WIFI!!! – Edinburgh Community Food AGM – Guerrilla Gardening in LA – Allotment photos – Kilomathon
Anybody who knows The Edinburgh Reporter will know that we are always on the hunt for good wifi…. well now there will be no need to hunt for it in the city centre!!
The Council has been asked to approve the award of a 10 year contract to bring free high-speed Wi-Fi to Edinburgh this summer. If approved world leading Wi-Fi provider GOWEX will be appointed to roll out and operate the network.
The concession contract, which will be considered by the Council’s Finance and Resources Committee next Thursday, will allow Edinburgh to join other world famous destinations including New York, San Francisco, Barcelona, and Paris in providing free Wi-Fi through working in partnership with GOWEX.
If approved, free megabyte Wi-Fi will be available 24/7 in the city centre and town centres of Edinburgh. Everyone will be able to access the latest information on their favourite apps and websites while out and about from any Wi-Fi enabled device.
The network is central to the Council’s plans for growing the city economy, delivering more services online to residents and attracting visitors to stay longer and increase their spend.
Councillor Frank Ross, Economy Convener, said: “This is a fantastic result for Edinburgh – it’s a great service for city residents, adds clout to the visitor experience and pays its own way. As a Council we’re proud of the international companies that want to work with us to bring the best to the City. The GOWEX commitment to our town centres is especially exciting. It means safe, secure and free access at all times to WiFi the equal of New York, Paris and Madrid not just in the city centre but for great places such as Portobello, Stockbridge and Corstorphine.”
Jenaro García, CEO at GOWEX, said: “GOWEX is very pleased to have been selected by City of Edinburgh Council. We intend to make Edinburgh a showcase Wireless Smart City in the UK, a strategic market for GOWEX. We’re looking forward to forging strong and lasting partnerships in the coming years and bringing the benefits of our Wireless Smart Cities®experience in over 84 major cities worldwide to the city of Edinburgh.”
GOWEX will be installing the wireless network equipment with the first phase in the city centre to be delivered ready for the start of this year’s summer festivals.
Ken Hay, Chair of Festivals Edinburgh, said: “The Edinburgh Festivals know that the increasing use of mobile devices by residents and visitors in any city means that easy access to wi-fi is now a basic expectation. The news that Edinburgh is making wi-fi freely available to visitors and residents in time for the August Festivals is tremendous. This new service will not only boost access to the shows and information we provide, but also allow visitors to fully share their own unique experiences on social media, enhancing the profile of Edinburgh around the globe as a must-see destination.”
Further expansion into town centres will be completed by the end of the year. The Council and GOWEX are keen to explore how the network can be expanded in the coming years.
The creation of the wireless network is one project in the Connected Capital Programme which aims to make Edinburgh one of the best connected cities in Britain. Other projects in progress include free Wi-Fi on trams, Lothian Buses and in key public buildings. A voucher scheme providing capital funding of up to £3,000 enabling small businesses and charities to upgrade their broadband connection speeds is already available.
Edinburgh is one of 22 cities across the UK benefiting from Government’s Super Connected Cities £150m Programme which is being delivered through Broadband Delivery UK.
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There has been a change of venue for the AGM of Edinburgh Community Food being held on Monday 17 March.
“ECF AGM Change of Venue. Attention everyone who is planning to attend the Edinburgh Community Food AGM on Monday the 17th: we have had to change the venue from the Victoria Park Hotel to The Constitution, 48-52 Constitution Street, EH6 6RS. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Events are outside our control. Timings remain the same: 1pm – 3pm. Thank you.”
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The Edinburgh Reporter is a big fan of TED Talks, and we like this one about guerrilla gardening, something we would love to see more of in Edinburgh.
Ronald Finley lives in LA where he plants vegetable gardens – not without some difficulty however which you will learn if you listen to the talk he gave last year. Click here.
There is a huge waiting list in Edinburgh for allotments, so maybe you could find a space somewhere to plant the odd carrot or flower in a random open space? If you do see any guerrilla gardening (or if you perhaps do any) then let us know – and send us a photo!
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If you are the proud lessee of an allotment then perhaps you would send us some photos to our new storyboard here.
We would love to see your preparations for the year ahead, your flowers, your shed or simply your seats and flasks all at the ready……
Whatever you get up to there then please share it with us all!
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Tomorrow morning, if you are up and about early you might see some runners starting off from Ocean Terminal at 8.30 heading for Murrayfield. They will be taking part in the Kilomathon. More details here. Apparently this is a great training run for those taking part in the marathon later in the year. So it is no surprise that Council Leader Andrew Burns who is running the marathon will be taking part. Give him a cheer if you see him!
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Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
