Month: July 2022

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!

Jessica shares reality of loneliness of living with chronic condition

An Edinburgh young person living with juvenile arthritis and complex autoimmune issues is raising awareness of the loneliness of living with a chronic condition for a new charity campaign. 

Jessica Rhodes, now 12, was just three years old when mum Tanya noticed she was tiring easily when walking to nursery. Despite numerous GP visits and lots of tests, no one could find anything medically wrong. 

Over the next few years, Jessica developed increasingly unusual symptoms and was referred to the Rheumatology Department at the Sick Kids where doctors battled to get things under control.

She was diagnosed with uveitis – inflammation in the eye and one of the world’s most common causes of blindness. Because of this and her joint pain, doctors began to talk about juvenile arthritis.

Over the five years since being diagnosed, Jessica has experienced numerous appointments and in-patient stays, medications, invasive procedures and joint injections, and very few days free from pain.

By 2019, Jessica was experiencing intense muscle spasms and could not walk without collapsing. She was given a wheelchair to attend school – but could only manage short periods due to pain and extreme tiredness. Tanya had to give up her job and find home-based work to care for her.

Jessica said: “I saw so many doctors. I didn’t know why I was getting ill all the time, and why I had to have so many different tests. It was quite scary. I have tried lots of different medications, some helped, some didn’t. Some gave me mouth ulcers and made it hard to eat.

“Eventually they discovered that I have arthritis, uveitis and Raynaud’s disease. At the time, I had no idea what any of that meant and I felt very confused. I have arthritis in my knees, ankles, shoulders and hands. But the inflammation isn’t only in my joints; my eyes and skin are affected as well.

“I need pain relief most days. I’ve lost count of the number of injections I’ve had. I have monthly infusions and regular steroid injections and I have a methotrexate injection every week. It makes me feel sick and rubbish the next day, but I know it helps make me less sore all the time.” 

Jessica is now the face of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity’s (ECHC) new ‘Never Alone’ fundraising appeal which aims to raise awareness of the impact that living with a chronic condition can have on children and raise funds to support them throughout their hospital journey. 

Jessica added: “It can be lonely having a long-term illness. I have had to miss quite a lot of school for appointments and treatments at the hospital. When I was in Primary 5, I had a lot of complications from my condition. I was in a wheelchair and couldn’t go to school for a long time. I missed school. I missed being with my friends and teachers. 

“I try to join in all activities with my friends. Sometimes I can’t because I’m in too much pain and that’s really frustrating. Sometimes my family has to cancel our plans because I’m too ill to go out. 

“I love music and I really enjoy singing in my choir. But I had to stop playing the cello because holding it hurt too much and I’ve missed a lot of choir practice too. I love playing basketball but sometimes it means I’m in pain for days afterwards.

“When I come to the hospital, the ECHC team are on hand to make sure I’m never alone. At the worst points, they have really supported me and helped me feel less negative about coming to hospital.

“They listen to me, understand how tough things can be and make sure I have fun. The ECHC Hub at the hospital is a great place to go and relax after an appointment or treatment. I’ve also made friends and even been on outings with the team. It’s not so lonely with them beside me.  

“Sometimes I worry about what it will be like when I’m older, and if it will get worse. I worry what that might mean for my future. But arthritis and my other conditions aren’t the most important part of who I am, and I will work hard and persevere to do the things I want to do.” 

As part of the new campaign, ECHC carried out a survey of parents and carers whose children have long term health conditions. 77%* said that their child’s health condition makes them feel lonely.

The survey showed that missing out on social life and activities was the main cause of loneliness for children with health conditions (29.2%), with missing out on school and education also stated as a key reason (24.6%).  

Pippa Johnston, Director at ECHC, said: “Jessica will always have to deal with her arthritis. And sadly, she’s not the only child who suffers from a long term, chronic condition. 

“The hospital sees 110,000 children and young people every year, many of whom must attend on an ongoing basis – over weeks, months and years. It can be a lonely experience and this loneliness can have long term effects on a child. We have an opportunity to change that.  

