47 Portobello Beach Race

The Portobello Beach Race is somewhat different. The course is just four miles long - but there are obstacles all along the way in the form of the wooden groynes (they help to stop the sand eroding); the runners have to either jump or climb over them or otherwise work their way around. And running on the sand is a lot harder that many might think, the soft sand in particular.

The Beach Race - Open to Everyone

Organised by Portobello Running Club, this now annual race attracts a lot of runners - from the experienced to children (who only have to run a mile). The event, now in its 5th year takes place on the 11th of June but there's still time to sign up at www.portobellorunners.co.uk. So what's the attraction? This episode finds out.


Portobello Beach Race

46 TEDx Portobello

TED and TEDx events are celebrated the world over. They bring together interesting, informative and entertaining speakers to talk to a specific theme.  The idea started back in 1984 but it really took off in 1990; it's been held annually since then. TED's early emphasis was on technology and design, consistent with its Silicon Valley origins but has since spread to a wide range of other topics. 

James McGinty gave a personal and very emotional speech

This year's theme in Portobello was 'Restart the Machine'. It involved a group of nine speakers - some local, some from much further afield - to talk about how the direction of their lives had been dramatically changed...and how they coped. For copyright reasons, we weren't allowed to record any of the talks - but we could talk to the speakers afterwards. This episode is about their stories.

Porty TEDx

45 Portobello Community Choir

There's a wealth of evidence to show that singing has an impact on your health and well-being. For example, it creates a strong sense of community. It encourages social inclusion and helps you believe in yourself. It also has a positive influence on your physical health.

Portobello has its own Community Choir and next Friday - the 26th of May - it will be performing at a concert held at St Mark's Church. The choir, which is about three years old, attracts a wide range of people, brought together by a love of singing - and the fact they don't need to be able to read music! Their repertoire is very varied - as the Porty Podcast discovered when we went along to a rehearsal.

Community Choir 

44 Crime In Portobello

There has been a spate of bike thefts in Portobello recently. It's something the police are all too well aware of. However, they are keen that the public help them to stop this kind of crime by making sure their bikes are suitably marked and recorded. 

PC Matt McPherson

The local beat officer, PC Matt McPherson, insists that, despite the bike thefts, a lot of other crimes are down and Porty remains a safe place to live!

Porty Crime Update 

43 Theft from the Community Orchard

Earlier this year, we learned about the Community Orchard. We heard the trees being wassailed to ensure a bumper harvest in the Autumn. Today however, we bring some rather disturbing news from the Donkey Field.

A Shocked Volunteer

The volunteers were shocked to find that someone had stolen some of their trees! But who would do such a think? That's what Porty people want to know after six had been dug up. They had been donated by another community venture. Six relatively rare trees. In this episode, we hear more.

Theft from the Community Orchard

42 Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease affects around 1 in 500 people which means there are about 127,000 people in the UK with the condition. It’s a disease in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged, leading to involuntary shaking in the arms or hand for example, slow movement and stiff and inflexible muscles. Men are slightly more likely to get Parkinson's disease than women and, for most people, the symptoms start when they're over 50.

If you are diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and you live in Edinburgh, then count yourself lucky. The research into the disease going on at universities and hospitals is extensive and the support network better than many other parts of the country. 

In today's episode, we meet Ken Bowler, a now-retired professor of physics at Edinburgh University and Porty resident. When he discovered that he had Parkinson's, he decided to get involved.

Parkinsons Disease 

41 Bellfield - The Final Decision

Bellfield has been a major story for The Porty Podcast. It featured in our first ever episode last year. It has been nerve wracking for those involved - and has taken up huge amounts of time for many individuals, all of them volunteers. Today was the day they had all been hoping for - vindication day! 
 

The Bellfield Community Centre

For Action Porty, this was the day the Scottish Government confirmed the community's right to buy. But now, the hard work really begins of turning the former Bellfield Church into a thriving community hub.

The Bellfield Community Centre 

40 Portobello Community Council

There has long been a debate about local democracy in Scotland. There are many people who believe that the decisions that affect local people are not taken locally enough. Since the last local government reform, they have been taken by the City of Edinburgh Council, sometimes even against the wishes of the local councillors. However, they are supposed to take the views of Community Councils into account.

Not every community in Edinburgh has such a council; but there is one on Portobello which meets on the last Monday of the month, providing a voice of the community not just to the Council but to the Scottish Government and developers. First set up some 34 years ago, Portobello Community Council is today able to use modern technology to do the job it was set up to do - consult the community and reflect its views.

 Portobello Community Council