6.30pm on MONDAY 24th FEBRUARY at McDONALD ROAD LIBRARY
Want to know your rights as a private tenant? Struggling with housing issues and need some solutions?
Join us for a fun and informative quiz night on Monday, 24th February, and learn all about your tenancy rights! 
The winner will receive a £50 Sainsbury’s gift card as an award!
If interested, please email tenancysupport@elrec.org.uk to secure a spot!
A Heartfelt Thank You from Leith Festival
The results are in for £eith Chooses 2024/25, and while we’re disappointed not to have secured funding this time, we are incredibly grateful for the support we received. A huge thank you to £eith Chooses, to everyone who voted for us, and to the fantastic Leith community for engaging in this important process.
We’d like to extend our congratulations to all the successful groups who will now be able to bring their projects to life:
Leith Runs Together
Leith Community Growers
Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC)
Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain
Hibernian Community Foundation
Nepal Scotland Association
Broughton Primary School Parent Council (partial award)
Your work makes a real difference in Leith, and we can’t wait to see the positive impact you’ll create!
Although we missed out on funding this time, we’re still passionate about launching our Youth Advisory Board, which aims to give young people a real voice in shaping Leith Festival’s activities.
We want to empower the next generation, helping them build confidence, skills, and connections through creativity and community.
What’s Next for Our Project?
We’re determined to make this vision a reality, and we’d love your help! Here’s how we plan to move forward:
Seek Alternative Funding – We’ll explore other grant opportunities, sponsorships, and partnerships to support the project. If you know of any funding sources or potential sponsors, we’d love to hear from you!
Volunteer & Collaborate – If you’re passionate about youth engagement and want to get involved, let’s talk! We welcome ideas, partnerships, and support from individuals and local businesses.
Keep the Conversation Going – We still believe in this project and will continue advocating for young people in Leith. If you have ideas or connections that could help, let’s work together!
If you’d like to support the Youth Advisory Board, please reach out to us – every bit of help counts. Together, we can make sure the next generation has a say in Leith’s future.
Edinburgh University student and lifeguard Alexandra Ogilvie is heating up her marathon fundraising efforts with a community bake sale at Leith Victoria Swim Centre on February 22nd, 2025.
The event marks a key milestone in her journey to raise £2,000 for Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programme ahead of her London Marathon debut.
Alexandra, who balances her mathematics studies with lifeguarding duties, will be showcasing her baking talents with an array of homemade treats, including her signature cheesecakes and cupcakes. Local businesses have also stepped up to support the cause, contributing to what promises to be an impressive spread of baked goods.
“This will be my very first marathon, and I couldn’t be more excited to take on one of the world’s most iconic running events,” says Alexandra, who won Edinburgh Leisure’s coveted 2025 TCS London Marathon slot.
“Running a marathon has always been a dream of mine to accomplish before turning 20, and now I have the incredible honour of representing Edinburgh Leisure on this global stage.”
The funds raised will support Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programme, which helps over 12,500 people affected by health conditions, disabilities, inequalities, and poverty access physical activity and sport each year. As both a student and lifeguard, Alexandra has witnessed firsthand the programme’s impact on the community.
“Each year, Edinburgh Leisure relies on fundraising to support its work,” Alexandra explains.
“With rising costs and increasing demand, your support has never been more important. Every penny raised will go towards helping the most vulnerable in our community live healthier and happier lives.”
The bake sale will take place during regular operating hours at Leith Victoria Swim Centre, offering visitors the perfect opportunity to indulge in some sweet treats and perhaps work them off with a swim or workout afterward.
To support Alexandra’s marathon journey and donate to her fundraising total, visit: Fundraising Link
Find out more about Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programme – www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/active-communities.
Event Details:
Date: February 22nd, 2025
Location: Leith Victoria Swim Centre
Time: From 10am
An exhibition charting the history of Leith St. Andrew’s Parish Church, and the community around it, opens to the public this Friday.
The church building, on the corner of Easter Road and Lochend Road, has been earmarked for sale by the Church of Scotland and has now closed as a place of worship, with its last service held on 29th December 2024.
The exhibition “The Heart of a Community” marks this moment of transition and has been organised by Leith St. Andrew’s Trust, the charity behind efforts to purchase the Leith St. Andrew’s Church building on behalf of the community and give it a new life as an activity centre and events space.
The artefacts and stories collected in the exhibition are the culmination of four months of work by local historian, Dr. Julian Grant, who undertook archival research and interviews with former congregation members and others with strong connections to the church.
The project was backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, whose support has also allowed Leith St. Andrew’s to carry out early-stage feasibility studies on how to ensure a sustainable future for the building.
