Tag: Broomhouse

Charity to gift books in Edinburgh as families face tough winter

Scottish Book Trust has announced that it will gift books to children and families visiting food banks this winter including Community One Stop Shop (3 Broomhouse Market) as well as Edinburgh Children’s Hospital, and primary school children.

The charity has been inundated with requests, from food banks and local authorities across Scotland, to support more vulnerable children and families facing challenging circumstances.

While the cost of living crisis continues, over a million people in Scotland are already living in poverty, a quarter of which are children.1 Too many children are growing up without books and the impact of this lasts a lifetime. Children and young people who don’t have a book of their own are twice as likely to have lower mental health.2

The charity’s Christmas Appeal 2024 will feature Eric Carle’s iconic and well-loved children’s book character, The Very Hungry Caterpillar with kind permission from Penguin Random House LLC and The World of Eric Carle.

Marc Lambert, CEO Scottish Book Trust, commented: “The power of books and the importance of children and young people having access to books should not be underestimated. Reading has the power to redress the impacts of disadvantage.

“We know the difference that books make in children’s lives and we want to ensure no child misses out. Books bring comfort, escapism and togetherness in families. Every child deserves the magic of a book and donations to our appeal will provide vital support for those most in need.”

Mary Mekarnom, Senior Director, Creative & Strategy, World of Eric Carle Penguin Random House, said “We are so happy that we can help support Scottish Book Trust’s Christmas Appeal this holiday season.

“Eric Carle used to say that he did not see children as a group. He saw a child, a child, a child. Meaning every child has individual needs and has a different way of learning or responding to a book.

“We are hopeful that The Very Hungry Caterpillar can help support this appeal and make a difference in the lives of each individual child and family in need.”

Over the past three years, the charity has given over 290,000 books to children in need of our support and living in areas of deprivation through food banks, community hubs and other charities.

Funds raised from the appeal will enable Scottish Book Trust to give books to families, via food banks, other charities and community hubs, and deliver more of its life-changing work.

Some examples of its programmes include specialist support for young families facing significant challenges through Bookbug for the Home, providing tactile books for children with additional support needs and supporting those living with dementia and the people who care for them.

To learn more about Scottish Book Trust’s Christmas appeal, visit:

scottishbooktrust.com/donate.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation: Poverty in Scotland 2023 report

Edinburgh International Festival announces first Community Connections Hub

eif.co.uk / @edintfest  

• The Edinburgh International Festival unveils the first Community Connections Hub following an  open call out earlier this year 

• Space @ The Broomhouse Hub will work with the Edinburgh International Festival over a period of  at least 18 months to explore opportunities for collaboration and connection 

• In August, the Community Connections Hub will host a free VR Experience where visitors can use a  VR headset to be fully immersed in a 360° concert by the Philharmonia Orchestra 

The Edinburgh International Festival today announces Space @  The Broomhouse Hub as the very first Community Connections Hub.

Space @ The Broomhouse Hub  was chosen following an open call out by the International Festival for an Edinburgh-based community organisation for a partnership that will last at least 18 months and will explore opportunities for collaboration  with the International Festival and the local community in Broomhouse. 

In August, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub will host a free VR experience from resident orchestra  Philharmonia. This 360° experience of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending makes its UK premiere  and features Festival Director Nicola Benedetti as the solo violinist.

This will allow the user to sit right in the heart of the orchestra through Virtual Reality, allowing them to experience the performance in  astonishing detail.  

As well as hosting the Philharmonia VR Experience, this partnership will be a fully collaborative process, and will be entirely shaped by Space @ The Broomhouse Hub and the International Festival’s shared ideas  and activities. 

This new residency model is designed to deepen understanding between the International Festival and the  local community, strengthen connections and enrich the local community and the spirit of the Festival. 

The Edinburgh International Festival is committed to developing long-term connections with Edinburgh’s Communities by exploring what our core values of discovery and connection mean for Edinburgh’s citizens whilst finding ways to reflect the ideas, ambitions and creative interests of different communities within our organisational commitments.

The International Festival wants to build long-term and sustainable  connections and have chosen a residency model working with one focused partner to allow for deepening  two-way understanding, allowing time to mature connections and realisation of joint ambitions. 

Caroline Donald, Head of Discovery & Participation, Edinburgh International Festival said: “The Edinburgh International Festival are really looking forward to working with our new community  partners Space @the Broomhouse Hub and working together to make new connections, getting to know all  the families and people in the community to create and share cultural experiences.” 

