Explore!

Ali Carlyle is head chef at Carlyle’s Bar and Kitchen in Balerno. He got his start in catering at age 15, and since then has taken advantage of every opportunity to learn different methods and styles of cooking. His vision for a small, sustainable fine dining restaurant with a personal touch has come to fruition in the recently opened family business. Ali and his partner Elaine live in Balerno with their dog, Jess. He enjoys hillwalking and cooking roast dinners. “Intentional

Balerno resident Gavin McMurray is involved in the fight against coronary heart disease. Founder of the Sprint for Life charity, in August he will compete in a 100-metre sprint to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation. The Chief Customer Service Officer of a successful signage company, Gavin is married to Lynn and they have two adult sons. We don’t tend to think that people who are eating right and exercising will be heart attack victims. Yet Gavin McMurray was cycling

Shannon Denson is the new manager of the Bridge Community Café at Holy Trinity Wester Hailes, a church that St Mungo’s, Balerno partners. Originally from Michigan, USA, Shannon enjoys cooking and has a heart for community development. She lives in Bonaly with her two teenage children. Shannon Denson came to Scotland in 2001 to help her mum and aunt set up a clinical pharmaceutical trials company. Marrying a Scotsman and starting a family was not part of the plan, but that’s w

Councillor Susan Webber represents the Pentland Hills ward alongside fellow Conservative Councillor Graeme Bruce. A local, she attended Juniper Green Primary School and Currie High School before studying biochemistry at Edinburgh University. Susan Webber became a Councillor as a result of the local elections last May. She knows and loves her community. As a girl Sue lived in Baberton and Currie, and now she lives in Juniper Green. “I am the only Councillor in Edinburgh who bo

Balerno High School pupil Amy Foster (17) has a passion for golf! In 2015 she reduced her handicap from 27 to 14 and was named “Most Improved Player” by Midlothian County Ladies’ Golf Association (Junior Girls’ Division). Her mum, dad and one of her two brothers are also golfers. When both of your parents golf, it’s not hard to imagine that you might get the bug too. “I was given some golf clubs when I was about 10,” says Amy Foster. “Mum and Dad took me out with them and sho

When you and (most probably) your dog make your way round Harlaw Reservoir, you’ll pass the Visitor Centre, which is opened and closed each day by a Natural Heritage Officer, formerly known as a countryside ranger. Did you ever wonder what else they do? I recently met Victor Partridge, who has worked for the City of Edinburgh Council as a Natural Heritage Officer for the past 23 years. From Bury in Lancashire, Victor’s love of the countryside led him to earn a degree in geolo