We are very excited to be organising another family-oriented rubbish picking event at Granton Beach with an eco group from St. James church at Goldenacre on Saturday 23rd September.
We will be meeting by the entrance to the beach at 11 am. Look out for Granton Goes Greener feather flag and our volunteers in green T-shirts
We will have rubbish pickers and rubbish bags for everyone, remember to wear some boots/ appropriate shoes rather than sandals and weather appropriate clothes.
Children must be accompanied by responsible adults.
‘Walking like a Tortoise’ is a mixed media art exhibition based on a series of Granton walks at Madelvic House, the Granton Hub, 29 September to 1 October 2023.
Using maps of the area from 1870 to the present day, Tamsin Grainger skirted the urban and coastal landscapes of Granton, looking into hidden corners, seeing from unlikely angles and meeting those who live and work there.
Through photography, words, video, textiles and found materials, she asks how the act of slow walking can develop a sense of belonging somewhere, and how mindful noticing of the area, on foot, promotes appreciation of, and connection to what is home.
Tamsin been walking around Granton for 14 years now, alone and with other members of the community, and has become interested in the alterations that people and the climate have wrought.
Although places transform all the time, the built-up environment and natural spaces of Granton have recently been changing at a rapid pace; there are new no-go areas, streets and stations with new names, and views which have disappeared.
Slowly wandering the boundary and making artwork has stimulated a deeper understanding of local history and heritage, but how much of this will have soon vanished?
Is Granton disappearing and being replaced by the Edinburgh Waterfront?
You are invited to walk part of the boundary on 29th September in a free Community Walk (4-5.45pm), and to take the exhibition trail (29th September, 6-9pm, 30th September and 1st October 10am – 6pm) and to consider: ‘Where is the boundary of Granton?’
‘Is it important to you that things stay the same or do you welcome the changes which are happening?’ ‘Do you feel part of the decision-making process which is precipitating these changes?’ And, ‘Is belonging somewhere important to your sense of who you are?’
Make an important contribution to our collective memory-making by coming along to add your markers to the map and to discuss and share your views with each other. Granton residents and those who live in other parts of the city and country are all welcome.
Exhibition times: Friday 29th September 4-5.45pm Free Community Walk, the Granton Boundary.
Friday 29th September 6-9pm Private View with refreshments.
Saturday and Sunday 30th September / 1st October 10am to 6pm. All welcome.
Granton Youth, who work out of Royston & Wardieburn Community Centre, have developed a very successful ‘Mixtape’ group (writes DAVID MACNAB).
This provides opportunities to learn from volunteers and tutors who come from different backgrounds but perform music. The young people get bespoke lessons such as vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, and drums – along with learning music production, song writing exercises, and how to play in a band environment.
The 2023 – 2024 year looks like it is going to be a defining year for the young people who get music tuition and support from Granton Youth and Mixtape.
This year five of the young acts performed at the second North Edinburgh Community Festival, attended by over 6000 people in West Pilton Park, with Granton Youth and Tinderbox partnering on the musical end.
Kat, who plays under the name “Laurent” (french pronunciation), completed her debut EP “Modern Myths” and released this to much acclaim.
Despite being only 17, they have already been named “track of the week” on BBC introducing in Scotland with the track “News to Me” and has become one of the youngest ever people to headline Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh. Her other singles “Paint” and “Hunting Season” are also receiving national and US airplay.
Tonight – Friday 1st September – the Mixtape club takes over Sneaky Pete’s again, with four young Broughton High students headlining as the newly formed band “Low Tide” and having sold out the venue in advance following the release of their debit single “Between Knuckles” – all received tutelage, rehearsal time, and recording studio hours through Granton Youth.
They have also worked closely with our school workers within Broughton High, forming meaning relationships with Granton Youth which made them feel comfortable in coming to Mixtape.
Later this year, Mixtape has these two acts performing at Dunfermline’s “Outwith” Festival – as well as our young persons covers band “Ecliptic”, has partnered with Tinderbox again to form “North By Northwest” – a free entry gig evening in Leith showcasing young and emerging talent, and will be touring it’s young acts across Scotland in the months to come with shows already scheduled in Aberdeen and Glasgow.
A great example of how youth work can really make a difference to young lives.
Granton Goes Greener’s FREE sewing class is on every Monday between 10 am and 12 noon at the East Hall of Granton Parish Church, Edinburgh and we would happily welcome any new participants regardless their sewing skills.
Our class is designed to support individuals working on their individual projects and help more advanced ones to develop their sewing skills or learn sewing from scratch.
Gas engineers gathered in Granton Waterfront yesterday to re-enact a historic lunch which took place prior to the iconic Granton gasholder being put into use in 1901.
The work carried out by McLaughlin & Harvey is part of the ongoing restoration works using £16.4m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. The money is being used to restore the original 76 x 46 metre frame to look like new.
Historic records on the original lunch said that attendees were taken ‘by special train’ to a ‘special station’ built for the gasworks in Granton where more than 50 members were met by ‘the Edinburgh and Leith Gas Commissioner’.
The documents go on to describe the gasholder as ‘a works that promises to be a model of structural beauty and mechanical ingenuity’.
The station mentioned in the documents is the former Granton Station which has been completely refurbished and will be managed from this year by social enterprise charity Wasps Studios, who work across Edinburgh and Scotland, to provide affordable workspace for artists and the creative industries.
Using a further £1.2m from the Scottish Government, the Council plan to open up the area to create a new and exciting multifunctional public space within the gasholder frame as part of their wider £1.3bn regeneration project to create a new sustainable coastal town at Granton Waterfront.
Council leader Cammy Day said: “The gasholder is so much more than a giant steel structure and is steeped in local history. I’m really pleased that the industry is reenacting the original lunch in this way creating another event for the history books.
“The gasholder can be seen for miles around so I’m very excited about our plans to transform it to serve the local community and visitors with a completely different purpose as a place for people to enjoy arts, sports, leisure and culture for years to come.
“We will make sure the gasholder becomes the centrepiece of our wider £1.3bn regeneration of the area with thousands of environmentally friendly homes, well connected to the rest of city, culture and art spaces and more planned.”
McLaughlin & Harvey Contracts Manager Graham Brown said: “We were delighted to host the Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers at our Granton Gas Holder project today to mark the luncheon held on-site back in 1901.
“The gas holder has an interesting and rich history which we are delighted to be adding to the next chapter of with our restoration works.”
IGEM CEO Ollie Lancaster said: “It’s a genuine delight to have the opportunity to visit such a special gasholder in Granton, Edinburgh, which has been used for many years to keep homes warm, put hot food on the table and power businesses in the region.
“This stunning landmark has played a significant contribution to balancing local energy supply and demand since it was commissioned, shortly after the 1901 luncheon my colleagues from yesteryear enjoyed.
“The gas industry has a rich history that we should celebrate, like we are doing today, while we also work hard to secure an affordable energy system for the future and develop the role of hydrogen in the transformation of our sector.”
GRANTON Libary is excited to announce a superb author/illustrator visit coming to the Library after the holidays!
John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs, also known as Metaphrog, are award-winning graphic novelists whose work has a huge fanbase.
Are you aged 8-13 and love graphic novels, illustration and cartooning? This event is for you! They’ll share some insights about their working practice and guide you through some comic book inspiration so that you can create your own comic strips!
This will be a friendly workshop-style event in the library. Free to attend, all welcome.
