Edinburgh Compact wants to hear from city’s third sector
DEADLINE Friday 29 January
Voluntary Organisations and Community Groups in Edinburgh: help us get a picture of the Third Sector in Edinburgh. Fill in our Compact Voice 2015 Survey.
Continue reading Still time to have your say on state of voluntary sector
Time running out for award-winning Centre
Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre seems set to close following confirmation that funding to run the Centre is to be slashed. Five members of staff will lose their jobs if the Centre – the only purpose-built community centre in the Inverleith ward – closes after having served the local community for twenty years. Continue reading Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre facing closure
Dear Editor
Cuts in funding local authority services are happening again this year and will affect every person in varying degrees and add to the contraction in public services: services that are necessary and needed.
There are also other services provided daily by other organisations, mostly run by volunteers with some financial help from the council: these too are facing drastic cuts. Day Care clubs, lifelong learning and literacy classes, mentla health support,, befriending, support and information services, classes of all kinds and -very importantly – community transport to and from activities.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people are helped out of isolation every week with all the benefit – both mental and physical – stemming from these services. Curtailing existing funding to these organisations is not only false economy but will see a deterioration in the health of those people affected, causing a far greater expenditure in other health and care costs.
The councils must rethink their attitude to these services – and, above all, their attitude to PEOPLE.
A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens
Council response poses more questions than answers
Community groups and voluntary sector organisations must wait until next month before they will learn what their funding fate will be. Continue reading Funding: the anxious wait goes on …
North Edinburgh Credit Union announces merger plan
North Edinburgh Credit Union is to merge with Castle Credit Union and Water of Leith CU, doubling the existing membership and giving the new organisation a stronger financial base.
In a letter to members, North Edinburgh Credit Union Chair Ron Carthy explained: “The Board of North Edinburgh Credit Union is committed to maintaining a strong CU presence in North Edinbyrgh and to offer the range of services our members expect. Therefore, the Board has agreed to merge with Castle Cedit Union and the Water of Leith CU study group as a major step in this process. This wiill not only double the size of our existing member base but also gives us a stronger financial base upon which to expand and sustain a viable credit union.
He continues: “The new Head Office for the merged credit union will be in our exisiting office in Wardieburn Drive. As part of our palans for the new merged credit union we will extending (sic) our opening times and be introducing access 24/7 via a new website for members to check balances, apply for loans and see how their savings are growing. We will also be offering a wider range of savings and loan products.”
NECU is holding a meeting at the Wardieburn office this Thurday at 6.30pm (business starts 7pm) to share information about the ‘exciting new plans’. All members welcome.
For further information call 0131 466 5006
or email committee@necu.co.uk
The next meeting of the Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden
will be held on Thursday 23 April from 6 -7.30 pm
at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre
Agenda so far:
Seating for 20, so please get in touch if you want to come along or put forward suggestions or questions for the meeting.
PS: Feedback from the exhibition at North Edinburgh Arts café has been very positive with many people surprised and glad to hear about the Friends Group campaign to safeguard and restore the walled garden.
Looking forward to seeing the film Sophia is making!
Kirsty Sutherland
From the board at Tenants and Residents In Muirhouse please find attached our Minutes for Meeting on 10 February 2015 (below).
Tenants & Residents In Muirhouse (TRIM)
Website – http://muirhouseresidents.co.
Find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/
Also on Twitter – http://twitter.com/
Easter Drylaw Residents Association (EDRA) are holding their annual general meeting next Monday 10 November at 7pm in Drylaw Parish Church, Groathill Road North.
All welcome – come along and support your local tenants and residents association. New members particularly welcome!
One of North Edinburgh’s best known and most respected community organisations has been short-listed for a national award. The Spartans Community Football Academy is one of thirty projects from across the country in the running in this year’s Scottish Charity Awards – and you can vote for your favourite in the People’s Award.
Organised and staged by the Scottish Community and Voluntary Organisation (SCVO), the awards celebrate all that is best in Scotland’s third sector, recognising our country’s most innovative and effective people and organisations
Spartans is one of thirty organisations to have progressed to the final round of the Scottish Charity Awards, and an impressive ‘not so shortlist’ includes major national organisations, community groups, partnership projects and individuals who have channelled their energies into supporting their communities and making Scotland a better place to live.
The Spartans Community Football Academy (above) has become a key part of the fabric of north Edinburgh, offering sport, education and leisure opportunities to thousands of children and young people from North Edinburgh and beyond. Based at Ainslie Park, SCFA is succinctly summed up by Alastair Davis, the chief executive of Social Investment Scotland: “we never fail to be impressed, inspired and overwhelmed by the impact of Spartans. Their quality, dedication and passion sets them apart”. SCFA has been nominated in the Sporting Chance category.
Joining Spartans on the shortlist is another great local project, Leith-based The Junction (below). The Junction youth group and Port of Leith Housing Association got together to create purpose-built – and very popular – new premises for young people aged 12-21, offering counselling, health advice and support to young people.
For a full list of nominees and to vote for your favourite project in The People’s Award visit www.scvo.org.uk/charity-awards
Twitter user? It’s #ScotCharityAwards
The glittering awards ceremony, hosted by Kaye Adams, takes place at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on 5 June. Good luck to all the candidates – but really, you’re all winners already.
PEP volunteer Tony Delahoy highlights a local community organisation which marks an important milestone this year:
Nationally, this year many important dates and events will be recalled with mixed emotions – they should not be passed over in silence. Locally in North Edinburgh, an important milestone was reached in February.
Pilton Equalities Project (PEP) will have been providing many services for older and other vulnerable adults for 25 years, encouraging independence and reducing isolation.
Over 180 people take part weekly in PEP’s activities: most are transported to and from their homes by PEP’s minibuses. The buses are fully accessible for wheelchair users and are staffed by drivers and escort volunteers.
PEP work is supported by some funding from the City of Edinburgh Council, to whom grateful thanks are expressed by all involved with PEP.
The following activities are on offer:
During the summer PEP runs a programme of outings to places of interest outside Edinburgh, and PEP also offers a gardening and handyman service.
As you may imagine many volunteers are need to keep things going: last year over 7500 hours were volunteered! PEP’s services for the people of North Edinburgh are invaluable – at present we have 900 people on our database; without volunteers and funding, services would be denied them.
The name Pilton Equalities Project does not mean that services are restricted to Pilton itself – the actual areas covered takes in Granton, Royston Wardieburn, Trinity, Leith, Drylaw, Muirhouse and Silverknowes.
Our address is:
Pilton Equalities Project
PEP Centre
3 West Pilton Park
Edinburgh EH4 4EL
Telephone 0131 315 4466
Fax 0131 332 4817
Email: pepequalities@btconnect.com
Website: www.pepequalities.co.uk
An event to celebrate our 25 years of service to the people of North Edinburgh will be held in July in Edinburgh College Granton Campus – details will be published as soon as they are confirmed.
Tony Delahoy
