A group of tenants from Port of Leith Housing Association’s (PoLHA) sheltered housing units have come together to create a new book sharing personal stories from their working lives. Continue reading Women At Work: Leith women tell their stories
Day: January 23, 2017
Community Planning for people and planet sessions
Community Planning for People and Planet – help set the environmental priorities for Edinburgh Locality Improvement Plans.
Four events taking place, one in each locality. See below for more information and how to book your place:
When you believe in me …
BARNARDO’s Fostering and Adoption Week 23 – 29 January
A new survey by Barnardo’s has revealed that 75 per cent of children living in Scotland said having a parent or guardian that encourages or believes in them is important for a positive future when they are adults. Continue reading When you believe in me …
Flu: get your vaccine as early as possible
Scotland’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer has urged all people at risk of flu to get their flu vaccine as early as possible this year. Continue reading Flu: get your vaccine as early as possible
Apple Wassail marks end of winter at North Edinburgh Arts
Friday 3 February: 2.30 – 4pm
The garden, North Edinbugh Arts
APPLE WASSAIL!
Join us at the NEA garden for traditional end of winter festivities
Traditionally at this time of year, people’s thoughts turn to the end of winter and the coming of spring. We’ll be doing our bit to encourage a good harvest year in the North Edinburgh Arts garden by holding our annual apple wassail on
Friday 3rd Feb, 2,30 -4.00pm.
We’ll have wassailing songs led by the Timebank Temptations, mulled apple juice and other refreshments and of course, the wassail parade around the garden to scare off evil spirits and encourage a good fruit harvest for the coming year.
For more information, call 0131 315 2151, e-mail garden@northedinburgharts.co.uk or drop into our centre.
See you there!
Valla
Local employer Leonardo ranked fifth in apprentices poll
Local employer Leonardo (formerly Ferranti) has been rated fifth in the UK in a new report.
RateMyApprenticeship has released a brand new School Leaver’s Guide across the UK which contains key information about UK employers to help young people who are just leaving school or college and are looking for opportunities (below).
Leonardo (with a long-established Crewe Toll site) was rated fifth in a list of 70 top employers, as voted by Apprentices across the UK.
Wightman urges better regulation of short-term lets
Andy Wightman MSP, Housing spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, has urged ministers to consider stronger regulations to address problems caused by a sharp rise in properties available for short-term rent.
Mr Wightman, Scottish Green MSP for Lothian, highlighted that a number of his Edinburgh constituents have been affected by the growth of the sector.
He said: “We are looking at a situation where the residential population in parts of Edinburgh may substantially disappear within the next decade. One constituent has had very audible sex parties taking place in the flat above him. An elderly couple are now living out the rest of their years in a tenement stair that has lost all of its permanent residents.
“Others are living with young families in a state of stress and anxiety due to the rent-seeking behaviour of a growing number of property owners. It’s disappointing that the Housing Minister says he has no plans to tighten regulation of residential property use.
“We should look at the planning system and use class orders to ensure that communities and councils have the tools they need to regulate the residential character of the city centres and many rural villages affected.” Continue reading Wightman urges better regulation of short-term lets
Granton Community Gardeners: update and invitations
It may be January and things can be looking a bit cold and grey, but lots has been happening in the community gardens and the group has been busy behind the scenes too … (writes TOM KIRBY)
Here are some updates, but first, some invitations!
Burns Night Community Ceilidh, Saturday 28th Jan. TIckets now on sale from Royston Wardieburn Community Centre (just £2!)
This will be the 4th year the ceilidh has run. It’s a joint event between ourselves, Living in Harmony (at Pilton Community Health Project), and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. There’ll be haggis neeps and tatties, performances from local musicians, poetry recitals from pupils from Granton Primary, a piper, and live music from a ceilidh band, with plenty of space to dance in the sports hall!
It always sells out, so get your tickets asap. There are still some volunteer jobs available (which come with a free ticket), if you’d like to help, there’s a meeting at PCHP on Weds 25th at 10.30am. (ask for Adam)
Gardeners Cafe, Every Monday 5.30-7.30
You may remember this from a couple of years ago, but thanks to some support from the Scottish Government’s Fair Food Transformation Fund, this has now relaunched!
All welcome every Monday 5.30-7.30 at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. The food is FREE but donations are welcome, and if you’re a regular you’re invited to join in with helping the cafe run, there are lots of volunteer roles and ways to get involved.
We’re seeing whether if we all do something to help, we can all enjoy a meal together, that is better (and much more sociable) than what we’d end up eating on our own in our separate flats!
Gardening drop ins, Every Tuesday and Saturday from 11am
Weather permitting! We meet at the community garden on the corner of Wardieburn Road and Boswall Parkway. We’re usually around for a couple of hours depending on weather and how much time/energy we’ve got that day! They’re a great way to meet new people, learn new skills, and work together on what are some very productive food gardens. All welcome, no prior gardening experience necessary! Fruit and veg is shared between the people who grow it! (or donated to the Gardeners Cafe).
Bonus Event: At the drop in on Tuesday 7th Feb, there will be a free breakfast provided by the Real Junk Food Project, who rescue and distribute food that would otherwise be wasted. They have a huge number of posh sausages left over from the Christmas Market on Princes Street, so are hosting free breakfasts around the city to use them up! (Weather permitting)
News updates:
We’ve just become a charity! Granton Community Gardeners is now a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) number: SC047087
This will hopefully mean we’re better able to support gardening, and growing, cooking and sharing food, in the area for the longer term, and able to secure more support for our work.
Who’d like to learn about baking bread?
You may remember that last year we did a crop trial of some heritage Scottish wheat, as part of a project called ‘Soil to Slice’ run by Scotland the Bread.
We had a very successful harvest, with 42kg of grain (from about 100sqm of garden). We used some of this to sow a crop for 2017, and the rest is being milled into flour. A couple of us have had some training in baking and the magical bread that is sourdough. We’re thinking of starting a bread club to practice and learn, and eat!. Anyone like to join us?
Growing wheat on street corners seems to have caught lots of people’s imagination, and we were featured on the BBC, Edinburgh Evening News, and Daily Mail.
If you’d like to get more involved in anything we do, please either reply to this email, or come and chat to us at the garden sometime. Everything we’ve achieved has just been based on someone showing up with an idea, and other people agreeing to help make it happen. It’s amazing how many skills and brilliant ideas people have round here, let’s see what we can do with 2017!
Best Wishes,
Tom
(One of the people who helps organise things)