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New resource to support community organisations during the Covid-19 outbreak

The Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) has developed a new resource to help community organisations deliver their work safely.

The resource is designed to be interactive. SCDC will respond to questions and observations from users and update where appropriate.

The resource is here: https://www.scdc.org.uk/supporting-communities-safely.

Read more about it here: www.scdc.org.uk/news/article/2020/5/15/supporting-communities-safely-advice-for-community-groups-organisations-and-volunteer-networks.

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Facemasks from Leith Rotary

(adapted from an email from Leith Rotary, with apologies for taking a while to post this. LHNCC’s web-master has had a few too many personal commitments recently.)

Dear Friends

In view of our current difficulty in raising funds and, as many of you may know, Adam Robertson-Falk runs a Social Enterprise operating for the benefit of his staff, clients and the environment, working with fabrics to produce classic apparel. He has offered to produce non-medical Facemasks for us to sell to local charities, members of Rotary and members of the general public. The mask is a 3 layered face barrier with space for an additional filter layer and will be produced in Rotary blue with yellow stitching.  Masks are washable at 40-60 degrees and should be washed after every wearing. We are selling these for the very reasonable price of £7.50 each to the public. All profits will be donated to local foodbanks and to other organisations supporting those in need at this time.

An order form, together with a picture of the mask, is here. On the order form please show the total number of masks you require and then send completed order forms to leithrotaryfacemasks@gmail.com. You can also use this e-mail address for any enquiries.

Yours in Rotary

Jim Preacher
Hon Secretary
Rotary Club of Leith
District 1020

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LHNCC agenda: May 2020

Given the unusual nature of the circumstances we are in, we are doing our best for the Community Council and also the best in our responsibility to deliver upon our commitment to the community which we serve.

Because LHNCC is currently learning how to conduct meetings online, this will be a members-only ‘discussion’ meeting.

  • LHNCC welcomes public input in advance via the website contact-form at https://lhncc.org.uk/contact-us/.
  • Public input is equally welcome at any time after the meeting.

LHNCC is aware that online meetings exclude those who cannot access them, whatever the reason. However, this is the best it can offer under the current circumstances.

We would also like to thank all the valiant people who are providing essential services across all sectors in our community and beyond.

Agenda: Tuesday 26 May, 7pm

  1. Introductions, apologies
  2. Declaration of interests
  3. Notes of April 2020 meeting
  4. Matters arising
  5. Police Report tbc
  6. Reports from Councillors and elected representatives
  7. Chair, Secretary, Treasurer reports
  8. Standing reports
    1. Planning
      1. 106-162 Leith Walk/Stead’s Place (20/01447/PAN)
      2. 57 Tower Street/5 Bath Road (20/01313/FUL)
    2. Licensing
    3. Transport
      1. Trams/CCTT (Community Councils Together on Trams) – next Meeting 28 May
      2. EBUG (Edinburgh Bus Users’ Group) – CEC traffic measures: Creating Safe space for walking and cycling
    4. Environment
    5. Heritage
      1. Edinburgh World Heritage in Conservation (virtual) – discussion ‘Is Edinburgh’s architecture at the dawn of a ‘New Golden Age’? (7 May 2020). Tbc Next meeting with Politicians and CEC leader.
    6. Community
      1. Coronavirus
      2. Heart of Newhaven
    7. Communications
      1. Newsletter
  9. Neighbourhood Networks
  10. AOCB
  11. Date of next meeting/AGM: Tuesday 23 June tbc

Zoom meeting guide

  • Many of you will be familiar with Zoom – but if not I hope this will help. Any queries please do ask beforehand.
  • During the meeting your audio and video will be turned off. If you have any technical difficulties, please use the ‘chat’ function.
  • We shall answer questions at the end of each item and will have an AOB session at the end of the meeting.
  • To ask a question on an agenda item, please type your question into the ‘chat’ function. Questions will be selected by the chair and you will have your audio and video switched on by the host.
  • If you wish to add to a point made in the question and answer session at the end, please click ‘participants’ and raise your hand. If selected, we will activate your audio.
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Active travel update

On Friday, the Council launched a campaign encouraging everyone to be considerate of other people and follow Scottish Government guidance when enjoying their outdoor exercise and travel.

