A welcome break in the wet weather proved to be perfect timing for the Community BBQ at North Edinburgh Arts Centre on Saturday. Over one hundred people enjoyed glorious sunshine, fabulous food from around the world, cheery company and some excellent international entertainment at the social event organised by Living in Harmony and North Edinburgh Timebank. Continue reading Sun comes out for Community BBQ
Granton Community Gardeners to share their bumper harvest 
Weather’s turning wintry, time to gather inside and have some hot food!
YOU’RE ALL INVITED!
Friday 20 November, 6pm Royston Wardieburn Community Centre
No need to bring anything, but message us if you’d like to help organise, set up or bring food. (and RSVPs are helpful for numbers)
Granton Community Gardeners committee member Tom Kirby reports:
Most things have grown really well in the gardens this year, and there’s been a great regular team of local residents, we’ve all learned a lot from each other! We still meet up every Tuesday and Saturday at 11am (unless weather is really bad!) at the community garden on the corner of Boswall Parkway and Wardieburn Road. Anyone is very welcome to join us, no prior gardening experience needed!
This Saturday (weather permitting) we’ll be sowing the first of our trial plots of winter wheat! We are participating in a project organised by Bread Matters, to try growing small scale plots of varieties of wheat that used to be grown in Scotland before cereal production became so industrialised (and before issues like gluten intolerances were such a problem).
We’re already making plans for next year, but it’s good to take some time to relax and celebrate what’s been achieved.
Hope you’re well and keeping warm,
SEPTEMBERFEST
Saturday 26 September 11am – 4pm, Broughton High School
The hugely-popular Septemberfest community festival takes place on Saturday (26 September) at Broughton High School from 11am to 4pm and this year’s event is set to be bigger and better than ever!
There’s free entry and a huge range of fun activities on offer – many of them free too – all organised by Broughton High School Parent Council. All welcome!
Looking out the window, I’m very glad it’s not taking place today! What is it about Edinburgh and public holiday weather?
Sunny Leith’s all set for nine days of festival fun
Nine days of fun, entertainment, exhibitions and performance kicks off in Leith tomorrow with the Gala Day and pageant from midday.
There’s been a festival in Leith for over a hundred years and this year’s programme is as bold and ambitious as it’s ever been with a range of events and activities to suit all tastes.
Dave Carson, Chair of Leith Festival, said: “Leith is one of the largest community festivals in Scotland, with a regular attendance of between 11, 000 – 15,000 local people and families participating on Gala Day, and many more besides during the following week of activites in our comunity.
“Leith Festival celebrates and reflects the cultural diversity amd richness we have in Leith, acting as a facilitator to celebrate our community assets and seeking to promote a sense of community, neighbourliness and connectedness with each other.”
To see the full Leith Festival programme visit
www.leithfestival.com
Summer’s almost upon us and this weekend sees the start of those seasonal events – the fetes, galas and fun days – here’s hoping the sun will come out and help things along!
There are loads of events happening this weekend. Today we have the Family Fun Day event at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre from 11am – 3pm and there’s also the Teddy Bears Picnic at West Pilton Park from 11.30 – 2.30pm.
Slightly further afield there’s Holy Cross Episcopal Church Summer Fete in Davidson’s Mains from 2 – 4pm today, Clermiston & Drumbrae Children’s Gala today and tomorrow at Drumbrae Leisure Centre and don’t forget Newhaven Gala at Victoria Primary School today from midday too!
A community cleanup is taking place in West Pilton Green from 10am tomorrow morning as well, so fingers crossed the predicted showers stay away – we don’t want those teddies getting wee wet bottoms!
We are delighted that the Burns night community ceilidh will happen again tomorrow (Saturday 24th January) from 5 – 9.30pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.
The event is a celebration of diversity and talent in north Edinburgh. It is organised by a wide range of groups – including Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP), Granton Community Gardeners and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre – under the banner of Living in Harmony. Living in Harmony is about bringing local residents together to share their experiences and cultures and get to know each other better.