“We’re asking the public to help children like Jessica through their hospital journeys. Donations can fund marvellous magicians, dancers and musicians to visit children at their bedside and in isolation; arts and craft workshops and the running of our youth group so children can make friends; and film screenings, garden play sessions or baby sensory classes to bring families separated through hospital admissions together again.

“We rely solely on donations to be able to do this. Please consider making a donation so Jessica and other children like her never have to feel alone. Thank you.”

To make a donation to ECHC’s Never Alone appeal, please visit:

www.echcharity.org/donate 

Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life opens this weekend

Opening this weekend, a major new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland will look at the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders.

Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life (2 July to 30 October 2022) will examine the social and medical history surrounding the practice of dissection of human bodies. It looks at Edinburgh’s role as an international centre for medical study and offers insight into the links between science and crime in the early 19th century.

In 1828, William Burke and William and Margaret Hare killed 16 people in the impoverished Edinburgh district of West Port and sold the bodies to an anatomist for dissection.

The exhibition examines the circumstances that gave rise to the murders and asks why they took place in Edinburgh. It unpicks the relationship between science and deprivation and looks at the public reaction to the crimes and the anatomical practices responsible for them.

Covering 500 years of medical exploration, Anatomy opens with early examples of anatomical art, including sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, lent by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Collection.

These introduce the search for understanding about the human body and anatomy’s place in the development of medical knowledge across Europe.

Visitors to the exhibition, which is sponsored by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers, will find out more about the role anatomy played in the Enlightenment.

In the 18th century, Edinburgh developed into the leading centre for medical teaching in the UK, and the demand for bodies to dissect and study vastly outstripped legitimate supply. The acquisition of bodies was intertwined with poverty and crime, with grave-robbing – stealing unprotected bodies for dissection – becoming a common practice.

On display will be a ‘mort safe’; a heavy iron box placed over a coffin to deter would-be body snatchers. Other notable objects in the exhibition include a full-body anatomical model by pioneering model maker Louis Auzoux, ground-breaking casts of body parts and William Burke’s skeleton and written confession.

The exhibition closes by highlighting the changing practices and attitudes around body provision in the century and a half since the Burke and Hare murders, bringing the story right up to date. It looks at the modern approach to body donation at universities in Scotland and contrasts the ethics, practices and beliefs today with those of two centuries ago.

Dr Tacye Phillipson, Senior Curator of Modern Science at National Museums Scotland said: “Anatomical knowledge is crucial to medicine, and Edinburgh was a key centre for medical teaching and the development of modern medicine. However, this work relied on the dissection of bodies, the sourcing of which was often controversial and distressing.

“Anatomists could only get the quantity of bodies they wanted through dehumanising the dead and financing a murky industry. Murder was a particularly shocking consequence of this, with people killed for the sale price of their bodies. This fascinating exhibition explores the relationship between society, poverty, ethics and science at that time, and exposes the human cost of early medical advancement.”

Admission: Adults: £10, over-60s £8.50, concessions £7.50. Free entry for National Museums Scotland members and under 16s.

A safer Scotland as Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles Bill passed

New legislation to control the sale and use of fireworks will improve public safety and benefit communities for years to come.

The Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill passed following a Scottish Parliament debate and introduces a fireworks licensing system, with mandatory safety training, for people wishing to purchase and use fireworks.

It also introduces powers for local authorities to designate firework control zones, restrictions on the supply and use of fireworks, and a new offence to criminalise the supply of fireworks and pyrotechnics to under-18s.

Being in possession of a firework or other pyrotechnic in a public place, or at certain places or events, without reasonable excuse also becomes an offence.

The passage of the Bill saw extensive consultation and stakeholder engagement with the legislation receiving strong backing from a coalition of professional medical bodies who described it as an “historic achievement” and “a major step forward for injury prevention in the community”.

Community Safety Minister Ash Regan said: “This ground-breaking new legislation will improve the lives of people right across Scotland.

“This is not a ban on fireworks. We still want people to enjoy them safely, for example attending organised displays.

“But this vitally important step will make firework use more predictable and safer. The Bill will ensure appropriate action can be taken over the dangerous or disruptive use of fireworks, as well as reducing the misuse of pyrotechnic devices such as flares.

“It also demonstrates our absolute commitment to further improve safety for communities across Scotland.

