Granton Goes Greener looking for Spring clothing donations

Granton Goes Greener are now looking for DONATIONS of SPRING CLOTHES AND SHOES

The items we really need are:

-teenager clothes and shoes,

-children clothes and shoes ( from 2 years old),

-good quality shoes of different sizes,

-male and female Spring clothes.

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ROOTED in COMMUNITY

ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS FROM NORTH EDINBURGH AND WESTER HAILES

29th – 30th April 2023, 11am – 6pm (daily)

Opening event: Friday 28th April, 6pm – 9pm

Venue: Granton Hub (Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1HS)


Join us for ’Rooted in Community: Artistic Expressions from North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes’, an exhibition showcasing the work of local artists as part of Create Community Wealth – a collaborative community wealth building project, delivered in partnership between WHALE ArtsNorth Edinburgh Arts, SCOREscotland and Passion4Fusion.

The project aims to support local people living in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes to explore their creative and enterprising ideas, to tackle social exclusion and improve wellbeing and local economic prospects through creativity.

The exhibition, ‘Rooted in Community’, is a celebration of community and diversity, highlighting the unique experiences and diverse cultures of people living in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes. 

Through their work, the artists explore themes such as community, identity, grief and mental health, inviting us to reflect on our own experiences and engage with the world around us.

From colourful paintings to representative photography, sculpture, portraits and pencil drawings, we invite you to take a journey through the works on display, each one telling a different story about life in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes.

Through their art, these talented individuals demonstrate the power of community and the importance of self-expression.

For many of the artists featured, this is their first exhibition, and the Create Community Wealth team are delighted to support them in showcasing their work publicly.

The exhibition is a testament to the importance and power of community, providing a platform for emerging artists to showcase their talent and connect with a wider audience.

As we come together to celebrate the creativity and diversity of our community, we hope that this exhibition will inspire us to continue to support and uplift one another, as we work towards building a more inclusive and equitable society.

We hope you’ll be able to come along!

Creative workshops at Granton Parish Church

Hello there!

Together with Granton Goes Greener we created a programme of up-cycling workshops for you.

Come and learn how to make jewellery and basic macrame knots which will enable you to create amazing designs of your own.

Places are limited, so book your place by emailing Ola on: aleksandra@elrec.org.uk

See you soon in Granton!

Rooted in Community exhibition

Together with our partners, North Edinburgh Arts are extremely delighted to invite you all to the opening evening of the Rooted in Community Exhibition on Friday 28 April (6pm – 9pm) at Granton:hub (Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue).

The exhibition is a celebration of community and diversity, highlighting the unique experiences and diverse cultures of people living in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes. Through their work, the artists explore themes such as community, identity, grief, and mental health, inviting us to reflect on our own experiences and engage with the world around us.

From colourful paintings to representative photography, sculpture, portraits and pencil drawings, we invite you to take a journey through the works on display, each one telling a different story about life in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes.

Come and see the amazing artwork by local artists!

29 – 30 April 2023, 11am – 6pm (daily)

Opening event: Friday 28 April, 6pm – 9pm

Part of Create Community Wealth – a collaborative community wealth-building project, delivered in partnership between WHALE Arts, North Edinburgh Arts, SCOREscotland and Passion4Fusion, that aims to support local people living in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes to explore their creative and enterprising ideas, to tackle social exclusion and improve wellbeing and local economic prospects through creativity.

Man who died following Granton Crescent disturbance named by Police

Charles Paul, 69, was found with serious injuries after officers were called to a property in Granton Crescent around 11.20pm on Saturday, 25 March, 2023. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 36-year-old woman was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Charles Paul

A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with the incident. He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 27 March, 2023.

Blooming Good News: Land Fund success for Granton Gardeners

A community garden in Granton, the arts agency in Wester Hailes and a village shop in West Linton are all set to benefit from the Scottish Land Fund

Granton Community Gardeners has received £89,902 to acquire land in Granton where GCG will continue to host various community activities related to the growing and sharing of food to around 700 visitors per month.

Across the city WHALE Arts Agency in Edinburgh has been given £157,483 to bring their entire project into community ownership by buying the land that the current WHALE building sits on.

Community ownership of the land will secure the future of this well-used amenity from which WHALE Arts have delivered services and activities to the community for 30 years.

And West Linton Enterprise Group has received £97,600 to purchase a building in West Linton, Scottish Borders. The group currently uses this asset and will continue to use the building as a volunteer-run community thrift shop and local art gallery called The Knot.

The projects are amongst 16 across the country that have received grants totalling £1,972,701 from the Scottish Land Fund.

