Porty Podcast

Send us a text Today’s episode is rather more serious and sombre than usual. It’s because tomorrow marks the start of a week-long event called “To Absent Friends”. It’s a festival of remembrance – but one that’s very different to Remembrance Day which falls the following week. It’s much quieter and reflective and is designed to give people across Scotland an excuse to remember, to tell stories about and celebrate those who have died. It’s all the more poignant as we’re living through a pandemic and, every day on the news, we’re told the grim tally of those infected – and the number of deaths. There will be a special event on Portobello beach tomorrow at dusk, organised by Action Porty and Life Celebrant, Loretta Dunn. Porty Podcast Producer David Calder’s been finding out more.

Send us a text Bross Bagels is a Portobello success story. From the one outlet on Porty High Street, the company has now expanded across Edinburgh. And the next stage in its story is about to begin as they plan to move into the former premises of the Royal Bank of Scotland on the main road. But founder Larah Bross is not funding this in a conventional way. Instead, she has launched a crowdfunding campaign, one which has exceeded her expectations, as Porty Podcast Producer David Calder's been finding out.www.brossbagels.com

Send us a text Within the past few days, Public Health Scotland has published a report which stresses the importance of getting out walking, cycling or wheeling if people are to get through the current pandemic. It’s good for our mental health as well as physical and it can also help those suffering the longer term effects of a Covid infection. However, there’s also evidence that many are being put off as a result of the recent increase in traffic as Porty Podcast Producer David Calder heard from Kirsty Lewin from Spokes Porty.

Send us a textYou may have noticed bags filled with gravel outside Bellfield recently, at least on one side of the building. It’s currently being prepared for a new community garden by a group of volunteers. The idea was first proposed over a year ago – but progress drags slow when there’s pandemic. But now it seems, the first moves are being made to create a garden underneath the flowering cherry which dominates the space – as Porty Podcast Producer David Calder’s been finding out.

Send us a textLast weekend saw an unique event – the Portobello Book Festival Online. It was very much a question of necessity being the mother of invention as the organisers had really no choice in the matter – go online...or cancel! In the event, it was more successful than anyone had hoped. People are still catching up with any of the features they had missed.Two weeks ago, we heard from Joanne Baird, a member of the committee, about the trials and tribulations they had to go through – so Porty Podcast Producer, David Calder, went back to see her to find out, not just how well it went, but also what lessons they had learned.https://portobellobookfestival.com/

Send us a textYou may have seen an appeal from the local Rugby Club for funds to help the Portobello Hornets, the club’s junior teams. Thanks to the lockdown, the club, like every other sports organisation, has (as you’ll hear) been hit by a massive reduction in income. So they have resorted to crowd funding in order to raise the money to buy new kit for the growing number of young members, not just the club strips but more specialist equipment as well. The Hornets’ coach, Vic Rickis who's also Vice President of the Rugby Club and convener of the young persons' programme, met Porty Podcast Producer David Calder down near the Prom – players, young and old, sometimes train on the beach. David asked him about the Hornets (sometimes known as the Porty Minis).The club has a Just Giving page which started off by asking supporters to raise £500 – but that target keeps getting broken and new targets set. Anyone who contributes will be entered into a raffle with prizes donated by local firms. You can add to

Send us a textNext weekend, the 12th Portobello Book Festival will get under way; you may already have looked at the excellent programme on the website (link below). However, it will all be very different from those of previous years – the pandemic has seen to that! Like so many other events across the world, technology has come to the rescue. People will access every session online from the comfort of their own homes. There won’t be the same atmosphere around the High Street with people bustling from venue to venue. However, as Porty Podcast Producer David Calder found out, the upside is that, for once, we will have a permanent record of everything throughout the entire weekend.https://portobellobookfestival.wordpress.com/@PortyBookFest

Send us a textFor much of the summer, the waters of Portobello and Joppa Bays have been quiet. The rowing and sailing clubs, the kayakers and others had to remain on shore as the country remained in lock down. It’s only relatively recently that we have seen them return in any numbers, led by paddle boarders and open water swimmers. The last to return have been the rowing clubs – and they have had to comply with strict new rules in order to do so.

Send us a textThis weekend, you will see more tartan than usual out and about because the annual Kilt Walk is taking place. This year’s event is rather different – instead of people walking en masse, they’re choosing their own routes around Scotland. The idea is to raise money for assorted charities, clubs and others good causes. So what motivates them? Porty Podcast Producer David Calder has met some of those taking part.https://www.thistle.org.uk/https://teameastlothian.org.uk/https://www.thekiltwalk.co.uk/Maureen Child's fund raising page: https://edinburghkiltwalk2020.everydayhero.com/uk/maureen-3

Send us a textIt's September - which means it's time for Art Walk Porty. However, these are not usual times. Some of us seriously wondered if there would an event at all. Those fears were thankfully unfounded - but it is a very different event to that of previous years. There are no Art Houses, for example, and everything is having to be managed to suit the rules on social distancing. But, as we'll hear, it has had the beneficial effect of making the organisers think in depth about the Art Walk, now and into the future!

Send us a textFor some people, one of the escapes from the pressures of lockdown has been their ability to get into their allotments much more regularly than before. They are lucky – there are many more people who want an allotment than there are allotments available. And if you are fortunate enough to be given a place on the waiting list, you may have at least five years to wait. At the Craigentinny and Telferton Allotments, hidden away behind Inchview Terrace, they have managed to increase the total; when someone gives up one of the original large plots, it is cut in half. However, that doesn’t happen very often. When Porty Podcast Producer David Calder visited this week, he discovered it had a long and interesting heritage.https://www.ctallotments.com/

Send us a textHow much do you remember of life when you were growing up? How many remember a time before computers, the internet and mobile phones? Since lockdown began, a podcast produced by the Living Memory Association has been looking back to bygone eras and hearing about life from people who were born long ago. It’s based in the Wee Museum of Memory in Ocean Terminal where they also have a studio. That’s where they store their archives of music and pictures as well as audio and video recordings of people. These include memories from here in Portobello – and the Association would like to add to them, as Porty Podcast Producer David Calder’s been hearing.Their website is here: https://www.livingmemory.org.uk/about.phpAnd the podcasts can be found here: https://thelivingmemoryassociation.libsyn.com/

Send us a textWander Women is a business based in Joppa. It was set up by Anna Neubert-Wood to encourage women to get out into the open, to get some (as she calls it) green therapy. As you’ll hear, she takes out small groups, introducing them to wild swimming, nature walks in the countryside and even wild camping on overnight adventures. It was working well. She had clients not just from Scotland but from overseas as well. However, the arrival of Covid-19 brought everything to a shuddering halt. But later this month, she will be starting to take families or close friends on private trips where those taking part can keep to the recommended social distance. The whole concept intrigued Porty Podcast Producer David Calder who met her, appropriately, outdoors.https://wander-women.co.uk/https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/wanderwomen-scotland-ltd-18054141487

Send us a textAs we’ve heard through the weeks, many organisations which work with young people have struggled to keep going through the lock-down. They’ve turned to the Internet to keep in contact with their students, be it theatre, film or dance. In many respects, dance has proved the most difficult. The teachers try their best by making videos for YouTube or by demonstrating the lessons they would have given in the studio on Zoom. However, it’s much more stressful, deciding on content, recording it and coping with unfamiliar technology. On top of that, there is little or no feedback from the students other than their own, home-made videos showing the teachers if they had understood. This has been the challenge facing Lothian Dance Academy, which has also drawn on other resources to keep their community together.https://www.lothiandanceacademy.com/Extract from the Nutcracker by TchaikovskyRoyalty Free Music from SoundscapeSS_1216 Published by SI.PublishingAlbum: Classical Masters

Send us a textA major piece of research involving Portobello High School and its five ‘feeder’ primaries should have been coming to an end by the end of next month. The objective, which came originally from Parsons Green Parent Council, was to find out how young people made their way to the High School and whether alternatives involving active travel – such as walking or cycling – could be encouraged. The project, called ‘Active Streets’, was thrown completely off course by Covid-19 and had to be moved online. It’s not entirely clear how many parents and pupils have heard of it – so the organisation carrying out the research approached Portobello Online and the Porty Podcast to encourage as many as possible to get involved.www.active-streets.co.ukhello@active-streets.co.uk

Send us a textWe’ve heard how local musicians are creating their own concerts or ceilidhs online. However, it was really good to hear that singer-songwriter Rosie Nimmo had been invited to sing, almost out of the blue, in a relatively new online service called Home Songs for Lunch. It was created in Campbeltown by David Fee, a full-time foster carer who also has a side line in running concerts in people’s own homes. When that became impossible, he was encouraged to offer something similar using Facebook; and he then drew on his substantial contacts book to find artists willing to sing four songs at lunchtime – every day of the week! This week, that included Portobello’s very own Rosie Nimmo.And to hear Rosie and the other artists, follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/y9fggylzAnd Rosie's own webpage: https://www.rosienimmo.com/

Send us a textLast week, we heard how Edinburgh Youth Theatre is managing to keep going online through the lockdown. The company often works with the Film Academy Edinburgh which is also based locally. The academy usually uses the television studios of Edinburgh College at Milton Road; but, like everything else, it’s currently closed. However, the teachers and students (around 60 of them) get together at weekly sessions through Zoom. These are held on a Wednesday and Friday and are split into different age groups. When Porty Podcast Producer David Calder joined them, he found out that the 9-12 years are very creative.https://www.filmacademyedinburgh.com/

Send us a textEdinburgh Youth Theatre has been one of Portobello’s success stories. Led by the actor Shauna Macdonald, it has brought self-confidence to a generation of young people. But its base at Bellfield is currently closed. Staff, teachers and students have to stay at home thanks to the lockdown – but that DOESN’T mean to say they can’t get together and have some enjoyment online. Like so many others, they now deliver their programme through Zoom and YouTube. Porty Podcast Producer David Calder has been finding out more.For more information about Edinburgh Youth Theatre, and to donate to their crowdfunding page, follow the links below.https://eytheatre.com/http://eytheatre.com/donate/And the YouTube Channel is here: https://tinyurl.com/y9wr57fy

Send us a textSomething good has emerged from the current crisis – and that’s the way in which musicians are finding new ways to reach their audience. Local singer Mairi Campbell has an international following and is using technology – Zoom in particular – to bring them together in what she’s calling Campbell’s Ceilidhs. Once a week on a Sunday, people connect from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even from Scotland either to join her in performing or just to be entertained. Porty Podcast Producer David Calder wanted to find out more.https://mairicampbell.scot/And more information about the online ceilidhs can be found on Facebook

Send us a textWhen you walk along the High Street or down along the Prom, it’s noticeable just how quiet everything is. With a number of exceptions, most shops are closed, as are the cafés, bars and restaurants. For the owners of those businesses, it’s a very worrying time despite the significant help coming from the Government. They don’t know when they’ll be able to open again or whether things will return to the same normality as we had before. It’s a time like this when good financial advice is important. Four Seasons Financial Services has been on the High Street in Portobello for the last fifteen years. So Porty Podcast Producer David Calder asked director David Connolly if he was seeing anxiety in the business community here.For more information, click here: https://tinyurl.com/yc6eayhy