Category: Leith

Princess Royal opens Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage

HRH The Princess Royal has officially opened a museum celebrating the remarkable history of Scotland’s firefighting tradition in Edinburgh.

Her Royal Highness is now one of more than 7,200 visitors who have visited the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage since it opened its doors to the public in McDonald Road at the end of June.

The Rt. Hon Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, was one of several dignitaries to greet The Princess Royal. He said: “It was a pleasure to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to the city and the McDonald Road Community Fire and Ambulance Station on behalf of the people of Edinburgh.

“To have the opportunity to learn more about the rich history of firefighting in Scotland was also an extremely interesting and proud experience.

“I would like to thank the team at McDonald Road for accommodating us today and pay tribute to our fantastic firefighters, alongside our other emergency services, who make sure we are all kept safe.”

Ross Haggart, Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was at the museum to extend a warm welcome to Princess Anne. He said: “We are deeply honoured to have the opportunity to show Her Royal Highness the fascinating exhibits that chart the remarkable history of our firefighting tradition.

“This special building is home to an array of artefacts dating back almost two hundred years, including fire appliances, uniforms and equipment.

“Next year, our service will be marking the bicentenary of the world’s first municipal fire service founded in Edinburgh by James Braidwood.”

As part of the visit, The Princess Royal was also given a tour of McDonald Road Community Fire and Ambulance Station, which has been newly refurbished as an emergency hub building alongside the Scottish Ambulance Service. HRH was greeted by a contingent of firefighters and ambulance crews.

Chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service, Tom Steele, said: “I was delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness to McDonald Road Community Fire and Ambulance Station alongside our colleagues at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“The museum is a fantastic celebration of the fire service’s history. As well as sharing a number of co-locations with the fire service, including here in Edinburgh, we share a strong history of caring for and improving the lives of the people in Scotland.

“We look forward to many more years of working together to provide life-saving work.”

After watching a demonstration of how firefighters use a high reach appliance, HRH was presented with a posy by Crew Commander Blair Muir, who carefully manoeuvred the vehicle so he could hand deliver the flowers from onboard the appliance.

The Princess Royal spoke with staff and volunteers, including Jim McDonald, a museum volunteer. Mr McDonald said: “It was a truly remarkable and humbling experience to meet Her Royal Highness. Her genuine interest in our exhibits left a lasting impression on all of us.”

At the end of the visit, The Princess Royal officially unveiled commemorative plaques, marking the official opening of the museum.

McDonald Road Community Fire and Ambulance Station has undergone renovations and modernisation and last month won a Commendation in the Large Projects and Regeneration/Strategy Award Categories for the 2023 Edinburgh Architectural Awards.

Further information about the museum can be found on the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage website.

Warm Up for Winter event

4th NOVEMBER from 1 – 4pm at McDONALD ROAD LIBRARY

Don’t miss out on our Warm Up for Winter event where energy-saving hacks and money-saving tips will be provided.

We will share advice on housing and benefits too.

Best part? It’s a totally free event, and everyone’s invited!

📅 Save the Date: November 4, 2023

🕐Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

📍 Where: McDonald Library, The Nelson Hall

🏠 Address: 2-8 McDonald Rd, Edinburgh EH7 4LU

This is a joint event delivered by Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), The Welcoming Edinburgh, Home Energy Scotland, Changeworks, Citizens Advice Scotland, VoiceAbility and Right There

See you there!

Leith Collective looks to expand its winter coat exchange across the UK

Local CIC urges organisations to play their part in the fight against poverty

A warm winter coat is a basic necessity. But for individuals facing difficulties, families stretched by the cost of living crisis, people trapped in poverty, a coat is yet another essential item they have no choice but to sacrifice.

However, one Edinburgh Community Interest Company is hoping to change that. They are calling on businesses, organisations, charities and community groups across the UK to register as an official Winter Coat Exchange Collection Point. That way, they can redistribute good quality coats to those who need them – free of charge, no questions asked – and provide much-needed comfort this winter.

The impact of the cost of living crisis is being felt right across Scotland. Around 1 in 5 people are living in poverty. Having to sacrifice basic necessities such as a winter coat can have a hugely detrimental impact on a person’s dignity and on their mental wellbeing. So, The Leith Collective is taking proactive steps to help.

Since launching this year’s Winter Coat Exchange on 1st October, they have been completely inundated with requests. So, they are now looking to expand the initiative across the UK to help as many people as possible.

Speaking ahead of the UK launch, The Leith Collective founder, Sara Thomson said; “Last year we rehomed more than 7,000 coats. Within two weeks of launching our 2023 Winter Coat Exchange, we rehomed more than 1,000. The demand this year is unprecedented – no doubt because of the continued cost of living crisis. We, collectively as a nation, need to do more to help.

“So, we’re calling on all businesses, organisations, charities and community groups with space to store a rail of coats to sign up to become an official Winter Coat Exchange Collection Point. That way we can ensure coats are readily available to anyone who needs them. No one should have to go without a coat this winter.”

One of the first organisations to sign up to the scheme was the Edinburgh CIC, Let the People Sing. Founder Vicky Scoular said; “When we heard how high the demand was for coats, we felt compelled to help.

“Providing a small space to store coats is not a big ask, but it can make a huge difference to people in need. We hope more organisations across the UK step up and take part.”

Organisations can sign up to become an official Winter Coat Exchange Collection Point at www.re-relove.com, the brand new online marketplace from The Leith Collective.

The website also enables individuals in need to enter their postcode and find their nearest collection point, so they can get a quality coat without charge and without judgement.

Citadel Arts Group’s The Ghosts of North Leith

NEW SCORSESE MOVIE’S NORTH LEITH LINK

Citadel Arts Group were surprised to discover a connection between Lily Gladstone, star of Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and one of the main characters in their forthcoming show, The Ghosts of North Leith.

Lily Gladstone comes from Montana, of Blackfeet Indian stock. But on her mother’s side she is descended from the great-great grandfather of a first cousin of the 19th century UK Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. And – wait for it – Gladstone’s grandmother is Nellie Gladstones (the family later dropped the final ‘s’) who features in Citadel Arts Group’s The Ghosts of North Leith.

Nellie was a feisty businesswoman who, in Hilary Spiers’ section of the play, reprimands her son John for using slave labour on his plantations.

The fruits of this labour fetch up in Leith. Hilary Spiers writes, ‘The Sugar Boycott was a way for middle class women to show their abhorrence of the slave trade by refusing to buy slave-produced sugar.  Little is known of Nellie’s life which allowed me to give free rein to my imagination.  My play portrays her as something of a radical and an early feminist at odds with her family who derive much of their wealth from slavery.’

When slavery was abolished in 1833, Nellie’s son John Gladstone received the largest payment from the Slave Compensation Commission amounting to over £10m in modern currency. This money no doubt paid for the fine family gravestone in Coburg Street cemetery.

Slavery is a central issue in The Ghosts of North Leith. The play is based on the stories behind seven of the graves in Coburg Street Burial Ground. One tantalising stone commemorates a Jacob Stoney who died in Leith in 1820 but was born in Jamaica on the family plantation.

His fine stone was raised by his sister Mary who was still living in Jamaica.  Citadel’s writers have woven a story around these bare facts using detailed historical research and some inspired guesswork.

 Some are the graves are of well-known characters like Lady Anne Mackintosh who raised troops in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1756. Having enjoyed the Outlander books, playwright Rhona McAdam was attracted to this real-life Jacobite heroine. ‘I wondered how Lady Anne ended up in North Leith Burial Ground instead of the family estate in the Highlands.’ It appears Leith was a hotbed of Jacobite sympathy.

The figure who links all the stories is Robert Nicoll. Hailed as the second Robert Burns, Nicoll became a radical activist and newspaperman until his early death in 1837, aged only 33.

Nicoll is the conscience of the play, pointing out the hypocrisies and double think of the other characters, all stuck in the limbo of North Leith, regretting their unfulfilled lives. The play uses pathos, humour, music to add another chapter to the rich history of the port of Leith which Citadel has been celebrating for almost thirty years.

The cast is led by Mark Kydd, a Citadel regular. He writes: ‘As an adopted Leither, I’ve always been fascinated by its concealed history … vintage maps showing different street names and open fields in what are now built-up areas.

Citadel has a fine tradition of examining Leith’s past through its work, but here the writers have literally gone underground, exploring the lives of people buried in Coburg Street Cemetery though a combination of painstaking research and imaginative speculation.

One character in the play wryly observes: “They said the deid are quite forgotten after three generations”. We hope that this production goes some way towards redressing the balance by helping to celebrate these otherwise forgotten lives.

The script was given a trial performed reading at Leith Festival in June.

Director Liz Hare said: ’Thanks to the enthusiastic feedback of the Leith people and their supportive comments, we have developed and improved the script for three evening performances.

