The Edinburgh Reporter September 2020

September 2020

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk

Bear necessities

of starting school

Children and young people

returned to school in the middle

of August in line with government

guidance.

The P1 pupils at Buckstone

Primary School each had a

hand-made teddy to welcome

them. The knitting group at

Fairmilehead Parish Church (The

Flock) needled down to make

them for the children. Although

they were all from the same

pattern, Deputy Sessin Clerk,

Helen Grant, said: "Each one is

individual, just like the children

they are going to."

Minister, Reverend Cheryl

McKellar-Young, had the idea

back in May and the knitters

crafted 65 unique teddies. She

said: "I wanted to make it extra

special for the nursery children

who did not have any transition

into big school."

New start Primary 1 pupils at Buckstone Primary

are bearing up with special welcome teddies.

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2 NEWS


NEWS 3

ABOUT US

We are all rejoicing this month in

the fact that lockdown continues

to be relaxed, meaning that

gym bunnies and swimmers are

allowed back indoors, and more

restaurants and bars are opening.

We are also very grateful that

our industry body, Independent

Community News Network, has

secured some advertising from

The Scottish Government for us

which you can read on our middle

pages. This helps us a great deal

in continuing to publish a monthly

newspaper.

You can help too by subscribing

to our newspaper delivery service

That way you can have your own

copy of The Edinburgh Reporter

If you have any questions about

that then please do get in touch.

Contact details are at the foot of

the page.

The government is still cautious,

particularly in light of some local

clusters of Covid-19, meaning a

return to lockdown for some areas

of the country.

Our feature on pages 14 and 15

is all about the West End of the

city where there is a real variety of

shops, and we highlight how they

bouncing back from Covid-19.

As we go to print there is still

uncertainty on when sports events

with a live audience will get the

green light. But we have certainly

is going on both off and on the

pitches on Page 23.

Our food columnist, Juliet, is

anxious to get out and about

again. Usually each month

comes with around half a dozen

invitations to eat out at one

or other of the city's eateries.

She puts her robust take on the

hospitaltiy sector on Page 17.

You may have patronised some

city restaurants, particularly those

running the Eat Out to Help Out

scheme. Some are continuing

their own discounts this month

- and if you don't want to go to a

restaurant or café there is always

take-away or delivery.

September may bring with it

more concrete moves towards

I usually work on my own, but

I do know some people who are

missing their workplaces and

colleagues, and feel that no Zoom

call ever makes up for the kind

laughing.

Phyllis Stephen Editor

The Edinburgh Reporter

Hiroshima 75 years later

The Rt Hon Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Frank Ross, joined Dominic Fry,

Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh,

and Takaoka Nozomu, the Consul General of Japan in Edinburgh, at

a tree planting ceremony. Three gingko bilbao trees were planted to

commemorate the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. These

have a special history, as seeds from one of the trees from Hiroshima

were gifted to RGBE in 2015 by the international Mayors for Peace

project. The three trees were grown from those seeds.

The Consul General said: "On behalf of the Government and people of

Japan, I would like to thank Mr Fry and the representatives of the Royal

Botanic Garden for taking very good care of the precious seeds from a

Japanese gingko tree, which survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

exactly 75 years ago. Thanks to your dedication and nurturement, as well

as the incredible power of life which resided in its seeds, today, we can

plant them in the hope that trees will grow with a beautiful golden foliage

for many years to come in this world famous garden."

Newhaven's beating heart

Rodney Matthews, Chair

and Vision Facilitator, of The

Heart of Newhaven Community

SCIO, has welcomed the City of

Edinburgh Council's approval for

the purchase of Victoria Primary

School under the Community

Asset Transfer Process of the

Community Empowerment

(Scotland) Act 2015.

He said: "We now have to raise

the required funding to meet the

capital cost of £700,000 plus the

ongoing demands of adapting the

buildings on the site to develop

our three themes of Culture and

Heritage, Learning and Enterprise,

and the health issues of personal

Well-being.

"All are affected by the changed

circumstances we are facing

through the unprecedented

challenge of a global pandemic.

"Much has happened since our

new organisation began less than

two years ago, especially over the

past six months.

"Yet we would not be able to

claim this site as our beating pulse

of energy to engage everyone if we

were not equal to every demand

and ahead of the curve with our

plans.

"Many voluntary and commercial

their commitment.

"New enterprises are joining,

offering even greater commitment.

We have made energetic contact

with individual families by recently

delivering postcards to over 7,000

households.

"Interest grows as we now apply

to the Scottish Land Fund to help

meet capital costs and look to

charitable funders and a spectrum

of others to cover repair and

renewal costs and ensure ongoing

viability. We are adapting with the

art of the possible.

"The Council has acknowledged

that what we are doing is of

in need and the sustainability of

the environment for the future.

"The faint-hearted would have

given up by now.

"We are just getting the second

on to the next challenge. The

Heart of Newhaven Community is

beating steadily."

Edinburgh

planning news

CHRISTMAS

Planning permission will be

required for the installation of the

Star Flyer and the Big Wheel in

Princes Street Gardens. This is a

key part of the trail of stalls and

rides planned by the council for

the end of the year. The Scottish

make £200,000 available for the

winter festivals. But all of this

is also subject to public health

guidance, and the Council Leader,

Adam McVey, said: "Public Health

last consideration here."

BOOKER

Plans for a new housing estate

on the former Booker Cash &

Carry site on Inglis Green Road

may include a new bridge.

Green councillor for the Chesser

area, Gavin Corbett said: “There

has been strong support for

a footbridge over this part of

the river for years and having

litter-picked this area loads of

would bring. It would make a

great walking connection for

residents in Hutchison-Chesser

and Longstone and, for cyclists

it would cut out the frankly scary

stretch of road from the top of

Chesser Avenue to Inglis Green

Road. The developers on the site

would strike a really popular note

with the local community if they

commit to building a bridge here

as part of their plans. So I hope

they heed public views.”

THOR'S TIPI BAR

A planning application for a

pop-up on the rooftop at Waverley

Mall, will, if granted, be in place

for an event 'that will bring people

back into the city centre' from

21 September. After last year's

success, Waverley Mall owner

Moorgarth asked Thor's to repeat

the pop up food and drink area

with 60 local staff (30 last year)

and locally sourced food on the

menu with no single-use plastic, a

glasshouse specially designed for

the site, and tipis made from 100

year-old Scandinavian poles and

natural materials. The tents would

be sited on a lower level than last

year, meaning they will 'sit better

on the skyline'. The applicants also

say that the build is 'now in line

with the Act of Parliament 1991

for the height restrictions on the

roof'. 20/03336/FUL

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Figure this

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Last orders for Dalriada in £2m home plan

EXCLUSIVE

By Stephen Rafferty

An Edinburgh entrepreneur is

understood to be closing in on

a deal to purchase the Dalriada

Hotel on Portobello Promenade

with the intention of converting

the building into a luxury home.

The prominent hotel and bar

had been marketed by Rettie

& Co for sale at offers of over

£950,000. The popular venue

will be transformed into a single

private residence and with a

likely investment of £500,000

required to upgrade the property,

77 Promenade could become

The beachside Victorian villa

attracted huge interest when

it went on the market, with

several serious bidders from the

hospitality industry looking to

develop the site, and a number

of private individuals seeking a

unique residence.

Billy Lowe, the successful bar

and hotel operator who owns

the Black Ivy, was said to be

interested and planned to replicate

the strategy which had turned

one of Edinburgh’s most popular

venues.

However, talks stalled and Mr

Lowe pulled out of negotiations

before the onset of the

coronavirus pandemic.

For the last 16 years the Dalriada

has been owned and run by Terry

and Alison Magill and has been a

popular venue for live folk music,

jam sessions, comedy evenings

locals and visitors enjoying the

beach.

Rettie & Co's sales literature said

that should a buyer want to restore

upper apartment in to one home it

would create an “impressive and

substantial family abode”.

A source told The Edinburgh

Reporter: “The Dalriada was the

setting for many local family

celebrations and a really popular

music venue, but it appears it has

served its last pint and held its

last jam session. An Edinburgh

businessman has snapped it

up, and it is said he will spend a

one very impressive family home.”

The Dalriada is a B-listed Rogue

Baronial villa dating from 1869

and was designed by Edinburgh

architect James Campbell Walker

Campbell’s architectural career

focussed mostly on schools,

churches and poorhouses and

his grander projects included

Dunfermline Carnegie Library and

Hawick Town Hall.

Asset transfer secured for NEA

North Edinburgh Arts (NEA)

in Muirhouse has been granted

full community ownership in a

community asset transfer from the

City of Edinburgh Council. With the

additional transfer of a plot of land

to the north of the organisation’s

venue, NEA is now in a position

to lead on the development of an

extended creative and community

hub for the area, working in

partnership with the council.

Established in 1998, NEA say

bringing the organisation into

community ownership and

working to extend the facilities

will make sure this dynamic

for the next two decades. NEA

In the 1880s the home, known

as Beachborough Villa, was

owned by prominent Portobello

businessman Robert Cooper,

proprietor of Forth & Rosebank

1898 employed 180 men, 50 boys,

and produced annually six million

bottles.

In 1970 the villa was converted in

to a hotel, trading as The Temple

Hall Hotel, a possible reference to

a belief that the original home was

used as a place of worship, before

changing its name to The Dalriada.

carried out extensive consultation

to gauge support for the project

with 96% of respondents in favour.

The organisation offers local

residents a place to relax, explore,

learn, meet, share, volunteer and

have fun in.

Last year more than 40,000

visits were made to the venue

which is based in the heart of

Muirhouse and their current

venue incorporates two studios, a

96-seat theatre, recording studio,

community café with children’s

play area leading onto a large

garden.

The venue is also home to

Bike storage

is en route

Park your bike in one of

Edinburgh’s new cycle storage

sheds for £6 a month. The capital

is to provide 1,080 Bikehangar ®

spaces in the city.

Some of the sheds have been

installed already in Portobello

and also next to The Meadows.

Edinburgh will have the largest

network of the sheds in the UK

outside London.

Transport and Environment Vice

Convener Cllr Karen Doran said:

“We’re delighted to be introducing

secure bike parking, which will

Edinburgh’s tenement areas. It

of limited space for bikes as

more people choose cycling as

their preferred way to get around

the city. Overcrowded stairwells

are not only inconvenient for

residents, it makes them key

targets for bike theft.”

Bikehangars are designed,

installed and managed by bicycle

infrastructure experts Cyclehoop,

the leading providers of on-street

cycle sheds in the UK.

Each Bikehangar provides six

cycle parking spaces in half the

space of a parked car, relieving

pressure on roads and public

transport networks and freeing

up pavement space for physical

distancing.

www.cyclehoop.rentals

Muirhouse Link Up, Firstport

Social Enterprise, North Edinburgh

Drug and Alcohol Centre, and the

Tinderbox Orchestra, all working

to serve the most disadvantaged

children, families and individuals

in the North Edinburgh area.

Chair of NEA, Lesley Hinds, said:

in the last six years for place

making and creative projects.

This new capital project will

Macmillan Square. The granting of

the Community Asset Transfer is

journey.”

Editor: Phyllis Stephen

editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk

07791 406 498

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

We welcome contributions to our website and newspaper.

@EdinReporter

theedinburghreporter.co.uk

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter

NEA community asset transfer gets the green light

4 POLITICS


POLITICS 5

Misguided Covid-19 measures

benefit who exactly?

Jeremy Balfour, Conservative

MSP for Lothians, asks who are

from Covid-19 measures?

"Over recent weeks the

SNP-Labour administration of The

CIty of Edinburgh Council have

introduced concerning changes to

Edinburgh's roads.

"Under the Spaces for People

initiative, the council have been

widening pavements and putting

parking bans on certain roads

without conducting a consultation.

"Some of the changes being

made would have possibly been

more welcome during Phase 1 of

lockdown.

"However, at this stage, time

pressure can no longer be used as

a legitimate excuse for the council

administration’s decision not to

conduct a consultation.

"This is a blatant abuse of the

emergency powers given to

local authorities to deal with the

immediate challenges of Covid-19.

"The SNP have made this

decision with no thought for the

local economy or business owners

who have already had to face

"They may also experience

a decline in footfall thanks to

parking bans and public transport

diversions.

"Further, while the council

claims that these changes will

already disabled people speaking

out about the adverse effect that

these changes will have on their

ability to travel, particularly during

winter months.

"The council’s administration

must stop taking advantage of the

powers given to them and focus

on listening to the needs of local

people and businesses."


City needs to get street wise

The Edinburgh Southern

MSP, Daniel Johnson, says it is

important to ensure we can all

move around safely, respecting

social distancing.

"On this basis the Places for

People scheme being undertaken

by the Council, to create

additional space for pedestrians

by suspending parking, has an

important objective. But we must

also look at whether it is meeting

this objective and what the wider

consequences are.

"The alteration of road layout,

removal of car park spaces, the

widening of pavements and

installation of cones have left

local businesses and residents

struggling to understand

the measures. My personal

observation is that the road

space that is freed up is not being

used by pedestrians. I have also

heard concerns such as the lack

of space for cyclists and most

I think we must take the time to

SNP 'must fight' for jobs in arts and creative industries

Edinburgh and Lothians could

face a long-term arts and

entertainment unemployment

crisis if SNP ministers do not

Labour MSP Sarah Boyack has

said.

Boyack spoke out as Edinburgh

and Scotland continues to be hit

hard by the cancellation of the

Edinburgh festivals and other

major cultural events. She warned

that if the furlough scheme ends

before a quality jobs guarantee

scheme is in place, thousands

of workers in creative industries

could be laid off.

Scottish Labour has

calculated that the arts and

entertainment sector employs

at least 121,000 people across

Scotland, including 19,000 in

Edinburgh, with around 30,000 in

the hospitality sector.

According to a submission to

Holyrood's culture committee from

Festivals Edinburgh: "The wider

economy now stands to lose at

least £360 million and 7,000 jobs

from the collapse of the 2020

[festival] season".

The Edinburgh International

Festival alone employs over 350

people including core, freelance

and seasonal staff according to

its own submission, as well as

supporting up to 2,000 creative

roles.

EIF says the "loss of income

for those individuals could be

the difference between being

able to sustain their businesses

"I have long supported initiatives

to change the balance from

cars to pedestrians and cyclists,

and I could support plans for

widening pavements or creating

segregated cycle lanes. But it is

not clear that these temporary

measures help this longer-term

aim, indeed the growing concerns

may make gaining support for

future permanent upgrades harder

to achieve. What is becoming

measures present for the diverse

independent cafes and shops

we have in Morningside and

lockdown is challenging and the

clear view from these businesses

is that these measures are making

"We must take steps to ensure

we control the coronavirus and

we must take steps to help our

local economies recover. This will

require us to learn and improve

as we move forward in making

21st century."

for another year or risking

redundancy."

Boyack added: “I am asking the

First Minister what support the

Scottish Government plans to

provide for the arts sector in light

“Reassurances and funding

guarantees will be crucial to

helping our valued arts scenes

overcome the ongoing impact of

coronavirus, and help keep jobs for

good.”

Littering has

increased at

beauty spots

A motion at the Scottish

Parliament by Lothian MSP, Miles

Briggs, in support of the Don’t

Trash our Future campaign, has

received cross party support.

Since lockdown restrictions

have lifted there has been a

huge increase of littering across

Edinburgh with rubbish being left

at various beauty spots including

beaches and reservoirs.

Increased littering has been a

particular concern at the Meadows

levels of littering since lockdown

restrictions have lifted. Meadows

residents and council workers

are left to pick up the litter after

people have been out enjoying the

green space, but not taken their

litter home with them.

The motion was supported from

fellow Lothian MSPs Neil Findlay

(Labour) and Alex Cole-Hamilton

(Lib-Dem).

Mr Briggs said: “I am pleased

that my motion at the Scottish

Parliament has received cross

party support, reinforcing that all

parties are committed to cracking

down on littering.

“If people are using these

outdoor areas it is their

responsibility to ensure that they

clear up and bin or take home their

own litter.

“It is unacceptable to expect

someone else to clear up your

rubbish. Laws against people

littering must be enforced if people

aren’t going to follow them.”

Tommy Sheppard focusing on his flock

By Phyllis Stephen

A chat with Tommy Sheppard

MP is always a good thing to

do. His view of the world may

be focused through an SNP

lens, but his answers are always

disarmingly frank for a politician.

His prime responsibility in the

last few months has been to

his family and his constituents.

He has been in Edinburgh since

March, taking part in virtual

sessions at Westminster where

MPs can scrutinise but not take

part in debates. These have been

a little frustrating for him, as he

has had only two minutes to speak

and pose a question for the Leader

of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

He has widely criticised Mr

Rees-Mogg for simply not

answering his questions directly.

His constituency caseload has

increased since the beginning of

the lockdown, and like everyone

He explained that his

constituency casework was up

by 50% on last year, mostly to do

with coronavirus, or people falling

through the gaps in the various

government schemes.

I asked if Tommy thinks it is still

worth turning up at Westminster in

whatever form since the General

Election last year? He replied:

"Well, things changed dramatically

in December 2019. Up until then,

the SNP group at Westminster

was very much punching above

its weight, because things were so

volatile and there was there was

not really a government majority,

so we were able to defeat it on

quite a lot of things, particularly to

do with the Brexit timetable.

“And then we went from that to

us doing really well in the election

and our group going up from 35 to

48. But paradoxically, having much

parliamentary arithmetic after that

election, because Boris Johnson

got back with a pretty decent

majority.

“I see less reason to be diligent

and go over the top in terms of our

parliamentary interventions in the

chamber, because that process

doesn't offer us as much anymore.

We can do a lot more in terms of

advocating in our constituencies

by campaigning and trying to use

other platforms, particularly the

media, to raise matters of public

concern, whether they be the big

stuff about the future of Scotland

or the little stuff that affects many,

many individuals.”

Mr Rees-Mogg regularly quotes

any answer. This is the amount

that Scotland has had under the

Barnett Consequentials (a way

of providing the same level of

England for certain things).

Tommy said: “Well, you know,

we are still part of the United

Kingdom. So it would be odd,

wouldn't it, if we didn't get the

same sort of support as other

parts of the United Kingdom,

whilst we're there?

"Our concern is actually we're

doing proportionally worse, than

other parts of the United Kingdom.

And I keep trying to explain to

Jacob Rees-Mogg and to others

that we're not so much arguing

Miles Briggs MSP

about the total quantum of money,

available to the government to

use that money and to make other

decisions that can make it work.

“For example if you look at the

big arts rescue package which

was announced just before the

start of the summer recess. They

said it was £1.8 billion and that

Scotland would get £97 million.

"Now you don’t have to be a

mathematical genius to work out

that this is not a proportionate

share. It is about 5% whereas

our population is about 9%. In

England the money can be used

to repurpose expenditure, allowing

capital sums to be transferred to

revenue operations. That is the

sort of thing we just don’t have

the authority to do in Scotland,

certainly not on the same scale.”

And so what of the future?

Tommy said: “Usually Parliament

would come back in the second

week of September. Just for a few

weeks and then there'll be another

break for the conference season,

as they call it, where everyone

went off to the seaside to discuss

politics. So that's all changed.

We're coming back right at the

beginning of September this time

and there's no further breaks of

any kind. The intention is to press

right through to Christmas with

a legislative session, which is

going to be quite heavy, we think,

in terms of what the government

wants to get done."

No doubt he will continue to use

his two minutes as forcefully as

he can from his Edinburgh living

room.

Marco Biagi throws his hat in

the Edinburgh Central ring

Marco Biagi was MSP for

Edinburgh Central, elected in

2011 with a majority of 237

votes, becoming a minister in the

Scottish Cabinet.

He took the seat from Labour's

Sarah Boyack who then left

Holyrood for a time, and only

recently returned.

Now, after a spell in the US both

studying comparative politics and

teaching at Yale University, Biagi

thinks this could be the right time

for a return to politics. He is of

course not yet the candidate, as

he has to be selected by the local

constituency.

Others who have declared their

hands are Angus Robertson,

the former leader of the SNP

at Westminster, and Lee-Anne

Menzies who works for Ash

Denham MSP. Joanna Cherry, QC,

MP, has ruled herself out, as has

Cllr Alison Dickie who stood here

last time round.

Nominations are open until

14 September and there is a

chance of more candidates being

nominated by then.

By 23 September each candidate

has to have the backing of at least

50 members of the party so that

they can go forward for selection.

It seemed pertinent to ask why

Marco thinks it is a good idea to

return to the maelstrom of political

life now, having tasted freedom in

the academic world.

He pointed out that when he

stepped down, he "never said

never”. He believes that members

need a choice and that one default

choice is "just not the SNP way".

He said: “It is strange that it

is 10 years since I was up for

six times what it was then - the

party had won one election at

that point or two elections if you

count Europeans. Now, it's had

an unbeaten run for a decade, but

of course it’s a strange different

time.”

He knows Angus Robertson well

and explained: “Angus and I have

had our differences in the past,

and we do have different politics

within the currents of the SNP. I

enjoyed being an MSP and I look

back really fondly on those times. I

think I could do a really good job in

Edinburgh Central.

“There's a lot of constituency

level issues that Ruth Davidson

left neglected. AirBnB has

problem with the power of the

internet. A good SNP MSP would

have made a difference to this

problem though.”

And independence and Brexit?

He concluded: “The only way we

get back into the Eureopan Union

is as an independent country, and

Scotland will become independent

when the UK is not in the EU, so

the process on re-entering will be

different and will have to be set

out clearly in any referendum.

"I think freedom of movement

try out.”

someone who has yet to earn the

nomination for the seat.

0131 348 5946

Miles.Briggs.msp@parliament.scot

Milesbriggsedinburgh

MilesBriggsMSP

www.milesbriggs.scot

M2.15,

The Scottish

Parliament, Edinburgh,

EH99 1SP

ai159845101637_200826__Edinburgh Reporter_8 pound offer_September_FULL PAGE PRINT.pdf 1 26/08/2020 15:10

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk NEWS 7

Downtown ranking taxes patience of city black cab trade

Spaces for People measures

have included changes to the

area right outside The Balmoral

cones, then wands, widening the

pavement there.

Wands are a more permanent

measure, though still prone to

being bashed about. For all the

Covid-19 emergency measures, the

advisory, followed by more robust

segregation. These measures are

being paid for by £5 million of

funding awarded to the council by

The Scottish Government.

The 'layby' area outside The

Balmoral is now unavailable to

taxi drivers to use as a rank. It is

still being used as a rank by some

drivers, but it is not actually an

have tweeted that they have

engaged with drivers, reinforcing

the terms of their licence. A

spokesperson for the UNITE

union's Edinburgh Cab Branch

Coned off

by June Peebles, CEO of

Edinburgh Leisure, which operates

and leisure centres.

We’ve missed all our customers,

coaches, volunteers and

half months. We know that many

of you have found ingenious ways

to continue to keep active and

moving during lockdown.

Public leisure services, many

charities and businesses

throughout the country are

challenges due to lost income

and the prospect of operating at

reduced capacity to comply with

physical distancing measures,

and it’s the same for Edinburgh

Leisure.

However, the Edinburgh Leisure

Team have never shied away from

a challenge - we are committed

to supporting and enabling the

citizens of Edinburgh to live active

and healthy lives.

Perhaps more than ever before

there is recognition of the

importance and value of good

health and we’re continuing to

work with the City of Edinburgh

Council to deliver on our shared

goals of an active and healthy city.

While the First Minister advised

that the opening for indoors gyms

and swimming pools and indoor

sports courts had been brought

forward to 31 August, we will

not be opening the doors of our

indoor venues until Monday, 14

September.

Edinburgh Leisure has such

said: “We have repeatedly asked

our members not to rank outside

The Balmoral as it really does our

trade no favours and just adds to

East End.

“As we gain more members,

we are getting the message over

to more and more drivers but

unfortunately there are some taxi

drivers who are only concerned

about themselves and not the

long term effect on the trade.

This is one of the reasons why we

have asked The City of Edinburgh

Council to provide a dedicated

enforcement team to police both

black taxis and private hire.

targeting problematic hot-spots

such as The Balmoral would

problem areas. One of the reasons

why taxi drivers form these

that the trade has lost around 50

available rank spaces over the last

few years.

“And also, whilst we agree with

some of the new Active Streets

measures brought in due to the

need to socially distance because

of Covid-19, some of these

measures now make it impossible

for a taxi to pull into the side of the

road to either pick up or off load

passengers - particularly when the

passenger is in a wheelchair, with

Edinburgh Leisure gets back in the swim and gym

a diverse range of venues and

bringing venues and services

back to life in a new Covid-19

environment, after being closed

since late March, is a big and

complex task.

We’re delighted at the prospect

of welcoming our customers back

and all our efforts are focused

on making our venues as safe

as possible. The Edinburgh

Leisure experience will of course

be different but customers will

be guaranteed the same, warm

welcome as before lockdown.

We want to reopen our venues

and services as quickly as

possible but this will happen on an

incremental basis, following the

coronavirus guidance produced

by the Scottish Government and

sportscotland. The reopening

of venues and services will also

require support from the Scottish

Government.

Welcome back to the gym

Morningside Road being a great

example of this.

“We presented councillors with

together and this was discussed

at the council’s Licensing Meeting.

We look forward to working with

the council and are happy to offer

them our input on how we can

users and pedestrians.

“We believe that we can

Changes to the roadway at The Balmoral

The venues reopening on

Monday, 14 September are:

Ainslie Park Leisure Centre

Craiglockhart Leisure and Tennis

Centre

Drumbrae Leisure Centre

The Royal Commonwealth Pool

We will initially reopen our

and badminton courts and lane

swimming in these centres.

The latest information on

activities available and what to

expect when you visit can be

found on the Edinburgh Leisure

website and social media

more about how to stay active

at home and information on

the outdoor activities available

including Edinburgh Leisure’s six

golf courses and tennis courts.

www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

offer them an insight into the

perspective of the city's taxi

drivers who are the eyes and ears

and ambassadors of the city.”

The union's report makes

interesting reading, showing that

since the last council report in

2012, 48 taxi rank spaces have

been lost, reducing spaces for the

1316 licensed taxis in Edinburgh

to 247.

Spaces for People proves problematic

The council will keep its Spaces

for People measures to increase

space for walking, wheeling

and cycling in place for at least

another two months.

Not all of these schemes have

met with universal approval.

to close, partly to allow access

into The Hermitage. Conservative

councillors continue to voice their

opinions about this on Twitter.

Cllr Nick Cook was until recently

the Conservative Group Transport

let go of that brief, but is also the

local Morningside councillor. He

has demanded that Braid Road

is reopened immediately, as its

causing queues outside South

Morningside Primary School.

The council is progressing with

measures on Comiston Road.

The Morningside Road scheme,

where pavements have been

widened, has attracted some

opposition too.

Shopkeepers there have put

signs in their windows asking

locals to email their councillors

and MSPs to tell them of their

objections.

The closure of Silverknowes

Road has been problematic for

some local businesses, but it has

now been altered to allow the

number 29 bus to access this

route once more.

The East Craigs planned Low

attracted over 1300 objections in

the form of a petition.

The union has also pointed out

to the council that most ranks

need repainted and signage

added. Double yellow lines need

to be added in most cases too, so

that anyone parking there can be

penalised.

The council did defer taxi licence

fees for a period of three months,

leading to a loss of income of

£740,000 to the council, but this

has now come to an end, despite

appeals from the taxi trade.

The Craigmount - East Craigs -

North Gyle - Drumbrae Residents

group presented a written

deputation to the council saying

that the introduction of the

scheme was a "shocking abuse

of this city and must be stopped".

The proposal to stop up some

streets, ending rat-running, would

The intention of such schemes

neighbourhoods is reduced,

creating people-friendly spaces

and encouraging physical activity

on designated streets.

The council said that feedback

to the consultation on the

West Edinburgh Link project

demonstrated strong support for

proposals to improve areas for

active travel and enhance public

spaces.

SPOKES, the cycling campaign

group, says it strongly welcomes

the Spaces for People programme.

They are in favour of segregated

cycle lanes, and want to see

one installed on the A8. But

they also say that some of the

arrangements on the High Streets

do not pay enough attention to

cycle safety.

They also support the "try

then modify" approach taken by

the council to the introduction

of LTNs. They believe this is a

better way to consult than any

paper-based solution. They say:

"It allows people to comment

on real experience rather than

speculation."


8 NEWS


NEWS 9

Off sales not on for Iona Bar

The Iona Bar on Easter Road has

lost its off sales licence as a result

of complaints about anti-social

behaviour outside. The Licensing

Board varied the licence and

removed the ability to sell alcohol

to take away. The pub has retained

its licence to serve food and drink

inside the premises.

Cllr Norman Work is the

Licensing Convener and we asked

him whether there would be any

further repercussions following

other reports of crowding outside

pubs. While he declined to

talk about particular cases, he

The off-sales licence for Iona Bar was

revoked PHOTO Martin P McAdam

Gorgie Dalry Community

Councillor and Treasurer, Alex

history of community efforts to

save Dalry Community Park, and

what the Roseburn to Union Canal

Active Travel Route scheme means

for this valued local greenspace.

"The City of Edinburgh Council

approved proposals to progress

the improvement scheme.

According to the council they are

redesigning the park: renewing the

existing playpark with equipment

for all ages, resurfacing the

sports pitch, installing lighting

landscaping and creating shareduse

paths and better access

comply with restrictions.

Cllr Work said: "You know the

important thing to remember is

that bars and licensed premises

are only allowed to operate if they

agree to abide by the emergency

measures against Covid-19.

I've been very supportive of our

licensed premises, and was

disappointed they didn't open

earlier. I am very keen that any

outside spaces are used, as I

believe this reduces the risk. Most

of our licensed premises have put

points. This builds on consultation

with the local community in

of respondents expressed support

changes inclued the development

of a tree protection strategy, better

access points and increasing path

widths to 4metres, so more space

for pedestrians and cyclists.

"Looking at the park now, it is

hard to believe that it used to

be a train station. Dalry Road

railway station carried passengers

into Edinburgh from 1900 until

it closed in 1962 due to low

original line can still be seen, such

as the railway platform which

now hosts birch and willow trees

in place a number of restrictions to

tackle the issue.

"Of course what's happened

in Aberdeen is quite a wake up

call. You know this could happen

anywhere else - it could happen

in Edinburgh. If there's a spike,

all because of people not social

distancing in our pubs, then it is a

worry.

"We are unique in Edinburgh

as drinking outside is not illegal.

The reason that off-sales was

introduced however, was for

people to take home, say a bottle

of wine that they liked. But what

happened was that some people

were congregating outside bars,

and there was a lack of social

distancing. Instead of taking

drinks home, they were outside

blocking pavements, and so we

were getting complaints from

members of the public. A lot of

that happened during spells of

good weekend weather."

The Convener conceded that a

complaint to the Licensing Board

is really the ultimate sanction, and

that most of the time matters of

noise or lack of social distancing

are dealt with by police or

ground.

Rescuing Dalry Community Park

instead of passengers.

"It remained disused land until

was created for local children,

replaced with a BMX track in 1984.

By 1993 the track was replaced

with a sandpit play area and a

5-a-side football pitch, and a multi

sports pitch in 1999. In 1998 the

park came under threat when a

developer proposed to destroy

most of the land in order to build a

superstore car park.

"Gorgie Dalry Community Council

(GDCC) argued against this

development at the public inquiry,

showing the importance of the

open space and large amounts

of biodiversity. In 2000 a survey

found 140 wild plant species

24 species of moss grow in the

park with an incredibly rare plant

called Weissia rutilans playing an

important role in safeguarding

the park. The park is also home

to many animals from many

bird species, squirrels, foxes, a

large diversity of insects such as

80 species of beetles were found

with two only previously being

found in Southern England.

"The proposed improvements to

the park as part of the active travel

route scheme are just another

in a long history of changes. We

hope that this opens the park

up to the local community by

making it a more welcoming

place to visit, travel through and

play in. We hope that the planned

improvements won’t come in the

way of the park being a great

home to wildlife, trees and plants."

Capital designs

short-listed

Four city developments are

shortlisted for the Scottish Design

Awards 2020, headlined by the

development plan for Granton

Waterfront.

Affordable housing and streets

promoting active travel will all

combine in the new coastal

quarter. Others include the

Greendykes housing development

homes are planned, the Edinburgh

Printmakers which transformed

the North British Rubber Company

into an arts space and café, and

Calton Hill Observatory.

Winners will be announced on 10

September.

Council Leader Adam McVey

said: "Our city is growing and

adapting and the new homes

and communities being built

are meeting the demands of our

rising population and meeting our

environmental responsibilities.

"These homes are not only low

carbon but are prioritising the

wellbeing of current and future

residents by ensuring sustainable

communities and delivering high

quality design."

Gorgie flats

get go ahead

The council has approved a

planning application to build 28

and 77 student studios on Gorgie

Road. The scheme also includes

three commercial units and some

affordable homes too.

There will be 264 cycle parking

spaces but only 33 car parking

spaces. Some of the public realm

will be improved between the

building and the Water of Leith

Walkway, with upgrades also

planned to the public footpath.

A spokesperson for Kiltane

Developments, said: “I’m delighted

with the decision taken today

by councillors. As an Edinburghbased

company, we are thrilled

to see this exciting project given

the green light and look forward

to bringing this mixed-use site

forward.

“The delivery of housing,

including much-needed affordable

housing, student accommodation

and commercial units will assist

in preserving the viability of the

nearby local centre.

"We are also providing an

attractive frontage on the Water of

the public realm, including

upgrades to the public footpath.

“We look forward to getting

these proposals underway and

will continue to work with council

to deliver them.”

News from

around the

city in brief

QUEENSFERRY

The new Queensferry High

School is now open to pupils but

it is like from a virtual tour round

the new building. This was set up

online to give new pupils a bit of

orientation before the term started,

but it will be of equal interest to

parents and carers of pupils who

will not be allowed access to the

new school for some time yet.

Kenny Manson, Deputy Head

of Queensferry High School said:

“The model will provide a really

important asset to our school

community. We are excited

to showcase our fantastic

new facility within this digital

environment and support our

young people and staff in the short

and long term.”

The project was led by Scottish

Futures Trust. The interactive

model is available on their

website.

scottishfuturestrust.org.uk

GRANTON

Edinburgh’s plans to regenerate

Granton Waterfront have been

shortlisted for the Scottish Design

awards. The scheme includes

affordable housing, streets

which promote active travel

and a response to the climate

emergency.

Three other projects in the

city which the council and other

partners are putting in place are

also shortlisted: Greendykes with

homes, Edinburgh Printmakers

which overhauled the North

British Rubber Factory and the

new arrangements at Calton Hill

Observatory. Both of these were

part funded by the council.

CRAIGMILLAR

The development at Harewood

Road was the opportunity to

homes to be completed since

lockdown. These 194 homes,

some for social rent and others

for mid-market rent, are part of

the council’s plans to build 20,000

affordable new homes during its

The homes are highly energy-

urban drainage system which

collects surface water. There is

also a large communal green

space and footpaths and cycle

paths connecting the homes to

Craigmillar Park.

POLICE

have taken a greater number of

knives off the streets during the

June 2020 and during this time the

division increased their detection

rate for offensive and bladed

weapons by almost 14 per cent.

This coincides with an additional

22 weapon offences being

recorded.

LeithLate lightens up autumn with launch

of virtual mural tour around historic port

Arts charity LeithLate has

launched a virtual tour map which

showcases eye-catching murals

it has commissioned throughout

the port area, art studios and local

artists and creators.

This interactive digital map has

been created in collaboration with

the Culture & Community Mapping

Project, with funding from Data

Driven Innovation and Edinburgh

Futures Institute at the University

of Edinburgh.

The Chalk/Grimes mural

Users can click and explore the

map, revealing entertaining and

informative audio histories of the

sites from Cameron Foster and

many of the original artists, plus

video tours of studios from the

artists who currently collaborate

with LeithLate.

LeithLate Virtual Tours will

continue to grow as more murals,

studios and voices are added

into this virtual tapestry mapping

Murals and Studios in Leith.

Other events are planned from 25

September to 4 October under the

banner of Leith 100: Light Up Leith

History Mural.

Helen Wass O’Donnell is not

faint-hearted. She has taken on

an endurance test walking 3.663

miles every day - the distance in

miles which equals the height of

Mount Kilimanjaro

The 60-year-old has health

challenges which in anyone with

less courage would mean she

would be sitting at home. The

purpose of her challenge is to raise

funds for the MS Therapy Centre

without leaving Edinburgh. Until

autumn last year she was training

with a band of eight equally mad

friends before a planned trip to

Kilimanjaro this year.

Sadly, due to a seroius fall, as

well as travel restrictions because

of Covid-19, Helen could not

complete her challenge. So she

has got herself a special bike

called a race runner. This is a kind

of assisted walking trike which

makes her daily walk or run a bit

easier to manage.

The intrepid Helen is walking

every day, usually down at

Cramond where we met up with

her, and hopes to achieve her goal

By then she will have completed

The Tim Chalk and Paul Grimes

mural was created in 1986 on the

corner of Ferry Road and North

Junction Street and charts Leith’s

rich and varied social history.

The mural will be given a new

lease of life by Double-Take

Projections who have artistically

re-imagined the mural through

light projections using the artists'

original artworks, adding beautiful

animations and a bespoke

soundscape. The free outdoor

event runs 8-10pm each night but

time slots must be booked.

The event has been made in

collaboration with the Royal

Conservatoire of Scotland’s

Curating Conversations across the

Arts research project, with funding

from the Arts and Humanities

Research Council.

LeithLate is also teaming up

with Empty Kitchens Full Hearts

(EKFH), who provide meals on a

daily basis to over 500 individuals

facing food insecurity.

Each night of this event, (7.30-

9pm) EKFH are opening up their

kitchen to the public, serving their

high-quality meals next door in

the outdoor collonade at Leith

Theatre. Funds raised with help

continue their vital work in the

community.

On 27 September and 4 October,

Cameron Foster, who started Leith

Mural Tours, will conduct possibly

murals, with the tour priced on a

pay-what-you-can scale.

The closing event on 4 October

is a discussion evening on the

theme of “Into the Future with

a Strong Community”, dinner

and celebration. Tickets will be

released in September.

LeithLate have able to support

time by commissioning videos

and audio from mural artists

inclduding Tim Chalk, Kirsty

Whiten, Rabiya Choudhry, Richie

Cumming and Fraser Gray.

Studio artists who have

been supported include

Louise Smurthwaite and

Jessica Kirkpatrick, Khadea

Kuchenmeister, Megan Chapman

and Mairi Brown, Juli Bolaños-

Durman, Jacqueline Bell and

James Donald, Sharon Quigley and

Bridgid Collins, Helen Miles and

Judy Clark.

Morvern Cunningham, LeithLate

founder and trustee, said: “We

Helen's home hike up Kilimanjaro

about 120 miles or so.

As well as her recent fall, Helen

has Multiple Sclerosis and

Brainstem Encephalitis, both

conditions which affect her ability

Helen is out daily with her roadrunner to complete the

challenge PHOTO ©2020 The Edinburgh Reporter

Photos from previous LeithLate by Chris Scott

to walk. Helen has used the

therapy centre and explained what

it is like.

She said: "The MS centre is a

brilliant place where a wide range

are thrilled to be able to return

this autumn with further events

both online and in person in this

unprecedented year for both

ourselves and our communities.

