20 Wassailing

Everyone who tends an orchard is looking for a bumper crop. Those involved with the Portobello Community Orchard are no different. And to make sure their wishes are granted, they've started a tradition of singing - or wassailing - to the trees at the start of the season in January. Today was wassailing day!

The Community Orchard  is right on the edge of Portobello in what was once known as the 'Donkey Field'. Now, it has a wide range of fruit trees, many of them unusual or historic. For the volunteers who help maintain the orchard, this is just a bit of fun - but with a serious side. 

Community Orchard

19 Lothian Dance Academy

When should children start dance classes? Well, at the Lothian Dance academy, the school rolls are now open to girls as young a 2! The academy has been in Portobello for many years and, for some families, it's almost an institution - the mothers who were pupils in the past are now sending their own offspring along today. 

The youngsters are very much part of the community. They not only stage their own shows but also help with the Porty Panto and the Christmas Street Fest! At the heart of this dance school is Miss Morag - Morag Phillips, the founder of and inspiration behind the academy.

Lothian Dance Academy 

18 Citizens Advice Bureau - Volunteers Wanted

Citizens Advice Bureaux are the places people turn to when they've a problem. The one in Portobello sees up to 80 people a week - that's about 4,000 people a year wanting help! 

The Porty Bureau offers drop-in sessions two mornings a week, on a Tuesday and Thursday. Currently, there are some 25 regular, trained volunteers working there - but they need support from receptionists on a Monday and Wednesday afternoon.

In this episode, we hear from  manager Hazel Bett. She stresses that the organisation is independent of government and, as a charity, needs help to keep up the good work. That means finding new volunteers, willing to come into the branch to help.

CAB

CAB Help Website 

17 Fracking

The extraction of what is known as ‘unconventional gas’ has been highly controversial. Both underground coal gasification and fracking have been discussed at a number of meetings in Portobello in recent years, the latest to hear the MSP Claudia Beamish explain who she wanted local support for her bill to ban fracking in the Forth in particular. 

 

Claudia Beamish MSP

 It was held in the Dalriada on Monday night. It was a well-attended meeting, strongly backed by 'Our Forth' - a Porty-based group which has already successfully campaigned against coal gasification. In this episode, she explains why she feels so strongly.

Fracking 

16 The Dalriada

The Dalriada – better known as the Bar on the Beach – has been transformed in recent years. When Alison and Terry McGill took it over around 13 years ago, it was pretty run down. Its clientele was pretty run down as well, mostly male, mostly middle aged and mostly completely uninterested in the finer things of life, including decent beers, wines and spirits. Today, it couldn’t be more different!

It's become one of the best music bars in Edinburgh. Every day, there are musicians - professional as well as local amateurs - performing, sometimes into the witching hour. There are jam sessions, new bands and family sing-a-long gatherings on a Sunday. But there's more to the Dalriada than just the music. It's used by all sorts of groups - from the monthly Dalriada Conversations, to wine tastings and gourmet evenings. There is something for everyone.

The clientele has changed too. It's now a pretty even balance of age and gender, many enjoying the craft beers and the other drinks the pub now stocks. Terry McGill admits that, to start with, it was a slow burn to get where they are today – but it’s been worth it:

The Dalriada

15 Basics Bank

Just last week, there was a talk in Portobello about food poverty – it was described as ‘Our National Shame’. The speaker talked about the number of people who’re having to resort to food banks – and the fact that many of them are actually in work – but can’t afford to pay all of the bills…and feed themselves as well. It’s a shocking indictment of our society – especially when the organisation that refers most people to food banks is the Department or Work and Pensions. 

There is a food bank in the area – they prefer to call it a ‘Basics Bank’ because it offers more than just food…soap, razors, feminine hygiene products are all part of the mix. It’s very much a community project – Tower Bank Primary and Portobello High School are both involved as are local churches, allotment groups and others. 

It’s backed by the Edinburgh City Mission and helped by a charity called the Cyrenians which supports the homeless and vulnerable by running, amongst other things, a farm growing fruit and vegetables. 

The Basics Bank is based at Wilson Memorial Church at the foot of Portobello Road. One of the volunteers, Patsy Cook, has been there from the start nearly four years ago. So what was the driving force that got the group started?

Basics Bank

14 The Award Winning Skylark

It’s not every day that a local business is recognised as being the best in Scotland. Well, just this week, a Portobello café/bar/restaurant (the exact definition is quite hard, even for the owners) received such an accolade…and it was (cymbals) The Skylark in the High Street. They came top in The Skinny Food & Drink Survey, one of six listed as the best bars in the country. Even better, they were voted for by the readers of the magazine. 

The Skylark in Porty High Street

 The Skylark’s been going successfully for several years now which, as the Skinny’s editorial points out, can feel like “a lifetime in the accelerated world of food and drink, where the hours are long, the drink flows heavily and the whims of the public can set the best laid plans awry.” So what are they doing right? Originally from France, one of the founders, Nina Davidson, settled in Portobello with her architect husband and two small children. Apart from discussing the success of the business, how much warning had the partners had that an award was on its way?

The Award Winning Skylark 

13 The Bellfield Brewery

A Happy New Year to one and all. We’re starting 2017 with a subject dear to the hearts of beer drinkers – especially those who may have wanted to raise a festive glass but couldn’t because they have an allergy to gluten or an intolerance to wheat. You may not realise it but a lot of brewers add wheat to the recipe because it improves the quality of the head. Well, a couple of Portobello residents, Giselle Dye and Alistair Brown, took the matter into their own hands and formed the Bellfield Brewery a couple of years ago, one whose whole purpose was to produce gluten-free beer. 

We’ll be speaking one of those founders in this episode – but first, this podcast is a little different because, as you may have heard, there’s a contest associated with it. The prize – 6 bottles of Bellfield Beers – and, to win, you’ll have to listen to the whole episode because all the answers can be found there. So here’s the interview with Giselle Dye explaining why she and Alistair had formed the brewery in the first place:

Bellfield Brewery

So to the competition – there are six questions, five of which are listed home page for this podcast. Please send you answers to theportypodcast@gmail.com

    1)      What is the name of Giselle’s husband?

    2)      What is the medical condition which means he can’t drink normal beer any longer?

    3)      Name the principle ingredient in their gluten-free beer?

    4)      What is the name of the head brewer?

    5)      How many independent off-licences and shops are selling the beer?

    6)      What is the origin of the name, Bellfield?

Good luck!

And the winner was Malcolm Stewart – well done!