Tag: activities

Community Shed re-opens … in Drylaw

The North Edinburgh Arts Community Shed has finally reopened its doors after a 3 month hiatus. The Shed will now operate from Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre until the new North Edinburgh Arts building opens early next year.

The shedders created their new home by converting what was previously Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre’s minibus garage into a fantastic new workspace.

North Edinburgh Arts chairperson Lesley Hinds said: “The Shed is a welcoming, safe space where people living in North Edinburgh can come to make or mend stuff using recycled wood.  We aim to be a fun space where our members can meet new people, learn new skills, and feel supported to realize their creative ambitions. 

“We believe that when we work together we can achieve almost anything.  Our limitation is our imagination!”

Community Shed Manager Rik Hodgson explained: “We are delighted to be finally reopening and to be getting back to the bread and butter of what we do – which is making and mending in Muir … ehhh, Drylaw!

“I don’t think any of us were particularly excited about operating for a year in this garage – just two months ago it was full of rubbish, was dark, dingy, damp, dreary, and tiny.

“It was hard to envisage us operating out of it, having luxuriated in the space at the old Co-op (on Pennywell Road), we moved from a Tardis into a phonebox!

“Each day of the build involved dragging large sheets of plasterboard, sterling board, MDF in and out of the garage and the shipping container prior to being able to do anything constructive. And then at the end of the day, the items we hadn’t used had to be put back.

“Most of this board has been used to line the garage and the shipping container to give us insulation and something to hang our tools on and put up our work benches.

“All the wood used in the build was recycled and, apart from a few tools we have bought nothing for this build.

“I would like to express my massive thanks to both the staff but in particular our truly awesome volunteers who, without their help, this build would never have happened.

“I would like to personally thank Alex, Andy, Bob, Bob, Dee, and Stuart who have worked tirelessly to ensure that our new temporary home is as welcoming as it is. Other volunteers have come along and been supportive but these six in particular have been coming almost daily to help us transform this garage into a workshop.

“Can I ask you to put your hands together and clap these six people for their work. I have put them forward for the team volunteering award 2023 and no mistake they deserve to win it!  Hopefully the judges will look at the photos of the before and after of this transformation and recognise their enormous endeavours.”

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre (DNC) is also excited to announce a partnership with Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) to provide the following activities:

Sustainable Cooking:

Looking to spice up your kitchen skills? Come join our sustainable cooking sessions to learn new techniques and create delicious meals while making the most out of your ingredients. You can save money while eating well. The sessions will be held on May 8th and 22nd from 5pm to 8pm at DNC. To book your spot, email shana@elrec.org.uk.

Cycling Club:

Want to join a cycling club? Here’s your chance! DNC and ELREC are hosting a cycling club every other Thursday at DNC. It’s completely free! You can email cfc@elrec.org.uk to book your place. Here’s what you can expect:

Cycle Rides: Join us for our weekly flat cycle path rides. Everyone is welcome, including children under adult supervision. Bring your own bike, helmet, water, packed lunch, sunscreen, and waterproofs. To learn more about dates and times, email cfc@elrec.org.uk. Bikes and equipment are also available on request.

Drop-In Bike Repair: From 2pm to 4pm, join our drop-in bike repair service and learn how to fix your bike. Our experienced mechanics will guide you, whether you need to fix a flat tire or overhaul your entire bike.

Electric Bike Library: Lastly, check out our e-bike library and loan one of our top-of-the-line e-bikes for just £10 per week! Explore the city with ease and comfort, while reducing your carbon footprint. To request an e-bike, email cfc@elrec.org.uk (first come, first served).

Pilton Youth & Children’s Project: New programme starts next week

✨ New Term Programme ✨

Our new term starts next week! Clubs are back on as normal and we’re excited to see all our children and young people every week until Summer!!

If you are new to us, please pop in for a consent form and make sure it’s signed by your legal guardian!

#YouthWorkMatters

#YouthWorkWorks

Over 23,000 celebrate Easter with the National Trust for Scotland

  • Scotland’s largest conservation charity welcomed 23,822 children to take part in its Easter Egg Trails 
  • Events took place across 32 Trust places throughout the country, with Crathes Castle welcoming 3,363 children, Newhailes 3,251 and Brodie Castle 2,261

The National Trust for Scotland welcomed 23,822 children to its places over Easter weekend, as people flocked to sites such as Crathes Castle, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and Glencoe National Nature Reserve, to take part in its Easter Egg Trails and enjoy the country’s nature, beauty and heritage.

