HIBERNIAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION at TRINITY HUB
This week we are launching our Trinity hub – we are running lots of activities that you can get involved in!
Check out the flyer (above) to see where you can attend
Follow this link to sign up or email samanthaw@hiberniancf.org …https://hibs-community-foundation.classforkids.io
A planning application has been submitted to City of Edinburgh Council for the second phase of development at Trinity Academy, a secondary school set within the Victoria Park conservation area in the north of the city.
The project builds upon the award-winning phase one – a new-build sports and outdoor centre that serves the local community as well as Trinity’s pupils – which opened in summer 2022.
Both phases were designed by Holmes Miller, who have a strong track record of designing Edinburgh schools such as Frogston, Canaan Lane and Victoria Primary Schools.
During consultations on the redevelopment, staff, pupils and community felt strongly that the school’s original red sandstone Victorian building on Craighall Road, dating back to 1894, should be retained, refurbished and incorporated into the new design.
If plans are approved, several newer existing school buildings which are no longer fit for purpose will be demolished to make way for a new four-storey extension to the historic building, which will offer modern learning facilities for the school’s 1200 pupils.
The school will remain open during the build and refurbishment process, with detailed plans in place for phasing and decanting to temporary accommodation on site, to minimise disruption to staff and pupils.
Inside the new extension, classroom accommodation will be arranged around a social and dining ‘heart’ which will provide a central point where the school can come together to socialise, learn and collaborate, fostering a sense of community and inclusion. A timber-clad ‘learning stair’ will also connect the school’s main reception space to the ‘heart’. The original Victorian building will link directly to this central space, bringing both buildings together.
Designed to meet Passivhaus standards, the extension will aim to reduce energy demand for space heating or cooling, driving down running costs and carbon emissions. It will also meet the Council’s city-wide aspirations for the curriculum to be inclusive, and to meet all digital and outdoor learning requirements.
A carefully considered landscape plan for the school grounds will maximise potential for outdoor learning, encourage sustainability and open up opportunities to support local groups. Features will include an ‘arrival plaza’ with seating and social spaces, an outdoor amphitheatre, a growing space, an outdoor gym and a wellbeing hub garden.
The landscape design creates the opportunity for connections to Trinity Primary, creating a campus with the secondary school helping integrate both schools. The landscape also incorporates cycle storage and electric vehicle charging in both secure and public areas, encouraging active travel and the 20-Minute Neighbourhood.
Ryan Holmes, Director at Holmes Miller said: “City of Edinburgh Council asked us to create a design that would ensure Trinity Academy’s facilities were fit for the 21st Century and that would provide an inspirational learning environment for pupils.
“Alongside the existing Victorian building, the new extension will do just that, while creating a strong civic presence that is sensitive to the surrounding Victoria Park conservation area. The combination of new extension and refurbishment of the existing building represents a significant investment in the community and promotes inclusive growth through key investment.”
John Burns, Associate at Holmes Miller added: “Building on the successful completion of Trinity Academy’s Sports Campus last year, these new plans offer a modern, exciting, and energy-efficient facility for pupils, staff and the wider community around Trinity.
“Building on this existing relationship with the school and community through ongoing engagement offers a unique opportunity to create a sense of place and new identity, which is an exciting prospect. All users of the building will benefit greatly from this next phase of redevelopment, which will create a school they can be proud of and will positively engage with.”
Cllr Joan Griffiths, Education Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “These are really exciting times for the Trinity Academy school community after the opening of their new sports and outdoor learning centre last year. The plans for the new extension, and refurbishment of the original Victorian red sandstone main school building, have been designed following consultation with the staff, pupils and local community.
“Another key feature of the new extension is the Passivhaus elements which significantly reduce the amount of energy used and support us in our goal of decarbonising our building stock. In August we opened our first fully Passivhaus classroom extension at Sciennes Primary School and construction work has already started on a replacement Currie High School which will be one of the first Passivhaus high schools in the country.
“These new buildings will significantly reduce heating costs, improve user comfort and the learning environment as we set the standard for how we build low carbon schools.”
Design team
Client: City of Edinburgh Council
Project Manager: Atkins Realis
MEP Engineers: Rybka
Structural Engineers: Etive
Landscape Architect: Wardell Armstrong
Passivhaus Advisor: Architype
Everyone is welcome along to Bangholm Community Fun Day this Saturday.
Competitive local rugby match, prizes to be won, food and refreshments.
All for a very good cause.
Residents at an Edinburgh care home are developing their digital dexterity thanks to the generous donation of 15 new Amazon Fire 7 tablets from a national construction firm.
Design & Build Contractor, McAleer & Rushe gifted the devices to residents at Mathieson House Care Home on Ferry Road, which is owned and operated by Renaissance Care.
The home sits close to Leith, where McAleer & Rushe will be based on a major long-term project delivering much needed new homes at the Dockside. The firm has also pledged to build tall planters and a seating area in the care home’s manicured garden, allowing residents to enjoy the warm summer days in comfortable surroundings.
Elizabeth Griffiths, aged 91, resident at Mathieson House said: “This was a lovely gift for everyone to receive.
“Tablet meant something very different when I was younger, so these types of things are all a bit new to us at the home, but the staff have been great at showing us how they work.”
Mathieson House is part of Renaissance Care group which currently owns and operates 16 homes across Scotland, including Letham Park, which sits on the same site in Ferry Road.
Across the group there is a strong focus on enhancing the physical and mental wellbeing of residents. Each home has a dedicated activities team, which delivers a variety of events that bring fun, laughter and wellbeing benefits to residents.
This includes the group’s digital exercise programme, danceSing, which encourages residents to take part in fun physical exercises suited to their capabilities.
Sandra Duggan, McAleer & Rushe Project Manager based on the Dockside project added: “We began construction on the Dockside project at Ocean Drive not long ago in March and as we advance works on site, it is equally important for us to reach out into the community to establish relationships which can provide a lasting impact.
“I’m excited to get to know the team at Mathieson House who take great care to provide a nurturing and comfortable home to their residents and look forward to returning to help elevate their garden space.
“We hope the donation of these tablets will help the residents embrace technology to stay connected with their loved ones and provide access to the digital world at their fingertips.”
Mathieson House Care Home is a warm and welcoming, purpose-built care home situated in the Trinity area of Edinburgh. The care home has 20 rooms and offers supported living to residents within a stylish boutique hotel style environment.
For further information visit: https://www.renaissance-care.co.uk/mathieson-house-care-home
FREE Open Week at Trinity Academy Sports Campus
Fancy trying out the newest addition to the biggest club in town?
Come along to our Open Weekend at Trinity from the 20th – 25th February.
Try out the gym, courts and fitness classes, completely FREE!
https://edinburghleisure.co.uk/venues/trinity-academy/open-week
It’s Trinity Academy’s Christmas Concert tonight at 7pm.
Parent Council volunteers will be raising money with a hamper raffle and soft drinks bar. It’s cash only, so remember to bring some change if you can.
Sunday 28th August is the date for the bi-annual Trinity Community Gala.
Lots to see and do! Go along and support what is always a great local event!
See below for more details:
A new sports and outdoor centre next to Trinity Academy in north Edinburgh will open its doors to pupils and the community in August.
Over £10m has been invested by the City of Edinburgh Council in the Bangholm Sports and Outdoor Centre which is part of a wider project which will see a new Trinity Academy school delivered by 2026.
The development is part of the Council’s ambitious Wave 4 new schools programme which will see a number of schools replaced or refurbished in the city over the next 10 years. The secondary schools are Liberton, Currie, Wester Hailes and Balerno.
As part of this programme the Council is progressing the project to replace and refurbish Trinity Academy in two phases. The first one will see the sports facility opening in August and then phase two will see the start of the design process for the replacement and refurbishment of the school on the main site.
The strategic plan is to keep and refurbish the original red sandstone Victorian building on Craighall Road, demolish all the other buildings and construct new facilities which will adjoin the original building ready for it opening in 2026.
There will be wide consultation with the school and wider community which included the Community Council meeting on Tuesday 13 June. Engagement work is ongoing with school staff and after the summer break there will be more detailed discussions with the school parents and cluster primary school communities.
