Tag: Bingham

Bingham artist Elle joined by local councillors for launch of new community cookbook

A student from Bingham has been supported by a local project to create a cookbook for her community

Earlier this year, Elle Slow-Clayton (19) was considering her future when a knock at the door would lead her to start a project that would use her creative skills and links with the local community as a force for good.

At that door was Erin, a member of the team from Community Renewal: Lifting Neighbourhoods Together – a local project being delivered in the Bingham, Magdalene and the Hays neighbourhoods. After speaking with Elle for 5 minutes, Erin discovered she was an aspiring artist with lots of love for her neighbours. After a few more chats, Elle decided to create a cookbook with, and for the community.

Elle describes why she wanted to create the cookbook: “I was studying art and design at the time and wanted to channel my energies into something. When Erin knocked on my door – it was like fate.

“I have lived round here my whole life and I know and love this community so much. People round here are so friendly, but some are isolated and there are families who are struggling right now. So, I wanted to create something that was fun, accessible and affordable, and that led me to the cookbook idea.

“I issued a callout and people came forward and shared their recipes. I was keen that the recipes were affordable and that they were easy to make for elderly residents or residents with disabilities who love to cook but have been impaired in some way.

“I also wanted to get the kids involved, so I have included pages which they can add recipes or drawings or whatever they want. Plus, I wanted to use my creative skills, so I have illustrated the book throughout.”

Erin Smith from Community Renewal: Lifting Neighbourhoods Together adds why this is the type of project they are keen to support: ““Our role is to bring residents and people who work with and for the community together to improve quality of life for everyone.

“When we met Elle, her enthusiasm, talent, and love for the area was obvious, and we are proud to have empowered her to realise her vision for the area.

“This is a community-driven project with support from us and other funders like City of Edinburgh Council and Places for People. Now the book is complete, we are giving it out in the Hays Community Pantry, which we co-run with Places for People. The pantry provides affordable or free ingredients that can be used to make the recipes in this book.”

Elle was joined by two local councillors at yesterday’s launch. Cllr Jane Meagher was full of praise for the project: “It’s wonderful that someone so young is doing something so positive for her local community.

“I am delighted to support her in any way I can.”

Cllr. Kate Campbell SNP added: “During these extremely challenging times, to see a project created by the community, for the community is truly inspirational.

“I hope to be trying out a few recipes myself.”

The cookbook will be given out to most residents via the Pantry and by the Community Renewal team. As for Elle, she is now studying a HND in illustration, but says she will continue to collaborate with Community Renewal:

“I love my community, so I want to continue to be part of this project. I have already helped at events such as a community BBQ and I’m excited to talk to locals about what they want to see happen next.”

Community Renewal Fun Day at Bingham Park this Saturday

Community Renewal Lifting Neighbourhood Together is a ground-breaking project, which is currently testing a new approach in lifting a whole neighbourhood out of poverty in five years. It has received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund and is being delivered in Bingham, Magdalene and The Hays.

The official launch took place in October 2020. However, lockdowns and Covid safety measures stalled the team’s visits to the local residents, so they have decided to host a fun day and picnic to officially launch the project to the community.

The event will take place at Bingham Park on Sat 4 September 1 – 3pm

During the day, residents will enjoy family friendly events, entertainment and much more. And along the way, the team will be talking to residents to find out more about their aspirations for the neighbourhood.

All residents from Bingham Magdalene and The Hays are welcome.

Backing Bingham: Scotland star Marc joins campaign for community football facility

A team of amateur footballers from an east Edinburgh neighbourhood are seeking a permanent place to call home and are asking the council for help.

Bingham Athletic Football Club has submitted a bid to The City of Edinburgh Council to take over the lease of the Bingham Pavilion, and are crossing their fingers for a positive result next week.

The Pavillion’s lease is currently held by a private club who have refused to share the facility with the local Bingham lads. But the Bingham team believe that people from the local area should have access to and ownership of this local resource.

Team manager Reece Taylor explained: “The team currently has no access to the Pavilion as the lease is exclusively held by a private football club which charges fees to join. That means we have had to lead quite a nomadic and precarious existence, practising in places that just aren’t fit for purpose.

“As most people know, Bingham is one of the most deprived areas in Scotland, so it isn’t an option for most of these lads to pay membership fees or travel further afield to other areas. By gaining permanent access to the Pavillion, the group will have the opportunity to practice in a proper area and play games which friends, family and the local community can actually attend.”

The club is being supported by the Scottish charity Community Renewal who have been active in the area since 2016.

Community Renewal’s Cris Thacker said: “Everything we do in the neighbourhood starts with listening to what the community of Bingham, Magdalene and The Hays want for their area and then supporting them to achieve those aspirations themselves.

“We have been working closely with the football club and have assisted them in writing the bid. We will also provide ongoing support should their bid be successful.”

The bid has also received a massive show of support from Scottish international footballer, local lad Marc McNulty.

Marc said: “As a budding footballer growing up in Bingham, I know how important it is to have something that is accessible, so I fully support the bid.

“I hope that maybe some of these young guys can go on to have the career I have enjoyed.”

Reece, Cris and all the team now have their fingers crossed that the tender will be awarded in their favour: “It would mean the world to us to have this great resource for the local club. But they won’t be the only ones who benefit.

“This will be a place for the whole community to meet socially and come and support their local team. Plus, we will work with other local clubs and organisations in the hope that they too can make use of the premises.

“We really believe that we can make this a real asset for the community of Bingham.”

Poverty-free by 2024?

Lottery funding sees Community Renewal go to work in Bingham and Magdalene

An anti-poverty charity is embarking on a bold and ambitious initiative, thanks to National Lottery funding, to lift an Edinburgh neighbourhood out of poverty in just five years.

Community Renewal: Lifting Neighbourhoods Together, which is being launched this month in Bingham, Magdalene and The Hays by charity Community Renewal, has received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

The initiative has already been strongly endorsed by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission* who described that it “exemplifies many of the features we are challenging the city to implement across all publicly funded services in Edinburgh.”* 

With an estimated 15% of the Edinburgh population and 1 in 5 children living in relative poverty, there is growing recognition that the support currently available to people in poverty is disjointed and it is difficult for them to know where to start to get help.

Building on 20 years placing transformative power into the hands of deprived communities, Community Renewal’s approach looks at the whole person and their whole family. Community Renewal: Lifting Neighbourhoods Together is a radically simple concept, as CEO Paul McColgan explains:

“We want see if we can re-organise current resources to wrap around the needs and aspirations of people and stick with them for as long as it takes to lift them completely out of poverty.”

“We are partnering with an ever-growing number of public and third sector services, as well as private companies, to join forces as together we can provide the coordinated, multi-faceted and practical support people need.

“What is different about this is that we will work street by street and door by door to engage everyone in every household. We are, thanks to the National Lottery funding, putting the whole community in the driving seat.

“We will listen to every person and decipher how to increase their income by helping them access better work and maximise their benefits and pension entitlements.

“We will reduce their costs, by obtaining better deals for households on their monthly bills and help them access fresh food that is locally available and cheaper. We will support people in securing more affordable housing, adequate to their needs.

“We hope to close the attainment gap for young people in this neighbourhood and build a bridge to the best job opportunities the city has to offer.

“After months feeling isolated in lockdown, we will be tackling loneliness and bringing the community together.”

As soon as 2024, Community Renewal hope that by everyone working together, they will have permanently lifted the neighbourhood out of the 15% most deprived category in the Scottish Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation. 

By making use of existing resources, the project will also be delivered without any extra cost to the taxpayer. 

Paul McColgan adds: “The project is a culmination of 20 years working in 17 Scottish neighbourhoods. We have conducted over 40,000 community conversations and helped lift them out of the 15% of most deprived index. 

“Lifting Neighbourhoods Together will place transformative power into the hands of the residents to address key issues in their community, such as mental health and wellbeing, housing, education and training, as well as isolation and loneliness.”

Kate Still, Scotland Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund, added: “Thanks to National Lottery players, Lifting Neighbourhoods Together will put the aspirations of local people front and centre and will build upon these to bring about positive change in their lives.

“We understand that when people are in the lead, communities thrive and so we are delighted to be able to support this person-centred approach to tackling poverty and inequality.”

The project launches this month and Paul invites anyone interested in collaborating or discussing the project to get in touch. Details can be found on the Lifting Neighbourhoods website.

Read Community Renewal’s Towards a Britain Without Poverty brochure here

*From A Just Capital Actions to End Poverty in Edinburgh – Edinburgh Poverty Commission Report, September 2020

Work begins on energy-efficient housing developments

Work is underway to build brand new affordable homes in Bingham and Parkview in North East Edinburgh.

The Council-led developments – which will complete in Autumn 2021 – will be built by construction firm CCG (Scotland) Ltd. CCG has delivered a number of award-winning new homes for the Council at Leith Fort and in Greendykes and is also progressing a major development of affordable housing in Craigmillar, which received its first new tenants this summer.

Both new sites promise to provide modern and energy efficient homes for social rent as part of Edinburgh’s ambitious 20,000 affordable homes target. In addition to delivering new homes, CCG will provide apprenticeships, engage with local schools and colleges and provide community investment funds in Bingham and Parkview.

