The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 185 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

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!

Mental Health Foundation: The Blue Monday myth

#BlueMonday is widely recognised as “the most depressing day of the year”. But the fact is, it’s just a myth. We all experience highs and lows in our mental health throughout the year, not just on a random Monday in January.

For more about the Blue Monday myth and some of our tips on taking care of your mental health, check out our blog: https://shorturl.at/8lDnn

#MentalHealthAwareness

Fresh Start needs starter pack items

STARTER PACK DONATIONS CALL OUT

With a new year now in full swing, we urgently need the following household items for our Starter Packs:

Towels

Crockery / Dinnerware

Pots & Pans

Duvets and Pillows

Small Electrical Goods

For a full list of accepted items, visit our website

Donations of goods can be dropped off at our warehouse at 22-24 Ferry Road Drive, Edinburgh, EH4 4BR, from Monday to Thursday 9am-4pm and Fridays 9am-1pm.

Alternatively, you can order essential household items from our Amazon Wishlist, which will then be delivered directly to our warehouse: https://tr.ee/S8BHy0

Thank you so much – we appreciate your help!

Childhood vaccines

It’s important your child gets all the vaccines they are offered at the right time to make sure they’ve got longer-term protection as they grow up.

When it’s time, you’ll receive a letter from the NHS with details of the appointment and what vaccines they’re being offered.

Blackhall care home celebrates exceptional customer feedback

Staff and residents at Strachan House on Craigcrook Road in Blackhall are celebrating receiving exceptional feedback in the home’s customer satisfaction survey. Everyone is as proud as can be after the home scored incredibly highly in all aspects of the survey.

Each year Barchester Healthcare, who own Strachan House, conduct a mammoth customer survey to collate feedback from their 13,800 residents and patients, and their loved ones. The survey is an opportunity to gather the opinions of the people living in Barchester’s homes and hospitals, along with those of their families and loved ones, in order to learn and improve.

Every single piece of feedback given in the survey is considered and acted upon. This year the survey received over 13,000 individual pieces of feedback, all of which are passed on to the relevant home.

An impressive 84% of the residents at Strachan House stated that they would recommend the home to a friend. In the six different areas of the survey covering people, care, environment, activities, dining and communication, the home consistently scored over 80%.

The home’s top score out of the six areas was for the calibre of its staff at 92%, followed by the home’s environment at 89%, and the quality of the care delivered at 88%. All team members are thrilled to have received such brilliant scores.

The report contained many glowing quotes from residents and their loved ones including: “From the start, we been nothing but impressed by the home and the way our dad is cared for” and “the carers’ positive outlook and energy never fails to amaze me. They are all wonderful!”

Staff are all over the moon with the comments they received which mean so much.

Frances Fisher, General Manager at Strachan House, said: “We are delighted that Strachan House received such excellent feedback from our residents and their loved ones.

“The team at Strachan House always strive to provide the best quality person-centred care for everyone who lives here continually going above and beyond to ensure all our residents lead the most fulfilling lives possible. They are all superstars and it is wonderful to see their dedication recognised.”

Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential, nursing and dementia care, from respite breaks to long term stays.

St Columba’s Light Up a Life success

We’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our 2025 Light Up a Life appeal. Thanks to the generous support of our community, the appeal raised over £110,000.

This incredible sum is already making a difference to people across Edinburgh and East Lothian, and will help us to expand our work to reach even more people in 2026. Thank you for your support!

Corstorphine Community Centre: Charity Shop half price sale!!

Our Charity Shop reopens on Monday 19th January.

Come on down and grab a bargain, everything is half price!!

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?

Delivering Additional Support for Learning

National review lead is announced

A national review into the provision of Additional Support for Learning (ASL) will be led by former Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland Janie McManus.

Announcing the appointment to Parliament, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said Ms McManus will lead an expert group to examine how to strengthen delivery, including provision in schools and how policy is translating into effective practice.

The review report will be completed within two months and be shared at a National Engagement Event on 12 March. This will be the first in a series of events, enabling teachers and practitioners to come together and showcase effective ASL practice from different local authorities across the country.

The Education Secretary said: “I am delighted that Janie McManus, our Professional Advisor for Education, is leading this work. She brings substantial experience in inclusive education and system improvement, and will lead a rigorous, evidence-informed review.

“Our ASL National Engagement Event will also provide an opportunity for stakeholders to come together, reflect on the findings, and to hear more about the short, actionable improvement agenda, which will inform the next phase of ASL policy design.

“This work will mean we are in a strong position to shape the next phase of ASL policy, ensuring future developments move swiftly from insight to implementation.

“Our commitment is unwavering to build an education system where school staff have the tools and confidence to meet diverse needs and where children and young people with additional support needs thrive – every day, in every classroom, in every community.”

Burns Supper at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

Burns Night Supper – Monday 26th January 6 – 7.30pm

Join us at the centre for a free Burns Night celebration with good food, poetry, and a warm, friendly atmosphere.

A lovely evening to enjoy together and celebrate Scotland’s national poet.

Booking required – limited places available, please get in touch to secure your space.