Where have the past two years gone? On 4th October 2018 in Victory Primary School there were lots of ideas on what the Community could do here once the children moved to their new school, then still in the planning stages.
We were warned that our dreams would take time and effort and there were delays. The new school building, first scheduled to be opened last August, will be completed one day despite, like so much else, being affected by Covid 19. We are working steadily on ways to promote a better normal as soon as we can. More on that next time.
Meanwhile the Heart of Newhaven Community with our iconic logo is steadily growing with people like you keen to support our programme of ideas.
This update comes hard on the heels of one you may have just received about Membership of our SCIO – Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. It’s a bit technical, so I’ll try to explain.
We registered the Heart of Newhaven Community SCIO SC049919, as the first step to qualify for the Community Asset Transfer of Victoria Primary School.
Our SCIO constitution allows different categories of membership and the letter sent recently showed which one we think fits you as you register, as I hope you will.
Depending on which category you fall into, membership will give you a vote at meetings and so enable you to have your say in deciding what happens.
The “Asset” (the whole of the current school site) to be “Transferred” will belong to the Charity on behalf of the whole community: so the name Heart of Newhaven Community is apt.
But it’s not just a place. The beating pulse of the whole community already exists in people – YOU! – living human beings. A really good way to help create what the name shows is to register on the form you’ve hopefully been sent.
If you have any questions about membership, haven’t had a letter, or think you received the wrong one, then you can find out more HERE on the website. If you’re still in doubt, please feel free to contact me directly at chair@heartofnewhaven.co.uk and I’ll try to help.
But you will also continue to receive this more general Mailchimp email at least every month unless you unsubscribe if you no longer want to be bothered. Surely not! This is how you can keep up to date.
I hope the next one will be more exciting but we are definitely not just dreaming the time away and the next two years should be very impressive.
Rodney Matthews Chair and Vision Facilitator, The Heart of Newhaven Community
Police Scotland is pleased to confirm that a woman found seriously injured in Laverockbank Road, Edinburgh, around 5.30pm on Sunday, 27 September, has now been identified.
Officers would like to thank everyone who got in touch as a result of our appeal to find out her identity.
Enquiries are continuing to find out what happened and anyone with information can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3537 of Sunday, 27 September, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Yesterday’s Appeal:
Police are trying to identify a woman found seriously injured in Laverockbank Road in Trinity.
Around 5.30pm yesterday (Sunday 27 September), the woman was found injured by a member of the public lying on the pavement.
Emergency services were called and she was taken to hospital, where her condition has been described serious.
Detective Inspector Jon Pleasance, Edinburgh CID said : “We are trying to establish the identity of the woman and are needing the assistance of the public in doing so.
“The woman is described as being about late 60s, between 5’ 5” and 5’ 7” in height with short grey hair. She has a dental plate with four teeth.
“She was wearing navy coloured trousers, a white coloured vest top, a teal coloured cardigan all from Marks and Spencer. She had a navy coloured raincoat and was wearing black shoes with a Velcro strap.
“She was wearing was a yellow and white metal ladies watch – Lorus brand. The only other possessions she had were four keys, two mortice and two padlock type keys on a brown leather fob with the word ‘Traidcraft’ written on it.
“At present we are trying to establish how this woman came about her injuries. We need to find out who she is so we can let any family members know where she is and that she is very unwell. I would appeal to anyone who can assist in identifying her or was in the area of Laverockbank Road area of Edinburgh yesterday afternoon to come forward.”
Information can be passed to Edinburgh CID via 101 quoting reference number 3537 of Sunday 27 September. If you wish to remain anonymous, then call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Leith resident Annette West has helped to raise £2,250 for sight loss charity RNIB Scotland after taking part in the Virtual Kiltwalk last Sunday.
Annette (above, left)was one of eight people who walked six miles along the Water of Leith, in two groups of four to maintain social distancing.
“I have experienced sight loss for over 30 years but have always been helped and supported by RNIB Scotland,” says Annette (60). “I just wanted to do the Virtual Kiltwalk to help give something back.
“I found the walk very easy and relaxing. I also found that pathway easy to get around as there was not too many steps. Socially distancing was only a problem when the path was narrow and when people in the opposite direction were trying to pass by. I think the route is very popular for walkers on Sundays.
“It was really good to meet up and spend quality time with friends before we all went back to our own lockdown homes. It gave me a sense of freedom by being out in the open. I also felt re-connected with nature and that it was great to meet other human beings.
“After the walk I felt that my spirits had been lifted and that going back home, I was mentally and physically in a good place.”
This year marks two decades of the Marine Conservation Society surveying and cleaning Edinburgh’s Cramond beach, with volunteers showing up year after year to support the charity’s efforts.
The Marine Conservation Society’s annual Great British Beach Clean is a crucial event that helps the charity keep track of plastic pollution, monitor the condition of coastal areas, and campaign for important policy changes. The work done by volunteers along Cramond beach, and the data collected, has contributed to a number of successful campaigns and policy changes to stop litter at source.
This year, the Marine Conservation Society needs more people than ever to organise their own small, private and local beach cleans. The Great British Beach Clean starts this week, running from 18th – 25th of September.
Cllr Lesley Macinnes, Environment Convener, said: “Our waste teams are all working really hard throughout Edinburgh to keep the city clean so we really appreciate seeing local people getting involved in these events and taking ownership of and responsibility for the environment they live in.
“Our staff will be supporting the event and making sure they have the equipment they need to be safe and we’ll dispose of the waste collected. We’ve noticed people have been dropping masks and gloves in the street as well as other litter, which can end up on our beautiful beaches, so please everyone, bin your litter or take it home with you.”
Max Coleman, Chair of Edinburgh Biodiversity Partnership: “Edinburgh’s shoreline provides a wonderful opportunity for contact with nature. As the problems of marine litter are now widely understood I hope record numbers of people will get involved with the Great British Beach Clean this September.”
Cramond’s coastal area is vulnerable to a build-up of plastic waste and debris given its position along the coastal causeway to Cramond Island. Commonly collected items have included thousands of wet wipes, plastic bottles, disposable barbecues and dog waste bags.
Over the last 20 years of beach cleaning and surveying at Cramond, over 1,200 dedicated volunteers have removed 197 bags of litter weighing over 950kg. This year, with the events running for a full week, even more litter can be collected and surveyed.
Calum Duncan, Head of Conservation Scotland at the Marine Conservation Society:“Whilst the ongoing tide of rubbish and plastic could be demoralising, over the years there has been a huge swell in public support for our projects. To see the public pushing for, and enthusiastic about, transformative change has instead been inspiring and motivating.
“As a result of the data collected by our incredible volunteers we have helped secure Scotland’s carrier bag charge, a ban on plastic-stemmed cotton buds, Scotland’s Marine Litter Strategy and the Deposit Return Scheme for cans and bottles due in 2022.”
To become a Beachwatch Organiser please visit the website here.
Find information on the Source to Sea Litter Quest here.
For more information or to contact the Marine Conservation Society please visit www.mcsuk.org
An STV item about our plans went out on the 6 O’Clock news bulletin on Friday (11th September). It included an on-site interview filmed outside Victoria primary School and was very upbeat.
Please pass the word around so that those who haven’t seen it can watch it on whatever catch-up services they have available.
We need you! Now the Hard Work Begins !
Anyone under the impression that it’s all over bar the shouting must think again. We’ve barely started!
In my last Update I was delighted to confirm that the City of Edinburgh Council had agreed to our request for the Community Asset Transfer of Victoria Primary School. But that word request is crucial. Without the Council’s agreement under the Community Empowerment (2015) Scotland Act no one could do anything.
Now no one can prevent us succeeding unless we ourselves fail – and we certainly don’t intend to fail. The important word here is WE because that includes YOU.
Why has the Council granted our request? The official statement on their website says:The community benefit is substantial compared to the value of the asset.The request will make a significant positive contribution to The City of Edinburgh Council’s aspirations and values.
