. From ensuring 

the area is a safe, attractive, 

high-quality experience for all, 

Edinburgh once more when the 

Dale Vince action returned to 

the Court of Session after Super 

Saturday when politicians sat at 

Westminster on a Saturday for the 

first time this century. 

The three judges of the Inner 

House decided to suspend 

taking any decision in the action, 

but are keeping a wait and see 

oversight on what happens. They 

were asked to ensure that the 

Prime Minister fully complied 

with the law by asking the EU for 

an extension. The decision was 

welcomed by the parties who 

raised it. 

Joanna Cherry QC MP one 

of the parties said : ““This is a 

welcome decision by the Court of 

Session and it is what we sought. 

The decision keeps the Sword 

of Damocles hanging over Boris 

Johnson and to make sure he fully 

complies with the law and the 

cross-party Benn Act.” 

to the Summertime Streets and 

new trade waste regulations, it’s 

important that businesses have 

a voice defending their interests." 

We’re asking local businesses to 

give us the mandate to fight hard 

on their behalf. We’re confident 

that when Old Town businesses 

read our proposals, developed 

by business for business, they’ll 

see that this ambition is worth 

investing in” 

Murray selected for Edinburgh 

South 

Ian Murray MP has been selected 

as the Labour party parliamentary 

candidate for the next general 

election. 

The Edinburgh South 

constituency voted for him at 

the end of October when around 

200 members turned up to the 

constituency meeting. Only the 

affiliated member, Unite the 

union voted against him. The 

union had threatened to trigger 

a full reelection process for the 

longstanding MP in the face of his 

open opposition to leader Jeremy 

Corbyn. Murray also supports a 

second Brexit referendum which 

does not sit well with the party 

leadership. 

Ian Murray said: “It is a huge 

honour to have been reselected as 

Labour’s candidate in Edinburgh 

South for the forthcoming General 

Election. 

Creeping development 

Edinburgh is losing the 

equivalent of around 15 football 

pitches of green land each year. A 

lot of this is due to private garden 

areas being paved over or built on, 

according to a new study. 

Around a hectare a year of 

green land is being gained due 

to regeneration of old industrial 

areas. 

Urban streets can struggle to 

cope with surface water when 

gardens and other vegetated 

areas, which help soak up rain, are 

built on or paved over. The rate 

of this change in Edinburgh has 

been quantified for the first time 

in a report commissioned by the 

Centre of Expertise for Water 

(CREW). 

The independent study, produced 

by scientists at the NERC Centre 

for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), 

looked at the two elements of 

urbanisation: 

Urban creep – Individual, smallscale 

changes in existing urban 

settlements, such as building 

housing extensions, driveways 

and conservatories, or homes in 

gardens. This can lead to a large 

cumulative loss of vegetated 

garden and increase the risk of 

surface water flooding 

Urban expansion – The 

development of new housing or 

industrial estates being built on 

farmland or recreational spaces. 

These developments are subject 

“Representing my home city of 

Edinburgh is a great privilege, and I 

have always put this constituency 

first and foremost. 

“I would not have become the 

MP in 2010 and certainly would 

not have held on in 2015 and 

ended up with the largest majority 

in Scotland in 2017 if it wasn’t for 

the hard-working and committed 

local Labour Party activists. I 

am grateful for their continued 

support and the support of the 

overwhelming majority of trade 

unions. 

“I am also extremely grateful 

to the hundreds of people in 

Edinburgh South and further afield, 

from all parties and none, who 

have been in touch in recent days 

to offer their support and kind 

words. Thank you – it meant a 

huge deal. 

“My focus remains on standing 

up for the 80,000 people in my 

constituency, regardless of how 

to rigorous planning policies to 

ensure they do not increase flood 

risk. 

The CEH scientists developed 

a method to map urbanisation 

using aerial photography of 

Edinburgh from 1990, 2005 

and 2015 – resulting in the 

first high-resolution, city-wide 

estimates in Scotland. This 

method could be applie 

d to other cities and towns 

across Scotland to map 

urbanisation and assess potential 

impacts. 

Dr Clare Rowland, the CEH earth 

observation scientist who led 

the research, said: “Our study 

shows that, over the last 25 years, 

Edinburgh lost an average of 11.3 

hectares (ha) of green land each 

year to urban creep and urban 

expansion. That’s equivalent to 

about 15 football pitches annually. 

“People might assume that 

most of this loss is from 

urban expansion, through the 

construction of new housing and 

commercial estates. 

Certainly that accounts for 4.8ha 

of the annual loss, but urban creep 

accounts for 6.4ha of vegetation 

loss each year. Homeowners 

have added car parking spaces, 

conservatories and driveways, 

or allowed properties to be built 

in their gardens - all of which 

have contributed to the loss of 

greenery.” 

they voted, and working tirelessly 

to secure a People’s Vote to avoid 

a devastating Brexit. 

“I look forward to standing in the 

next General Election, whenever 

it comes, and hope the people of 

Edinburgh South will once again 

put their trust in me to be their 

elected representative.” 

We offer great advertising rates! 

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

12 

BUSINESS 

Leith Walk Police Box Pop up space 

www.leithwalkpolicebox.com 


Montgomery Street Lane - a hub 

for charities and business 

Scotland’s newest hub for social 

entrepreneurs, start-ups, charities 

and SMEs launched last month. 

The Montgomery Street Lane 

venture down in Leith is a 

collaboration between four of 

the country’s leading support 

agencies, Firstport, Challenges 

Group, Project Scotland and 

Volunteering Matters. 

The founders said the 

Montgomery Street Lane initiative 

will provide a “one-stop shop” for 

ambitious social businesses and 

charities while also acting as a 

focal point for impact investors 

targeting enterprises that are 

addressing social challenges. 

Josiah Lockhart, Firstport’s Chief 

Executive said : “The vision for 

Montgomery Street Lane is a bold 

one. 

“We’re building an enterprise 

support network for social 

entrepreneurs and impact 

investors, for start-ups and SMEs 

looking to grow, expand and 

export. We’re focused on making 

it a place of optimism, opportunity 

and outcomes.” 

Mr Lockhart added: “We’re 

offering these individuals a place 

where key support services are in 

one location, and where each of 

the Lane residents can collaborate 

on offering a joined-up and 

partnership approach to business 

development and growth.” 

The four organisations behind 

the new Montgomery Street Lane 

venture have between them 90 

years’ experience across a range 

of fields including business 

consultancy, management 

training, exports, seed funding, 

impact investment, business 

Topping out at new offices 

Progress is being made with the 

new office development at Capital 

Square which is now Edinburgh's 

largest speculative office building. 

This is the only new space which 

is due to be completed during 

2020. 

The topping out ceremony was 

held recently, and as you can see 

the building has spectacular views 

to Edinburgh Castle. 

The new building designed by 

Hurd Rolland has already attracted 

two new blue-chip tenants - legal 

firm Brodies LLP who will take the 

top three floors relocating from 

Atholl Crescent and another legal 

firm, Pinsent Masons LLP, who will 

lease 25,300 square feet. 

BAM Construction are in charge 

of the 122,500 square feet project 

creating eight floors of open plan 

offices. 

There is a private courtyard 

L – R Dougie Peters - BAM Properties, Ewan Alexander - Pinsent 

Mason, Lord Provost, Nick Scott – Brodies, Andrew McParland. 

support services, volunteering 

, international development, 

marketing and communications, 

and project management. 

They have about 40 staff and 

volunteers working out from the 

refurbished 19th-century mews 

houses just off Elm Row. 

Mr Lockhart added: “We’ve seen 

the model operating successfully 

and impactfully in other countries, 

such as in Sweden, but this is the 

first of its type in Scotland.” 

for dropping off and picking 

up as well as landscaped 

gardens. But the building also 

has green credentials. In an 

effort to encourage cyclists and 

runners there will be shower 

accommodation and locker 

facilities. 110 car parking spaces 

are part of the development. 

The Rt Hon Lord Provost of 

the City of Edinburgh, Frank 

Ross, said: “Edinburgh is an 

internationally renowned business 

location and demand for office 

space remains high. 

"It is vital, then, that we continue 

to build new, high-grade office 

space to ensure that the future 

needs of Edinburgh businesses 

are met. 

“I’m pleased that the Council 

has been able to work closely 

with BAM Properties and Hermes 

to help realise the potential of 

this prime site in the Exchange 

business district. 

"In doing so, the new Capital 

Square will create a great 

opportunity for jobs and the 

sustainable growth of the local 

economy.” 

2nd and 10th November 12.00-6.00pm - Wild Maremma artisan 

handmade pasta and tiramisu 

5th November Typewronger books 2nd Birthday party 11.00- 

6.00pm - all welcome. Books, birthday cake and jelly babies. Join 

us at 5.00pm when we will attempt to break the record for the 

number of people simultaneously in an Edinburgh police box 

Selected Thursdays 12.00-7.00 - En Elladi - Greek artisan produce 

- Greek honey, olive oil & mountain herbs 

New boss for capital 

tourism group 

The Edinburgh Tourism Action 

Group (ETAG) has announced the 

appointment of Donald Emslie to 

the role of Chair. 

Donald will lead the work of 

ETAG, the umbrella organisation 

for the Edinburgh tourism 

sector, which brings together 

and supporting the work of 

key stakeholders, business 

associations and businesses 

to create and support a strong, 

thriving tourism community in 

Edinburgh. He brings a wealth of 

experience in business, media, 

sport and hospitality that will 

be crucial in continuing to drive 

progress within Edinburgh’s 

vibrant tourism sector. 

He replaces outgoing Chair Robin 

Worsnop, as he prepares to step 

down following a nine-year term. 

Robin oversaw the successful 

development and implementation 

of the sector’s current tourism 

strategy which has helped drive 

consistent and sustainable growth 

in visitor numbers and spend. 

JLL promote trio from 

the firm's own ranks 

JLL, Scotland’s leading property 

consultancy, has promoted 

two members of staff from its 

Edinburgh office to Associate 

and another to Senior Surveyor. 

All three newly promoted staff 

joined JLL through its graduate 

employment scheme and have 

continued to rise through the 

firm’s ranks. 

Janey Douglas has been 

promoted within the Capital 

Markets team from Senior 

Surveyor to Associate. 

Deirdre Thom of the firm’s 

Planning & Renewables team 

joined JLL in 2011. 

Alastair Stang, who joined the 

firm in 2015, moves from Surveyor 

to Senior Surveyor within JLL’s 

Office Agency team in Edinburgh. 

During their time with JLL, 

Janey, Alastair and Deirdre have 

completed their professional 

exams through the Royal 

Institution of Chartered Surveyors 

(RICS), and the Royal Town 

Planning Institute (RTPI), 

respectively. 

Alasdair Humphery, lead 

director for JLL in Scotland, 

said: “These promotions are 

thoroughly well-deserved and 

are reflective of the impressive 

work each has been delivering for 

our clients. We pride ourselves 

on our commitment to develop, 

attract and retain the best talent 

our industry produces. These 

promotions are testament to this 

determination and I’m excited to 

see how all three progress in their 

new roles and help our clients 

achieve their ambitions.” 

Another product of JLL’s 

graduate programme, Hannah 

Done of the firm’s Edinburgh office 

recently achieved her Masters of 

Science in Real Estate from UCEM 

(University College of Estate 

Management) with distinction. 

Wednesday and Fridays 11am to 6pm Tipico quality nuts, plus 

delicious Sicilian confectionery 

Saturdays - Edinburgh Tool Library 10.30am to 1.00pm 

14th November Thursday 3-6pm Zero Waste Leith ‘Leith’s 

Good with Food’ campaign to promote food waste recycling and 

prevention 

23 November- 1.00-5.00pm Edinburgh Northern and Leith Labour 

Party on the Walk

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk BUSINESS 13 

Airport makes £20m investment in 

transport improvements 

Dedicated licensed taxi facility 

will increase capacity on Eastfield 

Road. 

More than £20 million is being 

invested on improvements to 

transport access at Edinburgh 

Airport. 

The first phase will deliver a 

new East Terminus in May of next 

year. This will house the airport’s 

licensed taxi operation (both black 

cabs and private hire vehicles) for 

pick-up and drop-off. 

The current rank will move from 

the ground floor of the multi-storey 

car park and to the east side of the 

airport, adjacent to the tram stop. 

