02 ISSUE #31

About the Bugle The Bugle is our mouthpiece which alerts readers to matters which we feel need attention, and at the same

time allows us to explore our creative skills – whether it be through writing, poetry, artwork, cartoons, and

so on.

The first edition was let out on an unsuspecting public in November 2005; and at that time it ran to 8 pages

only, with limited colours. The first editor would go round the various Bethany units – such as Bethany

House in Couper Street, and encourage people to put their thoughts down on paper. It was some time later

that the Bugle would have its own dedicated weekly slot in the old Learning Centre in Jane Street – the

converted church hall right opposite Rikky’s Music Shop.

People come and go, depending on what life has to dish out to them, yet it’s encouraging to note that for a

good while now there’s been about a dozen or more regular contributors to the magazine. We gratefully

acknowledge all the financial help which has come from several sources

We are always learning something new to keep improving. The magazine you now hold in your hand has

Mission Statement

We are a creative, welcoming, open-minded and supportive group of people who may have experi-

enced homelessness and are supportive of the issues surrounding homelessness.

We aim to promote free and open communication which connects with others through creative writ-

ing, journalism and visual art. We hope to encourage others to think about issues which are often

hidden. We produce a magazine which reflects real issues but goes deeper than the current trend for

‘reality.’

Interested?

If you would like to know more about the Bugle; be that to submit an article, join the

team or to support our work in some way, then please contact us at bu-

Some of the Bugle press team reporting on a weekend of Forum

We hope you enjoy this collection of creative talent!

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< CONTENTS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

WELCOME TO THE BUGLE #31

EDITORIAL

We have worked hard over the past three months to produce the magazine

that you now have in your hands. Several of the team are Leithers, some

through the generations. Others have taken Leith as their adopted home.

Others still simply admire the character, diversity and activity of this

singular place. We hope you enjoy our observations of and investigations

into Leith life.

The Bugle continues to grow in dynamism, talent, cohesion and focus as we

evermore seek to look outwards and represent the views and experiences of

others whilst still sharing our own creative talents.

Over the past few months we have been invited to perform our songs and poems at an Adult Learning Project event and also

to report on a Forum theatre weekend event. This has lead to further invitations for the group. All of this is thanks to the hard

work of the team and their integrity as they work to uncover hidden issues and challenge stereotypes. Sometimes this is done

directly by tackling issues as Cha Maloney and Alex J. Anderson do in their articles. It is also done by simply displaying the

creative talent and beauty that can be seen in work such as Monique Van Aalst’s art work or Eddie Klimek’s meticulous

investigations. This in itself challenges the ‘striver skiver’ rhetoric so carelessly and frequently used in much of the media.

So, we hope you enjoy this edition and do get in touch,

Carly Glover

The views expressed in The Bugle are not necessarily those of Bethany Christian Trust

4 4 4 Bugle Out and AboutBugle Out and AboutBugle Out and About

6 6 6 Welfare Reform and Perceptions of Welfare Reform and Perceptions of Welfare Reform and Perceptions of

the Poorthe Poorthe Poor

8 8 8 Comedy and ArtComedy and ArtComedy and Art

9 9 9 Poet’s cornerPoet’s cornerPoet’s corner

12 12 12 Stories of RedemptionStories of RedemptionStories of Redemption

13 13 13 Our Leith, Your LeithOur Leith, Your LeithOur Leith, Your Leith

14 14 14 The People’s GalleryThe People’s GalleryThe People’s Gallery

20 20 20 Bethany banterBethany banterBethany banter

22 22 22 Working class culture & PuzzlesWorking class culture & PuzzlesWorking class culture & Puzzles

23 23 23 Life StoriesLife StoriesLife Stories

26 26 26 Puzzle answersPuzzle answersPuzzle answers

27 27 27 Help pageHelp pageHelp page

03 ISSUE #31

04 ISSUE #31

The Bugle: Out and About Divided We Fall Review

Over the weekend of the 11th May the Active Enquiry Forum Theatre pre-

sented two days of performances, storytelling, exhibitions and wonderful

food. My job along with two fellow Buglers, John Stewart and Annette

Black, was to review the four performances.

First of all we would like to explain a little about this kind of theatre. It was

created by the very influential practitioner Augusto Boal as part of what he

calls the “Theatre of the Oppressed”. The performance would be carried out

over just ten or twenty minutes and then replayed. At any time during the

replay the audience could stop the performance and either challenge the

actor or take the part of any member of

the cast. The object of involving the

audience (or ‘spect-actors’) was to

change the course of the performance and take it to a completely different

outcome.

The first performance was called “The Quest”. The main character Mari-

anne is a community activist who sees lots of injustice around her and an

unfair division of space and resources. We see a barrier and whenever this is

challenged Marianne and her community end up with less space and less

resources. The audience were then invited during the replay to make some

changes to see what Marianne and her community could do differently.

Audience members discussed with the group what the space was for and

encouraged them to unite and stand together. Some people challenged why

the barrier was there in the first place. There were episodes of chaos and

anarchy as some people tried to physically break the barrier down. It was

interesting to see how different people’s interventions changed things.

Sometimes the barrier stayed where it was and sometimes it was moved

back. The barrier was eventually breached by guile which was really funny.

The second performance was called “Who Cares” and the main character

Matt is really feeling the pressure in the workplace, faced with individual’s

needs, a manager who never delegates or prioritises work and getting very

bogged down with paperwork and office politics. Again there is the request

for audience participation and again a call for people to stand together and

ensure management are aware of the importance of prioritising work. One

lady wanted flexible hours so she could spend more time at home with her

son. A young boy from the audience suggested a crèche be formed at work

and said “in the words of Dr Barnardos, when kids smile, we all smile”.

How wonderful for a youngster in this day and age to have such insight. At

one point the audience were almost turning into the cast.

The third performance was called “Divided We Fall” and was set in the

fictional community of Hillstone where two diverse groups of people live,

the spots and the stripes. A very sinister looking authoritative character

keeps stealing chairs from both the spots and the stripes. The chairs represent

resources and both groups realise through audience intervention that they are

not so different after all.

The fourth performance

was much more interna-

tional with theatre

groups from all over the world involved. The play is part of a work in pro-

gress from Theatre of the Oppressed practitioners from Germany, Croatia,

Spain, Scotland, France, Italy and Portugal. It was called Hotel Europa and

the central theme throughout was capitalism. The amazing thing about this

Stewart Monaghan was our official photographer for the event and

took the photos above which were displayed over the weekend

‘The cast were vital

and energetic’ ‘It just made us realise how

wonderfully quirky (...) eccen-

tric (...) unconventional (...)

and beautiful we all are.’

05 ISSUE #31

The ‘wonderful food’ was provided by World Kitchen in

Leith. Here is one of their recipes for you to try!

Cairo Chickpeas

Fry two onions over a low heat for 5 minutes in olive oil

Add a clove of garlic, a pinch of cumin and fennel seeds and stir for another 2 minutes

Add one tin of chopped tomatoes

Peel a lemon and chop the flesh, removing all the seeds

Add to the sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes

Add 2 cans of chickpeas and warm through

Add half a teaspoon of ground sumac (a spice). If you cannot find it a good squeeze of lemon juice

You’ll need to make the Cai-

ro chickpeas to see what they

look like but here is a picture

of the tasty desserts made

by Leith World Kitchen!

The Bugle’s First Gig!

On Saturday 4th May, five members of the Bugle Press Team were invited to participate in the May Day Big

Gaitherin’ celebrating International Workers' Day at the Tollcross Community Centre, Fountainbridge, which was

run by The Adult Learning Project. The ALP have these “Gaitherins” on a regular basis and it's a social and cultural

get-together with music, singing, poetry reading and dance.

The main theme of the Gaitherin' this time was the Scottish involvement in the Spanish Civil War. Thirty-five

thousand International Volunteers joined this conflict between 1936 and 1939 to help the Spanish fight against

General Franco. More volunteers proportionately came from Scotland than any other country, and the nation was

gripped by the conflict.

The event kicked off at 7pm with 'Gallo Rojo', a Spanish styled ‘punk’ group who were vibrant in style and music.

Next up were four members of the Adult Learning Project team, who were excellent in both their stories and

presentation.

We in the Bugle Press Team were on next. Myself and fellow poet Alex recited our two most favourite poems, then

Sandra a member of the Women’s Group sang ‘All these things I do’, and to finish off, our team leader Carly Glover

read one of her favourite poems.

We all received rapturous applause!

