Gala Day!
After all the recent rain, we were thankfully blessed with calm seas and brilliant sunshine for Gala Day last weekend.
The Queen was crowned, the bands played, hundreds of visitors enjoyed the festivities and activities outside and a good time appeared to be had by all.
Many took advantage of the occasion to venture inside the Heart where they were greeted by tours, teas and interesting table displays.
Thank you to you all for coming and enjoying yourselves and a huge thank you to the volunteers who helped make it all happen.
See you next year.
Art in healthcare – The Landscape has changed.
Come in and visit our new exhibition which features artworks from the Art in Healthcare collection.
It’s a selection of works that celebrate people and place and in particular draws on themes of communities that grew from fishing villages, living by the sea and coasts.
Some of the works have been selected by local people through a series of workshops, and artworks have been added and expanded. This began with identifying local artists and works that came from the Newhaven, Leith and then expanding to wider Edinburgh areas.
You’ll find it all the way up the red stairs in the Heart if the stairs are difficult there is a qr code at the bottom which allows you to see a virtual version.
Come in and enjoy.
Grow
Gentle reader, after all the stimulation and hearts beating in expectation, it’s official and we can now tell you more about the recent filming in the Heart.
Sky has confirmed that GROW will air on the Sky Cinema channel next year. Bridgerton star Golda Rosheuvel leads in the family comedy about pumpkin-growing, neglected youngster Charlie (played by Priya-Rose Brookwell) and well-known British actors Nick Frost, Tim McInnery, Jane Horrocks and Alan Carr will also appear.
Golda Rosheuvel’s character, Dinah, finds Charlie, her lost niece, at an orphanage, aka the Heart, and takes her to her farm where she, and a field of pumpkins blossom.
Director John McPhail says “Grow is a joyous comedy about growth, nurturing and family, set in a world of pumpkin-obsessed, madcap characters but grounded in real relationships.”
We can’t wait!
Little Free Library
Our very own bookbinder, Cass (aka Bookbinding with Cass), has recently led an initiative to install two Little Free Libraries at The Heart of Newhaven, one for youngsters and one for adults. She had plenty of help from our other creatives so this has been a project with real, creative collaboration at its heart!
Leith Men’s Shed built and installed the library box structures, Susan Thomson, member of The Edinburgh Book Arts Group (which meets monthly at The Heart), worked with Cass to decorate the children’s book box and a mix of residents and members of the local community helped paint the black and white mural backdrop.
The community garden volunteers got involved with the design and Lorna Brown (Ik on Mesh) printed the design onto the box. The final step will be establishing a growing roof using donated plant cuttings inspired by the Sir Patrick Geddes quote – ‘By leaves we live’.
Cass would like to thank all those involved and give a special shout out to local resident Shona Littlejohn for her generous donation which covered the materials for this project.
Both Little Free Libraries have been created for you to use so we encourage you to take a book, read a book, exchange a book and/or donate a book – you can find out more about the Little Free Library network here, which currently includes over 175,000 Little Free Libraries in 121 countries!
Visit Cass’ website where you can buy prints to help fund the scheme, find out more about the Little Free Libraries or sign up to her various courses, –https://bookbindingwithcass.com/little-free-libraries/.
Gardening Drop In
If you’d like to get involved at the garden you’re very welcome to drop in on Mondays from 4-6pm or Thursdays 10.30am – 12.30pm. You can either dig in with the rest of the volunteers or you might just fancy finding out a bit more about what we have growing.
If you’d like to find out more please contact Hayley at :
or just drop in at the times mentioned above.
You may even find some herbs that need gathering!
Keep the date free:
The potatoes were sown in the community garden last month so mark your diary and come along on the 21st September for Tattie Fest. Expect creative activities, family friendly fun and lots of tatties!
Volunteers needed for a new project at The Heart
Our schooldays – memories and legacies Heritage tales from Newhaven, Trinity and Leith Harbour
The project will use the theme of ‘school days’ to connect via a series of workshops and events, people of different ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds to learn more about each other, and the changing local area by sharing their learning experiences.
A programme of activities will explore and creatively share these experiences. Participants will include pupils from our local schools and other community groups based around or within The Heart.
We will be working with highly experienced resident artists within The Heart, to deliver and develop these workshops, community events and a touring exhibition.
We are looking for volunteers for this project over the coming 18 months who would be interested in supporting this project specifically through:
- Helping to evaluate the project through information gathering from project participants and through your observation of workshops and events. This could include using recording equipment and interviewing participants. Full training and support would be given throughout the project.
If you are interested in this voluntary role and would like more information, please leave your contact details if you visit The Heart or email the school days Project Co-ordinator, Simone via email: simone.kenyon@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Heart Dementia Meeting Centre Update
The Heart Dementia Meeting Centre enjoyed a delicious bread making session recently, led by a member who is a keen and experienced baker. We are also excited to play host to the exhibition, now up in the lounge, from a collaboration betweenEdinburgh University and QMU celebrating five years of being bold: Bringing Out Leaders in Dementia. The nine panels on display show a range of poetry and images created in response to each creative session.
If you are awaiting a diagnosis, have recently been diagnosed with dementia or are living with mild to moderate dementia then the Heart Meeting Centre is for you!
Pick up one of our flyers or contact Jan Brown for an initial chat: jan.brown@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
June is Dementia Awareness Month and Meeting Centre manager Jan Brown will be hosting a Curiosity Café every Tuesday Morning from 11-12 noon in the Lounge for carers and families of people living with dementia and for folk who are curious about brain health in general and how to top up their cognitive reserves.
Finally, we’re celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Edinburgh Local Heritage Network (ELHN). The network was launched on the May 10, 2023 and was attended by HONC along with 16 representatives from a variety of other local community groups and now has 30 members.
The Lord Provost Robert Aldridge is Honorary President and the purpose is to develop and maintain partnerships between local heritage groups and with Council services, chiefly Archives, Libraries, and Museums and Galleries. Currently, the key focus of the ELHN is collaboration on the Edinburgh 900 programme with a focus on supporting local communities to celebrate this anniversary.
In connection with ELHN, the Heart was represented at the recent royal visit of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie. They were treated to a grand reception in the City Chambers and we were able to chat about our plans for celebrating Edinburgh 900.
We’re finalising these ambitious plans, centred on the history of Newhaven now, and will update everyone after the summer, when the real work will begin in earnest. Watch this space.
In the meantime, here’s a photo of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in the City Chambers, listening to Shionka Kamikaji-Inkster, who played the clarsach at the end of the event and another of some of the ELHN members at the event.
Victoria Park’s Bowling Greens Consultation Workshop! 
Review of previous proposals
Brainstorming and idea-sharing session
Comprehensive discussion
Confirm your attendance by sending an email to: