And this has nothing to do with the referendum aftermath …!
Living in Harmony Multicultural Forum
Come along to help us think about future activities that can bring all our communities together, and hear about what is already going on in North Edinburgh for your community.
Tuesday 30 September 5.30-7.30pm
North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Road
Creche and language support available but must be booked in advance.
Contact Rachel Farrier to book or for more information:
Call 551 1671 or email lih@pchp.org.uk
Award-winning (see previous post!) Stepping Stones North Edinburgh are holding their annual general meeting in
Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre
on Thursday 25 September at 12.30pm.
For further information telephone 551 1632 or email:
info@steppingstonesnorthedinburgh.co.uk
North Edinburgh’s own community newspaper will be printed again next month. The North Edinburgh News (NEN) will be delivered to thousands of homes across Forth and Inverleith, with copies of the newspaper available in community venues across the area too.
NEN is leading the Contact in the Capital – North pilot project and we plan to print three editions before the first year of the initiative ends next March. The first of these will be published in October.
Deadline for all copy is Friday 26 September
Like to contribute? A community newspaper is by, for and about the community it serves – so be involved!
Stories and Articles
Doing something you’d like to share with the North Edinburgh community? Won something? Achieved something great? Starting something new? Let us know – we welcome contributions from individuals and organisations.
Advertising
Want to advertise your service or a forthcoming event? Use the NEN – a copy of our advertising rates can be found below.
Community Directory
NEN’s Community Directory has always been an important section of the paper, listing schools, groups and organisations’ names, addresses and telephone numbers. It’s probably about time we revised this to include website addresses, Facebook details and Twitter info too – it seems this social media thing is catching on …!
Send us your contact info and we’ll include your details it in our bright new Community Directory – and there’s NO CHARGE for this service!
How to get in touch:
If you have articles for inclusion, would like to place an ad or just want more information, email us at northedinnews@gmail.com
We look forward to hearing from you, but remember that copy deadline:
Friday 26 September!
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership and Community Councils are in the process of developing an event focussing on the wider regeneration of the area to take place on Saturday 27 September from 10am – 2pm in Edinburgh College Granton Campus.
We are currently working to bring together the community, landowners, the Council and its partners to share information about current and future regeneration plans and any opportunities that this can bring. This will also be an opportunity to learn of where key community aspects such as health, leisure, environment and social benefits are linked into any future developments.
It is intended that the event outcomes will help shape proposals wherever possible and keep people informed with what is happening in the Forth neighbourhood. It should also support the creation of a new vision for the area and potentially establish a wider Forth Regeneration Development Group.
We are awaiting confirmation of key speakers and felt that it was important to gauge interest in the event . I would be grateful therefore if you could use the link below to let me know if you and/or colleagues will be interesting in attending. A light lunch will be available on the day.
Please use this link to note interest. Responses will be checked regularly.
Further information is available from Michelle Fraser 529 3150 or myself.
Scott Donkin
Partnership & Information Manager | North Neighbourhood | Services for Communities | The City of Edinburgh Council | 8 West Pilton Gardens EH4 4DP | Tel 0131 529 5001 | scott.donkin@edinburgh.gov.uk
The Scottish Government announced last week that the People and Communities Fund has been boosted, but the Scottish Community Alliance argues that the fund is mis-named: it’s still government, not people or communities, that leads the regeneration process.
The £9.4 million People and Communities Fund, which promotes and supports community-led regeneration initiatives across Scotland, is now accepting new applications for 2015/16.
The budget for the overarching fund has been increased by £1.5 million, with a refreshed focus on the promotion of social inclusion and tackling poverty, including the mitigation of welfare reform.
The Fund will continue to invest in community anchor organisations that deliver local regeneration activity and promote change in our most disadvantaged communities.
The Fund will also support a wide range of initiatives including improving financial capability, reducing the number of workless households, increasing the range of services delivered from local facilities, increasing the number of people taking up volunteering opportunities and healthy eating initiatives.
Announcing the new funding round last week, Housing and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said: “Since 2012 the People and Communities Fund has provided vital support for many community-led organisations, enabling them to create real change within their own communities as well as tangible improvements to people’s lives.
“I am delighted to announce that not only is the next funding round open for 2015/16 applications, but that the budget for the overarching Fund has also increased by £1.5 million. This will allow us to provide £9.4 million to support local people and communities.
