The Dell Directory December 2023

December 2023

NEW COLUMN: WHAT'S ON:

r e b m e c e D

THIS ISSUE

A

s we head into the festive season, I’d like to thank all the businesses, local expert contributors and organisations who have been part of another wonderful 11 issues of The Dell Directory in 2023.

Always focusing on making things better, some of the topics we’ve covered this year include foraging for wild food, local events and clubs, organic veggie boxes for a good cause, support for veterans with sight loss, the Tool Library, coping with baby loss, tackling loneliness for older people in the community. We’ve touched on war history, some lovely local walks and wonderful wildlife photos; we’ve shared local job opportunities, and much more.

To round off the year, we revisit Blood Bikes Scotland for our charity feature. Run entirely by volunteers from within our local communities, they provide the NHS with an incredibly valuable support service.

See pages 8-9 and please consider a wee donation.

Lynne’s Column finishes this month after a fun six years! Many thanks to Lynne for sharing her thoughts each month! And a new column from Suzanne Green starts this month - 'Real Life.' We can look forward to Suzanne’s observations and comments on ordinary, day-to-day life or things that set her imagination going! See page 22 for the first one.

We don’t produce a January magazine, so we’ll be back with a February magazine.

We wish you all a very happy holiday season and a peaceful new year.

P36 Charity: Blood Bikes Scotland..................... 8 Puzzles..........................................................10 Health: Exercise, pros & cons...................12 NEW COLUMN! RealLife...........................22 Wine: Mulled Wine.......................................24 Local Environment: An early invasion......32 Lynne’s (last) Column: So here it is..........36 What’s On: Christmas in the Park.............37 Puzzle Solutions...........................................37 Clubs & Classes.................................... 38-39

The Dell Directory is delivered monthly to 5,500 homes in the Colinton, Craiglockhart and Kingsknowe areas. It is also available online: konect.scot/subscribe

All enquiries, E: editor@konect.scot M: 07854 492638 THE DELL | 3

4 | THE DELL

THE DELL | 5

6 | THE DELL

THE DELL | 7

When Blood Bikes Scotland were asked to help with the urgent transport of medication from Birmingham to Dundee, they were part of a critical relay operation to save a life with a ground-breaking treatment.

The cargo was an extraordinary medication consisting of donated human faeces, a lifesaving treatment called a faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) which is used to tackle really serious cases of C-difficile. The assignment illustrates very well much of Blood Bikes Scotland’s work - sometimes unglamorous, but absolutely essential.

Blood Bikes Scotland (BBS) is a voluntary organisation which supports the NHS by transporting, free of charge, blood and other test samples from wards to laboratories. They also deliver medication to patients’ homes, and support GPs, District Nurses, care homes and community hospitals with transport of small, urgent items.

“Behind every journey made on the bikes, there’s a patient – someone is waiting for a critical test result, medication, equipment or urgent medical notes,” explains Phil Dodsworth, Balerno resident and Trustee at Blood Bikes Scotland. And the

8 | THE DELL

many thousands of journeys not only save the NHS a significant amount of money, but mean the fast transport network is in place to help save lives, as in the case of the FMT relay.

The bikes can get through traffic quickly – especially useful during rush hours – so they can get pathology samples to labs quickly, or urgent medication to patients who need it. Other items needing transport include surgical instruments and, believe it or not, physical files of patient notes or x-rays urgently needed by medics.

While speed is of the essence for much of their work, the biggest benefit is cost avoidance for the NHS. By being on-call to provide transport free of charge, BBS saves the NHS a significant amount of money that would otherwise be spent on their own vehicles and drivers, external courier services and taxis.

Blood Bikes Scotland cover the Lothians, Forth Valley, Borders, Fife and Tayside, where they have service level agreements in place with each of the NHS Boards. Sister organisations support NHS Boards elsewhere in Scotland and the UK, and they all work together in relays when necessary to cover long distances.

Whilst not blue-light vehicles, the incredible value of the service provided by blood bikes is formally recognised in that, like the emergency services, their vehicles are exempt from road tax.

Riders are out in all weather conditions. A fleet of 15 motorcycles is supplemented by five cars to transport larger equipment (although they have been known to strap a walking frame to the back of a motorcycle on one occasion when it was urgently needed!) The motorcycles are modified to allow larger loads to be carried, with panniers and a tray on most of them. The Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (NABB) have recently negotiated with Yamaha to build custom, manufacturer-approved bikes so, like police

* All figures relate to financial year 2022/2023

bikes, they come from the factory ready to ride. The custom bikes are based on the Yamaha Tracer 9GT, and Blood Bikes Scotland will be progressively expanding their use. The fleet also includes one Zero electric motorbike suitable for short fast runs.

A team of 188 volunteer riders and controllers works 70 operational shifts per week across the five regions. BBS delivers its service 7 days a week, including public holidays, and in 2022/23 they received 7796 requests for transport and saved the NHS over a quarter of a million pounds – money that can be used directly for frontline services instead.

Volunteer riders, controllers and everyone involved provides the service completely free of charge.

It’s a fundamental principle of BBS Scotland since its inception that no-one takes a salary.

The monthly overhead for the charity of running the bikes 365 days a year (tyres, insurance, fuel, maintenance and repairs) is around £6000*. The service is entirely dependent on donations from the public, grant bodies and corporate sponsors; they take nothing from the NHS or Scottish Government, so they are grateful for every single donation. You can raise money for Blood Bikes Scotland while shopping online, completely free of charge to you – see the sidebox for details.

They were once once called on to take a teddy bear to a distraught little girl in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital who had left it behind and was unable to settle. Teddy promptly arrived by motorcycle (which was on its way anyway with other jobs for the hospital) to the great relief of the girl, her parents and the nurses. There are some things whose value you just can’t measure.

GIVE AS YOU LIVE – free and easy way to raise money Shop with a huge number of retailers via Give as You Live, and a percentage of your purchase value is donated to BBS. Please see www.giveasyoulive.com/ join/bloodbikesscotland Direct donations are also welcome from the public and businesses. See ways to donate at www.bloodbikesscotland.co.uk/donate

VOLUNTEER! Volunteers are always welcome to join the current team of 188 volunteers covering the area including the Lothians, from Tayside and Fife to the Borders and as far west as Forth Valley. Riders need an advanced riding qualification.

Non-riding volunteers are also welcome; every shift needs a Controller, the point of contact between the NHS and the riders.

Please contact BBS at the details below.

For more information see: www.bloodbikesscotland.co.uk Blood Bikes Scotland is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC049314.

THE DELL | 9

58mm Vertical [LEFT]

DECEMBER CROSSWORD

^^^ Solution in the February edition of Konect ACROSS: 1. Effortless (4), 3. Ghosts (8), 9. Kill (7), 10. Part of a helmet (5), 11. Current (12), 14. Winter sport (3), 16. Sports competition (5), 17. Used for listening (3), 18. Amazing (12), 21. Heart beat (5), 22. Simplest (7), 23. Pirate’s hoard (8), 24. Procedure (4).

DOWN: 1. Keep fit (8), 2. Severe (5), 4. Garden tool (3), 5. In spite of (12), 6. Watch carefully (7), 7. Certain (4), 8. Self service stores (12), 12. Playing field (5), 13. Intimidate (8), 15. Implicate (7), 19. Perfect (5), 20. Blemish (4), 22. Make a mistake (3).

XX ^^^ Sudoku solution on page 38

DECEMBER SUDOKU

10 | THE DELL

ADD SOLUTION DETAILS

THE DELL | 11

HEALTH

Christmas will be here before we know it and hot on its heels will be the New Year. The week after Christmas can be a contemplative time when we think what we would like to achieve in the following year.

You may even decide to make a resolution to take up something new in 2024. If you are planning to improve your health and fitness, taking up exercise is a great place to start but knowing the pros and cons are important.

What benefits could we get from exercising and are there any potential problems with taking up exercise?

