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 …
Tag: community organisations
Credit Union merger: Special General Meeting on Thursday
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
Walled garden friends set meeting date
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:
- Community ideas and aspirations – new additions to our list like the solar powered cycletrack to light up at night, recreation of a bit of the medieval castle!
- Funding to make things happen – priorities?
- Awareness raising, membership and voting rights.
- EDI/WEL meeting
- Planning committee meeting & Local Development Plan
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
TRIM: just a minute …
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/
EDRA AGM on Monday
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!
Spartans in the running for national award
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: Twenty five not out
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:
- Five Day Care Clubs with places for 100 people, with entertainment and classes arranged,
- Arts and Crafts,
- Computer Instruction and Internet,
- Lifelong Learning, Literacy and Numeracy,
- Exercise,
- Cooking,
- Entertainment and Outings,
- Shopping trips twice weekly to various locations,
- Neighbourhood Group four days a week (mental health support),
- Weekend Resource Centre (for aged fifty-plus isolated people),
- Learning difficulty class.
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
Spartans net share of social enterprise funding
The Spartans are among 67 enterprising third sector organisations to be awarded a share of £2.3 million social enterprise funding, Finance Secretary John Swinney confirmed today.
Spartans will receive almost £16,000 from the Enterprise Ready Fund and eight other city-based charities and voluntary organisations will also be supported.
The £6 million Enterprise Ready Fund, which opened to applications last September, builds on a number of current initiatives the Scottish Government has in place to continue to support a sustainable, capable and enterprising third sector.
The Finance Secretary’s announcement comes ahead of a trip to Oslo where he will plans to highlight the Scottish Government’s commitment to supporting the third sector at a conference on Social Entrepreneurship. It’s estimated that there are now between 3,000 – 4,000 social enterprises across Scotland and that that number is growing.
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth said: “I would like to congratulate the 67 organisations which have been successful in securing grants from the Enterprise Ready Fund, ensuring the impact of these investments will be felt across Scotland.
“We believe that an enterprising third sector is a vital partner in our economy, in civic society and in the creation of a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. That is why we have invested heavily to help the sector develop.
“We have had a great response to the fund so far and I am keen to remind new, emerging and established third sector organisations that they have until 16 June to apply for funding. I hope that by investing in the third sector and enhancing its self-sufficiency we can look forward to a future where these organisations play a full role in public sector reform.
“Speaking at the Ferd conference provides an opportunity to share the experience of building a strong social enterprise sector, with our friends in Norway. Scotland has an excellent reputation for our work with the third sector. It is regarded as the best place in the world to start a social enterprise and there is increasing international interest in what some are calling the ‘Scottish Model’.”
The Enterprise Ready Fund will help organisations to develop, become more efficient and self-sustaining, or diversify into new markets. Priority is being given to activities that contribute towards the Scottish Government’s Prevention and Welfare Reform agendas. The fund is being delivered by a consortium of third sector organisations led by Foundation Scotland in partnership with Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEiS), Developing Strathclyde Ltd (DSL) and the Social Value Lab.
Foundation Scotland’s Chief Executive Giles Ruck said: “We are delighted with the wide variety of applications we have received so far, which showcase the innovative ways organisations plan to use their awards to make a real difference to the people and communities they serve. We hope this initial announcement will encourage new or developing third sector organisations to apply to the Enterprise Ready Fund before it closes on 16 June.”
Other Edinburgh-based organisations to receive Enterprise Ready funding include Children in Scotland (£24,840), Comas (£37,833), Grassmarket Community Project (£69,963), Greetings from Leith Ltd (£14,287), Nourish (Scotland) (£50,000), Power of Youth (£21,000), Spartans (£15,804), The Melting Pot (£25,000) and Transform Scotland (£49,544).
Further information and full details of the Enterprise Ready Fund can be found at:http://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/grants-and-funding-for-organisations/what-grants-are-available/enterprise-ready-fund.aspx