The Heart of a Community will be on display in the church’s main sanctuary hall, launching 21st February, and then opening over the weekends of 22nd/23rd February and 1st/2nd March.
There will also be a special panel discussion event on Wednesday 26th February hosted by Leith St. Andrew’s Trust volunteer Julia König, and featuring local history expert Fraser Parkinson, award-winning writer Jemma Neville, project lead Julian Grant and Leith St. Andrew’s Trust Chair, Nina Ballantyne.
Nina Ballantyne, Chair of Leith St. Andrew’s Trust, said: “Leith St. Andrew’s Trust is so excited to share the findings from this project with the public, celebrating the people and stories of Leith St. Andrew’s at such a pivotal moment.
“The Heart of a Community” is an opportunity to learn more about the church’s history, its role in the community to date and its future potential.
“We hope that people seeing the memories and connections made here will be inspired to support our campaign for a community buyout of the building, and help make many more memories and connections in future.”
Leith hub offers warm, safe space on the high street for the whole community
Utilita’s high street Energy Hubs strive to provide ‘Safe Spaces’ for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond – welcoming people to host events, meetings, and more in a supportive environment.
No matter whether you are a Utilita customer or not, the Leith Energy Hub team is always happy to give free energy saving advice, something Hub Supervisor Natasha Baillie says is very important given the current cost-of-living crisis – and they’re also able to offer energy-saving products at competitive prices.
As an energy supplier that was created with the mission to offer consumers better service and a fairer deal, people have always been at the heart of Utilita – and its high street hubs provide an inclusive environment for staff, customers and the wider community.
The energy supplier’s renewed pledge to Pride365 ensures that everyone feels welcome and valued at Utilita, not just for a day, a week or month, but all year round.
The Utilita Pride365 Pledge
365 days of the year, Utilita Energy is committed to:
We’ll be vocal and visible in our support for LGBTQ+ inclusion every single day – both within our company and out in the world.
Our Energy Hubs will provide ‘Safe Spaces’ for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond – welcoming people to host events, meetings, and more in a supportive environment.
Whenever we run awareness day activities, we’ll donate to local LGBTQ+ charities chosen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group. This supports not only our communities but also any staff who may need these vital resources.
Utilita Founder and CEO, Bill Bullen, commented: “At Utilita, inclusivity isn’t just a goal; it’s who we are. Our core values align seamlessly with the Pride365 pledge as we work every day to create a workplace – and a world – that is fair, sustainable, and a little bit smarter.
“We’re not afraid to challenge the norm or stand up for what’s right. For us, that means building a supportive environment for everyone – from our customers to our team and the communities we serve – and our hubs offer something rare in the energy world – a friendly, face-to-face service.
“Our core values – fairness, smart, and sustainability – are at the heart of everything we do. They drive us to create an honest, inclusive, and nurturing culture for our customers and staff alike.”
Making inclusivity know no bounds
Leith Energy Hub Supervisor, Natasha Baillie, added: “Having a presence on the high street lets the public know that the Utilita team are here for everyone and all you need to do is pop down for anything you may need help with, customer or not.
“We aim to make it super simple to manage your energy – no phone lines or online dashboards, just a friendly face to speak to in a warm, safe space and with a cuppa if you’d like one! Whether you’re looking for account support, help to manage your spend or energy-saving advice, Utilita’s Energy Experts are on hand to help.”
Utilita’s partnership with Pride365 is an integral part of its commitment to make inclusivity know no bounds.
Natasha concluded: “We’re committed to continually evaluating and taking positive steps towards improving inclusion both within and outside our business, and we recognise the impact this will have on ensuring a happy and successful team and community.
“Together, we’re proud to create a brighter and fairer future for everyone – every day of the year.”
Utilita Energy Hubs are high street locations where customers can top up their accounts, check their balances, and get energy-saving advice – based not just in Edinburgh but also Gosport, Southampton, Isle of Wight, Luton, Derby, West Bromwich, Sheffield, Leicester, Blackburn, Huddersfield and Hartlepool.
The Utilita Leith Energy Hub is open from Monday to Saturday at 41 Newkirkgate, Edinburgh, EH6 6AA. See more on Utilita Energy Hubs at https://utilita.co.uk/energy-hub.
The city council is inviting residents to share their views on the regeneration of Seafield to make sure it responds to the needs and wishes of the local community.
As a key site for delivering the goals set out in the Edinburgh City Plan 2030, plans for the narrow stretch of land include a new promenade, GP surgery and opportunities for new shops and workplaces.
The coastal site could also include as many as 2,700 new homes, with 35% of homes being affordable, to address the Capital’s housing emergency. Future residents will benefit from the provision of a heat network which will help keep energy bills down whilst contributing to the city’s net zero targets.
The consultation, which closes on Wednesday 30 April 2025, will build on the first two stages of engagement and consultation carried out to date. Residents can attend a drop-in session to discuss the plans, or they can take part in an online survey via the Consultation Hub.
Planning Convener James Dalgleish said: “Our draft plan to transform Seafield into a new environmentally friendly neighbourhood will take us one step further to tackling our housing emergency and reaching net zero by 2030.
“This is a chance for residents to shape the future of the area – whether it’s about improving transport links, preserving green spaces or introducing new community facilities and we’re eager to hear everyone’s ideas for a Seafield that serves the whole community.
“I’d encourage everyone to share their views with us by filling in our online survey or coming along to one of our consultation drop-in events.”
The in-person events will take place on the following dates and times:
Detectives are appealing for information following a fire in Leith.
The fire happened around 12am this morning (Sunday, 16 February, 2025) at a block of flats on Prince Regent Street.
There were no reported injuries.
Detective Constable Luke Wilson said: “The fire is being treated as wilful and we are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed anything to contact us.
“We also ask anyone with private CCTV or dashcam footage of the area at the time to come forward.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident 0053 of 16 February, 2025.
Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.
Sunday 9th March
GIG 7-10pm / Workshop 3-5pm
Leith Arches 6 Manderson Steet EH6 8LY
EMERGING ‘Woman band’ Machine Orchid are hosting an event to celebrate International Women’s Day 2025.
MACHINE ORCHID are Aurora Engine Harp, synths / vocals, Caro Bridges guitar / vocals and Emma Lloyd Violin, vocals and electronics.
All profits will go to WOMEN’S AID EDINBURGH.
Other sets will come from harpist ESTHER SWIFT, folk singer KIRSTY LAW and Glasgow artists CURLEW.
Blending electronics and real instruments MACHINE ORCHID will present a set focused on women’s rights to include an acapella protest song ‘3 Rings’ about women’s safety / victim blaming, ‘Sharks, Bears Wolves,’ a song about toxic masculinity.
Sprinkled with electonic fizzles, polyrhythms their pefomance will also embed an electronic soundscape made up of Trump’s comments on women – ‘In His Own Words’.
In the afternoon the group will host an interactive women focused dynamic and empowering singing workshop that explores what it means to be a woman in 2025.
TICKET LINK HERE
Woman band ‘Machine Orchid’ (Aurora Engine / Emma Lloyd / Caro Bridges) Host International Women’s Day gig and singing workshop raising money for WOMEN’S AID
Machine Orchid are an emerging ‘woman band’ from Edinburgh blending harp, guitar, and violin with lush harmonies, electronic fizzles, and a deep connection
to the natural world made up of Emma Lloyd (contemporary composer and violinist, harpist Aurora Engine /Deborah Shaw (“Magical and Delicate’” Tom Robinson) and Caro Bridges, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter.
The one off International Women’s day gig also hosts trailblazing harpist harpist Esther Swift, provocative folk singer Kirsty Law and the Glasgow based roots and electronic artist Curlew (Gill Higgins).
In the afternoon the band who are all composers and choral leaders will host an interactive women focused dynamic and empowering singing workshop that explores what it means to be a woman in 2025.
Through songs addressing themes like women’s safety and the impact of the Trump era on women’s rights, this two-hour afternoon session aims to inspire, uplift and unite.
TICKET LINK HERE
Hibs players will be visiting Utilita’s exclusive high street Energy Hub in the buzzing port district of Leith this afternoon. Members of the club’s first team are set to arrive at 3.30pm for fan photos and a signing session.
Utilita Energy Expert, Caitlin Allardice, said: “We’re proud to support a number of football initiatives, including Football Rebooted, Switch Before Pitch, and the Utilita Kids and Girls Cups, and we’re looking forward to welcoming the Hibs players to our Energy Hub in Newkirkgate Shopping Centre.
“We’ll be offering a game of keepy-uppy for the children to take part in during the school holidays and the winner will score themselves a Hibs football. The first 20 kids to take part will each be given a colouring kit which comes in a Utilita branded football boots bag. Green sweeties and green apples will also be available on the day and we hope a good time will be had by all!
“As well as giving youngsters the opportunity to take selfies with the Hibs players, their grown-ups can also benefit from free and simple energy advice to help make their energy spend go further. So why not swing by this Wednesday afternoon for a cuppa and some top tips on how to cut energy usage at home?”
Utilita and Hibernian F.C. share many common values, with the two biggest being pro-planet and pro-local community. Since partnering with the Club, Utilita have been proud supporters of a number of key community outreach projects, delivered in partnership with the Hibernian Community Foundation.
The hugely successful Leith Energy Hub offers face-to-face customer service, energy efficiency advice and technology, access to interactive kid-friendly energy efficiency apps, and a dedicated community space that is open for the public to book and use from Monday to Saturday. Local footie fans can also purchase Hibernian F.C. merchandise in-store.
Utilita Energy Hubs are high street locations where customers can top up their accounts, check their balances, and get energy-saving advice – based not just in Edinburgh but also Gosport, Southampton, Isle of Wight, Luton, Derby, West Bromwich, Sheffield, Leicester, Blackburn, Huddersfield and Hartlepool.
The Utilita Leith Energy Hub is open from Monday to Saturday at 41 Newkirkgate, Edinburgh, EH6 6AA. See more on Utilita Energy Hubs at https://utilita.co.uk/energy-hub.
Did you know that over the past decade, 53 public libraries across Scotland have closed their doors for good – without replacement ?
The same public libraries which provide essential access to trusted information and education for all, which ignite a lifelong love of reading from early years, and which serve as warm, welcoming spaces where everyone is welcome without any expectation to spend. The same public libraries which, time and again, deliver enormous value to communities across the country, only to find themselves at risk when budgets are debated.
I’ve written to councillors across Edinburgh, before crucial budget decisions are made for the next financial year, to remind them what investment in public libraries truly means.
At the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), the advocacy body for Scotland’s network of over 500 public and mobile libraries, we understand the delicate financial situation that councils must navigate but we would urge those considering cuts to their library services to think again.
It’s no secret that the cultural sector is under unprecedented pressure but the narrative that austerity measures justify these cuts is shortsighted. This isn’t just a story of diminishing buildings and bookshelves; it’s a story of lives disrupted.
These closures are deeply felt because libraries represent so much more than the sum of their parts. Public libraries remain the most popular service local government delivers. Closing these doors means cutting off opportunities — a cost far greater than any savings achieved.
Libraries are proven to deliver significant economic and social returns, with research from Suffolk Libraires revealing a £6.95 return of economic benefit for every £1 invested through improved literacy, better mental health and stronger communities. And of course, when this investment figure is flipped, we see that the closure of public libraries will result in the community losing out on £6.95 of economic and social benefit for every £1 that is invested elsewhere.
The troubling trend of closures and cuts to library services across the country all too often disproportionately affects rural communities, exacerbating existing inequalities by stripping away vital access to education, digital resources and safe spaces for social interaction.
For these communities, libraries are not a luxury but a necessity. They provide essential services to support job applications, digital literacy training and social connection. To lose them is to deepen the isolation already felt by many.
Ask yourself: where else can citizens turn for support with their health, finances and employment? Libraries do it all under a single roof. They make real change to people in communities right across Edinburgh and play a central part in how the council brings about change.
Libraries drive forward crucial national agendas including preventative health – with the Health on the Shelf research report showing they save NHS Scotland £3.2m every year, bridging the digital divide by offering free access to PCs, Wi-Fi and digital support for a range of essential services, and fostering social cohesion by hosting a diverse range of community events. And this is all in addition to their core function: to encourage reading and provide a range of trusted reference materials.
As cuts and closures loom across the country, we’re urging local decision-makers to prioritise sustainable investment in libraries. Cutting library budgets is a false economy. The cost of losing libraries extends far beyond financial savings, impacting education, mental health and community cohesion. But it’s not just closures that we’re concerned about.
The slow, salami-slicing effect that has been seen over recent years, with opening hours cut – decreasing by 13%, on average – budgets slashed and staffing numbers reduced is felt across communities, with 1 in 3 voicing fears that their whole service is at risk.
Where councils have embraced the importance of libraries, the benefits are clear. 22 out of the 32 local authorities have not made any cuts to their library services in the last decade; instead, they are choosing to invest in their future, from creating learning hubs which have seen unprecedented loan figures, to developing dedicated ‘Maker Spaces’, reinforcing the role that libraries play as the originators of the sharing economy by offering access to emerging technology, such as 3D printers and laser cutters, as well as sewing and embroidery equipment.
In a recent survey from the Association of Public Libraries in Scotland, over 93% agreed that using the public library improves their quality of life, reminding us of the immense value that a public library holds, evolving to meet the needs of modern Scotland with the emergence of whole-community assets that can be used by educators, small businesses, community groups, and individuals to help people right across Edinburgh achieve their potential, while retaining their fundamental purpose: to connect, inspire and empower.
These services are a source of inspiration, but they remain the exception rather than the rule. To fulfil this potential, they need more than goodwill — they need sustainable funding.
No other community asset can deliver the vast economic and social benefits that a thriving public library service can, and so we would urge decision-makers to prioritise investment in their communities.
Anything less would be a failure we cannot afford.
ALISON NOLAN
Chief executive officer of the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC)