"We were particularly delighted

to be able to support 18 artists

during lockdown thanks to the

Virtual Tours, at a time when

grassroots support of creatives is

needed more than ever."

Light-Up Leith History Mural

(Free) - North Junction Street,

Friday 25 Sept - Sunday 4 Oct

8pm-10pm.

Mural Tours (Pay what you can,

£0-£4) Sunday 27 Sept & Sunday

4 Oct. Into the Future with Food

(Ticketed TBC), The Pitt, Sunday

4 Oct.

LeithLate Virtual Tours www.

leithlate.co.uk/virtualtours

of people gather for group and

individual therapy, hyperbaric

oxygen therapy, physiotherapy,

massage, Reiki, hypnotherapy,

pilates, yoga, and a great cup

of tea and a natter.

"Their support for me over the

last ten plus years has been

brilliant.

"They are an amazing bunch

of dedicated professionals and

volunteers and the centre needs

as much support as possible,

especially during the coronavirus

crisis.”

Helen is also a champion and

has taken part in some races with

her race runner.

She said: “I can’t walk unaided,

I need a stick so this is quite a

trike after trying one out in a park

in Tranent.

"I have competed a couple of

times – in fact I’m the Scottish

champion over 50 metres or

something like that.

"There were only about seven or

eight people in the race mind you.

They are thinking of making this

an Olympic sport so I might be an

Olympic champion yet!”

Support Helen here: www.

justgiving.com/kilimanjaro31

Rotary lending

a caring hand

since 2011

Since 2011 the Currie Balerno

Rotary Club, with the help of

local contributors, has been

making small loans to budding

entrepreneurs in developing

countries, making 468 loans

totalling £19,864 from an outlay

of £4,019.

Here’s how it works. The scheme

is run under the auspices of Care

International (lendwithcare.org)

and is designed to help recipients

of poverty.

The Currie Balerno Club was

scheme with an initial donation

from the club of £500.

Over time, further contributions

have been made from club

funds together with personal

contributions from club members

and from members of the public.

Applications are received from

individuals or small groups, who

present business plans and

repayment schedules.

Since 2011 the Club has made

468 loans in 14 countries involving

485 people – 311 women and 174

men. Loans have ranged from £15

to £205, averaging £42.45.

The great advantage of this

scheme is that, unlike other

charitable donations, the

money comes back and can be

re-invested in the scheme.

Contact Rodger Thom on 0131

443 2639 for information.

Covid bites

Losses of £650,000 has forced

the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

to make 15 staff redundant,

following on from the closure of

its charity shops in Stockbridge

and Portobello.

The charity has been part of

the fabric of Edinburgh and the

Lothians since 1883 carrying out

its mission to rescue, reunite and

rehome stray, lost and abandoned

dogs and cats.

In recent years the Home has

been under new leadership and

has expanded its work in the

community, including the launch

of an educational outreach

programme and a pet food bank

hardship.

The charity, which receives no

regular government funding, has

been unable to raise funds in

its usual way during lockdown,

having to cease all commercial

operations and cancel all face-toface,

community and event

fundraising activity. The Home

was also ineligible to access

various Covid-19 emergency

funds for charities from both

government funds and charitable

trusts.

edch.org.uk/rehome

10

BUSINESS


Staging a comeback to Edinburgh

- Tartan Silk's Megan Williams

Account executive Megan

Williams has just joined the

venerable Martin Hunt at Tartan

Silk Public Relations. We sat down

her back to Edinburgh.

"I was born in Edinburgh, and

then started life in Perth, and my

family returned to Edinburgh when

I was in secondary school. I did

work experience with Tartan Silk

when I was at Trinity Academy.

"After school I attended Rose

Bruford College in Sidcup, the

international drama school of

theatre and performance, where

I studied Scenic Arts. I learned

about 2D drawing programmes,

construction with wood and

metal as well as scenic painting

and prop making. It was a

fantastic foundation to build a

career on, and the work ethic and

commitment of those who work

in theatre ensures that you come

into the real world ready to roll up

your sleeves and get stuck in.

"After that I worked for a

wonderful company who built

stages for The Brit Awards,

exhibition stands for McLaren,

catwalks for Mulberry and window

displays for John Lewis. The

hard to gain the respect of these

incredible people who had such

spectacular projects under

By Stephen Rafferty

The hit football review show, A

View From The Terrace, has proved

a cup winner for the creative

agency behind the irreverent BBC

programme.

Leith-based Studio Something

produced the popular football

magazine, which is hosted by

Craig Telfer and was described

by Observer journalist Kevin

McKenna as “the best football

show on UK television by far”.

Buoyed by this success, Studio

Something have restructured

their business and created a new

leadership team as it looks to

expand services after a period of

sustained growth.

The agency will split its offering

in to three strands – Creative,

Entertainment and Venture – with

founders founders Ian Greenhill

and Jordan Laird move to Chief

Creative Director roles respectively

to oversee the Studio Something

group.

Tracey Paxman has been

promoted to Head of Agency and

will work closely with Greenhill

to ensure continued growth on

Creative, and Andy Maas (series

producer for A View from The

Terrace) has assumed a new

role as Head of Production and

will be tasked with maintaining

the growing success of their

Entertainment arm with Laird.

their belt. I cut my teeth in set

construction, then moved city

and joined a creative agency in

Manchester.

"There, every idea matters

whether you work in accounts

or design. The people I worked

with inspired me to be more

creative, strategic and diplomatic.

Working for organisations like big

pharma, meant trying to please

a lot of people with very different

opinions. These are creative minds

with business sense.

"At Tartan Silk we want to grow

awareness for our current clients,

and deliver exciting campaigns

for an expanded selection of new

clients. We love to work with

brands that we are passionate

about."

Megan Williams has joined Tartan Silk PR

PHOTO ©2020 The Edinburgh Reporter

Best career advice you've had?

"Never make assumptions. In

chartered an unnecessarily large

cargo plane to deliver a small

window display to Hong Kong. My

assumption, as I had measured

up twice, was that the dimensions

I had given to the shipping

company were correct. I checked

one last time - a crisis (and

astronomical bill!) was averted."

Your hidden Edinburgh tip?

"East Coast Cured, a wonderful

specialist food shop tucked

away on Restalrig Road. Try the

Nduja sausage, it’s brilliant on

homemade pizza."

www.tartansilk.co.uk

Studio has something to shout about

Over the last year Studio

Something have worked with

BBC, Standard Life, Innis & Gunn,

Coca Cola Company, The Botanist,

Cycling Scotland, Johnnie

Walker, See Me and the Scottish

Association for Mental Health.

Welbot, is used by more than 250

companies including UNICEF,

Hymans Robertson and Seiko

Epson, and has been developed

in collaboration with four worldleading

universities.

CEO Ian Greenhill said: "I'm

delighted to welcome Tracey and

Andy to the leadership team in

what is an exciting time for the

Studio Something business. When

Jordan and I started the company

in an old worn-down tapas

restaurant we dreamed that we'd

one day make ads, TV shows and

Leith studio are really something

businesses all at the same time

and it's great to see how far we've

come and to have achieved that.

"We feel very lucky and grateful

to have a crew and clients who

have not allowed the pandemic

to affect the business. It's truly

a testament to the team and the

culture that we have at Studio

Something, which means we are in

a position to continue to grow and

achieve new goals."

ECD Jordan Laird added: “We

took a bit of a risk in taking the

chance to make a TV show and

now Entertainment has grown and

become a dedicated side of the

company that has a strong future

for growth.

"It also means Ian and I now have

fancy grown-up titles too which

proud."

The future's

Bright Red

The Bright Red Triangle is

Edinburgh Napier University's hub

for innovation and enterprise.

This year it has supported more

businesses than ever before,

recording an increase of 30%

in those accessing its services

during lockdown.

The university hub provides a

range of support for students and

alumni to help them with their

start-up business ideas. Seveny

one news new businesses were

registered with the service in

Nick Fannin, head of Bright Red

Triangle believes that more and

more people will be looking to

start their own business as a

economic climate.

He said: “With the economy

contracting and competition for

graduate jobs increasing, it is

more important to enable our

graduates to make opportunities

for themselves and to be prepared

to build their own portfolio careers

from a mix of employed, freelance

and self-employed work.

“Employability skills, particularly

enterprise skills, are going to be

incredibly important as we look

forward and Bright Red Triangle

has a big role to play at Edinburgh

Napier in helping our students and

alumni to prepare for life living in

the post Covid-19 economy."

New Town North

hotel dropped

A new Proposal of Application

(PAN) has been lodged by Ediston

and Orion Capital Managers

changing part of their New Town

North development from a hotel

to housing. This could create

up to 79 additional home on the

site without changing any of the

external height or dimensions.

Ross McNulty, Development

Director at Ediston, said: “We

have already carried out one of

the most extensive consultations

on a development in Edinburgh,

and we would like to thank all the

residents and groups that have

provided feedback.

"These proposals will provide

a major economic boost to

the local area and to the city

centre, including more affordable

housing. The Council have recently

look forward to discussing the new

application with local residents

and the Council.

"Our review has shown our

proposals to be robust despite the

impact on the Covid-19 crisis, but

it has also highlighted the need to

consider an alternative use to the

hotel. Edinburgh’s economy is one

of the strongest and most resilient

in the UK and we are encouraged

that New Town Quarter remains

on track.”

newtownnorth.co.uk

It's a wrap for virtual

film academy students

Parents of students aged 9 to

18 enrolled at The Film Academy

Edinburgh were invited to pay

what they could during Covid-19

lockdown.

This innovative touch from

owner, Graham Kitchener from

Portobello, meant that he and

three of the freelance staff could

launch a live nine week Virtual

Film Academy.

The two hour sessions were held

twice a week on Zoom. They had

100% attendance, and the young

clips on different themes each

week.

These were then edited into

several lockdown montages

which you can see on the Film

Academy's Vimeo account.

everything then culminated in a

virtual showcase which was live

streamed to all the students.

During the summer months

they would normally have run

access to premises they had a

problem. Running virtual lessons

over whole days is a bit different

to classes of two hours. After

advertising the 60 places for just

During the full-time school the

met on Zoom and not face to face.

They used hired tablets and shot

footage from all over Scotland, not

just Edinburgh.

One of the highlights was inviting

Tim Allen, the animator behind

Fantastic Mr Fox, to speak to and

inspire the students - and not just

once, but twice.

Graham was delighted by the

many testimonials they received:

If you had told me a few weeks ago

that Film Academy would be as good

virtually as it is face to face I would

have laughed, and how wrong would

I have been. The whole process from

motivational and most important fun

for the students. I am blown away

with your student’s imagination and

hard work they put into the virtual

Karen

Just a quick note to say well done

and a sincere thank you for all

your efforts in pulling together the

Virtual Film Academy. The positive

impact of giving our young people

a purpose and something to look

forward to each week cannot be

underestimated.

James

Film Academy Edinburgh is

looking for new premises. Contact

via

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk THE BEST OF... 11

The Edinburgh Reporter Best Of . . .

Passorn

WIth a Michelin Bib Gourmand

under their belt this Tollcross Thai

restaurant is a real winner. The

Banquet Box gives home diners

a tasty option with Angel Curry

Sirloin steak and Miang crispy seabass

salad delivered to your door.

0131 229 1537

passornthai.com

The Hideout Café

A cosy hideout in Edinburgh

serving speciality coffee, tea,

treats and brunch. Iced lattes and

other goodies to sort you out.

Open daily.

0131 552 5289

40-42 Queen Charlotte St EH6 6AT

www.thehideoutcafe.co.uk

Schop

This is an easy, convenient and

eco-friendly alternative to a supermarket

shop.

Working in partnership with independent

retailers, Tim at Schop

offers to deliver a huge range

of great quality food and drink

straight to your door.

schop.co

Broughton Place Hair and Beauty

Friendly boutique city salon.

Owner and stylist Juliet is always

happy to discuss your needs

and deliver a highly professional

service. They specialise in long

hair and tape in hair extensions.

0131 556 4478

2a Broughton Place EH1 3RX

www.broughtonplacehair.com

Ardgowan Distillery

Enjoy the recently released

Clydebuilt Coppersmith - a limited

edition blend of malts matured in

FREE shipping with a branded

Glencairn nosing glass.

shop.ardgowandistillery.com

Edinburgh School of Food & Wine

Ian and his team put the teaching

kitchen to good use helping

Food for Good by sending out over

13,500 meals to those in need.

Now they are back and you can

buy vouchers for classes again.

0131 331 5001

www.esfw.com

Something Fishy

beginning of lockdown there was

some question over availability -

but this wee shop has kept going.

delivered.

16a Broughton Street EH1 3RH

0131 556 7614

The Glenturret Shop

Four individually hand crafted

different single malts.

It is the perfect gift to send to any

whisky lover, and of course you

can do this, or order a bottle or two

for yourself online.

theglenturret.com

Good Brothers Wine Bar

Neighbourhood wine bar in Stockbridge,

specialising in natural and

organic wine and local, artisan produce.

Also enjoy at home, as part

of a Good Brothers To Go delivery.

