The Porty Podcast

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The past few months have been very difficult for so many people. For long weeks and months, it was particularly hard for those who had to “shield” from possible infection. The “Stay Home” advice was everywhere which, in effect, meant isolation from the rest of the community. It was fine for those of us who had a garden and perhaps a view out over the sea or a park. It was much more difficult if you were stuck in a flat. Members of Portobello Timebank recognised there was a problem and decided to help.

Portobello Timebank is a sharing community on the East side of Edinburgh. Members help each other, and payment is the time it takes. The per

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You may have noticed on assorted Porty pages online a proposal to bring some light and colour into this rather dark and dismal time of year. That’s especially true when so many of the events which would have taken place in December have all had to be cancelled. The idea is to turn night-time Portobello into one, large art gallery with people filling their windows with all kinds of art works illuminated simply by leaving the room lights on. It’s already attracting a lot of interest. https://www.windowwanderland.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ActionPorty Royalty Free Music from SmartSound Album: Holiday Magic - Deck the Halls, Joy to the World, Rest ye merry gents, Wishing You a Merry Christmas

First Published: 21/11/2020

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Porty playwright and producer, Claire Wood, of Production Lines Theatre Co has a new play called ‘Shrapnel’ which opens for a short run online tomorrow night. The play is set in Scotland during the pandemic and is unlike most other online shows where theatre companies have simply taken an already established production and turned it into an online format. A dark comedy, it looks, amongst other things, at loneliness and the way a lockdown affects our mental and financial health. She’s been speaking about it, online of course, to David Calder

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shrapnel-tickets-123382344915 https://www.ageuk.org.uk/ https://tinychanges.com/ https://www.actingforothers.co.uk/

First Published: 18/11/2020

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It’s almost 5 months since the Velvet Easel Gallery came under new management. And this month, the new owner, Jane Grant, opened her first winter exhibition. She’s the first to admit that it wasn’t easy taking over in the middle of a pandemic. But she’s been delighted by the support she’s received from the buying public and the artists as well.

First Published; 14/11/2020

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Road safety - the safety of cyclists in particular - was once again headline news this past week. The tragic death of a cyclist, killed by a lorry, brought into focus yet again just how vulnerable you are on two wheels. That complex junction at the end of Portobello High Street has seen more than its fair share of such tragedies over the years. And as David Calder reports for this week's episode, it's in danger of throwing the Scottish Government and Edinburgh Council's active travel policies into disarray.

First Published: 7/11/2020

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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.

First Published: 31/10/2020

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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

First Published: 28/10/2020

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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.

First Published: 24/10/2020

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You 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.

First Published: 17/10/2020

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Last 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/

First Published: 10/10/2020

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You 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 their total by following this link https://tinyurl.com/y5uz26et

First Published: 03/10/2020

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Next 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/

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First Published: 27/09/2020

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For 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.

First Published: 20/09/2020

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This 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

First Published: 12/09/2020

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It’s taken until September for Porty Podcast Producer David Calder to more or less recover from his bout of Long Co-Vid - at least, he’s feeling up to speaking to folk again and in this first episode in three months he’s back in 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!

First Published: 04/09/2020

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Long Co-Vid

Earlier this year, Porty Podcast Producer David Calder was diagnosed with a mild form of Co-Vid19. At the time, just before the lockdown, he felt reasonably OK. However, over the past few weeks, he’s been struggling with extreme fatigue, breathless and brain fog, all symptoms of Long Co-Vid and he has been ordered to rest. So the podcast will take another enforced break until he feels better later this year (AGW)

First Posted: 07/07/2020

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For 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/

First Published: 04/07/2020

Tags: Portobello, Telferton,