Following the popularity of last year’s Easter Egg Trails, which saw nearly 20,000 children take part in activities at 21 National Trust for Scotland places between Good Friday and Easter Monday, this year even more events took place across Scotland to encourage more families to get outdoors and enjoy some fun-filled activities in the beautiful surrounds of the Trust’s properties. This resulted in an increase in participants of almost 20%.

This year’s Easter trails took place across 32 Trust properties, from Friday 7 to Monday 10 April, where the family-friendly events tasked visitors with collecting clues dotted around the gardens, grounds, hills and woodland owned and cared for by the conservation charity, before solving the puzzle and winning some tasty chocolate prizes.

Certain places across the country saw a remarkable increase in participants this year, with figures at Hill of Tarvit up 155% to 846 children, meanwhile Crathes Castle welcomed 3,363 children (up 51% on last year), Newhailes 3,251 and Brodie Castle 2,261. House of the Binns, which recently re-opened its doors to the public on 1 April, participated for the first year and sold out in advance, with 478 children taking part.

Philip Long OBE, Chief Executive of National Trust for Scotland, said: “Easter is one of the highlights of the National Trust for Scotland’s calendar, giving people and especially families the chance to enjoy nature, beauty and heritage at our fantastic places.

“All over the country, our places were alive with people from across generations spending time together outdoors, while the sun mostly shone. What a great start to spring for everyone who loves Scotland’s special places. This support means so much to our charity and allows us to continue our vital work to care for and protect Scotland’s rich heritage, now and in the future.”

The Easter Egg Trails are just one example of the events and activities the National Trust for Scotland has made available this year, as part of its commitment to making Scotland’s heritage more accessible, as outlined in the charity’s 10-year strategy, Nature, Beauty & Heritage for Everyone. 

Focused on caring for, sharing, and speaking up for Scotland’s heritage which doesn’t have a voice, the Trust offers its members and visitors the opportunity to explore over 100 sites, while learning about some of the most magnificent buildings, collections and landscapes in the country.

For more information on the National Trust for Scotland visit www.nts.org.uk. 

Local Care Home goes quackers at Easter surprise!

 Strachan House care home in Blackhall is full of fluffy mischief on the run up Easter period!

Residents at Strachan House were pleasantly surprised to see 5 duck eggs arrive on the 4th April just in time to see them hatch for Easter. Children and relatives all throughout the day watched with the residents together as they witnessed the tiny lives come into the world.

Mandy Head of Activities said: “Sharing moments like these together on an intergenerational level is so touching.

“Making and sharing memories young and old is something we cherish here at Strachan House” 

General Manager Gordon Philp said: “Our residents have really enjoyed their unusual visitors at Strachan House.  We knew that having the hatchlings here would be a bit of fun for all our residents, especially as some find it difficult to go on many outings in our minibus. 

“We are always looking for new activities for the residents and over the Easter period we have seen the enjoyment and the therapeutic influence that the ducks have had on our residents. We can’t wait to see them grow.”

Resident Alex Laird was very excited and touched by watching the ducklings hatch: “As a child I used to love all the animals on the nearby farm.

“Easter has been so very enjoyable so far and it has been wonderful to be part of something special watching new little lives come into the world at Easter.”

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 home’s and hospitals. 

Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.

Roll on Easter! Celebrate Easter weekend with Edinburgh Science Festival

Celebrate Easter with Edinburgh Science Festival this weekend! Visit the Festival’s premier family extravaganza at City Arts Centre – featuring five floors of hand-on science workshops and activities for children between 3 and 12.

Families can explore the chemistry behind producing your own slime in Splat-tastic, delve into the world of motion in Speedy Sails, uncover the mysteries of dinosaurs which roamed the Earth millions of years ago in Dig Up a Dinosaur or perform a surgery using real-life equipment in E.R. Surgery.

PICTURES: Dorothy (4), James (1.5) and Kofi (1.5 ) getting eggsperimental with Imagination Playground, one of the City Art Centre activities.

Strachan House residents paint their Gratitude to an iconic artist

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Strachan House care home in Blackhall got creative celebrating the birthday of one of the greatest post-impressionist artists of all time, Vincent Van Gogh, on 30 March. 

Van Gogh was born in 1853 Groot-Zundert in the Netherlands and he created some of the most famous paintings in the world.  

A prolific artist, Van Gogh’s work was notable for its beauty, emotion and colour.  His paintings have been hugely influential since his death, however during his lifetime Van Gogh struggled with poor mental health, he was virtually unknown and remained poor.  He completed more than 2,100 works consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolours, drawings and sketches.

Staff and residents spent the afternoon learning about Van Gogh’s life and his distinct style of painting, then tried their hand at recreating his famous sunflowers in a vase painting. Strachan House thought this was an important piece as Van Gogh himself called the piece “GRATITUDE”

Jimmy a resident at the local care home said “what an amazing day learning some facts I never knew about the artist. The art session in the afternoon was a time for me to be able to be expressive through attempting to recreate the famous sunflower picture”

General Manager, Gordon Philp said: “We have had a fascinating day finding out all about Van Gogh, he was such a talent and created some absolutely beautiful paintings. 

“Many of our residents love to paint and they really enjoyed discussing their favourites amongst his works and trying to recreate his techniques.”

Marion Cooper, a resident, said: “We have had such a lovely day recreating one of his works. You don’t know how relaxing it is and I never thought I was much of an artist until today”

Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.

 Strachan House is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides nursing care, residential care, respite care.

Blackhall Library Easter School Holiday Programme

🌻Blackhall Library Easter School Holiday Programme🌻

We have loads of fun activities for children coming up! Come and join us!

Book either through Eventbrite or by contacting the library.

We will also have a Scavenger Hunt running the whole 2 weeks with some beautiful crocheted items to be won as prizes 🤩

Hop along to Conifox’s Easter Festival 

Magical Springtime fun for all the family 

Edinburgh’s Easter event of the year starts early at family run, for family fun Conifox Adventure Park with an eggs-traordinary lineup of activities guaranteed to put the fun into the Spring festival. 

From the 1st April meet the mischievous Easter Bunny, journey to Hoppity Hollow and visit the magical maze, hop to it in the Bouncy Burrow’s 14 inflatables or take part in the Easter-lympics. There’s a cracking programme for everyone, including a session for families with children with Additional Support Needs. 

The entertainment at the park, at Kirkliston on the outskirts of Edinburgh, runs until 10th April with morning and afternoon sessions for the whole family – toddlers to adults. All tickets include access to the Adventure Park during the chosen session. 

Attractions include: 

  • The Magic Shed leading to Hoppity Hollow, home of the Easter Bunny. During an immersive adventure in the magical maze, seek out the portraits of famous rabbits all lost by the Easter Bunny. But beware of the Big Bad Wolf and give him the slip to find safety in the Spring Garden. Instead of a chocolate egg, there’s a cuddly rabbit soft toy for every child who completes the trail. 
  • The Bouncy Burrow – challenge the grown-ups on the exciting bungee run or fly down the helter-skelter for some hare-raising family fun on a total of 14 inflatables. 
     
  • The Baxter Bunny challenge – he’s been in training for the Easter-lympics and is taking on families in an Easter contest, so get on your marks! 
     
  • Egg Foot Golf – the mischievous Easter Bunny has replaced all our footballs with eggs! Try to throw or kick them into the holes, but don’t expect this to be an easy task… 
     
  • DJ Claire Kinnaird from Edge Radio keeping the music pumping and getting everyone involved in the festival fun. 
     
  • Sessions for children with Additional Support Needs on Tuesday, 4th April between 1.30 and 5pm. There will be limited numbers, more muted music and additional staff to ensure an eggs-tra special experience for everyone. 
     
  • Have fun in the Adventure Park during your session but make sure to look out for their special golden egg for a chance to win a large Cadbury’s Easter Egg 

Jonathan Brown, Conifox Events Manager, says: “We’re all looking forward to some fantastic family fun with all our favourite Easter characters. Spring is in the air and this is a wonderful chance to make some special memories with friends and loved ones.  

“We’re confident it will be Edinburgh’s best Easter event and can promise lots of eggs-hilarating activities – all puns intended!” 

To find out more and to book tickets, visit Conifox Adventure Park at:

https://www.conifox.co.uk/whats-on/ 

The Heart of Newhaven Community

Welcome to your March Newsletter

There’s such a lot going on!

We have news of several events and a couple of requests.

Vote for us, join us in a community consultation and hear what is happening at the Heart.

First of all, please vote for us.

Edinburgh Community Climate Fund – Vote for the Heart

HONC has applied for funding from Edinburgh Community Climate Fund. Over 50 projects have been submitted and those with the most votes will be awarded grants until the fund of £100,000 is exhausted.

Voting is open to all Edinburgh residents over the age of eight, until 12th March.

The Heart’s proposal is the development of a teaching kitchen which will complement the partnership work we are already doing with Homestart in the development of a community garden within the curtilage of The Heart, and with Mwamba in our ‘pots of herbs’ project.