4-6 Dean Street EH4 1LW

0131 315 3311

goodbrothers.co.uk/

@goodbrotherswinebar

Edinburgh Photography Workshop

Learn how to use your camera in

Edinburgh’s Old Town with awardwinning

photographer Rich Dyson.

In just four hours you’ll gain the

pictures. Book now to enjoy a fun

experience.

edinburghphotographyworkshop.

com

Rose Theatre Café

Sinead and Mary continue to offer

to make customers King or Queen

for the Day. Leave it to them to

send you all your food for one

whole day from breakfast onwards.

Then tuck into that box set

you have been saving up, or just

sit back and have a day off.

Facebook /rosetheatre-cafe

Roots

Vegan deli and salad bar where

the food does not cost the earth.

Specials announced each week.

Fruit, veg, basic grocery and motivational

books too. Dog friendly.

Order Wednesday for the weekend.

18 William Street EH3 7NH

0131 225 6376

munch@rootsedinburgh.co.uk

The Wee Coffee Bar

Sharon owns and runs the Morrison

Street café and she serves

delicious, aromatic Illy coffee.

Homemade soup. Sandwiches

made to order. Takeaway or eat in

7.15am - 2.30pm

weecoffeeebar.co.uk

Denzil Skinner & Partners

Denzil and Amanda are both very

experienced and will help with

commissioning new pieces of jewellery

or redesigning old ones.

They specialise in hand seal

engraved signet rings in 9 and 18

carat gold for men and women.

0131 538 4224

denzil-skinner.co.uk

Rogue Flowers

a charming, creative and chaotic

shop in the West End. They are

happy to help whether it is a single

ant

bouquet.

5a William Street EH3 7NG

0131 226 4999

Maid of the Forth

Award-winning 90-min or 3 hour

sightseeing cruises from South

Queensferry, with landing trips on

Inchcolm Island.

Ideal for families, couples and

groups alike.

Daily sailings throughout August.

www.maidoftheforth.co.uk

Jewellery by Liam Ross

Make an appointment with Liam

to design a bespoke engagement

ring for the one you love. Using

traditional goldsmith techniques

blended with new technology he

and his staff hand craft jewellery

in their West End workshop.

0131 225 6599

www.jewellerybyliamross.com

Gallery TEN

Do you need something new for

your walls? Pop in and browse the

extensive collection of original

prints. Plus, amazing glass from

international artists. Or purchase

online.

5 William Street EH3 7NG

infogalleryten@gmail.com

www.galleryten.co.uk

Paper Tiger

The shop has traded in the West

End since 1981. They stock an

amazing diverse range of cards,

stationery, gifts and locally made

souvenirs. Everything in the shop

is also available online or click and

collect.

0131 226 2390

www.papertiger.co.uk

Charlie Miller

Since 1965 the family-run

hairdresser has encompassed the

essence and heart of their brand:

YOU! They listen, interpret, and

you and your lifestyle.

Salon: 13 Stafford Street, EH3

7BR 0131 226 5550

www.charliemiller.com

Move your body,

improve your mood.

If you’re feeling a bit worried or stressed, try fitting a short cycle into

your lunch break. Or walking and talking in the fresh air with a pal.

For more tips on staying active to look after

your mental health visit clearyourhead.scot


14 FEATURE


FEATURE 15

West End Girls and boys - here today - built to last

Resilient, reflective and ready to serve - Edinburgh's independent

shopping streets pull together during challenging times

A sign of the past and future

By Phyllis Stephen

Tucked just off the West End’s

busiest thoroughfare lies William

Street and Stafford Street, two of

Edinburgh’s best kept shopping

secrets. The buildings are classic

New Town, the cobbled streets

echoes of a past when horse

drawn carriages and delivery drays

trundled back and forth.

But delve deeper and these two

engaging streets reveal a mix of

modern surprises behind their

front doors - an area chock-full of

small independent businesses,

which all had each other’s backs

at the height of the Covid-19

pandemic.

Naturally, business owners in

footfall, an important component

which breathes life in to this

unique part of the city, and if

that has diminished over these

last months, the camaraderie

of providing each other with

company and support has grown.

Paper Tiger in Stafford Street

is one of the longest established

businesses in the West End,

beginning life as Studio One and

founded almost 40 years ago by

John Johnson. It is now in the

hands of Michael Apter who has

owned the business since 2017,

including the Lothian Road outlet.

This is a wondrous shop to visit,

but like many others they have

embraced the online world, and

now you can buy anything in the

shop at the click of a keystroke,

and for those who can’t wait for

delivery there is a click and collect

service.

Happily, much of the groundwork

had already been put in pre-Covid

to build an online platform, and

it has proved its worth.The core

business is cards and stationery

and they also have their own range

of chocolate bars and candles. For

Michael it is all about the quality

of the images and the illustration

which sets their products apart.

He stocks Edinburgh souvenirs

and Scottish products with a

A Liam Ross design PHOTOS Martin P McAdam

range of things made or sourced

locally which are several grades

above the standard tourist fare.

Michael said: “The West End has

been the commercial heart of the

city for decades, centuries even.

William Street is in fact the city’s

Our neighbours here are personal

friends as well as business

colleagues. We all have each

other's best interests at heart and

try and work together whenever we

can to make sure that when one

of us is doing well, the others are

also following in the slipstream.”

Liam Ross is a goldsmith, an

ancient trade, but one which

makes the most of 21st century

technology, with bespoke jewellery

designed using 3D printers instead

of the wax models of yesteryear.

Liam’s team of four jewellers

take a customer through the

design process and make the

jewellery on the premises. He

said: “When I started as a jeweller,

we used to sketch a picture for a

customer, and then I learned how

to hand carve a wax model. I don’t

do that anymore as technology

has advanced with CAD and

customers can actually try a 3D

model on with the stones in place

to see exactly how it will look.”

Engagement rings are a big part

of the business and fortunately

love did not stop during lockdown.

Liam said: “I realised people were

still shopping, and some were

was contacted by people who had

proposed to each other during

lockdown and wanted to buy a

piece of jewellery.”

Liam has also created a range of

jewellery called Native Flora which

uses Fairtrade gold, but he can

also source recycled gold - gold

which is already in the UK system

but has been melted down to be

sold on and used again.

Alice Shaw, owner of Rogue

Flowers, worked and trained in

over 10 years ago. There is a

big creative talent at number

5a William Street, and you only

have to look at the beautiful array

out under the green awning to

appreciate there is something

special going on.

She said: "It's hard to categorise

we sell something different. I buy

everything from Dutch auction

websites, sometimes twice a

week depending on what our

orders determine. There are also a

couple of big Dutch trucks which

come to our shop and I buy more

West End business owners lining up to serve their customers

that way as I prefer to see what

I am choosing. We opened here

again on 1 July and our website

custom has increased by about

200%. Online customers can buy

ready-made and priced bouquets

or plants, but we have a good few

customers who like to pop in and

actually see what we have and

choose from there."

website are delightfully named –

some after areas of the city like

New Town or The Meadows, but

you can also have a Wee Rogue

or a Rogue Hydrangea (Alice's

favourite).

Paul Musgrove at Gallery TEN

has been in business in William

Street for eight years. Originally a

furniture maker and glass maker,

he arrived in Edinburgh to set up

a 'hot shop' - not a repository for

stolen goods, but somewhere with

a furnace where you blow glass,

and he has been here ever since.

The gallery's name originates

from around the corner at 10

Stafford Street where his own

Spektrum Collective featured

Paul’s work alongside 15 other

printmakers. Paul explained

the apparently eclectic range of

beautiful things in the gallery:

"I try to buy local goods if I can,

but I found that to maintain a

certain level I could not get the

range and breadth that I wanted

just doing that. I buy some things

in - I bought some Venetian glass

during lockdown from Carlo

Moretti, made in Murano. I saw it

last year when I was there visiting

the factory, and here it is now in

the gallery."

Most of the art on show is on

gallery consignment, but there

are big names in amongst some

newer artists. He has a Henry

Moore print sitting alongside

a black and white by Elizabeth

Blackadder, "Strelitzia" woodblock

print from 1989, and there is a

Barbara Rae in the window. Paul

loves the juxtaposition of selling

some well-known artists alongside

the work of someone who hasn't

yet left college.

Jason Miller is an artist too,

and much sought after in the

world of hairdressing. He is an

award-winning stylist at Charlie

Miller, a business started half a

century ago by his father Charlie

and mother Janet, and where he

and his wife India, along with his

brother Josh, all now work.

It is just over a year since the

Stafford Street HQ was completely

renovated. He said: "We moved

into this building in 1982 and

before that mum and dad had a

salon in a basement just down the

road from here. For us, because

we've been on the street such

a long time, this refurbishment

actually really did feel like a

renewal, especially for me because

I've worked my whole life in the

street. What is brilliant is that the

street and the area around here

keeps rejuvenating itself. There's a

lot going on here.”

Charlie Miller has also begun

producing their own hair products

with beautiful packaging, and the

latest in the range is the volume

mousse which was just about to

arrive when I spoke with Jason.

Part of the Charlie Miller ethos

has always been to give back and

during the coronavirus pandemic,

the company donated 500 haircuts

to NHS workers and Jason is

enjoying delivering them. He said:

"We're lucky. We can support

people and give something back.”

Roots vegan friendly deli and

salad bar at 18 William Street

boasts that their food doesn’t cost

the earth – but many would share

the view that owners Catriona

and Mark Spence-Ishaq are the

the salt of the earth, given their

unwavering support to charities,

and particularly people living on

the streets.

Early on in lockdown, Roots

organised the collection and

donation of essential items for the

homeless community. Their work

with local charities, churches and

welfare organisations is a strong

ethos in the business. At the start

of the pandemic, Roots was also

quick off the mark in adapting

their business model to offer

collection and local deliveries, and

workers will return en masse to

the city centre, this is a service

Roots have continued to provide.

Denzil Skinner and Amanda

Egerton-King have over 40 years

in jewellery between them. The

business will make bespoke pieces

and Amanda offers a redesign

service. Denzil is particularly keen

that anyone considering jewellery

using diamonds knows about

old cut diamonds. He explained:

“The modern cut stones use the

latest technology and lasers in

the cutting process. But there

was a time when the cutting and

polishing was all done by hand

and eye combined with a great

deal of experience.

“Old cut diamonds are not

only a wonder of nature but also

both individual and demonstrate

a brilliance all of their own. The

'marquise' cut originated from

King Louis XV of France wanting a

diamond like his mistress’s lips!"

William Street - fitting

the bill since the 1820s

William Street was built in

1824-5 and much of it is attributed

to Robert Brown, the Unsung Hero

of Georgian Edinburgh.

The street of shops and artisan

flats above, described as a "plain

classical commercial terrace" is

probably modelled on Rose Street

in the first New Town. The shop

fronts are mostly painted with a

cornice above, and on the first and

second floors the windows are

12-pane timber sash and case.

It is "an important planned

grouping of late Georgian shops

and tenements" according to

Historic Environment Scotland,

and the earlier 19th century shop

front configuration is more or less

intact.

The wonderful language of

architecture tells us that the

entrance platts "oversail" the

basement areas, and reminds us

that the cast iron railings have

fleur de lys finials on top.

There are lanes behind the street

although not at the Stafford Street

end where the buildings have been

linked to the corner pavilions.

William Street was built on land

owned by Patrick Walker, a gift

from his father William. This then

explains both the name given to

Walker Street which dissects the

east and west parts of William

Street, and William Street itself.

Dearbhla Gallagher

Alice Shaw

Michael Apter

Paul Musgrove

It was his spinster daughters,

Mary and Barbara Walker, who sold

off portions for development in the

latter part of the 19th century.

They were devout episcopalians

and gifted their own garden as

it was then as the site for an

Episcopalian Cathedral to be a

centrepiece for the West End. This

is now St Mary's Cathedral which

only had one spire paid for by the

Misses Walker. The second and

third were added in 1917.

The plan for the Walker Estate

was drawn up in 1813 by Robert

Brown, and it is thought to be one

of the best examples of his work.

Brown had already laid out streets

in Portobello in the period between

1810 and 1830, as well as areas

of Newington and St Leonard's

Church which is now The Queen's

Hall.

He was also quite efficient and

accomplished at finishing off

corners in the city. He designed

the corner pavilions and the shops

below on North West Circus Place.

There, the shop fronts such as The

Pantry and Jeffreys Interiors, are

also painted.

The shops and buildings here

are B listed, which is a protection

against certain changes which

would affect the historical nature

of them. The northern half of the

West End also lies in the World

Heritage Site.

Jason Mller

Liam Ross

Denzil Skinner and

Amanda Egerton-King

West End

walk through

history

A new series of walking tours

focusing on the stories of people

who lived in the New Town and

West End has been launched in

collaboration with Edinburgh

World Heritage (EWH).

The West End Stories Walking

Tour runs until 13 September.

Blue Badge Tourist Guide Jane

Roy created the tour designed to

encourage more people to explore

the area's historic streets.

“Our tours will include some of

the areas covered by the trail but

it goes beyond it and we have

uncovered even more fascinating

stories,” she said.

“I think the West End tends

to be overlooked and there is a

wealth of history and heritage. The

people who lived here were quite

amazing and they include Queen

Victoria’s surgeon, Joseph Bell,

the real-life inspiration for Arthur

Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes;

antiseptic surgery pioneer Joseph

Lister; innovative 19th century

doctor and suffragist Elsie Inglis;

Scottish Colourist painter Francis

Cadell; women’s higher education

campaigner Christian Wright

Guthrie; and children’s literature

writer Catherine Sinclair.”

