Local organisations have put together a booklet listing mental health & wellbeing support services in North Edinburgh (see below).
If you need support call the new Community Wellbeing Helpline on 0131 332 8773.
North Edinburgh Arts’ plans for McMillan Square in Pennywell received a setback yesterday when city ouncillors rejected their proposals for a community-led hub at the heart of the regeneration area.
North Edinburgh Arts plans had strong community support and Muirhouse Salvesen Community Council submitted a letter of support to the council’s Policy and Sustainability Committee.
Community council chairman Roy Douglas said: “Muirhouse Salvesen Community Council has not been consulted on this and the council have not consulted the community on their plans for at least a year, if not longer.
“The NEA proposal for the last phase of McMillan Square has had extensive consultation and their proposal has wide community support. We therefore support NEA’s community asset transfer bid and their exciting plans for the regeneration of McMillan Square.
“This will ensure visibility for North Edinburgh Arts and the Library, a good building which will attract people to visit McMillan Square.”
Despite community support – and the support of local politicians – councillors failed to back North Edinburgh Arts development bid for consideration under the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant scheme.
While it’s undoubtedly a setback, North Edinburgh Arts will come back and resubmit amended proposals. Board chairperson Lesley Hinds issued the following statement last night:
“Today we learned The City of Edinburgh Council Policy and Sustainablity Committee decided, at this time, not to submit the North Edinburgh Arts development bid for consideration under the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant scheme.
“North Edinburgh Arts is, of course, disappointed with this outcome. However with the positive support from Councillors and officers at the committee, NEA will continue to work in partnership with the Council and community to deliver a Community Hub, as the final phase for the regeneration of McMiillan Square in Muirhouse.
“North Edinburgh Arts is at stage 2 of both a Community Asset Transfer bid, and related Scottish Land Fund bid to transfer North Edinburgh Arts fully into community ownership, and to enable the organisation to lead on the development of a creative and community hub; much needed by the local community pre-Covid, arguably more in the period to follow, post pandemic.
“NEA has wide support with 96% of local residents consulted fully supporting the plans, alongside cross-party support from local, Scottish and UK elected representatives following briefings early this year, tabling our vision and full business case.
“The Busines Case, architect sketch, and development timetable will be presented again to officers and Councillors over the coming weeks, with NEA working to ensure the next report considered by the Council achieves a positive outcome, for NEA, for McMillan Square, and for our local community.”
North Edinburgh’s Covid-19 Foodshare Group has written to city councillors to update them on the work of the local coalition:
Elected member,
Since the setting up of North Edinburgh Covid-19 Foodshare Group we have kept elected members informed of the work the community organisations, volunteers and funders have been carrying out in these very challenging times.
Attached is a newsletter which, by the end of this week, will be delivered, by volunteers, to 14,000 households in North Edinburgh. Please circulate this to any individuals or groups who will find the information helpful.
Over the past six weeks (20 April – 25 May 2020) North Edinburgh organisations have:
· Produced 58,258 Food Items/Packed Lunches/Packs
· Gifted 23,888 Food Items/Packed Lunches/Packs to other organisations
· Delivered 79,171 Food Items/Packed Lunches/Packs
· There have been specific deliveries for Milk, Butter, Vegetables,Toiletries and Fruit.
· Passion 4 Fusion are providing culturally specific foods for BAME communities in the area.
Of the 919 postcodes supplied by agencies, 582 residents lived in Deciles 1&2, which means we reaching some of the most vulnerable in North Edinburgh.
63.3% of Food Items delivered are reaching those who need it most.
Please get in touch if you want further information, regarding the work of North Edinburgh Covid-19 Foodshare Group.
Willie Black
Chair, North Edinburgh Covid 19 Food Share Group
Volunteers will be hitting local streets once again today to deliver the NEN Coronavirus special edition newsletter across North Edinburgh.
An enthusiastic team of volunteers delivered thousands of newsletters across Drylaw and Telford, Muirhouse, Salvesen, West Pilton, Granton and Royston Wardieburn last week, and a final push will see the last of the newsletters delivered this week.
If you would like to lend a hand – full guidance and protective equipment will be issued – teams will be leaving from the following locations from Tuesday – Thursday this week:
Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Groathill Road North at 11am
Fresh Start, Ferry Road Drive at 11am
Pilton Community Health Project, Boswall Parkway at 11am
Ainslie Park Leisure Centre car park, Pilton Drive North at 2pm
The newsletter contains helpful information and key telephone numbers to help local people get through the pandemic.
The North Edinburgh Covid-19 Foodshare coalition would like to thank our magnicent volunteers who have done so much to support the community dring these most difficult of times.
Thanks also to the following organisations for their terrfic support:
Funders:
Cash for Kids,
Inspiring Scotland,
North Edinburgh Community Councils,
Muirhouse Housing Association,
Pilton Central Association (PCA),
SCVO,
STV Appeal,
The National Lottery for Communities,
West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre
Cairn Energy
Cramond FC
Edinburgh City Council
Lindsay’s Charitable Trust
Martin Lewis Foundation
Murray Foundation
National Emergencies Trust
Neighbourly Community Fund
Places for People Foundation
Port of Leith Housing Association
Queensberry House Trust
Richardson and Starling
Scottish Government
Stewart Investors.
Food, supplies and support have kindly been donated by:
Baillie Gifford, Chand & Co Group,
Edinburgh Academy,
Fettes College,
Mathieson’s the butchers,
Morrisons,
PrepTable Scotland,
Porto & Fi cafe,
Scottish Gas,
Social Bite,
Tesco,
TB McKay Energy Supplies
Investec
Neighbourly Community Fund.
We couldn’t do it without you – THANK YOU ALL !
Deliveries of the NEN Covid-19 Special Edition newsletter continue over the weekend – whatevever the weather! – and new volunteers are more than welcome.
Managed by members of North Edinburgh’s Covid-19 Food Share Group team, volunteers are delivering an informative newsletter to Drylaw, Pilton, Royston Wardieburn, Boswall and Granton.
Volunteers are given a route map and delivery instructions and are also issued with hand sanitiser, protective gloves and a contact number should they encounter any problems during the distribution run.
Meeting times this weekend:
Saturday 6th June and Sunday 7th June:
WEST PILTON / WEST GRANTON
11am – 1 hour delivering
Meet at Fresh Start, Address: 22-24 Ferry Rd Drive, EH4 4BR
Phone: Willie Black : 07515686421
GRANTON / BOSWALL
2pm: – 1 hour delivering
Meet at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre car park, 94 Pilton Drive, EH5 2HF
Phone: Willie Black: 07515686421
If you wish to deliver in your own time, call Lesley Hinds on 07778413792 or Willie Black on 07515686421.
Our thanks to the volunteers who have helped with distribution so far
ONE OFF TASK from Wednesday 3 June to Sunday 7 June.
This will get you fit and help the residents of North West Edinburgh access services!
Newsletter Distribution in NW Edinburgh
This is a one off opportunity managed by NW Edinburgh Team who will take responsibility for managing all the volunteers to deliver a informative newsletter to Drylaw, Salvesan, Pilton, Royston Wardieburn, Boswall and Granton.
We envisage you distributing for about one hour in total.
There is a route map that you will follow and will be handed out at the distribution point along with hand sanitiser and gloves and a contact number of the person offering the instructions at the beginning so you can contact them if there are any incidents or you are not sure.
WEST PILTON / WEST GRANTON
Wednesday 3rd June – Sunday 7th June 11am
Meet at Fresh Start, 22-24 Ferry Rd Drive, EH4 4BR
Phone: Willie Black : 07515686421
DRYLAW / TELFORD
Wednesday 3rd June – Friday 5th June: 11am
Meet at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, 67B Groathill Road North, EH4 2SA
Phone: Roy Douglas: 07801971892
WARDIEBURN / ROYSTON
Wednesday 3rd June – Friday 5th June: 11am:
Meet at Pilton Community Health Project, 73 Boswall Parkway, EH5 2PW
Phone: Helen Scammell: 07847476612
GRANTON / BOSWALL
Wednesday 3rd June – Sunday 7th June: 2pm:
Meet at Spartans, Address: Ainslie Park, 94 Pilton Drive, EH5 2HF
Phone: Willie Black: 07515686421
If you wish to deliver in your own time. Please make contact with Lesley or Willie to determine where to deliver to.
