The Edinburgh Reporter May 2023

6 NEWS

Expo Fund boost for major festivals

Testing the tracks and training the drivers - next the passengers

Trams by daylight

By STAFF REPORTER

THE NATIONAL Lottery has awarded

funding to Edinburgh organisations to

celebrate the King’s Coronation

• £9,950 to Children’s Health Scotland to
  run two events for up to 80 children and
  young people with long term health
  conditions, a Coronation picnic and an
  online Eurovision party.


• £8,150 to Greyfriars Charteris Centre
  to host a Coronation Lunch for
  50 people and 15 coffee mornings
  for Southside residents.


• £10,000 to Milan Senior Welfare
  Organisation to hold events celebrating
  the Coronation and two coach trips.


• £875 to Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre
  SCIO where a celebratory afternoon
  event will be put on for people living in
  Oxgangs, Firrhill and Colinton Mains with
  live music and a bouncy castle.


• £2,220 to Queensferry Sea Cadets to
  provide a coronation celebration day for
  340 young people - Sea, Army and Air
  Cadets, local Scout groups, Girl Guides,
  Boys Brigade and Girls Brigade groups.


• £2,250 to Royal Mile Primary School to
  provide a Coronation celebration day for
  all children and families. Games, a float, a
  dressing- up box, and pictures and videos
  will commemorate the day.


• £5,379 to The Dhammapadipa Temple
  who will use the funding to hold a ceilidh
  to celebrate the King’s Coronation for the
  whole community.

Dominic Heslop, Manager, Oxgangs

Neighbourhood Centre, said: ” This will be

a great occasion for the community with a

traditional street party, but with the added

advantage of it being held in the garden

and grounds of the Centre. Free food and

drinks, live music, Highland dancing and of

course the infamous bouncy castle. I know

we will provide a great event and in return

local people will be supporting our valued

Centre. I am sure the King will be proud.”

Kate Still, Scotland Chair, The National

Lottery Community Fund said: “Thanks to

National Lottery players, these events and

activities will help to promote community

cohesion and engage people from

different generations and cultures to get to

know one another and share experiences.

By helping communities celebrate the

historic occasion, we hope to inspire a

legacy of positive change.”

Cash is King for

these events

Ross NIxon

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

MANY IN EDINBURGH can’t wait for the next
phase of the tramline to open. As Edinburgh
bought 27 trams before the first part of the line
was built, there are plenty of vehicles to service
the extra distance to Newhaven, and now we are
beginning to see actual trams on the line it is
becoming more of a reality.
Daytime testing of the tramline offers more
training for the drivers, 40 of whom are new.
Until now drivers have only been using a
simulator for the route from Picardy Place to
Newhaven. It still causes a stir among passers by
on Leith Walk to see an actual tram running at
full speed. This is the street where there has
been considerable disruption since 2019 in the
latest phase, and previously when the street was
first excavated and then closed up again.
Businesses have come and gone in the interim,
some citing the trams as the reason.

So when will passengers be allowed to

clamber aboard? From the week commencing

8 May Edinburgh Trams will begin timetable

testing, meaning that trams will run from one

end of the line to the other all day long. So

watch out for trams every seven minutes. With

passenger numbers to and from the airport

already back to higher than 2019 levels there is

an obvious demand for the service.

The £207.3 million line offers an easier mode

of transport to Edinburgh Park and the airport

for those living in Leith.

We are assured that passengers will be

allowed aboard before too long.

Cllr Scott Arthur, Transport and

Environment Convener, said: “Seeing trams

running the length of Leith Walk and beyond

during the day will give a real taste of the future

of the route – this is an exciting moment.

Of course, this is the first time that the new

trams will be on the line in the daytime, so I

would encourage everyone to take extra care

when in the area.

“We’re on the cusp of passenger services

beginning, with the project delivered on time

and in budget, and this is the culmination of a

great deal of hard work by all those involved,

despite the challenges of the last few years.

We can now look forward to a green,

high-capacity transport link between the centre

and north of the city, which will transform

travel along the route, help boost the economy

and open up development opportunities.

Edinburgh Trams’ Managing Director Lea

Harrison added: “Our innovative approach to

driver training has delivered numerous benefits

for our business but, ultimately, the focus has

been on keeping everyone safe. This is why we

put new recruits and existing tram drivers alike

through rigorous training and ongoing

professional development programmes to

maintain the highest safety standards.”

FOURTEEN MAJOR

festivals in Edinburgh and in

Glasgow have received a

share of this year’s £1.

million Expo Fund from The

Scottish Government.

Established in 2007 the

fund aims to “build

innovation across the

festivals and maximise

national and international

opportunities for the artists

taking part in the festivals”.

Culture Minister, Christina

McKelvie, said: “Scotland’s

major festivals are a

wonderful showcase for the

extraordinary range of

artistic talent we have in this

country. The Expo Fund not

only helps to support

performances at home, but

enables artists to find new

audiences further afield.

“The last few years

have been challenging

for the culture sector,

so I’m pleased that we are

able to continue this

important fund.”

This means £130,000 for

Edinburgh Art Festival,

£550,000 for Edinburgh

Festival Fringe Society,

£85,000 for Edinburgh

International Book Festival,

£100,000 for Edinburgh

International Festival,

£59,000 for Edinburgh

International Film Festival,

£100,000 for Edinburgh Jazz

& Blues Festival and

£120,000 for Edinburgh

Science Festival, £130,

for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay

and £130,000 for Imaginate

the Edinburgh International

Children’s Festival and

£120,000 for the Scottish

International Storytelling

Festival which is also based

in the capital.

As well as this some

funding was awarded to

other festivals such as

Glasgow Film Festival.

Christina McKelvie

Trams are now running during the

day from Picardy Place to Newhaven