Taxis will be able to access the 

facility by using the road over the 

old runway, reducing congestion 

on Eastfield Road at peak times. 

The East Terminus will also 

provide: 

Covered walkways for 

passengers 

A new passenger bridge 

A new PRM waiting area 

A self-service kiosk for booking 

private taxis 

The second phase of 

improvements will include a 

new access road with the entire 

drop-off facility moving there. 

Gordon Dewar who is Chief 

Executive of Edinburgh Airport 

said: “As an airport, we provide 

quick and easy travel to 

destinations all over the world 

– that trip starts and ends here, 

so making it easier for people 

to get to and from the airport is 

important to us. 

“As well as making it easier for 

licensed taxis to drop off and pick 

up passengers, this multi-million 

pound project will also see the 

construction of a new access road, 

helping to ease the congestion we 

currently see on Eastfield Road at 

peak times. 

“By investing in our 

infrastructure, we’ll be able to 

deliver better access for public 

transport and increase those travel 

options for passengers, directly 

improving their journey.” 

Loganair begins East 

Midlands route 

Loganair, Scotland’s Airline, has 

commenced air services between 

Edinburgh and the East Midlands. 

The airline stepped in to secure 

the important route at short notice 

following news the previous 

operator was set to withdraw, 

maintaining vital connectivity for 

the 90,000 travellers who regularly 

fly between Scotland’s capital and 

the Midlands. 

The latest service started 

less than two months after 

Loganair’s inaugural flights from 

East Midlands to Brussels and 

Inverness took-off, whilst the 

airline is also set to introduce 

Aberdeen flights from February 24, 

2020. 

Operated by 49-seat Embraer 

145 jets, the first service from 

Edinburgh departed at 14:30. 

Doubling the number of services 

on the route, weekday flights 

depart from Edinburgh at 06:50, 

14:30, 16:20 and 19:40 and flights 

leave East Midlands for Edinburgh 

at 08:30, 10:50, 18:00 and 19:55. 

The journey time is just 70 

minutes, with a Saturday morning 

flight and a choice of Sunday 

departures too. 

Fares on the route start from 

£49.99 one-way and all Loganair 

fares include a complimentary 

hold baggage allowance, Clan 

Loganair frequent flyer rewards 

and in-flight refreshments. 

The new Loganair service will 

also open up a wide range of flight 

connections from East Midlands 

to the Highlands and Islands, 

meeting Loganair’s flights to 

destinations including Shetland, 

Orkney, Stornoway, Benbecula and 

Wick. 

Loganair’s Managing Director 

Jonathan Hinkles said: “This new 

link marks a continuation of the 

airline’s expansion from East 

Midlands Airport – now operating 

services across four routes ahead 

of flights to Aberdeen beginning in 

February. 

“We’re extremely pleased to be 

able to safeguard this essential 

link between Scotland’s capital 

and the East Midlands region – 

while also introducing a gateway 

to the Highlands and Islands. 

“The schedules have been 

designed to offer maximum 

flexibility for customers and the 

jet service will be welcomed by 

regular travellers on the routes – 

who can join the Clan Loganair 

frequent flyer programme.” 

Reservations can be made at 

www.loganair.co.uk, using the 

airline’s app, by calling Loganair’s 

Customer Contact Centre on 0344 

800 2855 or via travel agents. 

Leonardo Hotel 

Edinburgh Murrayfield has 

been transformed! 

To exceed the expectations of 

our guests we have invested £2.6 million 

to upgrade all hotel facilities. 

You must come and see what we have done. 

For the best rates book direct on leonardohotels.co.uk or call 0131 535 9988 

187 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UG

Beatrice Dillon 

Counterflows: 

Club of Cowtown 

Hot 

Horse 

Tracks 

Making 

Town Concerts 

New 

Williams 

Kathryn 

Stirling Queen 

The 

for Lashes 

Bat 

Henry 

Lenny 

O'Rourke & friends 

Aidan 

14 

NEWS 


Rotary supports research in clean 

water technologies 

The Currie Balerno Rotary Club 

supports Calum Stewart and 

Stephan Calvet, in a sustainable 

water development project in 

Mexico. 

Both are graduates of Edinburgh 

University. Calum is from Juniper 

Green and was a pupil at Currie 

High School, Stephan is from 

Basingstoke. 

Calum contacted the Club having 

recognised that Rotary shared 

their interest in providing clean 

drinking water in areas where lack 

of clean water presents a threat to 

human life. 

As part of their Masters 

Degree Calum and Stephan are 

undertaking a voluntary research 

project based firstly at North 

Carolina State University and then 

with NGO Caminos de Agua, in 

Guanajuato, Mexico. The project 

is based on developing low-cost 

water treatment technologies and 

then further testing and deploying 

these technologies in the field with 

Caminos de Agua. 

They will start by designing 

a research facility and will 

concentrate on systems to 

remove arsenic and fluoride 

from contaminated groundwater. 

This contamination affects over 

700,000 people in the region. 

Fluoride can be beneficial in 

small amounts but harmful in 

concentration and it, together 

with arsenic, is recognised as the 

most serious contamination in 

drinking-water worldwide. Their 

work has the potential to help over 

300 million people in communities 

across the world affected by these 

contaminants. 

The Currie Balerno Rotary Club 

was delighted to helping this 

research this research which is so 

closely related to one of Rotary’s 

principal aims. 

Braids want your 

foreign coins 

This autumn after your holidays, 

you could help the Rotary Club of 

Braids with its unusual fundraising 

project - selling foreign currency! 

Members collect donated coins 

and notes of any age and from any 

country. People are very generous 

and they get hundreds of coins 

and notes every month. The 

project has been running for four 

years and has raised over £1000 

each year. Getting the donations 

is easy (everyone has a few old 

British or foreign coins, especially 

after a foreign holiday): the hard 

work of this project is sorting the 

coins and the clever part is finding 

buyers. 

The Braids Club has built up 

a network of regular buyers for 

specific currencies – usually 

travellers. And on eBay they have 

several collectors following them 

– a bit like Facebook. And they 

get some gems, including a gold 

half-sovereign that brought £250 

this summer. 

The proceeds go to The Rotary 

Foundation, Rotary’s Charity, 

providing grants for humanitarian 

aid in Scotland and across the 

world. 

Interestingly, pre-1920 British 

silver coins are just that – 99.8% 

silver. So those, and the 50% silver 

coins 1920 – 1946, are usually 

sold to jewellers who melt them 

down for the silver. 

Melting down British silver 

coins is allowed but it’s illegal to 

melt down the old cupro-nickel 

pennies and halfpennies from the 

pre-decimal days. So they go to a 

scrap dealer in France! 

If you would like to donate your 

surplus holiday change please 

contact afs@trinityfactors.co.uk. 

For more information on Rotary 

contact secretary@rotary1020.org. 

L-R Stephan and Calum are seen here receiving a 

cheque from Club President Lindsay Craig. 

at 

November 

O'Hanlon 

Ardal 

Gallery and gift shop 

and much more 

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 NOVEMBER 

At the cinema 

in November 

by Adam Zawadzki 

This month there is a plethora of 

awards season contenders. 

Opening on 6 November 2019, 

the biographical adventure 

‘The Aeronauts’ stars Eddie 

Redmayne (The Danish Girl) and 

Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A 

Star Wars Story). The pair are 

reunited for the first time since 

‘The Theory of Everything’ five 

years ago in which they delivered 

leading performances which 

won Redmayne an Oscar, BAFTA 

and Golden Globe and Jones 

nominations for all three. Will we 

see similar success this time? 

Helen Mirren (The Last Station) 

and Ian McKellen (Gods and 

Monsters) will appear in the drama 

thriller ‘The Good Liar’, directed 

and co-produced by Bill Condon 

(Dreamgirls), released on 8 

November 2019. While Mirren and 

Condon already have Oscars (for 

acting and writing, respectively), 

McKellen hasn’t but could that 

change this year? 

Directed by James Mangold 

(Walk The Line), the biographical 

drama ‘Ford v Ferrari’ (titled ‘Le 

Mans ‘66’ here) will drive onto 

the silver screen on 15 November 

2019 with Matt Damon (Invictus) 

and Christian Bale (Vice) in the 

leading roles. Oscars have been 

claimed by Damon and Bale 

before (for writing and acting, 

respectively) while Mangold 

received his first Oscar nomination 

for his previous film ‘Logan’. Could 

he join them by winning next year? 

On 22 November 2019 the 

biographical film ‘Harriet’, about 

the slave-turned-abolitionist 

Harriet Tubman, will open in 

cinemas. Cynthia Erivo (Widows) 

has already won a Tony, Grammy 

and Daytime Emmy so could this 

be the film that competes her 

EGOT with an Oscar? 

Get in touch 

today! 

For editorial and 

advertising enquiries 

please email 

editor@ 




edinburghreporter 


Theatre Art Music Shows Festivals 

Charles Piazzi Smyth - 

forgotten astronomer 

Ever wondered about the 

Time Ball on Calton Hill? There 

is an exhibition at the Nelson 

Monument on Calton Hill which 

can explain the history of the man 

who invented it. He was born in 

1819 and this year celebrates the 

200th anniversary of his birth. 

Climb the Nelson Monument for 

stunning views over Edinburgh, 

and learn the history of the hill and 

the monument itself. 

Inside the base of the 

monument the exhibition seeks to 

establish Charles Piazzi Smyth’s 

place in Edinburgh’s history in an 

appropriate environment. 

Piazzi - Alastair Bruce, Royal 

Observatory astronomer and 

actor, as Charles Piazzi Smyth. 

Photo Ian Georgeson 

Tickets for entry to the 

monument cost £6 but there is no 

extra charge to see the exhibition. 

Monday – Sunday, 10.00am – 

5.00pm (last admission 4:30pm) 

The exhibition is part of a 

year-long series of events about 

Piazzi Smyth. 

It is housed in Edinburgh’s 

iconic Nelson Monument, with 

his photography, paintings and 

drawings alongside a newly 

commissioned short film and 

interviews in what will be the first 

major exhibition in Edinburgh 

dedicated to the forgotten 

astronomer. 

Leonardo da Vinci at 

The Queen’s Gallery 

This month to mark the 500th 

anniversary of the death of 

Leonardo da Vinci, 80 of the 

Renaissance master’s greatest 

drawings will go on display at 

The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of 

Holyroodhouse, in the largest 

exhibition of the artist’s work ever 

to be seen in Scotland. 

Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in 

Drawing explores the full range of 

Leonardo’s interests – painting, 

sculpture, architecture, anatomy, 

engineering, cartography, 

geology and botany – providing 

a comprehensive survey of 

Leonardo’s life and a unique 

insight into the workings of his 

mind. Many of the works in the 

exhibition will be on display in 

Scotland for the first time. 

Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in 

Drawing at The Queen’s Gallery, 

Palace of Holyroodhouse 22 

November 2019 – 15 March 2020 

Leonardo da Vinci, Studies of a 

horse, c.1490 Image credit Royal 

Collection Trust / (c) Her Majesty 

Queen Elizabeth II 2019 

At the Galleries in 

November 

At Birch Tree Gallery until 20 

November 2019 works by two 

artists from England will be on 

show. 

Penny Hunt builds up layers of 

paint and cold wax to capture 

open landscapes of the Yorkshire 

Dales. Recently she got interested 

in painting road verges. Penny 

uses Wallace Seymour artist 

paints that are ground from local 

rocks in the same village where 

she lives. 

She is joined by Northumberland 

ceramic artist Melanie 

Hopwood who makes stoneware 

boulder forms, often incorporating 

short poems by using imprinted 

letter. 

At Arusha Gallery from 8 to 

24 November 2019 there is an 

exhibition of work by Shelly 

Tregoning. 

Winter Wonderland 

Concert 

West End and Broadway star 

Kerry Ellis, leading lady in various 

musicals including Nancy in 

Oliver! Eliza Doolittle in My Fair 

Lady, Ellen in Miss Saigon and 

Fantine in Les Miserables is set 

to headline a ‘Winter Wonderland’ 

Christmas concert at St Giles 

Cathedral on 22 November 2019 

from 7.30pm till 9.30pm to 

raise funds and awareness for 

Edinburgh based charity, Make 

2nds Count. 

Joining Kerry on stage for 

this one-time magical festive 

performance will be another West 

End leading lady, Zoe Tyler, who 

started her career at the age of 

20 in Les Miserables, followed by 

Joseph, Superstar, City of Angels, 

Fame and playing Eva Cassidy in 

Over the Rainbow. Zoe was also a 

panellist on Loose Women. 

Scottish actor, singer and 

producer, Tom Urie, best known for 

his roles in River City, Still Game, 

Holby City, Doctors and films 

including, T2-Trainspotting will 

Tregoning was born in Mauritius 

and educated in the UK. 

She studied for her BA in Fine 

Art from Falmouth University in 

2011. Her work has been widely 

featured and she lives and works 

in Cornwall. 

The packaging and presentation 

of the carefully constructed hyperidentity 

is now a very real social 

expectation, but at what cost? 

The work brings together Shelly 

Tregoning's keen eye for the 

human figure and the myriad 

details of physical expression. 

By simply placing the figure 

alone in space, removing the 

context to create a 'non-portrait' 

where the identity and location 

of the sitter is both unknown 

and irrelevant, Tregoning has 

captured the telling subtleties of 

physical poise and performative 

tension, the unguarded moments 

of distraction, introspection and 

vulnerability. 

also be joining the impressive cast 

to host the event. His theatre work 

includes playing the role of Danny 

McGlone in the NTS production of 

John Byrne’s Tutti Frutti. 

Lisa and Euan Fleming are 

music lovers, who met on the 

stage. They founded the charity 

Make 2nds Count after Lisa was 

diagnosed in 2017 with secondary 

breast cancer. 

Make 2nds Count is dedicated 

to giving hope to those affected 

by this treatable but incurable 

disease. The charity supports 

patients and families, raises 

awareness of secondary breast 

cancer and funds for medical 

research that will contribute to 

advancing an increased quality of 

life for patients. 

The Winter Wonderland concert 

will celebrate Lisa’s passion for 

musicals and help raise funds for 

the charity. 

Tickets £25 and £20 for children, 

(plus booking fee) using the code 

GROUP at checkout. Ticket link - 

https://bit.ly/2pgMPks

16 

WHAT'S ON 


Edinburgh’s Christmas starts with 

Light Night 

Underbelly continue to produce 

Edinburgh's Christmas for the 

council until March 2022, and this 

year has a lot of the events which 

we have enjoyed before. 

Following Light Night on 17 

November in the Old Town 

the Christmas season will get 

underway for real. This is the 

festival which most local people 

attend according to the numbers 

produced by the organisers. 

Around 300,000 people who visited 

in 2018 came from Edinburgh and 

the Lothians, hopefully all enjoying 

their 20% postcode discount. 

Here are some of the highlights : 

The Johnnie Walker Bothy Bar 

will be placed on the Mound 

serving Hot Apple Toddy. 

Silent Adventures will operate 

silent discos in East Princes Street 

Gardens on weekdays only. 

In Castle Street Santa's Grotto 

will welcome children from 16 

November to Christmas Eve. There 

will be a helter skelter here too as 

well as one in East Princes Street 

Gardens. 

Winter Windows will show off 

the work of local schoolchildren 

in an exhibition staged in West 

Parliament Square as well as 

four other locations : White 

Park - Gorgie, Great Junction 

Street – by Leith Library, Main 

Street - Kirkliston and Goodtrees 

Community Centre – Gilmerton. 

Community Christmas is a free, 

fun celebration to bring Edinburgh 

communities together to spread 

festive cheer across the whole 

city. Presented in collaboration 

with Double Take Projections, 

Underbelly’s partners on Message 

from the Skies in 2018 and 2019, 

Community Christmas includes 12 

locally significant buildings, across 

all four of Edinburgh’s localities, 

come alive with festive projections 

over 12 consecutive nights, a new 

building every night. 

Each event also features a 

different local choir performing 

some of the best-loved festive 

tunes alongside the projection. 

The locations are: Abbeyhill 

Primary School, Sandy’s 

Community Centre in Craigmillar, 

Drumbrae Library and Community 

Hub, Corstorphine Community 

Centre, Gilmerton Community 

Centre, Pentland Community 

Centre – Oxgangs, Westside 

Plaza – Wester Hailes, Granton 

Primary School, Inch Community 

Education Centre, The Crags 

Centre by Holyrood Park, 

Craigentinny Community Centre 

and Broomhouse Community Hub. 

Also new to Edinburgh’s 

Christmas this year and returning 

after its sell out success at the 

Edinburgh International Festival 

2019, Canadian artists Janet 

Cardiff and George Bures Miller 

present Night Walk for Edinburgh. 

This is an intimate, one-onone 

video experience taking 

audiences on a specially curated 

tour of Edinburgh’s Old Town at 

twilight. The unique opportunity 

allows participants to discover 

a new Edinburgh where history 

and memory collide and where 

our perceptions of what is real 

are challenged. Featuring a 

three-dimensional soundscape, 

Night Walk engages all senses 

as audiences are led through the 

capital by Janet Cardiff’s voice, 

discovering the city past and 

present. 

The Edinburgh Reporter has been 

assured that the Christmas market 

occupies a smaller footprint in 

East Princes Street Gardens but 

there will be 12 more stalls than 

before on the south side of East 

Princes Street Gardens. Visitors 

will be able to sample Aelder - 

Scottish hand-crafted 

wild elderberry liqueur, 

Edinburgh’s Pickering’s Gin, The 

Mac Shack, offering the best mac 

and cheese or the ultimate fish 

and chips at Alandas. The Caravan 

The Stirling Queen 

Imagine being married off to a 

Scottish king when you are 14 

years old. Sailing across the sea 

from Denmark to be the wife 

of someone you hardly know. 

Your father gives away Shetland 

and the Orkney Islands as your 

wedding present. 

The world premiere of this 

new piece will take place at 

The Queen’s Hall on Monday 4 

November 7.30pm. Tickets on sale 

now, £9-£17 Tel 0131 668 2019. 

A brand new piece of work ‘The 

Stirling Queen’ commissioned by 

The Queen’s Hall to celebrate its 

fortieth anniversary as a music 

venue in 2019. Written by Tim 

Kliphuis, with Scottish and Nordic 

roots and influences of gypsy, 

of Courage will present their 

feelgood vegan junk food menu 

with vegan pigs in blankets on 

special as part of the Christmas 

Market whilst meat lovers will 

rejoice at news that the Fox 

Hat brings their ‘food theatre’ to 

Edinburgh. And those looking for 

gift ideas will have a chance to 

explore the latest from Loch Ness 

Leather, a family-run Highland 

business presenting handmade 

leather products. 

The usual rides will be in place : 

the Star Flyer, Forth 1 Big Wheel, 

Christmas Tree Maze, Helter 

Skelter and the Santa Train. 

24 Doors of Advent returns to 

offer a peek behind the scenes 

of some of Edinburgh’s key 

institutions and venues, including 

the home to Scottish rugby, BT 

Murrayfield Stadium, The Sir 

Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, a 

centre for spiritual and mental 

wellness named in honour of the 

famous writer who spent many 

years studying spiritualism and 

the iconic Robin Chapel with its 

stunning stained-glass windows. 

Visit edinburghchristmas.com for 

the full line-up. 

The Nativity Scene moves 

this year to the Mound beneath 

the Christmas Tree donated by 

the Hordaland County Council 

in Norway. The Nativity Carol 

Concert, organised in conjunction 

with Edinburgh Churches Together, 

takes place at 3pm on 1 December 

on Mound Place. 

Edinburgh’s Christmas favourite, 

Baby Loves Disco returns with 

Christmas Glitter Ball, and a 

top-class selection of festive 

pop tunes to get families into the 

party mood! The ultimate daytime 

dance party, the event is aimed at 

parents and carers with babies, 

toddlers and young children (up 

to 6 years old) and features real 

club DJs mixing the best tunes 

of the last five decades, all at a 

baby-friendly volume! The fun 

beyond the dancefloor continues 

baroque and minimal music, 

the composition tells the story 

of Queen Margaret’s youth, her 

marriage to James III and her early 

death at Stirling Castle. 

Tim Kliphuis wrote and will 

perform this work for an ensemble 

comprised of his trio - Nigel Clark 

(guitar) and Roy Percy (bass), - 

Perthshire fiddle ace, Patsy Reid, 

Ireland’s Young Musician of the 

Year, Clare Friel and students at 

The City Edinburgh Music School. 

with face-painting, play tents, arts 

and craft zone and many more, 

all included in the entry price. The 

show takes place at Assembly 

Rooms, twice daily on 15 and 21 

December. 

Christmas on Stage, the 

ultimate guide to festive on-stage 

entertainment in Edinburgh, 

brings together a dazzling new 

line-up of shows including the 

abovementioned Baby Loves 

Disco, and also Grid Iron Theatre 

Company and Traverse Theatre 

Company co-production of Strange 

Tales, centuries-old Chinese 

tale, Douglas Maxwell’s I Can Go 

Anywhere, an anthem to solidarity 

On the Terrace 

In case you haven’t noticed, 

Montrose Terrace in Abbeyhill 

has become a hip and happening 

wee street, full of character, a real 

destination in its own right. In 

the run-up to Christmas why not 

check it out at the special annual 

festive event organised by the 

local (independent) businesses? 

It’s a one-off late-night opening 

(till 9.00pm) and a great 

opportunity to browse and buy to 

and acceptance, the famous The 

Lion King at the Playhouse, the 

Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh’s 

An Edinburgh Christmas Carol 

who are part of the exciting Light 

Night celebrations, Usher Hall 

with Children’s Classic Concerts: 

Santa’s Workshop on 8 December, 

The Chicago Blues Brothers – 

Christmas Party, 20 December as 

well as NOW That’s What I Call 

Christmas on 21 December and 

Gilded Balloon at Rose Theatre 

with The Comedy Show: Christmas 

Special. 

And then it will all be over 

and you will have Edinburgh's 

Hogmanay to get ready for..... 

your heart’s content. There’s so 

much on offer, from great coffees 

and food, to yoga and massage, 

arts and crafts, pottery and books. 

Find that unique gift (or that treat 

you’ve promised yourself!) 

Make your Christmas shopping 

a joy and go along for a magical 

evening on The Terrace. 

Thursday 28 November, 6.00pm- 

9.00pm. 

Got an event to share? 

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

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk WHAT'S ON 17 

Edinburgh on stage 

Two Edinburgh boys, Calum 

Maclean and Henry Muir, are 

delighted to be sharing the role of 

‘Benji’ in the UK Tour of Priscilla, 

Queen of the Desert the Musical, 

when it heads to the Edinburgh 

Playhouse from 5 – 9 November 

2019. 

Calum and Henry landed 

the part after attending an 

audition with the Pauline 

Quirke Academy of Performing 

Arts (PQA), whose exclusive 

agency for children and young 

performers, Quirky Kidz Creative 

Management is the official 

Henry Muir 

children’s Casting Director and 

Child Management team for the 

show. 

There will be 54 boys playing 

Benji throughout the UK tour. They 

have the exciting opportunity to 

work closely with a professional 

cast including star of stage and 

screen, Joe McFadden. 

Both boys train at weekends 

at PQA Edinburgh, based at St 

Augustine's High School, where 

they take classes in Comedy & 

Drama, Musical Theatre and Film 

& Television. 

Calum Maclean 

Craigmillar Book Festival 

The Craigmillar Book Festival 

6 - 16 November 2019 is an annual 

event that takes place in nurseries, 

schools, Craigmillar Library 

and other public spaces around 

Craigmillar. 

The aim is to inspire everyone in 

Craigmillar to enjoy the pleasures 

and benefits of reading, writing 

and other literacy activities. 

Organisers foster and support a 

lifelong love of reading, writing and 

sharing stories to help establish 

and strengthen these essential life 

skills. 

The Book Festival is brought to 

Craft workshop 

There is a craft felting workshop 

this month at Art & Craft Collective 

taught by Susan Thomson of The 

Wee Garden Studio. 

You will make a Christmas 

stocking, Christmas tree or gnome 

using wet felting techniques – a 

festive keepsake to decorate your 

house for many years to come. 

Susan Thomson explained 

: “I retired from a long career 

in education in 2012 and was 

inspired, after a visit to a local 

artist’s gallery, to take up this form 

of textile painting and creating 

as a hobby. I spent a few years 

learning the craft at workshops 

and attending masterclasses in 

Northern Scotland. 

“With lots of experimenting using 

various silks and wool fibres, I 

have developed my own unique 

LeithLate19 

An after dark programme of art 

and music is coming to Leith this 

November for a new season 

Glow Art Trail 

15 - 17 November 2019 

6.00pm - 8.00pm 

Starting point: Queen Victoria 

Statue, Kirkgate, Leith 

Free (no booking required) 

Glow Art Trail is a free 

illuminated art trail taking place in 

and around the Kirkgate over three 

evenings in November. 

Take a walk at the Fit 

o' Leith Walk between 

6.00-8.00pm and you might 

discover a variety of intriguing and 

surprising artworks all set within 

the outdoor urban landscape. 

Featured artists 

include Edinburgh-based visual 

you by The Craigmillar Literacy 

Trust and operated through their 

Creating and Learning Together 

project which works with children, 

young people and families aged 

4+, building upon the strength of 

our long established ‘Books For 

Babies’ programme. This crossgenerational 

learning project 

delivers stimulating and fun 

informal learning opportunities 

that will increase enthusiasm 

for ‘reading for pleasure’ and 

strengthen literacy practices in 

everyday lives. 

Creating and Learning Together 

style in the pieces I create. I enjoy 

travelling round Scotland where 

I get much of the inspiration for 

my pictures, with a little artistic 

license of course! 

“I like nothing better than 

creating scarves using all kinds of 

silks, lace and finest merino wool. I 

also make smaller gifts. 

“I share my enthusiasm for this 

textile craft by running workshops 

by request from various interested 

groups. I also tailor workshops 

to suit individuals in my peaceful 

Garden Studio. 

And I am delighted to have 

the opportunity to run larger 

scale workshops through my 

involvement with Art & Craft 

Collective.” 

There are some do's and dont's 

you need to know before you go! 

artist Abi Lewis, illustrator Ursula 

Kam-Ling Cheng, film-maker and 

photographer Lucas Chih-Peng 

Kao, Dutch-born videographer and 

projection artist Mettje Hunneman 

and award-winning Scottish artist 

Lauren McLaughlin. 

Moon Party 

16 November 2019 

8.00pm - late 

Leith Theatre 

£10 

An immersive night of music, 

light and live performances, set 

within Pianodrome's sculptural 

amphitheatre made entirely 

from recycled pianos. 

You are invited to experience the 

strange and the wonderful with 

live music from S!nk, DJ beats, 

projection art and glow-in-the-dark 

performances. 

Moon Party is 

produced in partnership 

is managed directly by an active 

and hands on board of directors, 

which includes several library, 

festival and literacy professionals. 

The project is organised and 

delivered by a dedicated member 

of staff, the Literacy Programmes 

Coordinator (LPC). 

The 2019 Book Festival will take 

place from 6 – 16 November 2019. 

Full details of the programme, 

including visiting authors and 

events will be available from early 

October 2019 at http://craigmillar. 

org.uk.gridhosted.co.uk/ 

craigmillar-book-festival/. 

All materials are provided 

however if you have skeins of wool 

that you would particularly like 

to incorporate, please bring them 

with you. 

Please wear old ‘working’ clothes 

that you don’t mind being stained 

with dye and perhaps an apron. 

Please bring a plastic bag to 

transport your piece home as it 

may still be damp when you finish. 

You will also take home a 

booklet which reminds you of the 

processes you use to make your 

picture.This workshop is suitable 

for age 12 and above. 

16 November 2019 10.00am to 

2.00pm Enable 95 Causewayside 

EH9 1QG 

Art & Craft Collective t 0131 629 

9123/0780 158 1674 

with Pianodrome and Leith 

Theatre as part of Pianodrome's 

'resonancy' at Leith Theatre. 

https://ctzn.tk/moonparty 

LeithLate19 November 2019 

events include Moon Party at the 

Leith Theatre 

www.leithlate.co.uk 

LeithLate is supported by The 

City of Edinburgh Council and by 

Baillie Gifford. 

We’re social! 

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk

18 

WHAT'S ON 


Topping and Company events 

These are just some of the 

author events at the Blenheim 

Place bookshop. 

Look online for more or contact 

Topping & Company on 0131 556 

4202 

Rick Stein - Friday, 8 November, 

8.00pm Greenside Church £8 or 

£26 including book 

Chef Rick Stein first set foot in 

France over fifty years ago. Now, 

he returns to the food and cooking 

he loves the most – and makes 

us fall in love with French food all 

over again. Secret France contains 

all the recipes from Rick’s new 

BBC Two series, and is destined to 

become a kitchen essential. Join 

Toppings for a celebration of real 

French home cooking! 

Paul Murton on the Viking Isles 

- M Jose Pizarro on Andalusian 

Cookery - Tuesday 12 November, 

12:15pm £10 or £26 including 

book 

Chef Jose Pizarro's gorgeous 

new cookbook focuses on 

the mouth-watering dishes 

from the Andalusia region of 

southern Spain. Join us for a 

glass of something, in the lovely 

surroundings of the bookshop, and 

learn how to cook this wonderful 

food from a true master. 

Tom Holland - Wednesday 13 

November, 8.00pm Greenside 

Church £10 or £25 including book 

Christianity is the most enduring 

and influential legacy of the 

ancient world, and its emergence 

the single most transformative 

development in Western history. 

Tom Holland's new book, 

Dominion,explores just what it 

was that made Christianity so 

revolutionary and disruptive; how 

completely it came to saturate the 

mind-set of Latin Christendom; 

and why, in a West that has 

become increasingly doubtful of 

religion’s claims, so many of its 

instincts remain irredeemably 

Christian. 

Julian Barnes on the Belle 

Epoque - Thursday 14 November, 

8.00pm Greenside Church £10 or 

£18.99 including book 

The Man Booker Prize-winning 

author of The Sense of an Ending 

will take you on a rich, witty tour 

of Belle Epoque Paris in his new 

book, The Man in the Red Coat. 

Through the eyes of the pioneering 

surgeon Samuel Pozzi, this witty, 

surprising and deeply researched 

new book illuminates the fruitful 

and longstanding exchange of 

ideas between Britain and France, 

and makes a compelling case for 

keeping that exchange alive. 

Erin Morgenstern - Monday 

25 November, 8.00pm Greenside 

Church £8 or £16.99 including 

book 

The bestselling author of The 

Night Circus presents her magical 

new novel, The Starless Sea. When 

Zachary Rawlins stumbles across 

a strange book hidden in his 

university library it leads him on a 

quest unlike any other. Join us for 

an evening of magical storytelling 

from this beloved author. 

Topping and Company 

Booksellers 2 Blenheim Place 

EH7 5JH 

Tel 0131 546 4202 

www.toppingbooks.co.uk 

At the National 

Museum of 

Scotland 

Science Saturday 23 Nov 

12:00–4:00pm Free 

Meet the curators to discover 

how many of the museum’s 

objects and specimens are linked 

to time. Hear from Darren Coxclock 

expert and ‘Repair Man’. 

Darren looks after some of the 

Museum’s own clocks to keep 

them in good working order. 

The Luxury of Time: Exhibition 

Tour 23 Nov 10:30–11:15am Free, 

booking required Dr John C Taylor 

OBE leads a tour of The Luxury of 

time - a display of 17th-century 

clocks and timepieces from Dr 

Taylor’s personal collection. 

An opportunity to gain an 

insight into Dr Tayor’s fascination 

with clocks and clockmaking 

technologies. 

In Conversation: a passion for 

invention 23 Nov 2.30–3:30pm 

Free, Booking Required 

What inspires invention? How do 

scientists, engineers or designers 

take an initial idea to a finished 

product? Does the process of 

invention ever end? 

Chaired by Dr Alison Morrison- 

Low – President of the Royal 

Scottish Society for the Arts 

(RSSA).

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk WHAT'S ON 19 

Edinburgh Studio 

Opera concert 

Edinburgh Studio Opera will 

stage a concert this month at 

the King’s Hall at 7:30pm on 16 

November 2019. 

Singers of Edinburgh Studio 

Opera from the University of 

Edinburgh will be performing 

a concert of opera highlights 

featuring music from Bizet, 

Mozart, Verdi, Offenbach and 

Mascagni. 

They will be accompanied by the 

Edinburgh University Chamber 

Orchestra and conducted by 

Mark Rogers from the Royal 

Conservatoire of Scotland. 

Tickets are available through the 

website edinburghstudioopera.org 

What’s on News in 

Brief 

Edinburgh World Heritage are 

partnering with the WS Society 

and Scotland Street Press to hold 

a book launch on 26 November 

2019 at the Signet Library. 

66 :The House that Viewed the 

World is about 66 Queen Street 

and the story of the people and 

events associated with it from 

the 18th century to the present 

day. There are heroes and villains. 

The author John D O Fulton will 

talk to Robert Pirrie WS about his 

research and inspiration. There will 

be a book signing and celebratory 

drinks. Doors open at 5.30pm with 

the event beginning at 6.00pm and 

Drinks from 6.45pm. There is no 

lift access to the library. Tickets 

available on Eventbrite. 

There's just a couple of weeks to 

go before the National Museum 

of Scotland's landmark exhibition, 

Wild and Majestic: Romantic 

Visions of Scotland, closes on 10 


Featuring beautiful tartan 

costume, incredible royal 

stories, spectacular paintings 

and heroic military histories, 

the exhibition uncovers how 

romantic interpretations of the 

Scottish Highlands and Islands 

became enduring symbols of 

wider Scottish identity, from 

the Romantic movement of the 

18th and early 19th centuries to 

Queen Victoria’s Highland idyll at 

Balmoral. 

At Edinburgh Zoo the awardwinning 

Giant Lanterns is back 

this winter. 

With help from colleagues 

in China, RZSS the wildlife 

conservation charity has 

installed hundreds of lanterns 

in preparation for the 47-night 

prehistoric extravaganza. This 

year’s brand new theme is ‘Lost 

Worlds’ and takes visitors on a 

journey back to a time where weird 

and wonderful creatures roamed 

the earth. 

Tickets for Giant Lanterns 

Lost Worlds start at £8.50 for 

children and £17 for adults 

and are now available at www. 

edinburghzoo.org.uk/lanterns. You 

are encouraged to book online in 

advance to secure your preferred 

date and time. 

Edinburgh Folk Club is running 

its annual Carrying Stream 

Festival (CSF) over the weekend 

Friday 8th to Sunday 10th 

November 2019. This festival 

was created shortly after Hamish 

Henderson died in order to 

celebrate his life and work. 

John Barrow of the Edinburgh 

Folk Club said : "Last year for 

a variety of reasons CSF was 

much reduced, however, this 

year would have been Hamish's 

100th birthday so we've gathered 

ourselves up and created what we 

think is an appropriate weekend's 

events.” The weekend begins at St 

Bride’s Centre with a concert on 9 

November. 

Mary Cameron Edinburgh artist 

Spotlight on artist Mary Cameron 

The City Art Centre brings 

the Edinburgh-born artist Mary 

Cameron (1865-1921) back into 

the spotlight, displaying over forty 

rarely-seen artworks from public 

and private collections. 

Mary Cameron: Life in Paint 

explores the life and career of a 

woman who was truly ahead of her 

time, charting her creative journey 

from elegant family portraits to 

breath-taking Spanish scenes. 

Born in Portobello, Edinburgh, 

Cameron began her artistic career 

as a portraitist and genre painter 

in her native city, before venturing 

abroad to study in Paris. 

Foreign travel proved to be a 

life-long source of inspiration. 

In 1900 she visited Madrid for 

the first time, where she became 

captivated by the Spanish culture, 

people and scenery. Establishing 

studios in Madrid and Seville, she 

painted large-scale compositions 

of traditional peasant life, dramatic 

bullfights and rural landscapes. 

A thoroughly modern and 

adventurous woman, Cameron 

exhibited widely during her 

1 November at 7.30pm 

An Evening with Lenny Henry: 

Who Am I Again? 

2 November Doors at 7.00pm 

Counterflows: Beatrice Dillon; 

Paul Abbott & Rian Treanor; Pat 

Thomas; [Fraser, Ormston] DJ 


Tim Kliphuis Trio: The Stirling 

Queen 


Scottish Chamber Orchestra 


Edinburgh Light Orchestra: 

Salute to the Cinema 


Capital Theatres in November 

Frank Skinner 

Festival Theatre 

Tuesday 12 November 2019, 

7.30pm 

An unmissable opportunity to 

see comic legend Frank Skinner 

perform brand new stand-up. 

Edinburgh Gang Show 2019 

King’ Theatre 

Tuesday 19 to Saturday 23 

November 2019 

It’s November… it’s the King’s 

Theatre… it’s GANG SHOW time! 

Over 250 young people from 

Scouting and Girlguiding return to 

the King’s with their spectacular 

production – the 60th Edinburgh 

Gang Show. 

lifetime, with her talents being 

admired by contemporaries such 

as John Lavery and Alexander 

Roche. However, like so many 

female artists of her generation, 

her name is little-known today. 

This exhibition aims to change 

that, with examples of her 

impressive work complemented by 

historic photographs and archival 

material. 

Classical Edinburgh 

Classical Edinburgh is a 

celebration of Edinburgh’s 

neo-classical architecture, as 

seen through the eyes of two 

architectural photographers, 

working half a cen tury apart. 

Edwin Smith (1912-72), 

once described as “a genius 

at photography” provided the 

photographs for The Making 

of Classical Edinburgh by A J 

Youngson, published in 1966. 

Colin McLean has spent the 

last two years re-interpreting 

Smith’s evocative black and white 

images. The exhibition will be a 

homage to Smith’s photography, 

and a reflection on the changes in 

Edinburgh’s townscape over the 

last 50 years. It is accompanied 

by a new publication, and a varied 

events programme. A revised 

edition of Youngson’s groundbreaking 

book is also being 

published to coincide with the 

exhibition. 

Winning entries from a public 

photographic competition, 

supported by Jessops, will be 

shown alongside Classical 

Edinburgh. 

This free exhibition opens on 9 


Beneath the Surface 

Beneath the Surface features 

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. Each of them articulates 

a minimalist aesthetic through 

abstraction in their work, ranging 

from constructions, drawings and 

paintings to ceramics, glass and 

tapestry. Eschewing narrative 

and observed reality, the artworks 

have an economy of gesture in 

common - a limited tonal palette or 

a monochrome colour plane. 

November at The Queen’s Hall, 

Making Tracks 

& Hannah Rarity 

Edinburgh 11 November at 7.45pm 

The Brodsky Quartet 


Scottish Chamber Orchestra 


Ardal O’Hanlon: The Showing Off 

Must Go On 


Hawkwind: 50th Anniversary 

17 November 7.30pm 

Nadiya Hussain: Finding My 

Voice 

19 November Doors 7.00pm 

Hot Club of Cowtown 


QH@40 Heidi Talbot presents 

Kathryn Williams, Boo Hewerdine 

As always there will be 

show-stopping musical numbers, 

fabulous choreography, stunning 

individual performances and 

hilarious comedy routines. 

How The Grinch Stole Christmas! 

The Musical 

Festival Theatre 

Tuesday 26 November to Sunday 

1 December 

Discover the magic of Dr. Seuss’ 

classic story How the Grinch Stole 

Christmas as it comes to life on 

stage. 

Featuring the hit songs ‘You’re 

A Mean One’, ‘Mr. Grinch’ and 

‘Welcome Christmas’, The 

Grinch discovers there’s more to 

Christmas than he bargained for in 

this heart-warming and hilarious 

musical. 

Join in the Christmas spirit with 


Horse: The Same Sky #30 


Bat for Lashes 


The King is Back: Ben 

Portsmouth is Elvis 


The Beatles Hornsey Road with 

Mark Lewisohn 


St Andrew’s Fair Saturday : Aidan 

O’Rourke 

Tickets & Information: www. 

thequeenshall.net | 0131 668 2019 

Clerk Street EH8 9JG 

the show critics have called “A 

genius of a show! A total delight 

for both kids and adults”. 

Goldilocks And The Three Bears 

King’s Theatre 

Saturday 30 November to 

Sunday 19 January 

The King’s Panto is back, 

reuniting Allan Stewart, Andy 

Gray and Grant Stott as they run 

away to the circus for the ultimate 

pantomime spectacular! 

Joining them this year in his first 

Kings’ Panto is River City’s Jordan 

Young. Packed full of hilarious 

comedy routines, laughter, 

dazzling special effects and 

hair-raising displays, Goldilocks 

and the Three Bears will blend the 

worlds of circus and pantomime 

featuring magic, music, mayhem 

and plenty of porridge.

20 PHOTOS 


Out and about in Edinburgh 

Liberton Kirk is one of the 

most attractive destinations for 

photographers at this time of year. 

The ivy on the south facing wall 

turns a bright copper red and 

the church with its red doors is 

extremely pretty. 

The building dates from the 19th 

century although a church has 

been in place on top of the hill 

overlooking Edinburgh since 800 

AD. 

Designed by James Gillespie 

Graham, this is a rectangular 

semi-Gothic building with 

corbelled parapet tower. 

More than 1,500 international 

performers assemble for the first 

of four shows at the ANZ Stadium 

in Sydney as The Royal Edinburgh 

Military Tattoo begins down under. 

The Australia showcase explores 

'At All Points of the Compass', 

taking audiences on a tour and 

guiding them around 360 degrees 

of the atlas to tell the compelling 

tale of Australia’s place in history 

and its links with allies. 

Thirteen nations will participate 

in the biggest ever Tattoo show, 

including performers from the UK, 

New Zealand, France, Indonesia, 

Papua New Guinea and the 

Solomon Islands. 

Tigerlily is transporting the Día 

de Muertos spirit to Edinburgh 

by transforming their iconic 

surroundings into a Patrón Día de 

Muertos wonderland. 

Diwali The Festival of Diwali is 

celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs 

and Buddhists around the world, 

each religion marking different 

historical events and legends, 

however all represent the victory 

of light over darkness, knowledge 

over ignorance, good over evil and 

hope over despair. 

Edinburgh Diwali has been 

organised for the last five years 

by a dedicated team of volunteers, 

headed by Mohindra Dhall, MBE. 

Here dancers from Edinburgh 

Dandiya get ready for the launch 

of the light festival in Princes 

Street Gardens and Castle Street 

in October. 

One of the dancers at Edinburgh Diwali PHOTO Martin P Mcadam 

Dancing at the Edinburgh Diwali outside the 

City Chambers PHOTO Martin P McAdam 

Liberton Kirk is respendent in autumn colours PHOTO 

Martin P McAdam 

Liberton Kirk in the autumn PHOTO Martin P McAdam

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk PHOTOS 21 

The Dragon was lively at 

Edinburgh Diwali! 

Pipe bands from The Scottish Regiment, Glencorse and Stockbridge all took part at 

Edinburgh Diwali PHOTO Martin P McAdam 

Edinburgh Tattoo down under 

Edinburgh Dandiya danced for days at Edinburgh Diwali 

PHOTO ©2019 The Edinburgh Reporter 

Tigerlily is transporting the Día de Muertos spirit to 

Edinburgh PHOTO Greg Macvean

22 

FEATURE 

High Fashion 

by Charlotte Nicholsby 

Dalkeith wouldn’t normally be on 

my fashion shopping radar, but I 

got a lovely surprise after being 

invited to The Restoration Rooms 

Boutique 2019 

A/W collection fashion show. 

This fabulous out of town store 

is situated in the grounds of 

Dalkeith Country Park in a glorious 

converted barn, with a café, deli 

and farm shop all under one roof. 

As I took my place on the ‘Frow’ 

- I was treated to a preview of 

designs from labels such as Pom 

Amsterdam with their gorgeous 

print dresses(definitely a purchase 

for me), Bl^nk, and LA based bag 

brand Street Level with their rose 

gold shoulder bags and tan leather 

shoppers. 

Also bang on trend was faux fur 

gilets, pinstripe trousers matched 

with polka dot shirts and cosy 

knitwear all modelled brilliantly by 

customers and staff! 

Vivienne McCulloch from 

Morningside told me how she 

loved her time getting the glam on 

for her debut as a runway model. 

Becca Armstrong, Restoration’s 

Assistant Buyer explained that 

they have over 10 brands now. The 

popularity of their collections has 

been overwhelming considering 

that it’s an out of town destination 

Nice day for an 

Outdoor Wedding 

Dundas Castle has launched 

a brand new outdoor ceremony 

space called Castle View. 

With a stunning panoramic vista, 

the new rustic space acts as a 

blank canvas for couples and their 

suppliers to dress and style as 

they wish. 

The spot has unrivalled views 

over Dundas Castle and out 

to the Three Bridges at South 

Queensferry close to Edinburgh. 

Castle View adds to Dundas 

Castle’s other ceremony offerings, 

which include the backdrop of the 

white stone fountain and arched 

doors in the outdoor Courtyard, 

the Castle front lawn and the 15th 

century Auld Keep; one of the 

most stunning and unique places 

to get married in Scotland. 

www.dundascastle.co.uk 


.So if you are on an autumnal dog 

walk, meeting friends for coffee or 

letting the kids burn some energy 

at the country park - be sure to 

be prepared to come home with a 

little extra wardrobe must have - I 

certainly will. 

www.therestorationroom.com 

by Charlotte Nicholsby 

All things William Street seem 

to grabbing my attention of late , 

putting up some stiff competition 

to its nearby rival Thistle Street for 

independent stores and cafes. A 

new and welcome addition joining 

this West End Gem is Gastropub 

and winery - The Green Room. 

At what was once the Melville 

pub, the opening party was a 

bustling affair as l sipped on a 

Autumn in Edinburgh 

by Charlotte NIcholsby 

I absolutely adore Autumn - 

particularly in Edinburgh as l feel 

the colours and the light changing 

really suits our beautiful capital. 

But this isn’t the case for a many 

of us . A recent survey said that 

almost 35% of the UK is affected 

in some form or other from SAD - 

Seasonal Affective Disorder. 

Common symptoms are / 

Less sociable 

Low Self ASteam 

Feeling Lethargic 

Larger appetite 

No desire for exercise 

The Green Room 

The good/ bad news of this is 

that dogs also suffer the same 

symptoms! As they naturally like 

light like us humans - there is 

no better excuse and help than 

getting out and walking our four 

legged friend! They too enjoy 

daylight and feel more likely to 

cuddle up and sleep a lot more 

during the winter months . Anyone 

who knows me -will be aware l 

Sauvignon Blanc whilst eating 

canapés inspired by there small 

plates menu . Live music was 

provided by the Dave Toule jazz 

duo . 

What l really like about this place 

is the interior. Designed by Adam 

Story ( behind The Chop House, 

The Lookout, and The West room 

) it has been inspired by all things 

botanical. Lush green foliage is 

visible through glass wall panels 

love our family pooch Fonzie . 

Getting out into the short hours 

of daylight is crucial but we have 

so many great places to catch 

those fallen leaves and low winter 

suns .Arthur’s Seat , inverleith 

Park, Cammo woods and Cramond 

Beach - all these beauties we 

have on our doorstep. So borrow 

a dog or come walk with me and 

embrace the season - let not let it 

brace us . 

and green botanical bottles adorn 

the walls behind the bar. After a 

stroll around this gorgeous street 

and a little retail therapy - The 

Green Room will be a perfect pit 

stop for a well earned refreshment 

and It’s dog friendly ! 

The Green Room 19-25 William 

Street ,EH3 7NG 

0131 225 1358 

www.thegreenroomedinburgh. 

com 



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

How to find good tenants 

Here’s ESPC’s top five tips that 

will help you find the perfect 

tenant for your rental property. 

Provide a quality home 

Tenants are now tending to rent 

for longer in Edinburgh than they 

ever have previously and are being 

more selective when choosing a 

rental property. Well maintained 

properties that have recently 

been refurbished, redecorated 

or have upgraded bathrooms or 

kitchens will attract more interest 

from prospective tenants, giving 

you a larger pool of applicants to 

choose from. 

Fair rent 

In addition to providing a 

quality property, it's important 

to set your rent at a fair market 

price in order to maximise 

the interest and number of 

applications you receive. It’s 

worthwhile remembering that 

the best tenants, who are going 

to look after your property, are 

not necessarily the ones who are 

willing to pay the highest rent. 

Advertise everywhere 

To find the best tenant, it's 

beneficial to have as many 

applicants as possible to choose 

from. Most tenants will start by 

searching for rental properties 

online, on such websites as espc. 

com or Citylets. Therefore, it's 

essential you advertise your 

property on these property 

websites to ensure it is seen by 

as many potential tenants as 

possible. 