We can now reveal “the value of the asset” – £785,000. But the Council can’t give it away. They need money from its sale to build the new school in Western Harbour. However, before they could put it on the open market they were required by the 2015 Act to offer it first to “the community”.
If we could show we would use it to meet their aims they would give us a discount. So they reduced the price by £85,000.
The £700,000 we will pay will help build the best Primary School in the Edinburgh whilst we go on to create Scotland’s first specifically dedicated Multigenerational Community Hub. That should make YOU feel very proudand very determined to succeed in the huge challenge ahead.
We’ve already started fundraising. We had to begin our Business Plan long before we succeeded in our CAT application – and before the challenge of a global pandemic.
Our charity, The Heart of Newhaven Community SCIO, has already applied to the Scottish Land Fund for the entirecost of purchase and fees. This Fund is provided by the Scottish Government to make grants for exactly the kind of thing we are doing.
But it is not a bottomless purse and there are many applications. We will know the degree of our success before the end of November but in addition to buying the site we need money for changes – including a lift to make the imaginative Heritage Suite more accessible.
We are working NOW so that if by next March the purchase is complete, an arrangement can be made for the children to continue to use it until their new school is ready.
Every stage needs planning, so we are preparing ways for the Heart of Newhaven Community to grow together, supporting each other to create that Better Normal that is going to characterise life after Covid19.
You will shortly receive a personal invitation to become closely associated as a MEMBER of our dedicated SCIO SC04419. But you needn’t even wait for that. A growing number of people are volunteering and asking “Is there anything I can do now?” You won’t be left waiting for long for an answer!
In fact, you could answer the question for yourself and tell us what you would like to do. Look at our developing website heartofnewhaven.co.uk to get a bright idea and tell us what you think.
Rodney Matthews
Chair and Vision Facilitator, The Heart of Newhaven Community
Officers at Edinburgh Road Policing Unit are appealing for information after a road crash in Pier Place, Newhaven on Tuesday (8 September).
At around 3.20pm on Tuesday afternoon, a 56 year-old woman was crossing the road in Pier Place when she was struck by a Triumph motorbike being driven by a 61 year-old man.
Police and Ambulance attended – the woman was taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where she is being treated for leg injuries. Her condition is described as stable.
The 61 year-old man was also taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he was released after treatment for a leg injury.
Officers at Edinburgh Road Policing Unit are appealing to any witnesses to the crash, or anyone with information to contact them. They would also like to hear from anyone driving on the road who has dash-cam footage.
Information can be passed to officers through 101 quoting reference number 2039 of Tuesday, 8 September, 2020.
The City of Edinburgh Council has officially approved the Application by The Heart of Newhaven Community for the acquisition of Victoria Primary Schoolby Community Asset Transfer.
The necessary contract is about to be drawn up for the whole site to be owned by our registered charity on behalf of the Newhaven Community.
I hope we’ve got to you first with this wonderful news, but the speed of the modern media bandwagon is such that you may well have heard this somewhere else already! However the news is still wonderful.
The contract with CEC will happen no later than 31st March 2021, and will include a clause providing lease-back to the Council until the new school being built in Western Harbour is ready for occupation.
When we take possession of this “Asset”, the Anchor Building will primarily house assessed and much needed nursery care and the whole site developed according to the imaginative plans of The Heart of Newhaven Community that have now been approved.
These include the layout of the Victorian Building to house a comprehensive heritage suite in which we hope Newhaven Heritage and other organisations devoted to interpreting local history will have a share and include a Victorian Schoolroom and Wee Museum.
At the beginning of last year we launched The Heart of Newhaven Community when it was clear that a wish to turn the school into an enhanced museum did not qualify to meet Council requirements for such a transfer.
The Council looked for an organisation that would represent the interests of what is technically called “the area of benefit”, which embraces the increasing population of Newhaven far greater than the traditional village: we know how big because we have delivered over 7,000 postcards to every household and business.
The Council is required to address many social needs, from the youngest to the oldest and including the marginalised. From the outset we consulted widely and produced a Business Plan with local partners, organisations and charities, to help meet the Council’s obligatory targets.
In the last Update I indicated that the Councillors representing the Wards in our catchment area unanimously approved our plans and recommended to the Policy and Sustainability Committee that our Application be approved. That was done at a meeting held on 20thAugust.
Well done and thank you to everyone for helping get this Application across the line.
The next stage, for which we are prepared, is to apply to the Scottish Land Fund for a major grant to help our capital commitment.
SLF has already awarded funding that enabled us to employ a professional Business Consultant, SKS Scotland, to draw up a Business Plan that would be sustainable even in the event of the kind of challenge we are now meeting because of Covid 19.
We have now demonstrated that our figures are still viable over the next five years. But the SLF also need to know that what we are proposing is supported not merely by key interest groups but by the whole community across the entire “area of benefit”.
That is why it is important to increase the number of people prepared to sign up to say, “Yes please, this is what we need for the future”.
The key is the development of a vibrant Community Hub, or as we put it, the beating Heart of Newhaven Community.
Please keep building up numbers by spreading the word of success, developing plans for a Better Normal with an emphasis on care within the community leading to the well-being of all, and especially those most in need.
And continue to volunteer your own services – some particular expertise or flair, a bit of time, an idea you think will help, either now or at some stage in the future as plans develop.
This is your Community. You are included.
The first task is accomplished and the next beginning. The show is on the road.It will be as good as you make it.
A voucher scheme encouraging people to visit shops, cafes and restaurants on Leith Walk will launch on Monday (24 August) as part of the Trams to Newhaven project, the city council has announced.
The council is offering shoppers and diners £10 for the price of £5 to spend in a range of participating venues through the itison deal, which is part of our £2.4m Support for Business measures during construction works.
They will also be relaunching the offer for businesses on Constitution Street next month, where vouchers sold out within days when they were first introduced in November 2019.
Main Trams to Newhaven construction work began on Leith Walk in June, following a pause to comply with Government guidance and to protect the safety of workers and residents during the coronavirus outbreak.
The council says they have worked closely with local traders along the route to develop the Support for Business package, which aims to maintain the area’s appeal, drive footfall and minimise disruption throughout construction.
This includes logistics hubs to help businesses get goods into and out of their premises, on-street customer service staff providing advice to customers and businesses and a digital ‘Open for Business’ marketing campaign. They are also working with Sustrans to introduce cargo bikes for service deliveries and moving goods around.
Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “We’re excited to be launching this phase of the itison voucher scheme, which will give an added incentive to visit the range of independent shops, cafes, bars and restaurants on offer in the area.
“We know that any disruption can be challenging for businesses, particularly paired with the trying circumstances in which we find ourselves in now. We want to do everything we can to help them to continue to operate, and flourish, over the years to come.
“This project is critical for the city’s carbon neutral future, where transport is sustainable, connected and accessible. We want its benefits to be felt by everyone and we’re working hard to make this happen.”
Over 70 Leith Walk bars, restaurants, cafes and shops have signed up to the itison voucher scheme, which lasts until 31 August. Customers can buy up to three vouchers at a time to use in any of the participating businesses. Vouchers for Constitution Street must be bought separately, and for specific businesses.
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said:“This is an excellent initiative to encourage customers to continue visiting businesses on Leith Walk and promote trade.
“Shops on the walk have been hit hard by the double blow of lockdown and the tram extensions, so making efforts to support businesses is very welcome.
“I encourage everyone to make the most of this offer and support local businesses.”
The city’s plan to regenerate Granton Waterfront has been shortlisted for the Scottish Design Awards 2020.
Selected as a finalist for the best Architecture Masterplan award, the Council’s development plan with Collective Architects sets out to boost affordable housing, transform streets to promote active travel and respond to the climate emergency in Granton. The award nomination recognises the project’s ‘fresh approach to creating a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable coastal quarter’ in Edinburgh.
Three further regeneration projects by the Council and city partners have also been shortlisted for the Scottish Design Awards 2020.
