As the nights get darker, and it’s not quite as warm,
send your kids our way, and we’ll complete a form.
To access some fun and a whole lot of japes,
not forgetting giggles and possibly cakes…
Come and give it a bash!
MONDAY 19 OCTOBER 10 – 12 at GRANTON CHURCH
Some exciting event during October holiday!
We have taken into account all your feedback and will now run a FAMILY FRIENDLY SEWING/CRAFT session on Monday 19th October.
The class will take place during our regular sewing session between 10-12 noon at @GrantonParish
We’d like your photos! Still time to enter (closes end of October).
Don’t be intimidated by the standard of international nature photography competitions, we’d like your phone photos, of things you see around you.
The point is together to capture a snippet of some of the amazing species we share our community with. (also prizes for different age categories)
More details here: https://www.grantoncommunitygardeners.org/photo-competition
A cargo bike carnival in the Meadows on Sunday launched a report about cargo bike use across Edinburgh, and the importance of bike libraries, hubs and other lending schemes for normalising cargo bike use across the city and the country.
Organisers hope that the biggest gathering of cargo bikes in Edinburgh ever, will meet on the Meadows for games, stalls, a play about the history of the bicycle, and a mass bike ride.
Cargo bikes combine the relatively low environmental impact of cycling with greater carrying capacity and practicality. By enabling the transportation of loads that would be difficult to carry by conventional bicycle, including children, shopping, and equipment, they can play an important role in reducing car use.
These cargo-carrying electric bikes are currently most popular amongst families with young children as they are a fun and practical way to carry children and their stuff from school to club to family outing in a fast and easy manner. They have become a much more common sight out and about in Edinburgh in the last few years.
The Scottish government had a target of a 20 per cent reduction in car kilometres by 2030 which is currently being revised. At the moment, it is off track to meet such a target – so anything that encourages a move away from private car use is valuable.
The report: ‘Carrying change: Unlocking the potential of cargo bike use in Edinburgh and the Lothians’ focuses on the different uses people have made of cargo bikes hired from the various bike libraries and hubs across the city.
It suggests how the government can support the city-wide growth in cargo bike use by taking inspiration from schemes and infrastructure development in other European cities.
Lothians Cargo Bike Network is a newly formed informal coalition of organisations that hire out cargo bikes.
Data from this group was used to write the report that has been funded by the cycle campaign organisation Spokes.
The coalition have worked together to organise Sunday’s family day out in the Meadowsand are encouraging cargo bike owners to attend and enter the ‘best dressed car.
Sasha Taylor, Bike Station CEO said: ‘Cities across Europe demonstrate how cargo bikes can be part of the solution to sustainable travel in our cities. This report has been written to capture where Edinburgh is compared to other cities and sets out recommendations to realise the potential of cargo bikes in our city.
As proud custodians of Cargo Bike Movement’s mission and vision, The Bike Station is one of many local groups providing cargo bikes within our city. This report was compiled by Calum Glen, Impact and Data Officer for The Bike Station.’
Carol from Banzai Bikes – a cargo bike library in Bruntsfield said: ‘The Cargo Bike Carnival was a fun event showcasing all the different ways cargo bikes are being used across Edinburgh right now, by families, small businesses and community organisations.
“The versatility of cargo bikes and the incredible variety of loads, equipment and of course passengers that can be transported will surprise people! As well as trying the bikes you can take part in lots of fun activities including bike games, performances, a circus bike and a big bike ride, and find out about bike lending schemes across the city.’
Jane from Porty Community Energy, that has a cargo bike library on Porty prom said: ‘Our cargo bike library on the prom is very well used throughout the year, most commonly by families looking for a fun day out.
“Hiring out a cargo bike offers a fun alternative to an outing in the car with so many great cycle routes away from the roads now available in Edinburgh. It’s great exercise, and good for every family’s health and well being.