Nick Hotham of EWH said: “The

streets and buildings of the New

Town and West End of Edinburgh

are not only among the most

beautiful and elegant urban

environments in Britain, but also

hold many fascinating stories of

the great men and women that

made their homes here during

more than 200 years of history.

“We’re delighted to see these

new tours now being offered to

the public, and we hope that many

residents of the city will take part.”

For every ticket sold £1 will

be donated to EWH to help in

conserving Edinburgh’s historic

buildings and developing

improvements to the public realm.

Jane said the quiet, wide streets

in the area were ideal for guiding

in times where social distancing

is essential. The maximum group

size is eight people. Participants

are invited to wear face coverings.

Most Scottish Tour Guides

Association (STGA) guides are

usually away on extended tours of

Scotland during summer. Winter

tours run by the branch - Georgian

Shadows and 101 Objects - which

ran in 2017 and 2018 respectively

were a success.

“The Georgian Shadows and 101

Objects tours attracted many local

people and we are hoping West

End Stories will do the same,” said

Jane.

The walking tours, which cost

£12.45 per person, will begin

in Charlotte Square and last 90

minutes. However, all people

taking part must book in advance.

Tickets on Eventbrite.

16

FEATURE

Linking city art lovers

Artlink’s Arts Access service has

been running for over 35 years,

helping people who need support

to go out to arts events with a

volunteer driver/companion.

The great thing about Artlink’s

Arts Access (AAA) service is

200 clients range in age from

their early 20s to over 100.

People live in many different

situations, some with families,

some alone, others in supported

accommodation, care homes, and

hospitals. Over 100 volunteers

come from all walks of life, from

artists and archaeologists to

physiotherapists, doctors and IT

specialists. What unites them all

is a love of going out together, and

enjoying all kinds of arts events,

including live performances,

cultural talks, musicals,

for Arts Access. Theatres and

venues have been closed, and

performances have been cancelled

and rescheduled far into 2021.

Many clients are shielding, or have

health conditions which make

them particularly vulnerable, and

others require physical support

- perhaps an arm for guiding or

balance - which social distancing

guidelines prohibits.

Across

1. Baronet's huts destroyed in

conflagration (5, 2, 5)

8. I tear around, feeling angry (5)

9. I get lean, preparing jelly-like substance (8)

11. Adorn with ornaments made of stone (7)

12. Part played in Rep about hunter (7)

13. Cruel form of open sore (5)

15. A discount for the guard ? (9)

17. Use pram to kill small rodents ... (9)

20. ... or feline church uses to seize one ... (5)

21. ...or part art played in killing a large

rodent (3-4)

23. Eve sore about arrangement to

superintend (7)

25. Do I stare at this heavenly body ? (8)

26. Broth causes one to palpitate (5)

27. Warning colour about darned forger

(3, 3, 6)

While online cultural content has

blossomed, many of the people

AAA work with don’t have internet

access.

Working with the Scottish

Storytelling Centre this summer,

AAA arranged socially distanced

storytelling events. Storytellers

were matched to people based on

their interests and experiences,

and they travelled to Sweden and

Kenya while dodging the drizzle

in their Edinburgh gardens. Being

together, and having this face to

face contact was so cheering and

positive, that they are planning

to offer more of these sessions

during the Scottish International

Storytelling Festival in October.

Volunteers have been staying

in touch with clients with

regular phone calls, maintaining

relationships which have been

nurtured over the years. The

group want to try to harness

this resource of goodwill and

communication, and plan to

gather stories about past outings,

and what Arts Access means to

people. It is hoped that collating

these stories will highlight the

importance and longevity of the

project, and help people to feel

optimistic about what the future

will bring.

artlinkedinburgh.co.uk

Crossword by David Albury Answers on page 20

Down

1. Short abstract about my busier farm ... (5, 7)

2. ... involving lots of paper about mares (5)

3. " Our best ", he claimed about French

Exchange (3, 6)

4. Concerned with carbon mixed in cargo (7)

5. Gives recognition to last use (7)

6. Bit-player in the next Rank production (5)

7. Put lions into natural surroundings (8)

10. Does such a person go out on a limb to join

section of an organisation ? (6, 6)

14. Cute sons of member of nobility (8)

16. Her actors form a large musical group (9)

18. Censure behaviour of poor ref (7)

19. One who goes on steadily might prod Del

into action (7)

22.(5)

24. Grips loose branch (5)


Edinburgh Collected

school, we decided to walk through this little passage just past Sighthill Park. The sun was shining through the

trees and it was simply beautiful."

Edinburgh Collected is an online community photo archive managed by Edinburgh Libraries. Add your own

memories to help preserve the city’s history, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.

www.edinburghcollected.org

STR8TS

6 5

Tough

3

7

5 1

4 9 6

1 3 6

2 3 6

5 7 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

6

© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles

SUDOKU

1 2 4

3

3 1 5 2 6

5 6

1 4 6 3

9 2

3 7 9 5 4

8

1 7 5

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.

Easy

If you like Str8ts and other puzzles, check out our

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

© 2020 Syndicated Puzzles

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk FOOD 17

Juliet's Food Diary - banging her head off a brick wall

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson

I didn’t take advantage of the

Eat Out To Help out scheme for

various reasons. Firstly, I like to

go out at the weekends, being a

Saturday night kind of gal. Also

there's the rub that it’s not really a

government funded scheme but a

taxpayer one.

At the time of writing £180

million has so far been spent on

feeding the masses. The usual

money-down-the-drain comparison

would be how many nurses would

such a pile of dosh pay for?

My well researched answer is -

lots.

To be fair, many restaurants and

eateries are very grateful for the

cash boost. My waiter chum tells

me he’s seen tips go up because

of the customer savings. Faith in

humanity has been temporarily

restored.

Yet other establishments

complain about rude diners. A

discount scheme sometimes

attracts entitled types who will

never be back to pay full price,

and for some businesses a busy

midweek makes for a quieter

weekend. Will a fruitful August

result in a bleak September? We

shall soon know.

The Scottish hospitality industry

has undoubtedly been in turmoil

over the summer lock-down

months.

For many businesses it was

sensible to remain closed and

wait out the storm but for The

Stair Arms Hotel in Pathhead, this

wasn’t an option – they missed

their customers too much.

They reimagined their business

model and innovated new ways to

open’ while abiding by Covid-19

regulations.

So, the hotel opened a Drive Thru

service as a way to keep serving

amidst the pandemic. It has been

so successful, however, that

they’ve now made it a permanent

feature.

They teased this secret project

over social media, posting

images of a shipping container.

After many weird and wonderful

guesses, such as a pop-up registry

office, they revealed that they are

transforming an old shipping crate

into a permanent Drive Thru point.

At their Drive Thru, they offer

can order an Afternoon Tea over

I recently overheard someone

bleating about restaurants not

passing on their discounted VAT

savings onto customers.

I might have interrupted and

margins of the food trade,

combined with massively reduced

capacity and an upcoming

recession might be a reason for

"greedy" restaurant owners to

use their paltry savings to keep

employing their staff and stay in

business. Instead I did the more

decent thing - located the nearest

brick wall and banged my head

against it.

On a more positive note, a chum

of mine is retraining to become

a Home Economics teacher and

she has the drive and sunny

disposition to make a great

success of it too.

Apparently there is such a

demand for Home Ec teachers that

some schools can’t currently offer

it as a subject. If you ever ponder

the question as to why there's an

obesity crisis and reliance on fast

and nutritionless food, there’s your

answer.

So I send my best wishes to

all those embarking on such a

wonderful new career. You will

change many people’s lives for the

better.

If you’d like to put your offspring

off sugar then may I point you

in the direction of M&S's newly

launched Colin the Caterpillar

sweets. They look like the sort

of creature one might have

nightmares about axing you to

death in the middle of the night.

Congratulations to Bross Bagels

on their new outlet at Waverley

Drive thru cakeaway

the phone and simply Drive Thru to

collect it.

With the future of the hospitality

industry so uncertain and so many

people not yet ready to sit in a

restaurant, the hotel decided it

would be a unique opportunity for

customers to enjoy a traditional

afternoon tea from the safety of

their own homes.

The menu offers a selection

of delicious home-made cakes,

sandwiches, hot drinks and even

the option to add a bottle of

Prosecco.

Unlike traditional afternoon teas,

however, you can collect your

order and enjoy anywhere – on a

picnic or surprise a friend. It’s an

easy way to enjoy a classic treat.

Hotel owner, Amanda Ramsay,

added: "If lockdown has taught us

anything, it’s that we are capable

of adapting – we went from no

experience of takeaway to having

an amazing takeaway service

operating six days week.

"We knew our customers missed

a traditional afternoon tea so we

thought why not offer it as a drive

thru option? It’s a twist on the

original but it means customers

Sam Campbell, Jamie Crothall and Georgia Noble remind you that

Montpeliers Eat Out to Help Out continues throughout September

Mall, Brossties and Frickles, which

translates as bagel toasties and

fried pickles, in case you were

wondering.

Located at the top of the mall

next to the Waverley Station steps,

I can guarantee their offerings are

a tasty treat.

I’ve recently made a foray into

chutney making, so if you’d like

something tangy to go with ham

or a strong cheese, here’s my

latest recipe.

can enjoy a classic treat from the

comfort of their own home."

treat to celebrate a unique twist on

a classic to brighten up your day!

The Stair Arms Hotel is

an original coaching inn,

Rhubarb, nectarine and ginger

chutney

1.5 kg rhubarb

500g nectarines

500g onions

fresh ginger root

1 litre vinegar

2tbs mixed spice

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

20g salt

A slice of cake heaven at The Stair Arms Hotel

Shipping crate cakes

commissioned in 1831 by Lord

and Lady Stair of the Oxenfoord

Estate.

For the last quarter of a century

it has been run by the Ramsay

family.

The Stair Arms Hotel A68

Takeaway treats

1kg sugar

Chop the rhubarb, nectarine and

onions and place in a pan with the

fresh ginger and half the vinegar.

Cook over a low heat until tender.

Add the rest of the ingredients

and stir until all are combined and

the sugar dissolved. Simmer until

thickened, stirring occasionally

to stop any chutney sticking to

the bottom of the pan. Pour into

sterilised jars, seal and store for a

few weeks before enjoying.

Sweet and savoury

Pathhead EH37 5TX

Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 6pm

Telephone 01875 320277

Afternoon tea prices from £13.50

to £17.50


18 WHAT'S ON


WHAT'S ON 19

International Festival on Radio 3

Every year, the Usher Hall Series

symphonic concerts and operatic

concert performances from worldleading

orchestras and soloists.

These performances will be

broadcast at 11am from 15–19

September on BBC Radio 3.

Tuesday 15 September:

Orchestra dell’Accademia

Nazionale di Santa Cecilia gave

a celebrated performance at

the 2016 International Festival.

Sir Antonio Pappano conducts

Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet

before Boris Berezovsky performs

as soloist in Rachmaninov’s

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

Wednesday 16 September:

Over 120 players of the BBC

Scottish Symphony Orchestra

are conducted by Ilan Volkov in

l’Au-Delà. They close this 2008

concert with Thomas Adès' Tevot,

at that time just a year old.

Thursday 17 September:

The Cleveland Orchestra’s

2010 concert showcases the

organ as Joela Jones performs

two of Ives’s best-loved works for

the instrument. To follow, Franz

Welser-Möst conducts Bruckner’s

grand Eighth Symphony.

Hello Dolly and other museum faves

The National Museum of

Scotland is open again, with new

arrangements for booking a timed

ticket, physical distancing and

wearing of masks.

There are enhanced cleaning

procedures and sneeze screens as

Dr Chris Breward, Director of

National Museums Scotland said:

“We are really pleased to be able

to welcome visitors back to the

National Museum of Scotland.

It’s such a treasured public space,

and I know that many people

will be just like me – excited to

become reacquainted with objects

almost as though they were old

friends, including the Lewis chess

pieces, T.rex, Dolly the Sheep or

the amazing Paco Rabanne metal

tunic.

Unveiling Dolly the Sheep PHOTO Neil Hanna

Friday 18 September: The 2013

International Festival’s Usher Hall

Series was brought to an epic

conclusion with Verdi’s powerful

Requiem, performed by the BBC

Scottish Symphony Orchestra and

the Edinburgh Festival Chorus,

conducted by Donald Runnicles.

“The safety of our staff and

visitors is paramount, which

is why we are taking a phased

approach to reopening among a

host of other measures designed

to make sure everyone can feel

both safe and enjoyable.”

The Museum has reopened with

two new displays for visitors to

enjoy.

Marking the Year of Coasts and

Waters, Scotland’s Precious Sea is

a small exhibition which highlights

in the diversity of NMS’s research

collections.

research measuring the impact

of human activity on the marine

Saturday 19 September: The

Scottish Chamber Orchestra's

remarkable 2004 concert

performance of Weber's Der

Freischutz stars Jonas Kaufmann,

Hillevi Martinpelto and Alish

Tynan, conducted by the late Sir

Charles Mackerras.

eif.co.uk

The Usher Hall was lit up for The Edinburgh Internatioal Festival's

opening event My Light Shines On PHOTO Martin P McAdam

environment and how global

climate change is affecting the

wildlife in our waters.

Scotland's coast runs for 18.762

km and the sea covers more than

six times its land area.

There are more than 46,500

species in the sea which can be up

to two kilometres deep.

It is there in the deepest darkest

parts of the ocean that seamounts

dwarf our country's highest

mountains, and there is a wide

range of life. More are discovered

all the time.

The NMS collection has over four

million marine invertebrates and

120,000 vertebrates which lived in

the sea. Specimens include basket

star, deep sea barnacle, bamboo

Park yourself

for film festival

The Edinburgh International Film

Festival and Unique Events have

combined to bring you drive-in

movies at Edinburgh Airport.

There are movies in the mornings

for children, family favourites

in the afternoon, and evening

blockbusters and late-night

screenings of cult classics for

adults.

Edinburgh DJ Stewart Calverto

will be the master of ceremonies,

with entertainment ahead of the

main feature. There will be quizzes

and car discos with food and drink

stalls on site. Seafood specialists

Alanda's and Cold Town Beer lead

the offering.

The organisers are keeping the

moment but you can sign up to

becomes public.

Last month the list included

blockbusters like La La Land, Dirty

Dancing, Mary Poppins Returns,

Grease, Sunshine on Leith, Up, The

Princess Bride, Clueless and Con

Air.

edinburghdrivein.co.uk

Owens pens

new single

Let The Day In is a new

collaboration between Scotland’s

award winning troubadour Dean

Owens and exciting new young

talent from Denmark, Oscar

Mukherjee.

In January the pair headed to

The House of Songs in Northwest

Arkansas for a 10 day residency.

There they created a new single,

now released online through Eel

Pie Records.

The song was recorded by the

House of Songs team, remixed

in Denmark with additional

instrumentation by two Danish

musicians.

Oscar Mukherjee was born to a

California, and has already been

nominated for a Danish Music

Award. He has three EPs under

his belt, and has toured Denmark

as a guest artist with acclaimed

Krebs.

Owens, winner of several

awards, is widely regarded as

songwriters, with fans including

BBC’s Whispering Bob Harris and

Trainspotting author, Irvine Welsh.

A Best of . . . album (The Man

From Leith) was released (on Eel

Pie Records) to rave reviews in

March 2020.

The 10 days at The House of

showcases at Folk Alliance

International in New Orleans, and a

quick hop back to showcase at UK

AmericanaFest in London. Then

the pandemic struck. Let the day

in. Whatever it may bring.

Opera tunes up

Scottish Opera have announced

seated outdoor performances,

including a special production of

Puccini’s La Bohème and Pop-up

Opera performances of Mozart’s

Don Giovanni, Gilbert & Sullivan’s

The Gondoliers and a new work,

The Song of the Clyde, by Scottish

composer Karen MacIver, all to

take place around Scotland in

September.

In Edinburgh the opera will take

place at Edinburgh Zoo and in East

Lothian at the Museum of Flight.

Tickets are free and now available

to reserve.

Alex Reedijk, General Director,

lockdown, I am delighted that

Scottish Opera can now begin to

bring live singing and playing back

to our audiences in Scotland.

"Many of them have shared

with us what an exceptionally

are delighted that we can begin

to offer live performances again,

even if only in reduced scale and

appropriately socially distanced at

present. As we know, the shared,

live experience of entertainment

brings so much pleasure to

audience and performers, and, of

course, it is great for everyone at

Scottish Opera to be making work

again."

La Bohème

Set in the modern day and sung

in English, this production brings

to life the heart-wrenching tale of

costume maker Mimì, played by

Elizabeth Llewellyn, with Rhian

Lois as Musetta, both making their

Scottish Opera debuts.

They are joined by Samuel

Sakker (Kátya Kabanová 2019)

as Rodolfo, Roland Wood (Tosca

2019) as Marcello, David Ireland

as Colline, The Robertson Trust

Scottish Opera Emerging Artist

Arthur Bruce (The Narcissistic Fish

2020) as Schaunard, and Francis

Church (Breaking the Waves 2019)

as Alcindoro.

Scottish Opera Music Director

Stuart Stratford conducts The

Orchestra of Scottish Opera in

Jonathan Dove’s arrangement of

Puccini’s score in performances

that last around 1 hour 35 minutes

with no interval.

Pop-up Opera

A Little Bit of Don Giovanni

and A Little Bit of The Gondoliers

are cleverly re-written 25-minute

versions of the full operas, while

The Song of The Clyde has been

The shows are performed in a

specially adapted trailer to create

a portable stage to adhere with

social distancing guidelines.

While past productions of Pop-up

Operas have accommodated both

the audience and performers

inside the mobile Theatre Royal

trailer, this year performances are

al fresco with a covered stage and

audiences out front in the open

bubbles.

www.scottishopera.org.uk

Birch Tree Gallery go with andante

Andante for Hands and

Water with watercolours by Susan

Macintosh and ceramics by Emily

Hughes is at Birch Tree Gallery,

Dundas Street until 12 September.

Susan Macintosh lives in the

Cairngorm National Park. She

graduated from the University

of the Highlands and Islands,

with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art as

a mature student and her work

cultural philosopher Jean Gebser.

This exhibition includes two large

and a few smaller paintings in

her instantly recognisable colour

Edinburgh’s City Art Centre

on 12 September with a new

exhibition exploring the work of

Scottish artists during the 1920s

– an evocative period of social,

political and economic change.

Bright Shadows: Scottish Art

in the 1920s is timed to mark

100 years since the dawn of the

showcases over 35 artworks

selected from the City Art Centre’s

oil paintings, watercolours,

drawings, etchings and sculptures.

Featured artists include D.Y.

Cameron, Stanley Cursiter, Dorothy

Johnstone, William McCance, Eric

Robertson and William Wilson, as

scheme of transparent reds and

heavy black textured pigments.

Yet, the exhibition is dominated

by the new blue body of work that

emerged spontaneously during

lockdown.

Susan said: "Since the pandemic

and its gravity I've left deep, dark,

philosophically inspired work and

have been compelled to work with

a blue palette. The paintings are

remembered feelings of places

and weathers from different

seasons and parts of Scotland. I

in sense to déjà vu, triggered

Scottish 1920s art cast in new light

George Henry - The Chalk Pit 1922 (CAC)

well as the Scottish Colourists S.J.

Peploe and J.D. Fergusson.

For many, the 1920s is an era

that conjures up images of Art

Deco design, jazz music and

one side of the story. It was

a decade of contrasts: high

spirits interwoven with sombre

contemplation, and grand

aspirations tempered by hard

the recent losses of the First World

War, while others looked forward

to an age of new possibilities and

opportunities. Scottish artists

hand, and responded to them in a

variety of ways.

One of the highlights of the

perhaps through similar seasonal

light or weather conditions to

experiencing being somewhere

else, very vividly for a moment."

Emily Hughes is a recent

graduate from North Wales School

of Art and Design, where she was

awarded BA (Hons) in Applied Art.

Emily continued to develop handbuilt

slab vessels in stoneware

and porcelain and focuses on

expressive mark-making by

applying slips, glazes and indented

lines.

She said: "My work represents

my life growing up in a

village between a quarry and the

sea. I represent through my mark

making and form the textures

and lines found on the mountain

side and the contrast between the

landscape in which I live.

"It is portrayed in this collection

by the smooth areas contrasting

the ripped edges that are

exaggerated naturally by the clay.

I have always been interested

in the contrast between nature

and man-made, this has been the

focus of my work throughout my

making."

Birch Tree Gallery 23a Dundas

Street EH3 6QQ 0131 556 4000

art@birchtreegallery.co.uk

show is the painting Cecile Walton

at Crianlarich (1920) by Eric

Robertson. This striking portrait

of the artist Cecile Walton is a

brand-new addition to the City

Art Centre’s collection. It arrived

in late 2019 as a long-term loan

from a private collector, and goes

time as part of Bright Shadows.

The exhibition will also feature A

Garment of War (c.1926) by D.Y

Cameron, which is being shown

conservation work to restore the

painting to its original splendour.

Bright Shadows shines a light on

this fascinating period, exploring

the styles, ideas and events

that shaped artistic practice in

Scotland. The exhibition brings

together work by a range of artists,

Henry and S.J. Peploe who were

already well-recognised and

celebrated, to younger talents like

William Johnstone and James

McIntosh Patrick who were just

beginning to forge their own

creative paths.

Curator Dr Helen Scott said:

the 1920s, as a golden age of

jazz music, Art Deco fashion

and Bright Young Things. But it

wasn’t all hedonism and decadent

excess. It was a complex period

of great social, political and

economic change – all of which

and artists in Scotland. I’m really

looking forward to sharing these

wonderful artworks with our

visitors, as museums and galleries

begin to reopen after lockdown."

Scottish Short

Film Festival

The Scottish Short Film Festival

is yet another which has moved

itself online.

This is the eighth year of the

annual event which is usually

based in Glasgow but its new

online format means everyone,

wherever they are, can watch the

awards ceremony which will be

live streamed on 12 September.

The line up includes The Last

Mermaid starring the wonderul

Janey Godley. There is a Gaelic-

and documentarties focusing on

life in Scotland past and present.

Gina Vereker, Festival Director

said: "Changing the viewing

process to an online experience

has upped our technical skills a

few levels, but we have enjoyed

having the option to showcase

helping to build an audience for

those starting out, and offering

feedback on developing skills,

deemed a success.

Ancient Deities

at Arusha

Curators Rhiannon Rebecca

Salisbury and Agnieszka Prendota,

Creative Director of Arusha Gallery,

have called upon eighteen artists

to invoke and create an ancient

deity. The chosen deity from each

(painting, sculpture, sound and

installation) will be presented

in a new group exhibition at the

Dundas Street gallery from 10

September to 18 October.

Presented physically in the

gallery, and online via a curated

viewing room, Ancient Deities

seeks to reawaken a host of awe

inspiring and mystical entities,

bringing them back to the forefront

of people’s consciousness. The

show explores what happens

when we bring together a melting

pot of artistic responses, assisting

in this unpredicted time to

help channel a reimagining of

a world, reawakening the past,

responding to the present, and

reconceptualising the future.

Rhiannon Rebecca Salisbury

said: “I wanted to invite a group

of artists whose work excites and

inspires me to come together and

invoke a whole world of otherness,

apart from the seen reality around

us. Calling upon or selecting an

Ancient Deity to make an artwork

from is an entirely subjective

process. Whether your belief in the

Deity is literal, or you resonate with

the ideas they form has come to

symbolise, each artist’s choice and

research reveals something about

their current position and standing

in today’s world.”

www.arushagallery.com

Art Walk

Porty gets in

the swim

Art Walk Porty, the annual artfest

earlier in the year, but now it has

been decided to stage 'All at Sea',

which will be held over three

weekends.

There are ten outdoor socially

distanced artists' projects on

5 and 6 September, 26 and 27

September, and 17 and 18 October.

Booking is required. All events

focus on the collaborative spirit

which Covid-19 has brought out.

Art Walk Porty say they have

"felt it important to keep going,

to adapt and change during this

uncertain period, enabling artists

to continue their residencies

and projects". The small outdoor

programme has been devised

around Portobello Beach and

the Promenade, and the works

include beach installations, live

art, conversation and projection.

The subject matter ranges from

freedom of movement to food

value, personal protection, a sense

of ownership of public space, and

the pairing of place and shared

neighbourhoods, near and far.

Jenny Pope, has created a

series of masked forms relating

to the precautions Portobello

kiln workers took to protect

themselves from the heat. She will

talk about her making processes

using sand and found or recycled

materials.

Geri Loup Nolan collected 2,020

fragments during her lockdown

walks, beginning with one small

triangular piece of ceramic, and

will install these on the sand near

where she lives.

Bristow+Wilson will create a

virtual pot luck dinner on Zoom.

the three weekends, but these two

run for the whole of September

and October:

TWO PLACES BY THE SEA

(On the Row Porty fence near

Bath Street)

Pairing places between

Portobello, Edinburgh and

By The Sea’ involves two groups

of photographers, one from

each location, who have worked

together in pairs to produce

images in response to a range

of themes. Some examine the

landscape and setting while others

are more personal and intimate.

The work is also simultaneously

being shown in Akureyri, on their

seaside promenade.

FIRED EARTH

Durable enough to last many

lifetimes, cheap enough to be

available to all. The brick is a

An installation in Porty Light Box

of photographed bricks, collected

by Jenny Martin and Stephen

Long, records the working history

www.artwalkporty.co.uk

20 FEATURE


FEATURE 21

Albert Prince of Books

Words and photos by Martin P

McAdam

For the last three weeks in

August each year Charlotte Square

becomes the site of the Edinburgh

International Book Festival.

It began back in 1983 as a “Meet

the Author” event and is now a

key part of the August Festival

Albert is the centre piece of Charlotte Square

season. Originally a biennial

event, it transitioned to a yearly

festival in 1997. It now attracts

over 200,000 visitors every year.

Unfortunately you can't visit the

Book Festival this year. Instead

the 2020 Edinburgh International

Book Festival has gone online.

Charlotte Square (originally


St. George’s Square, the name

change to avoid confusion with

George Square on the south side)

scheme by Robert Adam. The

concept was to create individual

give the look of a palace-front.

