Home News Five things you need to know today

Five things you need to know today

May 27, 2016 6:00 am

Delta Air Lines inaugural JFK flight will land today
Local Heroes
The Battle of Jutland Celebrations
Bike parking to be installed across the city
Edinburgh Charity highlighting unpaid carers

We are excited to be going out to the airport today to see the first Delta Air Lines JFK to Edinburgh flight land in the capital.

But more than the exciting scene of being out on the airfield taking photos and video of a big aeroplane, the actor Alan Cumming has been invited along to join the celebrations.

We hope to bring you some photos and coverage later! (but be warned – we may be a little starstruck!)

The search is on across Scotland for Local Heroes who make a positive difference to the lives of others.

All 129 MSPs are being asked to nominate one of their constituents in recognition of the important work they do to help others or their community.

On Saturday 2 July, all Local Heroes will be invited to Holyrood as part of the Scottish Parliament’s Opening Ceremony to mark the start of a new parliamentary session.

The day’s events will include:

Her Majesty The Queen addressing MSPs in the Chamber.
Local Heroes taking part in the Riding procession down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, along with around 2,000 other participants in a colourful, historic tradition. The Riding will feature people from all walks of public life and local community groups, plus music and entertainment.
Holyrood’s Big Day Out – a fun packed afternoon for all the family. With a programme that has something for everyone, the gardens and doors of the Parliament will be open to all to explore, observe and participate in a full programme of events including a mini-Highland games, Music and Dance, Science and Nature, Art activities for Kids and much more.

A remembrance service, parade, community event, a Dazzle Ship and school exhibition are just some of the events taking place tomorrow Saturday 28 May as part of the programme of events in Queensferry, Leith and Rosyth to commemorate the Battle of Jutland which took place on the Firth of Forth.

An act of remembrance will take place in South Queensferry Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Cemetery where 40 casualties from the battle are commemorated or buried. This will be a closed ceremony, and will be attended by all VIPs who will meet with Jutland descendants, veterans, South Queensferry school children and visiting school children from Wilhelmshaven in Germany.

Members of the public are thereafter invited to line the streets at Hawes Pier, where The Band of HM Royal Marines (Scotland) will perform Beat the Retreat. HMS Kent will take departure alongside the iconic vessel MV Fingal, dazzle painted by artist Ciara Phillips as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival 2016.

Although we were not given the opportunity of speaking to the artist we have seen one side of the ship as you can see here. When it returns to Leith it will come alongside in the opposite direction, thus showing off the design on the other side.

The Edinburgh Reporter News – Dazzle Ship Scotland from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

The City of Edinburgh Council is to install hundreds of new cycle racks across the capital.

Over the coming months, 400 racks will be introduced to city streets, creating up to 800 spaces for cyclists to secure their bikes.

Locations, many of which offer short term parking in the centre, were selected based on public feedback, including responses to Council surveys.

Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “As a Council we recognise the many health, social and environmental benefits offered by cycling, and as such have committed to increasing our spend on related projects and improvements year on year.

“Part of this is about ensuring it is as accessible and easy as possible to get on your bike – and to park it – so by installing these new cycle racks we hope to encourage more people to opt for two wheels when travelling around Edinburgh.”

The initiative to increase bike parking has been jointly funded by Sustrans, who manage funding for Transport Scotland, the Scottish Government’s transport agency, and contributed £66k as part of its commitment to the city’s 20mph scheme. The Council has also matched Sustrans’ £66k from its cycling budget.

VOCAL have joined forces with Standard Life, The Open University, Carer Positive and The City of Edinburgh Council to bring together Edinburgh employers to share good practice and develop positive approaches to supporting unpaid carers at work.

On Thursday 9th June, Standard Life are hosting an event as part of Carers’ Week – ‘Making it OUR business’ – for representatives of city employers to share experiences and initiatives to support and retain staff who are also caring for a loved one at home. The event will start with a networking breakfast followed by guest speakers, interactive workshops and a round table discussion.

If you are in paid employment and are also a carer, please bring this to the attention of your employer and encourage them to become part of positive actions for carers in the workplace!

Visit the VOCAL website for more details and how to register.

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