Category: North Edinburgh News

The Centipede Project – small steps to a brighter Muirhouse

It’s fair to say Muirhouse and Pennywell have known happier times. With local businesses closing down and new homes still some way off, there are few reasons to be cheerful but Muirhouse St. Andrew’s Church plan to tackle the despondency with the launch of a new initiative.  Muirhouse Centipede Project gets under way next month with an initial consultation exercise at the church on 15 March.

“It’s not been an easy time for the area and the community is weary”, said Muirhouse St. Andrew’s locum minister Linda Dunbar. “As well as the ongoing work there is a concern that, when the new houses eventually do get built, that could cause more tension too.  Local people have fond memories of Muirhouse Gala and the way everybody worked together to make it happen, and that’s what we hope we can rekindle with the Centipede project.”

There are a wide range of groups, organisations and agencies working across the area and Linda hopes that they can all join together to come up with ideas to regenerate community spirit in Muirhouse. A centipede needs to get it’s many legs working together if it wants to get somewhere – hence the name of the project.

“We’ve contacted all of the schools and organisations based in the area to invite them to an ideas day – we’ve called it ‘Imagination Pick and Mix’ – on 15 March and the response we’ve received so far has been very encouraging. We’re delighted that Liz Gardiner of Fablevision will be leading the session – Liz has worked in community settings for over twenty years and she has a great reputation for helping communities produce ground-breaking projects. We’d like the 15 March sessions to produce ideas we can take forward together as a community.”

Linda stressed that Muirhouse St. Andrew’s is not leading the project, purely facilitating it.  “We’re not the ‘head’ of the centipede; we are one of the legs like everyone else. For this to work it’s got to be ideas from the ground up and that’s why we’re hoping that all local organisations will come along on 15 March, bringing lots of ideas and enthusiasm. What happens after that will depend on the Muirhouse community itself.  It’s a great opportunity to be involved in something really new and exciting”.

Imagination Pick and Mix takes place on Thursday15 March from 10am – 3pm at Muirhouse St Andrew’s Church on Pennywell Gardens.  Lunch provided. For further information email centipedeproject@gmail.com

Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership meeting details

Please find below a link to agenda for our special meeting of the Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership next Friday 2nd march at Broughton High School from 1.30pm.

This meeting has been planned by local young people, and will be focused mainly on services affecting children and young people in Inverleith.  There will also be a marketplace of information stalls from organisations, and a special exhibition of artwork by local older residents of Trust Housing, Deanhaugh Street and Life Care’s Dean Club and St Bernard’s Club.

The event will finish with question and answers from young people to the Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership members. A buffet lunch will be provided.

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/2658/inverleith_neighbourhood_partnership

We hope that you can join us.

Elaine Lennon ( Partnership Development Officer Inverleith)

City of Edinburgh Council Services for Communities 8 West Pilton Gardens Edinburgh EH4 4DP   Tel: 0131 529 5270, email: elaine.lennon@edinburgh.gov.uk

Counting down to Yummy Food Festival

Lisa Arnott

North Edinburgh Arts Centre will be the venue for North Edinburgh’s first ever Yummy Food Festival next month, and it promises to be very tasty event indeed!  With demonstrations, workshops, cookery competitions and theatre performances organisers are hoping the festival will attract a healthy attendance too!

Pilton Community Health Project’s Community Healthy Lifestyles Coordinator Lisa Arnott (pictured above) is a member of the steering group organising the big event and she’s looking forward to seeing as many local people attend as possible.

She said: “The festival has been developed by local women from Muirhouse and West Pilton in partnership with Pilton Community Health Project and Forth Community Learning and Development team. This festival is full of exciting cooking workshops and food demonstrations, theatre performance, home baking, arts workshops, Zumba and a whole host of healthy food activities.”

She added: “Free goody bags, recipe cards and tasters will also be given out on the day but numbers are limited at the demonstrations and workshop so these will be on a ‘first come first served’ basis.  Step into Spring 2012 and come along to the healthiest festival in North Edinburgh, the Yummy Food Festival!’

Forth CLD worker Sara Low is also a member of the steering group and she’s equally enthusiastic about the event.  “This will be a great day out for local people but also a great opportunity for community groups, campaigns and organisations to give out information.  It’s a really good programme and we’re really looking forward to what we hope will be a very exciting Festival”.

North Edinburgh’s Yummy Food Festival takes place on Friday 16 March from noon until 5pm. For further information call Lisa at Pilton Community Health Project on 551 1671 or email admin@pchp.org.uk

 

Good hair day at Telford

Level Three Hairdressing students let their hair down and imaginations run wild when they took part in a creative theme day at Edinburgh’s Telford College earlier this week.

Students planned their themes using ‘mood boards’ then set to work to create their styles on live models with the help of make-up artist student colleagues.  Themes on the day included Tribal, Urban, Fashion, Weddings, Alice in Wonderland – and even the Eiffel Tower!  The students’ work was then photographed for their portfolios.

Instructor Karen Dyer said:  “This is a popular unit and a lot of work and imagination goes in to these themes.  Today’s session helps students to plan and develop ideas and we have some very creative hairdressers here at Telford”.

Before ..
During ..
.. and after!

Spartans seek coaching staff

Spartans Youth Section is currently recruiting new coaches for their Youth section age groups from 6 to 11 year olds.

Spartans are a SFA Quality Mark Community Club with some of the best facilities in the South East of Scotland.

All new coaches will be supported through their SFA Coaches Qualifications.

Interested?  Please contact Stuart on 07816 753276.

Forthview to celebrate Pathways to Pilton

Forthview Primary School will celebrate the culmination of the year-long Pathways to Pilton project with a video and photo exhibition at the school next month (12 March).  The event will mark the end of what has been a remarkably successful project which has captured the imaginations of the young and not so young alike!

The Friends of Forthview parents group received Lottery funding last year to ‘create new opportunities for local children and their families to acquire new skills and develop confidence and self-esteem through participation in exciting and innovative creative activities.’  Since then, groups have been working on three different elements.

Forthview Family Support Worker Tracey Berry, who has worked with the group throughout the project, explained:  “We carried out three projects which were geared towards the development of a caring tolerant and creative school and community. Adults and children worked together in an intergenerational and multicultural context to explore cultural similarities and differences with a focus on equality. The three projects were:-

Family Storytelling: We had two groups – one group for dads and their children, the other mums and their children. Each group worked to create a story book which can be used as a resource in our school. The adults and children were extremely enthusiastic and have produced three fabulous story books, with amazing themes – children shrinking the dads, children being rescued by mums from Volcano Island and Fairyland!  An award from “Cash for Kids” allowed us to print many copies of each book.

Family Photography: Carers and children worked together to produce fun and unusual family portraits.

Film Making: This part of the project introduced Carers to using digital media as a means of expression. A film called “Pathways to Pilton” has been produced which follows the diverse roads our children & their carers have travelled to reach Forthview School.”

It’s a fascinating journey, and all roads will lead to Forthview next month when the school will host a 12 March event to share what the families have learnt and celebrate the success of these projects with the school and the wider community. The families will talk about the project and there will be a screening of the ‘Pathways to Pilton’ Film.