Dear All

It’s Thursday and Update is a day early!  But I am off on holiday from early tomorrow until late 18 October.  I can’t really believe it myself and it’s highly likely that I will still be checking emails every single day…..

I’ll miss some fun local things. October Makers Market is at Bellfield on Sunday 3 October, 10am – 4pm, with over 25 local Makers and there will be paella and South African food on sale too! Advance tickets for sale here – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/163011998275

Portobello Market, on Saturday 2 October, in Brighton Park, 9:30am to 1:30pm. Portobello Apple Juice is back again. Check out the website for a full list of stallholders: https://bit.ly/3AEtdGW

Portobello Book Festival have two events online. The Caledonia Crime Collective discuss the diversity of Scottish crime writing, 12 noon on Saturday 2 October. Peter Geoghegan discusses his book ‘Democracy for Sale’ from 3.30pm on Sunday 3 October. To view these events, simply visit this website at those times and find a link: http://portobellobookfestival.com/2021/09/27/how-to-watch-our-online-events/.  Might not miss those!

Edinburgh comes top of a poll this week as the safest place to live in the UK.  See here: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/edinburgh-named-uks-safest-place-to-live-in-new-poll-3396850

Nice to see a plug for Line Walk Mindful Drawing, supported by Artwalk Porty, is currently available on https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000zrw5.  There’s a 10 min + introduction with interviews by Sarah Gittins, Michael Inman and James Spence, played in by Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish’: https://artandecology.earth/pilgrimage-for-cop26/. (Cue 23 min in.)  Find out more about Pilgrimage for COP26, mentioned at the end of the programme here: https://artandecology.earth/pilgrimage-for-cop26/.

Here’s some possible explanations for the increased number of dead of juvenile seabirds, like guillemots, which are washing up on our shores – from The Herald this week: https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/19614862.guillemots-mystery-1000-dead-scottish-seabirds

For those who want to see the benefit of walking more, which I intend to do a lot of over the next couple of weeks, click here: https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/podcasts?fbclid=IwAR0FzQD-Zl2Ks5V71DXbrsLW22ZeaxOy9GQn929zEtg4g_Ol0WYWGSDdzsQ_aem_AdIoVzCTT5twh8D_TQKba1J7mPPGieNACd6QpACrHe3orMAczZVtdJTh4xoiLAc6QGiyvcx5b5NcUAvoP4KSBjeNlYGeNY84To_mlFO2sp0cTX14ljXwcDZZfRNRSyDZvr4

It’s nice to see an historic 1824 map of old Portobello featured here as part of the National Records for Scotland’s contribution to last weekend’s Doors Open Day: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/image-gallery/doors-open-days/doors-open-day-2021-edinburghs-remarkable-features

Building our new Castlebrae Community Campus is progressing well and on track to be complete by 31 January 2022.  If this pace continues, the school can move over, from old to new, at or around the February half-term break.  I visited with some staff a while ago, wearing the hard hat and oversized work boots.  The next phase of visits will involve the Castlebrae learners as well and maybe children from the feeder primary schools too.  Additional information on the fab Castlebrae website: https://castlebraechs.wordpress.com/castlebrae-2021/

Our new City Plan 2030, the Proposed Local Development Plan, has been approved by the majority of the Planning Committee yesterday.  It will go to the next phase, which is a statutory ‘period of representation’, probably beginning around the end of October. Those who have an interest in developing green spaces, or think volume housebuilders are the only game in town, are deeply unhappy and will vigorously oppose City Plan 2030.  It was reported in the Edinburgh Reporter this week, ahead of the Committee, which includes a wee quote from me as vice convener of the Council’s planning committee: https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2021/09/planning-for-the-future-by-keeping-new-developments-within-the-city-boundary/  Boy, do I need a holiday after helping steer all that through!

Have a great time yourselves.  Enjoy Autumn!

Maureen