However, Adam died in 1792 and

Flypast and emergency landing

his completed designs had to be

realised by others. The north side

reasonably faithful to his original

concept. The north side of the

square consists of a row of eleven

houses with No.6, Bute House,

First Minister, as the centre piece.

The centre gardens, originally

circular, were converted to the

current octagonal design in 1873.

Outside of the festival, Charlotte

Square Gardens are closed to

the public, only accessible to the

owners of the nearby properties.

It is strange then that the

Prince Consort, is located at the

centre of this private space.

At the age of 20, Albert married

his cousin Queen Victoria and

together they had nine children.

Like many partners of royalty he is

a purpose and a meaningful role.

However he played an important

role in the development of

the Great Exhibition of 1851.

He became prominent in the

development of educational

reform and in the abolition of

slavery.

From a position of extreme

privilege he was aware of the

plight of the working classes. The

Times of 19 May 1848 reports on

his speech as President of the

Society for the Improvement of

The Edinburgh Sketcher

Mark, the Edinburgh Sketcher

has a number of printed items

including mugs, tea towels and

gift cards, which feature his ink

and watercolour sketches of the

city.

They are available together with

the Condition of the Labouring

Classes. It was, he said the "duty

of those who, under the blessings

of Divine Providence, enjoy station,

wealth, and education" to assist

those less fortunate.

In December 1861, following

a diagnosis of typhoid fever, at

the age of just 42, Albert died at

Windsor Castle in the presence

nine children. A modern analysis

of his symptoms indicate that

he may have died from a more

chronic disease such as Crohn's

disease, kidney failure or cancer.

Victoria was devastated, she

withdrew from public appearances

and remained in mourning,

dressed in black until her death on

the Isle of Wight in 1901.

The main statue of the memorial,

reaching to a height of over nine

metres, features an equestrian

was unveiled by Queen Victoria

herself in 1876. The main

sculpture was executed by Sir

John Steel. The stone plinth, in

Peterhead granite, was designed

by the architect David Bryce.

At each corner of the plinth are

Stevenson (Science and Learning)

and at a different corner (Labour),

George Clark Stanton (Army

and Navy) and William Brodie

(Nobility).

mounted prints and originals in

a few independent shops around

Edinburgh and also his own Etsy

shop online. Check his website

at edinburghsketcher.com for a

full list of stockists and browse his

online shop there too.

Edinburgh genomics professor wins Mandela Award

Professor Appolinaire Djikeng

is the Director of the Centre for

Tropical Livestock Genetics and

Health (CTLGH) at the University

of Edinburgh. He recently gave

an online presentation during a

summer camp run by The UNESCO

Center for Peace.

In recognition of all the work

the lives of others’, the centre

presented him with a Nelson

Mandela Justice Award citation

signed by US Senator, Chris Van

Hollen.

At Roslin Institute, the work

that Professor Djikeng does is all

about researching and developing

programmes which focus on

agricultural development and

human health.

Since coming to Edinburgh in

2017 he has concentrated on

genomics and working out ways

for tropical livestock to adapt and

become both more productive for

the farmers who own them – and

more resilient. He sees this as

a major contributor to ensuring

that some countries in the tropics

develop in a sustainable way. From

2009 to 2017 he was Director

of Biosciences at Biosciences

eastern and central Africa (BecA)

in Nairobi, Kenya.

Professor Djikeng explained what

this most recent award means

to him. He said: “The UNESCO

Centre for Peace is the federation

of all US UNESCO clubs and

associations. It’s an organisation

which is probably now 16 years

old. When I was in the US, I

volunteered with them for a short

while.

“They have summer camps every

year in Washington DC and also

in New York.This year, because of

Covid-19 they couldn’t meet face

to face but they did a week long

summer programme online. As

I’ve been advising them all this

time they gave me a slot during

the summer programme, and my

talk happened while they were

also celebrating Mandela Day

celebration.

“I think we all know you can use

Mandela for all kinds of purposes.

The UNESCO Centre for Peace is

really about building communities

where people appreciate each

other, support each other, people

care about each other, and people

look after each other.

“My inclination is always towards

improving the quality or the

livelihoods of people who believe

many externalities. Smallholder

farmers only have that as their

source of income, they have no

safety net, if you understand

what I mean by quite vulnerable.

Peacebuilders are also those who

give hope to people through their

own work to agriculture, to good

health, liveable communities, so

that is the reason for my award.

“If people are thoughtful,

you know, they care about the

environment, they have jobs, they

have expectations and if things

are happening, if they have good

than otherwise.

“I talked about the United

Nations’ sustainable development

goals. You know these young

people in 2030 will be around

30 years old and may be young

professionals. I wanted to give

them the opportunity to know

about the challenges we face

now, linking that to agricultural

development. I think it is important

that they take responsibility and

can assess how much progress

we have made by then.”

Professor Djikeng explained

that there are simply not enough

young farmers in the world at the

moment, even in Scotland. In an

industry which provides us with

food, we will need about 50%

more food by 2050 according to

the data. He also said this is an

industry which is still the prime

employer across the world, with

around three quarters of global

employment still related to

agriculture.

He concluded: “Agriculture has

to be much better, it has to be

a good industry in order to meet

that need, because people are

always going to need food. It’s a

requirement, it’s not a temporal

thing."

Professor Appolinaire Djikeng

Flypast over Edinburgh Castle PHOTO Martin P McAdam

by Phyllis Stephen

We had been promised the

fabulous sight of the Red Arrows

over Edinburgh on 7 August when

Palace of Holyroodhouse up The

Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle to

mark the 75th anniversary of VJ

Day. This was part of a UK-wide

Sadly the weather did not

cooperate. The RAF aerobatic

team need the cloud base to be at

1000 ft and it was lower - at 800 ft.

The day was rainy and grey.

Then on a Monday morning

in late August, the murmuring

that evening. The real aviation

geeks have ways of knowing what

is going on.

The Castle Esplanade had been

closed off by three buses, and

apparently not just for us, but part

Crossword Answers by David Albury

Red 6 and 9 then headed for

Edinburgh Airport after a bird

strike. Two pilots were seen taking

off from there later in the evening

in one aircraft, leaving the other for

repair and collection the following

day.

Across: 1.Burnt to ashes, 8. Irate, 9. Gelatine, 11. Festoon, 12. Trapper,

13. Ulcer, 15. Custodian, 17. Mousetrap, 20. Catch, 21. Rat-trap,

23. Oversee, 25. Asteroid, 26. Throb, 27. Red for danger.

Down: 1.Brief summary, 2. Reams, 3. The bourse, 4. Organic, 5. Salutes,

6. Extra, 7. Unspoilt, 10. Branch member, 14. Countess, 16. Orchestra,

18. Reproof, 19. Plodder, 22. Reeve, 24. Sprig.

Sketcher on a mug

WELCOME

BACK

Although different, we’re

delighted to be back doing

what we love.

Our venues are starting

to reopen from the

14th September.

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

Video calls with loved ones, a relaxing stroll in the garden, or having a stretch in an exercise

class are just some of the things residents have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, at Cairdean

House, Murrayside and Lauder Lodge care homes. Add to that delicious home cooked food

from our in-house chefs, tailored care delivered by our fully trained and experienced teams,

and amazing activities, and you can see why we’re the ideal choice.

Josh Doig is on a roll - in training with Callum Yeats

Doig making his mark at Hibs

after crossing the great divide

By John Hislop

Josh Doig has joined a small band

of players who have crossed the

great divide from Tynecastle to

team game and gone on to make a

name for themselves at Hibs.

First up was Eric Stevenson who

left Hearts following contract

irregularities which meant the

authorities. Then Peter Cormack

decided enough was enough after

a series of mundane ground staff

duties ended with him crashing

a tractor whilst mowing the

Tynecastle pitch.

More recently Jason Cummings

arrived at Hibs via Hutchison Vale

after being freed by Hearts, and

took revenge with a series of derby

goals before subsequently winning

international recognition.

The fans already believe the club

has unearthed another gem in

teenage full-back Doig, whose

performances already have him

compared with Liverpool and

Scotland star Andy Robertson.

In the January transfer window

he joined Queen's Park on loan,

making seven appearances

in League Two before the

coronavirus shutdown, and in that

time Spiders boss Ray McKinnon

was hugely impressed by the

teenager's performances and

said comparisons with Scotland

captain Robertson were there for

all to see.

He said: "The kid was phenomenal.

He's quick, aggressive, athletic,

with a great delivery and we were

over the moon with him.

"We thought he was fantastic. He

was absolutely unbelievable for us

last season. He was outstanding

and must have got man of the

match in three or four games.

"He's 6ft, athletic, and has a

brilliant, calm demeanour about

him. I think he's got a huge future,

I really do.

"Hibs might see him as centrehalf

but everyone at Queen's was

talking about the Andy Robertson

comparison because he really

has some engine, and was getting

up and down, putting crosses in

and playing one-two's. He's an

excellent young player with a great

future ahead of him, and has all

the attributes.”

Fellow defender Ryan Porteous,

who spent time at Edinburgh City

on loan, knows the value of playing

He said: “Loan spells are vital for

players at that age. You need to

get battered about, learn when and

when not to tackle, and when to

stand up.

"At Queen’s Park, Josh was playing

in some brilliant games, but there

were times at Edinburgh City

where we got battered up and

down by 35-year-old guys who

wanted to try and hurt you. It's

about learning his trade, and he's

done that so far.

"His performances on the park

have been brilliant. He's a young,

driving forward and to be playing

over Lewis Stevenson, a player

who has been consistently playing

for the club for many years, is

really impressive. I hope he can

keep putting in the performances

and we can back it up as well."

Josh Doig

Team mate Daryl Horgan added:

“When you are a young player

coming through, you don't know

everything. You know the game

but maybe not the nuances of

professional football.

"Josh is a brilliant kid, his attitude

is spot-on, he's been unbelievable

the last couple of games and he

takes in information like a sponge

straight away and doesn't make

the same mistakes again. He's got

a right good chance, he's a brilliant

young player.”

Head Coach, Jack Ross, agreed

with Ray McKinnon’s assessment

and demonstrated his faith in the

youngster, giving him an extended

contract to 2023 and starting

him in the opening games of the

season in the place of long term

defender, Lewis Stevenson.

Ross said: “He’s growing in each

at this level because he is still very

young and it's different playing

Josh is getting there and the fact

he lasted the full game against

Dundee United is brilliant because

he’ll grow that belief.

“By his own admission, Lewy

(Stevenson) was a bit up and

down in pre-season but he’s still a

big part of what we're doing here.

He’ll play a big part this season

and he’ll be a massive help for

Josh as well. He’s a brilliant help

for me off the pitch with Josh.”

The teenager was quick to praise

the contribution of Stevenson and

another CIS Cup winning full-back

Josh said: ”It’s been brilliant. I’ve

enjoyed it ever since I came in. I’ve

come on leaps and bounds. The

coaching staff and everyone has

kicked me on and it’s paid off in

the end.

"I’ve improved as a player and

a person as well. It’s a great

team with the players talking to

you and helping you.

“Lewis Stevenson has been a great

help with my game, telling me to

do extra and Steven Whittaker as

well. He’s taken the 18s squad

with me and he was always giving

me pointers to help me. They both

tell me to always work my hardest

and put maximum effort into

everything and what Lewis does

in the gym, if you watch him, he

always puts 100% into everything

he does.”

Oklahoma lures

Portobello

hoopsters

In different suburbs of Tulsa,

Oklahoma, USA, live two of the

who have ever pulled on a Scottish

international shirt, writes Sandy

Sutherland.

One of them, Rose Anderson,

could rightly claim to be the

greatest ever, having been the only

Scot to play in the 2012 London

Olympics when Great Britain so

nearly beat the eventual silver

medallists, France.

A decade before that, Nicky

Emblem, a former Scottish javelin

champion who came close to

winning a medal for Scotland

in the Commonwealth Games,

was also knocking on the door

basketball player to reach the

Women's NBA professional league

in the USA.

Both girls went to Portobello

High School, the nursery for

so many young players and

both had gone on to play for

the City of Edinburgh Kool Kats

all-conquering club team.

Both won scholarships to

colleges in Oklahoma and Emblem

later returned there to take up

coaching posts in both basketball

and football. Enter Celina

Eisenhardt, a name which does

not sound particularly Edinburgh

or Scottish but which, if she

progresses as she has done in the

her more famous alumnae.

She was awarded a basketball

scholarship to Murray State

Junior College in Oklahoma. How

appropriate is it therefore that

Celina is a big fan of Rose.

She said: "Rose is my hero.

I remember her playing for

Great Britain against Canada at

Meadowbank in a warm-up game

for the 2012 Olympics when I was

just starting to come to the Kats

training."

Celina has spent the last two

years studying and developing

her basketball at Myerscough

College near Lancaster. This

follows impressive performances

for the Kats junior team - who won

successive Scottish Cup Finals at

Oriam - and the Scottish under-18

National Team.

If you’re considering care for yourself or a loved one, we’re here for you.

To arrange a virtual tour or one-to-one chat, please call 0131 516 8338

WELCOMING NEW RESIDENTS

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careuk.com/cairdean-house

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Murrayfield

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The Edinburgh Reporter September 2020

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