First the benefits and there are many. If exercise was as easy as swallowing a pill, we would all be taking it. Regular exercise can make us feel better, look better, have more energy and combat many health conditions.

Regular exercise will help keep our hearts healthy, will lower blood pressure and help prevent conditions such as strokes, type 2 diabetes, many types of cancer and arthritis. It can reduce the risk of falling as we get older as well as improving our bone health by preventing osteoporosis.

Physical activity, particularly outdoors in natural light, will help our mental health and will reduce the incidence of anxiety and depression Exercise with others is fun and social, further improving our mental health.

Regular exercise will promote better sleep but do avoid exercise too close to bedtime as you may be too energised to sleep. Regular exercise also reduces the risk of developing dementia.

So how much do we need to do to get these benefits? Current guidelines suggest that adults should aim to be active daily and that over a week this activity should add up to 150 minutes of moderate activity in bouts of 10 minutes or more. Moderate activity will cause you to get warmer, breathe harder, your heart will beat faster but you should still be able to carry on a conversation. Examples include brisk walking, cycling or cutting the grass.

It is also important that we strengthen muscles and not just concentrate on exercising our cardiovascular system so guidelines suggest that we undertake physical activities to strengthen muscles twice a week which would include exercise with weights. This may include carrying grocery bags, housework and gardening.

And the cons of exercise – what could go wrong? Risk of injury is one to be wary of.

Impulsively starting exercise, overdoing it and being left with an injury can really put you off. When you start to exercise, do so slowly and build up gradually. The 10% rule is a good one to keep in mind – from whatever your starting base is, increase your activity levels by no more that 10% per week to help avoid injury. Time and money can be off putting too. You need to plan the time into your week to fit in the exercise and gyms, swimming pools or exercises classes may be costly. Find a way to exercise that you enjoy, that you can fit into your lifestyle and that you can afford. This is the way to success!

The health column is contributed by McNaughton Physiogrange, Edinburgh www.physiogrange.co.uk

12 | THE DELL

For Recovery And Beyond Knowledgeable Experienced Friendly Physiotherapy Relief from Back and Neck pain, Muscle Aches and Sports Related Injuries Make an appointment with us

0131 337 5135 Online booking now available

www.physiogrange.co.uk No GP referral required Free Parking

Gillis Centre 100 Strathearn Road Edinburgh EH9 1BB

Award winning care homes

We’re proud to be recognised for our excellence in care, winning more awards than any other provider in the last three years.

If you’re considering a care home, call 0330 828 0494 or visit careuk.com/edinburgh

Trusted to care Cairdean House, Colinton Lauder Lodge, Portobello Murrayside, Corstorphine

THE DELL | 13

14 | THE DELL

WEIR GAS SERVICES Former Scottish Gas engineer

Tel: 07981

366 988

Central heating - service, repairs Gas fires, cookers, hobs installation, service & repairs General Plumbing services Garden taps, washing machines, dishwashers Landlord safety inspections email : lesweir@blueyonder.co.uk

THE DELL | 15

16 | THE DELL

Made to measure curtains & blinds • Large selection of blinds, hundreds of fabrics to choose from at home • Tracks, Poles & Pelmets • Upholstery & Re-Upholstery • Re-spray service • Soft Furnishings • Outdoor Upholstery • Lampshades • Houles Paris Luxury trimmings • Public & Commercial spaces service

Call me for a free in-home appointment: Marc Van Cartier-Kerr 07935 819068 Visit: marcvck.com Email: marc@marcvck.com

Marc Van Cartier-Kerr ARTISAN

THE DELL | 17

18 | THE DELL

THE DELL | 19

not actually walk differently (as in the Ministry of Silly Walks).

All that day, our library visitors animatedly told us of what they’d witnessed! One elderly lady said she had seen someone she recognised from … she couldn’t remember what film or television program. Her daughter was with her and asked, “Well, who was it, Mum?” The lady thought for a moment and then said, “Well, I can’t remember. But … it was a man!”

“Well, that narrows it down,” quipped her daughter.

SUZANN E GREEN

W

ho’d have imagined it? A film crew descending on Balerno! Turning our community centre into a travel centre.

And converting the hardware shop into a “Camera Emporium”. It’s certainly given the locals something to gawk at!

I was at the centre the day the crew came to have a look and measure up. How exhilarating! They were all very polite and solicitous, thanking me, a local, for allowing them to use my community centre. I just smiled and told them we were happy to oblige.

But then it was weeks before I saw them again. Walking down Main Street Balerno on my way to open up the library one day, I noticed there were more people than usual milling about. Ahh, the cameras, the equipment, the busyness, the folks from the community watching it all!

I walked to work unimpeded, but later my colleague, who had been looking for the Post Office (which had been temporarily relocated to St Mungo’s Church), told me she was politely asked to walk another way. I mean, she was asked to take another path,

22

| THE DELL 22 BALERNO | DEC, 2023

Today I heard that Peter Mullan, an actor and filmmaker who starred in the TV series “Payback”, features in this movie. Maybe he’s the one the lady meant. If the reports I’ve heard are accurate, the film will be about tourists who visit Scotland because they watched the Outlander drama and heard it was filmed here.

No one said they were American tourists, but I have a suspicion they will be! Especially if it’s a comedy. I’m a US citizen who has lived in UK for 37 years, and I know Americans visiting this country are, shall we say, a novelty.

I’ve just had an idea. People are always telling me, “You haven’t lost your accent.” Maybe I could just slip into the community centre one day and get my big break! I’m sure I could play the enthusiastic, if slightly naïve American. After all I have done it for more than three decades.

I could tell the crew that I’m late because I’ve been on location in Monaco for the past three weeks.

I can just imagine approaching the “travel centre” desk and, in my best southern US drawl, saying, “Excuse me, ma’am. That Outlandish series sure ‘nuff knocked my socks off! I’ve come all the way from the great state of Texas to see where y’all filmed it. And I’d be tickled if my tour could include any of the stars!”

They might believe me. real LIFE is contributed by Suzanne Green.

Suzanne, a freelance writer/editor. She is married to Andy and they have two adult daughters.

THE DELL | 23

WINE TASTING

It’s winter which is of course Mulled Wine Season!

Mulled wine warms your hands and heats you up on a cold day. You can prepare a small amount in a saucepan on the hob, or make a large batch in a slow cooker, either way the delicious smell of mulled wine will permeates your home!

The base ingredient is a fruity red wine. Look for a mid-priced red zinfandel or grenache.

Traditional mulled wine contains brandy but you could use Cointreau or Grand Marnier which gives the mulled wine a delicious orange taste and smell. Add a sliced orange and keep some orange slices aside to use as a garnish.

Now on to the mulling spices! The spice elevates your warmed red wine to mulled wine. You can buy ready-made sachets of mulled spice or syrup but it’s fun to make your own. The essential spices to use are clove, star anise and cinnamon. There are lots of others you could use to create your signature mulled wine. Fresh ginger, cardamon pods, ground nutmeg, lemon zest or dried orange slices would each add an extra flavour to your mulled wine.

Add a dash of honey to sweeten and warm through on the hob or in a slow cooker, being careful not to let the alcohol boil.

Warm through for anywhere between 15 minutes and 3 hours. When you are ready, remove from the heat and strain the liquid through a sieve. Sweeten to taste if needed and serve in heat-proof mugs. Enjoy!

The full recipe and instructions are on swirlsipsocialise.com The monthly wine tasting column is contributed by Joanne Frette. Joanne lives in Juniper Green with her husband and three children. For wine recommendations, reviews and details of future tasting events, please go to swirlsipsocialise.com 24 | THE DELL

boiler cover plans from as little as £13.99 a month

Plumbing Heating Joinery Gas Fitting Maintenance Servicing & Repairs

We can offer 0% finance for your project*

Bathroom Design & Installation Specialists Landlord Gas Safety Checks Boiler Breakdown Cover Tel: 0131 441 7999 Mob: 07738 006 781 E-mail: admin@owengibbandsons.co.uk

34 Bridge Road Colinton, EH13 0LQ

*We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN 947495. We are a credit broker and not a lender.

www.owengibbandsons.co.uk THE DELL | 25

26 | THE DELL

THE DELL | 27

28 | THE DELL

THE DELL | 29

Support for PC’s, Laptops, Wi-Fi, Printers & software.

We can visit your office / home or please drop into our office at Bridge Road to speak to us…. ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢

Small Business Office 365 Business Email Video Conferencing VOIP Phones Virus Protection Cloud Storage Backup of Data Flexible IT Support

➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢

Home PC / Laptop Repair SSD Upgrade Virus Removal Data Backup Networking & Wi-Fi Adhoc Support

Call us on 0131 510 9300 or email: info@worx24.co.uk 30-32 Bridge Road, Edinburgh, EH13 0LQ 30 | THE DELL

GERRY AITKEN Painter & Decorator Juniper Green

Get in touch for a FREE Estimate: T: 07798 565 321 • E: junigig@aol.com

THE DELL | 31

LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

Well, I didn’t expect to be writing about waxwings arriving on our shores so early in the season but here we are! Over the last few weeks, there’s been an irruption of these stunning birds across the U.K., which is much earlier than usual.

The ones I’ve photographed in Edinburgh arrive like clockwork to the same street, at roughly the same time each year (if my Facebook memories are anything to go by) but this is more than a month before that date.

Every few years there’s a boom in numbers and it’s usually because the crop of berries has been poor in Scandinavia and Russia.

Instead, they’re over here feasting on rowan berries of all colours in some of the most random places. This was taken behind Tesco in Dunblane (wildlife photography is very glamorous), although there have been some in Edinburgh, Livingston, and Bathgate. The biggest flock has been seen in Elgin, with one video showing numbers exceeding 500! That would be a sight for the eyes and a treat for the ears, to see them wheeling around or chattering at the tops of trees.

32 | THE DELL

Eating between 800-1000 berries a day the bohemian waxwings can get drunk on berries which have over fermented and flocks have been known to simultaneously hit windows on their drunken adventures around town.

If you’re wondering where the name comes from, it’s because of the little flashes of colour on their wings, which resemble wax. Easy!

This column is contributed by Clare Harte and Kate Stevenson, who grew up in Edinburgh and now live in West Lothian. Together they run Scottish Sisters Photography and travel around the country to watch and photograph amazing wildlife and scenic landscapes.

Follow them on Facebook: @ScottishSistersPhotography

THE DELL | 33

34 | THE DELL

THE DELL | 35

In December, I enjoy rounding off my year’s thoughts and this year I have six years’ worth of them to close out and be thankful for since I’ve decided to call time on Lynne’s Column to give myself some headspace for new interests or ideas.

It has been an absolute pleasure to have a whole page in the Dell Directory all this time. I’m hugely grateful to Helen-Jane for positive feedback (even for 11th hour submissions…!) and to her amazing team who have presented my work so beautifully – I’m always impressed to see what you do with the monochrome Word document I submit!

My main point, if I can be said to have had one, is that life is very much for enjoying rather than enduring and for loving rather than just living. We all have ups and downs, good days and bad, and many factors out with our control that shape our daily lives. But we also have free will and the ability to make choices about how we spend our time and assess our priorities.

The pursuit of happiness is far from being a selfish act. Take a moment to think about the people you most enjoy spending time with or admire – chances are fairly high they will be upbeat, contented people who radiate a warmth that draws you towards them. Looking after our own happiness ensures we can be those people for the others around us.

I’ve also strongly advocated the power of baby steps. I always feel daunted by large tasks but I’m learning to find the small starting blocks, the initial tiny but crucial steps in the chain reaction, and act on those.

Feeling accomplished doesn’t require record-breaking, super-human feats. Simply turning up for your own life and getting as much out of each day as possible is an accomplishment to be rightly proud of.