Phone: Lesley Hinds: 07778413792 or Willie Black: 07515686421
This will require a minimum of 6 volunteers for each session working in pairs on each side of the street to put newsletters through people’s letter boxes in stairs that are accessible.
At the end please report back to the contact detailed for your distribution point.
Please wear comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing and bring a bag that is suitable for holding 100-150 leaflets.
Thank you for your interest in this and your contribution is invaluable.
Please contact Lesley or Willie if you have any further questions.
Heather Yang
Core Services Manager, Volunteer Edinburgh
FREE SCHOOL MEALS
information for parents and carers
from GRANTON INFORMATION CENTRE
Families of children from P4 to S6 who receive Free School Meals, and those in P1 to P3 who are entitled to clothing grants, will receive a fortnightly electronic payment during term time and the Easter Holidays equivalent to the cost of a school meal.
Payments are £22.50 per child every fortnight until further notice from 23 March.
All children in primary 1 to 3 receive free school meals if they are attending school, but not free milk or a clothing grant. In the present circumstances, those families won’t receive the £22.50 fortnightly payment unless they are eligible to get the clothing grant and free milk due to low income.
The criteria is the same as for P4-7s.
IT’s NOT TOO LATE TO CLAIM
Parents may still apply for the current academic year and, if eligible, awards will be backdated to 23 March, the start of school closures.
The eligibility for free school meals and/or substitute payment (including P1-3s) depends on the family’s income and they need to be in receipt of one of the following benefits:
Some families will get an automatic award for 2020-21 but others will have to apply when the time comes (they are not receiving applications yet).
Clothing grants applications closed on 31 March but will reopen for the next academic year later.
For more information and keep up to date with possible changes please visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolgrants
https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/food-clothing/free-school-meals-school-clothing-grants/1
UPDATE: Thomas has since been found safe and well
Police are appealing for information from the public to trace a man from the local area. Thomas Foley Smith (29) was last seen at the Cairn Hotel, Windsor Street around 12 noon on Friday (8 May).
He is described as being white with short brown hair. He has links to the Muirhouse and Abbeyhill areas
Members of the public are asked not to approach Mr Smith however Police Scotland would like to reassure people that considerable and extensive efforts are being put into locating him.
Anyone with information or sightings should contact Police Scotland immediately on 101.
Port of Leith Housing Association’s (PoLHA) £50,000 Covid Response Fund has provided 18 awards of between £500 and £2,500 to local charities and social enterprises that are rising to the challenge of alleviating the effects of the coronavirus epidemic on people living in the community.
Grants to six additional organisations are also being processed.
With a remit to fast track flexible access to grants where they will have the quickest benefits, the Fund has already helped provide emergency food provision for isolated or vulnerable people, purchased vital equipment to allow third sector staff to carry on supporting service users from home and helped a wide range of people (from older adults to school-age children) access vital online services and education during lock down.
PoLHA Group Chief Executive, Heather Kiteley, said: “Organisations across Leith and North Edinburgh seem to have adjusted to the new challenges created by lockdown astonishingly quickly.
“They’ve been able to change both the ways they are working as well as the nature of the services they deliver in a few short weeks or even days.
“We’re thrilled to be able to support the life-changing work of community organisations through our Covid Response Fund which is helping organisations to create and develop crucial new services, from emergency food packages for vulnerable people isolating at home, to helping older adults bridge the digital divide and keep in touch with people.
“We hope to secure more funding to support even more organisations in the weeks ahead.”
Elaine Brown from the Edinburgh Remakery, which received a £2,000 grant from the Fund to provide refurbished laptop computers for vulnerable people in Leith to help them access digital services and keep in touch with loved ones, said: “Thank you so much for supporting the Edinburgh Remakery.
“This grant will not only support us in these challenging times, it will allow us to help vulnerable people within Leith and north Edinburgh to stay connected.”
The Milan Senior Welfare Organisation, which provides a range of services for older people from South Asian communities in Edinburgh and Lothian to meet their social, cultural, recreational, language and care needs, received a grant to buy laptops and phones to help staff work remotely, issue newsletters to keep in touch with service users and also buy bags and containers for hot food deliveries.
Sophia Latif from Milan Senior Welfare Organisation commented: “Funding like this is a lifeline to charities like us, especially when processed in such a timely manner.”
West Pilton-based Fresh Start, which helps people who have been homeless to get set up in their new homes and settle in their community, received funding to support the most vulnerable individuals and families across Edinburgh by providing them with emergency packs of essential food, toiletries and cleaning products.
Freh Start’s Jen McQuistan said: “This funding will make a big difference to the people we are supporting, especially during these challenging times.”
All funds have now been allocated but PoLHA are very hopeful of securing more funding to distribute soon – keep an eye on www.polha.co.uk and on Twitter @PortofLeithHA /Facebook
Charity and community groups in North Edinburgh have joined forces to deliver over 11,000 free, healthy meals, toiletries and cleaning supplies to vulnerable individuals and families during four weeks of lockdown.
More than a dozen organisations have come together to form the North Edinburgh Covid-19 Foodshare Group, supporting those in food poverty or experiencing hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite launching only four weeks ago, the group has already coordinated community groups and volunteers to safely deliver a record number of healthy meals to those who need them most. It now aims to deliver over 15,000 meals each week, thanks to support from funders, donors and members of the public.
In just one week, more than 10,000 ready-meals and sandwich packs were delivered to residents in Muirhouse, Salvesen, Pilton, Granton, Drylaw and Telford, as well as more than 1,000 essential food, toiletry and cleaning supply kits.
A phoneline has also been launched to handle requests for assistance. Local residents in Muirhouse, Salvesen, Pilton, Granton, Drylaw and Telford can call 0131 356 0220, with the hotline open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.
Due to high demand, the group is asking funders and members of the public to help them reach more people living in food poverty by funds. All money raised will go towards supporting vulnerable people living in Edinburgh during the pandemic crisis.
To ensure deliveries were made safely, 100 charity and voluntary sector volunteers and keyworkers were trained in Covid-19 safety protocols by Scran Academy to ensure everyone adhered to government guidance on physical distancing.
Willie Black, Chair of West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre, said: “This is a truly remarkable effort. It’s a great demonstration of the power of communities pulling together, working in partnership to build a new future for north Edinburgh.
“It’s an extremely difficult time for vulnerable families and individuals across the city. They may have experienced homelessness, be elderly or socially isolated.
“Getting support out to them is our priority and we have been overwhelmed by the generous support of our funders and donors. But there is more to be done. We estimate that to meet the demand we need to deliver a minimum of 15,000 emergency packs per week.
“On the other hand, we are trying to manage our supplies to ensure we have enough to go around while this pandemic continues to affect us all.”
Residents who have already received packages from the Group have described the resource as vital for enabling them to feed their families:
Family from Muirhouse:
“My husband has lost his job, and we were 2093 in the queue to speak to someone at Universal credits, 14 hour wait, no money, no food. My health visitor referred us to Covid-19 Foodshare Group and they just appeared with food and packed lunches for us. I have never cried to see food to feed my kids, but I just have no money. They turn up every day with packed lunches and for the last three weeks a food parcel has appeared at our door.”
Muriel, elderly Drylaw resident. Husband in care facility:
“Many many thanks for your kind and considerate actions. To the staff, you have no idea, how your thoughts for older isolated people impacts on our daily life.
The comfort and solace it gives to us, when you are alone and can’t reach out to touch our loved ones is like winning the lottery, an absolute god send to me!
Thank you from the bottom of my Heart.”
Isolated resident from Pennywell:
“Please let the chef know that the mushroom soup was absolutely amazing and fandabbydozy!”
Family from Pilton:
“Both me and my partner are temporarily out of employment, with 2 kids at home. The first week we survived thanks to the kindness of a neighbour. I really appreciate the food packs and the different foods we are receiving now. It has saved us”.
Single parent from Granton:
“I want to send my appreciation first of all by sending you this message. You guys have helped my own household and my sons during this pandemic. I think we might have really struggled if it wasn’t for all the good work you guys are doing for the community, you are all amazing”.