“Now we exploit light and darkness to create a truly disturbing atmosphere for our North Leith ghosts!”

The venue of the show is North Leith Parish Church, soon due to be released for sale by the Church of Scotland. This will be the audience’s last chance to see a live performance in this beautiful Georgian building, intended as the hub of Leith’s New Town.

Venue: North Leith Parish Church, 51 Madeira Street EH6 4AU

Dates: 14, 14, and 16 November at 7.30pm

Tickets £10/£9 from jamesellison@blueyonder.co.uk/07770 623 924

Writers: Carolyn and Brian Lincoln, John Lamb, Hilary Spiers, Elaine Campbell and Rhona McAdam.

Cast Mark Kydd, Deborah Whyte, Chelsea Grace, Fraser Allan Hogg and Grant MacIver.

Director: Liz Hare

Sound: Roddy Simpson

Costumes: Susan Chaney

SM: Maggie Brown

Technical Assistance: Stewart Emm.

Family fun and exclusive screenings provide Half-Term escapes at Vue

From musical magic to family friendly favourites, there’s something heading to the big screen at Vue for audiences of all ages this October half term.

One band of animated heroes returning to the big screen just in time for half term is the Paw Patrol, who face their most superpowered adventure yet in Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie. The paw-some heroes of Adventure City gain magical superpowers from a mysterious meteor, turning the Paw Patrol into the Mighty Pups. Facing against a mad scientist, this powerful pooches need to team up to once again save the day! 

From the 20 October, Hey Duggee’s Cinema Outing will screen exclusively at Vue.  The hugely popular CBeebies’ star and his pals invite fans to join them for energetic singalongs of hits such as the Feelings Song and the Being Kind song alongside new episodes, ideal for younger audiences.

The big screen is also set to welcome some family-friendly blockbusters later in the week, including the animated adventure Trolls Band Together, getting the mythical musicians back together once again to reunite a legendary boy band from the 90’s BroZone.

Packed with colourful characters, both old favourites and new heroes, Trolls once again brings its charming tales of friendship, fun and fabulous tunes back to Vue on 20 October.

For those looking for something with a musical twist, singalong to classic hits based on the hugely popular DreamWorks Animation classic, The Prince of Egypt: The Musical will also bring the on stage production of the iconic family favourite to the big screen just in time for the school holidays.

Vue will also be screening a range of popular releases as part of its Vue Mini Mornings series, which showcases the very best family films from £2.49 per ticket. This half term the screenings will take place daily at 10am, with the lineup including Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and The Canterville Ghost.

Robert Smith, General Manager at Vue Edinburgh Omni said ‘We’ve got a great selection of new films and big screen entertainment on show this half term offering an ideal way to enjoy quality family time together this half term.

‘With super saver tickets from just £4.99 online at select venues, the big screen experience at Vue is the perfect treat during half term.

‘Our Vue Mini Mornings at 10am all through the week this half term, will continue to show kids’ favourite films at just £2.49 a ticket if purchased online and £3.49 in person.

‘We also have themed retail on offer with fun exclusive merchandise for Trolls and Paw Patrol, which is set to fly off the shelves across half term with our Kids Combos providing a fantastic viewer treat for youngsters.

‘Parents and children can come along, switch off and immerse themselves in great stories.’

Tickets are available now at www.myvue.com.   

Half-Term Escape for Everyone Line-up at Vue

Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie – from now
Prince Of Egypt: The Musical – 19 October & 22 October
Hey Duggee’s Cinema Outing (Exclusive to Vue) – w/c 20 October
Trolls: Band Together – w/c 20 October

Mini Mornings w/c 20 October

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-verse
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
The Canterbury Ghost

Community Cinema screenings across the city

City Council supports Community Cinema Hubs Project

granton:hub is leased to announce details of the Local Cinema film programme taking place across community hubs in Edinburgh.

The Local Cinema film programme has been funded by the City of Edinburgh Council via the Creative Community Hubs Network, which brings together eight building-based hubs who are engaging with their local communities in creative ways across Edinburgh.

This is the first shared creative programme produced by the hubs network to date, in a pilot project entitled the Community Cinema Hubs Project that is hoped will be extended more widely across Edinburgh into the future.

Check this link for the full programme: https://www.whalearts.co.uk/community-cinema-hubs-project/

Please contact screening venues directly for more information and to reserve tickets for all other individual screenings.

granton:hub will be showing The Old Oak (Ken Loach, 2023,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o198HdWc998)

on Thursday 30 November (7pm).

An eventbrite booking link will be made available later on in October. There will be limited spaces due to the capacity of the venue.

Community Event: How Are You, Leith?

Dear Friends, We invite you to join us for our upcoming event on Sunday 22nd of October.

Як Ти, Leith? (How are you, Leith?) is sponsored by £eith Chooses.

We would like to bring together the Ukrainian and Leith communities.

The programme will include:

📌 A selection of traditional Ukrainian art workshops for both children and adults

📌Traditional food and refreshments would also be offered during the event.

📌Some live performances by Ukrainian singers,

Edinburgh Ukrainian choir “Oberih”

Dance ensemble “Kvity Ukrainy”,

Ukrainian children choir “Harmony” and more

Please, come, bring your family and friends 🇺🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

20,000 and counting: Edinburgh Remakery’s milestone moment

🎉🌟 Exciting Milestone Alert! 🌟🎉

Momentous Moments can sometimes pass you by without pause, but we do want to shout about this one. The Edinburgh Remakery has just refurbished its 20,000th piece of tech in the span of 10 incredible years! 🛠️✨

Amazing, considering that our Tech Team consisted of just one individual at the beginning! Their drive and determination have propelled this project into what it is today – a team of six, working hard to refurbish the donated tech for sale (at very affordable prices) and for gifting to people facing digital poverty. It’s a brilliant testament to sustainability and innovation. 🌏♻️

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that each of these 20,000 refurbished items has been given a new lease on life, extending their usability and diverting them from the clutches of landfill. 💪✨ Every refurbished piece represents a step towards a greener and more sustainable future. 🌱

A huge shoutout to the entire Tech Team for their continued hard work, dedication, and belief in the power of refurbishment. 🙌👏 Let’s celebrate this milestone and continue to drive change towards a more eco-friendly world. Together, we can make a difference, one refurbished tech item at a time! 🌟🌍💚

#Sustainability

#EdinburghRemakery

#MilestoneAchievement

#RepairReuseRelove

#wastelesslivemore

#remakeadifference

Local charities shortlisted to receive share of £25,000 Scotmid funding

LIFT @ Millenium Centre and the Living Memory Association are two of three good causes across the East of Scotland to have been shortlisted to receive a share of a £25,000 funding pot, thanks to Scotmid’s Community Connect initiative.

The funding will be announced next April, following a vote by Scotmid members.

LIFT @ Millenium Centre offers support to families living in the most deprived areas of Edinburgh or those that are socially or financially vulnerable. The funding from Scotmid will be used to deliver ‘Family Teatime’ sessions, which will provide families an opportunity to eat, play and learn together in a safe and welcoming environment.

The Living Memory Association brings together people that are socially isolated or living with dementia. From their base in Ocean Terminal, the charity offers exhibitions, including The Wee Museum of Memory, as well as recording podcasts and videos. The funding from Scotmid will be used to employ a part-time sessional worker and cover materials needed for their workshops.

Pauline Nicol-Bowie, CEO/Founder of LIFT, said: “We are incredibly thankful to be part of Scotmid’s Community Connect initiative, which will help us expand our ‘Family Teatime’ programme.

“This is a vital part of local communities in North Edinburgh and we look forward to being able to expand our services to support more people.”

Heather Robertson, Service Co-ordinator at Living Memory Association, said: “The Living Memory Association is delighted to be shortlisted for Scotmid’s Community Connect initiative.

“The funding will allow us to develop new projects for older people to celebrate lived experience and combat the loneliness and isolation the community can often face.”

The other charity shortlisted in the East of Scotland is Children’s Clothing Bank Dunfermline, which provides pre-loved good quality and new clothes in a dignified manner for children aged 0-18 years in the local community.

Keen to support local good causes? Pop into your local Scotmid and pay £1 to become a member.

Five stars for Harbour Homes’ Sheltered Housing Team

Harbour Homes’ Sheltered Housing Team has received a five-star certificate of nomination from Age Scotland’s Services for Older People Awards.

The awards recognise the hard work and dedication of individuals, groups and organisations who make a positive difference to the lives of older people in communities across the country.

Age Scotland’s Chairperson, Stuart Purdy, said it was hugely inspiring to learn about the dedication of Harbour Homes’ Sheltered Housing Team and all the work they do on behalf of older people.

Maureen Combe, Sheltered Housing Services Manager at Harbour Homes, said: “It’s our absolute pleasure to support our tenants and to do all we can to help create a real sense of community among them.

“I’m thrilled that our team’s dedication has been recognised by Age Scotland.”