Other organisations and groups keen to work with us in developing and using the facility include Edinburgh Community Food, Leith Pantry and the Ukrainian community. We also have close links to Friends of Victoria Park and Victoria Allotments who would provide a seasonal input of fruit and vegetables to the kitchen for community use.

Please vote for the Heart.

Vote below or head to Leith Library (or any other Edinburgh Library) and they are ready to help.

VOTE HERE

Newhaven Community Consultation

Are you interested in local history and heritage? If so, we would encourage you to join Museums & Galleries Edinburgh (MGE) for a discussion of how they can best support heritage within the Newhaven community. The views of individuals and groups, old friends and new perspectives will all be welcomed. The event will be led by Diana Morton, Outreach and Access Manager at MGE.

The last community consultation took place in 2010 and in the intervening years, the Wee Museum at Victoria Primary School formed a focus for MGE’s support of local heritage. However the school community has moved to its new premises, some pillars of the community have passed away, new communities have moved to the area and new groups have been formed.

The consultation is to develop a coherent way forward for MGE to find a solution that meets the needs of the different communities and organisations in the area.

Please come along to find out more or contact Diana Morton, Outreach & Access Manager at diana.morton@edinburgh.gov.uk

The event will take place on 23 March, 6 -7.30pm at the new Victoria Primary School 1 Windrush Drive, Edinburgh EH6 4TN

New event at the Heart

Newhaven resident Gino’s bee journey began in 2014 when he took a beginner beekeeping course and got his first colony of honey bees to care for. He now holds a Beemaster qualification in practical beekeeping, is actively involved with the Scottish Beekeeping Community, keeps bees in Edinburgh, East & West Lothian, and is the recipient of several honey awards.

His three-part Thursday evening course will be a summary of all the important things you need to know about bees, beekeeping, products of the hive, plants, the environment etc… 

It is aimed at people with no knowledge or experience, ideal for gardeners or people looking to learn something new or get into beekeeping. Gino’s very keen to persuade people away from thinking of honey as a cheap sweetener and to realise the rare and unique product that it is that captures the landscape in a jar.

Contact Gino at  gino@simplyhoney.co

Second Coorie-In

We organised an evening event on February 23rd to welcome people into The Heart and give them the opportunity to connect with each other, to meet the people (artists and organisations) who are based in the building and to try their hand at creative activities.  Teas and coffees were on offer and Mwamba provided ethnically diverse hot food which proved very popular.

The evening included a performance by the local Community Choir, taster sessions of Tai Chi and Qi Gong, felting and notebook making, visits to the pottery and violin workshops, as well as the Victorian Schoolroom and Victorian Homelife display. There was even a chance of a free massage and advice from Age Scotland and Ace-It.

Over 100 people attended, not counting the many volunteers helping in various ways, meaning that the demonstrators and tenants found themselves very busy all evening. Visitors loved the “friendly community feel” as well as “visiting each organisation and making connections.”

Here are just a few of the feedback comments we received:

“Watching book binding, seeing the Victorian school and meeting the Heart of Newhaven team!”

“Loved to see the print studio and the pottery.”

“The variety of events available.”

“Ceramics – so lovely and interesting! Ink on Mesh, violin repair specialist, felting, Victorian school. Was really great seeing all. Amazing evening!”

“We loved everything from the Victorian Schoolroom, to the Art, the lovely spaces and friendly members. Food was great.”

“EVERYTHING, BRAVO! Wonderful combination of art, craft, music, history and community initiatives. Also a very welcoming space.”

HONC’s Board is looking for a volunteer with secretarial skills to take on minute-taking for board meetings, etc.

There are also still opportunities to volunteer in various capacities, as well as a couple of places on the Board to fill, in particular for those with legal, financial, marketing or HR experience.

Please check the website for further details or contact admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk

Finally, welcome to the Leith Folk Club, (LFC) which held the first of its revitalised events at the Heart last month.

To kick things off in their new guise and in a new venue, they held a fundraiser in the old gym hall with music and merry-making for what turned out to be a packed audience. 

A spokesperson for LFC said “The money raised will enable us to recover from the last three years and will be used to get us back to doing what we do best – presenting regular gigs featuring the best Scottish and international folk and world music in the Heart of Newhaven, just down the road from our previous venue.

“None of the musicians got paid for their services and the venue was staffed by LFC committee and HoN volunteers. The night was an unqualified success and a collaborative effort, with the door-take shared equally between both organisations.”

To keep up to date with all that is happening go to Heart of Newhaven and hopefully we will see you at the Heart soon.