“I am deeply grateful for valued support and consideration this Bill received from NHS staff, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish SPCA and Police Scotland.”

Eleanor Robertson, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Burns and Plastic Surgery at Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary said: “Having witnessed the initial and lasting impacts of firework injuries, we welcome any move to protect people in Scotland from firework-related harm.

“Incidents involving fireworks and pyrotechnics can be devastating to those impacted and can alter someone’s quality of life permanently.”

Gilly Mendes Ferreira, head of innovation and strategic relations for the Scottish SPCA, said: “The passing of this Bill will help to tackle the impact that private use in particular can have and help to keep communities across Scotland safe.

“We always ask that that the public enjoy fireworks responsibly and be mindful of the negative effect their misuse can have on people and animals.”

Back from the Brink: Last minute reprieve for local community centres

PRENTICE CENTRE REMAINS CLOSED FOR NOW

TWO North Edinburgh community centres were saved from closure following a last-ditch intervention by councillors at a marathon council meeting yesterday.

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre was braced for closure this summer following months of uncertainty over funding, while the voluntary management board of West Granton Community Trust announced on Monday that the Prentice Centre also faced closure due to spiralling running costs.

Councillors unanimously agreed a composite motion after three similar motions were submitted on Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre:

Noting that there are three motions tabled on Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, this
amendment is to composite motion 8.3 by Councillor Day (Drylaw Neighbourhood
Centre) with motion 8.4 by Councillor Osler (Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre) and
motion 8.12 by Councillor Nicolson (Save Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre).
Amends the text of motion 8.3 as follows:

“Council;

  1. notes the work towards a model of 20-minute neighbourhoods across the
    city which requires the development of strong local community facilities that
    are locally and easily accessible for all residents.
  2. recognises the critical role that neighbourhood and community centres play
    in our communities, not only providing services to those of all ages, but also
    in maintaining safe places for people to meet and spend time.
  3. notes the board of Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre have made clear that the
    centre is not going to survive financially beyond summer without one-off
    funding support from the council.
  4. thanks officers for their actions so far in offering advice and some practical
    support to the organisation but regrets this has not managed to help the
    centre reach a positive outcome.
  5. agrees that officers should work with Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre’s
    Management Committee to create a sound and sustainable financial
    arrangement that allows the Centre to continue over the long term.

Yesterday’s marathon full council meeting also agreed the following Addendum, which was moved by new Forth SNP councillor Stuart Dobbin and seconded by his SNP collague, Invereleith’s Vicky Nicholson, who was also elected in May.

The Addendum reads:

  1. Notes the decision by West Granton Community Trust (announced on June
    27th) to close the Prentice Centre in a matter of months unless immediate
    action is taken.
  2. Recognises the critical role that the Prentice Centre plays in the community
    it serves, not only providing services to those of all ages, but also in
    maintaining safe places for people to meet and spend time.
  3. Agrees therefore to also delegate to the Director of Education and Children
    Services to award £50,000 from Council Unallocated Reserves for the
    Prentice Centre to ensure the Centre can remain open and continue serving
    the community in the short term. The award of grant is subject to appropriate
    due diligence, including grant conditions on expenditure and assurances
    from the Centre on additional funding being secure.
  4. Agrees that due to the number of community-run centres facing closure due
    to financial strain, that a report is brought to Council in one cycle identifying
    those under financial strain and where additional resources can be made
    available to keep valuable community resources open. This report should
    also consider the state of management in the community-run centre sector
    and recommend principles for the relationship between CEC and centres on
    financial matters.

The eleventh hour funding agreement does not guarantee that either Centre will remain open long term, but it does at least give both of these valuable community resources some time and support to explore other options to ensure their survival.

The council decision of short-term financial support will come as a huge relief to staff and management committees in particular but also the hundreds of residents of all ages who support their local community centres.

The work must begin now to ensure that both Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre and The Prentice Centre can look forward to sustainable futures.

UPDATE:

West Granton Community Hub Manager Moira Fanning has been in touch (Saturday 2 July) to say that the Prentice Centre “remains CLOSED as negotiations with the Council have not been finalised”.

I will post more information when it becomes available.