Category: North Edinburgh Arts

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!

Jewellery making with Flourish at North Edinburgh Arts

We’re excited to share a fantastic creative opportunity for local adults who would like to develop skills in jewellery making at North Edinburgh Arts.

We have a couple of places available for an extended jewellery programme with Flourish Jewellery Project, open to local adults living in Granton or Pilton.

Workshops will run weekly on Thursday mornings, 10.30am – 12.30pm, from February to August 2026.

As places are limited, participants must be able to commit to attending weekly to ensure they get the most out of this opportunity.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:

Places are being offered to adults (aged 18+). The course is funded by City of Edinburgh Council Forth Ward so to be eligible to attend you must live in Granton or Pilton.

If you are interested in taking part but unsure if your address is eligible, please get in touch.

TO APPLY FOR A PLACE:

Email Lisa at hello@flourishjewelleryproject.com and include the following information:

– Your full name

– Your address and postcode

– Contact telephone number

– Tell us why you would like to attend the extended Jewellery programme?

Paper Trails in Muirhouse!

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL EVENTS NEXT MONTH

On a dark winter’s night, what could be more uplifting than hearing from leading Scottish authors? We know… seeing them for FREE! 🤩

Taking place in partnership with Edinburgh Libraries, our flagship communities project Paper Trails is kicking off the year in Muirhouse Library and North Edinburgh Arts for a special series of events this February.

📖 Poetry, fantasy, crime, fiction… we’ve got it all covered with our top-tier line-up of speakers (if we do say so ourselves). And don’t miss the half term workshops for keeping little minds busy on the school break.

Tickets are free but booking is required. These events are going fast so find out dates and book in quick: ticketsource.co.uk/muirhouse-library

#EdBookFest

#EdinburghInternationalBookFestival

Paper Trails is made possible thanks to #NationalLottery players as well as Cruden Foundation and the Ettrick Charitable Trust.

Singing for Solidarity: North Edinburgh choir at Modern Two today

TODAY (Thursday 18 December), from 1.30pm to 2.00pm, join us and the Greater Pilton Singers for a performance of their specially penned song Solidarity Wins: A Song for Greater Pilton, surrounded by the Resistance exhibition at National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two!

Written collaboratively by members from North Edinburgh Arts Art For Grown Ups Project and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s Arts and Culture Group – also with musician and activist Penny Stone – the choir created a gentle yet mighty protest song, evoking nostalgia and hope.

As well as their own anthem, they will perform a couple of classic soul and activism songs. The song has been developed as part of the Resistance outreach programme, which has culminated in the exhibition Solidarity Wins: Creative Resistance in North Edinburgh at the Portrait Gallery until 30 April 2026.

PICTURES: CRAIG MACLEAN

TODAY: Something for everyone in a packed activities programme at North Edinburgh Arts

CREATIVITY, CONNECTION & FESTIVE FUN

✨ WHAT’S ON TODAY – Thursday 11 December at North Edinburgh Arts ✨

A full day of creativity, connection & festive fun, and most activities are free to join.

🎄 Winter Pop-Up Market | 11am–3pm

Handmade Christmas decorations, art and gifts by local artists & makers from Granton Art Collective, supported by NEA X NESSIE

🎬 Dementia-Friendly Film Club: Scrooge | 1.30–3.30pm

A relaxed, welcoming screening of the classic 1970s film

🌸 Garden Sessions for Adults | 1.30–4pm

Get active, learn new skills & meet new people in our Community Garden

🎨 Youth Arts Collective | 4–6pm

Creative challenges, fun games, snacks & chats for local young people

🥊 Women’s Wellbeing Workout | 6–7pm

BLAST Boxing for mental health, confidence & fitness (Pay What You Can)

🛸 Talk: Scottish UFOs | 6–7.15pm

A fascinating history of UFO culture with Dr Gavin Miller

🎲 Adult Social Club (16+) | 6–8pm

Board games, music, hot drinks & relaxed social time

🥊 Men’s Boxing Workout | 7–8pm

Fitness & wellbeing through boxing (Pay What You Can)

There’s something for everyone to enjoy so come and join the fun and make the most of it before the festive break!

More details can be found at: https://northedinburgharts.co.uk/whats-on

A message from North Edinburgh: Never Give Up!

Thanks to everyone who came along the National Gallery yesterday to take part in the Resistance – North Edinburgh panel discussion.

It was great to see so many old friends and colleagues and a pleasure to meet new ones too. Participants were not only from North Edinburgh, ‘outsiders’ were also welcomed: we had Leithers, we had folk from Gorgie, Stockbridge and a wee crowd from Wester Hailes too.

But there’s got to be a special mention for one particular online viewer – he was watching from Sydney, Australia (or maybe it was just a bloke called Sidney?)!

Wherever and however you were watching, though, I hope you enjoyed the discussion as much as we did. As you know we went slightly over our allotted time (at one point I thought we might have to apply for a late license!) and we appreciate the organisers at the National Gallery allowing us some leeway.

Even so, I know there was a lot more to share so apologies if you didn’t get the opportunity to ask your question – if it’s any consolation I know I didn’t get to ask half of mine!

Our hope before the event was that it would be informative, interesting and enjoyable and a celebration of vibrant communities, and I think we got there.

I’d like to think we could do it all again one day before too much longer, before we all get just too old and our memories and recollections of events, experiences and the characters who have helped to shape North Edinburgh’s proud history dim and fade.

And if there’s just one message to remember, it’s this: NEVER GIVE UP!

DAVE P

See below for a recording of the event

https://youtu.be/Zc5kFwp-XaY

The celebration continued at the National Portrait Gallery in Queen Street, where the Solidarity Wins: Creative Resistance in North Edinburgh exhibition was launched after an excellent lunch provided by North Edinburgh’s very own Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts.

The exhibition was created by a local collaboration of North Edinburgh Arts’ Art for Grown Up in partnership with Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s Arts & Culture Group and features art works, music, archive films and research material.

The exhibition will be on display in the Portrait Gallery’s Contemporary Space until – do visit if you can.

And to end the day on a high note, there was music from the Resistance Choir – a new song, no less!

SOLIDARITY WINS: A SONG FOR GREATER PILTON may not become the Christmas Number 1, but it definitely struck the right note with Portrait Gallery punters yesterday!

All together now:

We all come from somewhere and now we’re all here …

PICTURES: CRAIG MCLEAN

RESISTANCE: North Edinburgh Fights Back

NORTH EDINBURGH ACTIVISTS GO TO TOWN

NORTH Edinburgh community activists are taking their message to town this afternoon with two events taking place at art galleries in the city centre.

The events have been built around artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen’s RESISTANCE photo exhibition, which runs at the Modern 2 gallery on Belford Road until 4th January.

First up, community stalwarts Anna Hutchison and Willie Black will reflect on campaigns past and present in a panel discussion in the National Gallery at 12.45.

With so many years of campaigning experience Anna and Willie have a host of stories to share and, having known the pair for the best part of thirty years, I’ll be there to try to keep the event running to time!

The free event is sold out, but you can still register to watch online.

Later in the afternoon, two North Edinburgh groups have been working together on an ambitious project that encapsulates North Edinburgh’s spirit of resistance.

The result of the collaboration is the Solidarity Wins: Creative Resistance in North Edinburgh exhibition, which opens at The Portrait Gallery on Queen Street from 2pm today (details below).

It promises to be very good and it’s free – don’t miss it!

The details of today’s events:

RESISTANCE|NORTH EDINBURGH PANEL DISCUSSION

Free – Booking essential SOLD OUT

Book tickets

PICTURE: Craig McLean, Outside Drylaw Police station, community campaign GRASP protesting against Police harassment and violence, 2001

The Resistance exhibition chronicles 100 years of protest across Britain from 1903–2003. Using the exhibition as a starting point, activists Willie Black and Anna Hutchison alongside chair Dave Pickering, editor of the North Edinburgh News and Information Worker at Granton Information Centre, discuss North Edinburgh community activism, campaigns and actions, and their relationship and solidarity with local, national and international protests and change.

All tickets for the live event have been snapped up, but you can watch the discussion online in a streamed version of the live event.

Ticketholders will be sent a joining link before the event to either watch live or view the recording later. 

SOLIDARITY WINS: CREATIVE RESISTANCE in NORTH EDINBURGH

Solidarity Wins: Creative Resistance in North Edinburgh Exhibition Launch

2pm – 4pm

National Galleries of Scotland, The Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street, EH2 1J

Celebration with food, song and creative activities in the Contemporary Space of the Portrait Gallery. Art works, archive films and research material gathered by Art for Grown Ups and Royston Wardieburn Arts & Culture Group.

Join us for an afternoon of creativity, community and conversation celebrating North Edinburgh’s spirit of resistance.

As part of the Resistance exhibition, the National Galleries of Scotland’s Community Development programme has been working with North Edinburgh groups to create responsive work inspired by the area’s long history of community resistance.

Workshops have included song writing, poetry, photo-montage and exploring photographer Craig MacLean’s back catalogue of North Edinburgh activism, all of which will result in an riso-graph exhibition at the Portrait gallery in November.

As well as this North Edinburgh Arts worked with Local Cinema to programme films as part of their ‘Local Resistance’ programme.

Each screening event included a creative element, one of which included the Resistance choir performing their collaboratively penned song ‘Solidarity Wins: A Song for Greater Pilton‘, along with some well known songs on power of solidarity and friendship.

Thanks to song writing facilitator and choir leader Penny Stone and Tinderbox Jed Milroy and artists Sam Rutherford, Jj Fadaka and Megan Rudden, and all those involved so far!

The programme is a partnership with North Edinburgh Arts Art 4 Grown Ups and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s Arts and Culture Group.

IMAGE (above): Collaborative piece by Art 4 Grown Ups members, framed by Muirhouse anti-racism campaign image, 1991.

If anyone is free 2 – 4pm today, it’s the launch of ‘Solidarity Wins: Creative Resistance in North Edinburgh‘ exhibition at the Portrait Gallery, which has been a collaboration between North Edinburgh Arts’ Art 4 Grown Ups project and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s Arts and Culture Group (writes HOLLY YEOMAN).

Together they have reflected and responded to North Edinburgh activism and campaigns over the years. There is a community lunch catered by Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts and we will be singing our anthem ‘Solidarity Wins: A Song for Greater Pilton‘ at around 3pm-ish(!)

The exhibition will run till April, and we welcome community groups who might want to visit. If interested please email hyeoman@nationalgalleries.org

Holly Yeoman

Creative communities: Living Well Locally in North Edinburgh

NORTH EDINBURGH ARTS

TUESDAY 27th NOVEMBER 11am – 3pm

CCScotland Green Tease: Living well locally is taking place next week 🌿

Join us for a day of workshops and conversations about how cultural activities can contribute to creating sustainable and regenerative communities.

When: 11am-3pm, Thursday 27 November

Where: North Edinburgh Arts

Join us at North Edinburgh Arts to understand how cultural activities can contribute to creating sustainable and regenerative communities.

In particular, we’ll explore the role of culture in 20-minute neighbourhoods – creating walkable and wheelable places where everyone can access their daily needs.

The morning session will be an introduction to pre-existing place-based work in Scotland. Lesley-Anne Rose will share her reflections on the importance of culture in place planning and community work, Pippa Cook will introduce the Place Standard Tool and Rebecca Dillon-Robinson will outline the policies supporting local living and 20-minute neighbourhoods in Scotland.

At 12pm, we’ll break for a shared lunch of soup and sandwiches.

The afternoon session will involve creative mapping of Granton (North Edinburgh? – Ed.) and the places where participants live and/or work.

This is an opportunity for participants to reflect on how culture can support sustainable development or regeneration in their communities. We’ll end the afternoon by developing a toolkit incorporating culture into placemaking.

Agenda

  • 11am: Teas and coffees
  • 11.20am: Introduction to pre-existing place-based work in Scotland
  • 12pm: Lunch
  • 12.30pm: Creative mapping workshop
  • 2.15pm: Co-developing a toolkit incorporating culture into placemaking
  • 2.45pm: Feedback
  • 3pm: End

Find out more and register here: https://cultureforclimate.scot/…/green-tease-living…/

Free Bike Maintenance session at Granton Parish Church

THURSDAY 27th NOVEMBER from 6 – 8pm

We are very excited to be hosting another FREE BIKE MAINTENANCE session at Granton Parish Church, Edinburgh on Thursday 27th November.

This event is delivered in partnership with North Edinburgh Arts and R2.

Come along and have your bike repaired/checked for FREE. Stay safe on the road and keep cycling wherever you can.

Any questions-email: anna@grantongoesgreener.org.uk