Garry Miller & Sandra Taylor

The Adult Learning Project is a democratic learning community based at

Tollcross Community centre. They run courses in women’s studies, poli-

tics, culture and community, literacies, the arts and community develop-

ment.

For more info. phone John Player on 0131 221

5800 or email john.player@ea.edin.sch.uk

06 ISSUE #31

Welfare Reform and Perceptions of the Poor

God's Food by Cha Maloney

I would just like to thank all the people out

there who are feeding society’s poor,

hungry and homeless. For without these

people, who give their time and love and

understanding to the most vulnerable

people in our society, it would certainly be

doomed. Is it not great that these people do

this in the name of Christ and for God’s

glory? As it says in Matthew chapter 6

‘giving to the needy’.

The individuals who are doing this kind of

work are actually stopping people from

starving. The simple truth is that I, like

many, have been out there using soup

kitchens and basic food banks when times

have been hard for me. When talking with

others who use these places, they have all

got sad stories of how they have ended up

in these places. What annoys me most is

the lack of compassion out there and

people's ignorance of the wider problem,

labelling them as 'junkies' and 'alkies', and

'mental cases'. These are just people in

need. Due to cuts and changes, as well as

sanctions on people's benefits, they can't

afford a decent meal a day. I’m sickened

by the way we treat our most needy people

in society. We are actually making things

worse and forgetting about why the wel-

fare state was set up in the first place. Yes,

there are those who exploit the welfare

system, but I can assure you the majority

are genuine. And they know the meal

won’t be five stars for the food is donated

from various places, but it’s all they have

for that day and they appreciate it. As it

says in Proverbs 27:07 'even bitter food

tastes sweet to the hungry'.

I think it would be great for our Members

of Parliament, Government officials and

all the others who say that people choose

to live on benefits, to eat out in one of

these places. They

would see what

they are doing by

cutting the rates of

benefits we are paid, and see how the most

needy are now having to survive on chari-

ties and churches, stretching them to

capacity.

Many of those I talk to are suffering in

silence, and if the opportunity arises I

speak about how Jesus changed me and

saved my life, and I try to encourage

others to use their local church for help

and support. On many occasions I have

directed those I meet to the Church, not

just one church but all the Christian

churches I know. I have been to most of

the churches within Edinburgh of many

denominations, for I believe it doesn’t

matter which one, whether it’s a Baptist or

Free Church, as long as it's the true word

of God. Edinburgh’s streets are really our

church. I know many churches out there

really do want to help, but with the gov-

ernment not accepting responsibility for

their people, churches and other places are

stretched to their limits, so what’s to be

done?

I have met people on my journey who are

really interested. Last year I met an MSP

at Edinburgh City Mission. She was

asking myself and others questions about

what it's like to be homeless and hungry in

Edinburgh. She was also interested in what

it was like staying in hostels and B&Bs.

This was seemingly going to be put in a

report to the Scottish Parliament. In 2011 I

was given the chance to take part in some

research on homelessness. Talking to

young people about what it was like for

them being homeless was a real eye

opener . The workshop lasted three days,

and again all the information was being

passed to Parliament.

So why isn’t the problem being sorted?

Seems there is a lot of talking and not

much action.

Over the last month or so I have also

noticed an increase in the number of men

who are going alone to the Men’s Group

which is run by the YMCA and Bethany at

the Acorn Centre in Leith. The numbers

are as high as 70 plus., and the workers

and volunteers are run off their feet.

At the Men’s Group there are a lot

of activities put on, as well as

support and advice related to health, work,

training and other related issues. However,

some of the men who are now coming

alone are only coming for the meal and

food that is available. I feel this problem

of people in our society is only going to

get worse, so what is to be done?

I am currently on Job Seeker's Allowance

myself, not yet receiving the full amount

as I was working part-time a while back.

As usual, the Job Centre take so long in

doing anything I’m on a reduced payment

(since February!) til they update their

system. This means I’m struggling to

make it last the two weeks. So I go to the

Methodist Church up at Nicholson’s

Square who have been a great support in

giving me food and spiritual help in my

time of need.

I have been to other places in the past. At

one I was recently turned away, as I had

apparently had enough help from them!

(services like these often have to have a

limit on the number of times they can help

an individual – editor) I can understand

the stress these places are in, but at the

same time it can’t be helped when you end

up in a struggle needing them more than

Interview with Tom – a volunteer at a local

soup kitchen By Ryan Sutherland

Q: So, how did you become homeless

Tom?

Well, I split up with my partner and had

nowhere to turn, so I went to the housing at

Cockburn St and they put me in a B&B.

Q: Was this your first time homeless?

No, I was homeless in 2010 and in B&B’s

for a couple of months. I got bored and

started working voluntarily at a soup kitch-

en.

Q: What made you volunteer?

Well, it gave me something to do and if I'd

got a job when I was homeless I wouldn’t be

able to afford the B&B. Working at the

soup kitchen gave me something construc-

tive to do, it basically kept my mind active

and it meant that I stayed away from trou-

ble.

Q: Sounds good, so what do you think

about the way the council deals with the

homeless?

I think once the council finds you a hostel

or a B&B they just wash their hands of you.

I'm also on 'Silver Priority' and still no sign

of a house even though I've been bidding

for a year.

Q: So, long waits aside, what do you think

of the hostels and their staff’s approach?

Well, the AAA at Leith Links is probably

the best one I’ve been in. I was there for

eight months. I found that the hostel staff

were more than helpful definitely more

helpful than the council anyway.

Q: So what about the soup kitchen, are you

still working there?

Yes, I’ve been helping out there for three

years now. It’s more than likely that I’ll still

help out when I get my own flat.

Q: That’s a long time, so how hard do you

feel it is to get a house in Edinburgh?

Almost impossible. I can get a PSL, a

'Private Sector Let', but they're too high in

rent. When I'm bidding on Edindex I have

‘I am sickened by the

way we treat our most

07 ISSUE #31

The effects of Welfare Reform on the Voluntary Sector

Last edition we heard from Andy McAleavy, at the Homeless Outreach Project. This edition

we have an Interview with Willy Barr, Manager at the Citadel Youth Centre, 175 Commer-

cial Street, Leith.

Who are you and what do you do?

I have responsibility for overseeing the running and development of everything to do with the Citadel.

Basically I do three things. I make sure all the services are meeting the needs of the children, young people and

families we work with. I look after the staff, volunteers and the Citadel building and I find and organise the money

to pay for everything! This is the tricky bit!

It is the best job in Edinburgh!

Have you seen an increase in traffic since the benefit changes?

If by ‘traffic’ you mean service users – then yes. I first came to

work at the Citadel in 1995 and I can honestly say the place is at its busiest since then. The current range of ser-

vices include our evening youth clubs for all ages from 6-21 years, that continue to give generations of local young-

sters a chance to have fun, make new friends and try loads of different activities (everything from beat boxing to

the bouncy castle!). We’re just as busy during the day with a Careers Café for unemployed young people, a very

busy Young Mum’s Group (with crèche), a Young Volunteer Training Project, and our award winning intergenera-

tional café ‘New Spin’ which brings the young and young at heart together on a Friday afternoon. And when young

people are having a hard time at school or at home, our youth workers are on hand to listen and offer 1:1 support.

Do you think people are more fearful about their situation?

I’m not sure ‘fearful’ is the word I’d use, but yes, people are concerned about where they live, their jobs and how

they are going to pay the bills. Some families are really struggling financially and it continually upsets me to hear

stories where folk have no or very little money and are struggling to buy the ‘basics’ that everyone should have

such as food and clothes.

Have the changes affected your funding?

Again, yes. Each year we are continually trying to deliver the same or more services against a backdrop of stand-

still budgets. Our council grant was actually higher (£ to £) back in 2005, yet we are continually being squeezed to

provide the same service. We also rely on receiving grants from other charities that fund youth work but this is

always getting harder due to the current financial climate.

What is truly amazing, and always appreciated is the support we receive from the local Leith community. They are

always very generous even though they are often ‘skint’ themselves.

It continually upsets me to hear

stories where folk have no or very

little money and are struggling to

buy the ‘basics’

Am I being paranoid? Alex Anderson writes on the state

pensions debate

I think TV programmes which say pensioners are well off and

should not be paid pensions or be given cold weather payments

and free bus passes are just another example of the ‘divide and

conquer’ ploy that lets the government penalise some with the

approval of those who are more trusting than me.

Yes, there are millions of pensioners who have no need of state

pensions, maybe people who were owners of businesses, or top

level executives who have retired but are still either directors of

companies or are being paid by the company they worked for.

A business owner may be retired, but the firm could still be work-

ing and paying him for the right to continue to trade and use his

name. That is a private form of pension which is not available to

retired shop floor workers.

A restaurant owner may have retired, but if the restaurant still

makes profits for its owner and if that lets the retired owner live in

comfort then perhaps his state pension should be a whole lot less.

Those same restaurant or business owners are also very unlikely

to travel by public transport (when Rolls Royce, Mercedes, BMW’s

and Bentleys are their norm) so a bus pass might reasonably be

denied to them. It is the shopfloor worker who worked for a weekly

wage and paid income tax that is in need of a real pension, help

with heating costs and travel assistance.

Wake up to the devious activities of our supposedly democratic

government. Stop letting them make a mess of the country by that

'divide and conquer' mind set. Democracy is government of the

people, for the people and by the people. It is NOT the shafting of

a portion of the people by officialdom seeking to penalise some,

while using devious thinking to lead better off people to agree with

their divisive methods.

Shouldn't supposedly democratic governments be making laws

that deny exorbitant bonuses and over the top golden hand-

08 ISSUE #31

Comedy Corner!

Tian, Tian,

Why can’t we

just have a

family?

Not in the mood. I ain’t Pandering to your needs.

Art Corner - Monique Van Aalst produced these beautiful images

More news on the pandas from Edinburgh made fa-

mous by the media. Yang Guang and Tian Tian are

exhibiting signs of withdrawal from being taken from

their natural habitat, as they adjust to a new climate,

environment and social setting. These show in mani-

festations such as catching colds, which meant that

they had to be quarantined as the Zoo did not want a

Pandemic on their hands.

Also another negative conclusion to bringing them

here from China was that the Pandas hid from their

captors and could not face all the people as they had

bearly seen a human being in the wild before. In fact

the Zoo thought they had escaped as they had not

seen them for a while, and cordoned the area off as

they did not want Pandemonium in the city of Edin-

burgh.

These issues are never black and white and are

sometimes bamboozling so watch this space for more

09 ISSUE #31

Poet’s Corner Lover’s Paradise

Lovers love to love and love is enjoyed

Everywhere and romance too.

In ghettos, concrete jungles, in the

country, near lakes, and at the zoo.

On mountains and hills, villages and

valleys, and by the sea and sands.

Canyons and gardens and rivers

and fields.

In forests and jungles of

faraway lands.

Though there’s nowhere like Edinburgh

love is made better in a better place.

And there’s better places in the Royal

Town than in places of any other race.

It is the lovely site that royalty chose

to make exceptional ground.

How many have disagreed their choice

was sound, - who alone can be found.

For loving couples living anywhere

else it’s a pity.

Because love and romance is better

in the best city.

Andrew Watt

Masquerettes

Mystery adds to the female a fascination that is truly great

she is at her best,

to a male admirer she is all things good when not known

we can all put this to the test,

the mask adds a curious interest to a lady’s beauty in

theatre in a play,

when one doesn’t know her she is a

mysterious stranger

that makes you want to know al-

ways,

the unknown female has a strange and compelling

acceptability to an admiring male,

and always remains a winner with him in memory the

feline in any way does not fail,

the actress may not like wearing masks to act but

it’s forever something the people savour,

and the player should always be reassured by the

audience that they are a point in favour,

love is at its height when felt to someone who

wears a mask and is not known,

it is pure and perfect not made wrong by

human relations a love that isn’t grown,

so take a bow all you masked ladies of all your

plays when in town,

for the service you give being masquerettes and

don’t just let the curtain go down

Andrew Watt

Where did you get.....?

Where did you get two little teeth like that from?

Where did you get two little teeth like that from?

Not one bit like Mummy or Dad

Mum's and Dad's teeth all went bad

So where did you get two little teeth

Two little teeth like yours? &

Where did you get a sticky little face like that from?

Where did you get a sticky little face like that from?

The stickiest face I've ev- er

seen

Mummy's and Dad's are

nice and clean

So where did you get a

sticky little face

A sticky little face like

yours?

10 ISSUE #31

Restoration

You have awakened me with the lips of the morning sun. Our bedspread is of peacock feathers and our bed of emerald.

Our couch is filled with ostrich down.

You rescued me from the slave market where I was bound. Wicked men humiliated me and tore my veil. I lay in the dust bleeding and naked. I thought I was about to die. When

you arrived and heard my cry. You spoke tenderly to me and poured oil onto my wounds and bound them with strips of cloth torn from your own clothes. Then you placed me

onto your donkey and took me to your home.

There you gave me a drink. I had never tasted anything sweeter. You said it was living water.

“You’re beautiful my love. I have dressed you in a gown of pearls encrusted

with opals. I have crowned you with rubies and sapphires shaped into roses

and stars. From your headdress flows a train of silk as white as snow. How

beautiful you are my love. I have adorned your neck with diamonds from which

hangs an amethyst heart within a heart. I have shod your feet with red satin

from Asia embroidered with palm leaves and fruits. Your skin shines like the

sunlight speckling the flowers of the field.

I have anointed your head my love with fragrance of myrth, rose and sandal-

wood. Your hair is as gold as saffron and flows like a ribbon of sun-drenched

sand. Your bouquet is of lilies of the valley of Sharon.”

“My love. My love. Come with me to the secret place. Come and eat at my

banquet and taste my fruit. There under the honey- drenched moon and daz-

zling stars I will woo you. I will embrace you and feed you bread from heaven. ‘’Life’ by Cha Maloney

A Confession of a Reformed Alcoholic

Once upon a time phase in my alcohol-fuelled life

I became despondent and homeless; nae job, nae family, nae hope.

I wis a hopeless case and-a-half drifting aimlessly from pub to hos-

tel,

Hostel to pub, spiralling down the lonely road to doom and des-

pair.

I used to call myself a 'Professional Drinker'.

I stole, I cheated, I overdosed, I got sectioned. I got the electric

shock treatment.

I was knockin' at Mr Death’s door but he never answered it. I now

thank The Lord for that.

I was introduced to the wonderful fellowship of Alcoholics Anony-

mous

at the hospital where I was sectioned, and attended in my pyjamas

and dressing gown.

Whit a sicht fir sair eyes.

Things changed when I got sober. My family started to visit me.

After three months I was discharged. I went to live with my folks.

I got a job on a building site as a labourer. I started going to AA

meetings regularly.

I learned the Serenity Pray-

er: “God grant me the sereni-

ty to accept the things I can-

not change,

Stories of redemption

11 ISSUE #31

Sahara Stars

Sahara has the largest moon of anywhere

else on earth by far,

for the fewer romances that are there,

for love is ‘neath stars or just a star

throughout the ages and from east to

east caravans have crossed the endless sands

with Kings and Queens and slaves having

secret affairs from the most ancient lands.

Because of the camel a strange and

original creature that’s really the jewel of the east

apart from this fine animal the sun is

unfriendly to every man and every other beast

the desert never changes the passing of time

means nothing to the people living there

and the people and the creatures live

lonely and peaceful

lives without a care

many have found it

unfriendly and have

forsaken its empty and

barren place

burning sands have

always forbade the

desert from having a nation it has no race

strange a place like this can have its uses

are romances only mirages here

in a land that always tests and

tires

with a sun that will always scorch

and seer

though stars of film love in the

desert and

made it a place of romance as on-

ly they can

and give every place a real meaning with

love, by the love of a woman and a man.

Andrew Watt

Brothers and Sisters

Are we not brothers in the same boat?

All trying to stay afloat,

wanting to make a sister safe in the park,

bring the frightened in from the dark

and assist in times of dire need.

What kind of brother am I?

If all I do is sigh,

seeing a brother or sister hurting,

and walk away insisting

there really is nothing I can do.

It doesn’t help being a gentle soul

who would, on the whole,

quietly curse the hurting of life-kin

and go indoors, safe within,

to rant alone over the wrongs we’ve seen.

What if we are victims of offence?

Would we not want some help, a defence

offered by some other,

a more active sister or brother?

Remember evil wins when we do nothing.

Alex J. Anderson

12 ISSUE #31

Dayspring

Hush! Hush! Feel the stillness in the air –

Expectancy is everywhere.

See heaven’s gift of a Saviour’s birth;

Descent of Godhead Joy to earth.

This Christ Child left His heaven’s glory

To birth for us redemption’s story:

Creator hands in swaddling found,

While gentle oxen stand around.

Hush! Let stony hearts be broken.

Healing, herald words are spoken:

Peace on earth, heaven’s angels sing.

Come, oh come and see your King.

Old Simeon waits his Messiah to bless.

Old Anna’s arms croon tenderness.

Emmanuel, light for revelation –

Come at the Saviour’s invitation.

Hush! Hush! There are whispers in the air,

Burning whispers, yearning whispers,

Whispering sorrow,

Whispering fear:

I am lost, alone, forlorn.

Come – for you the Good Shepherd is born.

I am sick and bruised – can’t take any more.

Come – He has balm for your wounds; the power to re-

store.

I’m rebellious and wayward – angry and torn.

Oh come. Peace, be still. He has calm for your storm.

I’m doubting and fearful – can’t make a new start.

Oh come. He is gentle and lowly in heart.

I’m bereaved and broken – death cuts like a knife.

Oh come, come. He is resurrection and life.

Those yet unborn will rejoice at this morn.

Hurting hearts mended, the weary befriended,

Outcasts drawn in, souls saved from sin.

The day of our darkness is ended.

Come then to His cradle and sing in accord.

Kneel and give glory, for Jesus is Lord.

The Trip

The Social Work provided a toilet seat with frame,

But the one I had installed has a special claim to fame,

For I tripped up on its feet; you really have to laugh,

It catapulted me head first, straight into the bath.

Blood was on the carpet floor, but the cause of my dis-

tress,

Was awareness of the staining on my pretty new night-

dress.

Then my bad arm heralded a gory new disaster;

Blood was oozing out of my Royal Infirmary plaster.

But praise the Lord and Romans 8*– a blessed quirky

twist:

My plaster saved me break-

ing my already broken wrist.

Poetry by Margaret Rushton

13 ISSUE #31

Our Leith, your Leith Leith fascinates: whether you are born and bred here, consider it your adopted home or feel more like an admiring onlooker.

The Bugle has its base and many of its sister projects in the Leith area. Here are our observations and investigations.

Perseverance: the pride and passion of Leithers

Leithers should hold their heads up high, living in what was one of Scotland’s principal ports for trading with the world over the centuries. Hard working Leithers built

thousands of ships that sailed the seven seas and ventured to far-flung parts. They fished and whaled, milled, made rope and sails, and exported enough whisky to give

the whole world a hangover.

Leith has a tradition of innovation and contributed many firsts to the world, including the classic wine bottle design. The f irst steamship to cross the Atlantic was built

here, the original rules for the game of golf started in Leith, and in Bernard Street it has the only statue of our national bard Robbie Burns.

Gary Miller

Scotland versus the Netherlands

In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries Scotland and the Netherlands were solid trading partners in shipping and in the ex-

change of products. The export of Juniper from the Port of Leith went to Holland and Belgium to make Genever or

‘Jenever’ in Dutch. Other export products were wool, salmon and coal. In return, Scotland received a range of luxury

goods such as spices (brought in by the Dutch East India Company), tea and coffee, tobacco, brandy and of course gen-

ever.

Leith has got so much to offer and since the 1980s a lot of the run-down areas in Leith have been upgraded with good

quality housing. I am glad to say that some of the characteristics of the buildings have been preserved well like the

buildings on the Shore.

I like to hang out in ‘Sofi’s Bar ‘, in Henderson Street, where I meet with

friends every now and then for a good blether. I like the cosiness of the

separate room inside the bar, a bit hidden away and it looks like you

are entering someone’s living room. ‘Popeye ‘on Great Junction Street

is another of my favourite bistros with nice rolls and drinks for a good

price. I used to be a big fan of Popeye the Sailorman and even had a

Popeye radio exactly the same as in the picture below. So this bistro

caught my ‘pop-eye’ immediately.

Leith Library on Ferry Road is a place I regularly visit as I like the building and its impressive interior. I have seen a lot

of interesting exhibitions in there, the most recent one about Robert Louis Stevenson’s travels and of course our own

Garry Miller’s lovely paintings. I am still planning to do an exhibition there myself. Watch this space.

Famous Leithers: Novelist Irvine Welsh is originally from Leith and some of you may know him for his book

‘Trainspotting’, or for his undying support to the ‘Hibs’. I saw the Trainspotting movie with Ewan McGregor and Robert

Carlisle and was quite impressed with the story line but less so with all the abuse of language. The actors played their

characters as drug addicts living in the housing schemes very convincingly. The characters are real and there is always

someone you know that reminds you of a ‘Begbie’ or ‘Spud’, although I’d rather not meet them in a dark, dingy close. No

thanks.

If you are into the Arts like I am, you have probably heard of Eduardo Paolozzi, the Scottish-

Italian Sculptor and artist who was born in Leith. You can find his studio in the Dean Gallery

(see picture below). I am a great admirer of his sculptures and wish I had a studio like that.

His work is very versatile and inspirational.

Cont. overleaf

Believe in yourself – not just now but forever till you meet your master

CHARCOAL ART

BY

The Men’s Group

CHARCOAL ART

BY

The Men’s Group

16 ISSUE #31

My Favourite Places in Leith cont....

Another impressive building is ‘Out of the Blue’ in the former Military Drill Hall. It is a nice space to go to make and dis-

play arts and to meet like-minded creative people. The history is quite compelling too with the drill hall being built in

1901 for the Royal Scots (Lothian regiment). In particular it is significant for the Gretna disaster in 1915, one of Britain’s

worst railway crashes in which nearly 500 people were killed or injured. Prior to burial in Rosebank Cemetery, the sol-

diers were laid out in the Drill Hall.

(Read on to John A. Stewart’s article to hear more about this)

Monique van Aalst

The Quintinshill Rail Disaster & the role of

Leith Drill Hall (Out of the Blue)

This tragedy happened at 6.50am on the 22nd May 1915 near

Gretna Green in Scotland. The train crash was caused by

two signalmen, Meakin and Tinsley. They had made an

unofficial arrangement with regard to the changeover from

the nightshift to the dayshift taking place at the official time

of 6.00am. The dayshift signalman would travel on the

6.17am local train from Carlisle, to save him having to walk

a mile and a half to work, and the nightshift signalman

would cover for the extra half hour. The train log between

6.00am and 6.30am would be written on a piece of paper,

and the dayshift signalman would enter this in the official

log in his own writing, so that this discrepancy would not

be discovered by the rail company.

A local train was transferred onto the other line to allow the

express train travelling northbound to Glasgow to pass by.

Unfortunately, a troop train travelling south from Falkirk to

Carlisle crashed into the local train which was stationery on

the wrong line. Because the signalmen had not kept proper

train logs this was not spotted by either of them. The troop

train thundered into the local train causing both trains to

derail. Then, as the express approached on the opposite line

ten minutes later it collided with the wreckage.

With gas leaking from cylinders used to supply the lighting

on the coaches and hot coals from the three engines, all the

coaches burst into flames. This resulted in 246 passengers

being seriously injured and approximately 226 being killed.

The exact number will never be known because most of the

fatalities were engulfed in the burning coaches along with

the roll list for the soldiers. The fire took over twenty hours

to bring under control due to the scarcity of water at this

location. Eventually, the surviving soldiers were trans-

ferred onto another train to Liverpool en route to Gallipoli.

Upon arriving there they were subjected to a medical and

declared unfit for action. These poor bedraggled men were

travelling through the streets from the port to the railway

station to return home, when they were mistaken for Ger-

man Prisoners of War and were pelted with rocks and mud

by local people.

The bodies of the soldiers who perished were returned to

the Leith Drill Hall in Dalmeny Street where, ironically,

they would have carried out most of their training. The

Battalion consisted of the 1st and the 7th Royal Scots Territo-

rial Army. As nearly all of them were unidentifiable their

remains were laid to rest in a mass burial plot in Rosebank

cemetery in Pilrig.

An inquiry into this disaster found that both signalmen

were negligent in their duty;

“This disastrous collision was thus due to want of discipline on

the part of the signalmen, first by changing duty at an unauthor-

ised hour, which caused Tinsley to be occupied in writing up the

Train Register Book, and so diverted his attention from his proper

work, secondly by Meakin handing over the duty in a very lax

manner; and, thirdly by both signalmen neglecting to carry out

various rules specially framed for preventing accidents due to

forgetfulness on the part of signalmen.”

There are several memorials to these brave soldiers who

died before they had a chance to fight for their country. The

one in Rosebank is in the form of a Celtic cross and name

plaques on the North Wall. May Their Souls Rest In Peace

John A. Stewart

17 ISSUE #31

Let’s Have More Friendly and Welcoming Places for Like-minded People

There is a church in the Leith area near the Bethany hostel (South Leith Baptist Church) that holds a free coffee event where people can go to sit have snacks, as well as soft drinks and friendly easy going chats. Most, if not all who go there, go with the attitude to make it be a friendly and welcoming place even one where people feel they can’t wait to go back. For many it may be the only place like that for them but there can be more.

It’s all to do with attitude. People don’t go bringing all negative attitudes etc. with them. Everyone is like one big, close, easy going, non-judgemental family. All of the downsides of the world stay outside. If only there could be more places like this. The point is there can be. I have known of some that sadly have closed down but that doesn’t have to mean the end. It’s hard to say that the people who went there can move on someplace else, but again more places like that can be made possible.

We have the buildings, the people but all we need is the correct sort of attitude to go with them. It can help all to forget their wor-ries or anything else that might bother them to a point. It’s a morale and confidence booster in many ways to many people even lonely individuals and others who feel cut off etc. Maybe they may meet others who are in the same boat which could be a good

Men’s Group: What are your memories of Leith?

Bethany Men’s Group share their thoughts, feel free to write in with yours

Born in Leith 1964 Duke Street. Seen a lot of changes. Remember my first football match HIBS v. Rang-

ers Easter Road Stadium. I was 7 years old. Remember the old Lothian Buses when you could jump on

and off buses, bus conductors on buses. The swimming pool which I went as a kid is still here to this

day. Leith was a good place to be, you cannot forget your past. Remember

next door from the Acorn centre used to be a fire station. (TOM)

Vague – Very Vague! (Eddie Klimek)

It’s Sunny

Swimming at Dr Bells Youth Club at St Mary’s and Leith Academy School, Victo-

ria Registrar Office at Junction Place next to the

Victoria Baths. Going for a bag of chips after swim-

ming (Ivor)

Sunny Leith – a

thinking communi-

ty and lively.

‘I love Leith’ - from

an OAP

Foot of Leith Walk, 1912

Shipbuilders, Great Junction St, 1915 Leith Harbour, 1912

Note to Men’s Group—I know none of you are knocking

on a hundred (Eddie might be close...) but these were

some of the best photos I could find—Editor

Images courtesy of Edinburgh Libraries: www.ourstories.co.uk

18 ISSUE #31

A BRIEF LOOK AT LEITH’S OLD POORHOUSES

Back in May of this year – Wednesday 24th, to be precise – the Bugle team was graced with a visit of “yin o’

the High-Heid-Yins” – Andy Murray, no less! He’d come to see how the Bugle was faring, have a blether with

the team, and to tell us about an interest of his: Ragged Education and Schools.

To put you in the picture, this refers back to the age and times of Thomas Guthrie. Who he? I hear you ask.

Well, Thomas Guthrie D.D. (1803–1873) was a Scottish divine and philanthropist, born at Brechin in Angus (at

that time also called Forfarshire). He was one of the most popular preachers of his day in Scotland, and was

associated with many forms of philanthropy - especially temperance and Ragged Schools, of which he was a

founder.

You can read up about him in your local library (remember them?), or via the internet. To get a flavour of the

period I recommend you read “The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists”, a novel by Robert Tressell, first pub-

lished 1914. Basically it was the time of the “dark satanic mills” of Lancashire and elsewhere - the period

where the “lunatics had taken over the asylum”, and so on.

But I digress - enough of Bethany Head Office and it’s inmates.

Yet there is a connection between what Andy spoke about the particular project I’ve been working on this past

year: Leith’s Poorhouses, and (can you believe it?) Female Asylum – which is now Gladstone House, right

next to Rose Garden Surgery in Mill Lane (behind Taylor Gardens) – just go along Great Junction Street to-

wards Junction Bridge, opposite Bangor Road. The original Edinburgh Asylum was in Craig House (built

1565). In the late 19th century it was purchased by the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, and the site was developed

as Craig House Hospital, a psychiatric hospital, including substantial new buildings.

It’s interesting to note that even today in the 21st century we still see poverty, homelessness, vagrants and

high unemployment in the Leith area. In spite of all the reforms, best laid plans and empty promises - genera-

tion after generation – are we really any further forward? Today we have homelessness units, B&Bs for the

overspill due to a lack of so-called “affordable” housing; and to rub it in, the Private Sector Leasing schemes

are laughing all the way to the bank, because a high number of tenants receive proportionately high (disability)

benefits - that’s why the landlords prefer these clients – it’s a guaranteed in-

come.

So let’s have a look back in time – 250 years – and see what was on offer for

the destitute.

North Leith erected its own poorhouse in 1763 in the Citadel area. After 1845,

the parishes of North Leith and South Leith, separated by the Water of Leith,

were administered by separate Parochial Boards and operated their own

poorhouses which stood within a few hundred yards of each other. If you can

focus your attention on that part of Great Junction Street – just before the

bridge where the small Taylor Gardens Park is, we can progress from there.

South Leith (=Taylor Gardens)

According to the 1848/9 Edinburgh and Leith Post Directory, South Leith appears to have briefly operated a

poorhouse at 97 Giles Street. However, a new poorhouse was built in 1850 at the east side of North Junction

Street. See the 1908 map.

The entrance at the south-west was flanked by the Parochial Offices. In the main building to the rear, males

were accommodated in the north-western portion, and females in the south-eastern. Separate school rooms

for boys and girls lay at the outer ends of the male and female wards. The governor's quarters lay at the cen-

tre, with a chapel to the rear. A further range to the rear contained workshops on the men's side, kitchens and

storerooms at the centre, and laundry on the women's side.

South Leith Poorhouse 1876

19 ISSUE #31

the late Mr. Peter Hamilton, architect, Edinburgh, and they have now been satisfactorily completed. The Poorhouse, situated in the centre of the ground, with the front to the south, is plain, substantial, and commodious. The principal portion of it is two storeys high, 140 feet long and 45 feet broad; and the height from the floor to the ceiling on the ground-floor is 12 feet, and, in the upper flat, 13 feet. The whole arrangements for ventilation have been completed by Mr. William Cunning, ironmonger, Queen Street, Edin-burgh, after a plan of which he is the inventor. The grounds, enclosed with high stone walls, are laid out in a tasteful and useful manner. The late Mr James Hume, builder, Leith, was the contractor for the mason work; Mr. Andrew Cunningham, wright, Leith, for the joiner work; Mr Peter Innes, plasterer, Edinburgh, for the plaster work; Mr. Fortune, slater, Leith, for the slater work; and Mr Law, plumber, Edinburgh, for the plumber work. Some consider the house a model poorhouse, and already several deputa-tions from distant parochial boards have come to inspect it. The cost of the house and furnishings amounts to about £7,000.

The new poorhouse was intended to accommodate

up to 120 inmates. The design comprised two long

parallel ranges, each two storeys in height. Male

wards were placed in the north-eastern wing, and fe-

males in the south-western. The Governors’ quarters

were located at the centre, with a dining-room cum

chapel to the rear joining the two ranges. The smaller

north range contained laundry and workshops and

sick-wards, with a small dead-room (mortuary) at the

north of the site. No school-rooms were included. The

entrance to the site was at the east side beside the

Parochial Offices on North Junction Street.

From 1894, the North and

South poorhouses were

brought into common

management under Leith

Parish Council and there

seems to have been

some rationalisation of

the use of the two sites. By

1900 the North Leith build-

ing was being referred to as 'Leith Parish Hospital'. It

would probably have been rather quieter for the sick

than the South Leith building which was located next

to an engineering works.

The South Leith site was acquired by the managers of

Leith Hospital (a voluntary hospital) and the poor-

house demolished in 1911 to let more light into their

premises.

Seafield Road Poorhouse

In around 1906, North and South Leith became united

for poor law purposes. A new poorhouse was erected

in 1906-8 on Seafield Street at the south side of

Seafield Road to accommodate about 650 inmates. It

was the last poorhouse to be built in Scotland. A

lodge stood at the entrance to the site at the north.

The main administration and accommodation blocks

were at the northern part of the site.

During the First World War, the site was taken over

for use as a military hospital and nurses' home with a

separate nurses' dining room and wooden operating

theatre being added. In August 1918, it was trans-

ferred to the use of the United States Navy. From

1930 it became known as the Eastern General Hospi-

tal. [Guess what? – I was born there in 1954!!]

