WE are getting closer to deciding the slogan for our banner!
Have you voted for your favourite?
If you live in the locality, pop in to our cafe and let us know your preference from the shortlist.
Better still; come along TODAY Thursday 18th – 2pm for a studio visit as well – to see how Sarah-Jane has developed the banner design from workshops with Art for Grown Ups, Royston Wardieburn Community Centre and Wester Hailes’ Art group members.
The Message – choose from:
We All Come From Somewhere
Love This Place
Love & Respect Make it Better
Let’s Create Something Together
We All Belong Here
The final decision will be made on Friday 19th 5pm, from the votes of well over 120 local residents and workers who’ve considered the shortlist so far – ADD YOURS BEFORE THE DEADLINE!
The banner will eventually hang in the cafe; as a welcome to everyone who comes through the doors to get involved in creating community here at North Edinburgh Arts
(Picture (top) shows artist @SarahJaneembroidery experimenting with paper cut-outs for design purposes – not the final words!)
Granton Hub is a small and dynamic organisation based in North Edinburgh and dedicated to the arts, local heritage and the changing Granton community.
We have a vibrant local history group, which organises tours of the area, and a unique archive covering local heritage. We also have an arts group, which organises community art and heritage projects, weekly drawing and painting classes, and weekend arts-related exhibitions and activities. Granton:hub is a registered Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO).
We are located in the historic Madelvic House, which was built in 1898 as the head office of Scotland’s first purpose-built electric car factory. The building is now part of the Council’s Heritage and Place Programme and was recently awarded significant funding to improve accessibility and the interior and exterior fabric of the building. This will support its continued and growing use by the local community and our local arts and heritage projects.
We are all looking forward to exciting new developments in the area, particularly with the new National Galleries of Scotland cultural centre being built almost next door. We anticipate that Granton:hub will play a significant role at the interface between Scottish heritage and the local community.
To help us in this next phase of our community hub work, we are looking for experienced members of the public to join our Board.
We are particularly keen to recruit people who care about arts, heritage and community development; who want to contribute to a local organisation with growing impact; who can bring experience or interest in areas such as governance, fundraising, finance, communications or community engagement; and who reflect the diversity of the Granton community in all its forms.
You do not need prior trustee experience; commitment, sound judgement and a collaborative mindset matter most.
Board meetings are held once a month, usually on the last Friday of the month from 6–8pm. The Board is responsible for ensuring good governance of the charity and supporting our future plans and strategies.
The 50th anniversary celebrations at The Centre, Livingston got off to a great start at The Centre, Livingston at the weekend (Saturday, 30th May), with a local boy from Bathgate winning a £500 Gift Card in a plinko game hosted by Go Radio’s Gina McKie and the unveiling of the ‘Livi the Unicorn’ mascot.
Excited shoppers queued to take part in the ‘50 Gift Cards Giveaway Competition’ of varying denominations, with Kasper Wong, who was visiting The Centre, Livingston with his dad and younger brother, hitting the jackpot and securing the one-off £500 prize.
The Centre, Livingston. 50 years anniversary.
Picture by Stuart Vance
The ‘Livi the Unicorn’ mascot was also unveiled and introduced to visitors for the first time and handed out free wildflower seeds. Shoppers were invited to join in the celebrations with complimentary popcorn and face painting, with donations optional for the shopping centre’s charity partner, Firefly Arts, who have been running drama classes and workshops for young people in the local community for over 30 years.
The Centre, Livingston also celebrated their golden anniversary on Friday, 29th May, with pupils from nine local primary schools, proudly watched on by teachers and parents, in a time capsule lowering ceremony, following a project with the schools to help mark the 50th milestone.
Contributions included poems and letters which represented their experiences of life today and their sense of community and hopes for the future.
A ‘Blether Bench’ was also launched next to Primark to encourage visitors to share their memories and reminisce about years gone by.
Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “What a fantastic buzz in the shopping centre over the past few days as we launched the start of our 50th anniversary celebrations.
“It was great to welcome pupils in from the local primary schools to help fill and lower our time capsule and invite all of our shoppers to help mark our major milestone with us on Saturday with the chance to win a gift card to treat themselves, which kickstarted a programme of exciting events which will take place throughout the year.”
The Centre, Livingston. 50 years anniversary.
Picture by Stuart Vance
Keep an eye on The Centre, Livingston website, www.thecentrelivingston.com and social channels for more information on upcoming celebratory events throughout the year.
Getting Along with Gran is coming to North Edinburgh Arts!
This brilliant dark comedy from Citadel Arts Group is inspired by real stories and memories from the Royston Wardieburn community. Expect hard-hitting, funny and deeply human performance by a professional cast alongside local community performers and pupils from Granton Primary School.
Tuesday 16 June & Wednesday 17 June at 1.30pm
North Edinburgh Arts, 12C Macmillan Square, EH4 4AB
We’re hosting a free pop-up community barber session here at North Edinburgh Arts on Wednesday 27 May, 1–3pm, open to local residents in North Edinburgh and delivered by a professional barber.
Spaces are limited and booking is essential, so don’t miss out!
To book, contact the Link Up team on 07493 876 130
North Edinburgh Arts, 12C MacMillan Square, Edinburgh EH4 4AB
Getting Along with Gran is Citadel Arts Group’s forthcoming dark comedy developed from stories and memories of older people living in Royston Wardieburn.
The Social History Group who meet at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre asked Citadel’s Playwrights Workshop to work with them. They wanted to create a play inspired by their stories of life in the area from the 1960s to the times of Margaret Thatcher. The Iron Lady makes a brief appearance in the play but definitely not as the heroine! The stories have been collected in a book ‘Windows to Our Past’, edited by tutor Jim Aitken.
The Citadel Playwrights, Elaine Campbell, San Cassimally, Pamela Hanlon, Rhona McAdam, and Richard Peoples held a series of creative meetings with Jim Aitken’s group at Royston Wardieburn CC.
The script emerged from the life stories of Winifred Burke, Pat Gilhooly, Anna Hutchison, Bill and Greta McPhail, Helen McRae, David Norcliffe, Karen Soso, and Cathie Umobi. They were keen for the play to bring their stories to an all-Edinburgh audience.
They told Citadel ‘We want to see our stories travel . . . reach the wider community, especially as this kind of history isn’t taught in schools.’ Jim Aitken assured Citadel, ‘having a play performed that came out of our social history project would be wonderful.’
A performed reading of the play in the community centre back in March showed how much the play appealed to a local audience. Their feedback was music to Citadel’s ears: ‘enjoyable to share these stories from the community – especially of Thatcher . . .interesting period of history, sadly being repeated by the so-called socialist government . . . it brought back lots of memories . . . interesting social history told through a personal story . . . stirred deep emotions. . . . loved the collaboration with school, community actors and everyone.’
This is an am-pro production, and the audience especially enjoyed the involvement of local actors from the Social History Group, and a P4 class from nearby Granton Primary School who held their own beside Citadel’s professional cast.
Davie Norcliffe, a retired janitor, takes the part of the school janitor back in the 1960s when pupils still got the belt for playing up.
The play focuses on Gran (Laverne Edmonds) who can no longer live alone. She has moved in with her daughter’s family, and it is granddaughter Em (Mairi Jayne Weir) who bears the brunt of the reminiscences Gran and her friends (Deborah Whyte and Chelsea Grace) inflict on her. Some memories disturb her and cause nightmares: she gets the belt from a sadistic teacher (Jim Bryce) and is chased by a giant fish and even menaced by Thatcher in a nightmare.
She learns about the highs and lows of Gran’s fascinating life: her romance on Silverknowes Beach and travelling to China with her employees. Her Gran becomes a person she doesn’t mind spending time with. The play tackles serious themes: privatisation, education, disability, political activism and family, with humour which doesn’t belittle anyone’s memories.
With a class from Granton Primary School playing a key role in the performance, this is a truly intergenerational show. The oldest playwright is over 90 years old.
Creative Producer Liz Hare writes, ‘Once again Citadel Arts Group is working with the community to develop a powerful piece of drama involving performers from the area. The play is a celebration of the cultural richness of Royston Wardieburn and will hopefully take people back to the book that inspired the script.’
‘Windows to Our Past’ is available online.
PERFORMANCE DATES: 16TH and 17TH June 1.30pm
VENUE: North Edinburgh Arts, 12C Macmillan Square, EH4 4AB
DIRECTOR: Mark Kydd
Cast: Jim Bryce, Laverne Edmonds, Chelsea Grace, Mairi Jayne Weir and Deborah Whtye,
Community cast: David Norcliffe and Anna Hutchison, and P4 Granton Primary School pupils, Drama Teacher: Fergus McNicoll
Stage Manager: Maggie Brown
Light and Sound Design: Roddy Simpson
Creative Producer: Liz Hare
Playwrights: Elaine Campbell, San Cassimally, Pamela Hanlon, and Rhona McAdam, with additional material from Richard Peoples.
Citadel Arts Group is a charity (SC 034687) dedicated to giving a voice to older people by preserving their stories and producing their plays in a variety of community venues including schools, care homes, Leith Custom House, churches, libraries and a moving barge.
This project is supported by Awards for All, City of Edinburgh Council Neighbourhood Grant (Forth area) and Gordon Fraser Community Trust.
Do you want to lose weight, run a marathon, declutter your home, spend less time on your phone, learn to speak a new language or whatever your goal may be, we’re running a new group that will support you with achieving your goals.
Goal Getters is for anyone who wants to build better habits, start something new, and/or see something through. Join the weekly group to stay motivated, connect with others, and achieve together.
Get ready for big colours, big noise and big North Edinburgh spirit. Whether you’re marching, cheering or just soaking up the atmosphere, come join the fun and show what this community is made of. Let’s make it unforgettable.
If you want to be part of the parade, wear costumes, sing, dance, or just walk the route, contact stephnecf@gmail.com
Have you voted for your favourite? 
Tuesday 16 June & Wednesday 17 June at 1.30pm
North Edinburgh Arts, 12C Macmillan Square, EH4 4AB
Free tickets
To book, contact the Link Up team on 07493 876 130
COMMUNITY PARADE ALERT 