Tag: community engagement

CleanupUK launches litter-picking hubs as climate emergency continues

A new initiative from UK-based charity CleanupUK has launched, offering communities access to free litter-picking equipment to protect their local environment from the impact of litter and to connect communities.

CleanupUK has established litter-picking hubs to mitigate the effects of litter on neighbourhoods and local wildlife in the UK whilst tackling loneliness and isolation that can take place during the winter months.

The Cleanup Hubs have been developed in partnership with local community groups such as youth centres, Councils for Voluntary Services (CVS), city farms, and a local mental health charity. Through collaboration and collective action, these organisations are coming together to serve the local community and to help foster a sense of pride in otherwise challenging times.

CleanupUK will offer litter-picking equipment including high-vis jackets, litter-picking hoops, and litter-picking sticks to local hubs which can be borrowed free of charge by the local community.

CleanupUK and partnering organisations believe that this will:

  • Support communities to look after their natural environment in a way that suits them
  • Give communities a place where they can come together and take practical action for the environment
  • Allow communities to make an immediate positive impact on their local neighbourhoods
  • Encourage people to connect with those they may otherwise not engage with and help foster a sense of community and local pride

The development of Cleanup Hubs comes against the backdrop of 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) which will see leaders from across the world gather to discuss the impact of climate change on our planet.

CleanupUK Chief Executive George Monck says, “We know that all of us can make an extraordinary impact on society and litter-picking is a great example of that.

“By coming together, local people can prevent harmful litter infiltrating parks and entering our rivers and waterways, all whilst building a stronger sense of community and having fun.”

A full list of current CleanupUK Hubs is below:

  1. The Wharton Annexe, TS24 8NS
  2.  Kilmarnock Children’s Centre, TS25 3NU
  3. Jellystone Park, TS4 2SL
    Belle Vue Community Sports & Youth Centre, TS25 1QU
  4. Primrose Hill Community Centre, TS19 0HL
  5. Mind, TN34 1HG
  6. Stepney City Farm, E1 3DG
  7. St-George-in-the-East, E1 0BH
  8. Women’s Inclusive Team, E2 9LJ
  9. Love Bethnal Green, E2 OTB
  10. Jaywick Sands Community Forum, CO15 2LU
  11. Baggator, BS5 0HH
  12. West End Refugee Service, NE4 5JE
  13. CVST Harwich, CO12 3AJ
  14. CVST Clacton, CO15 1NZ
  15. Eastbourne Sports Complex

Royston Wardieburn AGM

TUESDAY 25th OCTOBER from 2 – 3pm

We would like to invite you on our Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Royston Wardieburn Community Education Centre Management Committee on Tuesday, 25 October 2022, 2 pm – 3 pm

Venue: Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, 11 Pilton Drive North, Edinburgh EH5 1NF

We would like to extend this invitation to the centre users, local community groups and organisation who use this community facilities on regular basis at the centre.

We are looking for people to join the Management Committee who can bring new skills and expertise; therefore, all North Edinburgh residents are welcome.

Tea coffee and refreshment will be provided.

This is a public event, no registration is required to attend. For any further information, please contact us via email: rwccmc@yahoo.com

Please find attached the agenda and minutes of last year AGM.

Looking forward to see you at the AGM on 25th October,

Kind regards

MIZAN RAHMAN

Chair, RWCC Management Committee

RWCC_AGM_Minutes_16November2021Download

Chair, RWCC Management Committee

RWCC-AGM-2022-agendaDownload

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils meets online tonight

The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) meets TONIGHT via Zoom at 7pm. (The screen facility will open at 18.50.)

The Agenda:

1. Andrew Field; Head of Community Empowerment and Engagement, City of Edinburgh Council:                                                                                                

 – Community partnership planning; some thoughts on the way ahead.

2. David White; Primary Care Strategic Lead, Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership:

 – The Winter Programme vaccine roll-out;

 – Developments in GP service provision in the city.

3. Kenny Wright, Chair, Drum Brae CC:

 – The Cost-of-Living Crisis: Community initiatives.

4. Steve Kerr, EACC Chair.

 – Preview of the EACC AGM on 24 November;

 – Nominations to the EACC Members Board.

The meeting is open to members of the public as observers, but participation in the first instance sits with the EACC representatives of Edinburgh Community Councils.

(The meeting may be recorded. Please note that by joining the meeting you are giving your consent in that regard.)

See the Zoom link at the foot of this email.

Regards,

Ken Robertson
Acting-Secretary

(Next scheduled meeting: Thursday 27 October)
 
______________________________________________
 
Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC)
EACC Acting-Secretary; Ken Robertson
Secretary@edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk

Topic: Edinburgh Association of Community Councils
Time: Sep 29, 2022 19:00 London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8213251547?pwd=ZWtYbnpMS3h1K1h5QWFYUnE0ZXJ4QT09

Meeting ID: 821 325 1547
Passcode: Brora6000

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils to meet on Thursday

The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) will meet via Zoom on Thursday 25 August at 19.00.

(The meeting host will open the screen facility at 18.50.)

Agenda

= Lezley-Marion Cameron, Deputy Lord Provost, City of Edinburgh: “The city’s direction under the new administration.”

= Andrew Field, Head of Community Empowerment and Engagement, City of Edinburgh Council: “A fresh start to community partnership planning.”

= Steve Kerr, EACC Chair: Preview of the 24 November EACC AGM.

= AOB

This meeting is open to the public, but priority will be given to Community Council attendees, due to space restrictions.

The meeting may be recorded. Please note that by joining the meeting you are giving your consent in that regard

Ken Robertson

EACC Acting Secretary

Community Council to discuss future of Prentice Centre building tonight

WEST Pilton & West Granton Community Council meets tonight at 7pm in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.

Among the items on the agenda is the future of The Prentice Centre, West Granton Community Trust’s building in Granton Mains, which will close at the end of September.

All welcome.

AGENDA

  1. Welcome & introductions
  2. Nomination and election of new community councillors (3 vacancies)
  3. Police Report
  4. The Prentice Centre: update
  5. Date of Next Meeting
  6. Any Other Business

The meeting can also be accessed via Zoom.

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvcuChqT0tG9CflBWXXdQkfyMCYd5oWeSg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Fightback starts NOW: Community council to reconvene next week

WEST PILTON & WEST GRANTON CC TO MEET ON TUESDAY

WEST Pilton & West Granton Community Council is to reconvene on Tuesday night.

Top of the agenda will be the future of West Granton Community Trust’s building in Granton Mains. The organisation confirmed that The Prentice Centre will close at the end of September.

Former Community council chair Willie Black said: “The imminent closure of The Prentice Centre is a huge blow to the local community and we must do everything we can to ensure that this facility remains an asset for local groups and organisations to use.

“There are a number of possibilities and we would like to talk about these at next week’s meeting.”

First challenge for the local community council is to strengthen it’s current membership.

“We have three vacancies and we would like to fill these as soon as we can. We saw with the success of this summer’s Community Festival just what can be achieved when the community works together and we’d welcome enthusiastic new members to help make next year’s Festival an even bigger success.

“The meeting will also offer an opportunity to meet the councillors elected in May’s council elections so we are hoping for a good turnout. There is plenty to talk about.”

West Pilton and West Granton Community Council meets on Tuesday 9th August at 7pm in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.

PRENTICE CENTRE TO CLOSE

West Granton Community Trust is to close The Prentice Centre, it has been confirmed. The management committee made the heartbreaking decision at a board meeting on Monday evening, citing impossible economic challenges.

The popular community centre in Granton Mains will cease programme activities from this Friday and the building will close in three months. Three members of staff are affected.

The Prentice Centre was one of three new community centres built across North Edinburgh in the late 1990s thanks to European Poverty and Urban Aid funding through local agency The Pilton Partnership.

The others were Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre and Muirhouse Millennium Centre, and the new centres could offer new facilities and local programmes to complement those being provided by Craigroyston Community Centre (now closed), West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.

The Prentice Centre, which was named after longstanding local activist Walter Prentice, housed the local Community Education team and has been the base for a wide range of local groups with activities for local residents of all ages since it opened. Thousands of local folk have attended activities there.

External organisations have also used facilities at the Prentice Centre. Granton Information Centre currently has a satellite office there and the building was also home for North West Carers, among others. Dads Rock held Saturday sessions there and Tragic Carpet Theatre Company has also been running an over-50s drama group at the Centre.

Like other community organisations across the city, The Prentice Centre has found it difficult to attract sufficient external funding to compensate for shrinking council grants over recent years.

Finance, in particular or the lack of it, has always been a concern. I lost count of the number of AGMs I attended where former manager Elizabeth Campbell would catalogue the financial challenges. It was a running joke – we had a wee laugh about it every year. It doesn’t seem quite so funny now.

But this was the case year after year, and despite everything, the Centre worked minor miracles and managed to put on a pretty decent programme.

The Prentice Centre last fought a spirited – and ultimately successful – campaign back in 2016 to fight closure following savage funding cuts by the city council. Once again the Centre survived to fight again another day … then there was Covid.

The Covid pandemic hit the Centre particularly hard over the last two years, forcing shutdowns which meant that no income could be generated.

Costs have been cut to the bone, and staff have gone above and beyond to continue to provide a service, but now the soaring price of overheads – over which the Prentice Centre has no control – have finally made the Centre’s future untenable.

Dedicated staff Moira, Mary and Stuart are understandably devastated, but not surprised, by the news. Mary has been with The Prentice Centre for more than 24 years and Stuart has been there since it opened in 1997.

There’s no doubt that the centre’s closure will be a huge blow to the local area and it’s particularly cruel given that facilities are now slowly beginning to open up again after pandemic lockdowns.

A community event at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre last week saw large numbers of activists getting together once again after two years of virtual shutdown. The recovery has come just too late for the Prentice Centre, however.

Council leader Labour’s Cammy Day is a Forth councillor and he held surgeries in The Prentice Centre. In a statement, his office responded: “Cammy has met with the board and asked officers to engage with them to see if there is any support or advice we can provide.”

Manager Moira Fanning explained: “All avenues for accessing alternative funding have been explored, but there is just no money out there. We deeply regret that we will no longer be able to serve the West Granton community. We thank all our members for their support over the years”.

Thank you, too, Moira, Mary and Stuart. You really couldn’t have done any more.

.