Craigroyston Achievement Awards

Craigroyston Community High School has hosted its first achievement awards at a celebration day for students and their parents. The event, the fist of it type was supported by Scottish Business in the Community [SBC] North Edinburgh who acted as a liaison with local business to gift awards for key subjects. Trophies, invitations, flowers and a celebration buffet were all sponsored by local SBC members to help Craigroyston give students a memorable occasion.

Sian Oliver, Deputy Head Teacher said, “The event has been a great success and a most positive step forward for the school and its educational achievements. Today we have had over 120 students attending the awards ceremony which has included certificates and trophies some of which have been gifted by local business. We are delighted that so many companies have supported Craigroyston and thank them all for their sponsorship and backing.”

SELEX S&AS member of SBC North Edinburgh commented “We are proud to support initiatives in the local community and applaud Craigroyston High school on the achievements of its pupils.”

Lyn Bremner, a mum who attended to watch her daughter Roxanne Pearson receive an Achievement Award in Exta Curricular Music said, “It has just been a fantastic night. The awards, the reception and beautifully decorated hall have all made for a wonderful evening. I am really proud to be associated with Craigroyston Community High School.”

Achievement Awards

Emma Stevenson Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies Trophy
Amy Henderson PE Trophy
Amy Proudfoot Mathematics SELEX S&AS Trophy
John Morris Music Design Links Trophy Andrew Hay English McGrigors Trophy
Amy Proudfoot Languages Pinset Masons Trophy
Robert Thomson Business Studies State Street Trophy
Nadine Bell Science Scottish Gas Trophy
Daniella Leadbetter Home Economics Marriott Dalmahoy Trophy
Jordyn Hutchison History Bank of Scotland Corporate Trophy
Natalia Ruszkowska Art and Design Trophy
Amy Proudfoot Computing Studies Trophy
James Marshall Craft and Design Trophy
Laura Connolly Geography Trophy
Mhairi Irvine Modern Studies Trophy
Diana Visocka S1 Achievement Scotland Gas Network Quaich
Mari Price S2 Achievement Quaich
Kaya McDaid S3 Achievement Quaich
James Marshall S4 achievement Quaich

NHS Dental Services

Over the last few months North Edinburgh Area Renewal’s Health and Social Care Planning and Implementation Group [PIG] has been made aware of local people’s concerns about dental services. The Group asked Colwyn Jones, Consultant in Dental Public Health with NHS Lothian to answer some of the concerns that we had heard from local people.

- What happens to dental records when patients no longer registered with a practice?

The dental practice is under a legal obligation to retain dental records for a set period. The regulations differ for each type of information but the British Dental Association states dental records should be kept for eleven years or until the patient is 25 years old, whichever is longer. If you move dentists then the new one can request that your old records are sent on to them. As your original dentist still has to keep your records for the set time, a copy is typically sent and usually a small fee will be charged. This may vary from £10 up to £50 if there are radiographs which have to be copied.

Patients are entitled to access all of their health records; this includes computerised data. Only the record holder (usually the patient's dentist) may approve access. Patients must request in writing to see their records as the dentist needs a written record that a request has been made and this is stored with the record. Dentists are advised to discuss all records and counsel the patient so that misunderstandings and specific patient concerns can be addressed. All or part of the information may be legally withheld from the patient if disclosure would cause serious harm to the patient, but this is very unlikely in dentistry.

- Are dental practices supposed to inform patients that they are to be 'struck off' after 3 years?

'Struck off' is a very emotive term, which is technically incorrect. Doctors, dentists and nurses are struck off. A patient is simply registered with an NHS dentist for up to 3 years. If they do not attend within those 3 years the NHS registration automatically lapses. It is the national system set by the government which causes dental registrations to lapse; the dentist has no control over the lapsing which is automatic. Even if the dentist wants to keep people registered they cannot because the system causes them to lapse. Practices are under no obligation to tell patients that their NHS registration is about to lapse.

- Are dental practices supposed to send out 6monthly/annual check up reminders to patients?

It depends. Sometimes practices say they will send new appointments and sometimes they tell people to call in for a new appointment in 6 or 12 months time. There is no mandatory method of contacting patients.

The period between check-ups can vary from just a few months to two years, but is made on the clinical needs of the individual patient. If you see a dentist for the first time then your next check-up should be in 6 months. If your teeth and gums are still healthy at your next visit then after discussion the dentist might decide to have the next check-up at 12 months or longer. However, children should usually be seen every 6 months.

- What criteria can dentists use to 'struck off' patients before the 3 year rule?

Again 'struck off' is incorrect. These are deregistered patients. It happens when a patient is violent, abusive, owes money, misses appointment(s) or there is a breakdown in the patient / dentist relationship.

A dentist may also decide to withdraw from providing some or all NHS services and may then deregister NHS patients. As long as they give 3 months notice to the Health Board there is nothing to stop them.

A patient can also decide to go to another dentist and does not need to give a reason.

If you want to register with an NHS Dentist in Lothian then call 0131 537 8444 to find out which dental practices can offer you appointments.

Young clock designers win praise

The future of Scotland is in very good hands. This was the very apt comment made by Mike Stevenson one of the judges in a recent clock making project. The judges all from Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) North Edinburgh went on to praise the imagination, skills and talents of the group of young designers, from Broughton High School.

This is now the third year of the school’s, Craft, Design and Technology S2 Design and ‘Make a Clock’ competition. After the Christmas break the whole of Broughton’s second year was challenged to design and make a clock that would intrigue a young person between the ages of 13 and 15 years.

On the last day of term the finalists were asked to present their work at the Design Links studio in Leith to a panel of three external judges where they were asked to make a short presentation on their design work and clock followed by a short question and answer session.

Mike Stevenson, Managing Director, Design Links, said, “As judges we were interested in the design, structure, functionality and marketability of the clocks and found the standard of the five finalists very high indeed. We choose the flower clock by Lauren Miller as the winner because her preparation and cutting out really worked. The clock could be marketed very easily and would be suitable for display in a bedroom. Our second choice the cherry also scored very highly as a piece of design work that could be marketed easily and would be excellent positioned in a kitchen.
Mike continued with his words of advice, “It is so important to allow peoples passions to develop as there is always someone there to criticise you but if you are really passionate about something go for it, as these young people certainly did!”

Brian Smith, of Aerospace Machining Technology Ltd, continued, “I was very impressed by the thought and effort that had been put into the project. They were all of an exceptionally high standard, and as judges we felt the first and second were most marketable, however, the other three were close behind and we could not and did not want to separate them hence the award of joint third place.”

Eric McDonald, Capability Manager, SELEX and Airborne Systems, said, “Judging the competition and meeting the young designers was a pleasure and I am delighted to have been part of the SBC North Edinburgh judging panel. It was most rewarding to be part of a team developing and encouraging the youth of today.”

Lesley Johnston, Head Teacher at Broughton High School, concluded,
“Congratulations to all S2 pupils who took part and especially to the finalists. Our thanks go to the judges who had the unenviable job of choosing a winner from a very high standard of work where everyone deserved to be winner.”

A Business Challenge for Broughton students

A group of very able S6 Broughton students have impressed leading Edinburgh businesses with their aptitude and skills in planning how to help change an employee attitude survey score. The students were set the business challenge by leading luxury hotel group the Town House Company and given coaching and guidance on change management from Mindshop Facilitators - Douglas Brotherston Financial Management (DBFM). The week long programme included business improvement techniques, team work, strategic thinking, goal setting, mind mapping, brainstorming, cause and effect analysis, motivation and presentation skills. The challenge set asked students to come up with a list of actions to improve the hotels employee attitude survey score that would help them gain entry to the prestigious Sunday Times list of ‘The Best Companies to Work For in the UK.’ - Top 100 small companies sector. So for an entire week they swapped the classroom for the Bonham Hotel.

Jim Sinclair Training and Development Manager The Town House Company said,
“The group of eight students created a detailed survey and carried out interviews with our hotel people and then summarised their findings and made a Power- Point presentation to our Chairman Peter Taylor, Operations Director Hans Rissmann and their Head Teacher from Broughton, Lesley Johnston.

“The recommendations and research saved us about 20 man hours of work. It was also great to have a fresh perspective on how we operate while giving the students a live and real work experience of implementing change in the workplace.”

Douglas Brotherston, Principal at DBFM and a Mindshop Facilitator said, “As a member of Scottish Business in the Community [SBC] North Edinburgh I was delighted to support the students in this project. The Mindshop business improvement process starts from the fundamental belief that the best people to solve the problems of any business are those people already working with it. We believe that the Mindshop Excellence Programme is a great way for students to develop life and team building skills, build confidence and have fun in a real work environment. The Broughton students certainly worked hard on their project and used the skills taught to give an excellent presentation on how the Townhouse Company could achieve their goal of appearing as a top small company in the Sunday Times List.”

And testament to the Mindshop Training by DBFM was expressed in the views of the students whose comments included.

“It was certainly a worthwhile experience working as a team. It was difficult at first but by the end of the week it was very rewarding.”

“The balance between giving us the support we needed and the freedom to work through problems on our own was perfect I enjoyed the week greatly.”

“We were treated like consultants rather than students which was extremely motivational.”

"Working in a group allowed us to respect each other and learn to compromise.”

Pennywell Regeneration Update

The New Craigroyston High School Site

Demolition of the properties on the site of the new Craigroyston High School started on the 14th January. Demolition contractors, Chamic commenced the demolition process in the empty blocks around the Pennywell Grove area and as the majority of the properties are now empty of residents, are keeping within timescale to demolish the remaining blocks on site by early summer 2007. This will allow construction of the new school to commence around September of this year.

The new school, which will be available for the start of the summer 2009 term, will provide accommodation for 600 pupils and will contain full sports facilities including a swimming pool and a synthetic sports pitch. In addition, the building will incorporate significant space for community groups and for an Early Years Centre.

For further information contact Alan Dean on 529 7088

Equality in North Edinburgh

The theme for the latest Community poster is ‘Equality in North Edinburgh’

The poster will be distributed to appropriate groups and posted on the Community Boards.

If you would like to download a copy you can find it on www.near.org.uk/publications or to obtain a paper copy please call Val Whitefield on 529 5268

Craigroyston Students get ‘Job Ready’

Craigroyston Community High School students have been preparing for the world of work with a short course tackling a range of topics to help them become ‘job ready.’ The programme supported by Scottish Business in the Community [SBC] North Edinburgh and North Edinburgh Area Renewal [ NEAR] has been running for 3 years and is recognised as best practice in its delivery of job searching skills, preparing for interview, and preparation and writing of CV’s and application forms.

This term the ‘Business Matters’ topic has resulted in a group of enthusiastic students visiting Superlogo a garment printing and embroidery business located within Leith where they learned about the production and management methods of the company.
Andrew Dall from Superlogo said, “During the visit the students were shown the different forms of printing and embroidery methods and results. We then gave each student a t- shirt to personalise to help them understand the processes involved and to have a memento of the day. The visit was a great success with keen interest being shown in the garments being branded. It was indeed a pleasure to show Craigroyston students round the company.”

And a record number of students and businesses have been taking part in a unique day of interview practise. The 90 students and 29 businesses were part of a mock interview scenario brokered by SBC North Edinburgh. The areas covered included care, construction architecture, office, engineering, facilities management, IT, hairdressing, beauty therapy, legal services, childcare, leisure, PR and finance.
Companies involved were eager to make comment on the day and these included Pinsent Masons who were very impressed with all of the four students they interviewed.

John Mackenzie, Partner at Pinsent Masons part of PMLG an International group of law firms said, “At Pinsent Masons we feel strongly about investing in young people, giving them the inspiration and confidence to achieve their best. That’s why we’re delighted to have the chance with other businesses to encourage the young people at Craigroyston Community High School in a very practical way as they start to shape their future plans.”

The interviews showed that each student had a great sense of maturity and passion for their future, having focussed ideas of what they wanted to achieve. This ranged from photography, RAF pilot, history teacher and further studies at University.
Pam Goodfellow of Alba catering commented on her experience saying “I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing the students. I believe that they found it beneficial to their future application and recruitment process.

Alba Catering is committed to developing young people within the industry and believes that the encouragement of students is the foundation to them pursuing a career in the catering and hospitality industry.”

Finally Cary Harris from Joy Beauty Therapy said,” I think this is a thoroughly worthwhile project as it gives young people the opportunity to experience a real interview in a real business environment . Hopefully it will give them an insight into what is expected of them when they have to do it for real in the future.”

Praising the initiative Margaret Russell, Head Teacher at Craigroyston Community High School said, “It is important for our pupils to be aware of the many employment opportunities available to them when leaving school. This programme encourages pupils to gain valuable insights into the world of work and to build up skills which will make them successful when they apply for a job.

We are very fortunate to have wonderful support for the project from SBC North Edinburgh, NEAR and local businesses. Our pupils have benefited enormously from the mock interviews, work experience and practice in job searching. I am delighted to see how the skills of our pupils have developed because of the programme. All who took part have a better understanding of how to present themselves when applying for a job.”

Picture shows: Carla Barnes with Cary Harris of ‘Joy Beauty Therapy’

Picture shows: Pam Goodfellow of ‘Alba Catering’with Keir Williamson, at State Street Bank.

Picture shows: L-R Craigroyston pupils, Thomas Louden, Lynsey Burrell and Holly Williamson with Andrew Dall of Superlogo.

Picture shows: Hugh McAndrew of Mollys Playcentre with Mhairi Irvine and Karen White having fun with a playcentre customer.

Pictures by Iain Sharp

The Family Service Unit Scotland sets a Challenge.

A team of 10 volunteers from HBOS (Group Planning and Performance, part of the HBOS group Finance) has risen to the challenge to paint and decorate two rooms within The Family Service Unit Scotland (FSUS) office at West Pilton Park. The challenge, which involved a make-over of the reception area and an administration office, was part of a Team Challenge and Community Partnership Programme facilitated by Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) North Edinburgh.

HBOS Senior Manager and Team Leader Stuart Forbes explained, “The area that I work in for HBOS had a team discussion and decided that we would like to find a locally based worthwhile cause that we could support with some of our time and effort. We considered dozens of possibilities and agreed that we would like to help a local organisation that supported needy children and families.” Stuart continued. “Contact was soon made with Hazel McDonald of SBC North Edinburgh who matched us up with the locally based FSUS. They needed some of their office space upgraded and we all thought this an ideal challenge. Everyone in the team has thoroughly enjoyed their decorating day and hope that this is just the start of a longer term involvement.”

Office Manager for the Family Service Unit Gayle McNeill said, “We are very lucky to have been chosen by the staff at HBOS and would like to thank all volunteers for their time and effort. The administration staff are frequently forgotten about and this make over has meant that we have been given two beautifully decorated rooms and has allowed us to reorganise the office and give each member of staff their own space. In particular the re-decoration of the reception area will be of great use to all our staff and service users.”

The Family Service Unit is a child protection agency working with disadvantaged families and children in need or at risk. Our work with families aims to prevent breakdown and to provide a safe and constructive environment in which children in difficult personal circumstances can achieve self-esteem and develop their potential.
FSUS is currently working in Edinburgh, West Lothian and North and South Lanarkshire and are actively working to develop new services that will meet changing needs and policy priorities across Scotland. We are accustomed to combining child protection work with pioneering a wide range of family support and child development projects.
For more information on FSUS contact Gayle McNeill Tel 0131 552 0305

Celebration Review for SBC North Edinburgh

Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) North Edinburgh recently held a business reception at Channings Hotel to review the year 2006 and to say thank you to all its participants.

Douglas Brotherston of Douglas Brotherston Financial Management (DBFM) introduced the proceedings on behalf of SBC North Edinburgh, and Christine Doherty Economic Development Manager for NEAR gave a presentation on the year’s activities.
Christine explained that last year SBC North Edinburgh had worked in partnership with people from the local community on a number of projects and initiatives. The volunteers from local businesses worked in the community centres and with local projects and schools. The North Edinburgh SBC Network consisted 65 companies with a total of 298 active business volunteers. There were 200 involved in Schools Projects and 98 in Team Challenges and Community Projects. The resoundingly successful Youth Employment and Training Awareness Event ‘Bothered’ attracted participation from 28 companies with a total of 190 students from local schools registering on the day.

Peter Taylor of the Town House Company and Chair of SBC North Edinburgh finalised the formal part of the evening with a thank you to everyone for all their help and support and a review of the direction of SBC North Edinburgh for 2007.
The evening concluded with refreshments and an informal networking opportunity.

Picture shows: - L – R Enjoying the ‘Celebration Review’ are Douglas Brotherston of DBFM, Hazel McDonald Business Development Manager SBC North Edinburgh, Christine Doherty Economic Development Manager NEAR and Peter Taylor Town House Company and Chair of SBC North Edinburgh.

Pictures of the Regeneration of Muirhouse

These panoramic views show the regeneration that has taken place in Muirhouse over the last seven years. Between 1997 and 2002 the Housing Plan for North Edinburgh saw a total investment of £7.023 million on housing and £1.3 million on the Millennium Park project.

If you would like to borrow a display copy of the pictures for a community event, please contact Val Whitefield on val@near.org.uk or tel 0131 529 5268

The Partnership Year 2005-2006

This has been a challenging year for North Edinburgh as we make the transition from Social Inclusion to Community Planning, with many changes in how the partnership will be structured and also many changes to our partners own organisations. There have been several highlights throughout the year which demonstrate the effectiveness of partnership working and the increasing range of services and provision tackling all of the community’s priorities.

Helping people into employment is a key priority for North Edinburgh. The year saw the opening of the Waterfront Recruitment Centre, linking new jobs on the waterfront to the community in North Edinburgh. There were 107 job vacancies filled by WRC this year.

In an excellent example of partnership working, a joint venture between Working Links, Scottish Business in the Community North Edinburgh and NEAR produced the highly successful “Bothered” event in February 2006. The event brought employers from a wide range of businesses to meet with and explore what the world of work really looks like with 200 young people who attended on the day, most from Craigroyston Community High School and Broughton High school.

Increasing skill levels and working with young people saw several successful initiatives this year. The North Edinburgh Childcare Centre, taking a lead role in the Childcare Academy, delivered training in SVQ levels 2 and 3 in childcare to 34 candidates. The centre also ran seven out of schools projects for 222 children taking them on educational trips throughout the year.

In what is the final year for the Healthy Living Centre initiative, a tremendous range of activity has resulted in many projects delivering health advice, counselling, healthy eating and physical activity, with over 4,500 people participating across a range of services.

North Edinburgh continues to see extensive physical regeneration. We have all watched as the new Edinburgh’s Telford College has risen over the skyline on West Granton Road. The college, now open is very much in the heart of the community.

As we look towards the next year we will continue to develop services and provisions, through partnership working, to contribute towards the community’s priorities.

Just what community planning will finally look like is not yet known but NEAR will continue to work hard to ensure the local Community Planning or Neighbourhood Partnership as it will be known, is inclusive of all community priorities and reflects local needs.

We intend to ensure that all key partners are involved in the new Neighbourhood Partnerships: the Council, health, the police, employment organisations, and local business and of course the North Edinburgh community.
Our challenge in the coming year is to ensure a partnership structure is in place to allow all our partners to participate and contribute to North Edinburgh’s development and to deliver the right services at the right time in the most effective way.

If you would like a copy of the NEAR Annual Report or a summary version please click here, where you can open or download the main report or our technical appencices, or you can call us on Tel 0131 529 5271 or log on to www.near.org.uk

Christmas Treat for Children Inc.

A group of children with additional support needs from North Edinburgh Children Inc. have enjoyed a very special Christmas treat provided by the Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club. The Marriott Dalmahoy a member of Scottish Business in the Community [SBC] North Edinburgh gave the children and their carers a day to remember with coaching fun at the hotel golf range and a glitzy Christmas Party. The children who all enjoyed golf practice, music, party games, food and Xmas presents all voted the event an overwhelming success.

Robert Allan Human Resources Manager, for the Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club said, “We are pleased to support Children Inc. this Christmas by giving the children a party event to remember. With Christmas being such a special time for children we are delighted that everyone has enjoyed the day and wish Children Inc. every success for 2007.”

The North Edinburgh Children Inc. project is based at the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre and focuses on children with additional support needs. It offers inclusion, support, information, events and activities. If you would like more information please contact the Project Coordinator Angela Cusack on 0131 551 2460.

The Adventures of Safari Bear

Two local parents Paula McMillan and Irene Robertson have become involved in a poetry project that has developed into a magical children’s interactive performance, telling the story of Safari Bear and all his adventures. The Safari Bear which tells tales about the animals he meets on his travels and encouraging children to chat with him has captivated the imaginations of an audience of nursery children from Granton Primary.

Family Learning Worker Alan Addison explained, “It all started as part of a Christmas card making project which discussed how poetry was used in Christmas Cards. There was no time during the card project to produce poetry so the Family Learning Poetry Project was started.” He continued. “The group met once a week on a Tuesday morning in Granton Primary School and aimed to explore the relationship between the language of poetry and early education.”

“After reading and studying poetry the group then went on to produce a series of children’s poems. This proved to be a very challenging task indeed and at times finding the right rhyme became excruciatingly difficult. However the effort was rewarded with a very encouraging inspectorate report and a suggestion that the project be expanded into a narrative programme.

The project has been a wonderful success and it’s hoped to continue the adventures of Safari Bear taking him on tour to other local schools to help bring fun and laughter into learning.

For more information on Family Learning contact Alan Addison Tel 0131 332 6316
E mail alan.addison@educ.edin.gov.uk. Family Learning is part of Community-Based Adult Learning which works with parents within local primary schools and local projects such as Stepping Stones.

Wild garden plans for Craigroyston

Biology Teacher Willie Wilson pictured with Margaret Russell the new head teacher for Craigroyston Community High School really enjoys teaching in the school garden using the pond to educate the students about nature and pond life. The garden however is in much need of a makeover and Willie has great hopes that with help, the garden can be regenerated into something quite special.

Willie explained “It would be fantastic to have a wildlife area for Scottish native plants such as heathers, alpines and wind pollinated plants and to have the pond upgraded. The pond is a fantastic feature for teaching ecology. It has water lilies taken from local ponds and reservoirs and a dolphin sculpture made by students from the schools adult pottery class, but it does need a bit of a revamp. It has carp, pond skaters and dragon flies and even has a visiting heron.

Maybe some bird boxes and lighting in the trees or a cycle park to encourage children to cycle to school would be an idea, but the Scottish habitat that I can use as a teaching tool would be wonderful.”

The garden has already had a tidy up by staff from HBOS but now plans are being made for a joint working venture between Scottish Business in the Community [SBC] North Edinburgh business members Deloitte and HBOS to revamp the area and give Craigroyston an exciting multi functional wild garden in which to teach, relax and enjoy nature.”

A Family Home for Willie

Willie Wilson who was brought up in Pilton and Muirhouse works as a Customer Adviser at the local Housing Office in Pilton Gardens and has recently moved to a new house in North Edinburgh using the Homestake shared equity scheme.

He and his wife are over the moon with their purchase and now have the family home that they so wanted. Before moving Willie lived in a privately owned flat in Easter Road which had one bedroom and a box room but with three children ranging between 4 and 18 years it was overcrowded. He and his wife tried desperately to find a new larger home for the family but it proved impossible, as prices in Edinburgh for a property with three bedrooms started at between £170,000 and £180,000 and their combined salaries did not give them the income to raise the mortgage. This is where the Homestake scheme came to the rescue and helped Willie buy the family home he dreamed of owning.

Homestake shared equity is designed to allow people who don’t earn enough to buy a property outright on the open market to get on the home-ownership ladder. A buyer can take between a 60% and 80% share initially, with a housing association holding the remaining 20% or 40%. The scheme is funded through Communities Scotland and is subject to means testing. It is mainly aimed at first time buyers to purchase a property as their sole residence. The scheme is also available for potential purchasers whose personal circumstances have altered and who find that their existing properties are no longer suitable for them and for current owner-occupiers whose homes are subject to demolition as a result of local authority regeneration plans.

Talking about buying his house Willie said, “It was just proving impossible for us to buy a suitable property in Edinburgh so for us the Homestake scheme was the answer to our problems. We qualified as priority clients as although normally given to first time buyers it can also be given to families in overcrowded conditions with a combined salary of less than £25,100. Homestake was just like taking out a mortgage with us paying 80% and Homestake paying 20%. of the total value of the house. You have to pay lawyers fees, stamp duty and any other costs relating to the house yourself. I found the staff from Homestake very approachable and they could not have been more helpful.” Willie continued, “The result is we now have a fantastic three bedroomed house in North Edinburgh which is nearer for my work, gives the boys a bed in a bedroom and allows us for the first time as a family to sit round a dining room table to enjoy meals. We now talk to each other instead of eating and watching television! My wife thinks that it’s a fabulous location for the family, a quiet area but with plenty of children and very few cars. And the bonus for me is I am home from work by 5 30pm, we just could not be a happier family.”

Open Market Homestake is a pilot project currently operating in Edinburgh and the Lothians that is administered through Link Housing Association. If you are interested in more details or other options for shared equity low cost home ownership [LCHO] log on to: www.linkhousing.co.uk and click on the left hand tool bar - Useful Links - Homestake Tel 0131 623 8096 or check the Communities Scotland website on www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk and click on the link to Homestake on the right hand side of the page.

‘Happy Families’ Picture shows Willie in his new home.

New Manager for North Edinburgh Business Incubator

Bob Giulianotti [pictured] has been appointed as the new manager of the North Edinburgh Business Incubator [NEBI] and is delighted to be taking on this most demanding of posts with its many challenges. He brings a wealth of experience to the NEBI team being skilled in strategic development, operational, financial, sales/marketing, human resource and project management. Bob is an experienced Finance Director and Company Secretary, having covered strategic and operational planning of diverse but complimentary businesses.

Commenting on his new position Bob said,” As manager of the North Edinburgh Business Incubator it’s my remit to manage the team who work with business start-up and young and growing businesses across North Edinburgh. Working for someone else is not the only route to employment. Setting up your own business can not only be personally rewarding and exciting but can have direct beneficial impact on the regeneration of the community in which you live. Since NEBI was formed in October 2004 the impact the businesses started have made has been over £4.7million of increased economic activity in North Edinburgh.

Having local knowledge and sound business skills I am keen to continue the NEBI success story, building and developing on existing achievements.”

Affordable Homes in North Edinburgh

Things have changed in North Edinburgh as the promotional housing video ‘Homes for life’ predicted and two happy tenants have taken time out to speak about their experiences.

Take for example Katy McEwen of Craigmuir Place who has lived in the area for 19 years, firstly in the old houses at West Granton Terrace and then at West Granton Mains. She has three children Janet (2) Jamie (3) and 10 year old Lee and has recently moved to an affordable rented house, locally managed by West Granton Housing Co-Operative.

Katy is quite ecstatic about her good fortune as she explained “When I got this house I felt that I had just won the lottery. It is just fabulous and fantastic. The house is built on the site of Craigmuir Primary School and has a front and back door, 4 bedrooms and 3 toilets. It is on three floors with a living room, kitchen, utility room and small toilet on the ground floor, two double bedroom and a family toilet on the next floor and a shower room and another two bedrooms on the attic floor. It is safe and secure for the children as the family houses have been built to the back with flats to the front facing the road. It is handy for buses into the city and within a ten minute walk to the shops. There is a park across the road and a near by community centre. I just feel so excited and can’t stop smiling. Do you know that there was a shed and even a washing line supplied by the Housing Co-operative. They are a marvellous housing association and I just can’t praise them enough.”

Another happy tenant is Craig Hamilton who lives in Saltire Street at the Upper Strand Development. Craig is a mid-rent tenant and is extremely pleased with his superb two bed roomed property. Craig works at the call centre for Scottish Gas and finds his new home both convenient for work and the city. Craig enthused, “The flat is really, really nice. I am two minutes from the office and can jump on a bus into town. Affordable housing is certainly the way forward, other flats I looked at were very expensive and did not have half the quality that this one has. I feel I have struck gold. This type of housing is really setting the standard and a boost to the regeneration of the area.”

If you would like to find out more about Affordable Housing in North Edinburgh then contact the Development and Regeneration Team at Edinburgh City Council
Tel 0131 529 7294

Picture shows: Craig Hamilton on the balcony of his fabulous new flat in Saltire Street.

Picture shows: Katy McEwen with her youngest child Janet in her dream home at Craigmuir Place.

Picture shows: Upper Strand Development where houses are for mid rent or for sale.

Success at the Edinburgh Waterfront Recruitment Centre

Edinburgh Waterfront Recruitment Centre (EWRC) has successfully recruited a total of 12 people, onto the first of an exciting new training and employment initiative called Capital Build. The successful candidates, six of whom live in North Edinburgh, started work on Monday 10th July.

Capital Build offers an initial 12-week temporary contract of employment (paying £171.20 per week) with the City of Edinburgh Council during which successful applicants can take part in training, which could lead to employment in the construction industry. The training is supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, the Construction Academy and the European Social Fund.

The 12-week contract covers:

• 6 weeks real work experience with full training with the Construction Academy carrying out environmental projects.
• 4 weeks with a Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) approved training provider with opportunities to achieve certification in health and safety (including the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), first Aid (nominated person) and Plant Operation.
• 2 weeks on-site work experience with a recruiting construction industry employer.
Applicants successfully completing the 12-week contract will be interviewed on the Friday of the last week of on-site work experience and those who are successful from this will start work with their new employer the following Monday.
Recruitment for the next contracts is already underway and is programmed to start around the end of August so if you are 18 years or over, currently unemployed for 24 months or less and want to find out more about the conditions that apply, get in touch with the EWRC.

Apprentice opportunities have also arisen from the next phase of the Edinburgh Schools Re-building Programme and EWRC have recruited for 12 carpentry/joinery places. These apprenticeships opportunities were discussed with both Broughton and Craigroyston students with the candidates having their final interviews for the positions at the end of July.

And it’s not only jobs vacancies in construction that EWRC fills. The staff have been working with facilities providers Amey Business Services and Sodhexo, and have successfully filled 10 vacancies across the city for such jobs as Service Support Officers and cleaners.

For more details on any of these initiatives or jobs please call the Edinburgh Waterfront Recruitment Centre on 0131 552 7025 or email info@waterfront-recruitment.com. The Centre is open from Monday to Thursday from 9.30am to 4pm and Friday from 9.30am to 3pm.

Children and Young People’s Poster

A new Near Information Poster entitled ‘Children and Young People in North Edinburgh’ has been distributed to relevant community facilities. If you would like a paper or electronic copy please contact: Val Whitefield, NEAR on Tel 529 5268 email val@near.org.uk or log on to www.near.org.uk to download.

Outward Bound Day for Local Schools

Orienteering and Team Building Dynamics were just part of a recent ‘Outward Bound Day’ enjoyed by pupils from Royston and Granton Primary. The day, funded by leading catering and support services provider Sodexho and organised by The Outward Bound Trust was voted a resounding success by pupils and teachers alike.

Kelly Doran a teacher with Royston Primary said, “It was a most successful day and the children had a brilliant time. The team building really taught the children how to interact with each other and the orienteering taught skills of observation, concentration and group participation. The review at the end of the day even gave the children a chance to vote for such things as the most helpful team member and the person that made them laugh the most. A great fun way of teaching practical skills.”

Tim Lucas Sodexho’s Community Relations Manager said, “We are delighted with the success of the day and hope to run it as an annual event for the Broughton cluster.
The Outward Bound Day was just part our successful ‘Health Matters Programme’ which includes healthy eating sessions, ‘Ready Steady Cook’-style events and an introduction into the world of work. We recently received an award for excellence from Scottish in the Community for our Health Matters programme.”

Picture show: Children enjoying the ‘Outward Bound Day’.

Business Volunteers coach students on Personal Skills

Last month business volunteers from Scottish Business in the Community [SBC] North Edinburgh took time out to speak with students from Broughton High School on a range of Personal Skills subjects.

The volunteers used their specialist’s skills to coach on subjects such as Communications, Problem Solving and Team Building and brought fun and laughter into topics that may have appeared at first dull or boring.

State Street, the Townhouse Company and Douglas Brotherston Financial Management [DBFM] tackled Team Building and Problem Solving while Firefly Communications and Waterfront Edinburgh Ltd took on the subject of Communications.

Asked to comment on the day Andrea Mill of State Street said, “State Street believes in engaging with and giving something back to the local community in a practical and charitable way. We support both large and small scale initiatives in the community and are particularly committed to links with education.

On this occasion we provided the time and expertise of four individuals to work with the new S5 students at Broughton High, and set them exercises that were fun but with an element of learning.

The feedback from the students was very positive indeed while staff volunteers found the experience both invaluable and worthwhile.”

Young Walkers hike up cash for Community Centre Summer School

Walking is a cool way to keep fit and healthy and costs you nothing. That was the view of two local young people taking part in this years Great Scottish Walk. Lindsay Roches age 12 and Eloise Mair age 11 were part of the North Edinburgh Team of walkers who took part in this year’s event to help raise funds for charity and community causes.
The girls decided to volunteer for the 6 mile route of this fantastic city event and both being members of the Royston Wardieburn Community Centre Youth Club decided to seek sponsorship for the centre’s summer school.

The Great Scottish Walk is a unique occasion not merely a Charity Walk. It is a walking race where teams of four to six compete for cups and medals in different categories.
One of the central elements to this event’s appeal is that no one is excluded. It is as attractive to an individual as it is to a group. It is something companies and organisations as well as families and community groups can participate in. Unlike most other events everyone can take part, no special equipment or training is required, it is entirely accessible.

All the North Edinburgh walkers voted the event an incredible hit and the two young walkers from the centre were excited to tell everyone what a fantastic day they had experienced.

An enthusiastic Lindsay said, “This is the most I have ever walked and it was brilliant
My friend Eloise and I love keeping fit and our training for the big day was cycling, dancing and swimming. I also have a paper round so running up and down stairs keeps me active. The day was just like a mystery tour as we were not quite sure where we were going but I think the most exciting part was the count down from 10 – 1 for the start and the loud bang of the starter gun.”

Eloise echoing enthusiasm added “Yes cycling helped me with my training for the day as I often go cycling with my family in the summer. I just loved everything, the excitement at the start; the people dressed up and in particular the person dressed as a Dalmatian dog. The food was delicious and after being presented with our medals and certificates we had a choice of fruit juices and healthy sandwiches. We just had a great day out and Lindsay and I managed to raise a total of £125 for the Community Centre’s Summer School. All going well it’s our plan to walk the 12 mile route next year.”

If anyone is interested in finding out more about walking in general or how to get involved in the Great Scottish Walk next year, please contact the Pilton Walking Project on Tel 0131 315 7372

AIR Exhibition finds a permanent home

The Art in Regeneration [AIR] Exhibition has been found a permanent home at the Western General Hospital. The arts committee of the Western General has agreed to display this well known and well travelled exhibition to brighten up a hospital space.
The exhibition which features a selection of art work produced by local people has toured extensively having been shown previously in such places as Westminster, the Scottish Parliament and North Edinburgh Arts.

It was originally launched in North Edinburgh by columnist Magnus Linklater and Edinburgh’s Lord Provost and Chair of NEAR Councillor Lesley Hinds.
It was sponsored by North Edinburgh Area renewal (NEAR) partners and produced by the former Design Resource Team (now Source).

Val Whitefield Public Relations for NEAR said: “This is a fitting end for the AIR Exhibition and the local hospital is a most suitable place to house the art work. AIR has given the community a voice and has allowed local artists, writers and school students a chance to showcase their originality and creative skills to both a local and national audience. I am delighted that the Western General has found a space for the work and it is planned that an official hand over will be made later in the year.”

Team Challenge Make over for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre has been the lucky recipient of a Community Team Challenge set by Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) North Edinburgh and fulfilled by HBOS Group Services.

The challenge set covered four areas in the Drylaw Community Centre with the HBOS Team being asked to re-decorate the crèche area with murals, re-furbish the sink area, create a garden area adjacent to the children’s safe play area, paint the external fences of the roller blading area and build and install computer workstation furniture. This huge task was to be undertaken in just one day. The team of 20 HBOS volunteers painted, hammered, dug and planted and some 10 hours later, to the total amazement of the centre staff completed the task. The volunteers had what they described as quite a remarkable day and found the experience invaluable, worthwhile and very rewarding.

Thomas Brown Drylaw Youth and Children’s Work Coordinator said, “The transformation of Drylaw Community Centre is just fantastic and I can’t thank the staff of HBOS enough for all their hard work and effort. They have certainly met the Community Challenge way beyond our expectations.”

Picture shows: The Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre being transformed by HBOS staff volunteers on their Team Challenge.

‘Safer Homes Project’ back on track

The North Edinburgh ‘Safer Homes Project’ is back on track after securing funding for the next three years. The project carried out by the Safe Housing Agency Ltd aims to help people who have had repeated housebreakings or who are vulnerable to crime.

Working closely with the Housing Department and the Drylaw Police the initiative tackles the main areas of security in the community as well as providing individual care to match individual circumstances.

Referrals made by the police are given to the project which in turn makes an assessment of the home security and follow up with a recommended package. The aim of the project is to reduce the number of housebreakings crimes committed by fitting locks and other security devices to homes at risk of housebreaking.

Explaining how the project works Sarah McKenna of the Safe Housing Agency said, “When we are given a referral we contact the customer as soon as possible to arrange a suitable time for a security survey. Once the survey is complete we provide free of charge any of the basic security measures that are not installed and if all the measures are in place we then give them the once over to make sure they are in full working order. We can also supply personal alarms and other specific security measures where appropriate to elderly or the ‘at risk.’

The scheme has been a real success since it started and it’s great to know that our work gives peace of mind and practical help to vulnerable people.”

If you feel you could benefit from a visit or feel vulnerable in your home please contact the Safe Housing Agency Ltd for more information. TEL 0131 661 0990

Inter-faith Awareness Open Evening

The Edinburgh Inter-faith Association and the North Edinburgh Equalities Forum would like to invite you to an open evening of information sharing, questions and debate on Monday 3rd July at the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre from 6pm-8pm.

To increase understanding of some of the different faith groups in the community a Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Bahai representative will talk about their own traditions, and offer a chance for a question and answer session.

For more information, or to arrange transport, please contact Elaine Lennon on 529 5272 email elaine@near.org.uk.

New Manager for Edinburgh’s Waterfront Recruitment Centre

The Edinburgh Waterfront Recruitment Centre has been successful in securing a dynamic, go-ahead new manager. Jim O’Rorke who has lived in Edinburgh all his life brings a wealth of experience to the position. He comes to the recruitment centre from the Scottish Association for Mental Health [SAMH] where for the last nine years he worked as Area Manager for South East Scotland and Fife and headed up the supported service (WORKSTEP) for the whole of Scotland.

For the last 20 years Jim has worked in the field of supported employment and vocational training. He has extensive experience in the voluntary sector having worked for such agencies as Enable, Capability and Apex Scotland. His area of expertise is Supported Employment for people with severe disabilities and health problems and in particular for people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. He is a past Chair of the Scottish Union of Supported Employment and is a trained ‘Rickter Scale’ (Job ready) trainer and has trained in Social Accounting and Auditing.

Jim is delighted with his new challenge and commented “My immediate objectives are to meet up with community groups and activists in North Edinburgh and with existing and new employers, particularly those involved in the Waterfront Development to ensure that jobseekers from the area have the best opportunities and choice of jobs”

SBC North Edinburgh links Employers to potential Employees

Edinburgh companies have been benefiting from the hard work of the local Business in the Community Manager, Hazel McDonald. Hazel has been introducing her vast network of contacts and linking them to the Edinburgh Waterfront Recruitment Centre which helps local businesses find the staff they need and gives local unemployed people a chance to find work. Already the Centre has benefited from her professional expertise and has recently been introduced to Amey, a Support Services company, which provides facilities management services for a number of local schools in the area.

Mark Barnett, Amey’s Head of Facilities for Edinburgh schools said, “We are delighted to be involved with SBC North Edinburgh and look forward to recruiting more local people to our team. Amey is a fantastic place to work and we are committed to working with the local community to build a great workforce in the area.”

Amey is currently planning an ‘Open Day’ at the Waterfront Recruitment Centre to recruit employees for facilities management services within Edinburgh schools. Details will be published in the near future when arrangements are finalised.

Other companies introduced to the Waterfront Recruitment Centre’s facilities include Forth Ports, Sodexho, Scotland Gas Network, Eurest, The Townhouse Company, Alba Catering and OCS.

Hazel McDonald, Business Manager SBC North Edinburgh commented, “These introductions work very well as companies want to give something back to the community, and need a route to do this. It also allows us at SBC North Edinburgh to give the companies an opportunity to hopefully raise their profile within the community.”

New Information Poster

A new Information Poster entitled ‘Having Your Say ’has been distributed to relevant community facilities. If you would like either a paper or electronic copy please contact:

Val Whitefield Public relations NEAR Tel 0131 529 5268 or e mail val@near.org.uk

Herbalist Healing

A phone call to Lindsay Wake, Business Manager of North Edinburgh Business Incubator [NEBI] has produced yet another interesting business success story. This time a local woman has embarked on an exciting and unusual career in medical herbalism.

Consultant Holistic Herbalist Moira Ross, practices in Dean Village at Medic Alternative but would ideally like to work in conjunction with a North Edinburgh GP helping local people improve their health.

Moira’s interest in herbalism started many years ago from a love of nature instilled in her by her father but it was during her many countryside walks with her children that her interest in plants grew.

Moira said “I was really interested in the plants that I came across during my walks and although the local library provided me with lots of information I felt that I needed a deeper knowledge. The more I read, the more fascinating the subject became, particularly the healing properties of plants and the long history of their medical use throughout the world.”

If like Moira you need help with or advice on starting a business why not contact NEBI at 4/4b Granton Square. Tel 0131 552 1042 for more details.

Picture shows: Moira working at Medic Alternative.

Business skills support for schools project.

An enthusiastic young company ‘Klaklak’ Communications has given business skills support to Broughton High School cluster group, advising on and developing a multi media presentation on their activities surrounding the Health Promotion Schools Initiative.

The primary schools taking part include Stockbridge, Flora Stevenson, Ferryhill, Granton and Royston.

Liz Whyte, Head Teacher at Royston Primary said, “This is a fantastic project and allows both pupils and staff to take part in a Health Promotion Schools Initiative, using healthy eating, sport and playground activities to help motivate health education. All the activities relating to this project are being digitally recorded with help from local business and will be shown to parents of first year pupils at Broughton High School. It is hoped that this will ensure parent awareness of all the healthy options and choices being taught in local primary schools.”

Marc Guerriot of ‘Klaklak’ added “This was a great opportunity for me to use my business skills to help and advise the schools in editing and film making. This contribution was only made possible by being a member of Scottish Business in the Community [SBC] North Edinburgh. I am really enjoying the experience of working with the pupils and teachers and look forward to producing the final result.”

Picture shows: Marc Guerriot of Klaklac Communications filming playground activities at Royston Primary School.

‘Waterless Window Cleaning’

North Edinburgh waterless window cleaning company Stay Clean was only launched a few months back, but already its novel, mess free way to clean glass has been taken up by householders and businesses alike.

The scheme believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland and indeed in the UK employs a technique using an American car valeting produce which combines wax and clay, which applied to windows has glass gleaming without water.

Business partners Craig Duncan and fiancée Judith Dyson say that although the cleaning takes a bit longer than the conventional method, the results are more effective and long lasting.

The Stay Clean team shines up homes throughout the city, businesses within Ocean Terminal and the St James Centre and windows throughout the Gyle Shopping Centre.
Craig started the business with the help of the North Edinburgh Business Incubator (NEBI), which teaches skills like book-keeping and gives advice to budding business people. Local lad Craig from Silverknowes said, “It is much cleaner not to use water to clean windows and it is much cleaner not to use the same old bucket of water over and over."

Lindsay Wake manager of NEBI said Craig had been an exemplary student on the programme. She said, “Craig came in with a great idea, lots of energy and determined to have his own business. He attended our courses, took advice and feedback from our steering and funding panel and got a small start-up grant.
“We are very pleased with the way the business has developed to date”

If you have an idea for a business why not contact NEBI the one stop support for start up, young, growing and established business.
4/4b Granton Square Tel 0131 552 1042

Picture shows: ‘No bucket, no water’. Craig Duncan and Judith Dyson shine up windows at North Edinburgh Arts.

‘Bothered?’

Edinburgh businesses and organisations recently banded together to support local young people, in a one of a kind youth employment and training opportunity awareness event organised by North Edinburgh Area Renewal (NEAR), Working Links and Scottish Business in the Community [ SBC] North Edinburgh with sponsorship from One City Trust. The ‘Bothered’ event held at Next Generation Health Club in Newhaven, aimed to raise the aspirations of local young people and offer them the opportunity to speak to a range of employers, colleges and training providers to find out about the career or job that was right for them.

The Business Community showed an overwhelming response with over 22 employers taking part on the day. These included The Army, Lothian and Borders Police and Fire Brigade together with Peoples Ford, State Street ( banking) Mazars ( Business advisory service and accounting), Scotland Gas Network, Cheynes ( hair and beauty) Cisco Systems ( IT), Debenhams ( retail) , Mark and Spencer ( retail), Miller Homes (Construction), the City of Edinburgh Council and many other business-focused companies and organisations. As well as potential employers, the young people had the opportunity to listen to a range of inspirational talks and speak with a range of colleges, training providers, Careers Scotland, Jobcentre Plus and local sectoral academies that were on hand to provide support and advice.

Christine Doherty Economic Development Manager for NEAR commented “The Youth Employment and Training Awareness Event “Bothered?” has been a great success and thanks goes to everyone who has been involved. There were a total of 200 students who registered at the event with Craigroyston Community High School and Broughton High School both represented, each bringing over 65 pupils on the day.

However this is by no means the end as returned feedback postcards are being used to identify and plan follow up activities where young people can visit companies they are interested in and get some behind the scenes experience.”

“Bothered?” was organised by North Edinburgh Area renewal (NEAR), Working Links and Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) North Edinburgh with sponsorship from One City Trust.

Picture shows: Key speakers at the “Bothered?” Event, Keith Faulkner CBE – Chief Executive of Working Links and Malcolm Chisholm MSP for Edinburgh North and Leith meet with Elizabeth Hutton and Angus Macfarlane of Macfarlane Homes.

‘Higgies’

A new Barber’s Shop has opened in North Edinburgh to bring local residents a hair cutting service, delivered with a bit of wit and charm. Steven Higgins who grew up in North Edinburgh has just opened ‘Higgies’ a barbers shop located in Ferry Road Drive. He has only been open for ten weeks but has already established a faithful clientele. Stevie explained, “I had been on incapacity benefit through injury and just fed up, so I decided to retrain. My sister works as a barber so that’s where I got the idea. I took a basic training course at Telford College and progressed to a Barbers Course at Glasgow College of Commerce. It is difficult to find a job in a shop so that’s when I decided to set up my own business and sought help from local agencies like the North Edinburgh Business Incubator [NEBI] and Access Partnership.”
The Ferry Road shop is bright and fresh and sports a Hollywood theme with retro barber’s chairs from the 1930s and 50s but Stevie is already thinking of the future, with plans to take on a trainee and to open a shop on the Waterfront Development.
However at the moment Stevies priorities are settling into his new shop, meeting new clients, and giving the best crew cuts, spiky cuts and short back and sides in town.

Stevie outside his barbers shop ‘Higgies’

Aristocats

There just seems to be no end to the talent and entrepreneurial spirit of the people in North Edinburgh, as Roy Brown of Muirhouse Park has proved when he turned his ill fate into good luck and a new life style. Roy who worked in the building industry and even had his own roofing business had an accident which left him with a severe spinal injury. Depressed but determined to build a new career Roy decided to turn his love of cats into a business and contacted the North Edinburgh Business Incubator [NEBI] for help. Roy had previously been self employed and had a good knowledge of running a business but found NEBI extremely helpful with training and a tremendous source of encouragement in developing his business idea.
Roy said, “I launched my cat sitting service ‘Aristrocats’ last June and have found it interesting, entertaining and most rewarding. My love of cats stretches back to when I was nine years old. I have always owned cats and had a great empathy with them so this job change has proved a good opportunity for me to do something I really enjoy.”
Roy continued, “I did have a few doubts when I started. The very first enquiry was to look after 14 cats, one of which was diabetic and the next job took me to Bruntsfield Place, where I landed two parking tickets, but mainly I meet lovely people and brilliant cats.”
Aristocats is a professional cat sitting service giving cat owners a first class visiting service that ensures quality care and a service second to none. Roy is a member of National Association of Registered Pet Sitters and has the necessary police check from Disclosure Scotland.

Roy discussing supper with Jambo the cat.

NEAR Partnership moves forward

A Happy New Year and welcome to 2006 and all that it holds for North Edinburgh.

As we move forward to become a better Community Planning Partnership let us celebrate the many successes of the North Edinburgh Social Inclusion Partnership. It has worked to make many beneficial changes such as improving the physical environment, better access to employment opportunities, better neighbourhood services and improved health and social care provision.

We want to develop better ways to engage with the community to make sure their views and priorities are brought to the fore and focus on the communities priorities such as those identified by the community conference where Community Safety, Physical Environment, Neighbourhood Services, Health and Social Care Provision and Better access to Employment and Training were highlighted.

These achievements are only possible with the commitment of our partners who have worked together towards achieving our common goal. As we move forward we will continue to work to improve the future for the residents of North Edinburgh. We aim to develop better access to skills training and sustained jobs for our young people. The opening of the new Waterfront Recruitment Centre will improve access to opportunities on the Waterfront development and physical regeneration will continue with the regeneration of Pennywell, West Pilton and Royston Wardieburn as priorities. We will continue to work towards improving the health of the local community, access to services for the elderly and addressing gaps in services.

The continued commitment by the partners and the community to working together
on common goals will achieve real results in 2006 improving and giving a positive future for residents of North Edinburgh.

Business Support for Polish Deli

A Polish deli benefiting from the support of the North Edinburgh Business Incubator [NEBI] has opened in Edinburgh to cater for the ever growing community from the Eastern European country.

Deli Polonia in Leith Walk which offers a range of organic Polish groceries is the brainchild of Lucyna Ellis who decided to tackle the shortage of authentic Polish produce available in the capital. Lucyna from the polish village of Tszew has been in North Edinburgh with her English husband Kelvin for six years. She researched the market and found her compatriots in the capital longed for staple Polish foods like smoked cheese, sausages, yogurts and pickled gherkins. With Poland’s entry into the EU last year Edinburgh has seen the number of immigrants from the country soar and it is estimated 8000 are now living in the capital. The dream of bringing Polish cuisine to Scotland has turned into a reality for Lycyna when she approached NEBI for help. After completing a business start up course Lucyna has launched the bold new venture.

The courses that helped Lucyna in her retail enterprise ranged from Understanding Cash Flow, Food Hygiene, Staff Management, Employing People and the Law, Recruitment Selection, and Essential IT for Small Businesses. Living in the Social Inclusion Partnership area she was entitled to a Business Start up grant and NEBI even managed to link her in with a number of main stream business support services to secure more business start up funding.

If you have an idea for a venture in 2006 why not contact NEBI for advice and support. Tel 0131 552 1042

The deli is already a great success with both Polish and local people forming queues down the street on delivery day and Lucyna already thinking up new ideas to attract business.

Creative Ceramics

When Sandra Brown a single parent returned to Edinburgh last August she began looking for work in Community Education. However finding nothing available she decided to pursue her dream of self employment. The Job Centre introduced Sandra to Access Partnership who put her in touch with the North Edinburgh Business Incubator [NEBI].

Sandra said, “It really is great to know there are so many helpful services available and with such approachable people. NEBI taught me a lot and gave me the advice, training and confidence to become self employed. I learned about basic book keeping, risk management and the Inland Revenue and have found the courses most helpful in setting up my business.”

Sandra has exhibited work in Glasgow, Milan, London and Cambridge and is looking forward to her new creations being exhibited in Edinburgh. She would also like to see her Creative Ceramics workshop at 157 Lower Granton Road being used by local groups and local people, as it is in an ideal location for anyone wishing to try their hand at throwing sculpting, mould making or plaster casting.

If you are interested contact can be made with Sandra through NEBI Tel 0131 552 1042

Wish for the future

The Christmas season is upon us and if you venture to Santa’s Grotto at Ocean Terminal you will find an enchanted forest of sparkling Christmas trees individually decorated and sponsored by local Edinburgh Businesses. They are supporting the ‘Wish for the Future’ initiative which will work with young people in North Edinburgh to help improve their opportunities in life, raise ambition and realise goals. The project a partnership between Scottish Business in the Community [SBC] North Edinburgh and Ocean Terminal gives businesses the chance to sponsor and decorate a wishing Christmas tree and local school children the opportunity to add their wish for the future to a tree. The forest and festive display can be found at Santa’s Grotto in Ocean terminal from 25th November -14th December.

Hazel McDonald, Manager Scottish Business in the Community North Edinburgh said, “Wish for the Future’ is a fabulous idea that encourages local businesses to become involved in helping local young people. To add to the excitement at Ocean Terminal and increase fund raising for the project there is a silent auction for the decorated trees and any member of the public can make a sealed bid for a tree until the closing date of 15th December. All in all I think that it is a super project helping local business help local young people.”

Dennis Jones, Centre Manager Ocean Terminal said, “We are delighted to be a member of SBC North Edinburgh and join with them in this initiative. Gifting the trees and supplying the space is our way of hopefully supporting SBC and helping the local young people fulfil their wishes.”

“Marie Williamson (15) a pupil at Broughton High School, makes her wish for the future at South Leith Parish Church. Marie’s school is one of the beneficiaries of ‘Wish For The Future.’ Funds raised will benefit groups of young people, aged 14-18 years, from Muirhouse, Granton, Pilton, and Leith by giving them bespoke training or coaching to help them get the job they want when they leave school. Twenty-two local businesses are already involved via Scottish Business in the Community North Edinburgh.

Local lad wins apprenticeship

Local lad Gordon Fraser has certainly proved the benefit of using the Waterfront Recruitment Centre. Gordon who registered with the Waterfront Recruitment Centre in August has been successful in gaining his goal of a Joinery Apprenticeship. This has all been made possible with the centres many partnership links as Recruitment Adviser, Barbara Dawson explained, “Basically the centre was established for employers to advertise their vacancies and for jobseekers to register their interest in these vacancies. We work in partnership with other organisations including the Construction Academy and local employment initiative ‘Working Links,’ who assisted us in finding clients to put forward for this apprenticeship. Gordon was seeking an apprenticeship in joinery and the Construction Company, Gregor Shore were seeking a young person to fill that very position. It was a perfect result and demonstrates how the centre operates.”
Tony Fox, Site Manager, Gregor Shore Construction added “Gordon is very happy to have secured this apprenticeship with us and is presently working on timber finishes to our flats at our Platinum Point site.”

If you are interested in finding a job why not give the Waterfront Recruitment Centre a call or if you are unemployed and aged 25 plus, The Construction Academy is currently recruiting for Training for Trades. This programme will help you get work in the Construction Industry and offers the opportunity to be assessed for an adult apprenticeship. For more information contact The Edinburgh Waterfront Recruitment Centre at 12 Waterfront Broadway, Granton. Tel 0131 552 7025 e mail: info@ waterfront –recruitment.com or contact your nearest Job Centre.

Jobs Event for Waterfront Recruitment Centre

The Waterfront Recruitment Centre has recently held a successful jobs event to promote their services and introduce companies to local jobseekers. The event held on the 13th October in the Prentice Centre was attended by 121 jobseekers and generated over 180 job applications. Represented on the day were companies such as the Malmaison Hotel, Marks and Spencer, Hudsons, the Construction Academy, Working Links, Construction Property Recruitment, Scottish Gas and Rewards Training and Recruitment. The employers were all delighted with the interest and enthusiasm shown and commented that it was good to be in the heart of the community and speak with people face to face rather than just receiving application forms.

If you were unable to attend and would like to find out about job opportunities available please visit The Waterfront Recruitment Centre, 12 Waterfront Broadway, Granton or telephone 0131 552 7025

Recruitment staff from Marks and Spencer speaking to an interested jobseeker.

Business Incubator Exceeds First Year Targets

North Edinburgh Business Incubator [NEBI] has recently celebrated the success of its first year of achievement at a birthday lunch attended by supporters and clients from the project. The incubator which opened its doors on October 2004 was set up to improve the below average business rate within the Social Inclusion Partnership [SIP] and take advantage of opportunities from the development of the waterfront. And in the first twelve months the project has exceeded its initial targets by generating £1.6 million in turnover into the local economy as well as providing 640 new training places, 62 new business start ups and 65 local jobs.
The incubator provides training in areas such as basic book keeping for businesses, sales and marketing, and risk assessment and is based on a model development in Edinburgh’s Craigmillar SIP, which helped double that area’s business start-up rate.
Funding for the project of just over £206,000 came from the European Social Fund, with contributions from the SIP, Waterfront development LTD, private sector sponsors and other organisations including the Chamber of Commerce.
Celebrating NEBI’s first anniversary Ron Hewitt, Chief Executive Cha