The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Wednesday 18 September 2024
Eye hospital shuts, row over councillor's £16k 'golden goodbye', students facing homelessness + bar award winners named
️ Good morning Edinburgh. It’s a relatively quiet midweek edition. The Culture Minute will land in paying subscribers’ inboxes later today. Here’s Wednesday’s Edinburgh Minute.
💰 Former Edinburgh councillor Sheila Gilmore is facing calls to hand back a £16,000 ‘golden goodbye’ she received on the condition she wouldn’t run for the council again in future. Gilmore has been nominated as Labour’s candidate in the Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election. - Donald Turvill, Local Democracy Reporter, in The Edinburgh Reporter.
⮑ Yesterday the council confirmed that Colinton/Fairmilehead residents will go to the polls on Thursday 14 November to select a new councillor, following the resignation of Scott Arthur, who is now an MP. The ward, which also covers Bonaly, Dreghorn, Oxgangs and Swanston has a current electorate of 19,226. Candidates will be confirmed when nominations close on 14 October.
👁️ Edinburgh's eye hospital is to close for six months while ‘urgent’ asbestos removal and plumbing repairs are carried out. - BBC Scotland News.
⮑ NHS Lothian published this press release, including advice for patients. Its deputy chief executive Jim Crombie said: “We are very sorry for the inconvenience this will cause our patients and it is not a decision we have taken lightly.”
🏠 Students in Edinburgh are at risk of homelessness and unable to access the right housing, according to a new report for a cross party group of MSPs. There’s a shortfall of 13,852 bedspaces in Edinburgh according to a report for the Cross Party Group on Housing. - Robert Armour, Third Force News.
🪧 Protests continued for a second day outside Leonardo’s military equipment event at the EICC. - Phyllis Stephen, The Edinburgh Reporter.
🍾 The first Edinburgh Bartenders Ball was held at The Caves on Monday night, with 250 industry leaders participating in a peer-nominated ceremony. Raging Bull won ‘best bar’ and Nauticus won ‘best pub in Edinburgh’. - Alasdair Ferguson, The National.
⮑ The full list of winners is published in The Spirits Business.
🍝 The new Sotto restaurant in Stockbridge ‘is a worthy successor to Ping On’, writes Gaby Soutar in The Scotsman.
☕️ Renroc Cafe on Montgomery Street is up for sale. - Brian Donnelly, The Herald.
💰 Funding of up to £5,000 is available to anyone looking to create ‘a positive social impact for local communities’ through the University of Edinburgh’s Community Grant Scheme. - More information is here.
📍 Here’s a map that might be of interest to some: ‘Distribution of Edinburgh Tesco vs Sainsbury's’ - Reddit.
🇨🇳 Chinese lifestyle brand Miniso is set to open its first Scottish store on Princes Street, reports Kris Gourlay in Edinburgh Live.
⮑ New York coffee chain Blank Street is also set to open soon in Edinburgh, reports Lee Dalgetty in Edinburgh Live.
✍️ A local student is following the US election trail. Edinburgh-based Maryse Bots writes in The Herald to reflect on her first month living in Washington DC.
👀 Doors Open Day: ‘25 Edinburgh buildings where you can explore behind the scenes’ - Ian Swanson, Evening News.
♻️ Local environmental business Project Harmless moving its focus from dog waste bags to greenwashing in the fashion industry. - Kirsty Dorsey, The Herald.
🚪 Local historical storyteller Diarmid Mogg has dug through the archives to reveal a Broughton Street stair’s notable former residents and their stories. It’s a fascinating read, as always. You can read it on Twitter here or on Tenement Town here.
📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard
⮑ Get in touch using this form.
📌 “Spend a couple of hours photographing around the Leith Docks and Newhaven Harbour on 5 October. On the way, there are lots of opportunities for street photography, landscape photography, and maybe even a little bit of wildlife too. There will be something for everyone! This event is free but ticketed - booking link.” - Thanks to Worldwide Photowalk organisers for sharing this.
📌 “Edinburgh Leisure are once again helping individuals to "spring" into a new career as a Gymnastics Coach with fully-funded and salaried training posts, or part and full time posts for already qualified coaches 🤸🤸♂️🤸♀️ Take a look at their Careers page to apply for the Trainee Programme, or apply and book your slot for their Open Day at Tumbles at Portobello on Fri 27th September to come along and discuss how "flexible" the roles can be!” - Thanks to Dorothy McQueen, Gymnastics Development Officer, for sharing this.
⮑ There’s also a video interview with a Drumbrae Gymnastics Coordinator here.
📌 “Autumn Market at the beautiful Rosemains Steading. A fantastic curated selection of stallholders ranging from art, jewellery and food and drink form the local area. We will have a small number of food trucks so that people can make a day of it and grab some breakfast, lunch or treats!” - Thanks to Julz, Rosemains Steading CIC, for this.
📌 “Join us at Cargilfield School for a panel discussion on 'The Internet & Its Impact on Our Children' on 10th October at 6pm. Featuring experts in psychology, education, and child protection, we will discuss the profound impact of the digital world on young minds today, addressing key topics in mental health, learning, and online safety. All are welcome! Please register to attend.” - Submitted by the Cargilfield School staff.
📌 “Edinburgh Open Workshop will once again be opening its doors to the public on Saturday 28th September, 10am - 4pm as part of Doors Open Day. Visitors are invited to explore the EOW building where they can check out the fully-equipped artist studios and workshops, meet the resident makers and enjoy an exhibition showcasing their work. Free 30 minute tours will leave from reception every hour and adults and children (13+) can have a go at getting creative themselves with one of our welding or woodworking workshops.” - Thanks to the Edinburgh Open Workshop team for sharing this.
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