Blackhall magazine
Editor: Christopher Cowdy
Publisher: EHDirect Ltd
Advertising Prices:
From £60 per month
See website or ask for discounts and premium pages. www.ehdirect.co.uk
Distribution: 5,000 - 10,000 homes
Email: christopher@ehdirect.co.uk
Phone:
Mob: 07979530447
Post: 49 Warrender Park Road, EH9 1EU
Blackhall and Barnton magazines are published by EHDirect Ltd.
The publishers cannot be held liable for any errors, omissions or misprints. Nor can they accept responsibility for the accuracy of claims made by the advertisers or the opinions expressed in advertisements.
Printing: Cowan Print, Kilsyth 01236 821177
Distribution:
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Website: www.ehdirect.co.uk designed by www.hrdigitaldesign.com
If you have been paying attention you will know I am running an initiative to donate £5,000 to local charities, split between the Barnton/Blackhall area and the Duddingston/ Portobello area. The geography being the catchments for the 4 local magazines I publish. Having run the first initiative in 2013 there were breaks for COVID and when I was elected as a Councillor to City of Edinburgh Council, so I hope this may be the start of a more regular annual feature.
This year it launched in the January and February issues where I asked readers to spread the word amongst local charities so they could apply by the 15th February deadline.
That done, the March and April issues focus on introducing the applicant charities to readers who have the chance to vote for the one they feel most
deserving. My plan is that this information will help me decide which I will then donate to.
I suspect not all will receive something from me but each local charity receives a Full Page in this issue, as a way of promoting and raising awareness. Readers may then decide to donate directly themselves.
If you do want to get in touch with any of the charities but can’t find contact details in the magazine, or online, just email me and I will help.
For now, I urge you to read more on Page 6 and then take some time to familiarise yourself with each of the charities before letting me know which you think I should prioritise.
Christopher Cowdy (Editor)
EDITORIAL CONTENT
christopher@ehdirect.co.uk
£5,000forlocal charitiesofyour choice
We had a great response to our promise to donate to local charities. With the addition of Giftaid from the UK Government there is £5,000 available in total. The first part of the initiative was to ask readers to get the word out and encourage local charities to apply. By the closing date on 15th Feb we had 16 applications, 5 through our Barnton and Blackhall magazines, 9 on the other side of the city through the Duddingston and Portobello magazines, and a further 2 lying outside the catchment of all 4 magazines.
Over the next month we are asking for readers to vote for which they think should get donations. On 15th April we will be counting the votes for each charity to decide how the money should be allocated before announcing in the May and June issues.
As the response was so good we have decided to focus this issue of Blackhall magazine to the charities from this catchment so have dedicated a page to each of the charities that have applied.
We ask you to work your way through the magazine and take time to read about each one. They all offer a great local service and deserve our attention.
So now we want to hear from you.
Votes should either be emailed to:
christopher@ehdirect.co.uk or posted to:
Christopher Cowdy, 49 Warrender Park Road, EH9 1EU
By the 15th April deadline.
Blackhall Playgroup would like to apply for the EHDirect grant to upgrade our current resources, purchase musical toys and expressive arts for our children and a sensory play area to support the engagement and growth of all children but particularly our neurodiverse children.
Background
Blackhall Playgroup is a local charity that has been running with staff and a volunteer parent committee since 1980. We provide a nurturing and playful environment for children between the ages of 2 to 4 years of age. We support local families with their child's important first introduction into a social setting away from the child's parent or carer.
We have welcomed families from all cultures over those years and have even supported a Ukrainian family settling into the country by offering their child a free space so that they could feel welcomed and get to know other families. We not only support the
child's first steps away from the parents, but also the parents and grandparents along the way too as they venture on this important journey.
Our Proposal
Upgrading Current Resources
The equipment we currently have, in particular our art tables are not fit for purpose. They are old (bought in 2012) and do not have the versatility required for our children to use as well as benefit the space we have, using our equipment for multiple purposes. Having new equipment would allow us to use the space for art in a way that would benefit the children. They could have the ability to make their own choice as to what they wanted to do if everything was available to them at their height.
