Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s social history group launched their new publication, ‘Windows To Our Past’, at the Centre on Thursday.
Windows to our Past: A Collection of Stories from North Edinburgh remembers times long gone and also pays tribute to the local people – activists, volunteers, class mates and good friends – lost in recent years.
The group worked with creative writing tutor Jim Aitken to produce Windows To Our Past and members read a selection of their stories to an appreciative audience.
There were lots of laughs – the event opened with a comical This Is Our Lives sketch performed by the group – but there was time for reflection, too.
Some We Remember, a slide show created for the event, brought back a wealth of poignant memories of fondly-remembered activists no longer with us – men and women who each in their own way dedicated much of their lives to making the North Edinburgh community a better place to live.
The perennial challenge of fighting for adequate resources goes on, of course, and the latest round of funding cuts has seen North Edinburgh’s community centres and local projects fearing for their futures once again. In a discussion following the launch, however, it was clear that the appetite to campaign to challenge cuts to local resources remains as strong as ever.
The fight goes on – and, as a previous publication produced by activists urged: NEVER GIVE UP!
THE QUIET REVOLUTION
by SANDRA MARSHALL (2009)
And what about the quiet revolution
A circle of people
Growing with every breath
Spinning ever wider
Living in peace and harmony
A family
A community
Sharing good and bad
No more war, loneliness, anger or greed
A family of humanity
Starting from a whsiper
Growing steadily brighter and brighter
Louder and louder
Until
No darkness remains.
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What a wonderful event. Your article doesn’t mention the free lunch at the end where we had a chance to network and make friends. The book is a great read!
Sadly I couldn’t stay for lunch but it did look very nice! The launch was a timely opportunity to celebrate community achievements – a much-needed boost given the challenges community projects are facing (yet again)!