Home News Five things you need to know today Edinburgh!

Five things you need to know today Edinburgh!

August 16, 2016 6:00 am

Corstorphine public toilet to be sold
Today at Edinburgh International Book Festival
Girl guiding Scotland pilot project
Waverley Care and Pleasance
Community Garden Info Session

In an effort to ingather some capital and to save some £300,000 of outgoings, the council agreed to close and sell some of their public toilets across the city.

One of these at 199 St John’s Road is being sold for £40,000 to Lanark Road Properties who own the property next door. There are no conditions attached to the deal which is likely to be rubber-stamped tomorrow when the council’s Finance and Resources committee meets.

The council has made arrangements with nearby businesses to offer the toilets on their premises to the public.

At the same meeting the council will agree to write off around £660,000 of rent arrears involving 229 tenants with more than £1,000 of rent due. This follows the sum of £134,743 which was made up of 472 rent accounts with arrears of less than £1,000 which has already been written off in the last financial year.

The Book Festival is well underway now in Charlotte Square and beginning at 10am there is a Ten at Ten event when some Festival authors will begin the day by reading from their works.

After that the highlight of the day is probably Frederick Forsyth with Ian Rankin if you are of a certain age. The former RAF pilot and investigative journalist turned author has many tales to tell in his autobiography.

And then wonder of wonders, Edna O’Brien will be on at 13.30 talking about her latest book, The Little Red Chairs. The story follows the consequences of a fatal attraction.

Do remember that if you don’t have tickets there is a returns queue for every event. You may be lucky!

Gender equality campaigner Laura Bates, comedian Bridget Christie and Director of Equate Scotland Talat Yaqoob have shown their support for Girlguiding Scotland’s latest project to encourage girls and young women to take action on issues they care about.

The innovative project, called Action for Change, is being run in partnership with Girlguiding and Girlguiding Scotland, launches in Scotland before being rolled out the remainder of the UK where it will create the largest regional girl-led advocacy network in the UK, over the next three years.

Action for Change will give young members of Girlguiding Scotland the skills, confidence and ongoing support that they need to speak up about the issues that matter to them, build a fairer society and play their part in changing their communities for the better.

Laura Bates, founder of Everyday Sexism, said: “It’s so important that girls and young women are supported to speak out when they experience or witness inequality – because that’s how change happens.

“I think it’s great that Girlguiding is launching Action for Change, as this will give even more girls and young women the opportunity to create the change they want to see.”

Through Action for Change, Girlguiding Scotland members aged 13 to 18 will have the opportunity to attend an action-packed training and inspiration weekend in Edinburgh where they will learn key skills such as persuasive storytelling, digital communications, how to influence decision makers, and the role of the media in creating change. They will also hear from young campaigners about what inspired them to turn their ideas into action.