The Edinburgh Reporter May 2020

May 2020

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Rainbows of hope

Rainbows have become our symbol of hope in these uncertain times. We are all now fully aware of the importance of some of our lowest paid workers, like NHS staff and other equally essential frontline workers, who put their lives on the line daily in the fight against Covid-19.

The rainbows, crafted by children of all ages, are proudly displayed in council homes, tenement flats and large mansions, and quite rightly so.

The rainbow tribute appears to have orginated in Puglia in southern Italy where images bearing the morale-boosting phrase 'Andrà tutto bene' (everthing will be alright) started to appear in early March and spread across the country and then Europe. We can't underestimate the bravery and contribution made

by NHS staff and other frontline workers, and it is uplifting to see children and families voice their support through these paintings and drawings while out on our daily walks.

The Scottish Government announced plans to find a way forward as the situation improves.

A Government paper says that a "new normal" will be necessary and that some changes to everyday life will remain in place.

It is hoped that people in Scotland will discuss the proposals and further developments as they arise, and through participation, a balance will be reached.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The lockdown measures currently in place are absolutely necessary to suppress the virus, protect our health service and to save lives. But we need to chart a way forward, and this paper sets out the principles that will guide us.The public across Scotland have acted responsibly in the face of this ongoing threat, and it is only right that we treat people like grown-ups by sharing our thinking with them on how we can move beyond the current lockdown phase. This paper is high level at this stage but will evolve into a detailed plan as our evidence develops.

“Life may not return to normal for some time yet, but there is a way forward, and ultimately we will come through this challenge.”

New Town North forges ahead

The developers behind New Town North, one of Edinburgh’s largest regeneration projects in a generation, have reaffirmed their commitment to delivering the blueprint despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on building projects.

Ediston is leading a major public consultation programme for the six acre former RBS site, which sits between Dundas Street and King George V Park, before submitting a planning application to the council later this year.

Proposals include a mixed-use development with new homes, build-to-rent apartments, premium office space, a hotel, retail outlets, gym and health facilities, extensive landscaping and new public realm.

Ediston development director, Ross McNulty, said: “Now, more than ever, we're 100% committed to progressing with our planning application this year. New Town North will provide a significant boost for the local area and make a positive impact on local businesses who are in desperate need of some good news right now."

An online interactive consultation was launched when a planned public event had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“We would like to thank all local residents and organisations that have taken part in the consultation process so far. We benefit from having constructive and direct dialogue both with our immediate neighbours and the City of Edinburgh’s civic stakeholders, and our updated proposals reflect the feedback of previous consultations,” said Mr McNulty.

“We are aware that this is a complex and large brownfield site with important links to some of Edinburgh’s finest streets and green spaces, and we are making sure we consult properly with local people to deliver a high-quality development.” Continues page 5

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The Edinburgh Reporter

NEWS

ABOUT US During the coronavirus lockdown which began in March, we have apparently all become mad bakers, have learned a new language, taken up a new instrument, and are looking out for each other simply by staying at home.

Of course there are exceptions. (you don't have to have the new language skills, okay?) We have other ideas on how you can use your free time on pages 8 and 9.

For some people, even in the face of a pandemic, it is quite hard to stay at home. There are helplines for those who suffer domestic abuse, which sadly is on the increase. For those of you who have problems with cooking each and every day, we have a list on our website of Edinburgh firms who deliver ingredients or ready made meals. The resource has proved popular with readers and we hope that by providing information like this we continue to be useful.

We also have live news updated as often as possible pinned to our website's front page. If you have any information that would be useful to others then please share it with us.

If you find it difficult to get a copy of The Edinburgh Reporter then perhaps you would sign up for our delivery service? There is a cost, but we have kept it to a minimum to cover postage with a small admin fee on top to help us keep going. We have cut our advertising rates in an effort to attract some much-needed income. If you are interested then please get in touch with us at the email address below.

There are many people in Edinburgh whose difficulty is that they are not able, for a variety of reasons, to put meals on the table, and we have met some of the volunteers who are out delivering meals. They could all do with your help, whether as a volunteer or by making a small donation from time to time. There are people in Edinburgh, and across the world, who truly deserve praise for their selflessness. Those include our NHS workers, care home staff, ambulance crews, the police and fire services and retail staff.

Others are just volunteers who want to help in some way.

Apparently over 5,000 have offered their help to Volunteer Edinburgh, who now have the job of sifting through all the applications.

Phyllis Stephen Editor

News in Brief New hospital The newest hospital, the NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow, was built in just three weeks.

Construction began on Tuesday 31 March and since then: 23,000 square metres of flooring have been laid. more than 1,000 bed bays have been erected. more than 8,000 pieces of medical equipment have been ordered.

35,000 metres of network cabling have been laid for the nurse call system.

135,000 metres of cabling for lighting and power sockets have been laid. a new bespoke system to ensure oxygen supply to every bed has been put in place with 1,400 medical gas outlets.

The British Army supported the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland by undertaking a feasibility study on how the SEC could be transformed into a hospital. They were not involved in the construction of NHS Louisa Jordan.

Keeping in touch Technology company Zonal donated eleven iPads to Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership care homes. The company's Danny Brown, son of Cllr Susan Rae, asked how he could offer support.

Danny said: " My mum and I were talking and she mentioned the Council were doing a donation drive for iPads. She explained they would go to hospitals and care homes to allow isolated people to connect with their families.

"Given that I work for a technology provider that is very family orientated, it seemed the natural thing to ask the board if it was something we could support.

It’s hard for everyone right now but especially those separated from their families and Zonal just seemed perfectly placed to do something really good at such a difficult time."

Scottish Strawberries These are in the shops already, and in Aldi they come from Angus Soft Fruits which supplies the supermarket with berries from 19 growers in Tayside and Fife. So as you work your way towards the real summer, keep it local.

Jobs Board We have installed a jobs board on our website. It is free to list a job available or a job wanted for now.

We would love you to use it and find a new position or employees.

Quintinshill remembered On 22 May 1915 the Quintinshill railway disaster took place. Two hundred and sixteen officers and men from the 7th Battalion The Royal Scots, Leith Territorial Battalion, died at Gretna when their train crashed into a stationary local train. Minutes after the initial collision a northbound express train ploughed into the wreckage. Twelve railway staff and passengers also died.

The memorial is in Rosebank Cemetery. An article will be pubished on our website on 22 May in commemoration.

Finding a job In response to the Covid-19 epidemic, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has introduced a national online careers resource which has information on immediately available vacancies The My World of Work Job Hub lists jobs in healthcare, food and grocery retail, social care, childcare, delivery and distribution, food manufacturing and production. SDS’s Director of Industry and Enterprise Networks, Gordon McGuinness, said: “SDS has worked rapidly to develop this resource in response to requests from a range of industry partners who are highlighting skills gaps in their businesses at this critical time." www.myworldofwork.co.uk/ jobhub Eating Well More community food projects will receive funding to provide emergency free meals.

Around £700,000 has been allocated from the £70 million Scottish Food Fund to 19 projects, including a £350,000 grant to the Wheatley Group to provide 8,500 emergency food deliveries to people most in need in 17 local authority areas.

Another 18 schemes will share £400,000 to provide emergency food through a range of projects working with minority ethnic households, family support groups or mental health teams.

Putting news in your hands The Edinburgh Reporter is usually distributed through a network of cafés and businesses.

Some of those remain open. If you have had your car in any Farmer Autocare branch recently then you may received a free copy of our paper on leaving.

Other places where we usually leave a supply are now closed, including

Editor: Phyllis Stephen editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk 07791 406 498

libraries and businesses across the city. The News Media Association has confirmed that newsprint is quite safe.

So our alternative network is to use those volunteers who are distributing meals and food around the city.

If you have access to any means of helping us to get The Edinburgh Reporter out, while adhering to strict social distancing, then please do get in touch. It would be a huge help to us.

Edinburgh Delivers across the city Our most popular page at the moment online is Edinburgh Delivers. This features enterprising companies which will deliver to your front door. They observe social distancing while doing so.

Here are just a few of them to whet your appetite!

LE ROI FOU Jérôme Henry at Le Roi Fou has once again switched on the stove at the little kitchen in Forth Street.

The restaurant will join many others in offering a home delivery service. www.leroifou.com SCHOP Tim Roads from Schop works along with independent retailers in the city and so can offer you a "huge range of great quality food and drink". You sit back and order, and Tim does all the legwork bringing you lovely food from Something Fishy or East Coast Cured and other selected suppliers. www.schop.co FINE WINE Like most retailers impacted by coronavirus The Fine Wine Company in Portobello have had to adapt their business model and have stepped up home deliveries of wine, spirits, champagne, craft beers and ciders. The company also supply vegan, vegetarian, organic and bio dynamic wines. www.thefinewinecompany.co.uk BARRY AT CATER EDINBURGH Barry Bryson from Cater Edinburgh is running a solo home delivery service throughout the city centre. A choice of classic dishes includes cottage pie, salmon and hake fish pie, braised beef burgundy, pork, bacon and fennel polpetti with tomato sauce, spiced lamb tagine, lamb shoulder bhuna, beef chipotle chilli ragu, vegan tagine and vegetarian rendang. All orders will come complete with a serving of rice, potato, couscous or pasta, as well as a fresh vegetable box. Unlike a standard home delivery service, Cater Edinburgh has a choice of large serve dishes that can easily be divided into 30 to 50 portions from one order. This practical format means that meals can be easily portioned and chilled in the fridge for a number of days.

Get in touch today!

For editorial and advertising enquiries please email editor@ theedinburghreporter. co.uk @EdinReporter

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Best of the Twitterati @PiersMorgan: Priti Patel just proudly informed us that shoplifting has fallen. Has anyone told her most shops are shut? @RangerBirota A new week begins and one wonders if this is the week when Edinburgh council finally finishes ‘discussing’ and

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

We welcome contributions to our website and newspaper.

‘exploring’ and jumps into action, placing cones along roads to widen narrow pavements giving people more space to get safely through the crisis. @thistlejohn BREAKING Carrie has NOT been cutting Boris Johnson’s hair

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NEWS

3

Maxwell - few can equal his colourful magnetism Words and photos by Martin P McAdam At the east end of George Street in Edinburgh in one of the newest editions to the statue-scape of the city sits a memorial to James Clerk Maxwell, 1831-1879.

The statue was unveiled on 25 November 2008 by the late Sir Alex Fergusson, MSP, the third Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. Maxwell, although prolific and influential in a broad range of scientific fields, is best known for a set of four mathematical equations that describe the behaviour of magnetic and electric fields and further describe how an electric field can generate a magnetic field and how a magnetic field can generate an electric field “Maxwell’s Equations”.

While almost everyone has heard of Newton, Einstein and even Schrödinger (of the dead cat/ alive cat fame), few of the general public are aware of Maxwell and the importance of his work.

Basically, through his work he predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves. Scientists at the time argued that light was a wave (and indeed sometimes a particle). Maxwell predicted that there would be other types of waves which we cannot see as light - including ultraviolet and X-Rays. Within years of his death we had radio waves crossing the

Atlantic Ocean and over the years we developed, radar, television, computers, radio telescopes, mobile phones and GPS. James Clerk Maxwell was born on 18 June 1831 to Frances Cay and John Clerk, a lawyer in the city. The Clerks were one of the most distinguished and wealthiest families in Edinburgh. So why is his greatest work referred to as “Maxwell’s Equations” and not “Clerk’s Equations”?

It appears that there was a lengthy and bloody feud between the Maxwell family and the Johnstone Clan - which started sometime in the 16th century. In 1613 the eighth Lord Maxwell was executed for the murder of the chief of the Johnstones in revenge for their killing of his father. Lacking legitimate children, Lord Maxwell bequeathed land to his illegitimate son, John Maxwell, who was himself murdered in 1639. Two of John Maxwell’s daughters married into the Clerk family and as a result of a lengthy legal settlement John Clerk (Maxwell’s father) inherited the title and an estate at Glenlair in Dumfries and Galloway, where James Clerk Maxwell spent the first ten years of his life.

The George Street statue sits on a pedestal of granite with bronze bas-reliefs on both the north and south sides. On the south bas-relief we see Newton conduct-

From the Editor During our daily walks around the city I have been noticing more detail around me. Without all the traffic noise there's time and space to see and hear more.

Apart from the number of cars and other vehicles on the city centre streets - which seems to increase daily - there is more dog poo on the pavement, some of it already in black poo bags - one of which was flung on the pavement right next to a communal bin.

Really? Why? I have not seen our usual street cleaner out with his brush, but I did spot a high-speed gutter washing vehicle whizzing along George Street one evening. For inexplicable reasons he missed out whole bits of the street where there are no cars parked. Now would be an ideal time to clean our streets properly when there are few cars and less people. I am asking the council why not, but at least they are collecting the empties again. I have also noticed that there are many houses lying vacant. If the occupants have gone to their second homes, then perhaps they are terrified to come back before lockdown ends! Plans for that may take longer than we think. The proliferation of rainbows in windows serves to inspire all of us into a wave of emotion and support for the NHS. But that also has to include the other blue light services. Let's remember police

and fire service who are all on the front-line too. What do you think the members of RNLI Queensferry thought, or perhaps even said, to the four people they had to rescue from Cramond Island? The incident has led to the island now being closed to everyone.

Is everyone being nicer out there? There are many people who are working their socks off volunteering to help others. Many businesses, with only skeleton staff, are delivering essentials.

Those are the nice people, and I have met some of them. But I have also encountered enough people who don’t observe social distancing to make me very wary of going supermarket shopping now.

The One O’Clock Gun sounds louder than ever (at least we can count on that during these uncertain times) but sadly HM the Queen declared it would be inappropriate to have a 21 gun salute anywhere in the country, including Edinburgh Castle, to mark her 94th birthday. It would have been very loud - a bit like the Festival Fireworks in spring.

While the festivals have all been cancelled, I wonder if it is still possible that we could have the August fireworks anyway? It would be a visual feast for us all.

Do stay home and stay safe.

Phyllis Stephen

ing the prism experiment showing that light is split into the colours of the rainbow. The north side bas-relief shows Einstein demonstrating how gravity bends light.

In front of the statue, incorporated into the pavement, is a bronze plaque depicting the four Maxwell Equations.

Maxwell is depicted seated in his chair and holding a colour-wheel

in both hands. He devised the colour-wheel to test the threecolour theory of vision developed

by Thomas Young. We now know that all colours that are perceived by the human eye can be formulated from three primary colours red, green and blue. His investigations of the colour theory led him to propose that a colour photograph could be produced by photographing through filters of

Stench row blows up This ongoing battle down at Seafield continues. Leith Links Community Council said it had 37 reports about the smell from Seafield in just the first half of April.

Scottish Water and Veolia are investing millions in the improvements which should mean a reduction in the smell around the area but work is not yet started, and it is claimed it will not get rid of it completely.

The Seafield sewage plant treats sewage from as far away as Penicuik. In response to a recent incident, Bill Elliot, Stakeholder Development Manager, Scottish Water, wrote to local residents to apologise. He said: "Veolia began essential maintenance of the storm tanks at Seafield at the start of the current lockdown period.

This work was paused as a result of a change in weather conditions and, in consultation with regulators, it was agreed that it would be sensible to complete the remaining essential maintenance at the earliest opportunity.

"In order to mitigate the odour risk that continues until this maintenance is complete, we will take further operational measures including using chemical dosing in order to help minimise the issue."

Jim Scanlon, Chair of Leith Links CC, explained what is meant by the Seafield Stench. He said: "This is a strong smell of sewage

which emanates from the works at Seafield when there's an onshore wind. There are uncovered areas of the plant and primary settlement tanks and storm tanks. If the sewage arrives on the plant and becomes septic by connecting with air, then it gives off an odour of sewage, which is very strong to put it politely.

"It's strange because there's a kind of smell mapping. So residents in certain areas such as Leith Links may not smell it, but people who live at Prospect Bank just slightly higher up, are affected. So it depends on weather conditions, and if there is an onshore wind, then it will blow the smell from the plant and affect a lot of households. And it's disgusting.”

Leith Links Residents Association have been campaigning about the stench coming from the plant. Although there has been some action and things have generally been improving, over the last couple of years there have still been significant smelly periods.

Scottish Water have now announced a multi-million pound project to make general improvements, but the problem is that it would take hundreds of millions to make the sewage works fit for purpose according to Mr Scanlon. leithlinkscc.org.uk

the three primary colours. Using a photograph of a tartan ribbon photographed by Thomas Sutton, he demonstrated what is believed to be the world’s first colour photograph at a lecture to the Royal Institution of Great Britain in 1861.

A popular nerdy t-shirt depicts the phrase from Genesis “Let there be light . . ." followed by Maxwell’s equations and ending with “and so there was light”.

Paving the way for social distancing Pedal on Parliament have launched a national online campaign called Space for Distancing, supporting reallocation of road space to allow for safe distancing for people walking and cycling.

The campaign wrote to Michael Matheson, the Scottish Transport Minister, and all party leaders, asking The Scottish Government to urgently set up a scheme modelled on that in New Zealand.

The four measures Pedal on Parliament are asking for are: Temporary widening of pavements to allow people to pass each other safely on foot and queue outside shops if they need to (2 metres is much wider than you think).

Temporary segregated cycleways along key commuting routes to enable key workers and others to cycle where possible.

Temporary modal filters, closing off vehicular access to residential streets except to emergency services and residents, to discourage speeding, prevent rat-running and allow families to continue to exercise safely outside.

Lower speed limits on key rural roads to create cycle-friendly routes into towns and villages.

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The Edinburgh Reporter

POLITICS

Parliament a galaxy far away

by Tommy Sheppard MP “It’s parliament Jim, but not as we know it”, I can hear Dr Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy explain to Captain Kirk.

MPs returned after their Easter break. Well, sort of. The people running the show are doing their best to observe the rules during the coronavirus emergency. Two metres apart is the norm, only 50 MPs will be allowed into the chamber at any one time. Much of the stuff that goes on around the House of Commons remains closed. On top of the limited physical presence another 120 MPs can join in online through the miracle of modern technology. In truth, for those of us who have been using this tech a lot over the last month it doesn’t always feel miraculous.

The hybrid parliament is to make sure that an individual MPs opportunities to participate are the same whether they are there in person or not. Which means the whole thing is limited by the technology. That means the maximum time per day is two hours and the maximum number of people that can take part is 120.

Which does sort of strike me as odd, and not very futuristic, given my 90-year-old mother in law can master Zoom on her iPad. There is certainly a need to hold the government to account.

There are a million questions to be asked. But whether this works we will have to see.

Allotting time for gardening is healthy

by Sarah Boyack MSP Stories appeared in the press recently that described an encounter with an allotment gardener being instructed by a police officer to limit his gardening time to 30 minutes. This sat alongside a handful of articles on the wonderful benefits of gardening. While I understand the need for the police to protect citizens and keep us all focused on abiding by government advice, it's important that we get the right balance.

Press coverage on the subject of outdoor activities prompted Michael Gove, MP, to acknowledge the importance of allotments and gardening for people’s health, and its value as part of one’s daily exercise time. Scottish Government health guidelines, though, say that it is for local councils to provide guidance. In Edinburgh the council advice is clear. Allotments will stay open for now, but people must follow social distancing guidance. People also need to ensure they only have one trip outside their home each day while maintaining two metres, and wash their hands according to public health advice.

In allotments it's vital that people do this especially before and after touching anything such as gates and standpipe taps. As with other exercise outside, it is important for older people to listen to the advice on self-isolation.

Community spirit during Covid-19

by Jeremy Balfour MSP What I have been struck by the most since lockdown began is the community spirit across Edinburgh. This is by no means an easy time for anyone, however, it is really inspiring to see everyone out on the streets clapping our NHS staff, people leaving gifts and messages for key workers, and constituents doing everything that they can to take care of the most vulnerable.

We may all be separated in physical distance but there is a real sense of togetherness as we go through these unsettling times.

Across Edinburgh there have been shops giving out free sandwiches to those struggling financially, organisations providing free meals for the elderly, people getting the shopping for their self-isolating neighbours, and design technology departments of schools producing protective equipment for the NHS. In fact, I could be here all day writing down the encouraging stories that I have heard. While we can find hope that these times won’t last forever, I am hopeful that when we do come out of this these acts of togetherness will not end.

If one good thing is to come from this, let it be that it changes our communities for the better.

Let’s always remember to appreciate our key workers, to look out for our neighbours, and to do what we can to care for the most vulnerable.

Parity needed Border checks in supporting vital for all UK businesses arrivals

by Gordon Lindhurst MSP The challenge of coronavirus continues to dominate our lives and we are now over a month into the lockdown measures that have affected all of our lives in ways we didn’t think would have been imaginable.

I want to thank everyone for doing their bit by staying at home. All those working in our hospitals, care homes and social care in Edinburgh and the Lothians deserve all of our gratitude and their work during this unprecedented crisis will not be forgotten.