“We have had such good feedback from our library, that we think it’s a no-brainer that government funding should be used to support such schemes’
There’s just one week to go before the world’s largest celebration of storytelling begins…
The 37th Scottish International Storytelling Festival’s packed programme of over 200 events, taking place in Edinburgh and all across Scotland, kicks off next Wednesday 21 October, thanks to support from the Scottish Government’s Expanded Festivals Fund, Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding and the City of Edinburgh Council.
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival (21 October to 31 October 2026) organised by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), is the world’s largest annual celebration of storytelling.
Over the 11 days of the festival, in true cèilidh tradition, some of Scotland’s finest storytellers will share the stage with guest storytellers and musicians to explore stories about the natural world through this year’s theme Bird and Beast.
One of the main highlights, kicking off the festival, will be the arrival of this year’s guest storytellers from Canada, England, Ireland, Türkiye, and Italy.
Over 20 storytellers and musicians will arrive from other nations, including Dawne McFarlane previous Artistic Director of the Toronto Storytelling Festival from 2019-2021; Drut’syla traditional storyteller Shonaleigh; festival favourite Peter Chand with more hilarious tales from the Indian subcontinent and beyond; Muslim storyteller Jumana Moon; Irish storytellersGráinne Holland andSinéad O’Brien who will be part of an epic retelling of the Ossian cycle;Turkish storytellers Roza Erdem and Nazlı Çevik Azazi from the SEIBA International Storytelling Centre in Istanbul and leading expert on Intangible Cultural Heritage ICH (Living Heritage) Prof Dr Evrim Ölçer Özünel.
With support from the Italian Cultural Institute in Edinburgh the festival also welcomes members of two storytelling companies: Paola Balbi and Davide Bardi from Raccontamiunastoria Storytelling Company based in Rome, who will present a poetic and musical tale about the early years of Leonardo Da Vinciwith Italian singer-songwriter, producer and priest Mario Costanzi; and Bologna’s Fraternal Compagnia APS who specialise in Commedia dell’Arte and mask making.
They will present Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s reinterpretation of the myth of Dedalus and Icarus in recognition of the centenary of Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo, promoted by the Fondazione Fo Rame.
This year also sees 15 new pieces of work presented across the programme including Riikka Palonen sharing tales from the cow sheds of Finland with cow call ‘kulning’ teacher and musician Satu Lankinen; Lithuanian storyteller Daiva Ivanauskaitė-Brown blending folklore, family legacy, and history in Bird of Truth, accompanied by Edinburgh’s Sutartinės Lithuanian folk singers; and Ailsa Dixon sharing fascinating historical tales of feral, seaweed eating sheep on the Isle of North Ronaldsay who live within a 13 km area hemmed in by a dry stane dyke.
Adding to the festival’s cèilidh style approach to hosting events, including its popular Open Hearth and year-round Guid Crack sessions; will be this year’s new series of ‘Circles’. These include Morning Circle events where audiences will have the opportunity to kick start their festival day with a relaxed story sharing and networking led by some of the festival’s finest storytellers including Dawne McFarlane, Donald Smith, Beth Cross,Orcadian Tom Muir, Fergus McNicol, and Dr Robert Fell from Art27 Scotland; a Song Circle led by the North Atlantic Song Convention (NASC) at Waverley Bar in Edinburgh; an informal Story Circle where storytellers can bring along a story to share; and the festival’s Closing Circle where ideas for the future and a reflexion on the festival can be shared.
Daniel Abercrombie, Scottish International Storytelling Festival Director, said: “Wi’ one week to go until the full festival kicks aff, we cannae wait to welcome audiences, storytellers and visiting guests to join in wi’ the story cèilidh.
“There are already family events beginning to happen and story sessions around the country in our Go Local programme, so now’s the perfect time to delve intae this wonderful programme and ink some plans intae the diary, as we celebrate and explore our Bird and Beast theme. ‘Mon in!”
Culture Cabinet Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “Over nearly four decades, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival has celebrated our nation’s rich storytelling traditions, bringing together voices from across Scotland and around the world.