By 2001, the site was operating only as a day hospi-

tal, and finally closed in 2007. Later that year, large

parts of the buildings were destroyed by fire, with the

remainder likely to be demolished.

I’m still going through

and examining records

kept by these institutions

– names, occupations,

number of residents; staff

records and duties, etc.

In a later article, I’ll be

looking more closely at

unemployment in old

Leith; although we still have a high percentage of peo-

ple out of work today, the conditions attached to re-

South Leith Poorhouse 1908

South Leith Poorhouse site 2001

Art Corner—more work by Monique

20 ISSUE #31

Look at life with an open mind, a free spirit and a happy smile

Other Bethany Groups: What’s been happening?

The Men’s Group Secret Bunker Trip

It was all fantastic, we had the problem of the broken down

car, and snow drifts beside the road, but we eventually got

there. The Bunker was a command bunker not a survival

bunker. The main control room was like being in a film set,

you felt like Biggles, ‘come on up Biggles!’

The SAM missile outside the bunker

was incredible as it was a Russian

rocket used in Vietnam and still used

today. I enjoyed seeing the AK-47

(Russian Rifle) still used in Afghani-

stan, killing UK and US troops. It is an

excellent weapon, reliable and hardly

ever jams.

The Radar Control room named by

RAF women was very interesting.

They watched missiles arriving into Britain. The dormito-

ries were also good, bunk beds and lockers were just like I

remembered them. It was very packed; ‘Hot bunks’, one

person out of bed, the next one in. The water apparently

used to be a problem for drinking and showers. There was

a canteen which was a very small feeding station so meals

must have

been served

in a rota. In

1993 the bun-

ker was

closed.

This is defi-

nitely a trip I

would recom-

mend (see

http://www.secretbunker.co.uk or call them on 01333

Bethany Community Education have been running

an informal art workshop under the expert instruction

of volunteer Mike. In a relaxed environment and with

friendly guidance, the group have made their own

canvas. Here Garry Miller displays the fruits of his

work:

Oblivion Review

When you go to see films, it can take you away from what your worries are in general, it can help you relax, it can help you put things in perspective. I recently went to see Oblivion, I hadn’t been to the pictures in a while and I hadn't heard about the film. I discovered it starred Tom Cruise as Jack.

It’s all about a disaster that happened many years before, a kind of nuclear war, and the human race was nearly made extinct. It’s all futuristic and computers run what’s left of the human race. The Droids are a species of their own, with a human-like mind and a robot body and they’ve captured Jack who is admi-rably looking for a way to bring civilisation back.

Because there is no-one around and Jack is stranded, nearly alone, it's similar to the film 'I Am Legend'. I enjoyed it but it was a very long film. I would probably watch it again when it’s released on DVD.

Joe Appleby

21 ISSUE #31

Douglas Forbes writes on the Cup Final

On May 26th Hibs were in the Cup final . They got beat 3-0.

I got on the wrong bus coming back after losing my friend

and leaving at half-time.

Leigh Griffiths was one of the good players who scored a

goal.

I like him because he throws away his shirt at the end of the game.

If you cannot be good, be silent and think about it

Name that door by Cha Maloney

Cha’s article on page six looked into the significance of ‘soup kitchens’ for many people. He has photographed the en-

trances to two of these and invites you to write or email in if you recognise them and/or have any stories of your own

about them or about people’s need to use them.

For Douglas Baptism

On Easter Sunday my friend William got baptised. Before he went in he

said ‘Father, Son and Holy Spirit,’ and the minister said ‘In the name of

the Father, Son and Holy Spirit I baptise you.’ William says that his faith

has helped him with his health.

22 ISSUE #31

Working Class Culture 1970-2013 By

George MacAndrew

We will serialise this over a few editions so

please write in to add any comments or ask any

questions. The author is a football, politics and

music buff, so questions and comments on

these topics especially welcome!

As the Wilson government struggled on after

trade union opposition to Barbara Castle’s re-

port ‘In Place of Strife’, the election was soon

upon it. Labour under Harold Wilson were

confident of victory, but a ‘rogue’ set of GDP

figures was to prove the catalyst for the fall of

his government, as

Edward Heath and

the Conservative

party were to

achieve victory at the polls, and not Labour.

This unexpected result was to have serious

consequences for the Tory party, but more

importantly for the country at large. Union

leaders who felt betrayed by the previous gov-

ernment began to flex their muscles, as their

members began to ask more and more for high-

er wages just to keep abreast of inflation, which

was to hit 20% plus in the 70s.

Car workers at Ford’s factory in Dagenham

were to test the company's resolve by putting in

a big wage demand, and the company were

duly to capitulate in settling.

In seeing this the NUM leader Joe Gormley saw

his miners' wages lag well behind those of oth-

er nationalised industries, and his members

become more militant as a result of this. With

its members feeling a

sense of grievance, the

NUM decided on an ini-

tial overtime ban, which

was to accomplish its aim as it deprived coal-

fired power stations of fuel.

With this, Heath was to declare yet another

‘State of Emergency’ measure, so that television

ceased at 10.30pm and the country was now

declared to be on a three-day week. With the

miners' overtime ban and the situation in

Northern Ireland getting more fraught by the

day, Heath was under intense pressure from all

sides.

As inflation began to reach unprecedented

levels, the public mood was of impending

doom, as more and more union

leaders began to exercise their power and the

Conservative press started to refer to them as

‘barons’.

Although the Labour Party had won its second

election of 1974, it did not have a ‘workable’

majority over all other parties, and had to find

partners in a coalition. Much like the Conserva-

tive Party of today, they hoped that with a dis-

credited outgoing Prime Minister it would be

easy to get one. But things are not always that

simple, and were even trickier in the 70s.

The Liberal Party at the time was led by the

eccentrically-dressed Jeremy Thorpe, who was

to be embroiled in an unsavoury court case

regarding a male model called Norman Scott.

He had to resign as leader of the Liberal Party,

to be replaced by the Scottish MP for Roxburgh

and Selkirkshire, David Steel.

The Labour Party had not only to keep the Lib-

eral Party on their side, but had also to

‘appease’ not only the Unionists of Ulster but

also the Scottish Nationalists.

To add to all this, union strife was still endemic

in the country at large, so that on the continent

and further afield the United Kingdom was to

be called the ‘sick man of Europe’.

Which word does not belong?

1 a. core b. seeds c. pulp d. slice

2 a. unique b. beautiful c. rare d. excep-

tional

3 a. biology b. chemistry c. theology d.

zoology

4 a. Triangle b. circle c. oval d. sphere

5 a. excite b. flourish c. prosper d.

thrive

6 a. scythe b. knife c. pliers d. saw

Puzzle Corner brought to you by Eddie Klimek

Bugle oku X: Put each of the numbers 1-6 once in every row,

column, diagonal (highlighted to form an X) and 3 * 2 box.

Answers can be found on page 26

3

6

4

3 2

1

23 ISSUE #31

Life Stories

What about my Questions?

Does anyone really forgive? They certainly don’t for-

get! But at what point do you stop caring what others

think and say about you? Then what do you do when

your past won't leave your future, to the point it's

impossible to move on and have a life? Can you

truly be forgiven then, and make a life for your-

self that isn’t dictated by your past?

I believe the answer is YES! By God's grace all can

be wiped clean, your life can be fuller, richer and even

happier than ever. What about those who don’t think

people can change, that habits of a lifetime can't dis-

appear overnight by the miracle of God? We need to

pray for these people, as when you can pray for the

people who have hurt you, and you can forgive them

due to the grace of God, then you know you are on

the true path of recovery. How though do we deal with

those who have the authority to keep your children

away from you? Being deemed a monster, which

hurts deep by the way! When you accept God into

your life He will forgive you of your sins and carry your

burdens when you need him to. It is hard at first, but

after a while you become used to having God with

you to take the hurt for you, then soon people will see

the change in you. But how do we deal with the mess

you have made?

The sheer devastation and consequence of our sins?

Does anyone really have the right to continue punish-

ing us, beating us down into the ground on a daily ba-

sis, until the guilt and shame start to creep back, and

all the hard work we have done in our life hangs in the

balance? What are we to do? We cry out to the Lord

our God! We use his wisdom and understanding.

There is nothing wrong with falling

to your knees and crying out to God

to let him know you can't take any

more pain and heartache. God

won't ask us to prove ourselves to him; he is not like

the people of this world. We are his children, our Fa-

ther in heaven wants only the best for us. There are

no tests or hoops to jump through, all he asks is that

we trust him and let him guide us to a better way of

life.

So the mess we have left over from our sins? The

hurt we have caused people? The people who want

to punish you? What do we do about all that? We re-

pent and move on with the Lord. It may seem selfish

to others , but nobody

has to keep living a

nightmare once they

have asked for for-

giveness. It won’t be

easy living a new life

without the drugs or the

drink or the daily gam-

bling, whatever your demon was, but when God is

with you everyday things are far more manageable!

So what’s it all about? For me it's about continuing

with my journey with the Lord Jesus by my side and

My Walk With Jesus and my Lasting

Faith

When I was born there were problems

before and during my birth. In the 1960s

it was said to be a risk for a woman over

40 to have a child. My dear late Mum

was 41 when she had me. Lack of air and

other complications resulted in me not

being able to walk or talk until I was five

years old. The doctor said I would not

live past age three. But by the grace of

God I did. Then they said I would never

walk or talk. Being a single parent is

never easy. There were times when we

had to take walks to forget hunger when

my mum's money did not come through,

or sometimes took longer than usual.

There were times when by the grace of God a neighbour above gave us pots of food to eat. One time when I was twelve years old we walked ten miles. That was to the Castle Terrace DSS and they said maybe tomorrow my mum would get her money. My mum got up and said to other people waiting “Where we live is what you call the concrete jungle and all you need is feathers and a wigwam and you do the Indian war dance”. Then she did it all around the waiting area. Securi-ty put her out but she said “You'd better

hope I don’t have to come back again tomorrow”. I was hungry too and scared and tired. I knew my mum could have got into trouble. On the way walking back we stopped off at my half-sister's, now my only surviving one, who gave us tuppence and sent us on our way.

There are other stories like this, but that one should say it all. We started stealing potatoes from a nearby farm. One day we were seen by the farmer and police passing by in their car. They pulled over and took us to what was then the Dalkeith police station, and that added to my fear for my mum. They were about to charge her just as another

‘By God’s grace all can

be wiped clean.’

24 ISSUE #31

police officer came in who knew our

situation and got us off the hook, hand-

ing us seven pounds on the way out to

help us. That was out at Mayfield,

Dalkeith where we lived then.

As time went on since my childhood I

have lost most of my family and friends

by death, and some in other ways too.

From infancy, I used to suffer from brain

hemorrhages causing unexpected nose

bleeds at any time. They seemed to stop

when I was thirteen. I used to get elec-

tric shock treatment to bring on my

speech. I went to special schools and we

were forever moving house for one rea-

son or another. This affected my school-

ing, and friend-making too. When I was

three years old my mum had a friend

called Frank who was like a dad to me

and when I was able to talk I used to call

him dad, not knowing that my own dad

was dead. When I was seven, my mum

told me what happened.

He used to work for British Rail and was

crushed to death by the buffers of a

train. She told me lots about him and it

was all good. She taught me about Jesus

and said my dad is there but he can still

see and hear me. Nothing and no-one

can harm him now. Frank went through

the hard times with us, and for us too,

but he had only one lung and he drank a

lot to forget it. He left when I was thir-

teen, and I cried as I watched him go. He

died soon after.

My Mum and I used to

go for wood to an old sawmill a mile

away in all weathers, before and after

my school time. Some time passed and

we got back into Edinburgh. But in 1988

I was knocked off my bicycle by a car in

York Place. I ended up in hospital with a

broken leg, but I told them I would be

out of hospital within three weeks and

back on a bike soon after that. By the

grace of Jesus it happened.

There was times when we were close to

being homeless, but that's too long and

too complex a story to tell here. It has

not been any different hardship-wise

since my mum’s death. This should give

you some idea of things we have been

through. We never lost our faith in God

and we always knew he was with us in

every way. I got my Mum baptized at

Mayfield Salisbury Church not too long

before her sad death. She died of a brain

tumor. I dealt with the funeral. I knew

and said I can still make her

proud of me, by living my

life as best I can.

In September this year my flat was

burned. I was in intensive care in hospi-

tal for three days. Mike my present

friend saved my life by stopping me re-

entering the flat to fight the fire. I’m still

here. Emotionally and psychologically

who knows how I am? But by God’s

grace, I’m here and He has reasons for

that I know.

Graham Forrester

A Boy and His

Dog

Hi everybody out there,

thought I would share

this story wae you all:

about this young guy

called Ryan and his dug

Cheeko, a four-year-old

cross who has been by his side through thick and thin. At

the young age of twenty-two, Ryan has been through what

some people go through in a lifetime: drug addiction, house

fires, mental health issues, death, loss and homelessness.

With gangs after him and his house being set on fire, it’s no

surprise to hear he stays in a tent when he can!! But with

that all behind him, he is now looking to the future as he

has learnt from his mistakes and has the life experience to

move forward and help others. Here is his story - and

Cheeko’s too - in his own words.

Well, where to begin? Growing up was pretty hard what

with having to deal with ADHD, a frontal lobe disorder and

Aspergers syndrome. Because of this, family life was hard

and school was a constant struggle: I was easily distracted

and very easily led. When I reached high school I started

drinking at thirteen. I remember my first time drinking, well

what my mum told me anyway. I was going to the under-

18s mission at Studio 24, me and my friend Polly had

bought a bottle of vodka, and all I can remember is walking

to the club and getting kicked back. Then it all went blank

from there! Next minute I woke up with a banging headache

in pure darkness on my mum's couch. First thing I heard

was my mum’s voice saying, “Who got you the drink?” And

all I could remember was Polly! My mum asked various

questions and all I kept saying was “Polly, Polly”. Seeming-

ly I had been found outside the Omni Centre in the middle

of the road, barely conscious, choking on my own sick. The

police carried me to my mum’s door. I found it hilarious but

my mum thought different. That’s when my drinking prob-

lem began.

As I progressed through school I got into a lot of trouble.

This ranged from hitting teachers to blowing up allotments.

You see, growing up, I was the kind of person that people

just asked to do things for a laugh. For example: “Ryan, hit

the dinner lady with that orange”. I didn’t say “Right OK”, or

“I’ll think about it”, I’d just throw, no second thoughts and, in

the blink of an eye, the dinner lady was covered in vitamin

C. Because of my antics, I got chucked out of high school at

fifteen, but was allowed to come back for exams.

I had a few jobs for a bit like delivering leaflets, but I

smoked a lot of grass at the time, and had a dependency

when I reached seventeen. I got into cocaine and ecstasy

and it was all downhill from there. My face was doing so

many facial expressions because of the amounts I was tak-

ing, I was known locally as 'the gurner'. You see, I ended up

hooked for about three years, with a weekly habit amount-

‘By God’s Grace I’m

25 ISSUE #31

when I saw heroin being injected for the first time. I then

watched as the effects kicked in. Within minutes, the two of

them were just about out for the count. At this point I was

still bad on uppers, travelling from the hostel to Lochend to

get full of it. I ended up moving around hostels and B&Bs

for about a year.

You name the hos-

tel, and it’s more

than likely I’ve been there.

Anyway, I ended up coming off the homeless list, and start-

ed staying between friends’ couches for a bit, and that’s

when I met Cheeko. At my friend’s house, I was on the

worst come-down from drugs I’ve ever had. I thought I was

going to die. I was sat on the same chair for a day and a

half, just lifeless, but all of a sudden my friend came in with

his dog and two puppies. Everyone was shouting on the

two puppies. They were only five weeks old. The white one

just ran about happy to see everyone, but the brown one

came walking in, ignored everyone else, and came straight

to me. He jumped on my lap and sat with me on the chair

for two whole days. Instantly, I fell in love with him and end-

ed up taking him. I paid him up over three months as I

moved about, and Cheeko continued growing. He cost

£300.

A new drug had arrived on the scene: Methadrone. This

had a massive impact on me. I ended up hooked. At this

point I had moved to my Gran’s, but one day I was com-

pletely out of it on Methadrone. I came back to my Gran’s

house and went suicidal. My Granny phoned my Mum and

she phoned Leith police station. She told them to send a

policeman up to try and calm me down, but not to threaten

me with a charge. They replied “Well he’s got mental health

issues and that’s a job for the Paramedics”. My mum then

said, “Well I don’t know how he’ll react to that, but it won’t

go down well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” And it didn’t go

well. Two of them came to the door

and I completely blacked out and

ended up taking them down the stair

to their van brandishing a hammer.

My Dad tried to stop me, but I took a

swing at him, and at that point he knew I was serious.

I told the Paramedics to get down the road, and they left. I

then locked myself in the house for five-and-a-half hours,

but eventually the armed response broke down the door

and I ended up in Saint Leonard’s police station. At this

point, I thought I was getting a long jail sentence but to my

amazement I got let out the court cells due to lack of evi-

dence.This was because they never listened to my Mum’s

advice. At this point I was more than relieved. I then went

back to my Gran’s, but my Auntie answered the door and

handed me Cheeko and a blanket. My granny wouldn’t let

me speak to her for eight months, which broke me. I started

staying at a 'party house', but after a few weeks decided

that I needed to get clean and get my head cleared, be-

cause I was having heart palpitations. My left arm was sore

every morning. This was when I purchased a tent. It only

cost fifteen quid from a pound store, but it done me. I

stayed at the abandoned beach where the coal comes in at

Seafield for six months, walking with Cheeko from free food

place to free food place every day. That kept me fit. You

see, I’m an outdoors person anyway, so I actually enjoyed

most of it.

If I woke early enough in the morning, I used to see quite a

lot of seals swimming. I tried to make seal noises one

morning to coax one over. That just failed miserably, ha,

worth a try, eh? After my stay in the tent, I moved to Dune-

din Hostel in Leith. A lot of strange things happened in

there, but it was probably the best one I’ve stayed in. Even-

tually, after moving through another couple of hostels, I got

offered a house in South Edinburgh that made me fill up

with happiness. All started well up in my new house, but I

started to get in with the wrong crowd again. Within a cou-

ple of weeks, I was back to the old me and worse than ever

before. The neighbours soon started to hate me. My house

was jumping, day in, day out, windows wide open, music

blaring. One Sunday afternoon, I had a house full of people

from all over Edinburgh. It was about four o’clock. We de-

cided to go to the local Scotmid for more drink. There were

about ten to fifteen people with me. When we got outside

my stair, there was a party bus outside. Everyone ran onto

the bus, completely out of it, including Cheeko. I ran on at

the back of everyone, but when I boarded, I realised that it

wasn’t your average party bus; it was equipped with a

chute and a ball pit. At this point, I tried to get everyone off,

and say sorry to the mums and dads, because there was a

group of really young children on the bus, but this was just

the beginning of the trouble.

I ended up getting lifted one night, and the couple down

stairs watched Cheeko while I was away. I had taken a

dose of Valium tablets and overdosed, but

became violent when the paramedics re-

suscitated me. When I got out of court, my

mum dropped me off at my house, and I

tapped the neighbour’s door but they were-

n’t answering. I could clearly see them through the frosted

glass on the door, and still

disorientated from the Vali-

um and not in the right

mind I ended up smashing

the window of their house

and getting into a fight and

lifted again. When I got out,

I noticed a cut on my mid-

dle finger and my finger

had swelled to about twice its size. My Mum said it proba-

bly happened when I hit the guy, so I thought nothing of it

and went to my girlfriend’s house for a sleep. But in the

early hours of the morning, she rolled over onto my hand

‘I thought I was going to die’

‘I tried to make seal noises to

coax one over. That just failed

miserably, worth a try, eh?

26 ISSUE #31

still barking in the house. At this point the fire brigade had

arrived, but were still getting their equipment ready. One

fireman was on a ladder. I ran up the ladder and told the

guy, “What are you doing looking in the window? Jump in”.

The fireman was shouting, “Someone get him down.” I was

trying to climb over him and back into the house. My friend

pulled me off the ladder and I then said, “I can hear my dog

barking. “Mate, you’re not coming in with me to get him”. He

said, “It’s too dangerous”.

But I didn’t care. I would do anything for my dog, so I

pushed past the firemen and proceeded up the stair, duck-

ing low and covering my face with a jumper. As I reached

the top of the stair, there were a lot of flames between me

and the door; maybe about a metre to the door, but I knew

the door would be weak

due to fire damage, so I

took a run up and threw

myself through it. I landed in the house and it was mayhem.

I could barely see. Every wall was in flames and the ceiling

was completely gone. I looked about in panic and seen that

the Labrador was burning alive. There was no saving it; the

poor thing was gone. The puppy that had jumped in my

bath ran out. I then looked around and found Cheeko dead

in the corner of the living room. By this point, my friend was

in the house with me and the fire brigade were starting to

extinguish the fire. I grabbed Cheeko and passed him to my

friend. We were shaking Cheeko’s head as we ran down

the smoke filled stair, but he was just dead weight. We ran

to the ambulance and they gave Cheeko gas and air for

about fifteen minutes. We thought he wasn’t going to make

it. That was the longest fifteen minutes of my life. After

twenty minutes, he was remarkably alive.

For a whole two weeks after the incident, Cheeko couldn’t

open his eyes and I had to bathe them every morning, but

now he’s fighting fit and still a happy healthy dog, but I’m

still homeless for the third time running. I also still have a

three year ASBO on me because of the stupid things I’ve

done, but it’s been eight months since the fire, and I’m

clean and looking to the future. I feel I’ve grown up quite a

bit now, and I’ve had

enough of my past. I’ve

left everyone behind,

started guitar lessons. I’m doing volunteer work and helping

out at Lochend Community Garden. I remember a hostel

worker said to me once, “Ryan I don’t see you as an alco-

holic, or a guy with a drinking problem. I see a nice guy who

just doesn’t mix well with drink”. And I’ve noticed that now,

and I've learned how to do things in moderation, and that

drugs can seriously affect your mind and make you do

things you wouldn’t dream of doing without them. It’s more

‘They gave Cheeko gas and air’

Puzzle Answers ANSWERS— Which word does not belong?

1. d. The core, seeds, and pulp are all parts of an apple. A slice would be a piece taken out of an

apple.

2. b. Unique, rare, and exceptional are all synonyms. Beautiful has a different meaning.

3. c. Biology, chemistry, and zoology are all branches of science. Theology is the study of reli-

gion.

4. a. Circle, oval, and sphere are all circular shapes with no angles. A triangle’s a different

kind of shape with angles and three straight sides.

5. a. Flourish, prosper, and thrive are

all synonyms; excite does not

mean the same thing.

6. c. The scythe, knife, and saw are all cutting tools. Pliers are tools, but

they are not used for cutting.

That is all for now folks! We hope you have enjoyed reading

this edition of the Bugle as much as we have enjoyed creating

it. We will see you again in three months time!

3 1 6 2 4 5

2 5 4 1 3 6

6 3 1 4 5 2

5 4 2 6 1 3

4 6 5 3 2 1

1 2 3 5 6 4

ANSWERS—Bugle Oku X

27 ISSUE #31

FEELING LOST? NOWHERE TO TURN?

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. HERE ARE SOME PHONE NUMBERS THAT MAY HELP

The Access Point (TAP) 17 & 18 Leith Street, (0131) 529 7438 Anyone 18+, without children and homeless in

Edinburgh should register here. Advice about entitlement, eligibility for temporary accommodation and benefits.

Housing Options Team 1 Cockburn Street, (0131) 529 7368 - For under 18s or those with children.

Edinburgh Housing Advice Partnership (EHAP) 0845 302 4607 Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm

Council Out of Hours Service 0800 032 5968

Streetwork Crisis Service 22 Holyrood Road (0131) 557 655, 24/7 free phone 0808 178 2323 24 hour provision of

advice and support. Food, laundry, showers & lockers available for those accessing support.

Salvation Army Regenr8+ 25 Niddrie Street (0131) 523 1060 A drop-in that provides food for a small charge (£1 for 3

courses), a clothing store, shower, an advice service and run various events.

The Advice Shop 85-87 South Bridge (0131) 200 260 benefits and debt advice

Social Work Services Call if concerned about vulnerable adults or children.

Adults (0131) 200 2324 Children (0131) 200 2327 Out of Hours 0800 731

6969

Support for Young People The Rock Trust, 55 Albany Street, (0131) 557 4059

Medical Help NHS 24, 08454 24 24 24 - Edinburgh Access Practice, 17 Leith Street (0131) 240 2810

HELPLINES

Shelter (housing) 0808 800 4444 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Domestic Abuse 0800 027 1234 (24hr)

Runaway Helpline 0808 800 7070 (24hr) Help for U18s

who have left home

Loan Parent Helpline 0808 801 0323 Mon-Thur 9.30am-

4pm For general information all other times

National Debt Line

0808 808 4000 Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 9.30am-1pm

Samaritans (Edinburgh)

0131 221 9999

Action on Depression 0845 123 23 20