Edinburgh 900 programme launched

The Edinburgh 900 programme launch took place at the City Chambers yesterday evening, where successful applicants to the civic and community funds were officially announced.

Edinburgh 900 represents almost a millennium of shared history, and the full programme will examine how Edinburgh came to be over the centuries, from commerce to conflict and from faith to finance. The programme will also celebrate Edinburgh in the present day and look ahead to our future ambitions and aspirations.

The Lord Provost congratulated recipients and expressed his appreciation to those who took the time to apply to take part in the Edinburgh 900 programme.

The Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge said: “We are celebrating nine centuries of history, traditions and stories and we have a real opportunity to shine a light on Edinburgh’s local communities.

“These two funds represent a great opportunity to showcase these stories to our city and the wider world.

“We had an overwhelming response in terms of applications, which shows how 900 years is resonating with so many in the city.

“We sincerely thank everyone who took the time to submit a funding request. There were so many excellent applications, that we’re disappointed that we are unable to fund each one of them.

“It is imperative that our communities play a central role in these celebrations, from discovering stories of local heritage to events programmes alongside our partners across the city, I’m really excited to see the programme come to life.”

As part of the Edinburgh 900 budget, £100,000 was allocated to a community fund and a further £100,000 to a civic fund.

The community strand will feature local events run by community groups across the city over 2024-25 promoting local heritage and initiatives, designed to engage with new local audiences and to showcase the diversity of Edinburgh.

The civic strand is an opportunity for our cultural and heritage organisations to exhibit Edinburgh and it’s illustrious past like never before.

Successful Community Fund applications:

• Citadel Arts Group Leith Customs: £5,000.00
• Ukraine at Margaret’s Saturday School & St Cuthbert’s Parish Church 900 Artworks
• Exhibition for the 900th Anniversary: £3,000.00
• The Living Memory Association Our Working City: £4,860.00
• Art and Spirituality CIC “International South West Community Project”: £3,466.00
• THE MELTING POT Innovation: Past and Present: £4,750.00
• Passion4Fusion Black History Month Gala: £5,000.00
• Abbeyhill Colony of Artists Colony of Artists 20th Anniversary Celebrations: £5,000.00
• Leith walk polisbox Outside the (polis)box: £5,000.00
• Newhaven Coastal Rowing Club Seafaring Spirit: Celebrating Newhaven’s Coastal Community: £2,396.00
• PenPal Productions Tales of the City: £4,116.00
• Portobello Toddler Hut Storytelling – The UK’s oldest playgroup: £4,685.00
• Project Esperanza A City of Diversity: Past, Present, and Future: £5,000.00
• The Edinburgh Remakery Ltd Celebrating 900 Year through Art & Stories: £5,000.00
• Just Festival: £5,000.00
• Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust Magical Woodland Walk: £4,990.00
• Active Inquiry 900 years of Leith – a play: £5,000.00
• WHALE Arts WHALE Members’ Art-History Trips: £1,875.00
• Scottish Historic Buildings Trust Open House: Leith Custom House Festival: £4,953.00
• Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive Reading Queer Edinburgh with Lavender Menace Archive: £5,000.00
• Gracemount Mansion Development Trust Our Gracemount Community Heritage 900: £5,000.00
• Greatway Foundation SCOTAFRICAN Stories: £5,000.00
• The Edinburgh Tool Library Edinburgh Tool Library turns 10: Celebrating a Decade of Community and Creativity: £4,812.50
• Art in Healthcare: £2,464 

Successful Civic Fund applications:

• TRACS for The Scottish International Storytelling Festival EDINBURGH: Our Storied Town: £10,000
• Multi-Cultural Family Base Heritage, community and wellbeing: £12,380 (above)
• Edinburgh Leisure Edinburgh Leisure Celebrating Edinburgh 900: ‘Your Health Is for Life’: £7,000
• Edinburgh Printmakers Castle Mills: Then & Now | 900 Stories in Print: £14,736
• Push the Boat Out (Arts SCIO) Disrupting the Narrative at Push the Boat Out, Edinburgh’s International Poetry Festival: £14,627
• F-Bomb Theatre Monumental: £14,987.2
• African Connections CIC / Edinburgh Multicultural Festival: £14,883.75

For more information visit the official Edinburgh 900 website, hosted by Forever Edinburgh, the Council’s destination and visitor attraction website.