Dobbies’ Edinburgh stores spread Christmas cheer with real tree donations to schools and nurseries

GARDEN CENTRE TO GIVE AWAY COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS TREES – BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO MAKE YOUR NOMINATION

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, is spreading Christmas joy to local schools and nursery groups in Edinburgh with real tree donations as part of its Not Your Average Community campaign, in partnership with sustainable real tree grower, Needlefresh.

Set to twinkle corridors and delight children with yuletide cheer, Dobbies’ Edinburgh store and Stockbridge little dobbies will be donating Nordmann Fir Christmas trees to local schools and nurseries to create a centrepiece for celebrations and is now welcoming nominations.

All of Dobbies’ Christmas trees are sustainably grown in environmentally managed fields across Scotland where the growing team do everything from planting, pruning and harvesting by hand to reduce the impact on surrounding environment, wildlife and plants.

Dobbies’ CSR and Community Communications Executive, Chloë Bell, has been delivering Dobbies’ Not Your Average Community campaign for two years and is excited announce this year’s focus. She said: “Community is at the core of Christmas at Dobbies and we love sharing the festive joy with those around us.

“We want to help create Christmas magic in local schools and nurseries in Edinburgh and hope that through the tree donations with Needlefresh, kids can come together, decorate the tree and make memories.”

Needlefresh Managing Director, George Hood, added: “Our sustainable Nordmann Fir Christmas trees make a wonderful centrepiece to festive celebrations as they are bushy and full, and good needle retention.

“We are excited to see how local schools and nurseries bring this classic tree to life through their decorations and we are delighted to be partnering with Dobbies on delivering a magical moment for children in Edinburgh.”

Nominations are now open. Entries close on Wednesday 25 October and successful applicants will be contacted in November to arrange a date to collect a Nordmann Fir tree from their local store.

For more information about how to get involved or make a nomination, visit Not your average community | Dobbies Garden Centres

Three Edinburgh charities among recipients of more than £50,000 of funding to tackle alcohol harm

Three charities in Edinburgh have been awarded more than £50,000 in funding to support their work in tackling the impact of alcohol harm, the Scotch Whisky Action Fund (SWAF) has announced.

Space @ the Broomhouse Hub, Lothian Association of Youth Clubs (LAYC) and Fast Forward are all being supported by the Fund in 2023, with each running dedicated projects to support young  people in the Edinburgh area.

Space @ the Broomhouse Hub is a youth club supporting young people in the Broomhouse area of Edinburgh. Their Youth Befriending Project is aimed at helping children affected by parental addiction, including drugs and alcohol, by pairing them with mentors who can offer guidance, emotional support and respite through fun activities. The Scotch Whisky Action Funding is contributing to a city-wide extension of the service, increasing its capacity by 50%.

Nicola Campbell, Youth Befriending Services Manager, said: “Over the past decade we have helped hundreds of children and young people increase their confidence, engage in school and build positive relationships with others.

“Our service provides two hours of support a week where the children and young people get the opportunity to explore new places and engage in a variety of fun activities. In the last year many young people engaging in the service have shown improvements in their emotional health, education and engaging in their local community.

“If you have a few hours a week to spare to help a young person realise their potential then we would love to hear from you. Our volunteers come from many different walks of life and bring with them a variety of knowledge and skills. Befriending is a very rewarding experience for both the volunteer and young person.”

LAYC is in its second year of funding, and is using the grant from the Scotch Whisky Action Fund to roll out training in alcohol awareness for youth workers across the city. The workshops, which are expected to benefit 45 trainees throughout the year, are aimed at ensuring youth workers feel confident in supporting young people who are at risk of misusing alcohol or are living in households where alcohol use is an issue.

Fast Forward is in its third year of funding from the Scotch Whisky Action Fund, and will be continuing the rollout of its project Own It!, a programme to deliver 400 hours of direct training in alcohol related harm, other risk-taking behaviours, and peer-education to young people in schools, youth clubs and employability groups.

