The Edinburgh Reporter November 2023

6 NEWS

Dog attacks schoolboy

Janie is named volunteer champion

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

RAJNISH SINGH is Patron and a former

President of the Scottish Indian Arts Forum

(SIAF) and President of Edinburgh Diwali.

He said the annual celebration is a very

important festival for Indian diaspora to

celebrate and emphasised that he extends

a welcome to everyone in Edinburgh to

come along on 19 November to enjoy the

entertainment and the spectacle.

Former Lord Provost Donald Wilson was

instrumental in transforming it from a VIP

event at the City Chambers into the public

occasion it is today.

Mr SIngh explained the Diwali civic

reception in the city chambers was very

nice, but he welcomed the opportunity to

extend Diwali into the city to include the

people of Edinburgh. He said: “We were

very, very clear that if we were to take it

over then it had to be a public Diwali. It

could not be invite only. Donald Wilson

was Lord Provost and he really backed our

stance on this. At first the event was only

held at the Ross Bandstand, and the first

year was a great success.

NO BARRIERS

“Our intention was always that if we set it

up then it should be without any barrier

and people should not be constrained

because of finances. So we have kept it

free. That has been a big challenge, but our

committee is made up of professionals and

there are no paid staff.”

Mr Singh explained it is important that

the service providers and professionals -

such as the dancers and musicians - are all

paid for their work.

The finances are the biggest obstacle as

every year the event starts again from

scratch with “almost zero” in the bank. The

council and the Lord Provost’s office

provide some support, and there are

private corporate sponsorships with Baillie

Gifford - now committed for three years.

In 2019 the National Lottery Community

Fund awarded £50,000 to Edinburgh

Diwali from their People’s Projects which

supports organisations which bring

people together and “make communities

stronger and more inclusive”. In 2015 the

event began with a budget of £10,000, the

2019 event had a budget of £85,000 but in

the last three years the budget after the

pandemic has fallen back to around

£30,000 which Mr Singh estimates is the

base cost to cover payment for all the

live performances.

http://www.edinburghdiwali.co.uk

In the spotlight -

Rajnish Singh

Rajnish Singh, President

of Edinburgh Diwali

Seven-year-old bitten while playing in park with pals by out of control animal

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

A YOUNG BOY was attacked by a "pit bull"

type of dog and was bitten on the leg and side

while playing in a park near his Edinburgh

school.

Reece Munro was with his mother, Cheryl,

playing in Craigentinny Park Playground

near Loganlea Drive when he was attacked

twice by the dog.

His mother fears he will be left with scarring

once the wounds heal and is concerned about

the safety of Reece and his friends while

out playing.

Police Scotland are aware of the incident and

we have been told The City of Edinburgh

Council dog warden is looking into the

circumstances of the attack.

Reece had been running around with his

friends in a wooded area of the park as they

usually do at the end of the school day. The boy

was holding a stick, as were some of the other

children, but he said that he threw it down on

seeing the dog making a run for him.

Mrs Munro said: "My son and his friends

were playing in the park as they do every day.

There is a woodland area in the park and all the

kids play in there after school. They think it's a

forest, so they collect sticks and make dens.

"It was a normal day - we always go to

the park after school, both children and

parents. The man came in from the opposite

end of the park to where the boys were.

"Reece said he saw him coming towards him,

but at that point the dog was on the lead.

Obviously the dog was far too strong and he

couldn't stop him.

"Reece threw the stick away thinking that

was why the dog was coming for him, but that

was when the dog latched on to him and he fell.

By the time I got to him my son had leapt over

the fence to get away from the dog - it must

have just been the adrenaline."

The man who was in charge of the dog ran

out of the park but the boy's father, Ryan

Munro, knew where to find the dog as they live

in the same street. He caught up with the man

who had been in charge of the animal but the

man denied that the dog was his.

Mr Munro said that his son was able to

identify the dog which had attacked him in an

interview with the police that took place at the

hospital where Reece was treated.

Although the bites will heal, the boy's

mother believes he will be left with scarring.

Mrs Munro added that he is "quite tough" and

mentally seems all right after the attack, but she

said they have not yet been back to the same

area yet.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said:

"We were made aware of a child having been

bitten by a dog around 3.30pm on Thursday,

12 October, 2023 in the Craigentinny area

of Edinburgh.

"The child received treatment for injuries

sustained in the incident.

"The dog warden has been notified and

enquires are ongoing to establish the full

circumstances."

The City of Edinburgh Council has been

asked for comment.

In terms of the Control of Dogs (Scotland)

Act 2010 it is the responsibility of the dog's

owner to ensure that it is kept under control.

One of the circumstances when an animal can

be deemed out of control is when it bites

another person and the council can impose a

Dog Control Notice advising what the owner

needs to do to bring the dog under control. The

responsibility remains with the owner even if

someone else, not the owner, was looking after

the dog at the time.

JANIE CONLON from

Grassmarket Community Project

(GCP) has been named Volunteer

Champion at the Social Enterprise

Awards 2023. She volunteers at

the Edinburgh-based organisation

and won the award in recognition

of her contribution to creating

social change by inspiring others

and being part of the team runnig

the profit-making Tartan Social

Enterprise which is a part of GCP.

She teaches, encourages and

supports the members and other

volunteers, many of whom are

vulnerable adults.

Janie shows everyone how to

craft the range of quliaty items

that are now in demand through

the shop and online, at

VisitScotland and at the gift shop

at Edinburgh Castle.

She is desribed as “the heart of

a special project which she has

used initiative and drive to create,

while inspiring others to work

with her”.

Reece Munro

Janie

Conlon

Craigentinny Park Playground,

where the attack took place