Construction is now underway in Bingham along Duddingston Row at the former home of Lismore Primary School. Work will also start at Parkview next month at Peffermill Road, the former site of the Parkview Care Home, bringing a derelict brownfield site back to life.

The homes will benefit from improved energy efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint, saving residents on fuel bills, and will have access to high quality green space. Included in the design is a mix of one, two and three bed flats, colonies and houses, with 70 homes across the two sites (40 in Bingham, 30 in Parkview). 

Councillor Kate Campbell, Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “Every new social home counts because housing need is exceptional in Edinburgh – there’s nothing better than seeing council houses being built and knowing that it won’t be long until they become people’s homes.

“With so many families in need of a new home, and construction so important to our economic recovery from Covid-19, the homes and jobs being delivered by our ambitious house-building programme will make a real difference to people’s lives.

“But we have to keep delivering more. We have 3,500 new homes in design development right now, with 800 homes already under construction across the city. Soon, we’ll be setting out our investment plans for the next 10 years, to make sure that we continue to provide much needed homes, create jobs and support local communities with tangible benefits like apprenticeships, community hubs, parks and improved public spaces.”

Councillor Mandy Watt, Edinburgh’s Vice Housing and Economy Convener, added: “Everyone has the right to a safe, warm home. That’s why our strategy for the future is about investing more in our communities, upgrading our social housing and building thousands of new affordable homes in Edinburgh. 

“And it’s not just about bricks and mortar – we’re seeing other benefits and improvements that we can bring to local areas. These developments in Bingham and Parkview will benefit lots of people in many different ways. They’ll help to regenerate the area and provide better public realm, better greenspace and funding for neighbourhood projects. They’ll benefit the long-term future of our environment too, thanks to their low carbon footprint and focus on energy efficiency.”

CCG Managing Director, David Wylie, said: “CCG’s commitment to providing quality, energy efficient homes is a philosophy shared by the City of Edinburgh Council. Our partnership has continued to deliver a lasting legacy across the region by not only supporting the supply of new affordable homes but also creating jobs, apprenticeships and localised investment.

“The commencement of Bingham and Parkview is another important milestone for us both and we look forward to working with the Council as we head into 2021 and beyond.”

The £9.5m investment will be funded by the Council with £4.1m in grant funding from the Scottish Government.

Arrests following city road policing operations

On Wednesday (6 May 2020), road policing officers stopped a vehicle on Ellersly Road in Murrayfield. Officers searched the car and discovered a quantity of drugs and an offensive weapon.

Two men, aged 18, and one man aged 20, were arrested and charged in connection with the incident. All three men are subject of a report of the Procurator Fiscal.

A further operation at 10:30pm that night resulted in a 19-year-old man being arrested and charged in connection with road traffic offences in Duddingston Row, Bingham where officers responded to a white Vauxhall Van being driven dangerously.

Officers stopped the car and a 19-year-old man was arrested and charged.

Inspector Roger Park of Edinburgh City Road Policing said: “We will always target road users who are a hazard on our roads and put other road users at risk. Members of the public can be assured we will continue to patrol our roads night and day to ensure they are safe for us all to use.”

Community consultation tomorrow

The Local Conversation Community Forums in Bingham and Magdalene are inviting residents of Bingham and Magdalene to have their say on what the top priorities are in their area and what action should be taken on these in 2020 and beyond. 

Local Conversations is a People’s Health Trust’s initiative which involves supporting residents to develop a shared vision for their community and take local action on issues that matter to them. 

The project, supported by Community Renewal, has been ongoing since 2016/2017 and has already made significant contributions to the two neighbourhoods.

Funding will continue into 2020/2021 and Community Renewal and People’s Health Trust are inviting the residents to share their views on what has been achieved and set the priorities for the year ahead.

Community Renewal’s Project Lead Cris Thacker reflects: “The community has achieved so much since the Local Conversations began in 2016. Together we have refreshed the area, supporting the development of two community gardens, reviving a local newsletter, creating a mural in the bridge that connects Bingham with Niddrie and establishing a community cafe. 

“We have also established a community chest which has funded activities and events that have brought the community together. We are now ready to build on those successes and can’t wait to hear what the community want to do next.”

Alex Kearney, who supports the Local Conversations at People’s Health Trust’s added: “The Local Conversation in Bingham and the Local Conversation in Magdalene are at an exciting point; ready to build on the achievements residents in both communities have made so far.

“This event will be a great opportunity to check in with local people about what their top priorities are for their neighbourhood, and discuss how they can work together in 2020 to make Bingham and Magdalene an even better place to live.”

The event will take place on Saturday 1 February 10am – 1:30pm at the Jewel Miners Welfare Club. 

All are welcome and refreshments and a creche will be provided. Attendance is free but per-booking is required.