The legacies of two well-known Musselburgh families were commemorated this week as a new pub opened in Bridge Street.

Elaine Di Rollo, owner of the neighbouring ice cream shop, was called upon to cut the ribbon at the opening of the David Macbeth Moir on Tuesday morning.

It was Elaine’s grandfather Domenico Di Rollo who constructed and opened the original building as the Hayweights Cinema in 1924.

New owners J D Wetherspoon, who say the pub will create 60 jobs, were granted planning consent for the £1.8m redevelopment five years ago.

Last used as a bingo hall, the premises have been empty and disused since 2006.

The pub has been named in honour of local doctor David Macbeth Moir — better known as the best-selling author and poet Delta — who died in 1853.

It will be managed by Ian Gregory, previously of the Clydesdale Inn in Lanark,

Enthusiastic voting by local residents has helped to secure funding of £6,000 for East Lothian Roots and Fruits through the RBS CommunityForce initiative.

Organisations and charities were invited to apply for awards during the summer and an online public vote then took place to decided which organisation would receive cash to help publicise their work and attract volunteers.

Around 7000 eligible charities and community projects in the UK applied to take part in CommunityForce and over 450,000 votes were cast.

Hazel Anderson, Local CEO for RBS in East and Borders Local Market, said: “We’ve had a fantastic response to CommunityForce and it’s clear that people in East Lothian are passionate about East Lothian Roots and Fruits. Local residents voted in great numbers and this certainly demonstrates how important this project is to the community.”

A spokesperson for East Lothian Roots and Fruits said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to take part in this programme and raise awareness of the work that we do in communities throughout East Lothian. There were so many worthy charities taking part and we are so excited to have won. We would like to thank all the people in the community and beyond who voted for us.”

A SURPRISE service of celebration was organised in honour of Brownie Guider Alison Black last month to mark her 30 years’ service with the 1st Prestonpans (Salvation Army) Brownie Pack.

The event was organised by the Salvation Army and attended by Alison’s family and friends, along with members of the Guiding Association, including County Commissioner Christine Law and District Commissioner Karen Clark.

Alison was delighted to see her own former Guider in attendance, together with Brownies past and present and other members of the local community.

Former Brownie Nikki Leishman prepared and delivered a powerpoint presentation featuring aspects of Alison’s Brownie involvement over the years.

A certificate of appreciation was then presented by Lieutenant Gavin Friday, Salvation Army Youth Officer for Edinburgh, East Lothian and the Borders, thanking her for her contribution to Salvation Army Guiding.

After the service, Alison cut a celebration cake which had been made especially for the occasion.

Commenting on Alison’s outstanding service, Major Christine Bailey said: “This is a remarkable achievement and it was entirely fitting that it should be celebrated in this way.

“The number of people who attended is testimony in itself to the influence that Alison has had over many girls throughout the past 30 years.”

]]> 1.2118158 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.eastlothiannews.co.uk/heating_help_for_cancer_patients_1_2118150

Freezing cancer patients in East Lothian who can’t afford to heat their homes due to rising fuel bills are increasingly relying on charity handouts to keep warm.

Macmillan Cancer Support has given more than £15,000 in financial grants to 40 cancer patients in East Lothian. Of this, 68 per cent of people were assisted with their energy bills.

Across the UK, Macmillan is giving out almost twice as much in grants to help patients heat their homes than it was five years ago.

Elspeth Atkinson, Director of Macmillan Cancer Support for Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “To feel too scared to put the heating on because of soaring energy bills is an unacceptable reality for thousands of vulnerable cancer patients who feel the cold more and spend long periods of time at home.”

Full report in this week’s News

Children in East Lothian have been learning about wildlife crime.

PC Gavin Ross, in a dual role as a Dunbar community beat officer and wildlife crime officer for the county, visited Innerwick and Stenton Primary Schools.

The pupils got the chance to chat to him about this work.

PC Ross outlined the various types of wildlife he dealt with on a daily basis and provided the youngsters with information about how to identify a wildlife crime.

The children were then shown a number of different legal and illegal traps that police regularly come across and were urged to report any illegal traps they find to officers.

Leaflets and posters were handed out and PC Ross installed a bird box and bird feeder in the grounds of both schools to help pupils observe the many different birds living in their local area.

Full report in this week’s News

Plans to create a community garden in Tranent will be high on the agenda when Muirpark Tenants and Residents Association meets this week.

Householders in the area are invited to discuss the project and other local issues at a consultation meeting being held at the Castle Rock sheltered housing complex in Muirpark Gardens on Thursday, February 23 from 7-8.30pm.

Having recently secured £35,000 to help provide the community garden, MPTRA is hopeful it can now attract match funding from other sources to take the development forward. The meeting will also discuss plans for a piece of community artwork and there will be a presentation from the artist commissioned to carry out the work.

The association has welcomed measures to improve road safety in the area with the creation of a roundabout and bus turning point, which is now nearing completion, on A199.

Full report in this week’s News

An Aberlady dad has applauded the Sick Kids Friends Foundation for funding the UK’s first hospital-based disfigurement specialist.

Robin Blacklock’s eight-year-old son Angus has a rare condition called Microtia meaning he was born with one ear and a submucous cleft palate in his mouth which has affected his speech.

The football mad youngster is one of many who have benefited from the work of the charity Changing Faces which will offer, through a practitioner at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, specialised emotional support to children with scars, markings or conditions that affect appearance.

Last year Robin pioneered a fund-raising campaign and tackled a 7,000 mile drive to visit the home grounds of every team which has ever won the European Cup.

The challenge raised more than £100,000 which he donated to the Sick Kids Friends Foundation and Changing Faces.

Full report in this week’s News

Police are ready to take action to deal with parking problems in Dunbar Road in North Berwick when football and rugby games are on in the Recreation Park.

The area’s community beat officers are planning to target the area which was raised as a priority at the last Community and Police Partnership meeting.

Councillor David Berry said motorists were parking off-road in nearby housing estates such as Lochbridge Road, Gilbert Avenue and Craigleith Avenue, and several grass verges were getting “chewed up.”

“This seems to be common around places, not just in North Berwick, but I have seen it in Aberlady as well,” he added.

Bob Bryson said he had received complaints from residents in Coupar Avenue about parking problems.

The information will be passed on to community beat officers and the traffic warden. Also highlighted at the CAPP meeting was drivers failing to give way at the mini roundabout at Kirkports. If this becomes an issue, the town’s closed circuit television could be used to catch offenders.

The 2012 Muirfield Riding Therapy calendar has raised a bumper £13,400 to support the charity’s work at its base near Gullane.

Thanks to sponsorship from a number of local businesses every single penny goes to help with the ongoing running costs of the centre at West Fenton which has received the Royal seal of approval with visits from Princess Anne, President of Riding for the Disabled Association.

The calendar project started out last year when local professional photographer John Archibald offered his services and a group of volunteers stepped in to help organise the initiative, learning new skills as models, lighting rig holders, proof readers and delivery personnel.

Full report in this week’s News