While the hope is that we are slowly starting to see the measures working to stop the spread of this virus, this is not only a health emergency but also an economic emergency. Over the last few weeks, there have been schemes outlined by both the UK and Scottish Government’s for individuals, businesses and communities, but I'm well aware that the systems in place have not captured everyone.The SNP Government has closed some loopholes for support but there are still disparities including those who own more than one property, where they will get 75% of support, (they would be eligible for 100% support south of the border).

There is a balance to be struck, but we cannot let businesses in vital sectors fall under through a lack of grant support.

by Joanna Cherry, QC, MP Many constituents in Edinburgh South West have contacted me this month with their concerns about the UK Government’s failure to implement appropriate checks at the borders to contain the spread of coronavirus.

I have written to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel about this.

I am calling on her to urgently introduce health checks and quarantine measures for people entering the UK as other countries in Europe have done.

Significant numbers of people are continuing to enter or return to the UK through airports and ports without any health checks or quarantining.

Border control is a matter for the Home Office.

In contrast to the UK, many other countries across Europe and the world have some form of health checks at airports plus quarantining for arrivals. This can be as simple as having your temperature checked.

As part of a system of testing, contract tracing and isolation, I have suggested to Ms Patel that coronavirus assessment points are set up at airports after Border Control. There could be health checks there, including virus testing.

This could be coupled with instructions and advice for quarantine as a condition for admission to the UK.

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New Town North plans push ahead

Former RBS site on Dundas Street PHOTO Martin P McAdam Continued from page 1 Research shows the New Town North development is poised to bring significant economic benefit to the local area and wider Edinburgh economy, following the closure of the RBS building in 2017 which employed more than 2,500 employees on the site.

A report by planning and engineering consultancy, The Waterman Group, claims that the operational phase of the development would create more than 700 full-time jobs and generate an annual Gross Value Added (GVA) economic uplift of £34.4 million to the regional economy. The construction phase would create a further £27.7

million GVA at a regional level, creating a further 60 full time jobs.

Mr McNulty added: “From our discussions with the local business community, we are aware of the impact that a large redundant site can have on the local area and the huge potential of creating a new attractive destination and focal point for the area.

“Our research highlights the significant investment benefits that this high-quality development would bring to the Edinburgh economy, as well as helping to meet the pressing need for high quality new homes and office space.

"The current proposals create

Miles Briggs MSP 0131 348 5946 Miles.Briggs.msp@parliament.scot Milesbriggsedinburgh MilesBriggsMSP www.milesbriggs.scot M2.15, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP

2,200 sq m of green space, equal to 25% of the area of the park.

Proposals to create a more active travel route through the park have been scaled back in response to concerns from the Friends of King George V Park group and some residents, and we are looking at ways to manage the flow of pedestrians and cyclists."

The New Town North development site was formerly the headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland which first developed the site in 1978 to house offices and a data centre.

Before then the site was home to St Bernard’s Football Club which disbanded in 1947.

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NEWS

5

Three cheers as glass recycling begins again Great news - the council is about to start collecting the blue bins again. Not so great news - the neighbours will be able to see how many bottles of red or bottles of Peroni you have consumed over the last five weeks or so as your bin sits on the pavement awaiting collection.

The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to Scott Coleman, a council supervisor who is in charge of the teams who collect all the refuse from Edinburgh households.

Due to both staff shortages and a lack of vehicles, the service is a little slower than usual, but after speaking with Scott it is clear they are all trying hard to get back to normal.

While Scott asks you to bear with them, he is confident that any complaints about missed bins are being dealt with within 48 hours of a complaint being logged.

We asked what residents could do to help. Scott said: "When you put your bins out, please make sure you have the correct bin out on the correct day. Please don't overfill the bins as this will make life difficult for our teams.

"Now that glass is back it helps if you take the tops off bottles and jars and also if you rinse them out for us."

The teams are observing strict social distancing and so it will usually only be one person lifting any boxes.

Scott explained new ways of

working have been introduced to allow social distancing, with each vehicle crewed with only a driver plus one loader. So that waste can be dealt with more efficiently, the third team member follows in a hire car and helps along the route.

The council approved the extra resources needed to allow this to be done and it means crews can more or less stick to their pre-Covid-19 schedules.

Food waste is taken to the new Biogen anaerobic digestion facility at Millerhill, and glass to the new multi-million pound glass recycling plant at Seafield. If your bottle tops or jar lids are still on, then the glass has to pass along a conveyor and a picking device sorts them, but it can be made easier by a little effort on the part of residents.

One of the benefits of the pandemic has been that many council workers have upskilled.

Some have become drivers, but with staff absent from work for a variety of reasons, it really is a case of all hands on deck.

Collection teams are trying their best to stick to a four day timetable and so glass will be collected between Tuesday and Friday. Remember Scott's main message - don't overfill the bin!

And his final message was a big thank you to all the staff working on waste collection, who were praised during the council's Leadership Panel for keeping the service going as well as it has.

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The Edinburgh Reporter

NEWS

Stepping in to give hope to the homeless

By Stephen Rafferty A charity which is feeding the homeless in Edinburgh has stepped forward to fill a gap caused by other providers forced to close because of Covid-19.

Steps To Hope (STH) provides three course meals and hosts a soup kitchen in addition to supporting and mentoring people with addiction and alcohol issues.

While similar charities which operate from church halls and other venues have been required to shut up shop because of social

distancing, STH has become more active by using a mobile catering van it took possession of just as the coronavirus was taking hold.

The charity, which receives no Government or local authority funding and relies solely on public donations, has gone from providing 150 meals a week to just under 450.

STH founder and operations manager, Richard Roncero, said its Sunday to Tuesday food service was saving lives, and it had recently taken over the operation of the Souper Saturday soup

kitchen which was about close.

He said: “Fortunately we had been campaigning for several months to buy a catering van and it arrived at exactly the same time as Covid-19 was taking hold. We have gone from providing two food services a week to five as lots of the other food services have closed or had to reduce operations.

“People using our services are telling us that they have not eaten all day. Those who were reliant on begging can’t survive because of lockdown as there is no one around. One person said they sat

Richard Roncero of Steps to Hope PHOTO Euan Cherry

True cost of giving money Sir Tom Hunter on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio confirmed he had donated £100,000 to The Sun’s NHS Who Dares Wins appeal.

He said: "Every penny will go to the NHS", but it appeared that was not quite accurate. We discovered there was a 4.5% charge on top of any donation - a 2% platform fee and a 2.5% transaction fee.

When pushed by The Edinburgh Reporter on Twitter, Sir Tom admitted he didn’t know there was a charge payable to Virgin Money Giving (VMG).

Within days, VMG announced they were waiving the platform fee.

CEO David Duffy said: ”With many charities seeing a large drop in their fundraising contributions during lockdown, we want to make it that little bit easier for all the generous donors, fundraisers and the charities they support.

"We believe that a not-for-profit model is the only way for a digital fundraising platform like VMG to ensure as much money as possible goes to the good causes.

"By covering VMG’s small platform fee for the rest of lockdown, we hope to help charities.”

The transaction fee which remains payable is paid to credit card companies, so VMG is not making anything out of the donations made during the Covid-19 lockdown.

But beware when using any other platforms that you know the true cost to you as a donor.

out for 10 hours and made £2, so with little support about, Steps To Hope is keeping people alive.”

The charity has more than 70 volunteers and in normal times helps people in to rehab and supports them through the process of becoming clean and sober.

Richard added: “Once Covid-19 is over we will have access to halls and other meeting places again and we can hold one-to-one meetings and mentor people to a better way of life. We are really reduced to just a food service at the moment but we are looking forward to getting back to helping people to change their lives.”

Steps To Hope food services: Saturday, Old St Paul’s, Jeffrey Street, breakfast 8am-1pm.

Sunday, St Cuthbert’s Church courtyard, three course meal, 5-7pm.

Monday, St Columba’s Church, Johnston Terrace, three course meal, 6-8pm.

Tuesday and Friday, three course meal 5pm, at Jeffery Street followed by Holyrood Road and Grassmarket. www.stepstohope.co.uk

Graham's show a whole lotta bottle with milk delivery service Getting your milk delivered used to be the norm in pre-supermarket days. Who remembers those bottles of milk with the frozen tops in winter?

Well we are back there again, as Graham's The Family Dairy announce the extension of their delivery service, which is good news for those of us who may have difficulty getting to a shop New customers will find that they can get milk, eggs, cream, butter, and yoghurts delivered to their doorstep. And the milk is delivered in glass bottles. This sustainable option was piloted successfully in the Highlands and is now available here in Edinburgh.

Robert Graham, Managing Director, Graham’s The Family Dairy, said: “We had always hoped in time to build up our doorstep service and dairy offer, but this has now taken priority. We understand that some people are unable to leave their homes to buy milk or butter, so we very quickly mobilised our teams across the country to be in a position to offer this personal service to more people and areas across Scotland.

"As a family, we are incredibly proud of our people working across every area of our business in these challenging times. We are all committed to and have huge pride in our role to help Feed the Nation. We are as grateful as ever for the hard work, positivity and determination of our farmers,

suppliers and everyone at Graham’s, they are all very much appreciated.”

New customer Susanne Baird, of Inverleith, Edinburgh, said: “I have always loved Graham’s The Family Dairy’s milk products.

"I also couldn’t live without their Skyr and Goodness ice

cream! That a local business is diversifying their offer to now serve their communities at this time is admirable, and I am more than happy to support them. I truly look forward to my Graham’s delivery in the mornings, it really is the small things that mean so much to people at the moment.”

Happy customer Susanne Baird with her latest delivery

Council find a new way of working There is no normal for Edinburgh City Council at present.

Urgent decisions until now have been made by the Council's Leadership Advisory Panel which is a formal Committee made up of political leaders and chaired by the Council Leader. But all council business will be run by a group of 17 councillors on the Policy and Sustainability (P&S) Committee.

Chief Executive, Andrew Kerr, explained the council was having difficulty in providing front-line services due to the pandemic and staff absences. Council buildings are closed. The need for quick decision making in certain areas means that a return to the usual committee based system is 'not realistic'. The opposition parties, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, as well as the Edinburgh Party of Independent Councillors wanted a committee of 18 councillors to include the Lord Provost.

Cllr Iain Whyte said: "To take the place of the council the P&S committee must reflect the membership of the whole council, and the Lord Provost must be the convener. It is necessary to bring communities together and build community spirit. It would make it more broadly democratic."

Rotarians helping where they can Edinburgh Rotary clubs, like everyone else, are unable to have face-to-face meetings. They have cancelled or postponed annual events and have witnessed an impact on their fundraising efforts.

But Rotarians are far from inactive. Clubs meet “virtually” to discuss ways of helping the local community, handle club business and hear presentations from speakers like Labour MP Ian Murray, the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, and an Honorary Rotary member.

Money raised by Rotary activities is supporting Edinburgh foodbanks, disadvantaged families, the YMCA and the Cyrenians, which provide meals.

Charities are suffering financially from the cancellation of fundraisers. Rotary clubs are trying to assist where they can with donations, particularly to local hospices, children’s and vulnerable people services. They also provide practical assistance with deliveries of groceries or medicines, or by contacting isolated people. Rotary clubs have generous public support and many loyal sponsors. Every penny raised goes to good causes. secretary@rotary1020.org

@EdinReporter

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edinburghreporter

Throwing good money after bad?

By Phyllis Stephen Marketing Edinburgh (ME) has been on Death Row for about the last 18 months. It became a clear council policy that the body, set up to promote Edinburgh to the world, would be left to wither on the vine, without offering sufficient funding to keep it going.

But it appears that around £1.2 million has been spent on winding the body up, twice what was budgeted for in retaining the services of ME. The matter has largely been discussed behind closed doors, but council papers seen by The Edinburgh Reporter show that the intention was to disband the body and create a new one, possibly called Edinburgh and Partners. The articles of association of the ME company were changed in January to provide for only three directors, getting rid of the requirement to have any stakeholder directors.

Prior to this the board included six non-executive directors, all highly experienced and all voluntarily sitting on the board.

The Council Leader, Adam McVey, says he has chaired an initial meeting of industry leaders about a recovery plan, but no details have yet been revealed.

Roddy Smith, CEO of Marketing Edinburgh said: "The tourism industry is starting to talk. We cannot be complacent. We need a city-wide effort to get Edinburgh to the top of people's wishlist of destinations. In the last few months before the coronavirus pandemic, there were a few issues between residents and tourism businesses, all to do with over-tourism. It is clear however, that the city's economy is driven by tourism. It has done so much good for the city."

All ME employees have been made redundant either voluntarily or compulsorily, and the organisation, which in 2017 and 2018 had income of £1.9 million, has been put into 'hibernation'.

At a recent council Leadership Panel meeting, the green light was given to provide another £400,000 to "meet Marketing Edinburgh's transitional costs'". In March the council's Finance Committee approved spending of £200,000 on ME to cover redundancy costs. In last year's budget, the council reduced funding for the body which they set up in 2010 to £590,000, a reduction of £300,000.

More than that has now been spent on the winding up process.

No alternative business plan was deemed good enough for the council to adopt. A membership style proposal put forward by the former board under the chairmanship of marketing expert, Gordon Robertson, was dismissed by the Homelessness, Housing and Fair Work Committee, led by Convener, Cllr Kate Campbell. This plan, which we are told would have cost the council £450,000 and would have allowed ME to work towards financial independence, was turned down flat, leading to the mass resignation of the previous board in autumn 2019.

A suggestion from another council body to find an independent source of funding to keep the organisation's social media channels and its prestigious website going was rejected out of hand.

The income from the website is, according to the company accounts, in the tens of thousands, and could have covered the cost of at least one, if not two, members of staff. The digital income came from advertising and some affiliate arrangements. The url edinburgh. org was wrested from the hands of VisitScotland a few years ago before the successful This is Edinburgh campaign.

Who will use it now? Without Convention Edinburgh how will Edinburgh attract new business?

We asked the board members for comment, but have not yet had a reply.

Geoff Morrison of Open Pass Scotland, who partnered with ME, said: "There has never been a greater need to protect our ‘shop window’ in these uncertain times. The role that Marketing Edinburgh played in our visitor economy is crucial both in terms of nurturing industry partnerships and engaging visitors. The positive impact on our business over the last two years, via the digital channels managed by Marketing Edinburgh, is both tangible and significant.”

The final ME board was made up of three councillors, Cllrs Kate Campbell, Mandy Watt and Claire Miller. A senior industry source told us: "I don't believe they have any business experience to speak of. None of them know what they are doing. They think you can just turn this website off. It is the consumer facing site for the tourism industry in the city. How dare they think they should just decommission this and the related social media accounts without

asking anyone in the industry first?

"The board has ignored any and all advice given to them in recent months. They think they know better.

"It would really have been better if the company had just been wound up months ago rather than drawing it out until now."

In letter to all staff, it was explained that the financial position of the company had become even worse than before. It had deteriorated to such a degree that the company would not even be able to meet any obligations if staff had been put on furlough under the government's Covid-19 job retention scheme. When the previous board resigned there was sufficient funding to close it down.

Redundancy consultations were conducted by an external company. The staff who remained oversaw the "protection of the company's core assets and assisting with hibernation" for a period of two months. This process included the preservation of intellectual property and data collected within the business.

Only those in Film Edinburgh were retained to work in-house at the council. Convention Edinburgh is also closed down.

In additon to the £200,000 spent on the organisation in March, a reliable source told The Edinburgh Reporter that a further £50,000 was to be billed to the council.

That, in addition to the salaries paid to staff since autumn 2019, is likely to be the same figure as the cost of the rejected turnaround plan.

The timing of the demise of ME coincides with the coronvirus pandemic and all the business uncertainty that goes with that, but that is just coincidental.

There was always going to be a new body by 1 April 2020. The council said in its Revenue Budget update for 2020/21 that there will be a "saving" of £490,000 next year as they don't have to allocate any further spending on Marketing Edinburgh. There will be a need for marketing of some kind to promote Edinburgh as it recovers from Covid-19 and that costs money.The global tourism industry is on its knees and it's anyone's guess when international borders will reopen and travellers will feel comfortable enough to venture abroad. Edinburgh needs to be ahead of the game in ensuring it is marketed abroad to attract much needed tourist income.

theedinburghreporter.co.uk

NEWS

7

Pavement CPR by hero Lewis saves man's life

By Stephen Rafferty A hero sales assistant came to the rescue and helped save the life of a suspected heart attack victim who was lying helpless by the side of a road.

First aid trained Lewis Freeman, 23, jumped in to action and administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the stricken man, without any consideration of risk to his own health from potential coronavirus infection.

Lewis was returning home to Musselburgh when he saw a number of people gathered around a figure on the pavement near Seaview Terrace in Portobello.

Trained in first aid since he was 16 when he took an extra-curricular course at Musselburgh Grammar, the father of four has regularly updated his cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge and training.

No one at the scene had any first aid experience so Lewis set to work on the man with text book CPR techniques, working on his chest and giving mouth-to-mouth ventilation.

The man was not breathing on his own but Lewis’s actions, assisted by a passing consultant, was crucial in keeping him alive until paramedics arrived on the scene.

Lewis has since received a phone call from the man’s wife and police officers updating him on his continued recovery.

Lewis said: “I was out shopping with my dad and we saw a group of people gathered around a body and pulled over the van. A few people were trying to help the man but none of them were first aid trained and instinct then kicked in.

Lewis Freeman and his wife Laura “He was not responsive, training dictates you do all the necessary checks and then perform CPR, which was 30 compressions to two breaths. I only thought about the risk of coronavirus after the event. The chance of getting the virus is a smaller percentage than the 100 percent chance, that if I did not act he, may not have made it.

“There was a consultant with a medical background who also helped and told me how the man was responding and that he had started breathing but it was very shallow. I’ve since heard from the man’s family and also the police that he survived and is making a recovery.”

Lewis, a sales assistant at ASDA, said: “This just shows how important it is for more people to become first aid trained as you never know what scenario you might find yourself in. I was glad I was able to put all my training to use and to help bring about a positive outcome.”

Every year more than 3,500 people in Scotland are treated by the ambulance service after having a cardiac arrest but only around 1 in 12 will survive. www.savealife.scot

EICC doing fair share Events scheduled to take place at The Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) have been cancelled but staff have rallied to support a number of community initiatives.

In partnership with FareShare, the food redistribution specialist, and Heavy Sound, a Tranent-based social enterprise that uses music, arts, and sport to work with young people from a range of different backgrounds, food from the EICC’s kitchens was distributed to vulnerable communities in and around Edinburgh.

Marshall Dallas, EICC CEO, said: “With a significant amount of food in our kitchens that we’re unable to use for events, the natural thing to do was to find ways of getting it to the people who need it most just now.

“The work being done by FareShare across the UK and Heavy Sound in Edinburgh and East Lothian is quite staggering, their teams are working tirelessly to get food to so many communities and it’s a real privilege to play a part in that.”

8

The Edinburgh Reporter

FEATURE

Lockdown is opportunity to find our

By Stephen Rafferty Will Scotland emerge from Covid-19 as a nation of polyglots, dancers, musicians and yoga masters, or will we slump back to our old pre-pandemic couch potato habits?

Certainly, there are plenty options for those with a desire to put this enforced downtime to positive use, and a diverse range of online hobbies, pastimes and new skills can offer up something of interest for even the hardest to please.

LET'S DANCE With summer holidays and foreign jaunts confined to wishful thinking, some may welcome the chance to import an invigorating splash of South American style in to their living rooms, and Scotland’s leading Argentine tango tutors, Jenny and Ricardo Oria, can do just that.

With their popular weekly dance classes at Dance Base in the Grassmarket and St Paul’s Church in Pilrig put on hold, the dashing couple are helping dancers to practice their tango embrace and steps with a series of online courses.

The classes are suitable for all levels, including newcomers who may want to dip in to the world of tango before starting classes post-lockdown, and they can be taken by individuals or couples.

Jenny and Ricardo have been dancing together since 2002 and appear regularly at tango festivals throughout the UK and Europe.

Jenny said: “We really miss our teaching classes but we have not been sitting around with our feet up. After a lot of late nights and early mornings, we are excited to present our online tango offering and we we are adding to it every day.

“These on-line tutorials focus on techniques for both roles, solo techniques, core steps and variations, and are designed for all different levels. We have done everything as a subscription service, so people can pay per month and can cancel whenever they want.” www.oriatango.com LET'S TALK For those who have promised for years to get yacking in a foreign language, Yakety Yak Language Café now have an online offering for anyone looking to parlo Italiano, or indeed improve their French, Spanish, German, Gaelic, Portuguese, Greek, Japanese, Chinese or Russian.

Pre-coronavirus, Yakety Yak met in small conversational groups in cafés and bistros in Edinburgh, Glasgow and East Lothian, with each group hosted by a native speaking tutor.

Participants need a basic knowledge of their particular language and to be able to hold a

simple conversation. Now, Yakety Yak is keeping conversation alive with online sessions.

Yakety Yak founder, Jordan Peyroche, said: “Zoom works very well for our needs and since going online, as well as our regulars in Edinburgh and Glasgow, we have had new participants from the Borders, the Highlands, London and the Netherlands.

"When our meetings get back to normal we will keep the online service for people who are isolated or who love too far away to travel to our meet-ups in person.” yaketyyak-languagecafe.co.uk

"After a lot of late nights and early mornings, we are excited to present our online tango offering."

For those who prefer 1-1 lingua, Edinburgh based Italian-French couple Mariangela Cafagna and Julien Presles offer classes in their native languages from beginners to all levels. Tailored lessons, study plans or just the chance to chat to a fluent speaker, are provided on Skype or Zoom and they offer the first trial lesson free to see if it suits the starter student.

Mariangela, who hails from Puglia on Italy's heel, said: “For people stuck at home in this strange situation it’s an ideal time to take up that language they always promised they would learn and to keep their minds busy. We have seen a real increase in the number of weekly lessons, and if people can’t get away on holiday at least the language can visit them.

"I have been teaching Italian online since 2016 and I really love my job. It is my goal to combine my range of experience with my ability to be an upbeat, enthusiastic and informative tutor who will make a positive contribution to the improvement of your Italian."

Parisian Julien moved to the UK in 2012 in order to perfect his English, and has taught French to hundreds of students over the last eight years.

He said: "Throughout these years I have had the privilege to teach to a diverse range of people, from children to seniors, from beginners to advanced level, from people coming from the UK to people coming all the way from South Korea."

Online lessons can be 30, 60 or 90 minutes and their colleagues offer teaching in Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish. www.languagesunited.org LET'S MOVE For people confined to home yoga may be a solution for keeping body and soul refreshed in these challenging times.

A number of city yoga studios

Tango dancers Jenny and Ricardo Oria. Photo www.pennmann.co.uk

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r creative side have taken classes online, including The Yoga Room in Forth Street, whose owner, Stacey Chavis, said: “Making time for yourself and your practice has never been more important than it is today.

"During this time of social distancing, we have an opportunity to pause and ‘refuel’ in preparation for our return to life after lockdown. Our studio has been forced to temporarily close its doors due to Covid-19 however my classes, and several of my partner teachers, have simply moved online.” edinburghyogaroom.com LET'S PLAY And lockdown blues could be lifted with a tinkling of the ivories as music teacher Andrew Walker offers flexible lessons for children, young people and adult of all ages.

Pre-pandemic, the Andrew Walker School of Music taught more than 45 students a week in three locations at Bruntsfield, Elm Row and Barnton Park, but online piano tuition could be music to the ears of people (if not their neighbours)who have had their fill of Netflix and crave something more creative. andrewwalkerpiano.com

Naked ambition takes drawing classes online A life drawing club is attracting hundreds of artists after taking their weekly meetings online. All The Young Nudes usually meet in Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh and Sloan’s in Glasgow but have been forced to reshape their business model in light of the coronavirus epidemic.

Club founder Joanna Susskind has had more than 300 guests logging in to her online Monday classes where artists can improve their skills sketching nude models in a variety of locations.

The classes are suitable for beginners who have never lifted a pencil or brush. Joanna said: “ATYN has been going for 12 years and we have always welcomed beginners and people of all ages.

It’s really life drawing, for everyone, you don’t need to be an artist. We are all about two hours of fun and inclusion - and good music.

“Perhaps you’ve never been along in real life, but fancy seeing what it’s all about and now is your chance to join in. All you need to bring is some paper and a pencil.

You can draw in your PJs, grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine, turn the volume up, and sit back and relax with us.”

The evening starts with a meet and greet during which Joanna plays a mix of music to get the creative juices flowing. After a short introduction by Joanna,

the model strikes up two five minute poses followed by a 10 minute pose. After a short break, the second half includes two 20 minute poses, giving artists enough time to hone their skills.

The live stream session costs £5 and is available for replays for £3 after the session ends.

Everyone who paid for a ticket will have access to the replays which means they can watch the show and pause on any pose and work on it for as long as they like.

“Each week we are lucky to have different contributors who work with us to help develop our online drawing skills. Our models are usually nude, but we have some plans for some other drawing sessions in the pipe line - still lives, animals and acrobats to name a few.”

To find out more about ATYN visit www.atyn.co.uk

Joanna Susskind

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theedinburghreporter.co.uk

Bad times won't last sing it out loud Scottish children’s music charity Fischy Music are keeping children amused during the lockdown with weekly Online Assemblies.

They have now been watched by thousands of children, families and teachers looking for some good home schooling resources.

Songs such as, 'Bad times won’t last', are being watched and sung along to by thousands of children, many of whom sing them regularly at school and feel a sense of belonging through song.

Stephen Fischbacher, Creative Director of Fischy Music, said: “Many of our songs give children permission to express a range of

emotions, both ‘comfortable’ ones and ‘uncomfortable’ ones as well.

"This is so important for good mental health. I really believe that singing songs, listening to songs and writing songs are hugely beneficial in helping many people manage their emotions in these really challenging days."

“Anyone watched @Fischy Music Assembly yet? I’d recommend it for an uplifting singalong (or listen if that’s more your thing). Includes some favs ‘Hello’ ‘Special Kind of Heroes’ and I really liked ‘Someone is with you’.” - Brunstane Primary School. www.fischytunes.com

TV tales to tantalise

by Adam Zawadzki Hollywood, from writer/director/ producer Ryan Murphy (The Politician) is set during the golden age of cinema. The story focuses on a group of filmmakers and their attempts to make it in the film industry.

With an impressive ensemble cast including Darren Criss (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story), David Corenswet (The Politician), Dylan McDermott (The Practice), Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men), Jim Parsons (Hidden Figures) and Queen Latifah (Hairspray), expect awards nominations for this high end television production.

While the first series of psychological thriller Homecoming featured Julia Roberts (August: Osage County) and Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk) in leading roles and was nominated for three Golden Globes, the second series will be released on 22 May with Janelle Monáe (Moonlight) and Chris Cooper (Seabiscuit) taking over. While the first series was based on the podcast Homecoming , the second series will contain a new story and characters. With its draw of top talent, past and present, anticipate more critical acclaim.

Written in the sands

Beach art at Portobello Life is a beach – or maybe it’s just what you make of it if pop-up art appearing on the coast around Edinburgh is anything to go by.

Down Porty way, it’s not unusual to find driftwood sculptures along the stretch of golden sands but a recent addition was a circular design scraped on the beach early one morning.

And with Covid-19 limiting contact between friends and

families, youngster have taken to leaving chalked birthday messages along the Prom in lieu of sending birthday cards.

Not to be outdone, an organic sculpture continues to grow on the beach a few miles further east on Fisherrow Sands at Musselburgh.

It’s believed Standing Sticks was started by one person placing a few larger pieces of wood and now others keep adding to the project.

FEATURE

9

#StayAtHome Ideas to keep you busy

The show must go on and Quarantine Cabaret is on every Saturday night. Their goal is to help raise some money for independent performers who have lost income during lockdown. So far they have had poetry, music and drag. They had music from the mighty Withered Hand, so the ongoing shows are likely to be really worth turning up for. @ QuarantineCab on Twitter has the latest details.

Invisible (Edinburgh) virtual Tour: Invisible Cities have created a virtual tour of Edinburgh so you can discover the Scottish Capital through photos, audio and video files. You can book a Zoom call with your guide Paul, should you have any further questions on history, and also homelessness or social justice. Tour guides have all experienced homelessness. invisible-cities.org Edinburgh World Heritage keeps us up to date with the history of our two world heritage sites.

Their site is a good place to start exploring the city using interactive maps. www.ewh.org.uk The good part about virtually visiting galleries is that you can see pieces of art which are in storage and which you would not see even if the galleries were open.

One such painting is the portrait of James Adam painted by Antonio Zucchi which portrays Adam on his grand tour of Italy in 1763. He was one of the sons of WIlliam Adam who designed extensions to Hopetoun House at South Queensferry. Picture below courtesy of National Galleries of Scotland nationalgalleries.org

Edinburgh Zoo's live cameras are keeping people entertained. So now you don’t even have to walk up that steep hill. Sit back and watch the penguins and pandas having the time of their lives without being watched all the time by real, live actual people.

And some are having babies. The Northern Rockhopper penguin chicks hatched live on webcam.

This is an endangered species so it is good news that 14 eggs were laid. edinburghzoo.org.uk/ Weaving from home If you are inspired by the handwoven tapestries at Dovecot then you can have a go yourself with a simple frame loom. They believe anybody can enjoy the art of weaving.There are lessons on the Dovecot website for you to follow. dovecotstudios.com

The Edinburgh Reporter

10 BUSINESS

Buzzworks staff step forward to help community Covid-19 efforts Bar and restaurant owners Buzzworks have donated £10,000 to UK Hospitality Action. The funding is intended to support those working in the hospitality industry. There is a 24 hour advice hotline, and counselling sessions, grants and money advice available.

The company owns Scotts at South Queensferry as well as other outlets in West Lothian and on the west coast, and all remain closed at present in accordance with government guidelines.

Kenny Blair, Managing Director at Buzzworks Holdings, said: “Along with many others in the hospitality industry, Buzzworks is feeling the impact of Covid-19, having to temporarily close our doors as instructed by the UK Government.

We have been in the fortunate position however to retain the vast majority of our existing team - over 500 members of staff - through government grants across our portfolio.

“Everyone is in this crisis together and feeling its effect, so we are doing what we can to ensure all of our stakeholders are taken care of. Both our suppliers will be paid and our staff will continue to receive their wages weekly and where we haven’t been

able to keep on five of our team members due to their short time with Buzzworks, we have made sure that they receive payment in lieu of their notice and assistance to find other temporary work.

“We’re fortunate in that the business is in a good position to look after our stakeholders and we hope our small donation to Hospitality Action, who does fantastic work for those within the industry, will offset some of the hardship facing many across the UK.” With over 500 members of the Buzzworks team currently furloughed until further notice, many have gone on to offer their services to those in need. Some

Buzzworks chefs in Ayrshire have been using their time to cook meals for vulnerable people through local charity Centrestage, student NHS staff working part time within the business have stepped up to assist GPs and hospitals, whilst many more have volunteered to help their local communities in any way they can.

Blair continued: “Having built our family business for over 40 years, we would not be in the position we are in without our dedicated Buzzworks team. With so many putting themselves forward to take on temporary work to support those most at need within the community, that commitment has shone through once again and this makes us feel incredibly proud."

Kenny Blair, Managing Director at Buzzworks Holdings

Lottery aid rocks with dads charity Edinburgh based charity, Dads Rock, will be able to provide a wide range of online support to 1,000 families across the city over the next six months thanks to a National Lottery award of £9,950.

Scran Academy also received an award of £10,000 to deliver free hot meals to vulnerable people across the north of Edinburgh, working with local partners to ensure gaps in service are covered.