Neil Hay, CEO, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub, said: “This is fantastic news for Broomhouse and Southwest Edinburgh. This partnership will open up the  Edinburgh International Festival to new audiences, allowing local people and families to enjoy cultural  experiences our communities don’t normally access.

“We look forward to seeing all the exciting things the  partnership will bring this summer and the coming year.” 

More information on the Edinburgh International Festival’s Discovery and Participation programme, which runs year-round, can be found here:

https://www.eif.co.uk/social-impact.

Right There charity to pull out of Edinburgh housing programme

Council refuses to pass on uplift in Housing Benefit to charity housing provider as Scottish Government declares a housing emergency

Right There, a charity which helps prevent homelessness, has been forced to end its contract with City of Edinburgh Council, to provide critical housing in three locations for some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. 

The charity, which was formerly called Ypeople, says this is its ‘absolute worst case scenario’, and ‘a last resort’ but after months of trying to negotiate with the Council, housing bosses are refusing to pass on its uplift in housing benefit to increase the Housing Management Payment.

The Housing Management Payment has remained unchanged since 2019 despite the cost of living skyrocketing in that time. Over the last five years, the local authority has received increased housing benefit which it refuses to pass on to providers to help deal with increased costs of running an assisted housing programme.

The housing facilities facing closure are one in Broomhouse and two residential units in Pilton. Their closure comes after the local authority failed to engage with the charity on contractual terms over recent weeks.

It will build pressure on the Council’s administration after a housing emergency was declared in the capital in November of last year, now even more so with the Scottish Government expected to announce a national housing emergency later today.  

Janet Haugh, CEO of Right There said: “We are devastated that we are having to pull the plug on this service, this is our absolute worst case scenario, especially when Scotland is at the brink of a national housing crisis.

“We have done everything in our power to resolve this with the Council but sadly as a charity we simply cannot absorb a projected £2.5 million deficit over the next five years and continue running this service.”

Housing Benefit levels have increased across Scotland to reflect the increased cost of living, utilities and general inflationary increases. Despite that, the Council expects Right There to subsidise the cost of an essential service despite being in receipt of additional payments to which the residents are entitled.

The project run by Right There provides accommodation support for 44 of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable people, who live with the consequences of family breakdowns, homelessness, poverty, addiction, and many other challenges. In addition, the jobs of 19 support workers are now at risk. 

Janet Haugh added: “We have exhausted all avenues with the Council and bringing the contract to a conclusion by triggering the three months’ notice period is our last resort.

“Our priority now is to work with the Council to hand over the running of the programme to either the local authority or another provider to ensure as much continuity and as little distress as possible for the 44 residents affected, and the support workers whose jobs are at risk.”

Police continue to search for missing mum Khasha Smith

POLICE enquiries are continuing to locate 35-year-old Khasha Smith, missing from Calder Grove in Edinburgh. Officers have been distributing and pinning up posters in the local area.

Khasha’s family is extremely concerned for her and are hoping the posters remind people she’s still missing and that we are still looking for information which could help us find her.

As enquiries have progressed, police have established that the last known, confirmed sighting of Khasha was Tuesday, 10 October, 2023.

Khasha is around 5ft tall, with a slim build. She has blue eyes and long, blonde hair. She also has tattoos, one which is visible on her right wrist and says ‘Forever’.

She often visits the Gorgie, Broomhouse and Wester Hailes areas.

If anyone has seen Khasha or has any information on where she may have gone, please call Police Scotland on 101, quoting reference 3915 of 5 January.

Edinburgh’s Growing Together!

Housing estates are in store for a bumper harvest thanks to a number of new and growing community gardens in the Capital. 

The Edinburgh Growing Together project, which began gardening last year after a survey of plots in 2021, has reported a busy summer with new planters and raised beds being built, water supplies linked up and composting facilities installed across community growing areas.

A lot of this work has been conducted by Growing Youth, a social enterprise supported by the council’s Additional Support for Learning Service (ASLS) that educates young people in horticulture and construction. 

Located on City of Edinburgh Council housing land, work has started on three new growing areas in Hutchison, Broomhouse and Muirhouse. These will feature home grown fruit and vegetables alongside flowers. They will offer opportunities for tenants and local people to learn gardening skills, socialise and benefit from sustainable, affordable food. 

At Hutchison, participants will soon start prepping the area for autumn planting of a forest garden, while over in Broomhouse volunteers have been preparing a wildflower garden.  

Opportunities for local communities to enjoy and use space for food growth in greenspaces is part of the Council’s 20-Minute Neighbourhood strategy, which is designed to support people to live well locally and be able to meet most daily needs within a 20-minute walk or wheel.

