Porty Podcast

Portobello seems to produce its fair share of brewers – and not just ordinary brewers! 18 months ago, we heard about the Bellfield Brewery which was making gluten-free beers. Since then, they’ve become prize-winners and gathered other accolades as well. Now, we’ve heard of another company, Eyeball Brewing also founded here in Porty, which is also aiming to make its mark – a slightly different one from the traditional craft breweries. In today’s episode, we hear about them both.

One of the lovely things about living in Portobello is just how many things there are to do on the sea. There’s sailing and kayaking, rowing and paddle-boarding. But perhaps the hardiest group are the open water swimmers. You seem them out in the water, winter as well as summer, braving the cold and even some quite large waves. They’re aptly known as ‘The Wild Ones’. We joined them one Sunday morning to find out more:

Edinburgh has 27km of coastline from Port Edgar to Joppa. Other cities around the world have made the most of having such a sea front – Edinburgh, for the most part, hasn’t. You can’t walk or cycle the coast from end to end. Instead, large areas are blocked off by industrial buildings, some dating back centuries. But change is slowly taking place. There’s a growing appreciation of the important role of the shoreline habitat. And now, a year-long project, under the guidance of the Royal Botanic Gardens, is bringing together schools, community groups and individuals to join together and work to regenerate natural habitats along the Forth. We joined a group from Portobello at the Seafield end of the Prom. Anyone who would like to get involved in any way can contact Charlotte Johnson at cjohnson@rbge.org.uk

There are two rowing clubs in Portobello – RowPorty, founded seven years ago, and Eastern Amateur Rowing Club, founded just two years ago. Until now, Eastern has managed with one boat, a St Ayles Skiff called ‘Skelf’. But as the club has expanded and its members wanted to get involved in more events many of them quite far away, it became clear that a second boat would be needed. The Porty Podcast was at the launch of ‘Sprite’:

Some of you may have noticed work going on in the shop that used to house Earthy. Two things are happening there – the first is an expansion of Tribe Porty which was getting a little cramped upstairs; and the second is a new home for the Portobello branch of the Edinburgh Tool Library – we’ll have more on THAT closer to the time when it opens. However, it will also be home to something brand new – a project called ‘Fork in the Road’, a social project under the umbrella of the Tool Library. We went along to find out more:

Get your credit cards out for the chance to get your hands on an unique portrait of Portobello. The painter, Peter Jones, has been encouraged to publish a book of his watercolours featuring many local landmarks. But he wants your help if it’s going to happen. He’s creating a Crowdfunding Page which will let you support the project – and get you a copy (or copies) of the book and more when it’s published at the time of the next Porty Art Walk.

The singer, Mairi Campbell, is preparing a new show for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It's called "Mairi Campbell - Auld Lang Syne" and explores her relationship with one of Scotland's favourite songs and how it's been used (and abused) around the world. The show is the middle part of a trilogy she's working on with a world-class team from her home in Portobello. All music used with permission

Today could be a milestone in the history of Portobello – or at least in the recording of that history! If you look for information about the area on Wikipedia, you’ll find there are huge gaps - there's nothing about the story of the George Bingo Hall for instance, its former life as a cinema and the current controversy about the plans for its redevelopment. However, Wikipedia has tightened up the rules on who can post on the site and how it’s done. So the organisers of today’s event at Portobello Library plan to train up a small army of volunteers with the right set of skills.

Karl Stern's apartment on the Prom is stuffed with works of art - mainly from artists he admires. They include some works of massive proportion, taking up much of the space on one whole wall! As for his own work, much of that is on display in galleries. In particular, he currently has a one-man show at the Upright Gallery in Edinburgh.

Sing in the City, founded eight years ago, now has over a dozen choirs in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife. Its founder, Kirsty Baird, is organising another - this time in Porty! Find out more here!

Many older people suffer social isolation. The Royal Voluntary Service, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, is setting up a group in Portobello which may help. This first group will focus on crafts - but others will follow. The RVS held a "Welcome Event" this week at the Cake and Candy Tearoom. Its first official meeting will take place there on Monday the 9th of April.

Former social worker Roz Walker took a leap of faith when she decided to set up the Velvet Easel Gallery in Portobello High Street. Today, she runs a successful operation, part business, part hobby, in which local artists mingle with those from further afield, vying for space on the gallery walls.

The Portobello Timebank has been operating for a number of years. Its aim - to help people share their skills with others in the community. So if you need help, for instance, in the garden, then, if you are member of the Timebank, you can find someone to take on the tasks you can't. Here's how it works.

It's an idea that's been around for some time - but last weekend, Porty People were invited to share their vision of Porty Prom and the Beach! Friends of Porty Prom, to be set up on a similar model to the Friends of Figgate Park, will be a place where people who care about the Prom can share their ideas and help make it a great place for sport and play now and in the future.

It's almost a year since we last spoke to the community police in Portobello. You can find local people's worries about antisocial behaviour, for example, on online forums. Here, PC Matt McPherson talks about this and other issues being handled by himself and his colleagues.

After the very successful public meetings, Action Westbank is now working on a report to give to the City of Edinburgh Council. The aim is to make sure that Councillors and officials understand that their existing proposals are not acceptable to the people of Portobello.

There's a colourful new addition to Porty High Street. For years, the shop at Number 239 was home to RACE Couriers. But now, its grey exterior and empty interior - apart from a reception desk - have gone, replaced by bright blue paint and an array of goods for sale inside. So what prompted the change?

It's been several months since Action Porty received the keys to the former Bellfield Church and became the proud owner of what will become a wonderful community resource. But from the outside, nothing much seems to be happening. The gates are locked for instance! However, work is under way to ensure the building is indeed ready by summer.

Prostate Cancer has been in the news a lot recently - Stephen Fry is its latest victim! It's also one reason why the Porty Podcast has been missing for several months! The figures are alarming. In Portobello alone, more than 600 men and boys living here today can expect to get the disease at some point in their lives. And yet, most don't know much about it. Time to learn!

Time to meet another of our new Councillors - Callum Laidlaw of the Tories. He was elected back in May along with Kate Campbell of the SNP, Mary Campbell for the Greens and Maureen Child, the long established representative of Labour.