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Making a Big Noise
Young orchestra delights audience at summer concert
By PHYLLIS STEPHEN
THE BIG NOISE Wester Hailes summer
concert celebrated another year of their
life-changing work. The orchestra is made up
of more than 100 local children aged seven to
nine years old. The programme was varied with
some Big Noise favourites like ‘The Dodo Song’,
‘Big Noise Lullaby’, and ‘Chocolate Treats’.
Stewart Wilson, Head of Centre at Big Noise
Wester Hailes said: “We were so pleased to
celebrate another fantastic year of Big Noise in
Edinburgh with this special concert at Wester
Hailes High School.
“This event was a huge success, thanks to the
performances from all of our amazing children
and young people and the support of our
wonderful community in Wester Hailes.
“This has been a special year for Big Noise
Wester Hailes where we’ve seen our young
people become more confident and develop as
young musicians.
“There have been many highlights, including
performing side-by-side with the RSNO at the
Usher Hall. Events like this help to show what
Big Noise is all about – celebrating positive
achievements and the strength of our amazing
Big Noise communities.”
Evelyn Paterson, whose children Lafe,
nine, and Cru, eight, attend Big Noise Wester
Hailes, said:
“I loved the concert. You can see the
improvement the kids have made in just the
space of a year.
“When Big Noise first started here, I thought
it was a really good opportunity for the kids
because you don’t really get much in Wester
Hailes like this at all, and bringing the kids
together from three different schools I think is
really good for the community.
“It brings everyone together. It’s helped my
son Lafe to interact more with other children
and with music, as he usually doesn’t like going
to groups, but the staff help the kids a lot.
They’re just very compassionate.”
Councillor Mandy Watt, Deputy Leader of
the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I was
delighted to attend Big Noise Wester Hailes’
summer concert and witness first-hand the
incredible progress the programme has made
in just two years since it launched.
“Big Noise continues to be a real asset to our
school community in Wester Hailes and concerts
like this provide a great opportunity for the whole
community to come together to encourage and
support these talented youngsters.”
Big Noise Wester Hailes launched in 2022
and now works with more than 550 children,
young people, and their families every week,
supporting them to reach their full potential.Big Noise Wester Hailes“Amazing! “
the MERRY MENOPAUSE“Simply splendid....
a must see show”MARK ASPEN
“electrically exciting“
the REAL CHRISPARKLE
Edinburgh’s
first car
By ANDY ARTHURON 19 JULY – 128 years ago- the first ever motor car
entered the city, on the first
ever (legal) cross-county
drive in Scotland.
Thomas R. Barnwell Elliot,
son of the Deputy Lieutenant
of the County of
Roxburghshire, of Cliftonpark,
Kelso, had been causing a stir
ever since he imported his
3.5hp Panhard et Levassor
Phaeton “horseless carriage”
from France in 1895.
It was the first motor car
imported into Scotland, the
seventh in the UK. The
Edinburgh Evening News
noted “Edinburgh people...
Did not readily take to
innovations and preferred to
wait until they gained
experience from others.”
We can be confident that
Barnewall Elliot indeed
brought the first car to
Edinburgh because when the
Locomotive Acts were
repealed on14th November
1896, the Evening News
reported there were no cars
in the city at that point and
his had been the only one to
pass through until then.
It was not until 11th
December that another car
came to Edinburgh, when
Glaswegian firm Colosseum
Warehouse Co. brought a
Daimler with a taxi cab
body to the city and gave
rides in it. It took until
February 1897 for a citizenof Edinburgh to troubled
themselves to get a car,
when Mr John Drew of
Belford Road exhibited an
“almost noiseless” electric
car of the Neale type that he
had built.
It was not long after that
the Rossleigh Cycle Company
(named for partners Thomas
Ross and the Sleigh brothers)
went into the chauffeuring
business with a number of
Daimler Dogcarts acquired
for the purpose.This is an abridged version of
an article published on
threadinburgh.scotT. R. Barnewall Elliot and his car