“Backed by multi-year funding from Creative Scotland and the Expanded Festivals Fund, the Scottish Government is proud to support this outstanding, globally significant cultural event.
“As we mark 20 years of the Scottish Storytelling Centre, this year’s programme theme, Bird and Beast, captures the deep connection between our stories and the natural world we share.
“The largest ever Go Local programme underlines the importance the festival places on community, and bringing people together, through events in towns and villages across Scotland.
“I’d encourage everyone to explore this year’s programme and discover storytelling’s power to connect us with each other and the world around us.”
For details of the full programme, visit sisf.org.uk
NEWHAVEN CONNECTIONS CAFE – CRAIGHALL ROAD
North West Community Police Drop in Clinic – Dates for the coming months.
Professionals from across Edinburgh and Lothians children’s services sector are being invited to gather this November to champion better collaboration and explore how to improve outcomes for young people facing adversity, as national children’s charity Kibble brings its annual conference back to Glasgow.
The event will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow on 3 November. It will provide a space for the nation’s professionals working across social care, education, health, justice and the wider children’s services sector to share insight, challenge current thinking and explore practical approaches to supporting young people.
This year’s conference will be chaired by Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, Nicola Killean, with keynote addresses from author Steven Russell, care-experienced lawyer Ryan McCuaig, Rob Holland, National Director (Scotland and Wales) and UK Strategic Lead for Volunteering at the National Autistic Society, and Dr Clare Allely, Professor of Forensic Psychology at the University of Salford.
Opening the keynote programme, London-based Steven Russell will draw on more than two decades of experience advocating for children and young people, alongside his own experience of growing up in care.
Steven, Director of The Dual Perspective and author of Drip by Drip, Day by Day: Finding Purpose Through the Pain, will explore the importance of relationships, connection and belonging in helping young people navigate adversity.
His keynote will examine how everyday interactions can have a lasting impact on a young person’s life, and how professionals can create the conditions for trust, safety and positive change.
Ryan McCuaig will bring his own lived experience to the conference, sharing his journey from Easterhouse in Glasgow to a successful legal career after overcoming personal, financial and social challenges. A former Chair of Who Cares? Scotland, Ryan is a dual qualified construction lawyer, social mobility speaker, and university lecturer and tutor with a particular interest in social mobility and improving access and retention of working-class talent in the professions.
Ryan left school without any Highers before going on to graduate with a first-class law degree, qualifying as a solicitor in Scotland, England and Wales. His keynote will explore the importance of resilience and opportunity, while challenging perceptions of what is possible for those who experience adversity early in life.
Rob Holland, National Director (Scotland and Wales) and UK Strategic Lead for Volunteering for the National Autistic Society, will join the speakers to bring a national perspective on autism, drawing on his experience leading the charity’s influencing work to improve support and inclusion across Scotland.
He will explore the changing public discourse, attitudes and the challenges of misinformation, as well as the need for greater collaboration between organisations and professionals to ensure autistic children and young people receive the right support.
His contribution will also build on Kibble’s own work in this area, following its achievement of National Autistic Society accreditation. The accreditation recognised Kibble’s commitment to embedding exemplary autism practice across its services and supporting staff to better understand and respond to the needs of autistic children and young people.
Professor Clare Allely will bring specialist expertise from the child and youth justice sector, exploring the experiences of young people who come into contact with justice systems and the importance of taking a trauma-informed, developmental and collaborative approach to supporting them.
Her keynote will consider how professionals across social care, education, health and justice can work together to better understand the circumstances and needs of young people, helping to ensure that adversity, vulnerability or harmful behaviour does not define their future.
Mark Macmillan, Chief Executive at Kibble, said: “Our annual conference is about bringing the wider sector together to share learning, challenge existing thinking and consider what more we can do collectively for children and young people facing adversity.
“We are particularly pleased to welcome Nicola back for a third year, while also extending a grateful thanks to our keynote speakers, all of whom provide different and valuable perspectives.