The press release which was published on Friday can be found here.

Increase in people using off-road paths and parks

Since restrictions were introduced to help manage the coronavirus outbreak, there’s been an increase in people using the city’s network of paths, as well as parks, as part of their daily exercise and for travelling to work or local amenities – with up to five times their normal use.

Data up to week five of lockdown shows increases on the Union Canal towpath, with 17% growth in pedestrian numbers at Harrison Park, whilst cycling numbers have grown by 76% at Wester Hailes. On the North Edinburgh Path Network at Rodney St, pedestrian numbers have grown by 14%, cycling numbers by 32%.  At certain times of the week, especially weekends, much bigger increases have been recorded.

While it’s great that the routes are popular and well-used, we want to make sure that everyone can undertake and enjoy their daily exercise and travel in safety and comfort.

Paths for everyone code of conduct

The campaign will direct people to the Paths for Everyone section of the Council’s webpages, where we hope to be able to display information such as busy routes/times, coming from our pedestrian/cycle counter data.  This aims to encourage people to use alternative routes if they can, or exercise at a less busy time.  Smarter Choices, Smarter Places funding for this project is gratefully received from Paths for All.

About the campaign

example of temporary signageTemporary signage (example on the right: click the thumbnail to see the full-size image) will be rolled out this week, starting on the active travel network entry points, and signage in the parks will follow.  We will be running a complementary social media campaign also, and we would really appreciate your support with sharing this content amongst your followers and networks.

Report issues

There might be local issues that you are aware of where additional signs may help. Please email your suggestions to spacesforpeople@edinburgh.gov.uk.

Wishing you all the best and thank you in advance for your support with our campaign.

Kind regards,

Judith Cowie
‘Smarter Choices, Smarter Places’ Programme Manager
Active Travel
Road Safety and Active Travel
Transport Networks, Place Development
The City of Edinburgh Council
Judith.cowie@edinburgh.gov.uk

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‘Safer Communities Safer Scotland’ booklet

Click the graphic to access the full PDF:

From the introduction:

This booklet is packed with practical tips on how to keep you, your family and your community safe – from protecting your home and possessions to helping your children enjoy the benefits of the internet in safety. By following the guidance in the following pages, we can all help make Scotland an even safer place to live and work. The information should not alarm you or make you think that you are not safe in your home and your community. It is simply a reminder of what you can do to keep your home and community safe.

The content-list is

  • Home and Possessions
  • Road Safety
  • Scams
  • Fire Safety
  • Safety at Home
  • Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks
  • Scottish Gas Network (SGN)
  • Staying Safe When Out and About
  • Antisocial Behaviour
  • Preparing for and coping with Emergencies
  • Household emergency plan
  • Water Safety
  • Victim Support
  • Don’t feel trapped by loan sharks
  • Further Information
  • Neighbourhood Watch
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Where to get help with your gas and electricity concerns

(adapted from an email from Changeworks)

‘As we continue to adjust to Covid-19 we’re all spending more time at home and using more energy than normal. Many households are experiencing financial strain and will be worried about the effect this will have on their energy bills.

Whilst Changeworks is unable to provide face to face outreach services to support people looking for energy and fuel billing/debt advice, we are still here to help. We’ve teamed up with SGN to produce a series of short films providing advice and support on managing energy use and where to get help with heating and electricity concerns.

Our first video – where to get help with your gas and electricity concerns – is now live on YouTube.

Handy links can be found here:

We’ll be publishing three more videos over the next few weeks and we’ll be in touch to share these with you too.

You can also still refer households you think would benefit from energy advice and fuel billing/debt support.

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Halmyre St (Leith Walk) online consultation extended until 1 June 2020

According to Lesley Porteous, Planner at CEC:

‘due to the Covid-19 lockdown the online consultation has been extended until 1 June 2020’

This follows public drop-in events that were held in January.

The online consuiltation is here: https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/leith-walk-halmyre-street-site-brief

Readers might be interested in Leith Central CC’s draft response: https://leithcentralcc.co.uk/2020/05/11/our-response-to-the-leith-walk-halmyre-street-consultation

 

 

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Leith Walk/Halmyre Street consultation: extension to 1 June 2020

CEC emailed LHNCC and many others on 7 May about an extension of the consultation-period on the draft place-brief for Leith Walk/Halmyre Street.

I may have written to you previously to tell you we were looking for views on the draft place brief for Leith Walk / Halmyre Street. The place brief sets out a vision and key  principles to inform the design of future development on the site.

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown the online consultation has been extended until 1 June 2020.  There is more time therefore  to give us your views on the draft brief if you haven’t already done so. Here is the link to the consultation: https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/leith-walk-halmyre-street-site-brief.

There are links to the draft brief and some supporting documents including a summary of the previous consultations.

We hope to hear from you

Regards

Lesley Porteous / Planner / Spatial Policy / Place Directorate / The City of Edinburgh Council / Waverley Court, Level G3, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG / Tel 0131 529 3203 / lesley.porteous@edinburgh.gov.uk / www.edinburgh.gov.uk

 

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Port of Leith Housing Association funding for responses to COVID-19

Port of Leith Housing Association has a new fund for local community and voluntary sector organisations. It has made £50,000 available for local organisations to support their responses to COVID-19.

Please click to download the guidance and a short application form.

The association aims to make decision on applications once per week and payment should follow quickly.

The association has tried to keep any restrictions and administration to a minimum. If any organisation wants to apply for funds that they think sit outside this funding, they can call Anita Aggarwal to discuss it on 07825 971 742.

Kind regards,
Anita Aggarwal (she/her)
Community Support Co-ordinator
Port of Leith Housing Association
108 Constitution Street
Leith
Edinburgh, EH6 6AZ
0131 202 4403
07825 971 742

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Lockdown on Leith … and the lost right hand glove

A message from Douglas Tharby, LHNCC’s chair.

‘Sunshine on Leith’ the song from our two famous local twin brothers was in my mind the other day. Indeed over the past six weeks the sun has shone most days although not today. That has made it all the hard for both resident Leithers and local businesses to cope with what is being referred to by some media sources as ‘the new normal’ that our lives will have to adapt to over the months ahead.

Permitted ‘exercise’ has become a matter of ‘social distancing’ from others as we walk, cycle and run when we have that strict ‘hour’ rule we are expected to abide by, that is unless we are going out for food or other essentials like pharmacy medicines etc.

As I have been walking, my elective choice (my bike) as yet has flat tyres and is still covered in the dust of winter storage, I have noted that Leithers are social distancing by the recommended 2 metres (surprised that nobody has questioned the fact that this is metric not imperial) and indeed a new politeness and courtesy now is evident which includes crossing the street to avoid one another or taking another route altogether to make this happen. Some have chosen to wear a mask in the street, others use this only when in a shop along with gloves to handle items of food and household supplies.

Curiously there are a number of gloves lying around on the ground, in hedgerows and on the grass and most of them right handed as well. Were they not missed by their owners at the time they were lost?

Windows have a rainbow or sometimes two, a symbol of hope and various messages, along with the thoughts and feelings of young children.

The ‘comedians’ have been busy as well – we may have lost some freedom but certainly not our sense of humour.

On each Thursday evening at 8.00 p.m. we have remembered our ‘key workers’ in the NHS , and not to forget at the same time our ‘postie’ and ‘bin man’ for their continued services, we have been clapping our hands and cheering on balconies and in gardens, ships in the harbour have sounded their horns.

Some news today that we will have a relaxation in all of this in the near future. A time to think of families and friends that we might be able to meet with again as opposed to waving through the security of a glass window or on Zoom.

On behalf of Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council: Stay Safe, Stay Well and at least for now Stay Home.

Douglas Tharby
Chair
May 2020