Porty Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Anna Liebmann is a basketweaver who lives and works in her studio by the sea. She started weaving in her late twenties and is now a member of the Scottish Basketmakers’ Circle . Hazel met her and recorded this episode while Anna wove, talking about growing willow, teaching in lockdown and what 'zone' you're in while weaving. You can find out more about Anna's w...

Send us Fan Mail On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people gathered in Bellfield Street for the BikeFest. It was an opportunity to look at, ride and talk about all sorts of bicycles, many of them highly unusual. The police were there to help register your bike to deter thieves. There was a swap-shop for bike parts, advice on bike maintenance and a workshop on what might help to make Portobello more...

Send us Fan Mail June is Pride Month – and this year is special for two reasons. The first is that this is the 50th time there’s been such a celebration of the LGBT+ community. And by far the more important is that this weekend sees the first ever Porty Pride. To find out more, David Calder met two of the organisers. https://portypride.com/2022/programme/

Send us Fan Mail This afternoon, the people of Portobello (and beyond) will be welcomed to Bellfield for the first Community Forum to hear about what’s going on at the Town Hall. It’s the first chance since 2019 that local people will be able to see the plans for the building and to discuss the plans for its possible future. Work on making the building suitable for use is now expected to start ear...

Send us Fan Mail A new bar/restaurant will very soon be opening on the High Street. Called Porty Vault, it will be moving into what used to be the Skylark. It’s a major expansion by Vault City Brewing which already is based in Portobello – its brewery is located in the A1 Industrial Estate, just off the Harry Lauder road. But the company is funding this in a slightly unusual way – as David Calder’...

Send us Fan Mail Climate change is happening. It happens slowly but the pace is accelerating. We know the Greenland ice sheet is melting, as are glaciers from the Himalayas to the Alps and across to the Rockies and Andes. Much of the sea ice in the Arctic melts during the summer and ice shelves in the Antarctic are crumbling. So sea levels are rising. But the change is also causing unheard of heat...

Send us Fan Mail Spurred on by the Ditching Disposables campaign Alvaro has gone further than other traders to try and create a culture change in how we create so much preventable waste. He's brought in at reusable cups and take away containers with a deposit return scheme and has actually started charging 30p for disposable cups. 

Send us Fan Mail Nearly 1.5m people in the UK have macular disease. Every day, some 300 more are diagnosed. At the moment, not enough is known about why the condition occurs and, as yet, there is no cure. It affects people of all ages though mostly affecting those over the age of 55. The Macular Society was set up to support people who suffer from this condition, mainly through local groups like t...

Send us Fan Mail The Porty Community Cargo Bike has arrived in town. It’s one of the many projects which come under the banner of Porty Community Energy – there will be more about those later. When she’s not producing episodes of The Porty podcast, Hazel Darwin-Clements works as Project Manager with the local community interest organisation, helping to turn interesting ideas like this into reality...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is unusual in that it is simply a matter of record. On Tuesday the 26th of April '22, Portobello Community Council invited all of the candidates to take part in an online hustings. All of the questions had been submitted in advance by members of the Portobello and Craigmillar ward. Six the candidates accepted the invitation. They were:  Kate Campbell, SNP Tim Jon...

Send us Fan Mail Hazel has made a documentary capturing her personal perspective on the early months of setting up the Porty Community Fridge. She reflects on creating a project that mustn't rely on just one individual to keep it going. The Porty Community Fridge is open every Saturday from 10.30-11.30 at the Baptist Church on the High Street. They are a subgroup of PEDAL and are supported by...

Send us Fan Mail Portobello has a vibrant arts scene. From painting to photography, silverware to ceramics, design to dance, music, theatre and film, there is so much going on. For many budding artists however, the challenge is not in the creation but finding the audience. The annual Art Walk is a magical experience - but what of the rest of the year? Getting into a gallery can be random and, for...

Send us Fan Mail The council elections are just four weeks away and we now know who the candidates will be here in Portobello. It's almost going to be all change this time, as three of the four serving councillors - Maureen Child, Mary Campbell and Callum Laidlaw - are standing down. So, in this episode, we find out more about some of those who hope to represent us for the next five years.