“The Fund is targeted at organisations rooted in their local communities. These organisations are best placed to encourage wider involvement in local regeneration activities to ensure long-term impact and sustainability.
“As part of our partnership approach, the Fund has also been refocused to enable us to better align our community funding programmes across government and to support community-led regeneration even more effectively.”
However the Scottish Community Alliance (SCA), an umbrella body for more than 1200 community groups across Scotland, disagrees that this regeneration process is genuinely ‘community-led’, and while welcoming the additional funding, SCA argues that the People and Communities Fund is another example of a ‘top down’ approach to community regeneration.
In the latest issue of the Local People Leading newsletter, SCA said: “When the Scottish Government announced in 2011 that its approach to regeneration was going to be more community led, it met with widespread approval. It was a recognition that outcomes are always better if local people are in control of how their communities are regenerated.
“But the recent announcement of increased funding for 2015/16, while welcome, also stipulated what the new funds are to be focussed on. While no one would disagree with mitigating the impact of welfare reform, isn’t the principle of community led regeneration being undermined somewhat?”
More information on the People and Communities Fund is available – and community anchor organisations can make applications – by visiting www.scotland.gov.uk/pcf
The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 31 October.
Fet-Lor, Scotland’s oldest youth club, and Leith-based MS Therapy Centre will both feature on the forthcoming series of RBS – Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes, which starts on STV on Friday 15 August.
Presented by Carol Smillie (pictured above) and sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the STV series celebrates people whose tireless effort, resourcefulness, and kindness has improved local communities across Scotland.
The nominees were selected by a special jury and will feature in a series of programmes to be aired from 15 August with each episode on every Friday evening thereafter. Across the five episodes, ‘star reporters’ will visit each of the nominees to interview them about their work in the community and their thoughts on the nomination for a Real Hero award. The star reporters this year include The X Factor runner-up Nicholas McDonald, actress Clare Grogan, Taggart star Alex Norton and actor Bill Paterson.
The year’s shortlist includes deserving Scots from Wick to West Lothian, and Skye to South Lanarkshire, recognising the amazing work local people are undertaking in their communities across the country. The categories include Carer of the Year, Young Real Hero of the Year, and a new award for Hero Animal of the Year.
At the end of each programme viewers are invited to vote for the nominees they believe most deserve to win a Scotland’s Real Heroes Award, with the overall winners being celebrated at a glittering televised awards ceremony later in the year.
Elizabeth Partyka, deputy director of channels at STV, said: “The time has come to highlight the outstanding work modestly carried out by the finalists of the series RBS – Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes. We look forward to celebrating the enormous achievement of all of the nominees. Each story tells of a remarkable accomplishment and is very moving – all the finalists are considered to be most deserving however it is the STV viewers that decide who will pick up an award.”
Chris Wilson, Royal Bank of Scotland’s Managing Director of Branch and Private Banking in Scotland, said: “Everyone at Royal Bank of Scotland is looking forward to finding out more about this year’s incredible finalists. We think it’s important to celebrate those people who go that extra mile for their community. Each one of the finalists is deserving of recognition and we are all looking forward to seeing who the public choose.”
Fet-Lor, based on Crewe Road South, is Scotland’s oldest youth club and is a finalist in the RBS – Community Project of the Year category, while MS Therapy Centre champion Dean Reilly features among the finalists for the Scotland’s Real Heroes Courage Award.
Good luck to them both – the series first screens on STV on Friday 15 August at 8pm.
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership is currently developing its new Community Plan – but there’s still time to have your say on what the priorities should be in Forth.
Forth’s Partnership Development Officer Jim Pattison said: “We would like to thank all who have already responded and gave comments on the priorities being proposed for the new Forth Neighbourhood Partnership Community Plan – we have received some very helpful responses to date.
“We are now at the stage where we need to begin summarising the responses in a report for consideration by the Neighbourhood Partnership but if you haven’t given us your views yet there is still time, and Scott Donkin will be happy to receive comments (by email or telephone) up until Friday 15 August”.
Scott Donkin, North Neighbourhood’s Partnership and Information manager, said: “We have been receiving some positive feedback and would welcome any thoughts you may have.
“The proposed priorities (see document below) have been developed following an initial engagement exercise with the community and our partners and we are keen to learn if it is felt the proposed priorities reflect this. We are in the process of engaging with as many people as possible and I would be grateful if you could email me with any comments (good or bad) or to highlight any specific areas you feel have been missed.
“It is intended that the proposed priorities will be reported to the Neighbourhood Partnership in August for adoption – so therefore any comments or requested meetings will need to be prior to the NP meeting.”
ForthPriorities Development Doc v 2 (1)
If you have any comments to make or require further information contact Scott Donkin by telephone on 0131 529 5001 or email scott.donkin@edinburgh.gov.uk
Ian Cooke (pictured below) was manager of local community regeneration agency The Pilton Partnership/North Edinburgh Trust before moving on to become Director of Development Trusts Association Scotland. He shared his thoughts on community development at a national conference last month:
“Over the last few years we have seen the term ‘community’ increasingly move to the centre of the policy agenda in Scotland – community-led regeneration, community ownership, community renewable energies, community enterprise and a proposed key role for communities within the re-provisioning of public services.
“While this is both welcome and exciting, it does raise an important question about how we build capacity in communities, if they are to successfully rise to this challenge, and respond positively to these new opportunities. The development of enterprising, asset owning communities, who can lead regeneration processes and play a key role in future public sector delivery, invariably requires the development of an expanded knowledge base and skill set within communities, and requires us to re-think how we do community capacity building.
“Historically, community capacity building had been largely done ‘to’ communities, from outside agencies such as local authority services, Third Sector Interfaces (formerly CVS’s), consultants and other specialist voluntary agencies. Will this support continue to be available in the future, and are existing community capacity building services and agencies really up to the task of responding to this new agenda?
“Discussions about community capacity building have often been dominated by community development professionals. But much of the fore-mentioned policy development has been influenced by largely organic, bottom-up activity, as community after community has responded to threats and opportunities. In doing so they have drawn inspiration and support from a wide range of sources. Is it now time to reflect on this experience, and listen to communities themselves about what kind of capacity building they require?
“As Director of the Development Trusts Association Scotland, I have had the privilege of working with, and representing, some of the most dynamic community organisations in Scotland over the last few years, and it has been fascinating to discuss this issue with many of them. So here are a few thoughts to kick off this much needed debate about future capacity building provision in Scotland.
“Firstly, there seems to be a lack of clarity about what we mean by community capacity building – whose capacity is being built and for what purpose? My own experience suggests the need to focus on building the capacity of community anchor organisations as a pre-requisite for any wider community capacity building.
“Secondly communities need to be inspired, not patronised! The most effective (and cost effective) single intervention in the early development of community organisations is the opportunity to visit another community to find out what can be achieved and to learn how to go about it. This requires small grants of a few hundred pounds. So why do so few funders want to provide these?
“Thirdly, rather than funding capacity building activity as something done to communities, let’s recognise that the opportunity to employ their own staff is the most effective way to create a step change in capacity, and start investing directly in the core costs of community anchor organisations.
“Finally, let’s recognise the wealth of knowledge and experience which already exists within the Scottish community sector, and start to tap into this much more effectively and systematically by developing Peer Support Programmes.”
With the Community Empowerment Bill now before the Scottish Parliament, what can be done to support communities to influence the decisions that affect them? Let us know you thoughts
North Edinburgh’s Womens International Group (WIG) are holding a Referendum Debate with a difference in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on Thursday evening – the party politicians won’t be doing the talking!
The WIG group hopes that by inviting ‘ordinary’ people to put the respective cases for independence and the Union the level of debate and discussion will be improved – more ‘light’ than ‘hot air’, if you like!
Pat Smith will advance the argument for a ‘YES’ vote, Heather Levy will put the case for Better Together and Craigroyston High School S4 pupil Nicky Saunders will provide a young person’s perspective on the referendum. James Foley and Bill Scott will be on hand to provide guidance and technical advice during the Question Time session and the event will be chaired by Harry Woodward. And participants will also have an opportunity to vote!
The Referendum Debate takes place at Royston Warduieburn Community Centre in Pilton Drive North tomorrow (Thursday 26 June) from 6.30 – 8.30pm.
Free creche and refreshments.
All welcome – and that includes politicians!
Referendum Debate leaflet wig thursday
