PC Sonja Kaiser-Ferris of Police Scotland came into the pod to talk Ruth about staying safe in your home. It’s nearly a year since we spoke about scams and scammers, so it was good to get some updated information. In these tough times of lockdown, Ruth also asked about domestic abuse and Sonja was able to give some good advice and highlight  a whole  range of support services available to all - we have listed them below. It’s reassuring to know whatever is happening, Police Scotland are still keeping people safe.

Womans Aid: 

Scottish Women's Aid is the lead domestic abuse organisation in Scotland

Shakti:

Help for black minority ethnic (BME) women, children and young people who are experiencing, or who have experienced, domestic abuse.

Sacro Fear Free for men:

FearFree is a support service for any man, or LGBTI+ person experiencing domestic abuse.

EDACS

(Edinburgh Domestic Abuse Court Support) is a support and advocacy service for female victims of domestic abuse crimes going through the court process.

Domestic Abuse “Ask for ANI” codeword scheme

Trading Standards Scam Share Bulletin:

Cyber Scotland Bulletin:

Police Scotland websites:

Domestic abuse

Home and personal property

Police Scotland website scams

In this podcast, Maria talks to local artist Beki Dover about her love of painting. Beki explains why she loves seascapes and reveals some of her secrets. In talking about her art journey, Beki also gives some hints and tips to encourage the artist in us all. By the end of this episode, you will be reaching for the paint brushes. Beki gives us lots of ideas for all the family.

You can see examples of Beki’s art on her website.

Have you ever wondered how the blind and visually impaired can enjoy trips to the theatre? Fortunately, there are people like Bridget Stevens who provide audio descriptions to accompany performances. Bridget took us behind the scenes to explain how this service works and has a few tales to tell from near disasters to meeting the stars. It’s an inspiring listen.

“Ding! Ding! Hold very tight now! The day I ditched a vintage Edinburgh bus” was the Edinburgh Evening News headline for a hilarious  article by the paper’s  long serving Entertainment Editor, Liam Rudden. It prompted many memories and ‘bus’ stories from readers.  Liam came on the pod to tell Ruth more tales and explain his love of this form of public transport.

You can read the original article here. And you can follow Liam on Twitter ( @LiamRudden)

Feeding local people, recycling surplus food from supermarkets and raising funds for the refugees at Calais are the objectives of the Refugee Community Kitchen here in Edinburgh. Morven Lindsay came into the pod to explain a little more about the network of volunteers who make fresh food available across the city, including the Leith Walk Police Box and the Shrub. and the CargoBikeMovement. For more details check out Refugee Community Kitchen Edinburgh on Facebook.

Quite a few of us are now used to ‘working from home’ , it was good to find out about ‘learning from home’ or ‘remote learning’ which a lot of young people are having to do just now.   David Gilmour, who is a ‘Learning Technologist’ working in East Lothian, came into the pod to explain to Marysia what the challenges of supporting learners of all ages remotely. It is interesting to hear a little bit about the background and the changes which have happened between lockdowns. And a couple of preconceived ideas are shown to be mistaken. David is speaking to us on a personal basis as opposed to being a spokesperson for his employer

An episode to banish the gloom of a dark February. This week's podcast is a very cheerful, funny and informative conversation with Susan Morrison the award winning comedian and local historian. As the presenter of BBC Radio Scotland's "Time Travels" programme, Susan has amusing and interesting stories to tell ,including her own memory of the launch of the QE2. It's a light hearted listen which has Ruth in fits of laughter. You will enjoy it too.

The Necklace of Days is a creative response to the pandemic by the artist Fiona Maher from contributions from a wide range of people. It is a new necklace created everyday and then all 365 displayed together. Fiona explains to Maria how people can get involved and also has some great ideas for making art at home. You can find out about  'Necklace of Days' on Facebook and check out Fiona's website and her Print Club @ Home videos for inspiration.

In this episode we talk to Charlie Hindley, a drama practitioner based in Musselburgh, who has been offering online drama classes to children and young adults during the lockdown. He is enthusiastic about the positive role drama can have on people of all ages.

Marysia and Charlie talk through his career from chorister through improvised comedy to coaching online. It's been an adventure.

You can find out more about Charlie on Facebook and his website.

Men with Coconuts

 Venchie is a long running young peoples’ project in Craigmillar. Many will know and remember the playground. Susan Heron came into the pod to tell us about how the Venchie has been providing food to the community during the lockdowns. Recently there was a fire and then an amazing community response. It is an inspiring story. For more details check out their website and Facebook pages