Send us Fan Mail Applications are now open to become a member of Portobello Central, the charity which will run the Town Hall when it re-opens. Around a hundred people have already signed up and the trustees’ target is one thousand. Progress on making the building safe to open has been slower than expected. In a previous episode, we heard that work should almost have been completed by now - but  h...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know that the Tool Library in Portobello has joined forces with an organisation called ‘Music Broth’? It’s a library for musical instruments which was founded in Glasgow about 4 years ago. The idea is simple. If someone wants to learn an instrument, they can borrow one to get a feel for it, and may just help them decide if they want to buy one of their own. David Calder ha...

Send us Fan Mail When was the last time you sat down with friends and listened to a story? Have you ever told such a story? Storytelling was once the only way we found out about life, the universe and everything going on around us. Thanks to the work of the Storytelling Centre up in the Royal Mile, the art has been going through something of a revival. But to do it well, you need to practice. So w...

Send us Fan Mail Hazel takes you on a tour of the Portobello Market on the 5th March 2022.  We meet Gino Jabbo to talk about honey. We also speak with Amaury Auvray and Piroska Édes from Planet A about their new kickstarter. Then we tried some Tigerola and learned about tiger nuts. We spoke with Graham Kitchener who has been organising the market with PEDAL since it began, then we stopped off to t...

Send us Fan Mail We first met Geoff Crowe, one of the founders of Breadshare, back in 2016 in one of the first episodes of the podcast. This community business was badly affected by the pandemic and has rather changed its focus towards running breadmaking courses and producing the flour -  it's now involved in a community mill. Hazel spoke with Geoff and found he was just as passionate about...

Send us Fan Mail In December of this year, five members of the Eastern Amateur Rowing Club from here in Portobello will head off on the adventure of a lifetime - the Atlantic Challenge, a 3,000  mile trip in a specially-designed rowing boat from the Canaries to Antigua. It's the brainchild of actor Cal MacAninch who told David Calder about the mountain the team have to climb over the next few...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode insect expert Nathan is looking for love in Porty. Could you be the one? Please get in touch! We also hear from Maxine and Ian about singing together and from Margaret and Sheila about their surprising love story.  The Porty Community fridge Page is here:  www.facebook.com/groups/260153819583127

Send us Fan Mail Rosie McGlynn, friend of the swans, speaks out for the local birds in the wake of a pollution event on the river Esk. She has been particularly involved with the dramatic tale of Bonnie who was resident in Figgate Park for 20 years before being booted out by a new pair.  Whilst surrounded by swans on the banks of the Esk we hear her story and meet Tanita, one of the cygnets that s...

Send us Fan Mail Hazel finds out about the making of a new recipe book called Porty Foodmap, the Traders Stories.  We hear from local foodie Jo Turbitt, about how she came up with the idea in the first place and Jennifer Elliot, who is Jo’s partner in crime on this endeavour. For details on how to get a copy: www.portobellocentral.org  

Send us Fan Mail We chat with the man behind the Porty Comedy night, Steven Davidson about how comedy is changing and what makes the People of Porty laugh.   https://www.facebook.com/events/460497948800369 https://portycomedyfeb22.bpt.me/?fbclid=IwAR1VsQstnOfLSv4k8o9zLR0IKPEdJRMcNRX31ujZk_H0yGQOLrz2RvLOw8Y

Send us Fan Mail The Musselborough Flood Protection Action Group organised an event to encourage natural flood defences by digging Christmas Trees into the sand.  In this episode Grant Buchanan, Shona McIntosh, and Roger Crofts discuss the benefit of Nature based solutions to rising sea levels.  Do get in touch with us at theportypodcast@gmail.com  

Send us Fan Mail Sound captured at the switching on of the Christmas Lights in Portobello 2021.  Music byShunpike Social Club and Brass Blast.  A community poem and a special 'scoop' by a very young budding detective.  Thanks to Heather, Pete, Emily, Nicky, Graham, Gareth, Martha, Lesley, Clara, miss morag, katie, xana and especially ben for their contribution, and to all of you all for...