Allie Cherry-Byrnes, Chief Executive of Fast Forward said: “We were delighted to secure a third year of funding from the Scotch Whisky Action Fund to continue our Own It! project. 

“This ongoing support will enable us to continue to develop the project, working with more groups of young people to raise awareness of the impact of alcohol and alcohol related harms by designing and creating innovative peer education resources. 

“Ongoing work with partners like Edinburgh College, whose students supported the design of digital games in year 2, will enable us to continue to develop the programme to add the media of music, photography, animation, theatre, digital games and dance.”

Dame Joan Stringer, who chairs the awards panel, said: “All of the organisations selected to receive funding are doing important work to raise awareness of alcohol harm and support those impacted.

“We look forward to seeing the outcomes of their work, and are pleased to be supporting them this year.”

Lothian Junior Chess competitions at Broughton High School: Can You Help?

Broughton High School Association are looking forward to the school hosting two more Chess Competitions for Lothian Junior Chess on Saturday 28 October and 11 November.

We will be running our café in the Hub area again to provide refreshments for the young people taking part in the competition and their parents/carers.

If any of our school families can help with the café and/or provide homebaking (just no nuts please) get in touch by emailing bhsassociation@gmail.com.

The money raised goes into a fund that the teachers can apply to pay for items that can’t otherwise be funded by the school or the Council.

BHSA provides things like funds for sports strips, subsidised travel for trips, specialist equipment etc. If you would like to help decide how the money is spent, you are welcome to join the BHS Association Committee.

Edinburgh Leisure: FREE Gym Nippers Coaching Taster Classes

Kids can try out Edinburgh Leisure’s preschool gymnastics and trampolining classes from 23rd – 27th October and work on lots of key development skills.

🤸

Running across multiple venues, book your child’s free spot today!

https://tinyurl.com/y799rmdu

Police appeal for information following fatal road crash on A1

Road Police officers are appealing for information following a fatal crash in East Lothian.

Around 3.05pm on Sunday (15 October 2023), emergency services were called to the A1 between Dunbar and Cockburnspath following a crash between a silver Nissan Pixo and a silver Volkswagen Passat.

The driver of the Nissan, 87-year-old John Paul from Duns, was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where he died earlier today (Tuesday, 17 October).

Sergeant Barry Sommerville said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with John’s family at this difficult time. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision.

“Our enquiries are ongoing and we are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident and who hasn’t already spoken to officers to get in touch.

“I would also appeal to anyone who was in the area around the time and who may have dash-cam footage which could assist to contact us.”

Culture Secretary welcomes UNESCO Week of Sound to Edinburgh

The UNESCO Week of Sound, a week of events organised around the themes of hearing health, the sound environment and musical expression which aims to educate the public and raise awareness about the importance of the quality of our sound environment, is taking place in Edinburgh this week, it’s first edition in the United Kingdom.

Edinburgh Central MSP and culture secretary Angus Robertson has welcomed the event, saying: “I’m delighted that Edinburgh has been chosen by UNESCO as the first city in the UK to host this global cultural event. Edinburgh and Scotland’s links with UNESCO are strong, and the Week of Sound taking place here is another demonstration of our close bond.

“When I visited the global headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, we celebrated the success of the world’s first-ever UNESCO trail—based in Scotland—that brings together some of Scotland’s most iconic, diverse and culturally significant sites.

“Of course, the week-long festival will itself be taking place in a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the centre of my constituency – Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns. I invite all to take a look at the programme and enjoy the free events.” 

Produced in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, the UNESCO Week of Sound will take place the week commencing Monday 16th October 2023 and will host a number of concerts, workshops, talks and discussions on sound and how it relates to some of the predominant issues and questions of our time.

Head of the University of Edinburgh’s Reid School of Music, based at Edinburgh College of Art, Dr Martin Parker, who is leading the UNESCO Week of Sound in Edinburgh, said: “The UNESCO Week of Sound explores how sound connects with some of the biggest issues facing the world today. From climate change and mental health to the sounds of protest and community action to artificial intelligence.

“The Reid School of Music at the University of Edinburgh is the perfect place to engage the public and student body with new ideas and performances that connect with global challenges that concern us all.

“We are thrilled to host a new chapter of the UNESCO Week of Sound here in Edinburgh.”

The Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson MSP who will give a speech at the event next week, welcomed the news that the UNESCO Week of Sound will be held in the Scottish capital.

He said: “I’m delighted to welcome the UNESCO Week of Sound to Edinburgh, the first city in the UK to host this global event.

“With our 12 UNESCO designations across Scotland—including Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns and the Forth Bridge—our links with the United Nation’s global cultural body is strong.

“I greatly look forward to building on this during the UNESCO Week of Sound.”

The UNESCO Week of Sound takes place in Edinburgh from Monday 16th October to Friday 20th October 2023.

All events held at the UNESCO Week of Sound are free.

To find out more and book tickets for the events, please visit www.weekofsound.scot.

Community Cinema screenings across the city

City Council supports Community Cinema Hubs Project

granton:hub is leased to announce details of the Local Cinema film programme taking place across community hubs in Edinburgh.

The Local Cinema film programme has been funded by the City of Edinburgh Council via the Creative Community Hubs Network, which brings together eight building-based hubs who are engaging with their local communities in creative ways across Edinburgh.

This is the first shared creative programme produced by the hubs network to date, in a pilot project entitled the Community Cinema Hubs Project that is hoped will be extended more widely across Edinburgh into the future.

Check this link for the full programme: https://www.whalearts.co.uk/community-cinema-hubs-project/

Please contact screening venues directly for more information and to reserve tickets for all other individual screenings.

granton:hub will be showing The Old Oak (Ken Loach, 2023,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o198HdWc998)

on Thursday 30 November (7pm).

An eventbrite booking link will be made available later on in October. There will be limited spaces due to the capacity of the venue.

Council Rent Consultation: Edinburgh Tenants Federation support sessions

Edinburgh Tenants Federation are holding in-person and online support sessions for any Edinburgh Council tenants who want to respond to the city council’s Rent Consultation.

Please contact Shona Agnew – shona@edinburghtenants.org.uk / telephone 07399584282 if you wish to book on one of the dates listed.

Talking Trams at Drylaw Telford Community Council

Later this month we welcome @CllrScottArthur to our meeting to hear his ideas and plan for extending the Tram line through our area.

Pop along and hear all about it and ask Cllr Arthur any questions you may have.

Our meeting is on Thursday 26th October 7pm in @DrylawNC

Creative Edinburgh Awards shortlist announced

We’re so excited to share the list of finalists for this year’s Creative Edinburgh Awards!

The news we’ve all been waiting for – the finalists of this year’s Creative Edinburgh Awards have been announced.

Recognising and celebrating outstanding contributions to the industry, the ceremony at The Biscuit Factory on Friday 17 November will showcase the finalists and winners of 10 categories – as well as toasting to 12 years of Creative Edinburgh, the city’s largest network of more than 6,200 creatives. (Book now – tickets are limited.)

Previous winners have made notable strides in their careers, including Edinburgh Makar Hannah Lavery, Jupiter Artland, The Leith Collective and the little living room. It’s an accolade to be selected by the panel of external judges, who are also fellow peers from Edinburgh’s creative industries.

The 2023 Creative Edinburgh Awards are supported by partners and sponsors: The Skinny, Creative Informatics, CodeBase, Techscaler, Edinburgh College, Edinburgh Napier University, Barclays Eagle Labs, Caravan of Courage, Walkie Talky Brewing Co and Actiph Water. Creative Edinburgh is generously supported by Creative Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council and Creative Informatics.

Read on to find out the finalists…

The Community Award

The Edinburgh City Award 

The Collaboration Award 

The Innovation Award 

The Freelance Award

The Inclusion Award

The Student Award 

The Leadership Award 

The Creative Startup Award 

The Sustainable Creativity Award 

https://creative-edinburgh.com/articles/finalists-2023-creative-edinburgh-awards