Pilton Community Health Project’s Rachel Farrier said ‘The joy of this event is what happens afterwards, once people have danced with each other, it’s difficult not to say hello on the street!’
This year’s ceilidh will include a traditional haggis supper served up by Granton Community Gardeners giving us all a chance to sample produce from the gardens. We’ll be reliving the highlights of last year with ‘turns’ from residents from around the world – including wee Sarah reading Burns poetry, some highland dancing from Dakota Hay and Nepalese dancing from Sushma and her friends. The homecoming string band will lead the dancing and we’ll all get the chance to strut our stuff.
Last year’s ceilidh was a massive success – over 200 people attended and over 40 volunteered to make it such a brilliant event. You can see photos from this event on PCHP’s facebook page [photos by Anneleen Lindsay].
Local people really enjoyed the event: ‘nice to see some community spirit’ one said. This year tickets are going fast and it looks to be a great event.
Tickets available NOW from Royston Wardieburn Community Centre and only cost £1.
Get yours before they are gone!
LifeCare is holding a Craft Fair on Saturday 18 October from 10:30am – 4.30pm here at Stockbridge House, 2 Cheyne Street, Edinburgh EH4 1JB (just off Raeburn Place).
There will be a wide range of crafts on offer from fused glass, crocheted jewellery and Harris Tweed bags to soap, bath bombs and ceramic creatures. Entry is free with tea/coffee and snacks available.
Come and take a look around while supporting a good cause. The Craft Fair will raise money for LifeCare, a charity which provides services to help older people and those with dementia to lead fulfilling and independent lives.
Have a magic night while supporting local children
North Edinburgh Arts are holding a social evening to raise funds to support their CREATE childrens’ art project. It takes place on Friday 26 September and sounds like a lot of fun.
See below for full details:
Septemberfest 2014 Community Festival
at Broughton High School
Saturday 27 September 2014
11am – 4pm
Free Entry and lots of free activities for all ages
Fun for all the family! This years Septemberfest has a Commonwealth flavour with lots of sports to try out: Indian Dance, Commonwealth food and all the usual bouncy castles, inflatable assault course, gladiators, sumo suits and climbing tower.
The craft fair has loads of fantastic handcrafted goods. Have a go at drumming and listen to the samba band.
There will be magic shows from Gary and Stone the Crow, Mr Puffins fantastic balloons, face painting, dance workshops and displays, music, unicycles, circus skills, bikes, hula hoops, judo, fencing, crazy science, massage and henna tattoos.
Come and ring the siren on a heritage and a real fire engine.
There will be a special Commonwealth themed treasure hunt and craft activities plus leather working and jewellery making.
Get your bike fixed for free with Edinburgh Cycles.
Tea and cakes, BBQ, La Favorita pizza, curry, paella, crepes and ice cream.
Septemberfest 2014 is partly funded by Activcity and the Big Lottery Celebrate Fund.
Facebook: Septemberfest Broughton High School
Naomi Crowley
West Pilton & Muirhouse Gala is NEXT Sunday – not today!
The school holidays are a distant memory, the nights are already ‘fair drawin’ in’ but it seems the summer fun days go on forever! Yesterday was packed with community events but there’s plenty more on offer in North Edinburgh this coming weekend too:
Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre’s popular annual Fun Day takes place next Saturday from 11 – 2pm and is packed with activities
Along Ferry Road, North Edinburgh Community Art Group is holding an Art and Craft Fair in the Craighall Centre (below) from 11 – 3pm.
Silverlea Care Home on Muirhouse Parkway (below) are also holding a Summer Fun Day on Saturday from 2 – 4pm with lots of fun for everyone – all welcome.
And last – but certainly not least – West Pilton and Muirhouse Community Gala does go ahead – but it’s NEXT SUNDAY (not today!)
Organisers have confirmed: “This year’s gala is at full steam ahead .. It’s been a bit quiet from us as the committee have other commitments too. But your gala on Sunday 24 August at West Pilton Park will be a blast , we have a little something for everyone and hope to see as many people turn out as the last one ..”
Fun kicks off at midday until 4pm.
So much fun, so little time …!