We would propose purchasing tables to use for our Art station, we would purchase tables at the right height for our children to use and be wheelable or easily transfera-
ble so other community members can use the space.
New Purchases for Play Space
One area which we have not been able to invest in was child expression through music. We would use the grant to purchase musical instruments suitable for 2/3-yearolds eg. Maracas, egg shakers, drums etc that would help the children express themselves musically and increase our resources for imaginative play opportunities.
As we have a wide variety of cultures, we recognise the need to celebrate different cultural events, for example Diwali, Chinese New Year, St. Andrew's day. We would like to purchase resources specifically for art and music for 'expressive arts' and to help all the children share their cultural expression. Due to the increase of neurodiverse children attending our setting, we need to create a sensory space with low lighting and calming toys suitable for their needs. To go alongside that, different toys that could be used in the multifunctional water tray could be purchased to help encourage children to use the water tray in indigent ways and explore different textures.
Blackhall Community Trust was set up almost ten years ago, with the stated aim of meeting community needs. After extensive community consultation, these needs were identified as:
• A small multi-purpose community space and new home for Blackhall Nursery Activities and opportunities for residents.
These are cited in our Articles of Association as our Objects:
• To advance community development within the Community, including urban regeneration;
• To advance education, including early years and community learning, for the benefit of the public;
To provide facilities for recreation, sport and other leisure activities for the health and wellbeing of the public.
Pre-COVID, we ran a monthly walking group, a monthly coffee morning and a book
club. The coffee morning has recently started up again on the first Thursday of each month, with residents invited to join us at Craigcrook Deli and Coffee Shop, to enjoy a warm welcome and to feel more connected to the community.
We would like to start up the walking group again too, as well as set up some new events and activities. We used to ask for a £1 donation to the Trust for each participant in the walking group so the walks were very low cost. They created a social opportunity, boosting health and wellbeing. At the time, I organised them as a volunteer, with walks all around Edinburgh.
However, I am now working fulltime and it is quite a responsibility to set up and lead the walks!
We are seeking funding to pay for someone to manage the admin and to lead the walking
group, as well as set up additional events and activities. We know there is interest in the walking group and we would consult residents on other possible interests and activities. There would be fundraising potential for us too, as well as social opportunities for all ages, in setting up occasional events.
We very much hope Blackhall Community Trust can be considered for this grant. It would be a real boost and enable us to continue to fulfil our Objects on behalf of local residents.
About our charity:
The overall purpose of our charity is the advancement of education. We strive to achieve this by engagement in activities which support and advance the education of pupils attending Clermiston Primary school and nursery. Our school currently has approximately 500 pupils and the nursery has capacity for 40 pre-school children each year. The children who attend are from Clermiston which has a very diverse and mixed demographic.
Amount requested: £1,800
Project requiring funding: Clermiston Primary Nursery
School requires replacement playground equipment.
Details:
Recently, Clermiston Primary Nursery has had to dispose of their external wooden play equipment due to reaching the end of its life. Most of the play equipment was made out of natural, sustainable materials such as wood which has rotted in the Scottish weather and become unsafe after several years of continuous use. The nursery are looking to purchase wooden play equipment to enhance the learning experiences of the children and encourage imaginative
outdoor play for many years to come.
Any support you are able to offer will be greatly appreciated and make the outdoor play area an exciting environment for the children to learn and grow.
What the charity does
2025 celebrates PEP’s 36th of working in and with the local EH4 community around Pilton, Muirhouse, Granton, law and SIlverknowes
We support with people 55 years and over and younger vulnerable adults with mental health issues and learning difficulties
We provide opportunities for social inclusion and companionship. We arrange outings and visits for our groups.
We can be the link between our clients’ needs and the right social provision and professional support
We provide day care clubs making sure all our members
have a hot cooked meal as part of their day with us
We also operate a small fleet of wheelchair accessible minibuses – these we use to provide transport to and from homes to clubs for our own members but also for several other local charity organisations
What the money would be used for
We are asking for £500 towards our planned summer programme of activities and trips for all our members
which we would love to run for the month of July.
We want to be able to take them into the local countryside, visiting local historic attractions, have picnics by the beach and enjoy an afternoon cream tea on the forth
So that we can make some lasting memories and new companions for our members
We plan to have 2 outings each week and any financial contributions would support the transport costs, entrance fees and lunches
Lewis Leap was created to honour the life and spirit of our son Lewis Johnson. Lewis was one of the kindest, most generous, and happy kids we knew, but of course, we are biased.
Tragically, Lewis was only 13 years old when he died suddenly on a family holiday. The impact of this on our family and friends was overwhelming and we struggled to process what had happened and why it had happened to us. We reached out for help, but got the same response time after time"you must process the grief first before we can help you". Unbelievably, this meant that most/all bereavement services would not help us for 12 months (6 months to process the grief plus at least 6 months waiting list). At this point we couldn't imagine getting through a few hours.
Which is why our vision for
Lewis Leap is to offer early support to local families who have suddenly and traumatically lost a parent, child or sibling. This will come to life as a partnership with Cruse Scotland to expand their existing service to include support for family members, collectively and individually, in the early stages of grief.
Our main sources of fundraising are two annual events, the Lewis Leap Dog Show, which is held in Cammo each August, a fabulous community day out with lots of chat and laughter. And Lewis Leap Christmas Wreath Making Kits, which has grown into a staple in many locals' diaries, with groups getting together to create their Christmas masterpieces.
Around these two events, we also do walks, cycles, runs, etc. We are lucky enough to have great family and friends
who volunteer to help at our events.
If you'd like to know more, visit www.lewisleap.com We are also on Facebook and Instagram.
Here is a summary of some of the main articles reported by a range of media outlets online and that relate to our local area for Blackhall, Silverknowes, Craigleith, Ravelston & Orchard Brae
Royal High Corstorphine Lynx women’s cricket team are actively recruiting players. The RHC Lynx want to provide a supportive and inclusive environment where women and girls of all skill levels can thrive and find joy in cricket. www.royalhighcorstorphine.pl ay-cricket.com
North Edinburgh News reported that the city council’s Governance Team announced the second nomination call for community councils will close at 4pm on 17 April 2025 with Davidson’s Mains / Silverknowes being one of the
8 Community Councils to receive insufficient elected member nominations.
The RNLI Queensferry Lifeboat had a lot of press through Edinburgh Live where I read news items that they responded to 6 calls over the first weekend of March with calls to Cramond on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday after reports of people in the
water near the Causeway. Then again, on 15th March, a major rescue operation was launched after a dozen people got into difficulty at Cramond Island.
Cramond beach then appeared in North Edinburgh News on a more positive note as the Marine Conservation Society were asking for helpers with a Cramond Beach clean on 2nd April. When I checked out their website I found a note that all 25 spaces were already filled
so a popular event. Please don’t let this stop anyone from going down to the beach and picking litter up anyway!
Edinburgh Council approved planning permission for Cammo Estates Ltd. to demolish a villa and convert it into eight town houses on Cammo Road. Planning permission was subject to its reaching agreement to pay £281,792 towards new schools in the area.
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The Midlothian View picked up an article written by the new Local Democracy Reporter that Edinburgh councillors to consider £650,000 bus subsidy to keep routes including the 38 that connects West Granton, Craigleith, Ravelston, and Blackford to both the Royal Infirmary and Western General hospitals.
Several outlets including the Daily Business inform us that refurbished office building Orchard Brae House has just welcomed STV as new tenants and hopes for more to come.
Every month we publish a selection of things to do in the local area. This is usually found as a result of an online search and we may not have had time to verify all details are correct but we try to set out a good spread of interesting activities and local organisations. So if you see
St Columba’s Church Hall
Scottish Country Dancing Club
Thursdays from 24th April, 7 - 9pm
A sociable, mixed ability group who welcome new members for dancing together and chatting over a cup of tea. Couples and singles - everyone has a partner and becomes familiar with the steps and formations, as we learn new dances and return to well-known ones.
Returning after Easter school holidays on Thursday 24th April for six weeks at £10 per person, or £2 per evening.