Property viewings 

It's important to meet any 

prospective tenants at the 

property. If you are finding your 

own tenants or using a letting 

agent, viewings can be an ideal 

time to gather information. 

Tenant reference checks 

Checking any prospective 

tenants’ references provides 

invaluable information when 

selecting a tenant. You should 

ensure the following checks are 

carried out: credit rating, adverse 

credit check, affordability check, 

current landlord reference and 

employment reference. 

If you're needing further advice 

on how to find the tenant you're 

looking for, our ESPC Lettings 

team would love to help! Get in 

touch on landlord@espc.com or 

0131 253 2847. 

Lose weight with 

Edinburgh Leisure 

Be in for just a penny and lose 

the pounds in time for Christmas. 

Edinburgh Leisure is reducing their 

normal joining fee to just 1p on 

any of their fitness, swim, gym, 

class and climb memberships 

meaning there’s no excuse not to 

get fit. 

The offer is available until 5 


As everyone is different and 

needs to find their own way to a 

healthy and active life, Edinburgh 

Leisure offers a range of different 

membership options to suit 

everyone including swim, gym and 

fitness class only to full monthly 

memberships. By offering different 

types of membership, people can 

Offering something for all ages 

and stages, the ‘biggest club 

in town’, Edinburgh Leisure is 

launching a new set of pre and 

post-natal fitness classes in two 

of its venues. 

From Pregnancy to Mum and 

Baby Yoga to Bumps and Babies, 

the sessions will be launching at 

Edinburgh Leisure venues from 

Monday, 28 October 2019 . 

The classes place at Drumbrae 

Leisure Centre and Glenogle Swim 

Centre. 

They are all specially designed 

for mothers-to-be to stay active 

throughout their pregnancy. 

Then afterwards, with baby in 

match their activity preferences to 

their pocket. 

Existing members referring 

a friend will receive up to £30 

cashback, when the friend joins. 

There is no limit on the number of 

referrals. 

With 30+ venues including 1 

climbing centre, 9 swimming 

pools, 14 gyms, and 800+ fitness 

classes per week, Edinburgh 

Leisure is the ‘biggest club in 

town’ providing the widest range 

of fitness classes, state of the art 

facilities and community based 

programmes across the capital. 

To join, visit your nearest 

Edinburgh Leisure venue or visit 

www.edinburghleisure.co.uk 

Bumps and Babies 

fitness classes 

tow, they aim to help mums ‘to 

find their feel good’ in a safe and 

supported environment. 

Expert Coaches understand each 

trimester plus the post-natal stage 

More Bumps and Babies classes 

are scheduled in the coming 

months at Craiglockhart Leisure 

Centre. 

Classes are bookable now online 

or in venue and classes until 10th 

November are free to attend to 

encourage people to give it a go. 

Go on - you know you want to ! 

www.edinburghleisure.co.uk 

Buy a bed this Christmas 

National homelessness charity, 

Bethany Christian Trust, is 

encouraging festive shoppers 

to buy a bed for people who are 

homeless this Christmas by 

purchasing a voucher for their 

Edinburgh based Care Shelter. 

The gift vouchers, which cost 

£21 each, are now available to 

Bumps & 

Babies 

Pre and Post-Natal Fitness 

classes led by expert coaches 

who understand each trimester 

plus the post-natal stage. 

edinburghleisure.co.uk 

Registered Scottish Charity No: SC027450 

purchase online until 17 January 

2020 

A voucher will provide a person, 

who is sleeping rough on the 

streets, overnight shelter, access 

to a hot meal and breakfast the 

following morning, safety from the 

elements, professional support, 

and multi-disciplinary services.

24 

FOOD 

Recipe of the month 

Spiced Duck Breast, Confit Duck 

Leg, Slow Poached Egg Yolk & 

Olive 

Duck Spice Mix 

100ml of honey 

10g Chinese 5 spice 

5ml soy sauce 

1x lime juice 

20ml rapeseed oil 

Gently warm all ingredients in 

a sauce pan and transfer in to a 

container and allow to cool 

Duck Leg Confit 

Salt the duck leg overnight in 

course rock salt to remove excess 

water in leg. 

Wash the salt off the duck leg 

and leave to dry 

Add the duck legs to a metal 

tray and cover with 1litre of duck 

fat, cover the fat with greaseproof 

paper and tin foil and cook in the 

over at 100 degrees for 6 hours. 

To prepare the duck breast score 

lightly the top of the skin. On a 

low heat render the fat slowly until 

skin is golden and crispy. Allow 

to cool. Place duck breast in oven 

160 degrees for 8-10 minutes . 

Using a thermometer - 55 degrees 

for pink meat. 

Olive Tapenade 

300g pitted, mixed olives. 

2 anchovy fillets 

10g capers 

5g coarsely chopped parsley. 

3 cloves garlic roasted 

2 juiced lemon 

Salt and freshly ground black 

pepper. 

250 ml olive oil. 

Blend all ingredients except 

parsley (add last) - gradually add 

olive oil. 

Slow cooked Egg Yolk 

Preheat a fan assisted oven to 

65°C. 

Separate the egg yolks from the 

whites. 

Submerge the yolks in an 

oven-proof saucepan filled halfway 

with olive oil. 

Place in oven for 55 minutes. 

Remove yolks with a slotted 

spoon 


Place olive tapenade on the 

bottom of the plate and place the 

slow cooked egg yolk on top, 

Using pastry brush lightly cover 

the duck breast with pre made 

honey and spice marinade. Slice 

your duck in half. 

Season with Maldon salt - put 

on plate 

Drain confit duck leg from duck 

fat Quickly fry in oil to crisp skin. 

Slice olives. Place around meat 

and egg Drizzle red wine jus over 

plate. 

For just recipe read our online 

article 

Glenn Roach, Executive Chef 

of the Surf & Turf Restaurants in 

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts. Chef 

Roach introduced the Surf & Turf 

concept to Macdonald Rusacks 

Hotel, St Andrews and Macdonald 

Holyrood Hotel in Edinburgh. 

New Chinese in St Andrew Square 

Contemporary Chinese 

restaurant, Tattu, has unveiled 

its new Edinburgh venue with 

sprawling Sakura blossom and 

bespoke mural centrepiece 

created by local artists, Mr & Mrs 

Bell Art & Design. 

The blossoms recreate the 

tranquillity of a Chinese garden 

setting. 

The new restaurant officially 

opens its doors on Friday, 8 

November serving its renowned 

Chinese-inspired cuisine with 

exclusive dishes developed for the 

Edinburgh menu by Executive Chef 

Andrew Lassetter and his team. 

Occupying the ground and 

basement level of the newly 

refurbished Mint Building on 

West Register Street, the brothers 

behind the brand, Adam and Drew 

Jones, have developed a space 

inspired by both the rich historic 

and contemporary characteristics 

of the city. 

Taking traditional ingredients 

and classic flavours, combined 

with innovative ideas and cooking 

techniques, Tattu will serve its 

renowned Chinese-inspired cuisine 

with a number of exclusive dishes 

developed for the Edinburgh 

menu by Executive Chef Andrew 

Lassetter and his team. 

Divine Divino Enoteca 

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson 

If I had a pound for every time I’m 

asked the question, “Being a food 

writer, do you get to go out for 

lovely dinners?” I’d be a wealthy 

woman, indeed. 

I’d suggest Food Writer as a 

possible career for anyone who 

likes to be thoroughly spoilt, 

lesser only to the professions of 

motoring journalist or the elusive 

wristwatch columnist sectors of 

the petulant spoiled brats of the 

scribing world. 

So when I was asked to join 

some of my fellow professionals 

for a meal at Divino Enoteca I was 

delighted. 

Being an only child I’ve been 

rather indulged in my time, my 

parents took me out from a very 

young age to fabulous restaurants, 

so going for a splendid dinner 

(with wine pairings!) I inherently 

feel is no less than my due. 

Divino Enoteca is beautiful! You 

descend the stairs on Merchant 

Street, in the heart of the old 

town, to elegant fabulousness. 

I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t been 

before, and considering they 

have a space age range of wine 

tasting machines it really ought 

to be my Mother Ship. Here you 

can pop a pre-paid card into these 

machines and try a small measure 

or glass of a wide range of wines. 

Some charge £50 for a few sips, 

or a mouthful if you’re me. These 

amazing contraptions can hold a 

bottle of wine in a fresh state for 

five years. It could be a good thing 

I’m a new client for all concerned. 

One of the reasons I was so 

excited about the evening was to 

meet Somelier Silvio Praino, who 

I had heard much about. Silvio 

is what we call, in the trade, a 

character. A slimmed down David 

Suchet might play him in a movie. 

What Silvio doesn’t know about 

Italian wine, ain’t worth learning. 

We were treated to a four course 

tasting menu with wine pairings 

from Piedmont region. Good Lord, 

it was an education. 

When you ask Silvio about wine, 

an encyclopedia opens up with the 

vast knowledge of his noddle. His 

wife must be a happy woman. 

I did ask what I considered to 

be an important question: before 

Prosecco became popular, where 

did all the Prosecco go? It turns 

out that when Prosecco hit the 

market Italy simply expanded the 

area you could make Prosecco in. 

You have to hand it to the Italians, 

they don’t mess about. 

Read about the marinated veal, 

ravioli with fresh truffle and the 

many fine wines I drank - 

www.edinburghreporter.co.uk

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk FOOD 25 

Juliet's Food Diary 

end of it but couldn't leave a 

grain of my Peterhead Smoked 

Salmon Kedgeree and wolfed 

down a sticky toffee macaron for 

good measure. I’ve no doubt the 

revamped Scottish Café will be 

a resounding success. Owners 

Victor and Carina are celebrating 

the centenary of the Contini family 

in Scotland and here’s to another 

100! 

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson 

Bar and restaurant openings are 

generally fun affairs, although 

sipping fizz, air kissing and 

negotiating canapés can be a 

multitask too far. 

I was rather delighted when 

attending the reopening of The 

Scottish Café that guests were 

seated at tables with Contini 

Prosecco and delectable treats 

served to us in a calm and relaxed 

atmosphere. 

Delicate though the morsels 

were, I felt rather stuffed at the 

Congratulations to Stuart 

Ralston and Krystal Goff at Aizle 

for being placed fifth on the Trip 

Advisor Travellers Choice awards 

for the best fine dining restaurant 

in the UK. Located on St Leonards 

Street, Aizle was the first 

restaurant in Edinburgh to offer a 

surprise tasting menu, perfect for 

taking out annoying people who 

can make their minds up. From 

sourdough to hand churned butter, 

everything is made in house here 

and they even grow some herbs 

and vegetables ‘out the back’. It’s 

great to see such dedication from 

another husband and wife team 

pay off. 

How can you feel like you’ve 

been in a children’s play park for 

an hour? Be in a children’s play 

park for five minutes. 

The opening of The Vanilla Pod 

on Leith Links gave me hope for 

the chilly autumnal trips to the 

slide and swings. Quickly famed 

for its great coffee and home 

made soups it seemed to be the 

perfect addition for weary parents. 

But sadly The Vanilla Pod was 

closed down after one complaint 

from the public which I gather 

stated ‘the generator would scare 

dogs’ and ‘the seating outside the 

van would attract paedophiles.’ 

Goodness me. 

Now a charming business has 

been lost to the park, a place for 

dog walkers to socialise, families 

to eat and even a location for 

entirely innocent lonely people 

to enjoy a cup of tea, cheered 

by the fun of the play park 

nearby. When you consider the 

utter bastardisation the council 

welcome for the city's centre green 

spaces over the festive period 

it seems insane that a small 

food and coffee van that offers 

a welcomed public service is put 

out of business. I hope the council 

deign to temporarily refrain from 

getting their knickers in a twist 

over the commercialisation of 

the city and get round to doing 

the right thing for businesses 

prepared to open all year round. 

Legendary artist and all round 

eccentric Salvador Dali originally 

wanted to become a chef, and 

even published a cookbook, Les 

Diners de Gala, in 1973. With 

only 400 copies printed publisher 

Taschen is reissuing the book. 

With 136 recipes, including a 

section on aphrodisiacs, the book 

is packed with surreal illustrations 

and dishes including Veal Cutlets 

Stuffed with Snails and Frog 

Pasties. Not the kind of thing 

you might pick up from Greggs. 

However to genuinely entertain 

like Dali and his wife Gala you’ll 

also need a few wild animals as 

extra guests for the dining room. 

