Dear All

A day late this week to pick up this news…Community enterprise Portobello Central Ltd delivered their improved ‘best and final’ proposal to the City of Edinburgh Council by the noon Friday deadline.  Entitled ‘Delivering New Life’ the bid explains how Portobello can implement the ideas the community came up with for ‘New Life for the Heart of Portobello’.  If all goes well, the community proposal will be favourably considered by the Finance & Resources Committee of the Council on 20 May.  Fingers crossed!

This week’s Porty Podcast looks back in David Calder’s 200th.  Quite a milestone! https://www.buzzsprout.com/71622/8172432

We have agreement from the Spaces for People team to provide a drop-off space in front of the Portobello Baptist Church on Portobello High Street. The work should be done some time in the next three weeks, depending on work schedules. Portobello Older People’s Project might have had to move had we not got this change to the current SfP arrangements.

It’s good to see some consideration of community estates management in Craigmillar, led by the Neighbourhood Alliance and Community Alliance Trust. I hope to see this progressing further over the next few months.  Click here: https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s32448/7.5%20-%20Community%20Led%20Factoring.pdf

Occasionally I get asked about what happens to the waste we methodically sort every day for the recycling.  Click here to find out up to date information: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/whathappenstorecycling

It was nice to see a day in the life of a Portobello family involved in a new venture here: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/day-in-the-life-michele-civiera-of-edinburghs-civerinos-slice-3169073

There is an application in for a New Civic Licence Notice for a Street Trader’s Licence for a mobile, wood fired sauna on the Promenade between John Street and James Street.  I can send you full details direct if you need them or they should be on the licensing website shortly.  I’ll try and find a link for next week.  The application number is No 447316.  The deadline for comments is 12 April 2021.

OneCity Trust’s 2021 Main Grant Funding Programme is open to applications for grants £5,000 – £10,000.  Since 2015, the OneCity Trust has disbursed grants totalling £616,846 to over 120 projects through fundraising, donations and support from various Community Benefit partnerships – CGI, Travis Perkins, CCG (Scotland) Ltd and Engie Regeneration.  This year, a small fund with CCG (Scotland) Ltd  is ring fenced for Ward 17 – Portobello/Craigmillar due to the housing being built in Bingham. Details here:  https://onecitytrust.com/grant-funding-programme/

The Council plans structural repairs to the damaged beach access ramp at the Joppa end of Portobello Esplanade starting Monday 22 March. The contractor is T Menzies of Fife, who made a very good job of similar works at the ramp by the Figgate Burn outlet during 2018. The works should take less than a week.

Council parking attendants have been making regular visits to Duddingston Road to enforce ‘Spaces for People’. Eleven Council Parking Attendant visits were made between 1 and 10 March and they continue to make visits as often a resources allow. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact parkingoperations.customercare@edinburgh.gov.uk. Please do report any aggressive or abusive behaviour to Police Scotland. You might think sensible parents and carers would play by the rules and no enforcement would be needed. After Easter, the primary schools are planning a bit of an awareness raising programme together. Pester power by their children might work where adult persuasion and enforcement and good plain civic responsibility has faltered.

Bridgend Farmhouse and 16 more local organisations intend to stage a Craigmillar Gala 13-15 August. This is the first step to re-start the annual Craigmillar Festival. This year, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Craigmillar becoming part of the City of Edinburgh in 2020. Each organisation will do its own thing in their own venue, but in coordinated way. Bridgend is applying to fund a co-ordinator, someone to work for 24 days in the run-up to the Gala and on the weekend itself. They’re asking the Scottish Events Recovery Fund for £5,000 to fund this post and pay for publicity. I was happy to provide a letter of support.  Fingers crossed! 

The wonderful young people of Craigmillar have been providing delicious meals for people in the community. Read about ti here: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/young-castlebrae-chefs-cook-for-the-community-in-edinburgh-3157919?amp

If you regularly help someone with shopping, preparing meals, washing and dressing you may be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine now, so do call 0800 030 8013.

The Food and Blether group in Craigmillar published their book of recipes ‘Edible Stories’ with Craigmillar Now’s artist-in-residence Nihad al Turk’s drawing on the cover. If you would like a copy, you can get one posted out to you for a donation to Carr Gomm through here https://www.carrgomm.org/donate/donate/5/credit-card and contacting Karin.  The formal book launch will be hosted by Craigmillar Now when it’s safe. Contact Karin Chipulina, Outdoor Community Development Worker, Craigmillar Community Grows, 11 Harewood Drive, Craigmillar karinchipulina@carrgomm.org Tel: 07824838364 .  More about Carr Gomm’s fab work here: www.carrgomm.org

Portobello has set many a good precedent and is set to encourage others by sharing some experience of community empowerment.  Click here and sign up to find out more about the context in which Bellfield was brought into community ownership : https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/no-longer-just-a-rural-story-reflecting-on-five-years-of-urban-land-reform-tickets-144029487073

Have a good weekend – and stay safe and well!

Maureen