This Christmas season, try to carve out some time to relax and celebrate as you see fit.

Catch up with family and friends or enjoy your own thoughts as you cosy up at home.

Remember those you have lost and raise a toast to their memory and the joy they brought you in life. And work out ways to add as much joy to your own lives as you can so you can radiate those feelings to others.

Thanks so much for reading over the past six years and all your kind compliments.

Knowing that some of my words have resonated with you or brought a smile to your face is the ultimate reward any writer could ask for.

I don’t plan on giving up writing altogether (though some may suggest I should…!) but for now the most writing I plan on doing is my Christmas cards.

Merry Christmas and all the very, very best for 2024 – make it an awesome one!

Lynne lives in Colinton with her husband and two children. She dreams of being a freelance writer when she grows up but mostly just avoids growing up!

36 | THE DELL

SOLUTION TO NOVEMBER CROSSWORD As the culmination of a busy year draws close, Colinton Village Enterprise is pulling out all the stops to present their magical finale – CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK Thursday December 14th from 5.30pm - 7.30pm Visitors will be welcomed to The Shed (old coach house), and adjoining area, in Spylaw Park, where CVE has been busy throughout 2023 advancing plans for Colinton’s Community Heritage Hub. This year has seen the opening of a Tool Library at the Shed

by SW20, as the collection point for members to borrow every kind of tool you can imagine ACROSS: 1. Trumpet, 5. Cycle, 8. Luckier,from the Edinburgh Tool Library inventory.

We’ve enjoyed setting up our Pit Stop Café for all 9.

Attic, 10. Sweet, 11. Worship, 12. Expire, 14.

Teases, 17. Tobacco, 19. Conch, of our events including our Easter Spring Fling, the fabulous 22.

Rules, 23. Caravan, 24. Discs, 25.

Destroy.

Eurovision celebration, the Repair Café in June, music in DOWN: 1. Tells, 2.

Uncle, 3. Painter, taster sessions in August, and a July, health and wellbeing 4. Thrown, 5. Chair, 6. Catches, 7. Escapes, spectacular Curry in the Park in September.

12. Entered, 13. Pebbles, 15. Escorts, Throughout the20. year we’ve been delighted to work in tandem 16.

Forced, 18. Casts, Never, 21. Handy. with local volunteers and organisations, such as SW20, the SOLUTION TO SUDOKU Pentlands Ukrainian Support Group, Sunflower Scotland, ON XX Tunnel Group, whose latest production of a and PAGE the Colinton 1000-piece Jigsaw of the Tunnel, will be on sale at Christmas in the Park.

We are really looking forward to rounding off this exciting year of neighbourhood collaborations with our pièce-de-résistance, Christmas in the Park.

You are most cordially invited to wend your way via Colinton’s Spylaw Street, or West Mill Road, down the path to the Shed, through our illuminated stalls to Santa’s fairy lit Grotto in its magical setting. Dress up warmly and have lots of handy change in your pockets for a glass or two of warming mulled wine and mince pies, or mugs of hot chocolate and fabulous home-baking.

There will be opportunities to win a tombola prize, or purchase tickets for our bumper raffle, while the children enjoy creative ChristmasTheactivities in theaccept Shed.

Disclaimer: publisher cannot responsibility for loss or damage caused Best of all it’s a real chance to meet friends and neighbours by error in the printing of an advertisement. before rushanytoward Christmas, when everyone can join We do notthe endorse advertisers in this publication. material is accepted in the good All conversation, fun and laughter of the occasion, for publication on the understanding it is in the good company of Bonaly with enthusiastic carol singing copyright free. No part of this publication Primary School choristers in splendid voice. may be reproduced without prior consent of the Forpublisher. updates, please follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ ColintonVillageEnterprise Publisher: Lothian Publications Ltd.

SOLUTION TO NOVEMBER CROSSWORD

ACROSS: 1. Trumpet, 5. Cycle, 8. Luckier, 9. Attic, 10. Sweet, 11. Worship, 12. Expire, 14. Teases, 17. Tobacco, 19. Conch, 22. Rules, 23. Caravan, 24. Discs, 25. Destroy.

DOWN: 1. Tells, 2. Uncle, 3. Painter, 4. Thrown, 5. Chair, 6. Catches, 7. Escapes, 12. Entered, 13. Pebbles, 15. Escorts, 16. Forced, 18. Casts, 20. Never, 21. Handy.

SOLUTIONTO TOSUDOKU SUDOKU SOLUTION XX ON PAGE 10

Disclaimer: The publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage caused by error in the printing of an advertisement.

We do not endorse any advertisers in this publication. All material is accepted for publication on the understanding it is copyright free. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the publisher.

Geddes House, Kirkton North, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6GU.

Publisher: Lothian Publications Ltd. Geddes House, Kirkton North, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6GU.

Magazine Design: a Scottish Charity (SC049496) and an incorporated body, Alan Stewart Design T: 07729 911858 regulated by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)

Magazine Design: Alan Stewart Design T: 07729 911858

This article was contributed b Colinton Village Enterprise SCIO,

THE DELL | 37

SPORTS, HOBBIES, LEARNING, SUPPORT GROUPS & MORE...

ST CUTHBERT'S PLAYGROUP - 10.00am - 11.30am - Every Monday during school term time. £2 per family. Toys, snacks and a fun songs!

St Cuthbert's Church Hall, Westgarth Avenue, Colinton. Contact Rev Nicki McNelly for more information: stcuthbertsrector@gmail.com FORGET ME NOTES - The Forget Me Notes Project is a charity that uses music to build community and combat isolation in a variety of settings On the first and third Monday of each month - 2.00pm - 4.00pm in St Cuthbert's Church Hall, Westgarth Avenue, Colinton. Join us when you can, for an hour of music and memories, followed by refreshments. All welcome. Please contact Rev Nicki for more information: stcuthbertsrector@ gmail.com (www.forgetmenotes.org.uk) COLINTON FRIENDLY BRIDGE CLUB - Held in St Cuthberts Church Hall every second Tuesday afternoon between 2.00pm - 4.00pm. Please contact Ken McLeod on 0131 466 0888 for more information.

TEA AND TOTS - Stay and play for ages 0-5 with their parent/carer - all are welcome! Toys, crafts, refreshments, song-time and more. Every Thursday during school term time, 10am-11.30am at Redeemer Church, 64 Bridge Road, Colinton, EH13 OLQ. FREE. E: admin@redeemeredinburgh.org T: 0131 441 7327 ST CUTHBERT’S BADMINTON CLUB was created about 1946. It meets in the Church Hall in Westgarth Avenue, Colinton. It is non-competitive and meets on Monday evenings at 8.00pm between September and Easter. For details, call Archie Clark on 0131 449 4703.

PENTLAND BRIDGE CLUB - Come and play duplicate bridge in a friendly atmosphere. We meet in St Margaret's Court, Juniper Green on Thursdays at 7pm. Table money £3. Less experienced players made very welcome. For further information see www.bridgewebs.com/pentland or email mthjkb@gmail.com COLINTON LITERARY SOCIETY - Meetings start with coffee, tea and wine at 7.30pm and are held at Dreghorn Hall, 22 Dreghorn Loan, EH13 0DE. Full programme details are at www.colinton-parish. com/colinton-literary-society.html COFFEE, CAKE AND COMPANY - Drop in for a free coffee between 10.30am and 12pm on Mondays from 4th September at Redeemer Church 38 | THE DELL

Edinburgh, 64 Bridge Road EH13 0LT. We are mostly retired people, but all ages are welcome!

