Due to illness we are having to reschedule our Wassailing celebrations to next Sunday, 26 January, 1-3 pm.
We are very sorry for the late notice change. We will still be open this Sunday and will have a reduced amount of drinks and cakes available but our main celebrations will now be taking place on 26 January.
Starting Wednesday 22nd January, join us at Story Circle to share, create, and explore stories together. Whether you bring a moment from your life, a story you’ve written, or simply want to work with a prompt or story provided, there’s a place for you here.
No need for perfect words—just bring your curiosity. You’ll be supported and guided as we see where our stories take us!
This group is open to all Hospice patients, including those from the community, as well as to families and carers. Sessions are facilitated by our Dramatherapist, Sally, and will take place in our Art Studio from 11.00am-12.30pm.
Book your place today https://bit.ly/SCHCwellbeing
wellbeing@stcolumbashospice.org.uk
0131 551 1381 (option 4)
Happy New Year everyone!
We have reopened all our services this week at Granton Goes Greener and very excited to share great news: we will now be running FREE WEAVING WORKSHOPS at Granton Parish Church, on selected Wednesday evenings, starting from Wednesday 22nd and 29th January.
The workshops are sponsored by The City of Edinburgh Council as part of their annual small grant allocation
.
We provide all the materials and refreshments, the workshops are ADULTS ONLY and places allocated each week on first comes, first served basis.
Any questions-email: anna@grantongoesgreener.org.uk
We are so excited to be welcoming Hanneke Laarhoven to the Hospice next Friday to deliver what promises to be an unmissable talk ‘In search of stories’, examining how patients interact with the arts to make sense of, and help them to tell their story.
Tickets for this event are free, but registration is required!
Secure your place today at https://stcolumbashospice.org.uk/…/palliative-arts-no…
Join us to explore and elevate your portrait drawing skills in this engaging and supportive class!
Price: £96.60 for 10 sessions (two hours each)
Course Overview:
Open to anyone aged 16 and above, this Portrait Drawing class focuses on capturing faces from life. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, you’ll receive expert guidance to build confidence in your artistic style.
Participants will learn essential techniques, including facial proportions, capturing expressions, and understanding the nuances of posture and emotion.
Register for Portrait Drawing: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/portrait-drawing-all…
Join us for our annual wassailing celebrations in the Granton Castle Walled Garden orchard on 19 January from 1-3 pm.
The wassailing, or blessing of the fruit trees, involves drinking and singing to the health of the trees in the hope that they will provide a bountiful harvest in the autumn.
We love this tradition and are delighted to have Penny Stone join us for the afternoon. Penny will be leading us in traditional and contemporary Wassailing songs.
Apple-based food and drinks will be available by donation. No need to book, just turn up. All welcome.
Our Open Music Space sessions resume for the new year next Friday – 10th January!
People are welcome to attend one session, a few, or all. The sessions are relaxed and informal, and no previous experience of making music is required.
People can book a place on a session by going to the Wellbeing section of the Hospice website, by phoning the Hospice, or by talking to a member of staff!
Sessions take place between 11 & 12 in the music studio, and this block will run until 14th March 2025.
The iconic gasholder – now named ‘Gas Holder 1’ – is a beacon of light in north Edinburgh as it is being illuminated permanently after dark.
Refurbishment is now complete on the structure using funding from the UK Government. Permanent lighting on the frame means it can be seen brightly in the twilight hours and the frame will be lit in festive colours for the rest of December.
The park within the frame, created using funding from the Scottish Government, opened at the weekend (21 December) for its first visitors.
The newly built 1.2 hectare park has six different zones including three play areas with a wide range of play equipment. For those out to explore the new outdoor space there is an inner ring walk going round the outer edges of the frame with a range of places to sit and relax. An informative outdoor exhibition has also been created which showcases the history of Granton gasworks as well as the restoration process which has just taken place.
Large Hollywood style lettering denoting ‘Gas Holder 1’ can be seen at the entrance, making for a great photo opportunity. In Spring 2025, there will be a celebration to officially open the park when the ‘art zone’ will become home to the winner of the community led art piece, and we will provide more details on the winning artist for that in the New Year.
Depute Leader, the City of Edinburgh Council, Mandy Watt, said: “Gas Holder 1 and the new park sit right at the heart of our £1.3bn regeneration of Granton Waterfront.
“I’m really excited we’ve reached this milestone before the year ends and look forward to the official opening of the park next year. It’s now open so I’d encourage local people to go and check out this fantastic new green space for the area as well as ‘Gas Holder 1’, which will light up the sky for everyone to enjoy in time for the festive season.
Investment Minister Tom Arthur said: “This project demonstrates the benefits of regenerating derelict sites into places people can visit and enjoy. The new park will offer a vibrant and accessible space for the local community which will attract more visitors into Granton to support local spend.
“To help communities prosper we have allocated an extra £62.15 million towards regeneration in next year’s draft Budget. This will benefit people throughout Scotland by supporting projects including the revitalisation of green spaces, town centres and derelict sites.”
Graham Brown, Senior Contracts Manager at McLaughlin & Harvey, added: “We’re delighted to have completed this unique restoration project and handed it over to our client, The City of Edinburgh Council.
“In deconstructing the old bell, refurbishing the listed steel structure, and repainting the frame, we have solved complex engineering challenges by using our vast civil engineering experience and successfully collaborating with our client and supply chain partners.
“We are looking forward to joining the official opening celebrations next year.”
Thanks to everyone who has given us feedback so far by completing our survey!
GIC are passionate about providing the best possible service to our clients and we are delighted with the results and the many positive comments we’ve received since April:
We would like to remind all our FREE sewing class participants that the final class this year is this coming Monday (16/12/2024) at the usual time ( 10-12 noon) at the East Hall of Granton Parish Church, Edinburgh.
We will be sharing some textile stories and asking everyone to bring a special piece of clothing they either made, got from a charity shop or have some personal attachment to 
.
Our classes will start again on Monday 6th January 2025.
We would like to wish everyone MERRY CHRISMTAS AND ALL THE BEST IN 2025!
Thank you for being part of our talented and creative sewing community 