Tom Kirby, Development Manager, Granton Community Gardeners, said: “We’re excited to be able to move forward with ownership of our Community Garden, which has been created through the hard work, skills, and dedication of our local community. 

“This is now secured for the long term, opening up more possibilities to improve it, and for more people of all ages to enjoy the space; and to grow, cook, share and eat more food together.”

Dr Andrew McNiven, Chair, WHALE Arts Board, said: “WHALE Arts is delighted to have been granted this funding which will support us in our Community Asset Transfer. T

“his ensures community ownership of the WHALE Arts site for the people of Wester Hailes. We’re grateful for the support of the Scottish Land Fund in this important step for WHALE and the community of Wester Hailes.”

And Allison Glasse, Co-Chair, West Linton Enterprise Group, said: “We are so pleased to have been awarded this grant, which will enable us to take our small retail outlet into community ownership.

“We are excited by the future possibilities of making The Knot into a real local asset, run by community, for the community and raising money for local organisations and projects.”

Cara Gillespie, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair said: “Every one of these grants allows for the provision of assets and services that individual groups have identified as being essential to their areas. 

“This localised approach helps to strengthen both urban and rural communities.”

Sandra Holmes, Head of Community assets at HIE, added: “The successful projects announced today across Scotland are all great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities.

“For example, the Coigach Community Development Company, through the purchase of the land at the former hydroponicum site, will now be in a position to build much-needed affordable community housing. The new homes are vitally important to create a sustainable future for the area.

“All these projects announced today will help retain the population, attract visitors and create jobs. Ownership will give the community groups greater control over important assets that will reap rewards for people now and for generations to come. We wish all the successful groups the very best in their new ventures.”

Other groups receiving funding are:

Alyth Development Trust

Award – £76,774

Alyth Development Trust will purchase the Milhaugh site in Alyth, Perth and Kinross. The group intends to develop the site in order to provide a broad range of outdoor community activities.

Coigach Community Development Company

Award – £304,700

Coigach Community Development Company will purchase the former Hydroponicum site in Achiltibuie, Highland. They will develop affordable housing and an amenity space on the site, to strengthen the community’s long-term viability. 

Concrete Garden

Award – £140,287

Concrete Garden, Glasgow, will acquire two sites, one currently used by the group and another vacant site nearby. Concrete Garden will continue to deliver community growing and creative play activities for the community and expand their outdoor services onto a new site.

Dunoon Community Shed

Award – £153,000

Dunoon Community Shed will acquire the former ceramics factory in Dunoon. DCS will continue to offer multiple activities to the local community to build skills, reduce isolation and provide a community gathering space.

The Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation

Award – £136,192

Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation will purchase Argyll Beaver Centre at Knapdale, Argyll. They will continue to provide educational and volunteering opportunities from the centre, alongside their conservation work.

Inspire Inverary

Award – £121,374

Inspire Inverary will acquire and restore Inverary Pier in Argyll. This will provide safe access for leisure, water sports and fishing activities, increased use by yachts and cruisers and offer opportunities for investment in moorings, pontoons and slipways.

Nether Lochaber Community Association

Award – £45,186

Nether Lochaber Community Association, Highlands, will take ownership of the Inchree Barn. The group plans to repair the building to address isolation in the community by providing a community hub for people and groups to meet.

Netherthird Initiative for Community Empowerment

Award £111,268

Netherthird Initiative for Community Empowerment will purchase Netherthird Community Centre in Netherthird, East Ayrshire, and continue to offer various community and wellbeing services from the building, including a community cafe.

Staffin Community Trust

Award – £116,064

Staffin Community Trust will purchase a slipway protected by a breakwater, plus onshore hard standing, a derelict boathouse and a parcel of land in Staffin, Skye. The Trust will continue to redevelop and improve the local harbour to serve a range of different users and meet the demand for onshore facilities.

Scenic Sandbank

Award – £119,890

Scenic Sandbank will acquire land in Sandbank, near Dunoon, Argyll, for the purpose of creating a community garden to develop the group’s horticultural activities and to provide an attractive green space for residents of Sandbank and the wider area.

Dornie and District Community Trust

Award – £66,316

Dornie and District Community Trust will acquire the former Dornie Store building in Dornie, Highlands. The group will renovate the building and reopen the shop and post office, establish a cafe and offer the flat above as an affordable rental opportunity.

Take A Bow Development Trust

Award – £65,650

Take A Bow Development Trust will purchase the Take A Bow Community Centre in New Farm Loch, East Ayrshire. TABDT will continue to run the site as a community centre offering a range of community-focused events and classes.

