Category: Newhaven

Happy 15th Anniversary, NEN blog!

NEN PUBLISHED OUR FIRST BLOG POST ON THIS DAY IN 2011

The very first NEN blog post was published on this day in 2011. The post read:

Hello, and welcome to the brand new NEN blog.

For those of you not already familiar with the newspaper, we are a local community paper serving the North Edinburgh community. We’ve been here for over thirty years.

This blog, along with our new Facebook page and Twitter stream, represents our first foray into the world of social media.  We really want to encourage more participation, more questions and ideas from the North Edinburgh community – both online and offline – and hope that these new tools will help us to do that.

We already have a good website, where you can always find the latest edition of the printed newspaper. The blog won’t be replacing that, but will instead be there to show people the latest news about the area, and also to help us cover the current funding crisis we are facing as an organisation.

Above all, we want to include your input on the blog – be it ideas for stories, comments, pictures and events. So get in touch!

The NEN’s website was sadly deleted when funding ceased but our social media presence continues on both Twitter and Facebook and the blog is still going strong with 10 – 12 posts daily.

2025 was the NEN blog’s busiest ever year with 36,000 visitors. As I write this we’ve published more than 38,000 posts – all of these remain accessible online – and we’re currently on a run of publishing on 2749 consecutive days.

When the NEN office in Crewe Road North closed much of the NEN archive material was lost, but thankfully some of our picture library was salvaged and can now be found at granton:hub (Madelvic House), where the volunteer archive team has also collated all remaining hard copies of the North Edinburgh News newspaper.

Hopefully, between the physical archive and the NEN blog, you can find all you need to know about our community’s rich history – and we’re adding to that history every day!

Heart of Newhaven to livestream Christmas Lectures

For the first time, Heart of Newhaven is delighted to be an official livestream venue for this year’s CHRISTMAS LECTURES® from the Royal Institution.

Join us on the evenings of Thursday 11th, Saturday 13th, and Tuesday 16th December as we stream the lectures live from London.

Bring your curiosity and excitement — families from across the local area are warmly invited to watch the lectures come to life in real time and be among the first to uncover the mysteries of the Universe with Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock!

🎟 Free Events — Please Pre-Register

Although the events are free to attend, please help us manage numbers by pre-registering on our Eventbrite page

Each lecture is suitable for all ages, and you’re welcome to attend one, two, or all three evenings.

We hope to see you there! 🌟

Register

Wave of Words: New community group to launch at Heart of Newhaven

No Homework Discussion Group! 

Waves of Words is an idea for a community group where you don’t need to do any real “homework” but instead come along to share words, phrases, and ideas together, not to analyse them but to explore what they mean to us and what they awaken in us.

Interested? Then read on ….

We’re suggesting a weekly meeting that will be a space for gentle conversation, discovery and fun!

You can bring along something you’ve read – an article, a line in a book, a favourite poem, a social media post and share it if you’d like to – there are no right or wrong answers, only different voices and opinions

We’ll also share tea and treats, simple things to make every conversation a little sweeter!

If you’d like to find out more about this proposed group – or to contribute ideas of your own for a discussion group – please come along to the Heart on Saturday November 15th at 12.30 and share your thoughts. 

For more information or to ask any questions please contact Alessandra:

alessandra.gentili@heartofnewhaven.co.uk

Hopefully, the group can meet regularly from January onwards. Together, we can share meanings, stories, and feelings that language brings to life.

Dig, Create, Celebrate with Earth in Common this weekend

SATURDAY 11th OCTOBER from 10am – 1pm at VICTORIA PARK

Join us at our new crofts for a day of creativity, connection, and community spirit!

Meet the team behind the redevelopment of our urban space, get hands-on with soil investigations, hula-hoop making or simply come by for a chat with us and your neighbours.

Let’s shape the future of our space—together. 💚

🗓️ Victoria Park — Saturday, 11 Oct, 10am – 1pm

St Margaret’s Park — Saturday, 11 Oct, 10am – 1pm

Local Tesco store supports local hospice with five figure donation

As part of their ongoing commitment to the local community, a Tesco Superstore in Edinburgh has raised £19,382 for St. Columba’s Hospice Care through instore fundraising and other initiatives.

The store, located on Broughton Road, has spent eight years raising vital funds for the hospice, which provides people in Edinburgh with end-of-life care, as well as supporting their families.

Recently, members of the Tesco team took part in the 7 Hills of Edinburgh Challenge, a long gruelling walk of around 27km with over 700m of climbing involved, in which they raised nearly £2,000 for the hospice alone.

In September, the team will be taking part in the famous Edinburgh Kiltwalk, part of Scotland’s largest mass participation walking event with over 178,000 people taking part since 2016.

Year-long fundraising in store includes a book donation point, which was started by store colleague Caroline Phillip, where customers are encouraged to take a book and make a small donation, which is then given to the hospice – with a current sum of £17,432 donated so far. Books are provided by local businesses and customers.

Ross Wallace, Store Manager at the Superstore, said: “We have supported St. Columba’s Hospice Care for many years and are delighted we have been able to give them such a fantastic donation of over £19,000.

“The hospice has provided help to not only colleagues in store, but our customers as well, so it’s a cause very close to our communities’ hearts.

“I’m extremely proud of all my staff for going the extra mile to raise funds for a vital service which supports so many people in the area, and I’d like to thank everyone who kindly donated over the years too.”

Amanda Southey, Partnerships Fundraiser, said: “We’re incredibly thankful to the team at Tesco for their continued commitment and generosity over the years.

“Their support makes a real difference to families across Edinburgh and the Lothians, allowing us to deliver expert, compassionate care, so no one has to face the end of life alone.”

Tesco Superstore is located at 7 Broughton Rd, Edinburgh, EH7 4EW.

Donations can be made to the store’s Kiltwalk efforts at: 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rosswallace-688924857d8396eb850a9ec7.

For more information on St. Columba’s Hospice Care and how to support, please visit https://stcolumbashospice.org.uk/.

Plans to relocate award-winning garden to Victoria Park

A national award-winning sensory garden designed by Leith resident Luke Coleman is set to be installed in Edinburgh’s Victoria Park, after being relocated from Yorkshire.

Earlier this month the garden, named ‘Drakkar’s Drift’, was on display at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Flower Show, Wentworth Woodhouse. Here it won a Gold Medal, RHS Young Designer of the Year, People’s Choice and Best Construction awards.

The garden, inspired by the history of the Scottish isles and its connections with the Vikings, will be installed on the site of one of two disused bowling greens returned to the Council by Edinburgh Leisure in 2023. Feedback from extensive local consultation carried out last year showed that residents were keen to see a sensory garden introduced to the area, alongside other options.

The garden has been dismantled and transported back to Edinburgh thanks to £20k previously secured and a fundraising drive is now underway to raise the additional £30k needed to reconstruct and embed Drakkar’s Drift in Edinburgh as a public asset. This will include expanding the design of the garden to meet the needs of the site and introducing paths, seating, and other features.

Councillor Margaret Graham said: “Luke’s Gold Medal success is a celebration of local creativity meeting international horticultural excellence. Bringing Drakkar’s Drift to Edinburgh would enrich our parks and unite community, nature and culture.

“We’ve been listening to residents, many of whom told us they’d like to see sensory planting on the site of the park’s old bowling green. As well as bringing this beautiful garden to the site, this project would enhance and develop it for community use. I’d encourage anyone with an interest in the site to support the campaign if they can.”

Designer Luke Coleman creates eco-friendly garden designs that harmonise with nature, where communities and ecosystems can thrive. Since the design of the garden began, he has envisioned that it would return to Edinburgh for residents to enjoy.

Luke said: “It’s been a dream to bring Drakkar’s Drift to life at the RHS Show, and now, seeing it find a permanent home in Edinburgh is something truly special.

“This project is about more than design; it’s about community, connection, and creating a legacy. I’m incredibly grateful for the support so far, and I hope people will get behind the fundraiser to help us rebuild the garden for everyone to enjoy.”

Amongst the garden’s elements are four mature trees, 1,500 herbaceous perennials, 13.5 tonnes of mossy boulders and living sculptures that support biodiversity.

Drakkar’s Drift draws inspiration from the basalt columns of Fingal’s Cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa – an interest sparked by a 2023 trip that led Luke to deeper research into the island’s history.

The Norse word ‘Drakkar’ refers to Viking ships displaying a dragon head at their front and so reminds of the arrival of the Vikings in the northern Scottish isles over a thousand years ago. 

Find out more about the project and donate online.