Porty Podcast

The Indian Summer we enjoyed in September may have gone but people still come to Portobello Beach whatever the weather. However, until now those with disabilities weren't really catered for - you certainly can't push an ordinary wheelchair along the sand. The arrival of the Beach Wheelchairs at the West end of the Prom (in the Tumbles Car Park) solves that. Book and find out more at info@portobellobeachwheelchairs.co.uk

About six months ago, Mary Campbell moved from being a local green activist to being one of Portobello's elected representatives. In this podcast, she reflects on her new role, the challenges and frustrations that go along with it.

September has been a busy month in the Portobello Swim Centre - and indeed in other pools across the city. 'Jump In' is a campaign to raise money to help young children from the poorest backgrounds to learn to swim. There's still time to join in by donating money to the cause. The simplest way is by texting to EDLS65 £3 to 70070

According to local people, the land at Westbank Street where the 5-a-side pitches and Tumbles are located was guaranteed to remain as a public amenity facility. But the council has put the land up for sale to pay for the refurbishment of the stadium at Meadowbank. Many developers have expressed interest - and (as far as anyone knows) they all want to build housing or retail units on the site. But a group of local people have come up with a plan to make the Council think again. Here are their thoughts.

The Porty Podcast began with the campaign to save the church at Bellfield for the Community. The Podcast had to take an enforced break over the summer; however it seems appropriate that we return once again with a story about Bellfield because, this week, the keys (a very large bunch of keys) were handed over to Action Porty. Now, the real work begins and money is being raised to make sure the project starts off debt free with a crowdfunding campaign www.bellfield.scot/crowdfunder

Edinburgh Tool Library is coming to Portobello. For the first time, local people will be able to borrow those expensive tools they might otherwise have to buy. The first session will be this coming Monday.

There's a growing movement in which communities around the country grow their own food - in allotments, local orchards or just spare pieces of land. In Edinburgh, this is celebrated by the Power of Food Festival which takes place this weekend. Here's the programme: http://bit.ly/2rDoAc1 And a video from last year: https://vimeo.com/217994404

It may be fun on the beach - but Ultimate Frisbee is a serious sport.

To mark the 50th episode, Bob Jefferson from Portobello Online grabs the microphone and turns the tables on David Calder, who created the Porty Podcast back in November.

If you've ever been to the Comedy Nights at the Dalriada, you'll have seen the host Steven Davidson in action. However, there's another side to his professional life as a performer that he's developing in the form of a podcast - "Looking back on a Life the Didn't Happen".

There's a new 'open mic' evening in Portobello. Hosted by local songstress Rosie Nimmo, it's held on the first Thursday of the month at the recently opened venue - the Jaffle Joint - in the High Street.

It's a fun run with a difference - a four mile race along the water's edge on Porty Beach. The sand makes this a seriously challenging run for those used to running on a road or track; the soft sand in particular is hard going. The event takes place on the 11th of June but there's still time to sign up at www.portobellorunners.co.uk

TED and TEDx events are celebrated the world over. They bring together interesting, informative and entertaining speakers to talk to a specific theme. This year's theme in Portobello was 'Restart the Machine'. It involved a group of nine speakers - some local, some from much further afield - to talk about how the direction of their lives had been dramatically changed...and how they coped.

Next Friday - the 26th of May - Portobello Community Choir will be singing at a concert held at St Mark's Church. The choir, which is about three years old, attracts a wide range of people, brought together by a love of singing - and the fact they don't need to be able to read music! Their repertoire is very varied - as the Porty Podcast discovered when we went along to a rehearsal.

There has been a spate of bike thefts in Portobello recently. It's something the police are all too well aware of. However, they are keen that the public help them to stop this kind of crime by making sure their bikes are suitably marked and recorded. The local beat officer, PC Matt McPherson, insists that, despite the bike thefts, a lot of other crimes are down and Porty remains a safe place to live!

Who would steal trees from a community orchard? That's what Porty people want to know after six were stolen from the Donkey Field! They had been donated by another community venture. Six relatively rare trees.

If you are diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and you live in Edinburgh, then count yourself lucky. The research into the disease going on at universities and hospitals is extensive and the support network better than many other parts of the country. So when Ken Bowler, a now-retired professor of physics at Edinburgh University and Porty resident, discovered that he had Parkinson's, he decided to get involved.

For Action Porty, this was vindication day - the day the Scottish Government confirmed the community right to buy. But now, the hard work really begins of turning the former Bellfield Church into a thriving community hub.

They meet on the last Monday of the month, providing a voice of the community to the Council, the Scottish Government and developers. First set up some 34 years ago, Portobello Community Council is today able to use modern technology to do the job it was set up to do - consult the community and reflect its views.

Porty - the best place to live. That's being proved by the fact that more buildings in Portobello and surrounds have been entered for this RIAS Awards than any other single part of the country. Leading the way is Porty High School - but there are other, smaller gems as well.