More details at redeemeredinburgh.org/ccc THIS MUM RUNS - We are a small group of local women (not just Mums!) who support and empower each other to be healthier and happier. We meet Wednesday’s at 7:30pm at the bottom of Thorburn Road, or Sunday’s at 8am in Spylaw Park for a quick warm up, 30-minute run at the pace of chat/your pace, and then a gentle cool down. We’d love to see you there! All free, run by friendly local volunteers www.thismumruns.co.uk/join-a-local-run WAVERLEY SPEAKERS CLUB - Meets in Morningside Parish Church (from 19th September), fortnightly on Tuesdays at 7.15pm. Our aim is to improve members’ public speaking skills in a supportive atmosphere. Each evening has three prepared speeches of eight minutes, evaluated constructively by another member. Eight impromptu short speeches follow, also evaluated.

New members will be made most welcome.

Contact i.wright237@btinternet.com LOCAL FLORAL ART CLUB - Sit back and enjoy relaxing evenings watching a floral demonstration with lively & interesting chat. You might even win one of the arrangements. Meet: Boroughmuir Rugby Club, Meggatland, off Colinton Road EH14 1AS. 7.30pm - 9.30pm on the 1st Monday of the month from September. Wine/tea/coffee available.

Contact: Joyce Rutherford on 0131 443 2536 or joyce.rutherford@btinternet.com COLINTON SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE CLUB - We meet fortnightly from September to end of March/beginning of April in St. Cuthbert’s Episcopal Church Hall, Westgarth Avenue from 7.45 - 9.15. We have an excellent teacher and live music so come and join us, with or without a partner, you’ll be made very welcome. Tel: 07751186359 or 07483814988.

PUPPY & ADOLESCENT DOGS GROUP CLASSES - A great way to socialise and learn all the basic obedience tricks for your pup. Group classes take place in a puppy-proof garden at 2 Woodfield Park. It’s a block of 5 classes spread over 5 weeks. Classes take place on either Saturday or Sunday morning and last for 45 min.

For more information visit headstartdogtraining. com or call 07366 464040.

THE SWING CAFÉ - Tues to Sat 10.00am2.00pm. Please come for breakfast (10.00am-

12.00noon), lunch (12noon -2.00pm) or some delicious home baking (available all day). We welcome groups and if you would like to book a table, please contact 07514 689258.

There are gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free options. Under 12s are invited to enjoy a children's menu. Sit in or take away. We look forward to welcoming you.

DESTINATION JUDO @ CRAIGLOCKHART - Craiglockhart sports Centre. Wednesdays 3.45pm (5-8 year olds) and 4.30pm (9+ year olds). Judo is a dynamic sport based on a combination of balance, co-ordinationation and reaction. Most importantly judo helps children become more self aware, disciplined, and polite. Of course we teach all this in a fun way. For information please email callum@ destinationjudo.com or call 0131 467 9043.

COLINTON LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY Want to know about local history?

W: www.colintonhistory.org E: enquiries@colintonhistory.org COLINTON GARDEN CLUB - Club members share their love of gardening, gardens and nature, and work together to preserve and add value to our quality of life here in south-west Edinburgh. Monthly members’ meetings on a Monday, in the upper Hall, Dreghorn Loan and start at 8.00pm. We are a friendly and thriving club and new members are very welcome, plus outings and events. The annual subscription is £8.00.per household.

For more information see: W: www.colintongardens.org.uk E: membership@colintongardens.org.uk LUNCHCLUB - Every Wednesday 1pm – 3pm, 3 courses £4. Spaces are limited, first come first served. Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre, 71 Firhill Drive, EH13 9EU. Please visit: oxgangsneighbourhoodcentre.org.uk PARENT AND TODDLER GROUP - Tuesdays, am session and pm session for two age groups (all under 5s). Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre, 71 Firhill Drive, EH13 9EU. T: 0131 466 0678 E: oxgangsneighbourhoodcentre@gmail.com OXGANGS NEIGHBOUR CENTRE CAFÉ 10.00am to 1.00pm. Bacon rolls, baked potatoes, toasties, specials, teas, coffees and cake. Sit in or takeaway.

To include your Club or Class, please email details, up to 75 words, to editor@konect.scot Not-for-profit groups are FREE. There is a small charge for businesses. See konect.scot for further information.

THE DELL | 39