Victor & Carina at the opening party 

Sublime Sundays at Hawksmoor 

by Phyllis Stephen 

Hawksmoor is set in a historical 

building - the Art Deco former 

banking hall just off St Andrew 

Square. 

It could oh so easily be terribly 

formal - almost like a gentleman’s 

club. But it’s not. Far from it. 

Instead it breezes its way to a 

Sunday afternoon hotspot with 

jazz and light classic rock playing 

in the background. 

The lofty ceilings float above 

the busy but actually quite restful 

dining room and the waiting staff 

are all in casual gear. 

Escape here on a Sunday for a 

perfectly cooked roast beef lunch 

served beautifully pink with beef 

dripping roast potatoes, a rich 

bone marrow sauce served with 

carrots, greens, roasted shallots 

with a whole garlic bulb and 

horseradish on the side. 

The slow roast rump is started 

on real charcoal and then finished 

in the oven, only adding to the 

overall beautiful flavour. 

The French Syrah which 

accompanied our meal was served 

at perfect room temperature and 

was utterly delicious. 

The staff were solicitous without 

being overbearing, and we could 

easily have lingered a bit longer. 

This was the most spectacular 

Yorkshire Pudding crispy 

which proved to be an ideal 

accompaniment to the gravy 

which we just could not get 

enough of. 

Then we felt quite obliged in the 

interests of research to have the 

Peanut butter shortbread with 

salted caramel with chocolate 

sauce. YUM! 

Roast beef lunch at £20 each 

was a bit of snip we felt for the 

quality and the atmosphere. 

(And of course if you desperately 

have to go on Mondays you can 

bring your own wine for a £5 

corkage fee.) 

The restaurant recently 

celebrated its first birthday in the 

capital, and we really think this 

establishment is here to stay. 

Hawksmoor Edinburgh 23 West 

Register Street EH2 2AA 0131 526 

4790 

Open from 12 noon to 9.00pm 

on Sundays.www.thehawksmoor. 

com/edinburgh

26 

FEATURE 

Mairi Wilks is an Edinburgh 

based textile and wallpaper 

designer, but she has more than 

November Crossword 

Across 

1. Critic inputs red components to 

electronic boards (7, 8) 

9. A ragman forms another word 

from these letters (7) 

10. Let a pet upset a painter's 

board (7) 

11. Light-sensitive device made from 

wrapping cloth round pole (9) 

12. Pet suitable for member of 

Confederation of Registered Gas 

Installers (5) 

13. Nuts are affecting different 

characteristics (7) 

15. Forcibly eject or expel us (7) 

17. Trap ape behind protective wall (7) 

19. Withdraw part of the spare 

traction engine (7) 

21. Urn is smashed and left among 

remains of buildings (5) 

23. Got rid of unwanted, faded fool (9) 

25. Succeed, in their place (7) 

26. Send by plane ? Sorry, I'm a liar (7) 

27. Episode on angler upsets one 

who has retired (3, 3, 9) 

Crossword by David Albury Answers on page 28 

one string to her bow (and more 

than one name!). Formerly a vet, 

Mairi then studied photography 

Down 

1. Enclosure for children constructed 

apparently without art (7) 

2. Optical counterpart of strange 

amigo (5) 

3. Jet-engine built round pub or port (9) 

4. Miss end of play due to poor 

lighting (7) 

5. Sudden urge to sup lime juice (7) 

6. Using some glycol I cure 

abdominal disease (5) 

7. Words are Latin, I believe, for 

"among other things" (5, 4) 

8. Unable to reproduce copy of its reel (7) 

14. Insert had become discoloured (9) 

16. Rip up root to use with mixed 

petals and spices (3, 6) 

17. Riot cop damaged colonnade (7) 

18. Wet spot disrupted gliding 

dance (3-4) 

19. Abstain from doing anything 

about shape of rear fin (7) 

20. Dirt led to small fish (7) 

22. Some people push rug aside and 

display indifference thus (5) 

24. Draw off some old rain-water (5) 


Meeting colourful Edinburgh designer Mairi Helena 

STR8TS 

Easy 

3 1 7 

7 

1 6 7 2 9 8 

5 

9 7 

8 5 3 

8 2 

6 9 5 

5 6 

How to beat Str8ts – 

Like Sudoku, no single number 1 to 9 can repeat in any row 

or column. But... rows and columns are 

divided by black squares into compartments. 2 1 4 5 

Each compartment must form a straight - 6 4 5 3 2 

a set of numbers with no gaps but it can be 

in any order, eg [7,6,9,8]. Clues in black cells 

4 5 2 1 

remove that number as an option in that row 4 3 6 2 1 5 

and column, and are not part of any straight. 

Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ 

are formed. 

3 5 

2 

2 

1 

1 

3 

4 

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles 

SUDOKU 

and began using her photos to 

create her striking and firmly 

Scottish designs as Mairi Helena. 

She explained that she loves 

escaping to the outdoors with her 

camera particularly on the west 

coast of Scotland where she has 

taken landscape photos and based 

her designs on those. 

She said : “I was building up 

a large portfolio of pictures of 

textures and colours and leaves 

and lichens and trying to find a 

way to showcase ‘Scottish’ as a 

pattern. 

“ I work in layers in Photoshop 

and each design has about thirty 

layers in it. I take elements of 

my photographs, so for example 

I might take the skeleton of a 

thistle. I really just play around 

of the different elements until I'm 

1 9 3 

6 3 9 7 

4 5 

5 7 

4 7 3 1 2 8 

4 5 

2 1 

1 5 8 3 

7 9 1 

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering 

numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 

box contains every number uniquely. 

For many strategies, hints and tips, 

visit www.sudokuwiki.org for Sudoku 

and www.str8ts.com for Str8ts. 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 

9 10 

11 12 

13 14 15 16 

17 18 19 20 

21 22 23 24 

25 26 

27 

Tough 

If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our 

books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store. 

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles 

happy with the section and then I 

put it into a repeating print.” 

Mairi is holding an Open House 

at her home studio with textiles 

and wallpapers on display on 16 


In her Murrayfield home she 

has different feature wallpapers 

in each room and lots of textiles 

on different furniture pieces. For 

anyone looking for decorating 

inspiration this will be a must 

attend event. She explained : 

"I get a lot of enquiries about 

Douglas Watt's new 

Jacobite book 

by Dave Albury 

In 1689 Scotland was in a state 

of political unrest, with Bonnie 

Dundee threatening to overthrow 

the government and restore 

James Stuart as King, and this 

historical thriller is set against this 

background of political intrigue. 

John MacKenzie, an advocate, 

finds himself with time on his 

hands since his job as Clerk of 

the Session had disappeared 

with the great rebellion. And 

when a body is revealed in the 

Craigleith quarry by a storm 

the city officials consider it too 

trivial to worry about, but the 

man’s family engage MacKenzie, 

with the aid of his assistant, 

Davie Scougall, to search for his 

murderer. The atmosphere of the 

darker, murky side of Edinburgh is 

given life by the author a Scottish 

history graduate. Who would 

have imagined that there existed 

dingy drinking dens that paid 

little attention to licensing hours, 

and that the streets teemed with 

drunkards and ladies of the night . 

. .The plot has as many turns and 

twists as Edinburgh’s Old Town 

streets and closes, with the odd 

blind alley here and there. This is 

people coming to to visit to see it 

in situ so I've decided to have an 

Open House event in November. 

There’s information about it on my 

website where you can RSVP to 

the invitation. 

Mairi Helena’s designs have been 

used at the Scottish Café inside 

the National Gallery of Scotland 

and at the Wedding Suite in the 

City Chambers. 

Read the full interview online. 

www.mairihelena.co.uk 

the fourth in a series of thrillers 

involving John MacKenzie, and 

although it is inevitable that 

comparisons are being drawn 

with Rebus, it is perhaps nearer to 

Holmes (an Edinburgh creation) 

and Watson, as the gifted 

amateurs. I shall certainly be 

looking for the earlier adventures 

and keep my eye out for future 

ones. 

Published by Luath Press Ltd 

paperback £9.99 ISBN 978 – 1 – 

912147 – 61 - 8 

Get in 

touch 

today! 

For editorial and 

advertising enquiries 

please email 

editor@ 




edinburghreporter 

theedinburghreporter.co.uk


Finding out more about Agnostic Scotland 

We met the founders of Agnostic 

Scotland, Onie Linda and Andrea. 

The body has its base in Edinburgh 

and we wanted to find out about 

the organisation. 

Who or what is Agnostic 

Scotland? 

Agnostic Scotland is a not-forprofit 

organisation offering 

Wedding, Naming, Funeral and 

other Life-Transition Ceremonies. 

We believe that families should be 

able to decide how and where they 

choose to mark the momentous 

occasions in their lives, however 

big or small, religious or secular, 

traditional or unconventional. 

All surplus is reinvested into our 

Agnostic Scotland Community 

Fund, through which we seek to 

provide affordable ceremonies 

across Scotland. Our Community 

Connection Gatherings are open to 

all who wish to join our donationsbased 

wellbeing workshops and 

social events. 

Why would I want to use 

your services? 

Every element of your ceremony 

is tailored to your own unique 

blend of wishes, beliefs and 

values, whether these include 

elements of faith-based, spiritual 

or non-religious ethos. All 

the words, rituals, music and 

traditions included are entirely 

your choice. 

Grow Your Own Micro Herb Garden 

Food expert Campbell Mickel, 

co-owner of Merienda in 

Stockbridge, tells us about micro 

herbs. These are tender immature 

plants, bursting with nutrients and 

can be grown all year. They are 

the seedlings of plants that are 

usually harvested when they are 

fully grown. 

Campbell grows and harvests his 

own micro herbs to add beauty, 

flavour and freshness to any dish. 

They can be grown in natural light, 

but a sunny windowsill or under 

grow lights is better. 

Some companies offer 

special Microgreen seed mixes 

to experiment with at home. 

Campbell recommends first 

growing some Micro Coriander 

- very easy, looks amazing and 

compliments so many different 

dishes. You need heat lights, 

seeds, soil and water. 

Harvest every 7-10 days by 

cutting shoots just above ground 

level with scissors. Many types 

of herb can regrow several times. 

Micro Herbs are best eaten right 

after harvesting, but will keep in 

Ceremonies can be funny-sweet, 

deeply meaningful, make-youweep-while-you-laugh 

hilarious, 

heart-achingly poignant, timeless 

and grand, sincere and serious, 

gentle and thoughtful. They 

can take place in grand hotels 

or historic castles, on remote 

beaches or windswept hilltops, 

in gorgeous gardens, or your own 

home. 

It feels great a s a celebrant to 

say “ Yes! Let’s do what you want 

to do... it is your ceremony!” 

What makes you different? 

Until now, in Scotland, choice 

has been limited for any couple 

wishing to be legally married to 

opt for either a religious, interfaith, 

or non-religious ceremony. 

There has been no legal option 

available to couples wishing to 

seal their marriage vows in an 

Agnostic ceremony that uniquely 

responds to and reflects their 

unique beliefs, values and wishes. 

Through Agnostic Scotland, we 

can now offer a legally-recognised 

and important additional option 

to families by providing Agnostic 

ceremonies that reflect and 

respond to their own beliefs, 

values and wishes, provided they 

adhere to our moral and ethical 

values. 

We live in a society where many 

individuals and families are no 

a glass jar in the fridge for a few 

days. Campbell recommends 

serving a Micro Herb if their big 

brother is present in the dish. 

Four herbs to start : 

Coriander - Coriander is full of 

flavour. This leafy herb packs a 

real aromatic punch 

Pea shoots - Pea Shoots have a 

nutty, distinct flavour and are full 

longer choosing to conform to 

and live by a single faith or belief. 

Increasingly, as Independent 

Celebrants, 

we are being asked to provide 

Agnostic ceremonies for families. 

Ceremonies that reflect the 

unique blend of individual and 

shared beliefs within couples and 

families, whether that include 

elements of faith-based, spiritual 

or non-religious ethos. 

We are a group of Celebrants 

who believe strongly that families 

should be able to decide how 

and where they choose to mark 

the momentous occasions in 

their lives, however big or small, 

religious or secular, traditional 

or unconventional. For those 

that do not ascribe to any one 

faith or a non-religious ethos, the 

ceremony they choose for their 

Wedding, Naming, Funeral, or any 

other meaningful life-transition 

event, should reflect and respond 

to their own varied, often multifaceted, 

sometimes shared and 

occasionally contradictory beliefs. 

In short, we believe there should 

be an option for families to choose 

an Agnostic ceremony, one that 

puts them at the heart of their 

ceremony. 

How can people contact you? 

Find out more about 

Agnostic Scotland at www. 

AgnosticScotland.org or email 

hello@agnosticscotland.org 

of vitamins A, B, C and E. They are 

wonderful in a salad. 

Garlic Chives - The shoots, once 

cut, will add a slight garlic & onion 

flavour to any dish that they are 

added to. 

Micro Radishes - The pleasantly 

peppery radish Microgreens 

boast a flavour similar to that of 

root radishes.

28 

PHOTO OF THE MONTH 


Edinburgh University Teviot Row House Student 

UnionUnioncafé1955 PHOTO Robert Blomfield 

Lauren Cairns, Edinburgh University Teviot Row House Student Union café, receiving 

MA First class honours in Business with Marketing July 2019 PHOTO David Cairns 

Robert Blomfield recently had his photography of Edinburgh shown at the City Art Gallery. David Cairns from Edinburgh bought the 

first picture above at the exhibition. He said: “My daughter then graduated from Edinburgh Uni so I snapped a similar view 55 years 

later at her graduation. I wrote to Robert’s son who was delighted that his father’s work continued to be popular.” 

Crossword Answers 

Across: 1 Printed circuits, 9 Anagram, 10 Palette, 11 Photocell, 12 Corgi, 

13 Natures, 15 Expulse, 17 Parapet, 19 Retract, 21 Ruins, 23 Offloaded, 

25 Inherit, 26 Airmail, 27 Old age pensioner. 

Down: 1 Playpen, 2 Imago, 3 Turboprop, 4 Dimness, 5 Impulse, 6 Colic, 

7 Inter alia, 8 Sterile, 14 Tarnished, 16 Pot pourri, 17 Portico, 

18 Two-step, 19 Refrain, 20 Tiddler, 22 Shrug, 24 Drain. 

Get in touch today! 

For editorial and advertising 

enquiries please email 

editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk 

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter 


Want your photo featured here? 

Email you photo to editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk 

The Edinburgh 

Sketcher 

Christmas 

commissions 

Commission your own personal 

ink and watercolour artwork from 

the Edinburgh Sketcher. 

Sketches can be drawn from 

photographs of your favourite 

view or scene, or perhaps your 

ownEdinburgh home. 

Mark will create a bespoke gift 

for your loved one this Christmas. 

Prices start at £75 and artwork 

can come mounted or framed. 

Mark is also running a sketching 

workshop at Paper Tiger on 

Stafford Street on 17 November 

2019 when you can join him to 

make your own Christmas cards. 

Prepare to be inspired by the 

Georgian architecture of the West 

End and make cards you will be 

happy to send this festive season! 

email Mark at contact@ 

edinburghsketcher.com for more 

information.


Call up the Care Crew 

The Care Crew offers palliative 

care, spinal care and also 

dementia related care for their 

clients. 

The care company is also 

familiar with the protocol for 

medical care at home. 

The business was founded by 

Ben’s mother, Helen McDonald, 

just over a decade ago with the 

aim of raising the bar for the care 

of the elderly. 

Ben Macdonald told us about 

the company he now runs. He 

said : “The whole business came 

about because my mum used 

to work in care homes when 

she was younger, and she saw 

that the clients, the elderly, were 

not getting the best possible 

treatment. 

“Being taken away from their 

family and their home was clearly 

very stressful for them - as if 

dementia didn't take away enough 

already - so she thought, why 

not turn it on its head and send 

fantastic carers, handpicked 

by ourselves, into the clients’ 

homes?” 

And that is exactly what The 

Care Crew do: they offer a bespoke 

in-home care service for those 

who suffer from debilitating 

illnesses or conditions in the latter 

years of their lives. 

Ben explained : “By delivering 

the care in their own homes, the 

clients can still maintain their 

freedom. 

“It’s not stripped away from them 

by being restricted to a care home 

room every day. 

“Freedom is something that we 

want to retain as much as possible 

so there isn’t any part of Scotland 

that we won’t go to.” 

“Based in Perthshire, we have 

clients as far west as Argyll and as 

far north as Aberdeen, and we’ve 

even been known to go abroad.” 

Certainly, The Care Crew do not 

hesitate to go the extra mile when 

it comes to giving their clients a 

first-class standard of care. 

All of the company’s employees 

are taught to treat their clients like 

they would their own grandparents 

or members of their family. 

https://carecrew.co.uk 

Tel : 07738 625 021 

Advertising feature. 

Celebrating the 

Edinburgh Film Guild 

Councillor Gillian Gloyer drew 

the Edinburgh Film Guild to the 

council's attention last month. 

She explained its importance to 

Edinburgh and asked the Lord 

Provost to hold a civic reception at 

the City Chambers to mark its 90th 

consecutive season - which he 

agreed to do. 

The Edinburgh Film Guild 

is, as she explains, the oldest 

continually running film society in 

the world. 

"Even people who go to the 

cinema a lot, even people who 

go to Filmhouse a lot, often have 

no idea that Edinburgh is home 

to the oldest continually running 

film society in the world - the 

Edinburgh Film Guild. 

"It was established in 1929 by 

luminaries of Scottish film and 

film studies - Forsyth Hardy and 

Norman Wilson among others. 

They were inspired by the Film 

Society, set up in London in 1925. 

And yet as John Grierson wrote 

two decades later, "The old London 

Film Society was the first to 

break from somewhat exclusive 

attention to the avant-garde and 

take the longer and harder way of 

the Russians and more purposive 

users of the cinema. But it was 

the Edinburgh Film Guild which 

completed the movement - as 

the London Film Society did not 

- and saw the infinite variety of a 

Film Society's obligations to all 

categories of the medium". 

We screen over sixty films a year 

for our members. In this 90th year, 

our programme includes Chinese, 

Hungarian, Japanese and Mexican 

films; British crime thrillers and 

films noirs; sci-fi, giallo and 

westerns. It also includes a 

mini-season of films from the first 

years of the Guild, by directors 

such as Pabst and Sternberg. 

The Guild not only screens 

films for its members, it is also 

an educational charity. We run 

film and media courses, often in 

conjunction with Lifelong Learning 

at the University of Edinburgh. 

We have sponsored lectures as 

part of the Film Festival. All our 

activities are run by volunteer 

members of the Guild. We have 

our own 31-seat cinema within 

Filmhouse, and a club-room where 

members can relax before or after 

our screenings and chat to each 

other about the films they have 

seen. We welcome new members 

and you can become one for as 

little as £25! 

The Edinburgh Film Guild has 

been contributing to the city’s 

cultural life and educating our 

citizens about cinema for nine 

decades. 

Care Crew are here to provide a quality 

care service in our clients’ own homes 

Call us on: 

07738 625 021 

www.carecrew.co.uk

30 

SPORT 


Ladies Football - Spartans host 

Motherwell 

by Thomas Brown 

Spartans Women and Motherwell 

shared the spoils at Ainslie Park 

last week after the home side let a 

two-goal lead slip. 

Debbie McColloch’s side took the 

lead when Becky Galbraith broke 

away from the defender in the box 

All photos Thomas Brown 

and calmly slotted the ball into 

the net. 

Katie Frew then doubled 

Spartans lead before the interval 

with a cross come shot that sailed 

into the net.Despite Spartans 

dominant first half performance 

the visitors pulled one back just 

before the interval. 

This spurred Motherwell on and 

they were in control of the second 

half but couldn’t find an equaliser 

until the last minute when they 

awarded a penalty kick. 

The striker stepped up and rolled 

the ball in the net to ensure them 

a point. 

Special Guest at 

Football Memories 

Hibs’ legend Pat Stanton 

attended the Football Memories 

meeting at Easter Road earlier 

this month and enthralled the 

members and volunteers during 

a question and answer session 

conducted by club historian Tom 

Wright. 

Around 100 attended the event 

which was held in the Behind 

the Goals bar in the Famous Five 

Stand, the largest number since 

the initiative began eight years 

ago. 

Pat recalled his home debut 

against Dundee where he was 

asked to mark the great Gordon 

Smith who was a hero of his father 

and also playing with and against 

many great players in the sixties 

and seventies. 

He maintained that Willie 

Hamilton was the best player he 

played with at Hibs and told tales 

of the many glorious European 

nights under the floodlights. 

Pat recently turned 75 and a 

special event was held for him 

at the Usher Hall where he was 

joined on stage by numerous 

former team-mates and friends 

including Sir Alex Ferguson. 

Tom presented Pat with a 

matchday programme from 

The Team For Me 

Does your life revolve around 

your football team? Does your 

team’s result on a Saturday make 

or break your weekend? Would you 

leave your wife on the day she was 

due to give birth to go to a cup 

final 140 miles away? Or miss your 

daughter’s 4th birthday because 

you were in Madrid for a UEFA Cup 

tie? 

The Edinburgh Reporter’s Mike 

Smith is a life-long Hearts fan 

having followed Edinburgh’s oldest 

football club for half a century. The 

Team For Me is his latest book 

with a foreword by Jim Jefferies 

and is the ideal Christmas gift 

for Hearts supporters. Available 

in all good bookshops and from 

Amazon. 

by Thomas Brown 

Hibs Ladies hosted newly 

crowned league champions, 

Glasgow City, at Ainslie Park last 

week and Scott Booth’s team 

showed why they are champs. 

The visitors took the lead after 

sixteen minutes when Clare Shine 

broke away and prodded the ball 

under advancing Hibs keeper and 

into the net. 

Despite good spells of play from 

Hibs they went in at half time a 

goal down. 

a game against Clyde on 3 

November 1973 where he scored 

his only hat-trick for the club and 

made a donation to his favoured 

charities, CLASP Children with 

Cancer and Leukemia Advice and 

Support for Parents and Muirfield 

Riding. 

Hibs Ladies v Glasgow 

City 

After the break Hibs started 

to control the play but found 

themselves two behind when City 

struck with a good counter-attack. 

A crossed ball landed at the feet of 

Megan Foley and she smashed the 

ball into the back of the net. 

Hibs did pull one back through 

Collette Cavanagh who got on the 

end of a perfectly placed cross 

to head the ball beyond the City 

keeper. 

Late in the game Jordan 

McLintock secured the three 

points when she broke away from 

the defence before slotting the ball 

home.

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk SPORT 31 

IFSC European Lead Climbing Championship 2019 

Words and Photos by John 

Preece 

At the beginning of October the 

Edinburgh International Climbing 

Arena (EICA): Ratho took centre 

stage as it welcomed some of the 

world’s leading sport climbing 

athletes for the IFSC European 

Climbing Championships 2019. 

With nineteen countries 

represented, and a total of 179 

athletes taking part across Lead 

and Speed, Sunday tickets at EICA 

Ratho for the Semi-Final and Lead 

Final were a sell-out. 

The atmosphere in the arena 

on both days was buzzing with 

excitement and anticipation as 

the routes laid out were extremely 

challenging, leading to a great deal 

of tension amongst the spectators 

as even some of the favourites fell 

off unexpectedly. 

Men's Lead Gold finally went to 

Adam Ondra of Czech Republic, 

one of the best rock climbers in 

history and currently training for 

Olympic qualification for Tokyo 

2020. Silver went to Alberto Ginés 

López of Spain and Bronze went to 

Sascha Lehmann of Switzerland. 

The Women’s Lead event was 

won by Lucka Rakovec of Slovenia, 

with Laura Rogora of Italy taking 

Silver, and Luce Douady of France 

taking Bronze. 

A number of GB Climbing 

athletes were looking to hit those 

buzzers and took to the spotlight 

in front of a home crowd. With 

the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games 

just around the corner, it was the 

perfect international stage for 

these young climbers to rack up 

some more experience and hone 

their skills. 

Some of the easy looking 

sections produced problems. 

Three or four climbers could be on the wall at any one time for qualifying. 

Only one GBR male made it through to the Men's Final. 

A leap of faith for this 

Czech competitor. 

Eventual Women's Champion, Lucka Rakovec, solves a tricky section. 



ai15722541481_Xmas reporter ad back page.pdf 1 28/10/2019 09:15 

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The Edinburgh Reporter November 2019

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