Unleash your inner Warhol or Van Gogh in this one day course on Saturday 11th March from 10am-3pm.
The very friendly tutor and professional artist will support whatever medium or style you’d like to develop over the day, offering guidance, tips, techniques, suggestions and demonstrations of different styles.
You can work from your own photo or a still life set up and there is time to make a lot of progress within the one day.
Everyone can learn basics of colour mixing and simple likeness drawing, to more sophisticated sketching in colour, to developing skills already in place, with a willingness to try out new suggestions. The emphasis is on enjoyment and creativity.
Enjoy a day of fun and stretching yourself to try out a new style of painting. Everyone welcome
This one day course offers a unique opportunity to observe animals closely and be able to sketch from real life.
From the feathered to the furry, from the fancy patterned to the plain camouflage and from the massive to the miniscule, you will have a chance to see the personalities of individual animals by their behaviour and be able to capture this in quick sketches or more in-depth drawings.
The professional artist tutor can help with tips, knowledge and techniques on how to develop animal sketches. You will also learn fascinating facts about the animals and the experience will breathe new life and expression into your art as a new challenge to capture these real life moments.
Enjoy a day of being amongst the animals, outdoors or inside a warm enclosure area if the weather is not so good (entry fee included in course fee). Great opportunity to see the Panda bears before they depart later this year.
There are 2 dates:
Sketching Animals in the Zoo – All – (3/3) – OUT18215M (Friday) from 10am-3pm
Or
Sketching Animals in the Zoo – All – (21/3) – OUT18212M (Tuesday) 10am – 3pm
Fees: Standard £23.88 – student or senior citizen or benefits £17.38
To book a place or find out more please ring 0131 556 7978 or online at www.joininedinburgh.org
Your chance to join in a global treasure hunt, using clues and GPS (global positioning system) to find hidden caches of objects, Improve technology skills in very satisfying, fun way!
One day course on Saturday 4th March from 10.30am-4.30pm
Book your place or find out more by ringing 0131 556 7978 or online at www.joininedinburgh.org
Costs £21.75 standard fee and £17.25 for reduced fees.
Either our one day course or the 5 week course can help you develop confidence to go out walking in the hills with a better grasp of map reading and navigation abilities. You will learn the fundamentals of interpreting contours and scales and ways of keeping a track of where you are, so you are able to keep found.
Effective use of a compass will also be reviewed, with guidance on pacing and timings and route planning. Developing these talents could make all the difference to enjoyment and safety whilst out and about with family and friends and the course is fun.
Learn to navigate safety through Scotland’s hills, mountains, forests and glens competently, confidently in an enjoyable setting with a friendly tutor either as a one day course overview or in more depth over 5 weeks.
Staying Found – Introduction to Navigation – All – (26/2) – OUT60387F
Sunday mornings from 10am-12 noon 5 weeks from 26th February
Fees £43.50 standard fee – £21.75 for senior citizens/ students – £17.25 for benefits.
Enjoy our one day course in learning how to get the most from your camera.
This course is an introduction to photography and to offer technical and creative skills for each student to progress either as a total beginner or for those who would like to build confidence on skills that students already have.
The emphasis is on fun learning and suited to help students achieve their own goals. The tutor is very experienced and helpful.
The course will look at camera handling, composition, downloading images, file management and simple digital manipulation, within the time constraint of a one day course.
Standard fee £23.88 and reduced/ concession fee is £19.28.
This is a 5 week course mainly outdoors although weather may mean more of each session indoors at Inch House.
It is an informal course for students to learn how to make the most of their camera and improve the standard of personal photography. The tutor is very friendly and experienced and can help with general or particular photography or camera queries.
Students will learn to use the camera functions, cover various modes, and discuss composition in relation to landscape and (potentially) nature photography.
Standard fee for the 5 weeks course running on Thursdays from 1pm-2.30pm each week is £32.63 and only £17.25 for any senior citizens, students or benefits.
Archaeology & History of Cammo Estate – All – (18/3) – OUT57986M
Cammo Estate was built in 1693 for John Menzies , and the house is considered to be the inspiration for the House of Shaw in Kidnapped written by Robert Louis Stevenson. The grounds are a nature reserve with walled garden, hot walls and a Pinetum. Many visitors are unaware of the history surrounding them as they walk past the ruins.
