SATURDAY 14 FEBRUARY 11am – 1pm
Valentine’s Craft Session
Come along on Saturday 14th February, 11am–1pm for a workshop with Sylvia, crafting beaded hearts and bookmarks!
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Pay what you can – donations welcomed
Limited spaces available
Get in touch to book your spot 
LOCAL TRAFFIC DISRUPTION LIKELY FOR SIX WEEKS
Gas network company SGN is upgrading the gas network in Telford Road to ensure local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply.
The project involves replacing old metal mains, reaching the end of their useful lives, with new plastic pipe. This will help ensure local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply long into the future.
Following close consultation with the City of Edinburgh Council, works will start on Monday 26 January and last for approximately six weeks. The project will begin in Telford Road at its junction with Groathill Road North, operating under temporary traffic lights for approximately two weeks.
The work will then progress eastbound along Telford Road under a lane closure. before progressing east under a lane closure. Please note that delays are expected during peak travel periods.
Localised road closures in Groathill Road South and Telford Drive will be required at various stages to allow traffic to flow on Telford Road. Clearly signed diversions will be in place to assist road users.
SGN spokesperson Katie Lobban said: “We’ve worked closely with the local authorities in planning this work and we will be doing everything we can to limit disruption during our essential project.
“This section of our gas main has required a number of emergency repairs in recent years, so we’ve made the decision to fully replace the pipe to reduce any further disruption to the local community and commuters.
“We appreciate that roadworks can be frustrating and would like to thank everyone affected for your patience, understanding and support as we work to improve the energy infrastructure in Edinburgh.”
Drama@Drylaw – a relaxed, welcoming social group
Drama@Drylaw is a friendly, informal group where we come together to move, chat, laugh and explore everyday life through simple drama activities.
The activities are based on familiar, real-life situations, so it’s great for building confidence, communication skills and vocabulary – including for people who want to practise English in a natural, supportive way. Everyone’s contributions are valued, and people bring their own experiences to the group.
Each session begins with gentle, mindful bodywork to help us relax and feel comfortable working together. There’s also time to catch up, share news and enjoy being part of a group before moving into creative activities. The activities are different every week, so if you miss a session because of appointments or family commitments, you can drop straight back in the following week.
There’s no acting, no scripts and no pressure to perform – just a chance to try something new in a safe, encouraging space. Drama@Drylaw is growing, and the new year is a great time to give it a try.
Every Tuesday 10:30am – 12:30pm.
New members are very welcome — just come along and see how it feels!
DTCC MEETING IS TONIGHT
Hello Drylaw & Telford.
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break!
We would love to see more of you at our community council meetings.
Just so you know, community council meetings aren’t just about business; they’re a fantastic way to meet your neighbours, share experiences, and build a stronger community spirit!
Come along, grab a cuppa, and connect with the people who care about Drylaw & Telford as much as you do.
Let’s work together to build a better community.
All are welcome! 
NEN PUBLISHED OUR FIRST BLOG POST ON THIS DAY IN 2011
The very first NEN blog post was published on this day in 2011. The post read:
Hello, and welcome to the brand new NEN blog.
For those of you not already familiar with the newspaper, we are a local community paper serving the North Edinburgh community. We’ve been here for over thirty years.
This blog, along with our new Facebook page and Twitter stream, represents our first foray into the world of social media. We really want to encourage more participation, more questions and ideas from the North Edinburgh community – both online and offline – and hope that these new tools will help us to do that.
We already have a good website, where you can always find the latest edition of the printed newspaper. The blog won’t be replacing that, but will instead be there to show people the latest news about the area, and also to help us cover the current funding crisis we are facing as an organisation.
Above all, we want to include your input on the blog – be it ideas for stories, comments, pictures and events. So get in touch!
The NEN’s website was sadly deleted when funding ceased but our social media presence continues on both Twitter and Facebook and the blog is still going strong with 10 – 12 posts daily.
2025 was the NEN blog’s busiest ever year with 36,000 visitors. As I write this we’ve published more than 38,000 posts – all of these remain accessible online – and we’re currently on a run of publishing on 2749 consecutive days.
When the NEN office in Crewe Road North closed much of the NEN archive material was lost, but thankfully some of our picture library was salvaged and can now be found at granton:hub (Madelvic House), where the volunteer archive team has also collated all remaining hard copies of the North Edinburgh News newspaper.
Hopefully, between the physical archive and the NEN blog, you can find all you need to know about our community’s rich history – and we’re adding to that history every day!
Burns Night Supper – Monday 26th January 6 – 7.30pm
Join us at the centre for a free Burns Night celebration with good food, poetry, and a warm, friendly atmosphere.
A lovely evening to enjoy together and celebrate Scotland’s national poet.
Booking required – limited places available, please get in touch to secure your space.
New youth group starting at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre next Wednesday (14th January) between 4pm – 5pm.
This is open to any young people aged 8 – 12 who are struggling with socialising or confidence, whether that be due to learning disabilities, mental health or other factors.
If you are interested please contact Roz on 07483420441 / roz.leahy@enable.org.uk
This new service is being run by Enable Communities
@enable youth
@Roz enable
That’s us winding down for the year now – most of our groups have started their holiday, and soon the staff and the centre will too – next Friday!
However, our Community Larder is open as usual next week – so do come along to pick up some food. We know this time of year can be difficult, so we are well-stocked, thanks to Tummies Not Trash.
If you are able and would like to, get along to their Christmas Eve event – we are closed from Friday 19th, so it’s a good opportunity to access some surplus food.
Details below:
Unfortunately, we have had to make the difficult decision to close FetLor today due to the Vandalism, Disrespect and Anti-social behaviour the young people carried out during and after The Boys Club last night.
The attitude towards staff, the building and community was unacceptable.
We take great pride in providing a free, safe and positive space for young people, but this behaviour has made it impossible for us to operate safely.
Our priority is always the wellbeing of everyone who uses the club, and we must take this step to protect our staff, our building and our community.
There will be NO boys club until January.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL NEIGHBOUR CENTRE
We are holding our annual general meeting (AGM) on Tuesday 2nd December at 3.30 – 4.30pm.
Please do come along to hear about exciting plans for the future of our lovely centre, and to make your views known.
We are very interested in your vision for the future and the directions we can take.
All members welcome.
There’s been some good news to round off this special 30th anniversary year for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.
The Centre has just been awarded over £3500 from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership’s Community Grants Fund to pilot a 6 month Monday Café offering free breakfasts, training opportunities, and monthly community lunches to reduce food poverty, build social connections and strengthen community use of the centre.
Happy New Year!
