Celebrating Community Centres

A SPECIAL DAY AT ROYSTON WARDIEBURN

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.

Support you local community centre!