Heart of Newhaven: February News

Welcome to your February newsletter

We hope you have survived the recent cold weather!

Friends and supporters cooried in with us recently, enjoying exploring the ever-improving facilities and meeting our partners and trustees.

Some of them even joined Norma and her knitters as they continue their work on next year’s Christmas tree.

The pile of green squares is growing as are the decorations and we are receiving more and more intimations of participation from all over the country, from London to Inverness, including Conwy North Wales and Southport Merseyside.


Why not join the expanding groups of knitters and natterers and support a good cause?

More information on the website and social media or contact
thetree@heartofnewhaven.co.uk

Dementia funding

We are happy to announce the Heart is one of 12 recipients of recent funding awards from Age Scotland, to “build on the difference we are already making”.
The funding will cover the post of our Dementia Centre Manager for a further 12 months.

We will be open one afternoon a week and continue to co-produce a programme of activities that meets members’ needs and interests as well as develop a programme for family carers.

Watch this space and our social media outlets for further news.

Building repairs

You may have noticed the scaffolding being erected around the Victoria Building towards the end of last month.

This is thanks to part of the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund award, plus further funding from The Pilgrim Trust, Historic Environment Scotland and The Community Ownership Fund (Department of Levelling Up) involving essential repairs to the roof and windows.

Work is progressing well and we hope it will be complete by the end of March ensuring the old building is waterproof and cosy, not to mention more eco-friendly!

Ukranian cooking

The local Ukranian Community are also running a cooking workshop at the Heart on Saturday 3rd February from 12 till 2pm. Come along and learn how to make Ukrainian dishes!

This time they are making pierogies, also known as varenyky or dumplings, both sweet and savoury kinds, with three kinds of stuffing: mashed potato, sweet cottage cheese, and cherries.

Use the link to book your space:

Ukrainian cooking workshop: sweet and savoury varenyky Tickets, Sat 3 Feb 2024 at 12:00 | Eventbrite

Next Coorie-In

We are very pleased to be able to invite you to our ‘Coorie-In for Winter’ event at The Heart on Monday 5th February, 2 – 3.30 p.m. This is a great opportunity to mingle with our partners and groups to find out what’s on offer here at The Heart and how YOU can get involved!

Come along and browse the information stalls, chat directly with partners and group facilitators, visit the Heritage Suite and the Victorian Schoolroom!

Book now for your summer Victorian experience

One of our very first partners, the History of Education Centre (HEC aka the Victorian Schoolroom) has asked us to let everyone know that they are available for bookings over the summer holidays.

So if you know of a group of adults or children, perhaps a community group or an after-school club, that would like to experience the Victorian Schoolroom and adjacent Victorian Homelife Exhibit, tell them to get in touch with HEC via: histedcentre@gmail.com

Visits normally last around two hours but can be adapted to your preferences.
Check out their website for further details : histedcentre.org.uk

Eyemouth Disaster wall plaques search

If you’ve checked the Heart’s Culture & Heritage blog recently, you will know that our heritage lead, Christine, is looking for information on a series of wall plaques that were created for the families of the 17 fishermen who drowned in the Eyemouth Disaster in 1881.


Read the blog on the website for more details and get in touch with Christine at christine.mcderment@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you know if any of them still exist.

Your ideas for our oyster mural

Would you like to be involved in creating a mural for our Anchor Building?

Restoration Forth is working with mural artist Natasha Russell to celebrate oyster reintroduction in the Firth of Forth and cultural connections to oysters.

We would love to hear your ideas for how you would like the mural to look and what imagery it could include.

Share your thoughts by filling out this online form:

– https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx… 

or pop into The Heart and submit a drawing or written ideas.

There are paper forms you can pick up with some questions and a space for creative design sharing.

Work with us on our next big heritage project

We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced project worker (two days per week) to coordinate and deliver a Heritage Lottery Fund funded project: ‘Our Schooldays’- memories and legacies’ – Heritage tales from Newhaven, Trinity and Leith Harbour’.

The post is funded from April 2024 for 18 months and will be based in the Heart. The project will use the heritage of schooldays as a means of bringing people together, enabling participants of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds to learn more about each other, by sharing experiences and memories.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual with experience of community development work.

Click here to complete the application form.

Contact lynne.porteous@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you have any questions about the position. Closing date for applications: February 12th, interviews scheduled for 26th February 

Hear About …

Remember to come along to our series of winter talks, Hear About, all on Friday afternoons at 3pm. The next ones will be:

Friday 2nd February – City archaeologist John Lawson on what emerged from the tram extension,

Friday 9th February – Jane Evans on the Newhaven Witches,

16th February – Gillian Gray on Your Heart,

23rd February – archaeologist Rob Engl on the playground excavation.

Check the website and social media for further details.

The talks are free but it’s useful to have an idea of numbers so please advise us at admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you’d like to come along and if you have mobility issues.

Come and enjoy a trip down memory lane

The next meeting of the Reminiscence Group will be at the Heart on Thursday 22nd February. The session runs from 10.30 – 11.30 am. What will be the topic this time? Come and find out.

The sessions will now run on the last Thursday of every month, at the same time, so check your calendars and mark off the days!

Next month

Watch out for the next Leith folk Club event, being held in the Heart on 5th March when the Tannahill Weavers will be stopping by.

Check out their website at www.leithfolkclub.com and reserve your place.

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Published by

davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer