Circle launches Sponsor the Difference winter campaign

Circle has launched their ‘Sponsor the Difference’ campaign to help families cope with the effects of the cost-of-living crisis and stay warm, fed, clothed and safe this winter.

Circle is a Scottish charity working at the heart of disadvantaged communities across central Scotland. These communities are impacted by persistent poverty, social injustice, and health inequalities, problems that have only been worsened as a result of the crisis. 

Families will be experiencing difficulties and hardship as the costs of energy, food, fuel, and the basic essentials of day-to-day living continue to increase. Circle have already seen an increase in accessing additional support for heating and food and this is only going to worsen over the winter months.

“It’s been a real pressure with rising prices. I reckon my food bill has gone up by a third. I’d like to batch cook and freeze things but that increases my electricity bill. It’s tight providing food for the family, I try to buy sensibly, using all the yellow labels but the prices mean there’s no scope for any unexpected bills like when the washing machine broke. I worry about the winter and how we’ll cope.”- Parent

The families Circle support desperately need material aid – food, clothing, and money for energy bills. They also need whole family support, that will give them the guidance, skills, and resources to cope with the emotional and psychological effects of the cost-of-living crisis.

Therefore, the charity has launched their winter campaign  Sponsor the Difference  to ask for donations to help children and families in desperate need cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

Families supported by Circle’s work were heavily involved in the creation of the campaign by providing examples of how they’ve been affected by the crisis and participating in case studies to share their experiences to raise awareness of the challenges they face and reminding others that they aren’t alone.

This is part of Circle’s participation strategy, to give children and families they work with the confidence and opportunity to have their voices heard and be listened to.

All donations will go towards purchasing energy cards, food vouchers and warm winter clothes for families to help them make it through one of the harshest winters they have ever faced.

The charity highlighted the issues facing many of their families across Challenge Poverty Week and are using the Winter Campaign to continue to spread awareness of the detrimental impact that the cost-of-living crisis is having on families across Scotland. 

Circle CEO, Mark Kennedy said “While Challenge Poverty Week did help to highlight the effects that poverty has on too many families across Scotland, we remain very conscious of the need to keep helping the families that do not have the means to afford the basic necessities of life.

“At Circle, we will remain focused on helping families to eat, keep warm, and ensure that children have what they need to attend school through one of the harshest winters they have ever faced.”

A £10 donation could cover the rise in gas and electricity bills for a family for one week, and they have many more examples of how a little from you could go a long way for a family.

Sponsor the Difference now by visiting:  

https://circle.scot/support-us/winter-campaign/

Support for Circle from Farmers Foundation

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We are so pleased and extremely grateful, that the Farmer’s Foundation has offered to fund our School’s Mentoring Project for the next three years.

This involves a generous gift of £105,000 to Circle and to vulnerable children in the North of Edinburgh.

Thank you!

Dare you tackle Circle’s Dared challenge?

Do a run every day in June!

Circle’s annual ‘Do A Run Every Day’ event starts tomorrow (Tuesday)!

Its your chance to get fit, dedicate time every day for your mental health and support Circle’s vital work.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/dared-2021-tickets…

Its a unique and simple virtual event:

Choose the beginner (1 mile) or advanced (5km) daily run

Choose whatever time each day suits you best to run

Choose wherever suits you best to run

Choose to run solo, with friends or with colleagues

Choose to make an upfront donation or ask friends and family to sponsor you.

Its an event perfectly planned to suit your personal needs.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/dared-2021-tickets…

End of term celebration for Circle’s ISSEP

Ben Macpherson, Deidre Brock at Circle

Circle’s Inter School Social Education Project (ISSEP) works with primary-aged children supported by volunteer mentors who are 5th/6th year students.

For children, ISSEP provides a consistent 1:1 mentor one afternoon per week for the entire school year to support homework and a positive approach to learning, as well as providing a range of fun activities.

Mentors get a lot out of ISSEP too. It provides a first-class opportunity for volunteering, which is undertaken by some as part of accredited schemes such as Duke of Edinburgh and it helps to increase confidence and skills in working with young children. 

The ISSEP project has been a great success, and last week West Pilton-based Circle held an end of term celebration, as the project’s Claire Martin explains: 

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Circle’s ISSEP Project enjoyed an end of term celebration on May 31st. Around 90 people joined the party at North Edinburgh Arts Centre. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the achievements of the 30 mentors and 30 children involved in the mentoring project this year (writes Circle’s Claire Martin).

The sun was shining and everyone enjoyed face painting, food, certificate presentations and a slideshow of the year’s highlights! Highlights included Zumba sessions at the mentors’ school and several visits to the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Thank you to the mentors from George Heriot’s School whose fundraising efforts made these outings possible. We also enjoyed planting vegetables in the newly developed raised beds at Muirhouse Avenue thanks to Centipede Project.

Lots of special friendships have blossomed throughout the year and the feedback from parents, teachers, children and mentors involved has been extremely positive. Thanks to Ben Macpherson MSP and Deidre Brock MP for joining us to celebrate, as well as teachers from local primary schools and George Heriot’s School.

We wish the mentors well as they move on from secondary school. We look forward to the project starting up again after the summer.

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The Alien Assignment: Haven kids produce another classic!

‘It was his first assignment as a Secret Agent …’

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Over recent years, children from Circle’s Haven Project have spent a week during the summer holidays visiting a location then coming up with ideas and storylines to produce their very own storybook with writer Mike Nicholson. Continue reading The Alien Assignment: Haven kids produce another classic!

Coorie Doon at North Edinburgh Arts

‘You could be my masterpiece’ – lyric from ‘Sam’s Song’

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North Edinburgh Arts played host to a very special gathering earlier this week. Local women from Circle Scotland’s Haven Project – all of whom are pregnant or have recently become mums – have been working with professional musicians over the last eight weeks to produce songs for their children.

There can be few things in life more intimate than singing songs to and with your wee one, and if you wrote that song yourself: well … how wonderful is that! Tuesday was the first opportunity to hear the finished creations and what an inspiring occasion it was.

From June to August Enterprise Music Scotland’s Coorie Doon project engaged the young women to help establish a positive connection between mother and child. A composer, lyricist and musicians worked with participants – all of whom attend either The Haven’s Pregnancy Cafe or Bump to Buggy Group – to compose a song for their child which they themselves could sing to them.

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Lead artist for the Coorie Doon project was composer, musician and music educator Rachel Drury, a talented freelance musician and researcher working predominantly in the field of music education and psychology.

Rachel was an inspired choice to lead the project -she is the creator and composer of Baby O and Sensory Otwo internationally acclaimed operas for infants aged between 6 and 36 months. Rachel is also a lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has given a variety of research lectures across the UK.

Over the course of the project Rachel worked with the participants in both group and individual settings to produce a bespoke piece of music, each one of which is based on the womens’ own experiences.

When the women were happy with their songs they spent a day in North Edinburgh Arts studios to record their tracks, and yesterday’s final session was an opportunity to join with friends and family to celebrate the achievements of the participants and to hear their uniquely personal songs in a live concert setting. And those songs were very special.

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One participant was Caroline, who’s ‘Calvin’s Song’ made reference to AC/DC sleeping suits! Her baby is due next month – Caroline knows he’s a boy – and when young Calvin comes into the world he’s going to have his very own little hard rock soundtrack!

Caroline, who’s from West Pilton, said: “It really was a brilliant to be involved in this. None of us had ever done anything like this before, it was completely new experience for everyone. I hope Calvin will like his song – I think he will!”

Coorie Doon was delivered in collaboration with North Edinburgh Arts and Circle Scotland’s Haven Project

Powerful Partnership: Circle Scotland and George Heriots short-listed for national award

Local initiative up for Powerful Partnership Award

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An innovative collaboration between West Pilton-based family charity Circle Scotland and senior pupils from George Heriot’s School has been shortlisted in the 2015 Scottish Charity Awards.

Nominated in the Perfect Partnership category, Circle’s Inter School Social Education Project (ISSEP) sees George Heriot’s S6 pupils volunteering every week for a year, providing one-to-one mentoring for a primary aged child in the North Edinburgh community.

The children benefit from the consistency and commitment of a caring and enthusiastic role model; the mentors gain increased social awareness and responsibility.

Circle’s ISSEP is one of 31 terrific finalists spread across six categories – Celebrating Communities, Charity Champion, Charity of the Year, Cracking Campaign, Digital Dynamos and Perfect Partnerships – and faces stiff competition in the People’s Choice public vote.

You can take part in the People’s Choice public vote:

go to www.scvo.org.uk/vote 

Voting closes on 8 May.

Winners will be announced at a gala event in Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on 4 June.

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Your community needs YOU!

Coming soon – the Community Leadership College!

needsyouGroundwork is now underway to establish a new Community Leadership College in North Edinburgh. The initiative will build on the skills of local residents and will be designed by the community itself.

Total Craigroyston works in partnership with others to strengthen services across Pilton and Muirhouse; strengthening support for families and building on the strength of the community.

The organisation, with partners Circle Scotland and Muirhouse Link Up, recently secured funding from the STV Foundation to develop a Community Leadership College.

What’s a community college?

“Many local people have become involved in community activities and volunteering through Link Up, The North Edinburgh Time Bank and many other community projects,” explained Total Craigroyston manager Christine Mackay. “The Community Leadership College will give us the opportunity to take that involvement to the next level by providing training, support and other types of activities so that more leaders are created within the community. The development of the college will be directed by local residents themselves, initially through a series of ‘Conversation Cafes’, so that we can gather their ideas and develop the programme.”

The College will be led by the community, ensuring that local needs and aspirations are central to the college’s development.

Over the coming weeks a series of ‘community conversation cafe’ events on the subject of community leadership will be held across the area.

It’s hoped that these informal sessions will attract the widest possible range of local residents of all ages, and the ideas and suggestions generated at the conversation cafes will then be used to develop the community leadership college plan.

Look out for more information coming soon – and get involved! Be part of shaping your community!