Tiree Community Development Trust

Award – £73,415

Tiree Community Development Trust will acquire land in Crossapol, Tiree and construct four light commercial business units, which will be leased to local businesses at affordable rates.

Regeneration: Planning application submitted for Art Works in Granton

National Galleries of Scotland submits full planning application for transformational major development in North Edinburgh

National Galleries of Scotland has submitted ambitious plans to construct a new collection storage, conservation, community space and research facility for the national collection of art in Granton,

The Art Works will allow everyone to explore, discover, and engage with Scotland’s national art collection. The historic collection of the Royal Scottish Academy will also be housed in the new building along with the home of the Demarco Archive. 

The Art Works will offer an additional 11,000m² of quality space – the equivalent of two playing fields – to make the collection more accessible to the public than ever before.  Alongside a vastly improved digital offering, the purpose-built facility will deliver a modern environment in which members of the public, colleagues, students and researchers can engage with the works stored there. 

Much more than a world-class building to care for Scotland’s national art collection, The Art Works will be created with the needs of the local community at its heart. Inside there will be spaces for public use, including social areas and amenities for visitors’ comfort and enjoyment, including a community studio, community support space, further education rooms and a Changing Places toilet, as well as collection viewing rooms and study spaces.

Outside there will be opportunities for activity areas and bringing the environment to life, including new green routes through to the Waterfront. Several projects with local partners are underway, with completed projects including a collaboration with local charities and social enterprises to make 1000 art-themed face coverings for local people and visits for nursery groups to enjoy the community orchard which is currently on part of the site. 

Located at the heart of one of Scotland’s most diverse yet socioeconomically deprived areas, the facility sits at the heart of the Granton Waterfront regeneration area and will make a significant contribution to the regeneration process. It will seek to be inclusive, connecting to other facilities and partners in the area both physically and visually. 

Sustainability is central to the National Gallery of Scotland’s vision for The Art Works. The plans include sustainable building practices which minimise energy impact and provide quality of life opportunities for the local community.

As the country’s largest building designed to the Passivhaus standard, it will go beyond what is required by the Scottish Building Standards. 

Previously known as the National Collection Facility, proposals for a building of this kind have been in the early stages of concept development since 2015.

Now known as The Art Works, the project aims to bring Scotland’s vast and extraordinary national art collection into a single, future-proofed location. Prior to and following submission of the Proposal of Application Notice in May 2022, the National Galleries of Scotland, and their consultant design team, worked closely with the local community, key stakeholders and the planning authority to prepare the planning submission. 

The collection is currently stored across several sites where access and space are extremely limited, logistics are difficult, and conditions are suboptimal for enabling the full potential for public access, conservation and research to be realised. It also means it can be challenging for works to be made available for display and loan.

The Art Works will be instrumental in addressing these issues, enabling much greater access to and engagement with Scotland’s incredible collection of art treasures and safeguarding the future of this publicly owned, renowned national collection. 

Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: ‘National Galleries of Scotland is happy to now be able to submit a full planning application following extensive consultation with the communities of North Edinburgh.

“This is an incredibly exciting moment in the realisation of The Art Works project. This entirely new facility will provide state-of-the- art spaces for the management and distribution of Scotland’s art, deliver world-class services for staff, researchers and visitors and provide a significant, long-term contribution to benefit and enhance the local community for years to come.’ 

GY skate pop-up at Drylaw Skate Park

4th APRIL from 4 – 8pm

GRANTON Youth’s streetwork team and @theedinburghwheelsproject will be hanging out at Drylaw Skate Park on Tuesday 4th April from 4-8pm giving instructor led skate lessons, playing tunes, showing off their skate skills, and giving out free food!

Come along, tell yer friends and fam, and bring us an easter egg or ten!

GY x

#grantonyouth

#edinburghwheelsproject

#skateboardingedinburgh

#youthworkchangeslives

#youthworkworks

#skatebladebikescootwhateveryeraboot

Granton Station Square event marks first major milestone of £1.3bn Granton Waterfront regeneration

Locals being invited to celebrate the opening of Granton Station Square this Saturday will also be given a sneak peek of the magnificently refurbished Edwardian Granton Station building.

Completion of the square and station building is the first major milestone of the City of Edinburgh Council’s wider £1.3bn regeneration of Granton WaterfrontAll are invited to attend the free community event.

The site had lain vacant for years before it was bought over by the Council in 2018.  The £4.75m restoration of the building, together with the development of the square, were partly funded through the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and Town Centre Fund.

The name for the square was chosen following an online consultation with local residents.

The station building will be managed by social enterprise charity Wasps Studios, who work across Edinburgh and Scotland, to provide affordable workspace for artists and the creative industries. Wasps will be taking on the building shortly to start their internal fit out.

When opened the charity will be providing space to support around 40 jobs, as well as helping around 100 people each year with creative business development opportunities. Alongside this they will deliver a heritage programme for local people and railway enthusiasts on the unique history of the location as well as providing exhibition space to showcase local talent. They’ll also host workshops and a series of outdoor and online events for locals, with the potential to attract thousands of visitors to the area.

The newly created public square in front of the building will be host to events and local community activity throughout the year.  Council leader Cammy Day will cut the ribbon to open this fantastic and innovative new public space and everyone attending will also have the opportunity to take a guided tour of the newly refurbished historic Granton Station building ahead of it officially opening later this year.

Previous Chair of Scotrail John Cameron CBE will also unveil the National Transport Trust Red Plaque ‘Red Wheel’ with Cllr Day on Granton Station building. The Transport Heritage programme commemorates Britain’s rich and globally important legacy in the development of transport.

Family fun will be part of the celebrations from 11am to 2pm on the day where visitors will meet some local crafters, makers and organisations at the market stalls and will be able to join in with play and arts activities on the lawn. There will also be performances from Edinburgh College students and the Newhaven Community Choir.

Local S3 pupils from Craigroyston Community High School have also been busy creating beautiful artwork symbolising the area with local artist Shona Hardie to be displayed from this weekend down Waterfront Broadway for everyone to see as they make their way to the event.

A history exhibition will also be displayed on the square’s two new art benches, which going forward, will provide free exhibition space year-round.

Granton Waterfront will partner with cultural organisations to curate a changing programme of work inspired by and/or created by local artists and residents on the benches.  The project was launched in March 2023 with a themed exhibition ‘Past, Present, Future’ to showcase historic and current-day images of key heritage assets within the area.

Forth Councillor Cammy Day said: “We’ve taken local people with us through every step of this process to reach this first major milestone. Seeing the refurbished Granton Station and iconic clock as well as the new square in all its glory feels very significant for the project and is another reason to come along and help us celebrate at this fantastic event.

“They sit at the heart of our £1.3bn regeneration of the wider area and will be a focal point for the community and visitors to enjoy for generations to come.

We’re creating homes, jobs and new communities at Granton Waterfront and you can already see construction well underway for the first of the 3,500 net zero carbon homes. We’re building over 70 new mid-market and social rent net zero homes, with the first new residents due to move in at the end of this year.

“And on the far side of Forthquarter Park the Western Villages site is making good progress to deliver 444 net zero homes. Also included in the plans are a new primary school, health centre, active travel routes and improved transport links, as well as workspace, community and cultural spaces.

“We’ll also be marking the start of works on the neighbouring iconic Granton Gasholder shortly. It will create a multifunctional public space that can be used and enjoyed by residents and visitors alike so look out for work starting there soon.

Scottish Government Regeneration Minister Tom Arthur said:Completion of this project represents a significant step forward in the regeneration of Granton Waterfront.

“Through funding from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, this new work space for artists demonstrates the powerful role our communities can have in helping transform their town centres and neighbourhoods by investing in their future.”

Audrey Carlin Chief Executive Officer Wasps said:We are very excited to be showcasing the building, which we plan to operate under the name Granton Station Creative Works, to visitors for the first time on Saturday 11 March. We hope creative people will come to view for the first time this much-needed creative hub for both the local community and Scotland’s creative sector.

“The transformation of such an important building with its strong connection to the industrial heritage of Granton has been wonderful to be part of, and a huge credit must go to the City of Edinburgh Council and their contractors for turning our collective vision for a sustainable future for this important historic building into reality.

“At Wasps, we are passionate about supporting Scotland’s creative economy, and Granton Station Creative Works is a testament to our commitment to providing affordable, high-quality workspaces, encouraging collaboration, creativity and innovation. We look forward to seeing the positive impact that this project will have on the Granton community and the wider creative economy in the years to come.”

Granton Primary Early Learning and Childcare Building opens

Cllr Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, officially opened the new Granton Early Learning and Childcare building with Head Teacher Lorraine Cusack and Senior Early Years Officer Lesley Watt yesterday.

Five new settings based on primary school sites – Craigentinny, Granton, Nether Currie, St John Vianney and St Mark’s – have opened up in the Capital in the past few months providing places for an additional 500 children.

Cllr Griffiths said: “This is an exciting time for early learning and childcare in Edinburgh with five new settings opening recently providing places for over 500 children.

“As a Council we will do everything we can to ensure our children get the best possible start in life on their journey to becoming successful learners and confident individuals.”

PICTURES: Greg Macvean