On a recent visit to the community backgreens, the Council’s Housing Convener Councillor Jane Meagher and the Chair of Edible Edinburgh, Councillor Katrina Faccenda, met with local growers. They were joined by Greig Robertson, Founding Director of Edible Estates, which is delivering the Growing Together initiative of behalf of the council.  

Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “What better way to reinvigorate community council estates and work towards net zero carbon than with these beautiful, edible gardens? 

“Edinburgh really is blessed with stunning greenspaces but this project is about helping local people to connect with nature and neighbours in their own communities. We have 46 community gardens across our council housing estates and, while many of them are thriving, others need a little bit of nurturing. That’s where the Edinburgh Growing Together project comes in. 

“From upskilling local people in gardening to seeing community kitchens set up, our Growing Together project is making a real difference to tenants. It has been fantastic to check in on progress and to meet with volunteers in Hutchison.

“They are doing a tremendous job and I’m sure these gardens will deliver countless benefits for living well locally, in line with our 20 minute neighbourhood approach. Eating good quality nutritious food doesn’t have to cost us, or the earth.”

Councillor Katrina Faccenda, Chair of Edible Edinburgh, said: “These community gardens are a brilliant way to brighten up our estates while helping tenants access nutritious, budget-friendly ingredients.

“It links into the diverse range of work being undertaken by the council, our partners and the third sector to tackle food insecurity and improve the sustainability of food, and it’s a joy to see meet those involved in establishing and nurturing these new gardens. 

“As part of the project, improvements are also being made to six existing gardens which are managed by the council plus nine gardens which are run by local community groups, with support also being provided to the remaining gardens in a variety of ways.”

These projects are being delivered by Edible Estates, funded by the City of Edinburgh Council, with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. 

Greig Robertson, Edible Estates’ Founding Director, comments: “Community gardens are a valuable resource to communities, they support individual and community well-being, promote physical activity, create new connections between folk, and of course grow fruit and veg.

“They are a ‘place’ and an activity, and play an important role in the move towards establishing 20-minute neighbourhoods across the city. Amidst news of produce shortages and a cost of living crisis, community gardens provide skills and resources towards more resilient communities.

“The Community Garden Survey highlighted that gold-standard community growing projects can and do exist across Edinburgh, and showcased the potential for many more to develop with the right support provided through the Edinburgh Growing Together project.

“We are looking forward to continuing work with and supporting the fantastic organisations, groups, and volunteers behind each of the gardens, and more so to seeing how each garden develops over the coming years.”

SPACE: Social investment builds foundations for a brighter future

£500,000 from Foundation Scotland helped develop the state of the art Broomhouse Hub, transforming the lives of hundreds living in South West Edinburgh

For over 30 years, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub has delivered transformative personal, social and community development opportunities for local people in and around Broomhouse, Parkhead and Sighthill.

The charity offers training, volunteering and employment opportunities for those disadvantaged by poverty or other limiting factors, counselling and befriending support, community food initiatives including school holiday support, social groups for isolated older people, and a range of classes and groups designed to support mental health and wellbeing.  

An important organisation for many people, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub successfully navigated the many challenges of the pandemic and they are now helping local people to manage the continuing cost of living crisis. 

As one of the most deprived areas in Scotland, Broomhouse feels the impact of rising costs disproportionately. Over the past few years, the charity has delivered numerous events to support all parts of the community in coping with mental and economic challenges.

Key services now include dignified access to food.  From their popular community café, they offer nutritious, good value food, providing over 1,500 community meals so far this year including free meals for struggling young carers who may barely be getting one meal each day, and free meals for all children (no registration, no other purchase needed) throughout the school summer holidays.

Thanks to their ambitious vision and support from funders, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub has undergone a massive period of growth, equipping them to support the growing numbers of people that need them.

Across the last few years, the charity has tripled their staff capacity and doubled the reach of their vital support services post-pandemic. The charity cites the development of their multi-purpose community hub as the catalyst for this expansion. 

Foundation Scotland’s social investment played a pivotal role in this development.

The Foundation Scotland social investment relationship with Space @ Broomhouse began in 2018. The two organisations had already worked together on several grant awards, but with growing demand for their services and an ambitious strategy in place, the team at Space turned to Foundation Scotland for expert advice and growth funding.

The social investment support offered by Foundation Scotland is a unique form of blended grant and loan, designed to help organisations to open doors and grow effectively.  Over the past 11 years, they have invested over £12.5 million in 72 organisations around Scotland. 

The Foundation Scotland team works closely with applicants to offer more than just traditional funding, also providing unique insight, planning support and advice to help attract further investment.  

Neil Hay, CEO of Space @ The Broomhouse Hub said: “Support for capital projects, and core funding, is critical to our work, yet unfortunately not so prevalent.

“As an organisation, we believe in connections and working together for the benefit of all. The partnership approach from Foundation Scotland has been so refreshing. Both the funding and relational support allowed us to get the build off the ground. 

“Together they helped us to realise our vision, and along with our other funders they have enabled us to develop our spaces, grow our team and ultimately helped us to build the foundations for a brighter future for many.”

Ali Kennedy, Social Investment Executive at Foundation Scotland, said “Space @ Broomhouse is an important and inspiring place for everyone in the local community and we are extremely proud of our involvement in its development. 

“Their fabulous new facilities support significant numbers of people in the area, families have an affordable safe and welcoming place to come to and enjoy, young people are provided with opportunities to develop skills, confidence and self-esteem, and older people and those living with dementia feel part of a connected community.

“We are thrilled to be here with the team today at the Broomhouse Street Party.  We’ve worked together for many years and it’s great to get the chance to see the activities in action. The Hub is a space for the community to come together.   It’s clear how much of a lifeline these services are for local people.  

“We know there are other groups that urgently need support to get started or grow, and this is even more challenging in the current climate. We are encouraging all interested groups to visit our website or contact the Foundation Scotland team directly to discuss eligibility.”

Scotmid support for Community Connect projects

CHARITY CASH BOOST FOR DRYLAW NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE

Three good causes across Edinburgh have been awarded a share of a £75,000 funding pot, thanks to Scotmid Co-operative’s Community Connect award scheme. The awards were decided by a vote of Scotmid Members.

The recipients secured the funding after being shortlisted by the community retailer to receive the lifeline financial support, helping them to continue delivering their vital work.

Upward Mobility (Upmo) received a £15,000 award, with Drylaw Telford Community Association and Beacon Club – Space & Broomhouse Hub each receiving £5,000.

Drylaw Telford Community Association, based in Northwest Edinburgh, Children, young people, adults, older people, and families are offered a varied programme of activities and The Centre is an integral asset to the local community.

One of their key projects is to provide safe and suitable activities for adults and older people suffering from loneliness and social isolation with over 150 members meeting weekly to enjoy a chat, warm refreshments, and activities.

They are supported by a dedicated worker and funding from Scotmid would be used to for activities, transport to the Centre and help with support worker costs.

Beacon Club – Space & Broomhouse Hub is based in Southwest of Edinburgh run The Beacon Club, which provide support for people suffering from Dementia. Due to an increase in demand for their services and despite opening a second facility they still have a waiting list for people to join.

Open 7 days a week, members take part in activities, enjoy a nutritious homecooked lunch and have a safe place to socialise whilst giving their carers some vital respite. Funding from Scotmid would be used for outings, events, reminiscence activities and cover volunteer costs allowing members to live life to the full.

Upward Mobility (Upmo) strive to create a more inclusive society across Edinburgh & The Lothians by supporting adults & young people who live with physical or learning disabilities, Autism or have complex healthcare needs.

They offer the students tailored support services and learning opportunities and their Outdoor Learning Project is based within Jock Tamson’s Gairden in Duddingston, where students learn to grow veg, fruit and flowers.

Funding from Scotmid will be used to build raised beds, wider accessible pathways, purchase suitable tools & equipment and help with the cost of staffing the outdoor project.

Each year, Scotmid Members vote to award a share of £150,000 Community Connect funding to six shortlisted Scottish good causes.

Left to right: Martin Hinds (Drylaw Telford Community Association), Faith Nicholson and Claire Farquhar (Upmo), Nancy Bryson and Lyn Glen (Space & Broomhouse Hub)]

Napier Knights: Edinburgh American Football project tackles deprivation head-on

An Edinburgh-based American football project which is using sport to drive young people from the most deprived areas of the city into further education, is taking part in a national campaign, supported by Dame Katherine Grainger, highlighting how universities are helping local communities recover from the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Edinburgh Napier Knights Youth team was set up by Edinburgh Napier University in 2017, with the goal of working with school-age children in Sighthill and Broomhouse – areas  with low levels of educational attainment – to promote health and wellbeing and provide a pathway for players to transition into higher education.

The youth teams are coached exclusively by students and graduates from Edinburgh Napier University who have undertaken coaching awards. By working across age groups, student coaches are able to educate their participants about the benefits of physical activity and the opportunities that are available to them through education.

The project, which has gone from strength to strength and seen seven members of the locally recruited youth team progress to university recently, is one of a number being featured in this week’s Made at Uni Energising Places campaign led by Universities UK and British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) and supported by Dame Katherine.

Pete Laird (above), Head Coach of the Napier Knights and the university’s programme leader for Sport, Exercise and Health Science explained how the project had helped inspire local youngsters: “We decided we wanted to give something back to the local community.

“We know from studies that sport can engage young people, and we also know that young people who play sport are also more likely to do better academically. So we thought American football as our sport would be fantastic vehicle to try and help local kids.

“One of the great success stories coming out of our youth team was the progression of some of our players on to further and higher education. For some of our kids they were first generation students, having never thought about university before. Last year we had seven students who progressed from the youth team onto university, which for us that is an unbelievable success story.”

One of those success stories is Robbie Wales, an incoming first year studying Physical Activity and Health at Napier and the first member of his family to attend university.

He said: “The coaching staff are amazing; the team is amazing. I’ve gained a lot of skills from American football, mainly teamwork but also patience. Talking with coaches and past players, it’s definitely helped me make decisions on my life.”

The university are hopeful that even more young people from Edinburgh will get involved in the project as Covid restrictions ease.

Pete Laird added: “We were very worried coming out of lockdown, about whether or not the numbers would stay the same – but actually what we’ve seen is a big growth in people wanting to participate in activity.

“Now more than ever, sport is a vital resource for post-pandemic recovery.”

Dame Katherine Grainger said: “A lot of people know about the role universities play in developing some of our greatest Olympians and Paralympians but there is a real untold story about the work they do in their communities to improve the lives of people through sport and physical activity.

“The Edinburgh Napier Knights Youth team is a great example of that.” 

The Made at Uni Energising Places campaign is taking place between July 12-16th, and includes the BUCS annual awards event which celebrates the positive effect of student sport and students who participate in the wider sporting sector in the UK.

To find out more about the Made at Uni Energising Places campaign visit www.madeatuni.org or follow @MadeAtUni on Twitter

Broomhouse foodbank doing vital work during Coronavirus crisis

An Edinburgh food bank is providing a lifeline for some of the Capital’s most vulnerable residents during the Covid-19 crisis.

Community One-Stop Shop in the Broomhouse area, which operates a non-referral food bank service, has seen the demand rise sharply during the outbreak.

Carol Swan, project manager, Community One-Stop Shop, says: “In March we saw around 300 food bank clients, which was an increase of 43% on the same period last year.

“We are delivering to people who are self-isolating or who are just too anxious to step outside and in place of our holidays support programme for families with school-age children, we have been distributing food packs instead and in some cases we have also been delivering cooked lunches.

‘People are feeling very lonely and isolated and that’s particularly the case for people who are already dealing with mental health issues and with so many support workers now having to work from home, we are filling in the gaps that this has created.”

The project, which also includes advice and employment services, is run by staff and volunteers, and since the lockdown began Carol says they have been inundated with offers of help.

Last year the project received £73,000 from the Scottish Land Fund to expand its operations into two shop units and now the group has received a further £4,512 which it is using to help meet the extra demand for its services.

Carol says: “Without our larger premises we would have been unable to continue operating during this period in a way that was safe for staff and volunteers so we would have had to shut up shop at a time when the need for our service has never been greater.”

The extra money that Community One-Stop shop  has now received  from the Scottish Land Fund is part of a package of £70,000 that has been allocated to a total of 12 shops, food banks and other SLF-funded enterprises across Scotland to allow them to respond to additional demand for their services during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham said: “Through the Scottish Land Fund,  the Scottish Government has supported a number of communities, particularly in rural areas, who have wanted to save their local shop.

“Some of these shops are now playing an important role in distributing food and other essentials to people in need who are not eligible for other support measures

“This volunteer-led activity is especially valuable at this point in time. I’m delighted that the Scottish Land Fund has responded quickly to help communities help themselves and them step up their efforts at this difficult time.”

John Watt, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair said: “This crisis has highlighted the need for strong communities and the response of local groups has been outstanding.

“Some of these shops and enterprises would not exist if it wasn’t for the support of the Scottish Land Fund yet during this time they have become a lifeline for many people who would otherwise struggle to access the food and other services that they need.”

Police appeal following road collision in Broomhouse

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for witnesses following a serious road collision in the west of the city. The incident happened around 9am on Monday (2nd September) on Broomhouse Road at its roundabout junction with Broomhouse Drive. Continue reading Police appeal following road collision in Broomhouse