Social in the Gardens 2017 

Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd of August 

Be part of Scotland’s 2nd Social Enterprise Festival at the iconic Ross Bandstand, in the run up to the Edinburgh International Festival. Social Enterprises from across South East Scotland will be showcasing their fantastic performance skills, goods and services with a Social Enterprise market, catering stalls, a Social Enterprise bar. hours of live music and family entertainment.

We need you to make a great day even greater!

Volunteers are needed for:

• Volunteer coordination
• General safety stewarding
• Information provision
• Traffic management
• Setting up and taking down

Weds 2nd Aug, 8:30am – 9:00pm and  Thurs 3rd Aug, 8:30am – 5:30pm.

Full and part shifts are available on both days, meals will be provided and all volunteers will receive a unique branded t-shirt.

Job Descriptions

General Volunteer

Vehicle Access Volunteer

Volunteer Coordinator

Download the Volunteer Application form

Contact

Claire Pattullo, Chief Executive: claire@edinburghsocialenterprise.co.uk

or t:  0131 228 1276 to offer your services.

Delighted that today we can publish the annual ‘Evidence Booklet’ that brings together information from the Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership funded older people’s preventative programme.

Chloë Wright, EVOC Research & Evaluation Intern said today on her last day with us, “To think that this collection is just a small snapshot of all the work that is delivered in our local communities is fantastic; I hope that it shows how investment in local small-scale preventative services can really make a difference to people’s lives”.

Prevention Investment Fund Report 2016- Evidence Booklet

The more formal report is also available for download:

Prevention Investment Fund Report 2016

More information: ian.brooke@evoc.org.uk

The Commission on Parliamentary Reform presented its report to the Scottish Parliament on 20^th June 2017. It is available to read here.

You can also read a separate executive summary here. This is also available in Gaelic and as a BSL video.

Since November 2016 the Commission has met with and considered the views of over twelve hundred people from across Scotland  including MSPs and former MSPs, academics, the third sector and members of the public. These meetings and the written views we have received have helped inform deliberations. The report makes a series of recommendations which collectively will strengthen the Parliament’s scrutiny role and encourage wider engagement.

 

In December 2016 the Scottish Government published an evaluation report they had commissioned into Third Sector Interfaces (TSIs) and their national representative body Voluntary Action Scotland.  The consultants who drafted the evaluation made a number of recommendations as to the future possible shape and focus of TSIs.

As part of Scottish Government’s continuing conversations with TSIs across Scotland they want to find out from local third sector partners like you about how effective your local TSI is for you.

In Edinburgh, the TSI is a partnership of EVOC, Volunteer Edinburgh and ESE.  You may engage with all three of us or just one of us, it doesn’t matter – your views on how we deliver for the third sector in Edinburgh will help inform the future. 

The survey is very short and should only take a few minutes to complete.  Your assistance is really appreciated by Edinburgh TSI and Scottish Government. 

Survey now closed

Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteers announced

Over sixty of Edinburgh’s most “Inspiring” Volunteers are to be honoured by Frank Ross, Rt. Hon. Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, at a special awards ceremony on Wednesday 07 June 2017, during #VolunteersWeekScotland.

Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteer Awards, now in its eleventh year, reflect the huge range of organisations and individuals who give their time freely to work with the city’s vibrant charity and non-profit sectors.

This year’s awardees include a keen Knitter who runs “Knit and Natter” sessions; a kennel volunteer; an IT instructor; a befriender providing care and support to the elderly; a group of secondary pupils with a mission to raise awareness of equality issues throughout the school and an actor with a social cause! 

The recipient of the “Lord Provost’s Inspiring Volunteer of the Year Award 2017” is Lily Cook, a Sales Assistant Volunteer with Save the Children, Dalry Road.

Frank Ross, Rt. Hon. Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh said: “Lily Cook certainly is an ‘Inspiring Volunteer’ and worthy of the 2017 Award. Her first hand experience of customer service has proved invaluable to the Save the Children charity shop on Dalry Road. I am delighted to present these awards and to add Lily’s name to the volunteering honour board in the City Chambers.”

Edward Hibbert, Trustee of Volunteer Edinburgh said: “These Awards are a way to celebrate the wide range of people who volunteer and the positive difference volunteering makes across the City every day. We are delighted that the Lord Provost continues to recognise how important volunteers are to Edinburgh through this key initiative.”

Paul Wilson, Chief Officer of Volunteer Edinburgh: “The volunteers receiving awards this year come from all walks of life, have a whole range of skills and abilities and make their impact in a huge variety of ways. This is true of course of the many thousands of volunteers across Edinburgh, each of whom makes a powerful and unique difference by choosing to volunteer. We’d like to thank each and every one of those volunteers for being truly inspiring and making our city a better place to live and work.”

The award ceremony has been organised by Volunteer Edinburgh  and the Edinburgh Compact Partnership.

 

More about the Lord Provost’s Inspiring Volunteer of the Year 2017

Lily Cook

Susie Dunstan, Retail Regional Manager at Save the Children said:

“Lily regularly volunteers three days a week and has done so since she started, roughly 30 years ago. Lily has had a huge impact on the local community in Dalry Road – many of the customers have grown up knowing Lily all their lives and she is a hugely respected and loved; known for her generosity, wise advice, sense of humour and great taste in music!

Lily is the life and soul of the party, loved by the volunteers and customers and is a well known and respected individual in the local community. Lily can often be found dancing in the shop, encouraging more sales for Save the Children!

Lily makes customers feel welcome and is often able to tell them about the history of Edinburgh – it’s a truly wonderful experience to be a customer when Lily is on the till! Lily has always been welcoming to others in the team, helping to train and make people feel comfortable in their role. She is also known for repairing and mending items, using her previous experience as a furrier, in order to make the most money possible for Save the Children.”

Social Media

Volunteer Edinburgh will have a volunteer Live Tweeting at this year’s awards and you will be able to follow the @volunteeredi Twitter feed here. We’re encouraging people to use the hashtag #VolunteersWeekScotland

Details of all the 2017 Awardees and a short film will be published online on the 07 June 2017.

Media contact: Tyler Norrie, Events Assistant at Volunteer Edinburgh

0131 225 0630 tyler.norrie@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk

 

Police Scotland is deeply saddened by the tragic events witnessed in Manchester on Monday 22 May 2017. Our thoughts are with individuals and communities, involved or affected by this terrible incident. We will provide any assistance necessary to our colleagues in Greater Manchester Police.

I would stress that there is no specific information which suggests Scotland is at risk of attack, however the UK threat level remains at Severe and Scotland is not immune from such threats.

I would therefore encourage people to go about their business as normal; however ask that you remain vigilant and alert, but not alarmed. If you suspect something is wrong then report it to the police. You may notice increased police patrols: these are being carried out for reassurance and community engagement.

Police Scotland is committed to keeping people safe and whilst we understand that the public will clearly be appalled by these events, I would urge each and every member of the community to continue to work together to ensure that no person or group in Scotland feels marginalised or isolated. 

Police Scotland will not tolerate any attempts to target communities by any misguided individual or group and will work with all of our communities to resolve any issues and address any concerns. Should anyone become a victim of, or witness to, any hate crime, they should contact the police and report the incident.

Please be assured Police Scotland continues to work with partners at home and abroad countering the threat from terrorism to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our communities.  Thank you for your continued support in keeping our communities safe.

If you have any concerns or information about suspicious activity please contact the Police on 101, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or in an emergency dial 999.

You can download a  security advice document highlighting the steps Police Scotland advise you should take in the event of a terror attack. The ‘Stay Safe’ video can also be viewed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUCW_mk35Xc

Are you passionate about the voluntary sector?  Do you believe that we can all make a bigger difference in people’s lives by working together?  Enthusiastic, full of energy and up for a challenge?

If you like the sound of the above, then we are looking to recruit to two different posts to fill vacancies in the team and we would welcome your application:

• More details here

As we have launched our very own manifesto, we thought it would only be fair to share with you what the political parties have on their agendas for the local council elections and beyond. Click to download a copy, have a read, see what you think, and if you have any questions you can ask them at our hustings events this week and next.

Labour Manifesto 2017

SNP Manifesto 2017

Conservative Manifesto 2017

Green Manifesto 2017

Liberal Democrats Manifesto 2017