Archaeologists have uncovered a stash of personal items that used to belong to the housekeeper in the grand lost mansion and lots of interesting stories are being unravelled through further excavation.
This one day course looking at the history and archaeology will offer fascinating insights into the particular site as well as broader guidance about archaeology in general.
Enjoy a fun day out with the very friendly and knowledgeable tutor able to answer queries and generate interest in local history.
The course takes place on Saturday 18th March from 10.30-3.30pm
Standard fees for the day £21.75 and £17.25 for senior citizens, students and benefits.
Local care home partners with a further education leaders
AN EDINBURGH care home is encouraging lifelong learning for its residents as it partners with the Open University to form an in-house college.
Cramond Residence will be launching ‘Cramond college’, offering its residents an opportunity to strengthen their cognitive function by giving them the option to enrol in a variety of courses offered by the online university.
Courses will range from one to four hours, and residents will receive a diploma for their efforts in a planned monthly graduation ceremony at the care home.
The partnership is part of Cramond’s aim to provide its residents with a richer and more satisfying lifestyle and hope the courses will allow for its residents to learn new skills and dive deep into subject areas of their choice.
Garylee Rushforth, lead lifestyle coordinator said: “I was determined to think of a way to develop our approach to activities that challenged the residents, and offered them a chance to learn a new skill.
“The Open University ticked all the boxes in terms of a meaningful activity while allowing residents to pick from a wide range of subject areas.”
The opportunity has proven to be very popular with a large number of the residents at the care home expressing their interest in achieving a diploma.
Garylee also said: “When we initially suggested the idea of Cramond College to our residents, there was great interest with over half of them being eager to take part with a lot having a keen interest in courses which focus on arts and history.
We have also seen a number of residents who are living with mild to moderate dementia eager to take up some of the courses on offer. At the end of each month, we plan to hold a graduation ceremony for those who have achieved their diploma.”
Cramond Residence is also offering support to those keen to take on more lengthy and challenging courses.
The residents will take a blended learning approach to the courses through videos and other interactive elements by using technology available at the home.
Established in 2018 at a cost of £8m and spread across three floors, Cramond Residence provides a range of activities specially designed with specialist facilities and trained staff on hand to provide support and relief.
Aside from its tailored activity programme, the home also provides bespoke physiotherapy sessions with boutique experts, as well as specialist dementia care which is delivered in an environment that combines luxury hotel living with the reassuring feeling of being in your own home.
The home is looking for applications from lifestyle coordinators, qualified nurses and catering assistants, with particularly high demand for nursing staff and care assistants.
Cramond Residence offers high quality care for up to 74 residents offering a small-group living concept in nine houses, with all residents enjoying an exceptional range of amenities and activities, delicious food and bespoke care from a highly-trained team.
Prices at the home start from £1,950 per week. To find out more about Cramond Residence, visit:
Now that the Community Centres Crisis is over -at least for now – I feel more comfortable writing about a community event I attended in Royston Wardienurn last week.
The rebuilt Royston Wardieburn Community Centre opened ten years ago, and a day of events celebrated not only that milestone but also the completion of two notable projects completed by groups based in the community centre.
The centre’s Spring Chickens group produced ‘Living Through Lockdown’, a publication that captures the highs and lows of life under lockdown – and the importance of community and companionship offered by groups like the Spring Chickens in combating loneliness and isolation through these darkest of days.
Guest speaker Elizabeth Bryan from Age Scotland spoke of the damage caused by Covid and congratulated the group on it’s fine piece of work. The Spring Chickens then presented their report to a packed audience of invited guests.
That was impressive enough, but there was more to follow.
Royston Wardieburn’s Time for Change project participants worked with other groups from across the area to create a hand-stitched quilt that beautifully illustrates the local scenes and important places in the local area.
I was delighted to be invited to say a few words before the quilt was unfurled by members of the group:
ROYSTON WARDIEBURN: THE UNVEILING OF THE QUILT
Hello everyone, I’m delighted to be here with you today at this special event. I’ve been fortunate enough to have participated in many memorable events here over the years.
Royston Wardieburn is a centre that holds many fond memories, so it gives me great pleasure to be asked along to unveil the quilt/banner – you choose! – and thank you to the management committee for inviting me.
I know plaques are unveiled, and banners can be unveiled, but quilts? Do you unveil a quilt? Unwrap a quilt, maybe. Or how about defrock, even? Now that I’ve seen it close up, I’ve settled for unfurl!
But whatever we call this ceremony, before I have the honour of performing the task – perform makes it sound like I’m going to do something really spectacular – I’d like to give you some background to this impressive piece of work and thank those who have been involved in the process.
The quilt came about as a result of a collaboration between the Time for Change history group and the Time for Change crafting group. Lifelong Learning Worker Lynn McCabe worked with the Men’s History group and they used material that was first researched by the Power to the People group when they were doing their own local history project back in in 2012. I remember that group well and it does seem like a long time ago now!
The History Group saw presentations and participated in local tours before choosing their final selection of symbols and images to represent the area’s history. One a person note I was disappointed to find that there is no place for the Jubilee Supper Room!
The women from the Time for Change crafting group then took over. They worked with other local groups and designed and stitched the symbols on to panels which were then joined together painted and decorated to create the banner. Their work was supported throughout by artist Jess Howarth.
Many of the women had never stitched before so what you will see shortly really is an amazing achievement.
As you can imagine, given the scale of this project there are many organisations and individuals to thank for their support and involvement:
Royston Wardieburn CC management committee who funded the Time for Change programme of activities
Nancie Massey Charitable Trust for funding the artist workshops, and EVOC for their contribution.
Then there are the individuals: All the local activists who have helped to preserve the area’s rich social history – and, like today, helped to create a little piece of new history, too!
Local historians including Ian Moore, John Dickson, Bill Weir and Kenneth Williams. I would add others like Andrew Boath of the original Granton History Group, and local man George Scammell, who I’ll come on to later.
Betty McVay, Donald McDonald and the late Jenni Marrow, local activists who each gave up huge areas of their homes to house community archives.
Then there’s Jen at Screen Education Edinburgh, which many of you will still fondly remember as Pilton Video, who supported the history group by providing film achives.
And don’t forget Lynne and Lorrane, Lifelong Learning Workers here at RWCC.
And finally, Jessica Howarth, the community-based artist who put her heart and soul into creating this wonderful quilt and made it all possible.
Then there are all the groups who contributed, made and stitched and painted images and squares:
Both of the Time for Change Groups – the crafters and the history group.
Royston Wardieburn’s After School Club
Granton Youth
RW’s Spring Chickens group.
Power to the People group, and
Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden
I do apologise if I have missed anyone. Please show your appreciation for all those who have been involved in this impressive collective effort.
Now, earlier on I mentioned George Scammell, who is one of the local characters who has helped to paint the area’s rich tapestry. George’s particular skill was model boat-building.
Geeorge’s greatest creation was a huge model of the Great Michael, a colossal warship which was built in Newhaven harbour and at the time was the biggest ship in the world.
George’s hand-crafted model was mighty too – so mighty that he couldn’t get it out of the hoose when it was finally completed!
The ship finally went on display at The Peacock in Newhaven before moving on to Ocean Terminal. I would imagine that flitting was a lot easier than the first one!
Over the years George built many, many boats and I would get regular calls to go and see the latest one to get pictures for the NEN. The trouble was that there were just too many models for one wee Granton flat. There were models – finished, half-finished and barely started – on every inch of flat surface.
And where there wasn’t room for a model there was an ash-tray! The house was thick with tobacco smoke and it became really difficult to navigate your way through the boatyard obstacle course get to the latest creation.
On my last visit, the inevitable happened and there was an almighty ‘CRACK’ when I stood on something ship -shaped. “Oh, no! Which one is it, George?”
“Dinnae worry yersel’, son” he said. “That was just a spare lump of wood. I was going to make the Titanic but you’ve saved me the bother! Ye’ve sunk her!”
Now, just before we perform The Unveiling of the Quilt – that really should be a song or a Highland Reel! – I will close by emphasising the importance of our community centres and projects like this one.
History is not just about dates on a calendar from days gone by, of battles fought long ago, of kings and queens and stately homes. WE have history too. Our communities have history – a proud history that’s more relevant to local folk than the date of the signing of the Magna Carta or the Battle of Agincourt.
Our communities’ stories need to be told. And the Time for Change quilt is now the first entry on the next page in our very own Local History story.