In line with the Council’s commitment to creating 20-minute neighbourhoods the school will be designed to have wider community access. The next major milestone will be submission of the planning application at the end of the year with construction aiming to start in summer 2023.
Nick Burge, Head Teacher at Trinity Academy, said: “Having visited the site regularly over the last nine months, the new PE and Sport facilities at Bangholm look excellent. I have worked closely with the design team and feel very lucky to have seen the plans become a reality.
“We have a very healthy PE curriculum as well as our extensive after school competitive and recreational sports programme. The new facilities including the strength and condition suites, dance studio, gym and games hall, provide a wonderful environment for everyone in our school to access during and after the school day.
“This is fantastic new horizon for our school and I am very grateful to everyone, particularly the current project team, the PE staff and our parent body who have worked tirelessly to get us to this point. “
Of course this is only the first of a number of new and exciting horizons ahead of us as a school. The plans for developing the main school site are under way, with these being shared for feedback with the community early in the new academic session.
“I have and will continue to work closely with this new design team as we all work to deliver a school environment that ably delivers both excellence and equity for all of the young people and families we serve at Trinity Academy.”
Cllr Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It’s great to hear that the new sports and outdoor centre will be opening after the summer as it will provide excellent facilities for both the school and wider community.
“This project is part of our exciting Wave 4 replacement school building programme which has already seen a new Castlebrae High School open at Easter. Work has started on a new Currie Community High School and plans are in place for more improvements at Liberton, Wester Hailes and Balerno.
“Despite the effects of the pandemic on the construction industry a number of new schools have opened in the past year, including both primary and special schools.
“We will carry on with our plans that will see more than £500m planned investment over the next decade as we’re committed to creating a first-class learning estate and ensuring all our children have the best possible learning environment in which to flourish.”
The Bangholm Sports and Outdoor Centre will include a four-court sports hall, gym hall, dance studio and fitness suite, and will become the new home to the school’s PE department.
The Council’s Sport and Outdoor Learning Unit will also have a base in the centre so they can support outdoor learning in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.
Police are continuing to investigate an assault with intent to rob in the Trinity area. The incident took place at around 7.30pm on Sunday, 2 January, 2022 near the junction of South Trinity Road with Ferry Road.
A 13-year-old boy was walking with a friend on South Trinity Road when he was subjected to an attack.
As part of their investigations, officers are eager to trace the males shown in CCTV images who they believe may be able to assist with the investigation.
The males in the images are described as being in their mid-to-late teens and wearing dark coloured jogging bottoms and hooded tops or tracksuits.
In particular, officers are keen to speak to one of the males who is shown wearing a distinctive pink headband or hood. He is described as being aged 14 to 16 years old, Asian and about 5ft tall.
Officers would ask that any members of the public who recognise the males in the images or have any other information to contact them at the earliest opportunity.
Detective Constable William Doughty of Corstorphine CID said: “This incident left the victim understandably shaken and we are asking for the help of the public to identify those shown in the images as we believe that they may be able to assist with our enquiries.
“Anyone with information that can help our investigation, or who recognises anyone in the images, is urged to contact us or Crimestoppers as soon as possible.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2640 of 2nd January 2022, or report this anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The rebuilding of Trinity Academy is the biggest single investment in Trinity for very many years. It will probably hold that record for many more to come. Importantly, the plan is to redevelop the Academy as a “community school” – an asset for the whole of the community.
So what does a “community school” do? What ought it do? How can the project team determine the needs of the wider community? And how can you play a part in doing that?
On 13th June, Trinity Community Council will host Amanda Hatton, CEC Executive Director of Education and Children’s Services, who will answer these questions and more. Most especially yours.
Amanda’s portfolio includes education, schools, early years, lifelong learning, libraries and community centres as well as social services for adults and children so she is uniquely well placed to discuss the potentials and the needs.
We would love to have your input. Join us on Monday 13th June at 7pm in the Church Hall at Inverleith St Serf’s or from the comfort of your sofa via Zoom using this link:
