Category: Newhaven

Heart of Newhaven: December newsletter

Welcome to your December Newsletter

Lottery Funding for Greening the Heart

We are thrilled to announce that we have received just over £7,000 from the National Lottery towards the greening of the Heart grounds.

The aim is to bring together people of all ages and from all walks of life to help not only with the greening work itself, but also to improve their own physical and mental wellbeing by being involved in the creation of a green and welcoming space.

Not only will the space look more attractive to visitors and local residents alike, but all the new planting will contribute to the “green lungs” of the city.

The first stage of the project, beginning on 1st March, engagement, gardening and landscaping opportunities as well as harvesting produce for use in the community teaching kitchen, is expected to last one year, but we have loads of plans for future improvements, which would involve more trees and reducing the amount of hard playground surfacing.

Watch this green space!

And if you’d like to get involved, contact lucymetcalfe@msn.com

More good news on the conservation works on the Victoria Building

As we have previously reported, funding has been awarded to us over the past year for significant conservation repairs to the Grade B Listed Victoria Building. As good stewards, we have prioritised some of the more urgent repairs to the stonework, roof, rainwater goods and windows and having tendered the project, we hope to start Phase 1 of the works in the New Year. So watch out for the scaffolding going up and the work beginning.

Of course we’re always on the lookout for more funding, or sponsorship, so spread the word, or if you can help our Operations Group with managing the upkeep or health and safety of the Heart, please get in touch as we would love to hear from you.

On the warm front…

Recent visitors may well have noticed a welcome rise in temperature inside the Victoria Building, especially with the cold weather outside. Repairs have been successfully carried out on the boiler which had originally been installed in 1983 and we are now feeling much warmer as we go about our work. We were even able to find the original engineer who installed the old machine and he was more than happy to come and look after it for us. Enjoy the warmth!

The Heart’s Christmas tree project

What would Christmas be without a tree? You may have heard that at the Heart we are planning to knit next year’s Christmas Tree!

The year-long project was unofficially launched this month (watch out for the official launch in January) as we decorated the Heart for this Christmas.

The idea came originally from a tree that was knitted in Norwich in 2012 and was displayed in prominent buildings to raise funds for Livability, a charity which cared for people in John Grooms Court in Norwich. Such was the success of the tree that they achieved enough money to provide a second lift for the building as well as an extension.

Now the Heart of Newhaven also needs a lift to provide access to the upper floors of the Victoria building, but we will similarly be partnering with local charities and are beginning with the announcement that Homestart, which helps families give children a good start in life will be one of our beneficiaries.

More will be announced in due course.

We’re going to need at least 5000 six-inch squares knitted or crocheted in any shade of green, as well as colourful decorations and adornments for the tree.

You have twelve months to get knitting, so don’t say we haven’t given you enough warning!

Contact norma.johnston@heartofnewhaven.co.uk for more information.

Coming up soon

Norma’s knitting and natter

Talking of knitting, there are three new knit and natter groups starting at the Heart next month from 9th January.

Bring your own knitting or crochet, or join in with the Heart of Newhaven’s exciting new project to knit the 16ft Christmas tree to go on display next year and raise money for our chosen projects.  We’ll give you more details next month.

Contact norma.johnston@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you’d like to be part of this exciting project!

The groups will meet on Tuesdays at 7.15 till 8.30 pm, Wednesdays from 9.30 till 12 noon and Saturdays from 9.30 till 12noon.

Start of regular Heart talks in January.

From local archaeology discoveries to water purity, from Newhaven witches to how to look after your own heart, watch out for an announcement on a new seasonal series of talks at the Heart. We’re creating a schedule of what we hope will be interesting talks which will take place on Friday afternoons in the spring beginning on the 26th January. Come and be enlightened and entertained. More news to follow.

Reminiscence

The next reminiscence sessions with our trained volunteers will be taking place on 21st December and 17th January, 10.30 – 11.30,  and will then move to a regular day each month. Watch this space for further details.

Thinking of running away to the circus?

Why not try out some practice sessions first?

The Kids Circus (thinkcircus.co.uk) has found a new home at the Heart, so young people between the ages of 5-8  and 8-11are invited to explore the world of juggling, hula hoop, poi, flower sticks, plate spinning and many other tricks while developing their balance, coordination and confidence.

We now have two Youth Circus Clubs, Teen Circus, running every Tuesday and Friday at the Heart: bookwhen.com/thinkcircus   Further classes soon.

Looking back

Remembrance weekend

Two events were held on both the Friday 10th  Saturday 11th November

Fair Saturday

Back on the 25th November we got together to celebrate community and culture.

Interested in caring for old heritage buildings?

Lastly, join us in creating a safe, welcoming hub for the whole community. We’re always on the look-out for new trustees and consultants, but we’d like to extend a special welcome to anyone who is interested in the maintenance in an old heritage site such as the Victoria Building.

It has so many special needs and with frequent changes in legislation, we could do with an extra pair of hands for advice or practical help.  

If you have even one hour a week to spare and you could walk around the site and lend a hand on health & safety issues, please contact linsay.miller@heartofnewhaven.co.uk.

This might suit anyone from a retired surveyor to a student studying estate maintenance, so come and talk to us if you think you could help.

Finally may we wish everyone a happy festive season and a very Guid New Year!

Make some New Year resolutions and join us in January.

SEPA: ‘98% of Scottish bathing waters continue to meet strict environmental standards’

WARDIE BAY RANKS ‘GOOD’ FOR WILD SWIMMERS

In 2024 98% of Scotland’s bathing waters will again meet or exceed the Sufficient classification – with 84% achieving the higher standards of Excellent or Good, says the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

This long-term positive trend for Scottish bathing water quality has been demonstrated in sampling and analysis carried out by Scotland’s environment regulator over the summer. 

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) work with regulated operators and stakeholders across the country and have driven millions of pounds of investment to bring about changes needed to make our bathing waters a success story. 

For the 2024 bathing season Scotland’s bathing water classifications will be:   

  • 38 (43%) Excellent  
  • 37 (42%) Good  
  • 12 (13%) Sufficient  
  • 2 (2%) Poor 


Ruth Stidson, SEPA’s Principal Scientist for bathing waters, said: “Scotland started this bathing water season with more bathing waters than ever and a record-breaking number rated excellent. I’m delighted to say we’ll start next year just as strongly.  

“Our bathing waters have the best water quality since 2015, when tighter standards first came into force.  We now have an additional five designated bathing waters where we monitor water quality to protect human health. Over this time those with the highest excellent classification has increased from 17 to 38, and the number with a poor classification has fallen from 17 to two.  

“Being outdoors can provide many physical and mental health benefits. Our beaches offer opportunities for physical activities and social interaction and earlier this year I saw personally how much having a designated bathing water meant to the local community at Wardie Bay. 

“SEPA’s monitoring data has provided crucial evidence to drive millions in investment and we’ve worked with businesses, farmers and land managers across the country to help them understand how they can make changes to protect water quality.

“All these successes show that, while it can take time to see big improvements, they are possible – and SEPA will keep monitoring, reporting, enforcing, encouraging and challenging for the future of our water environment.” 

Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan said: “Scotland now has the highest number of designated Bathing Water sites ever, with the vast majority classified as good or excellent.

“This demonstrates the benefits of our continued investment in protecting and improving bathing waters across the country. However we are not complacent and will continue to work closely with SEPA and Scottish Water to monitor and improve water quality, to make sure that as many people as possible are able to enjoy them.” 

Success stories for 2024 

Scotland’s newest bathing water, Wardie Bay in Edinburgh, will be rated as Good for its first classification in 2024. The location was designated by Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition, Màiri McAllan, following an application from Wardie Bay Beachwatch and The Wild Ones  

Just along the coast in East Lothian, the first bathing water in Scotland to be re-designated will also be classified as Good. Fisherrow Sands was de-designated in 2020 following five years of Poor classifications.

It was re-designated following work between SEPA, the Scottish Government, Scottish Water, East Lothian Council and wider stakeholders to drive improvements. Over £3 million has been spent on works to upgrade wastewater pumping stations, resolve multiple misconnections and make improvements to the sewer network to reduce spills.   

Future challenges 

Pressures on bathing waters can include overflows from the drainage network and misconnections from homes and businesses.

Agricultural run-off and bacteria from dog fouling and gulls can also be factors. Some sites have a legacy of complex inter-linked issues that need individual assessments and unique solutions. 

The two bathing waters with a Poor classification, Kinghorn (Harbour Beach) and Lower Largo, both have ongoing improvement plans in place.  

Kinghorn (Harbour Beach) had been achieving Sufficient after previous work was carried out by Scottish Water. Following a Poor classification last year, an enhanced monitoring program has been carried out to identify potential sources of pollution, SEPA will continue to work with regulated operators and stakeholders to explore solutions to improve water quality at this location.  

At Lower Largo, SEPA has required Scottish Water to conduct comprehensive studies into the sewerage infrastructure to identify any necessary upgrade requirements.

Surveillance and monitoring has included CCTV and flow surveys of the sewer network; intensive water quality sampling of the sea and watercourses; a survey (via boats) to map the seabed; tidal current profile and dispersion testing to understand how discharges disperse to the sea and nearby rivers.

This work also identified some misconnected properties, which have now been connected to the public sewerage system correctly. 

Significant further work and investment are ongoing towards achieving the infrastructure improvements in the Lower Largo area necessary to bring about improved bathing water quality.  

November News from Heart of Newhaven

Autumn is truly upon us and with autumn comes tidying up the garden. Here at the Heart, a volunteer team from British Gas worked hard in the grounds last month and seemed to enjoy themselves – they want to come back next year anyway!

Tools  were borrowed from the Tool Library and a tremendous amount was achieved: encroaching vegetation on the decking behind the Anchor Building was cut back and part of the decking covered in chicken wire to prevent slips; hedges were trimmed, litter was picked and rotten planters and sheds were demolished or righted as necessary.

A van load of prunings was removed, but there was still a lot of green waste.

Some of this was chopped into rubble bags and the rest was piled out of sight next to the garden shed. Perhaps we can make a bug hotel out of it.

There’s still work to do, of course, including digging out the mugwort and finishing the chicken wire, so if you’d like to get involved, remember that the gardening group meets every Thursday morning, from 10 till 1

.Remember too to dress for the weather! It is autumn, after all.

Halloween ceilidh

Autumn also means that witches, fairies, ghosts and pumpkins  were to be found reeling and wheeling at our Halloween Family Ceilidh on Saturday 28thOctober.

Head witch Norma was in charge of proceedings, ably assisted by under-witch Leslie, who looked after the dooking for apples while both children and adults had their faces painted by Ailie, and were fed by loads of spookily decorated biscuits and cakes supplied by Lesley and the Ukrainian Spiders.  

There were plenty of other helpers on hand to assist and everyone commented on the warmth of the event and how family-friendly it was. Don’t miss the next one!

Oyster Day Celebration

Around 70 people came along to celebrate the native oyster and took part in Restoration Forth’s marine-themed craft activities on Saturday 21st October.

They were treated to a performance by the Newhaven Choir and were able to learn the fascinating history of oysters in Edinburgh and catch up on what is being done to restore the oyster beds and the health of the river Forth.

Photos: Espen Helland

Coming up:

Fair Saturday, 25th November

Every last Saturday of November, the day after Black Friday, people in different parts of the world join together by supporting a social project of their choice. Here at the Heart we will be joining in and promoting fairness and social equality through our various offerings.

Come along on Saturday 25th and look at the tremendous amount of objects recently made or repaired by the Men’s Shed. They will be for sale at fair prices.

Similarly, the History of Education Centre will be offering many surplus objects from their collection, such as old school posters and books, in return for donations.

There will be plenty of other offerings. Come along, have a cuppa and investigate.

Cyrenian Lunch Club, Mondays

Starting on Monday 6th November, and running weekly thereafter, the Cyrenian Lunch Club will be taking place at the Heart from 12.30 till 2pm. The Cyrenians try to tackle the causes and consequences of homelessness and the launch of the new lunch club is simply one part of that. The lunches are free and open to all.

They’ll be serving a nutritious two-course meal along with tea/coffee. Some weeks there will also be entertainment to enjoy. Simply turn up.

There’s no need to book unless you have specific dietary requirements they need to know of in advance, in which case contact amandasomerville@cyrenians.scot or call 0131 554 3900

New Pilates classes

We have a new offering on Saturdays at the Heart. Kirsty Pollock is offering Community Pilates for beginners/improvers and complete beginners on Saturday mornings.  Contact Kirsty at kpollock008@gmail.com or call her on 07842657411.  Classes start at 10am and 11am. You can just drop in and try it or sign up for a block of classes.

Folk Club

Leith Folk Club have made their regular home with us and their next gig is coming up on Tuesday 7thNovember. This event is part of a special John Renbourn Project Tour and will feature guitarists Clive Carroll and Dariush Kanani. Doors open at 7.30 for an eight o’clock start and remember it’s not just for members. Anyone is welcome.  Tickets on the door. Check their website for more details.

Reminiscence

Come along and share your memories with the Reminiscence group.

Next dates are 23rd November and 21st December, 10.30 – 11.13.

Free to attend, with a different theme each time.

Coffee at the Heart

Join us for a cuppa and biscuits on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, 9  – 12.  Remember that on Wednesdays Ace-It will be there with free advice and support for problems with your laptop, phone or tablet.

Ginger

Children’s show at the Heart.

We are looking forward to seeing a performance from partners, Tortoise in a Nutshell.

Saturday 2nd December

Performances at 10.30 – 11.30am and 1.45 – 2.45pm

Cost: ‘Pay what you think’

Ginger tells the tale of a misshapen gingerbread man ,discarded and marked for the bin. We follow Ginger a he tries to find his place in a kitchen where all confectionery looks the same.  

Dynamic puppetry, multi-sensory performance and immersive soundscape combine to create an anarchic adventure for families and 3-7year olds.

Ginger on Vimeo

Wine Tasting Night

Tickets are extremely limited and are online only.

£15 per person (plus Eventbrite booking fee).

Tickets available via this link https://tinyurl.com/4ee4955c

Saving Pride Bridge: Sustrans support gives hope to campaigners

Efforts to save Leith’s much-loved Lindsay Road Bridge (also known as Pride Bridge) have moved a step closer thanks to a funding award through Sustrans’ Places for Everyone programme.

The 1930’s bridge, originally built for vehicular traffic, was closed off to motor vehicles in 2008 and has since served as a key walking, wheeling, and cycling route over Hawthornvale Path. In 2021 community members painted the bridge in rainbow colours, leading to it being named locally as the ‘Rainbow’ or ‘Pride’ Bridge.

In December 2021 the bridge, which is at the end of its lifespan, was closed due to concerns around health and safety.

Council officers have since made a successful application for Transport Scotland funding through Sustrans for the design of a replacement bridge deck, with £232,700 awarded. A designer will now be appointed to progress the design, to be developed in consultation with stakeholders and the community.

This process is expected to last a year and, once it’s complete, officers intend to apply to Sustrans for 70% of the construction funding required to build the bridge.

The work will be delivered alongside the Leith Connections project which is making improvements to community spaces and providing better connections for anyone walking, wheeling or cycling through the streets of Leith.

The Leith Connections project was awarded funding through Places for Everyone, an active travel infrastructure programme backed by Transport Scotland and administered by Sustrans.

Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: I’m delighted that this funding award gives new hope for the future of Pride Bridge.

“This structure is a local landmark, a link to Leith’s industrial past and a reminder of the pandemic, but above all else for me it is a celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride. It also provides a safe and convenient walking and cycling route between North Fort Street and Newhaven area.

“Thanks to all those involved who have campaigned for its preservation.”

Kasper Schwartz from Sustrans said: “The Pride Bridge serves as a vital walking, wheeling, and cycling connection for the people of Newhaven.

“It not only provides a direct and accessible link to local shops, businesses, and public transport in the area, but also stands as a vibrant symbol of community resilience.

“We’re excited to be able to support the design and development of a new bridge deck, and in due course, see this important link reinstated.”

Róisín Thérèse from the Save the Pride Bridge campaign said: “We are delighted to hear that Sustrans has agreed to fund a full design with community consultation.

“We believe the Pride Bridge to be a very important piece of local history and heritage, an essential safe and accessible active travel route, and a much loved community space.

“We also believe that, especially in light of rising hate crime statistics, it is really important for us to show both our solidarity with the LGBTQ community and our commitment to their safety and inclusion.

“The Save The Pride Bridge group is looking forward to working closely with the council to find a suitable solution to restore this important local landmark.” 

Members of the Transport and Environment Committee will receive an update on the funding award on Thursday (12 October). Watch committee live via webcast from 10am.

Heart of Newhaven: October News

WELCOME TO YOUR OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

AGM

Thank you to everyone who came along to our second AGM. You are the community and you have a say in what is happening at the Heart. Judy Crabb as Chair opened the proceedings, welcomed everyone, thanked all staff, volunteers, trustees and volunteer consultants and gave a short presentation on the highlights of the last 12 months.

Images on the website for those who were unable to attend.

Andrew Waldie presented the accounts and explained that he was now stepping down. Judy thanked him for the very significant contributions he has made to the work and progress of HoNC. He will be missed but it is time for him to move on elsewhere.

As per the constitution Member Trustees appointed by the Board – since the last AGM, Sarah Harvey and Lynne Porteous, stepped down. They put themselves forward again and were elected.

Co-opted trustees, Christine McDerment, Lindsay Millar and Richard Thomas stood down, offered themselves to rejoin and were duly elected.

At the Board meeting that followed the AGM, the following office bearers were elected: Judy Crabb as Chair and Richard Thomas as Secretary. You can find a complete list of all board members on the website.

Those attending were able to inspect the new Community Teaching Kitchen which has been installed and appeared to be very impressed. Mwamba have already used it for their Conversation Cafe, Newhaven Friendship Group had a demonstration of air fryers there and Cyrenians are to use the facility when they begin to operate a Lunch Club at The Heart from November.

Doors Open Days

Visitors on Doors Open weekend (23rd and 24thSeptember) were impressed with the changes and progress that have been made in the Heart. Around 4-500 people came through the doors and enjoyed tours of the site and chatting with trustees. Lots of people had a chance to see the beautiful Ink on Mesh Studio and to see all the works being created there.

Many spent quite some time in the Victorian Schoolroom and the adjoining Heritage Suite, now available for visits, enjoying looking through old photograph albums and appreciating the various collections on display.  

Others met our resident Ukrainian group, the Edinburgh Spiders to find out all about their project to support those on the front line.

The weekend also saw the last days of the 100 Species exhibition in the Atrium and Anchor Building. While a display of photographs of the many contributions were on display in the Atrium, larger objects and more photos were on show in the Anchor Building, including a full-size reimagining of a Newhaven Fishwife by Karen Bates incorporating two creels which had been kindly donated to the Heart’s heritage collection.

Head of Marine Conservation Scotland, Calum Duncan, described the sensation on entering the display as a “ wonderful, inspiring exhibition like Neptune’s grotto when I walked in”.

Funding

The Heart would like to thank recent funders for their contributions. We have been granted £10k from the Pilgrim Trust and £25k from Historic Environment Scotland as contributions to the costs of emergency repairs to the Heart – basically much needed repairs to the roof and windows.

We are currently out to tender and hope the work can start before the end of the year.

A big thank you also to the trustees of the Leith Community Fund who have agreed a grant of £5k towards the Heart of Newhaven Dementia  Meeting Centre.

Duke of Edinburgh participants

We are pleased to welcome a growing number of local youngsters taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, who are now volunteering at the Heart.

They will be attending on Saturday mornings to welcome visitors and conduct tours of the site while honing their various skills by helping in crafting sessions with even more visiting youngsters.

An appeal for crafters who would like to come on Saturday mornings to teach young or old, including our Duke of Edinburgh award volunteers: we’d welcome more crafters who know how to knit, crochet, card-make as well as share any other similar skill.

Do come and share your creative enjoyment. We’d like to encourage adults attending any classes such as Zumba to bring their children and we shall keep them entertained and busy with any crafts we can offer.  

Contact norma.johnston@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you would like to participate.

Coming Up Soon

Autumn Family Ceilidh. Saturday October 28th, 2pm.

Our first one proved very popular with everyone, so there’s another coming up soon. Contact admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you would like to buy tickets and if you have any unwanted gifts you could donate as raffle prizes.

Call 0131 380 3504 for tickets.

Sharing the past

Our reminiscence volunteers have confirmed their dates for the next few months, so do make a note of them if you would like to come along and chat or share any memories  :

All sessions will be on a Thursday at 10.30-11.30 am.

19th October

23rd November

21December

18th January

22nd February

STOP PRESS:

Make a Noticing Journal – a book binding & writing workshop for adults

10am – 1pm,Saturday 18 November

Mindfulness journaling has many benefits, including reducing stress, improving mental clarity, and increasing self-awareness – intrigued? This could be the workshop for you!

Join local Bookbinder Cass Barron and Writer/Artist Julie Galante to make your own ‘noticing journal’ and explore a mindful approach to journalling.

Please contact Cass asap at bookbindingwithcass@gmail.com to reserve your place – – places will be issued on a first come, first served basis as we are limited to a class of 12.

And finally

Our culture & heritage lead, Christine, is keen to gather a few willing helpers around her who could assist in some projects which are being planned.

One would involve research in the Central Library, another requires someone with some computer skills.

There will be various opportunities.

Contact christine.mcderment@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if would like to get involved.

WHAT’S ON AT THE HEART

Macmillan Coffee Morning hosted by Deidre Brock and Ben Macpherson

FRIDAY 29th SEPTEMBER at HEART of NEWHAVEN

Deidre Brock MP and Ben Macpherson MSP are hosting a Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on Friday 29 September. The event will run from 10.30 am – 12 noon in the Anchor Room West at the Heart of Newhaven Community Centre.

All are welcome to come along and join them for a cup of coffee or tea, to help raise funds for a vital cause. Newhaven Connections Cafe will also be offering some delicious cakes, traybakes and other treats. 

If you’d like and are able to contribute, you can make a donation via the event page, with all proceeds going directly to Macmillan Cancer Support through JustGiving – there will also be a donation box there on the day. Every penny will go towards helping people affected by cancer live their lives as fully as possible.

Deidre Brock MP said: “Many of us have personal experience with the challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis, either first-hand or through our family and friends.

“I know the support offered by Macmillan has been an invaluable lifeline for lots of folk in the constituency during difficult times. So come along for a blether and a cuppa, and let’s raise some money for a fantastic charity.”  

Ben Macpherson MSP said: “Along with my colleague, Deidre Brock MP, we are grateful to Macmillan for what they do to support people in the constituency, and across the country.

“Cancer can affect anyone at any time and the support that Macmillan provides can be life changing. Please do come along on Friday 29 September at 10.30am to the Heart of Newhaven to have a cuppa and a chat, and if you can, consider donating to this invaluable organisation.”

https://coffeefundraising.macmillan.org.uk/fundraising/cm23012306?fbclid=IwAR0jbEpDhkzws0d53TPFNLlBApZChGqwNsDm_yx0cIZ075K99sk9p1okQcU

https://www.facebook.com/events/648992663856654

News from Heart of Newhaven

Instead of a September newsletter, we’re taking a short break and in its place we’re sending you this reminder for all members and everyone interested in how the Heart is being run, that the Heart of Newhaven Community 2023 Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday 9th September at 2pm.

There will be a short presentation from the chair and on opportunity to ask questions. 

Registered members who live within the area of benefit will be able to vote and elect new Board members.

Come along and take the opportunity to talk to some of the current Trustees and find out what has been happening over the last year as well as what the plans are for the future.
You can also register your interest in becoming a volunteer at the Heart.

AGENDA – click here

If you are unable to come and would like to vote, please nominate a proxy to vote on your behalf.  Email agm@heartofnewhaven.co.uk to register.  
 

Coming up soon:

Leith Folk Club will be holding their next event on Tuesday 5th September and it will feature the Sandy Brechin QuaTrio. 

Restoration Forth

The Heart will be hosting the Edinburgh Shoreline exhibition from Saturday September 16th until the 24th.  Come and see the art made by people along the Forth – also as a preview pop in for coffee any Wednesday or Saturday morning and see photographs of all the artworks on display.

Doors Open Days

The Heart and its associated buildings will be open from 10am until 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday, 23rd and 24th September, for Doors Open Days.

The Victorian Schoolroom and Victorian Home Life Exhibit will also be open for visits.

Doors Open Edinburgh 

October Family Ceilidh – the 28th Oct 2pm, come and join us for another family ceilidh – this is Halloween themed. with prizes, games and refreshments.
Tickets available by dropping into the Heart on a Saturday morning. 

What’s On

Keep an eye on the notice boards as well our What’s On page for regular sessions, classes and events. 

Heart of Newhaven: August newsletter


Welcome to your August newsletter
Visitors from Singapore

The Heart was delighted to be able to host a visiting delegation from Singapore last month. The visitors, around 20 researchers from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, were on a fact-finding trip hosted by DTAS (Development Trusts Association Scotland) and requested that the Heart be part of their itinerary.

Around two dozen visitors therefore enjoyed a delightful lunch at the Heart, followed by guided tours of the site with some of our trustees, and ending with an informal question and answer session before leaving for their next port of call.

They wanted to know about the community right to buy such assets as the Heart and how we are now funding and running it for the community and what they learned will feed in to their Future Ready Society Conference in Singapore.

First Dementia Tea & Blether

Our dementia worker Valeria hosted her first official Meeting Centre event last month with a good-sized turnout of interested adults, carers and volunteer helpers. Tea, coffee, biscuits and a delicious home-made cake were happily consumed over discussions of old photographs from the Heart’s heritage collection and a few intriguing items from the Victorian Schoolroom.

Attendees had an informal tour of the ground-floor heritage displays and the event finished with much laughter as participants tried their hand at quoits or beanbag throwing – both much more difficult than they would appear to be!



There will be further monthly meetings and the next one is scheduled for Wednesday 30th August. Contact valeria.lembo@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you’d like to attend.

Local glass artist

Juli Bolanos-Durman  paid a visit to the Heart recently, when she was thrilled to be able to claim many of the excess scientific glass objects from the History of Education Centre.

She will use the old test tubes, flasks and rods to create new glass sculptures.  HEC was equally thrilled that their old glass would be saved from landfill and used to produce new artwork. Watch this space for photos of the finished pieces.

Coming up soon

The Heart will be hosting an exhibition for Edinburgh Shoreline next month.
This will be a week-long exhibition, open to the public from Saturday September 16th and running until the 24th.

The 16th is the date for the deployment of oysters in the Forth, an historic event.

AGM

Important date

The Heart of Newhaven Community’s AGM will be held this year on Saturday 9th September, at 2pm.  

Please check whether you are a member or not as we must update our records every year.

You may be signed up to receive the newsletter, but not be a member.

If you are a member, you will receive your official notice next week
and be told what the next steps are. 

The AGM would be an ideal time to step up and join the Board.

We need new volunteers to join us, particularly if they have financial experience of any kind. If you would be interested in helping, contact Judy,Crabb@heartfnewhaven.co.uk or andrew.waldie@heartofnewhaven.co.uk

You can also find more details at https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/opp/heart-newhaven-community-trustees or https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/opp/heart-newhaven-community-treasurer

The AGM would also be a great time to start getting more involved with the running of the Heart. We’re always on the look-out for more volunteers on the ground and there are many ways of lending a hand, whether it’s by manning the welcome desk at specific times, providing IT or comms support, stepping forward to help organise events or sharing your own particular skills or expertise in so many ways.

Do say hello to one of our Trustees and offer to help in whatever way you can.

Work with Us.

We have a vacancy for another part-time staff member.  This is a part-time (16hrs per week), fixed-term role for six months but it could evolve into a permanent position. Check out the specifications on the website –

New Teaching Kitchen

Watch out for big changes in the Victoria Building, coming up soon.

There have been delays to the installation of the promised new teaching kitchen, the hold-up being unexpected additional costs having to be met, but the work will begin in the next couple of weeks.

We apologise in advance for any disruption caused, but rest assured the finished amenity will meet all sorts of community demands.

More changes

You’ll be seeing lots of young faces around the Heart from now on, with the new childcare facilities starting in the Anchor Building this month.

As we explained in the last newsletter, Daddy DayCare are moving in, so welcome to our new young users. Have fun!

New partner NEECS

Finally, welcome to our new partner, NEECS, North East Edinburgh Counselling Service. NEECS was established in 1995 and provides free one-to-one professional counselling for young people and adults who are experiencing poor mental health.

You’re invited to their upcoming AGM and the ‘house warming’ of their new premises on the first floor of the Victoria Building on Thursday 24th August.

This will be their first in-person AGM since the pandemic and an opportunity to see their new room at The Heart. The day will start with coffee & cake from 9am, then starting the AGM at 9.30am in one of the meeting rooms in the Anchor Building in the playground.

WHAT’S ON AT THE HEART














Heart of Newhaven: July News

It’s July: a year since we got the keys to the Heart, a year to celebrate!

Summer is well and truly with us, and of course summer often means there is less happening, as everyone takes advantage of the good weather and the school holidays. So things have gone a little quieter at the Heart too, but that doesn’t mean there’s no news at all.

We have splendid news on the childcare front.

Daddy Daycare Edinburgh are opening a new childcare service at the Heart in August. They are providing after-school care for Trinity and Victoria primary schools and will be providing holiday clubs for all school children starting in October.

They have an open afternoon on Tuesday 15th August so check out their website to find out more:

www.daddydaycareedinburgh.com or call 0131 5168876.

News from Restoration Forth

The Ecology Centre is running a seagrass seed survey on 8th July to investigate the reproductive state of the seagrass meadow on Burntisland Sands where participants can expect to further their seagrass knowledge and develop skills in ecological surveying. These events are limited to 12 people each, so register your space by visiting The Ecology Centre’s What’s On page.

Where: Burntisland (Beacon Leisure Centre) 11:10am – Registration: www.theecologycentre.org/whats-on

For those of you who have been involved in the project so far, there will be a creative social event at the Royal Botanic Gardens on Sunday 9th July. Come along and meet others who have been taking part and create some Restoration Forth artwork together.

Where: The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh – Registration: Eventbrite

Contribute to Heart Events

We continually receive questions about what is happening at the Heart. Well, that may be one question that you can answer. Trustee Norma Johnston leads the community projects team and would like to hear from you. Get in touch with her and join her band of local volunteers who are brainstorming ideas and helping organise events. It’s your community hub, so have a say in what happens in it. Contact Norma at norma.johnston@heartofnewhaven.co.uk

Dementia-Friendly Tea & Blether

On Wednesday, 5th July we hosted a themed conversation over a cuppa to imagine and create the new Dementia Meeting Centre, set to open in The Heart.

Meeting Centres are local resources where people living with dementia, unpaid carers, and families can access friendly, community-based support designed around their needs. They provide a social space where people with dementia and their loved ones can meet others and participate in activities they enjoy, based on their interests.

The event was attended by a group of 12, including volunteers, HONC staff, people living with dementia, and family members. The chat focused on getting to know one another and interest was expressed in gardening, themed conversations with tea and cake, games like bingo, dominos, or walking football, music, dance, and arts activities.

We had some good laughs and enjoyed eating Lesley’s delicious, home-baked muffins. The suggestions from this will inform our next programme of dementia-friendly activities at The Heart. 

We will meet again on Wednesday, 26th July, from 2 to 4 pm. If you have just received a diagnosis of dementia or are waiting for one, if you are a family member or a friend of a person living with dementia and would like to join, please get in touch!

We are also accepting donations to help purchase the games and art materials that would allow us to run our future dementia-friendly social activities. For any donations, expressions of interest, or questions, contact valeria.Lembo@heartofnewhaven.co.uk

Thank You Bright Green Environmental Solutions!

The Heart of Newhaven Community is incredibly grateful to Keirin Burns from BGE Solutions for the donation of 12 brilliant new chairs. They not only cater to the different access requirements of our visitors who attend our community activities but they are beautiful. We have already received positive feedback from those who have tried them out, and they find them very comfortable.

We would also like to extend ourgratitude to Fenella Kerr, a member of the Dementia Meeting Centre Advisory Group of The Heart of Newhaven, for connecting us with BGE Solutions.

More info on BGE Solutions at: https://www.brightgreenenvironmentalsolutions.com/

Around the Heart

With all the hot, sunny weather, our volunteer gardeners have been busy watering all the plant containers scattered about the grounds.

Here’s volunteer Judy Gray tending to some of the pots and lovely planters created by members of the Men’s Shed. You can order a planter for yourselves if you contact Men’s Shed in the Creel Building.

De-Cluttering

It may be summer, but some of our partners have been spring-cleaning. Some of them, notably the Men’s Shed and the History of Education Centre, will be holding a table top “sale” in the autumn when they will be offering up the gleanings from their tidying, but they are keen to start de-cluttering now, so get in touch with either of them and take the opportunity to pick up some excess tools, planters and other objects, old school scientific glassware perhaps suitable for vases or craftwork, or even illustrated books, all at bargain donation rates.

Get Creative

If you’re looking for something creative to do over the summer, then get in touch with our bookbinder Cass, who is running several workshops here at the Heart in July and August.

Choose from several different workshops  – Bitesize Bookbinding: Exposed long stitch binding, Bitesize Bookbinding: Case binding, Botanical Bookbinding mini retreat, Bitesize Bookbinding: Japanese stab Binding and Screen Print & Bookbinding, a 2-day collaborative workshop with Lorna Brown of Ink on Mesh.

They’re coming up at the Heart on 25 July and 1, 5 & 8, and 22 and 23 August. Just follow the link: https://bookbindingwithcass.com/in-person-workshops/  or email Cass at bookbindingwithcass@gmail.com

Finally, the next Leith folk club event is coming up on Tuesday 18 July, with young country singer Barbara Nesbitt swinging by as part of her UK tour.

The doors open at 7.30 for an 8pmstart. Advance booking isn’t usually necessary but it’s a good idea to drop a DM on the Leith Folk Club Facebook page to make sure they save you a seat.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and save the date: the 9th September will be our second AGM. What a year it’s been!

WHAT’S ON AT THE HEART