8 NEWS
The tale of the long and winding Braid Road
At play in warzone
Courageous Gavin takes time out of studies to help children in Ukraine
By PHYLLIS STEPHENEDINBURGH AUTHOR Margaret Hubble
(pictured) has just published a new book,
“The Dark Streets of Leith”, based on
19th century criminals living there.
Hubble said: “People ask why I like
“dark” stories so much. For researchers,
the High Court case papers at the
National Records of Scotland are like
gold dust. It isn’t so much the criminal
who interests me, but the amount of
social history contained in the witness
statements that I find so intriguing.
“You can find out how long a working
day was in those times and the working
conditions, how many small shops
opened until about 11 in the evening,
the names of old public houses, how few
possessions working people owned etc.
In the story about James Scott, a young
sailor who stole sovereigns from a ship,
the descriptions by his friends about
James’ spending sprees and what he
treated them to in terms of food and
drink, eating for instance “cow heel and
baps”, were hilarious. His travels to places
outside of Leith when ferries were more
common, how much he paid for
overnight accommodation etc were
interesting.
“In the story of William Bennison, the
poisoner, the amount of travelling he did
back and forwards to his birthplace of
Ireland, as well as his bigamous
marriages, made it a complicated tale.”
The Dark Streets of Leith by Margaret
Hubble is available on Amazon.Dark tales from
streets of Leith
By STAFF REPORTERBEFORE STUDYING at Queen Margaret
University, thirty-six-year old Gavin Menzies ran
various businesses supporting young people in
and around Edinburgh - in particular a local
basketball academy.
Despite having no degree or experience in
higher education, Gavin had such solid work
experience with children, that he was able to
secure a place on the Master's course, although
doing the course part-time was the only way he
would be able to sustain studying at this level.
At the outset of the Russian invasion of
Ukraine, Gavin made the life-changing decision
to fly there and volunteer. Within 14 days of the
invasion, he was working to evacuate people
from Lviv and Kyiv, and later returned in the
summer to bring supplies to Kharkiv. Gavin said
he felt like he had a responsibility to volunteer
and help in whatever way he could.
Gavin said: “I had some time away from my
university studies, in between work placements,
when the invasion began. I had experience
working in refugee camps already, so I spoke to
my lecturers at the University and told them that
I was going to volunteer to help.
“I was involved in the evacuation of mostly
women and children at the start of the conflict. I
went into Kyiv and Lviv to help bring people out.
I also raised around £15,000 to buy supplies for
refugees that they might not have been able to
take from their homes.
“There was a massive amount of aid that made
it to the Polish-Ukrainian border, but which
couldn’t be taken onwards. Volunteers and aid
agencies were required to transport it into
Ukraine and get it to the people who urgently
needed it. When I saw the overwhelming need
for those volunteers, I felt compelled to do what
I could. Initially, I was driving into Lviv with
supplies. We had military liaisons the entire way,
telling us where the supplies had to go, where it
was safe to travel and what time we had to be out
of the city by.
“We would take in supplies to these regions,which included a lot of cold weather gear at that
time, and then we would evacuate the most
vulnerable - mostly people who needed specialist
medical care, women and children and disabled
people. We would put them in our vehicles and
bring them back with us across the border.
“I went over a second time in the summer to
Kharkiv. By that time, everything was far more
organised, and I linked up with a charity that
was operating out of the remnants of Kharkiv
University. We were supporting a lot of older
people and doing what was, essentially, end of
life care. A lot of them were people with no
family and nowhere to go, living in a city that
was getting shelled all the time - often quite
indiscriminately. It was very difficult to see that
first hand. However, these places were getting
their water supplies trucked in, and if our truckscouldn’t get access, then there would be no clean
water for anyone.”
Queen Margaret University’s Principal, Sir
Paul Grice, praised Gavin’s bravery and his
determination to be a force for good. He said:
"Gavin is an inspiration to those on the MSc Play
Therapy course and to everyone at QMU. He has
used his skills, energy and time to make a
positive impact on the people of Ukraine during
the most desperate of situations. We are
delighted that the lecturers could support him to
undertake such brave and important work
during the course of his studies. Indeed, he
epitomises the values of Queen Margaret
University in his endeavour to make a difference
in the world."
Gavin is preparing to travel to Ukraine again
later this year.By KIRSTY LEWINTHE COUNCIL describes its
QuietRoutes (QR) as walking and
cycling routes that are ‘perfect for
exploring the city’. It claims that it
designed these routes for users of
all abilities and that they’re a great
way to avoid busy main roads. So
why are we seeing a QR that was
suitable for all now compromised
by traffic?
The Greenbank to the Meadows
QR was developed during the
pandemic, part of Spaces for
People, creating a relatively safeand pleasant active travel corridor.
Along its length lie several schools
and green places, so it was
attractive for everyday travel and
leisure trips. Extending south to
Fairmilehead with protected cycle
lanes on Comiston Road, it was, for
a while, transformational. Sadly, for
the many adults and children who
used it, it now seems it was just a
pipe dream, not fully supported by
either the previous or the current
council administration.
In the south, the key entry point
into the QR was enabled by the
closure of Braid Road to vehicles.But, the previous administration
responded to pressure to reopen
this former rat run to southbound
vehicles. Just before Christmas, the
council reopened it to northbound
traffic. As a result, the only link into
the QR from Greenbank and
Fairmilehead is no longer
considered safe for all cyclists.
This new two-way traffic makes it
too dangerous and confusing for
many people to cycle through the
key junction at Braid Road and
Braidburn Terrace, particularly those
cycling with children. Temporary
measures are in place, and thecouncil has proposed a permanent
scheme. But, families who had been
using the route believe this scheme
will not be any safer than the
current arrangements. They don’t
know how they will be able to cycle
their children to school.
For active travel to grow the QR
must be valued and protected, as it
is further down the route towards
the Meadows. Many families in the
south began cycling when the
route first went in. Now they are
considering driving again. What
name do you give to a QR that isn’t
quiet? Is it a deception?