The award to Dads Rock and Scran are two of six in Edinburgh sharing in £247,582 of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. Across the country, 141 groups from charities to smaller voluntary led community projects, are receiving funding raised by National Lottery players for a range of activities, many of which will help people to support each other through the Covid-19 crisis. Projects funded include those that will deliver

emergency care packages to vulnerable Scots, those providing online and telephone support to isolated people, as well as projects that will bring people together and give hope for the future once the lockdown is over.

Thomas Lynch, Service Manager, Dad’s Rock, said: “Every year we work in deprived areas to help dads, children and families in need of support through free playgroups, mentoring of young dads and delivering antenatal and parenting workshops.

“Thanks to this funding we have been able to respond quickly to the impact of Covid-19 and support our beneficiaries at this difficult time.

"We are now providing online workshops to parents, including antenatal and Raising Children with Confidence. We are also supporting our Young Dads online and, on the telephone, providing music tuition online and providing

support to all our families through videos and social media.

“Through these activities parents feel supported and have the tools they need to fully support their children, even in lockdown.”

John Loughton, founder and CEO of Scran Academy said: "Covid-19 has hit our communities rapidly and created serious implications for many of our most vulnerable people. Scran Academy and our partners have been able to repurpose and rapidly respond to help offer over 10,500 delivered ready meals to those elderly, frail, facing food poverty or socially isolated. The support from The National Lottery demonstrates a trust and understanding in us as grassroots providers to ensure no-one went hungry or alone from day one."

“Agencies like ours have become not only the sole source of hot food and human contact, but like a fifth emergency service."

Love Your Double Business lives bounce for online house sales Edinburgh networking club, Love Your Business, will welcome Chris van der Kuyl, Chairman of 4J Studios Ltd, the developer behind Minecraft Console Editions on 28 May. LYB was established two years ago and pre-lockdown met on the last Thursday of the month at Black Ivy in Bruntsfield.

Speakers included Marie Owen, founder of LS Productions, Alice Thompson, co-founder of Social Bite, Mike Welch, OBE, founder of Blackcircles.com and rugby legend, Scott Hastings.

LYB founder Michelle Brown said: “I’m a big believer in the power of networking in business to build relationships, help other businesses and share contacts and referrals, which is why I am delighted to be able to take Love Your Business online and continue to help businesses who need it even more just now in the current climate. The format will be slightly different but the focus on helping and inspiring business owners will remain the same.”

Register for the event for £5 plus booking fee with 50% going to LYB’s affiliated charity partner, Support in Mind Scotland. https://bit.ly/3cGmzU6

Scottish Building Society Chief Executive, Paul Denton, predicts Scotland's £18 billion housing market will have two bouncebacks after lockdown and he expects that prices will return to preCovid-19 levels.

The housing market has been hit by the lockdown, with people staying at home.

The Registers of Scotland closed, making property purchases and sales impossible.

Mr Denton said: “We are still open for business and we are starting to see signs that buyers are now thinking about life after the Covid-19 peak, with a rise in inquiries on purchase mortgages.

And indeed, our staff are busy processing remortgages, even for those on a mortgage holiday.

“Mortgage technology provider Twenty7Tech provide a good litmus test of the current state of the market.

"Normally, the ratio of purchase mortgages to remortgages is 55 per cent to 45 per cent.

"During Covid-19 we have seen that fall to as low as 20:80.

"Now we are seeing that figure edge up to around 30:70, nothing like before, but an indication of growing confidence.”

Virtual home viewings go the distance While social distancing measures mean that inperson property viewings are not currently available, some ESPC agents have adapted and now offer virtual property viewings.

These take different forms, including live video viewings with the seller, pre-recorded videos or 360 degree video tours.

Interested buyers should click the ‘register to view’ button on the property they are interested in on ESPC and submit their contact details to find out what viewing options are available from the agent and seller.

Where there is not a virtual property viewing available, the Home Report, property schedule and photographs are all easily accessible online.

For those who would prefer to view the property in person, the

selling agent can take a note of contact details and get in touch to arrange this once the current social distancing measures have been lifted.

A number of the ESPC agents have also reported that some buyers are choosing to submit an offer or note of interest subject to an in-person viewing once the restrictions have been lifted.

At present the advice from Registers of Scotland is to postpone or reschedule residential property transactions. If these cannot be delayed for any reason then the Registers have a digital submission solution.

Although this is not yet fully operational it has been tested, but the Keeper will have to give it the go-ahead in consultation with The Law Society of Scotland. www.espc.com

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THE BEST OF... 11

The Edinburgh Reporter Best Of...

Lighthouse Bookshop's Life Raft This will keep you and the bookshop afloat while the shop is closed. The Lighthouse online shop is accepting all book orders.

Email the titles and the shop will send a payment link and arrange dispatch.

More details on lighthousebookshop.com

Ardgowan Distillery Enjoy the recently released Clydebuilt Coppersmith - a limited edition blend of malts matured in first fill Oloroso sherry casks.

FREE shipping with a branded Glencairn nosing glass. Live tasting events with whisky maker Max MacFarlane. shop.ardgowandistillery.com

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home Rescue, reunite, rehome.

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home accepts any dog or cat that reaches their door in need, and works tirelessly to secure happy and loving forever homes.

26 Seafield Road East, EH15 1EH 0131 669 5331 info@edch.org.uk

Queen’s Hall The hall is an independent charity which needs £100,000 each year to look after the building and run outreach projects. If you can send a donation - much needed now.

85-89 Clerk Street, EH8 9JG 0131 668 2019 www.thequeenshall.net

Art & Craft Collective A unique gallery and gift shop experience in Edinburgh's Southside - literally a cornucopia of all media. Join their mailing list and buy art online.

93 Causewayside EH9 1DG 0131 639 9123 artcraftcollective.co.uk

Di Giorgio's Caffe & Bar Lots of cakes and slices, coffee, pasta and lasagne to go. Morning rolls and ciabattas too.

This is brownie heaven with a range of different flavours for you to choose from. One person at a time in the shop. Be patient! facebook.com/digiorgiocaffe

Twelve Triangles If you are desperate for a sweet treat the Brunswick Street and Portobello High Street shops opens at 8.30am until they have sold out of everything. Also delivery next day where possible, minimum order £15. twelve-triangles-myshopify.com

Independent Wine Company A specialist importer of boutique fine wines from Italy. Carefully hand-picked award-winning wines of premium quality sourced direct from the winemakers.

Oleg and Elvira visit every vineyard themselves. Online deliveries available. independent.wine

Rose Theatre Café You don't know what you've got till its scone . . . Mary and Sinead say: "We are open for takeaway, come grab a coffee and a scone, it can be part if your daily walk routine in this crazy new world order." Preorder bread by FB Messenger www.facebook.com/ rosetheatrecafe

The Fine Wine Company The Portobello wine shop has stepped up delivery of wines and spirits, even champagne if you feel like it. Adam and Alex Rankine are also helping us by distributing our papers. Delivering to EH7, EH15 and EH21 at the moment. Shop open from 10am to 6pm thefinewinecompany.co.uk

The Haven Dreaming about getting back to Natalie's cosy café for breakfast lunch and coffee where they have free WiFi and fabulous cakes.

But their happy friendly staff are enjoying a break for now.

Anchorfield, EH6 4JG 0131 467 7513 @TheHavenCafe on Facebook

Mademoiselle Macaron Although there are only three of them in the kitchen to observe social distancing, the team at MM are womanfully getting the orders out as fast as they can.

They offer many different flavours - a little bit of France right here in Edinburgh. mademoisellemacaron.co.uk

Golden Hare Books Staff are working hard during the Covid-19 outbreak to add as many books as they can to their online bookshop. They are also offering free delivery to all EH postcodes 0131 225 7755 mail@goldenharebooks.com goldenharebooks.com

Craig Banks Tailoring Bespoke tailoring for men. Craig's focus is on making the highest quality personally tailored attire that others will aspire to. His pyjamas and dressing gowns will make your video calls so stylish!

45 Thistle Street EH2 1DY 0131 226 7775 craigbankstailoring.com

Merienda Michelin award-winning Merienda are offering a Social Distancing menu for delivery in and around Edinburgh. With sister catering company Exec Chef Cuisine they will deliver food to help stock fridges and freezers. www.eat-merienda.com

Craigie's Farm Shop Online ordering of fruit and vegetables, quality butchery and dairy products and what they call 'indulgent treats'.

The farm shop is open but you can choose safely online, and either have your order delivered, or go to collect it. craigies.co.uk

The Glenturret Shop Four individually hand crafted Glenturret glass baubles filled with different single malts. It is the perfect gift to send to any whisky lover, and of course you can do this or order a bottle or two for yourself online. theglenturret.com

Roots They are offering veg boxes with zero contact delivery and collection options. Free delivery in certain cases. Support local business!

18 William Street EH3 7NH 0131 225 6376 munch@rootsedinburgh.co.uk

Cater Edinburgh Chef Barry Bryson is running a solo home delivery service with a choice of classic dishes. Examples include: Spiced lamb tagine, cottage pie, salmon and hake fish pie. Delivered with heating instructions.

Barry@cateredinburgh.com Tel 07961 573 658

Home Delivery Have The Edinburgh Reporter delivered to your home or business. Our subscription can be paid monthly or annually and your copy of the newspaper will be mailed to you. www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/ advertising/subscribe-to-ournewspaper-delivery-service/

The Edinburgh Reporter

12 FEATURE

Poetry is essential in face of difficult times Scotland's Makar, Jackie Kay, has written a poem to thank essential workers during the coronavirus outbreak.

The national poet hails chemists, volunteers, carers, delivery workers, and those in the food supply chain and she wrote Essential as a “huge, big, thank you” to those working on the front line. She said: "We've become as a society, and as the world, even more aware and more appreciative of every single thing that people do and the effort they're making to keep us fed and to keep us safe."

ESSENTIAL Up, doon, the length of our land Aberfeldy, Ardnamurchan There’s uplift, sharing; pass the baton!

A frontline forming, hand to fierce hand.

Shopfront workers, doon the aisle; New-era queues metres apart.

The chemist’s prescription warms the heart.

Delivery folk vanish, ghost a smile.

Volunteers at the local food bank…

Shy half-moon in a clear Scots’ sky.

We leave with tins, groceries, goodbyes…

Clap in the gloaming when we say our Thanks.

And the sky greets with stars And the bold birds sing As we clink in our links in the Kindness line; Holding absent hands for Auld Lang Syne.

May Crossword Across 1. Charts begin to stiffen (6) 5. Compassionate about racing (6) 8. Rep in Eton supplying means of removing lids from cans (3-6) 9. To abate in part of inlet, upstream (3, 2) 11. From afar umpire spots this flower (4) 12. Eton mob nip out and become well-fed and plump (10) 13. Is teased about this part of New York (4, 4) 15. In drag, group cause trouble (5) 17. Re-built adobe as a new dwelling- place (5) 19. Cuts open discs set aside (8) 22. Inhabitant of Sumatra, for example, found instead in a different place (4, 6) 23. In the dusk I wink at this flightless bird (4) 25. Cessation of hostilities over cruet (5) 26. Tell man to arrange distribution of shares (9) 27. Safest way to prepare abundant amounts of food (6) 28. A sling could be used to pass information (6) 1

2

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Down 2. Languages might help us get on, somehow (7) 3. In a year I perceive crop is ready to harvest (4) 4. Admen had prepared campaign about goods that are fashioned manually (8) 5. Large bottle smashed by a roc (6) 6. Acts out real situations according to year's poll (9) 7. Ninth go creates zero (7) 8. One who arranges holiday provides relevant tag (6, 5) 10. Pastor Ann, it appears, is protected by such a holy person (6, 5) 14. Samples of men's epics (9) 16. Strangely, is calmer about supernatural events (8) 18. Unfortunately, Rob's cue is not evident (7) 20. Fabulous monster found round each rim (7) 21. Standards of perfection concerning ladies (6) 24. Profit-making deer ? (4)

The Scottish National Exhibition was held in Saughton Park and opened to the public on 1 May 1908, attracting 3.5 million vistors before closing on 31 October. The official opening was performed by Prince Arthur of Connaught, a grandson of Queen Victoria.

An earlier exhibition at The Meadows in 1886 had been a great success but was not availabe, however timing is everything and the city council had just taken ownership of the sprawling 42 acrea Saughton Hall estate which proved the ideal location.

This photo was added to Edinburgh Collected by Edinburgh City Archives who hold the official historical records of the Council and its previous authorities. They also have records about the Edinburgh area created by individuals, businesses, societies, clubs and organisations. Their aim is to preserve these records and provide access to them for generations to come.

Edinburgh Collected is an online community photo archive managed by Edinburgh Libraries. You can add your own memories to help preserve the city’s history for the future. It is also a good way for organisations to preserve their archives in online scrapbooks www.edinburghcollected.org

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Photographer Thomas Haywood has been using his daily walks to get shots of the empty streets and of course some of our iconic places like Edinburgh Castle. thomashaywood.co.uk

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FOOD 13

theedinburghreporter.co.uk

Juliet's Food Diary - lockdown crumbs of comfort

by Juliet Lawrence Wilson Has bread making become tiresome yet? Pre-lockdown and beyond, bread flour appeared to be one of the most hoarded items.

We’re all Paul Hollywood now, which is a rather terrifying thought and should, when the pubs reopen, send the barmaids scurrying into the beer cellars.

If like our Paul, you’ve been making your own bread, along with the new muscle tone in your arms, one thing you won’t want to waste is any of your precious efforts.

This month I’ve come up with some old but good ideas for using stale bread. First idea is to make breadcrumbs. Tear it up, crusts and all and roast lightly on a baking tray. Whizz in a food processor or break up in a bag with a rolling pin, saying to yourself: “Who’s got a soggy bottom now, Hollywood!?” These can be stored and used for home made fish fingers, or as a crunchy topping when baking a lasagne, cauliflower cheese or macaroni.

Croque Madame This would be a Croque Monsieur (which means Mr Crunch!) if you didn’t bother with the fried egg.

When I make this for my daughter I

don’t add the mustard and it's still super tasty. If you don’t have any French cheese to hand, worry not and use some cheddar instead, the world won’t end. Unless you’re French and then it probably will.

This recipe makes two.

For the sauce: 1tbs all purpose flour 1tbs butter 1 cup milk 1 half cup grated Gruyere cheese Melt the butter over a low heat and stir in the flour. Gradually add in the milk and keep stirring until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. I like to add a little freshly ground nutmeg at this point.

Season to taste and add the cheese. Stir and set aside off the heat.

To assemble: 4 slices of toast, 2 tbs softened butter, 2 slices ham, big enough to cover the toast, 2 slices of cheese, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Preheat the oven to 250F. Spread each piece of toast with butter, then place two pieces, butter side down on a baking tray. Spread each slice with the mustard, top with ham, then three quarters of the cheese. On the non buttered side of the remaining two pieces of toast, spread half the sauce and put them onto the other slices sauce side down. Spread the remaining sauce on the top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake in the oven until bubbling and golden, usually 10 minutes. Top with a fried egg and serve with a crispy green salad if you’re feeling fancy.

Panzanella Purists may disagree with my version of this but in current times the only purism we're after is social distancing and hand washing, thanks. This is basically a tossed salad with bread in it, and only stale bread works. It’s a great dish for using up bits and pieces but should almost always taste of summer. If you can't get tasty enough tomatoes use sunblush.

Serves two.

Handful fresh basil 3tbs extra virgin olive oil 1tbs capers 2tsp red wine vinegar 150g stale bread (sourdough or Focaccia work best) 300g ripe tomatoes Small sliced red onion You can also add a roasted red pepper, a ball of mozzarella, olives, cucumber, whatever you like.

Save a few basil leaves to garnish and add the rest to either a food processor or a pestle and mortar with the oil, capers and vinegar.

Whiz or bash but either way I like to keep a bit of texture. You could pop half a clove of garlic in if you like, why not? Chop the tomatoes and give them a squeeze into your serving bowl. Add all the other large ingredients then the dressing. Mix well and ideally leave for a bit to let the flavours develop and the tomato juice and dressing to soak into the bread.

Although this goes well with a nice piece of roasted white fish, it’s also a meal on its own.

Perfect Panzanella

Juliet’s Croque Madame

Cooking with Barry Beetroot hummus, crispy egg, pan-fried asparagus for four.

400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed 4-5 fresh garlic cloves crushed Juice of 1 lemon teaspoon of cumin 200g peeled cooked beetroots 150ml olive oil Salt and pepper 5 free-range eggs 75g plain flour 75g panko or light coloured breadcrumbs 300ml vegetable oil 2 packs fresh British asparagus Olive oil and Maldon salt Add chickpeas, lemon, garlic, cumin and salt and pepper to a food processor.

Pulse to combine. Slowly start adding olive oil until combined (add more if you prefer runny and dip-like). Remove from processor, put into a bowl, add beets to processor and a couple tbsps of cold water. Blitz until smooth (for extra smooth pass through

a sieve). Combine beets with puréed chickpea, mix thoroughly.

Cover and leave for a few hours or overnight for flavour to develop.

Half an hour ahead of eating take hummus out of the fridge.

You can prepare the rest of the dish by bringing a pan of water to a gentle simmer. Place four eggs (at room temperature) into the water. Simmer for 4 and a half mins. Turn off heat. Let them sit in the water for 30 secs. Drain and run eggs under cold water for a few minutes. Allow to cool.

Carefully shell them and place into a fridge to “firm” for a few mins. Make the crumb. Place the flour, final beaten egg and crumbs into 3 separate bowls, passing soft boiled egg through them in that order. You now have 4 nicely coated eggs.Begin to heat veg oil until it’s hot. Sprinkle a few crumbs into the oil. If they sizzle it’s ready. Prepare asparagus: Snap the fibrous part off. Give them a quick wash, add olive oil to a non-stick pan. Heat gently. Add one egg at a time into the hot veg oil and baste until golden (it will take under 20 secs) and lift out

Barry’s gone big on beetroot this month carefully with a slotted spoon. Add the asparagus to the non-stick pan and sauté for a couple of minutes and season. You can now plate up, the hummus first then adding the crispy runny-middle egg and

hot asparagus, enjoy. PS you can embellish this dish even more by adding a sprinkling of dried chillies and finely chopped white anchovy over the top.

Chef B

arry B

ryson

14 PHOTO OF THE MONTH

The Edinburgh Reporter

This month our photo is by amateur photographer, Walter McGillivray, whose work has featured in The Edinburgh Reporter before.

Walter told us about his shot. He said: “I went up to the top of The Sir Walter Scott Monument one day and this was one of the views which includes Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street Gardens (as they were) and the Art Galleries.”

If you are a keen photogrpaher then please do think about sharing your work with us and it can be published here. You don't have to be the best photographer in the world - but we like the photo to be of, or at any rate connected with, Edinburgh.

Want your photo featured here?

Email your photo to editor@theedinburghreporter.co.uk

The Edinburgh Sketcher Mark, the Edinburgh Sketcher, has a number of printed items including mugs, tea towels and gift cards, which feature his fabulous ink and watercolour sketches of the city. They are available together with

mounted prints and originals in a few independent shops around Edinburgh and also his own Etsy shop online. Check his website at edinburghsketcher.com for a full list of stockists and browse his online shop there too.

Crossword Answers 1

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@EdinReporter

/EdinReporter

edinburghreporter

Hearts finding their way forward Hearts owners Ann Budge's insistence that she would suspend players who refused to take a pay cut appears to have paid off.

As the Edinburgh Reporter went to press it was reported that most of the first team squad have reluctantly acceded to the demand of cuts of between 10% to 30%.

Club captain Steven Naismith had already agreed to slash his wages by half while manager Daniel Stendel has waived taking a salary.

As the impact of the Covid-19 sports shutdown causes havoc for the financial well-being of many clubs, Tynecastle players attempted to have wages deferred but Budge set down a deadline for acceptance of the proposal or else face suspension, in which case no wages would be paid.

Mrs Budge said: “I have already spoken of my admiration for our people at Heart of Midlothian, the staff who have remained steadfast throughout the turbulence experienced by the club in past years.

"They have again shown their commitment and selflessness by making sacrifices, not least financially, to preserve the long-term sustainability of the club. The same applies to the playing staff, all of whom I have spoken to on an individual basis in the past few weeks to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the club

and the potential implications for themselves.

“Unanimously, they understand the unprecedented circumstances caused by the pandemic and the challenging position the club finds itself in as a consequence of the lockdown and enforced suspension by the football

authorities.

“I outlined the rationale and also explained why a deferral is simply not an option for the club. To reiterate, I cannot and will not, in good conscience, leave the club in a position again where football debt is left as a ‘legacy’ for those who follow.”

Hearts owner Ann Budge at Tynecastle PHOTO Ian Jacobs

theedinburghreporter.co.uk

SPORT 15

SANA fishing for anglers to join up

Hibs offer health advice to fans

by Nigel Duncan It’s an oft repeated question.

What are the benefits of joining the Scottish Anglers National Association (SANA)?

The governing body for game angling in Scotland is focused on developing and encouraging participation for all and ensuring anglers have a voice. Archie Ferguson, a leading official, said there are activities for all ages and skill levels, including fun days. More experienced anglers can improve their skills or meet like-minded people and the organisation has instructors who will advise. He also said that SANA has a network of successful international angling teams: ladies, disabled, youth and stillwater, plus World and European teams.

Migratory and Non-Migratory fish committee members advise and lobby government on issues including pollution, cormorant predation and the decline of wild salmon stocks. SANA were one of the driving forces behind the Scottish Government’s climbdown on rod licences for Scotland. It costs £30 for two rods in England.

Mr Ferguson added: “By joining SANA, you will help to support and maintain this valuable resource.” www.sana.org.uk

by John Hislop Hibs have offered advice to fans on how to maintain their mental and physical health, while also looking out for others.

The club has shared the advice initially prepared for staff on its website: Try to maintain a regular routine, stay connected, eat well and boost immunity, stay active and tell someone if you feel your mental health is worsening.

Performance psychologist, John Marchant, said: "In these unprecedented times, life can be scary, and our mental health impacted as a result. Rumour and speculation can fuel anxiety.

Having access to good, quality information about the virus can help you feel more in control. If you feel like and perceive that you have more control, you’re more likely to cope with the uncontrollable challenge and change that we’re currently experiencing. The guidelines, advice and strategies within this document are ultimately aimed to nudge, assist and encourage you into taking responsibility for your own mental health and wellbeing. This, in turn, should make managing the change more manageable.” www.hibernianfc.co.uk/

Sustrans puts cycling on the map Finishing SPFL season to help key workers saddle up remains in doubt The walking and cycling charity Sustrans has compiled an interactive map to make cycling easier for key workers as they travel to and from work each day during Covid-19.

It shows offers on bike purchasing and hire, equipment, repairs and maintenance which are available to key workers in their local area.

Sustrans Scotland director, Karen McGregor, said: “It’s fantastic to see how the cycling industry has come together to support the people who are working so hard to get us through this crisis.

"The online map was created with the needs of key workers in mind and we hope it will prove useful for everyone needing to cycle to work, be it an experienced commuter who may need a spare part, or a novice who needs access to a cycle.

“In the Covid-19 crisis, cycling can offer a healthy and convenient transportation alternative for key workers.

"And so long as the 2m social distancing rule is observed, it can help them keep a safe physical distance from others. An average commute is 5 miles - a distance that with the right infrastructure in place can be easily cycled in less

than 30 minutes.

"The UK Government has recognised the role cycling can play in helping key workers travel in these challenging times, and we hope this will inspire long-term funding for better walking and cycling infrastructure that Scotland needs.” · Free membership to Nextbike for NHS staff. Includes unlimited 30 minute rides on Nextbikes standard pedal bikes and £2.50 credit for e-bikes. · Cycling UK is offering free membership to all NHS staff. This includes free third party insurance and access to the Cycling UK legal advice service. · Free Brompton bike hire using the app for NHS workers.

Sign up to the app and use code Wheels4NHS using NHS email account. · Virtual Dr Bike from the Bike Project thebikeproject.co.uk · NHS Discounts www.healthstaffdiscounts.co.uk · Edinburgh Bike Co-op shops are offering free puncture repairs to all NHS workers, including free inner tube and 50% off servicing. · Edinburgh Festival of Cycling have an Urban Arrow

Cargo bike free to hire for third sector organisations involved in key work. · Belhaven Bikes, East Lothian: are providing a 'Cycling Care Package' including a free bike service to all key workers. · Leith Cycle Co, Edinburgh: Free bicycle repair for NHS staff in the area with priority booking. Call to book an appointment. · Soul Cycles, Edinburgh: Reconditioned 2nd hand bikes, new bikes and custom builds.

Offering discounts to NHS staff on a case by case basis. · East Side Bikes, Edinburgh: 20% discount for NHS staff across the whole shop. · Harts Cyclery, Edinburgh: Offering key workers priority and speedy servicing. · Edinburgh Cycle Company Ltd: Free bike service and free lights, helmets and jacket courtesy of Madison. Just show your ID. · Bike Station (Edinburgh): The Bike Station is offering free recycled bikes for key workers, priority will be given to Edinburgh residents. www.sustrans.org.uk/ campaigns/cycles-for-keyworkers/

by John Hislop Hopes that the SPFL season 2019/20 could be played to a finish were dealt a blow when First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said that Scottish football should not expect to hold matches in front of fans “any time soon”.

She also said that the prospect of playing behind closed doors needed to be “very carefully considered”.

All football in the country has been suspended since 13 March and most top-flight clubs in the country have played 30 games.

The SPFL had left the door open to complete the top-flight fixtures but the announcement may mean that the league will be called with Celtic declared champions and Hearts subject to relegation unless a sufficient number of clubs agree to reconstruction.

Speaking at her daily briefing, she said: “People should not be under the expectation that largescale, mass gatherings will be starting anytime soon because we must make sure we are doing everything we can to continue to suppress this virus. Some form of social distancing is going to be required up to the point that a vaccine is available.”

When asked about the possibility

of playing games behind closed doors she responded: “We have to consider if that completely takes away the risk. If a match is still on TV, the danger is people will congregate together to watch.

What I will say is they will be very carefully considered and we’ll share as much of that as we can.

“I know that is not good news for people who have sport as a really important part of their lives but it would be wrong for me to give false expectation about an early resumption of large-scale sporting events.”

Hibs CEO, Leeann Dempster, withdrew from the SPFL’s reconstruction group to focus on “the biggest issue facing our game”. She took no part in the group’s first meeting.

She said: “It’s important we plan for supporters to be back in stadiums. And we need to do that as safely as possible, while of course considering things like social distancing and other elements, which we need to get right. We know the challenges that are there.

“We don’t want to challenge government or health officials.We want to work in partnership to look at a plan that allows us to get our stadia open as safely as we can."

The Edinburgh Reporter

16 SPORT

Rowers count the coast of Covid-19 shutdown

By David Lee Coastal rowing is the fastestgrowing sport in Scotland and the sport celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2020 - highly appropriate in the designated Year of Coasts and Waters.

In these strange times, however, no-one is rowing. Although the specially-designed coastal rowing boats - called St Ayles Skiffs - are pretty sizeable (22ft long), it’s hard to get five people in there and maintain social distancing.

Especially when you are rowing fast, breathing hard and sweating profusely.

It’s hard to explain to the non-converted why coastal rowing has ‘exploded’ onto Scottish waters and spread throughout the world. At the end of 2010, there were just six boats (four in the Firth of Forth and two in north east Scotland), and now there are almost 200 boats globally - mostly in Scotland, Northern Ireland and north east England.

The rules of most organised sports just don’t apply to coastal rowing. It is a truly inter-generational sport - at the third coastal rowing world championship in Stranraer last year, the youngest competitor was 12 and the oldest 88. There are more rowers between the ages of 50 and 60 than any other age group, there are more women than men, rowers compete in the gender they identify with, the rowers build and maintain their own boats, and nobody in the coastal rowing community is paid. It is all done on a completely voluntary basis.

So what is it that has so many people hooked? Put simply, four rowers (with one oar each - two oars on each side of the boat)

are guided by a Cox through whatever conditions the sea has delivered up that day. So you might go out on a freezingcold winter morning on a glassy, calm-as-a-millpond sea, or a sunny summer’s day might throw up a day of waves and swell. Even in local waters, seals are often spotted - and occasionally, once very memorably, dolphins dancing in the Forth “Part of the attraction is that you

never know what you will get when you go out,” says Gaynor Allen, Chair of Eskmuthe Community Rowing Club in Musselburgh.

“There is something so special about being out on the water, looking back towards where you live, feeling the wind in your hair and the sun on your face, working as a team to move the boat through the water - gliding over the surface or bouncing over the waves.”

members with no boat-building experience, using a basic kit supplied by Jordan Boats.

For information on Eskmuthe Rowing Club email eskmuthe@ gmail.com and the club will arrange a session when rowing resumes.

Other clubs close to Edinburgh row from South Queensferry, Newhaven, Portobello, Port Seton, North Berwick and Dunbar. www.eskmutherowingclub.org.uk

of the crowd who lined the road outside the Royal Burgess Golf Club as the funeral cortège passed by. Of course, only family members were allowed to attend the funeral.

Irvine said: "Dougie got his first cap when I got my second and then we continued to play together for five years.

"We both played first of all for Edinburgh, and then Scotland. We went on the Scottish tour in New Zealand together, before going back there with the Lions.

"Dougie was an incredible competitor, very brave. His hallmark was that he wasn't the biggest scrum half in the world,

but he had the reputation of being very, very brave. He was a very good ballplayer, and a great kicker.

"He scored a lot of points for Scotland with goal kicks and drop goals.

"He was a very good sportsman and, in addition to rugby he was twelfth man for the Scotland cricket team. He was a schoolboys' golf internationalist as well.

"He was a very popular guy, and of course after he retired he became Scottish coach as well.

He had a fantastic sporting career."

He is survived by wife Doreen and his family.

A skiff making headway under the Forth Bridges at Queensferry

Dougie Morgan 1947-2020

by John Preece Former Scotland scrum half, captain and head coach, Dougie Morgan, died recently at the age of 73, after a long period of illness.

Morgan played for the national side between 1973 and 1978, gaining 21 caps, and also played two Test matches for the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand.

A former pupil of Melville College, Morgan continued to play club rugby for Stewart's-Melville, helping them to gain, among many other achievements, a victory in

Clubs regularly travel all over Scotland (and beyond) for regattas and social rows in the company of fellow coastal rowing clubs.

Although the competitive element is strong, and can be fierce at times, the friendships made are equally strong.

Eskmuthe has two boats moored at Fisherrow Harbour. The first is Honesty (named after The Honest Toun), the second boat, Steedie Falconer, was built in 2015 by club

the 1982 Middlesex Sevens.

One of his former team-mates, Sir Ian McGeechan, who played and coached with Morgan over 40 years, said: “Dougie was a team-mate who became a very good friend during an association with Scottish rugby which covered four decades.

“He was hugely competitive and a talented sportsman - he put up with me on the golf course, an experience which showed his patience and calmness, attributes which made him a perfect

manager in later years.

“Dougie had a deep understanding of the game and was tactically very aware. I will never forget him standing on Gareth Edwards’ foot to distract him whilst trying to put the ball into the scrum, an approach which stopped Wales playing and we ultimately won the game. He was also a natural goal kicker.”

Andy Irvine, OBE, former president of the Scottish Rugby Union, explained that he knew Dougie Morgan well, and was one

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