Contact Muriel Stenhouse on 07908 805 364
Lauriston Agroecology farm
Farm tour & Soup production
19th April, 11:30 - 13:00
The farm tour will take in the:
• Market Garden
• Agroforestry alleys (lines of trees that create sheltered and stable space to grow other crops, as well as bringing crops of fruits and nuts themselves)
• Middle Field (the next area to be turned to food production)
Hear from the Market Garden growers and some of the team, sharing what they’ve done, why, and what was learned. Then back to the Community Kitchen for soup, bread and chat.
Tickets available on Eventbrite or at www.lauristonfarm.scot
something of interest and want to join in, please do some of your own research and contact the organisation in plenty of time to make sure the event is still on and the details are accurate.
Modern One
Gallery Social (dementia-friendly) | Art and Nature
Fri 25th April, 10:30 - 12 noon
An eco-friendly session where you can explore the beauty of nature and create your own art using natural materials. This session will be a relaxed and informal guided tour with refreshments for anyone affected by dementia and their relatives, friends and supporters. Led by our team of friendly artists, it’s a chance to socialise, talk about artworks and enjoy art activities together.
Places are free, but limited so please book online. For more information or assistance please contact us on 0131 624 6410 or
Lauriston Castle
Easter outdoor fun
Mon 21st April, 11:00 - 16;00
No need to book; Free drop-in events all day. Collect an easter trail or egg hunt quiz from the front of the castle and see how far you get. Maybe you’ll discover parts of the grounds you haven’t seen before!
Ravelston House Road 4 beds, 2 baths
3 Craigleith Hill Green 5 beds, 3 baths - 2,376 Sq.ft.
2 of the smallest
44/4 Silverknowes Crescent 3 bed, 1st floor flat - 777 Sq.ft.
Offers Over £230,000 Avenue Road Estate Agents
Corbiehill Road 1 bed, upper flat - 883 Sq.ft.
2 of the Largest Offers Over £155,000 mov8
• Detached refurbishment property
• £25k discount against Home Report
• Significant added value potential
Auction House Scotland Guide Price £850,000
• Detached house
• Sitting room with bi-folding doors
• Open plan kitchen/dining room
• Utility room
• Sunny west facing rear garden
• Single garage / Double driveway
Simpson & Marwick Offers Over £750,000
£160,000 - 29th June 2024
£70,000 - 15th May 2024
£1,756,000 - 9th Oct 2023
£1,650,000 - 23rd Jan 2024
Righmove.com produce maps showing some house prices and I count 7 in our distribution area that sold for over £1Mil in the last year (darkest brown circles) along with 8 that sold for less than £200,000 (lightest yellow circles) The remainder were all “mid level”.
Some of the properties on the market at the time of sending to print (according to Rightmove.com)
Open days on: Sat 17th May, 2-4pm Sun 25th May, 6-7:30pm
Term Dates
2025/26
Summer Term 3 (45 days): Tue 22nd AprilThur 26th June
Autumn Term 1 (86 days): Wed 13th AugFri 19th Dec
Spring Term 2 (58 days): Mon 5th Jan - Thur
2nd April
Total: 189
7th Apr - 21st Apr (11 days) 5th & 6th May (2 days)
19th May (1 day)
27th June - 12th Aug (33 days) 15th Sep (1 day)
13th - 17th Oct (5 days)
22nd Dec - 2nd Jan (10 days) 16th - 20th Feb (5 days)
Total: 68 days 2025/26
The most effective way to promote your organisation in the area: Barnton magazine Blackhall magazine
Through the doors of 10,000 homes
Basic rates to 5,000 homes are:
Quarter Page = £70
Half Page = £120
Full Page = £200
For years I presented puzzles from the MENSA but thought it was time for a bit of a change, so here is a selection of slightly different puzzles to tease your brain.
A sundial has the fewest moving parts of any timepiece. Which has the most?
In 1990, a person is 15 years old. In 1995, that same person is 10 years old. How can this be?
What makes this number unique: 8,549,176,320?
Last month’s answers:
Q1: Code for the safe is TAHQ
Q2: The missing vowels are: e and a Q3: Eiffel Tower (I FELL TOWER)
Useful Numbers