“By bringing together people from across care, education, health, justice and other specialist services, we can move beyond working in silos and focus on what really matters – improving outcomes and creating better futures for young people.”
Alongside the keynote sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to take part in a programme of workshops and discussions designed to explore the conference theme, Mental Health in Mind, in more practical detail.
Bringing together professionals from across children’s services, the sessions will provide opportunities to share learning, examine different approaches and consider how greater collaboration between specialisms can translate into better support and outcomes for young people.
Nicola Killean, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and Chair of the Kibble Annual Conference, said: “Children and young people who experience adversity are often supported by multiple services and systems throughout their lives. That’s why individual organisations and specialist services must look beyond themselves and work together more effectively for children.
“This conference provides an important opportunity to listen, learn and challenge, while keeping children’s rights, experiences and voices at the heart of the conversation.
“I look forward to welcoming colleagues from across Scotland and beyond for a day of discussion, reflection and practical ideas that can help drive meaningful change for children and young people.”
Kibble Annual Conference 2026 will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow, on 3 November 2026.
Tickets and further information are available via the Kibble Annual Conference – Kibble: Specialist services & support for young people facing adversity
CARERS Trust’s new research with Public First, ‘Caring in 2035’, shows the stark reality unpaid carers across the country are facing in the coming decades without meaningful reform.
We are calling for action now. This means well-funded local support that reaches carers before crisis point, real financial and wellbeing support, and a care system that recognises carers as essential and equal.
The future of care is something we all have a stake in.
Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive of Carers Trust, said: “Almost all of us will either care for a loved one or be cared for in turn at some point in our lives.
“However, as a society, we’re simply not facing up to that fact. The gap between soaring demand and shrinking supply of care is opening up like a crocodile’s jaws and, unless we act now, it’s unpaid carers, those they care for, and the system itself that will be swallowed whole.
“This grim future is on the horizon, but there is still time to avoid it if we are willing to do the political hard yards now. The Prime Minister’s commitment to fixing our broken social care system is encouraging, but reform needs to focus on more than care home beds, budgets, and the paid workforce. It has to reckon frankly and fairly with the millions of unpaid carers that are holding the system together – at huge personal cost.
“It could be you, your mother, brother, or child who needs care in the future, or who becomes a carer in turn. We cannot go on asking unpaid carers to absorb yet more pressure, and we cannot let the worst-case scenario set out in this research become our reality.
“We need well-funded local support that reaches carers before they hit crisis point, real, comprehensive financial and wellbeing support, and a system that recognises carers as essential and equal, not invisible and expendable.”
Read more about Caring in 2035: https://bit.ly/4rLxP9F
Source: Policy and research consultancy Public First
WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER 5 – 7pm
Act Like You Own the Place!
Join us for our Celebration and AGM
Wednesday 21 October, 5pm – 7pm
– Food & refreshments provided by our NEA Community Café
– Take a self-guided tour around the NEA building
– Take part in fun demonstrations and taster sessions
– Find out more about what’s on at NEA
– Meet local organisations and people living in your neighbourhood
– Bring your family and friends along
North Edinburgh Arts is owned by the people of North Edinburgh and is here for the long term; over 800 local people have already joined our membership scheme and are community owners of this incredible building.
Find out more about the events and activities happening at North Edinburgh Arts – have a shot at carpet bowls or riding an electric bike; or try out your crafty skills with the Knit and Natter group.
There’ll also be the chance to meet many of our tenant organisations Curious Seed, Tinderbox Collective, Flourish Jewellery, Cutting Edge Theatre, Project Esperanza, U-Evolve and more.
We want to share more about what Community Ownership means and the difference it makes. We hope you’ll join us!
If you would like to come along, please RSVP by 14 October on our Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/act-like-you-own-the…
Newington Library have an upcoming talk all about Munros.
Whether you’re a seasoned hiker or just curious about Scotland’s famous peaks, join them for this fun and informal event.
Tuesday 20 October at 2pm
Book your free place online via Eventbrite or contact the library:
