North Edinburgh’s Women’s International Group invite you to their new exhibition which celebrates the many achievements of local women in this community.
The exhibition opens on Thursday at 10am in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre; there’s a free creche and lunch is provided too (please book creche place in advance to avoid disappointment).
For further information contact Lynn on 552 5700 or Rachel on 07891 525 663.
Getting together. Making a difference.
Open Day at Granton Campus on Wednesday
Anyone wanting to boost their qualifications, improve their job prospects, get on the career ladder or learn new skills should come along to Edinburgh College’s Course Open Days this week.
The Open Days on Wednesday (17 June) at Granton Campus and Thursday 18 June at Milton Road Campus – from 2-6pm on each day – are an opportunity to take the first steps into further education or learn new career-advancing skills. Expert staff will be on hand to discuss course information, progression routes and funding options.
The Open Days are a chance to learn more about and apply for the college’s new range of part-time, evening and leisure courses, including professional development programmes. These are open for applications now and include Accounting and Finance, Art and Design, Business and Enterprise, Construction, Health and Social Care, Hair and Beauty, Engineering, I.T., Performing Arts, and Sport and Travel.
The Open Days are also an opportunity to find out about full-time courses beginning in August with remaining places, which will open again on the college website this week.
At the Open Days, the college’s advisors will have all the information prospective students need, including funding options. Students on part-time courses may have several funding options available depending on their circumstances, including Individual Learning Accounts. Advisors can help students with funding applications.
Edinburgh College principal Annette Bruton said: “We have top-quality courses across our whole curriculum to suit a range of study needs, and we’d love anyone interested in finding out more to come down to our open days. Whether you want to develop your education or career, or you want to become skilled in a different field, there’s part-time, full-time and evening options to fit into your lifestyle.
“You’ll be taught by dedicated lecturers with real industry experience so you’ll be well prepared for the next steps of your career. Even if you’re not sure what the best option for you is, our advisors will be able to help and guide you to make the best decision possible.”
For more information about available courses, to make an application and to register your interest in a course, go to www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk
GRANTON PARISH CHURCH
Saturday 13 June 1 – 3pm
Edinburgh’s library service began 125 years ago today
Edinburgh’s library service is celebrating its 125th birthday by serving up a feast of special events to mark the landmark anniversary.
A big birthday bash, readings by children’s authors, a rare glimpse of Japanese art and a debate on the future of libraries are all examples of the packed programme of events taking place this month.
The Central Library was the first to open in the Capital to the public on June 9th, 1890, and now a total of 28 across the city welcome 3.4 million visitors each year.
Lord Roseberry officially opened it after previous attempts to set up a free public service failed as it would “put an unnecessary burden on the ratepayers”!
Andrew Carnegie offered £50,000 to establish the iconic library on George IV Bridge and less than a year later he laid the foundation stone.
In the space of 15 years, Edinburgh opened a substantial number of branches in the north, south, east and west districts, as well as a library in Portobello Town Hall.
The Council has continued to invest in new buildings in the 21st century, with a new library for Muirhouse in 2000 and the most recent community hubs opened in Drumbrae and Craigmillar in 2012.
Recent upgrades have been carried out at Stockbridge, Leith, McDonald Road, Morningside and Central.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Libraries have been serving the people of Edinburgh for well over a century and I’m delighted to be part of the birthday celebrations.
“Our library team can keep a large group of toddlers entertained at Bookbug sessions, support the ever-changing population of Edinburgh through community language collections, help people to get connected digitally, and also open up a world of heritage, history and information. I’d like to thank staff for all of their hard and imaginative work.
“There’s a wealth of information and services mainly for free at our fingertips through libraries – support your local branch by keeping them going for at least another 125 years by paying a visit today.”
Edinburgh’s libraries – something to shout about!
Work starts on modern care home on old Royston school site
Construction work has begun on a major project to build the city’s latest new care home as part of continued investment in services for older people in Edinburgh.
The Royston care facility off Boswall Parkway will provide accommodation for 60 residents who are currently living in other City of Edinburgh Council care homes across the city. The care home is being delivered by a partnership of the Council and Hub South East Scotland Ltd and is being built by GRAHAM Construction.
Councillor Cammy Day, Health, Social Care and Housing Vice Convener, was joined today by Richard Park, Operations Director of Hub South East and Michael Graham, Group Executive Chairman of GRAHAM Construction to cut the first sod at the site on the fomer Roston Primary School site.
The new home will provide high quality facilities including en-suite bathrooms, spacious bedrooms and group living areas and is the sixth to be built in Edinburgh as part of the Council’s strategic plan 2012-17.
Loal councillor Cammy Day, who represents the Forth ward, said: “Our goal is to create homes for life for older people in quality residential accommodation which meets modern standards. This new facility will offer a caring and supportive service, as well as a good quality of life.
“Despite budget pressures and changing demographics, we are committed to delivering the best quality care possible through our Live Well in Later Life strategy.”
Richard Park said: “Having already successfully delivered a number of facilities in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, on time and on budget, I am delighted to be marking the start of this new care home in Royston.
“As a Hub project, once complete, not only will it be a high quality facility for residents and staff, it will have also delivered a number of community benefits for the local area – from apprenticeships and work placements to the involvement of small businesses.”
Michael Graham said: “It’s a real privilege to play our part in helping all the future residents enjoy their lives to the full, both as individuals and as a community. We’re absolutely determined that they’ll have the very best facilities and quality of construction.”
From well established award winning gardens, to new grassroot food growing projects, the diversity of the initiatives which feature in the programme will surprise and delight Festival goers. Venues open on the weekend of 20 and 21 June include a library, an office block, a secret garden, and a farmhouse which is undergoing an incredible transformation!
A citywide celebration
From Portobello to Wester Hailes, Granton to Blackhall, Tollcross to Old Dalkeith Road, and many others in between, every corner of Edinburgh will have a garden celebrating the joy of community food growing. There will be a rich menu of events suited for every taste, for children and adults alike, including: children’s poetry writing, bug hunting, storytelling and sharing, choir music, conversations on nature, food and sustainability, wind band, foraging, cooking and eating, as well as practical gardening workshops, and the launch of Edible Edinburgh Food Charter of a Sustainable Food City.
In association with Sustrans, visitors can also join in a guided bike tour of the
gardens (free but ticketed). Bookings can be made online.
Whether on foot or on two wheels, visitors can plan their Festival trip and keep up to date with the latest events and information via The Power of Food Festival website (details below).
A Festival for everyone
Why not invite your friends and family to take part in the first Edinburgh Power of Food Festival? The weekend will give everyone a chance to meet people in their local community, to join those who are transforming the city landscape everyday, and to give a deeper meaning to the word ‘community’. Maybe it will be the beginning of a great adventure: who knows where The Power of Food will take you?
The full programme of events can be accessed here: PoF Programme
Come with family and friends to The Power of Food Festival
Celebrating community food growing and local change makers
summer solstice weekend 20-21 June
W: poweroffoodfestival.wordpress.
Twitter @PoFFest FacebookEdinburghPowerofFoodFestival
Excellent: West Pilton West Granton CC ticks the five ‘E’ boxes
West Pilton West Granton Community Council (WPWGCC) was praised as being a great example of what a good community organisation should be at their annual general meeting in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre last night.
Eric Dobbie, chair of the recently re-elected Edinburgh Association of Community Councils, said the local community council ticks ‘all the boxes – all the five ‘E’s’: Engagement, Encouragement, Empathy, Environment and Enterprise.
He told the meeting: “We have some good community councils and, frankly, we have some rubbish community councils. We can create better and more effective CCs. What you are doing here is very exciting, and your work is a prime example of how it can be done. I’m really encouraged by how you have gone about this – it’s been quite an eye-opener.”
More than thirty people – including members from neighbouring community councils Trinity, Muirhouse Salvesen and Drylaw Telford – attended the meeting. Guest speaker was Councillor Maureen Childs, who talked about the changing role of community councils in community planning.
Secretary Willie Black told the meeting: “It’s been an eventful year for our community council. We’ve had some criticism but we’ve made quite a difference to the area.”
He went on to detail the active role WPWGCC has played in local initiatives over the last twelve months: bringing community councils together with the North team to stage a regeneration conference was one notable example, and community councillors have been active members of other local groups and organisations. There have been community clean-ups too – local folk have cleared ten tonnes of rubbish in four separate area cleanups!
“This sort of activity is being rolled out across the whole area – it’s a different kind of engagement but local people see the benefits and it gives people some pride”, Willie said. “We are lucky to have a lot of experience on our community council. We have members who work with young people and other members who have vast experience of community activities. That’s a real plus – we know what is happening on the ground.”
However the year was dominated by a rise in criminality and antisocial behaviour across the neighbourhood – and this escalated to reach a peak which saw the attempted murder of a local takeaway owner. The community council again came to the fore.
“Following that incident our usual monthly meeting was changed to become a public meeting to discuss community safety and for local people to voice their fears and concerns. There’s no doubt the senior police officers present at that meeting felt the anger of local people – the #StrongerNorth initiative was born out of this and the community council is still playing a leading role there.”
There’s still a lot of work to be done – Willie referred to the ‘Hanging Gardens of Pilton’ – rooftop vegetation on poorly maintained rented properties – and said the community council is working with others to bring landlords together to discuss issues of common concern. Access to Forthview School is another issue for the community council and WPWG also have some exciting plans to improve job prospects for local people – particularly young people – through the establishment of a community factoring service as a social enterprise.
The community council will be taking meetings out to a variety of venues and locations over the next year in a hope that this will generate more interest, and members will also undertake training to make them even more effective at representing their communities.
“The CC has made a marked difference in our area; we have achieved a lot that we can be proud of over the last year. There is momentum and we will build on that”.
The 29th Annual Art Exhibition by the Art Friends of St Columba’s Hospice is an excellent opportunity to view and maybe even buy some excellent art for this excellent cause. It will take place at the St Columba’s Hospice Education Centre, Boswall Road on:
Friday 5 June 12 noon – 8pm (incl informal drinks reception from 6pm)
Saturday 6 June – 10am – 4pm
Sunday 7 June – 11am – 4pm
More details to be found here
http://www.stcolumbashospicefu
Housing Convener Councillor Cammy Day opened the city’s newest affordable housing development at Shortbread Court in Granton earlier today.
The £2.9m construction of 27 homes used £767,000 funding from the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, which is managed by the City of Edinburgh Council on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Built by Queensberry Properties Ltd (Cruden Homes East Scotland), the properties consist of one-and two-bedroom flats and meet Link design standards for affordable housing.
Each home has gas central heating and hot water systems, high thermal insulation and double glazing to create warm, comfortable and energy-efficient homes that will be easy and economical to run.
Councillor Day said: “We were delighted to work with our housing partners to deliver this development of desirable, energy efficient homes in a regenerated area of the city, which hard working people can afford to live in. Joining forces with organisations such as Link is allowing the Council to build record numbers of much-needed affordable housing.”
Link Group Chairman, Roy Stirrat, said: “We are delighted to have been supported by the Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council to enable us to continue to provide new, high quality homes at rents affordable to people on low or limited fixed incomes. Since 2013, Link has built 138 new homes for social and intermediate rent in Edinburgh which have played a part in tackling the Capital’s shortage of affordable homes.”