A housing development in Greendykes featuring modern, energy efficient Council homes has been nominated for the best new affordable housing award, while the restoration of the Edinburgh Printmakers and landscaping for the Calton Hill City Observatory renewal – both part funded by the Council – are also up for awards.
The winners are expected to be announced by the Scottish Design Awards at a virtual ceremony on 10 September.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Our City is growing and adapting and the new homes and communities being built are meeting the demands of our rising population and meeting our environmental responsibilities.
“We have one of the largest house-building programmes of any local authority and we’re making good progress towards our target of building new affordable and social homes. These homes are not only low carbon but are prioritising the wellbeing of current and future residents by ensuring sustainable communities and delivering high quality design.
“The £1.3bn transformational plans we have for Granton and our sustainable new homes in Greendykes are perfect examples of how we’re working to achieve this.
“Granton is one of the country’s leading sustainable developments and offers us the opportunity to work with the local community to create a new and eco-friendly waterfront neighbourhood, and it’s fantastic to see these projects nominated for national architecture awards.”
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: Our regeneration of Granton will deliver thousands of fantastic and much-needed new homes, creating countless new jobs and apprenticeships in the process.
“I’m looking forward to seeing us transform the area into the destination waterfront it has always deserved to be. We’ve also made a commitment to become a net-zero carbon city by 2030 and projects like this will help us deliver on that goal.
“We face big decisions about how we continue to regenerate parts of our City going forward, and recognition like this from the Scottish Design Awards – for how the Council is leading the way in sustainable, desirable new home design and supporting the restoration of incredible historic spaces – is very welcome.
“Now that construction can get back underway, we’re also seeing a number of other high profile sites take shape which will further reinvigorate derelict and underused parts of Edinburgh. We’re committed to building on this and our Choices for City Plan 2030 sets out a number of bold options for how our Capital can continue to flourish if we make certain planning, design and redevelopment decisions.”
The Granton Waterfront Development Framework offers a new approach to creating a vibrant, healthy and sustainable coastal quarter in Edinburgh.
Led by Collective Architects, the framework sets out an ambitious place-based, inclusive approach to regeneration which positively responds to the climate emergency.
It offers Edinburgh and the wider region the opportunity to make a step-change in how it develops in a sustainable, resilient and responsible way. Approximately 3,000 new homes of mixed size, typology and tenure feature in the plans alongside pedestrian-centred streets which promote active travel.
Anderson Bell Christie was appointed to deliver 75 new energy efficient homes for social and mid-market rent in Greendykes.
The result is a ‘Lifetime Neighbourhood’, appropriate for all generations and accessibilities with a community growing space, a communal heating system and building design with natural light, mental wellbeing and dementia friendly elements in mind. The site sits next to a new play park, providing excellent outdoor space for the family homes which are adjacent.
The Edinburgh Printmakers is located within the former headquarters of the North British Rubber Company.
The redevelopment project by Page/Park Architects has transformed a derelict building into an accessible multi-use arts complex centred around printmaking production. It features a visitor attraction with two galleries, shop, café, education space, an office, archives and large print studio, with many original materials retained or upcycled.
HarrisonStevens developed a concept design around constellations and planetary orbits to complement the restoration of the City Observatory on Calton Hill.
Working with the Collective Gallery’s artist in residence, Tessa Lynch, the design creates a sense of place and time, with landscaping to link up geological features with architectural, planting to illustrate the passing of the seasons and the use of traditional alongside contemporary materials.
The small Scottish charity Edinburgh Direct Aid has deployed a team of carpenters and other construction workers, trained in their vocational training depot in Arsal, Lebanon, to repair windows and doors destroyed by the recent blast in Beirut port.
Maggie Tookey, EDA’s international aid director, has arrived in Beirut to lead and plan the work. EDA is one of the very few NGO’s, so far, to begin actual repair work.
For over 6 years Edinburgh Direct Aid has been helping 50,000 Syrian refugees in Arsal, a small Lebanese town high above the Bekaa valley, near the Syrian border. All this aid has been passing through Beirut.
Now EDA has brought a team of Syrian refugees from Arsal to Beirut to carry out emergency repairs after the explosion at the port on August 4th. The team is drawn from graduates of construction courses at EDA’s vocational training centre in Arsal, which are run in partnership with the German “Green Helmets” organisation.
EDA and Green Helmets, are working together in Karantina, a poor residential area of Beirut near the port. Many living in this area have lost not only friends & family, but also their jobs at the port, & have suffered heavy damage to their houses.
While many NGOs in Beirut are providing food & medical supplies, or carrying out damage assessment, the EDA – Green Helmets team is one of very few (so far) actually working to shore up & repair houses.
The team brought with them woodworking & other machinery from Arsal, now set up in a marquee on some nearby waste ground, & is using its specialised skills to make & replace doors & windows & their frames as needed, & to carry out other repairs to ensure the traumatised local people have shelter.
Working conditions are grim. The need for precautions against coronavirus is ever prevalent; the midsummer heat is relentless; access to supplies & communications in the city is erratic.
MAGGIE TOOKEY, Edinburgh Direct Aid’s international projects director, is leading the team in Beirut. OnWednesday, she wrote from the scene:
“Beirut is complete chaos. It feels to have lost all its spirit but the strength of the continuing protests seem to belie that. Maybe it’s the depth of anger that everyone seems to hold, apparent in everyone I speak to about how the explosion and the economic collapse came to pass. The city seems to have no guidance and no authority to control anything. It’s almost lawless despite the state of emergency and the presence of the Lebanese army on the streets.
“Traffic congestion is the worst I’ve ever known. It takes me almost 2 hours to get to our work site near the port – a distance of 6 kilometres. I’ve now measured it. The army closes roads at random. Inside the city, thousands of volunteers are sweeping up glass and masonry and endless streams of small trucks come to take it away, choking up the narrow streets even more. Much of it gets left – swept into big piles in any corner behind houses and kiosks, probably destined to remain there for months/years.
Maggie’s ‘office’
“The port area which I pass every day, is a sort of Ground Zero. Nothing is recognisable in the blast area. A desert of twisted metal overlooked by huge and ruined silo towers, still standing but spilling out their contents to form a grain mountain.
“People come to stare in the evening when it’s cooler. They come from all over Lebanon taking selfies and endless pictures of the disaster. They come in big 4 wheel drive cars, blocking the roads and preventing those of us trying to get to work. It’s very hard not to get out and yell at them when stuck at a chaotic road intersection for 20 minutes unable to move. The police are useless. They do nothing. They’ve given up.
“The blast was terrifying. 50% of the force went out to sea towards Cyprus. The other 50% went deep into the city. God only knows what would have happened had the blast not been on a small peninsula by the sea.
“Karantina is an area of roughly 1 sq km, the nearest part being less then 500 meters from the epicentre of the blast. The community is mostly poor Lebanese and a few Syrian families. EDA, along with our partners, the Green Helmets, have set up a carpentry workshop with machinery brought from our base in Arsal and a team of EDA refugees trained in setting up shelters and repairing housing in Arsal.
“The workshop is on a patch of rough land by several blocks of 3/4 storey flats which have all suffered damage. As with many buildings the explosion blasted out windows and doors.
“There’s also some structural damage: we have an engineer in our team to check possible problems. Many men in these families are port workers; some were killed or injured and most have lost friends in the explosion.
“The team is making window frames, door frames on site in the makeshift workshop and every night, 2 of the team take turns in sleeping there to guard the valuable, rented machinery. We have a target of 200 windows but of course the need is endless. We will see how the project plays out in terms of funding. Right now it’s hot, hard, noisy work but the residents are delighted to get our help.
Meanwhile in Beirut the protests continue; sometimes the army fires off their guns to clear the streets which causes alarm when it’s close by.”
Edinburgh Direct Aid initial target is to repair 100 apartments at a cost of around $10,000. With more cash we could do much more, to help out not only with repairs in Beirut, but also in mitigation of the terrible effects of the hyper-inflation & lock down in Arsal.
To help pay for this work by refugees making some repayment for the sanctuary they have received from a desperately beleaguered country, donations can be made, please, at:
