Saturday, July 01, 2017

Gorgie City Farm Cafe is Reopened!

After a long spell closed for refurbishment I was delighted to cut the ribbon on the new Gorgie City Farm Cafe ( @GorgieCityFarm ).





The new interior is great and with the help of Garvald the so is the menu.A much loved local asset is back with us. 

Monday, May 22, 2017

A Week is a Long Time in Politics

Friends and colleagues may have noticed that there is another Lord Provost sporting the chain of office! Yes I have stood down as LP. After much soul searching I decided not to seek another term. To say it has been a busy five years would be an understatement..When it came to it however I was surprised to find I wanted to move on to new challenges and develop a closer relationship with my constituents. Being the only Labour Councillor for Sighthill Gorgie (where before there was two) I made a promise to those who selected me that if this was the case I would do the work of two in the area. Being LP again would have made this more difficult.
The other reason is that there is very little that I set out to achieve that I have not done in the five years. It has been a great privilege and honour to represent the City at home and abroad for five years and I have poured every ounce of energy I could muster into it. With a rough estimate of over 3630 official engagements and events it has at times been seven days with never more than a few days till your next major speech. Add to this my determination to do things in addition to what is required and it has been a full and demanding five years. I have enjoyed every minute of it however and look back with some satisfaction. Indeed there is very little of what I wanted to do that I have not done.
From Looney Dooks to London Marathons (3); from raising over £300,00 for the One City Trust to over forty defibrillators through St John and the City; from Community Garden Parties for unsung heroes of the City to taking the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to New Zealand and Australia.  The Queen became the longest reigning Monarch and I was the first person to speak to her that morning. We had referendums on the UK and Europe. It has been a busy time in Scotland's Capital City but throughout I have tried to promote and develop our sense of belonging and community, one city, our city and we are all in it together.
 

Monday, February 06, 2017

I am sharing this memory of last year but of course I am running it again this year. This will be my third London Marathon so this year I am upping the challenge by also running the Edinburgh Marathon as part of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival (only five weeks later)! 
This represents an enormous personal challenge for me as up till less than three years ago I took no regular exercise and was extremely unfit! Now I run a minimum of 50 kilometers a week (two 25k runs) with all the health and fitness benefits that brings. This is all a bonus however as the real reason for this transformation was to raise funds for the One City Trust.

Edinburgh is an affluent and prosperous city but not everyone benefits in this success. With widening gaps between rich and poor and other types of inequality persisting it is my mission to ensure that all our citizens benefit from the success of Scotland’s great capital.
In addition I am supporting the St John and the City appeal which aims to install defibrillators across Edinburgh. My target for this would be two defibrillators (£2000).
Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor me and donations will be quickly processed and passed to the charities. Virgin Money Giving is a not for profit organisation and will claim gift aid on a charity's behalf where the donor is eligible for this.
Alternatively get in touch on 0131 529 4000 or send a cheque made out to ‘The One City Trust’ to The Lord Provost, City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1YJ
Thank you for taking the time to read this and hope you can see your way to supporting me in my efforts on behalf of the city.

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Central Labour Party Burns Supper

https://www.facebook.com/events/1266095376804777/
Tickets are now on sale for our annual Burns Supper which will take place on Saturday 4 February at LifeCare, 2 Cheyne Street, Edinburgh, EH4 1JB. Time is 7.15pm for a 7.45pm start. Tickets cost £25 for a delicious three course meal. A vegetarian option is available. We are delighted to announce the speakers for this event are as follows:
Councillor Donald Wilson - Lord Provost (me) 
Anas Sarwar MSP (Immortal Memory)
...See more

Donald and Carmel for Sighthill Gorgie

Donald Wilson and Carmel Smith selected to run for Sighthill Gorgie.






Donald says “Having lived in the area most of my adult life I have seen many changes but the community spirit continues to be strong. I have worked hard with individuals, local organisations, community groups and charities to get things done. In addition to my work as Lord Provost I have continued to hold regular surgeries and championed local issues such as a surface crossing for Calder Rd. and saving community centers like St Brides and the Gorgie War Memorial Hall. I joined the Council in 1999 first and foremost to fight for my local area and I have always done that.families can flourish in a fairer more equal city.”

Carmel says “Labour have always been the champions of working class people and the less fortunate in our society. We’ve always stood for improving education, employment and equality; and for helping the less able members of our society. I will work with local people to build safe, strong communities where 

Ways to get in touch




    0131  667 8538

    www.edinburghlabour.com


    donald.wilson@donald1.com
       carmel.smith@carmel1.online

 

    Facebook - Donald Wilson and Carmel Smith for Sighthill Gorgie


Business  Reply Plus, Licence number; RTRU-CXYU-UCXK
Edinburgh Labour Party 78 Buccleuch StreetEdinburgh EH8 9N