Do you have an idea that will make a difference to your local community? Apply now for a grant of up to £5,000 to make your idea a reality.
Please note the application deadline for the Community Grants Fund (CGF) has been extended to 5pm on Monday 16th December 2024. This is the last chance to apply for a grant this year.
You can apply for up to £5000 for community-based activity taking place in 2025. Areas with funding still available are: Almond, Craigentinny/Duddingston, Forth, Inverleith, Morningside, Pentlands, South West and Western.
The Community Grants Fund (CGF) is a small grants scheme provided by the City of Edinburgh Council. Grants of up to £5,000 can be awarded to constituted groups for community based activity.
The CGF was set up in 2007 to help fund projects that will benefit local communities. It is part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to empowering citizens and supporting grassroots initiatives.
Alan Gordon, Secretary for Longstone Community Council, said of the fund: “The CGF is an accessible fund for local groups across the city to make good use of.
“It brings ideas to life, activities to communities and often makes the difference between something happening or not. If you have an idea for improving your community, the CGF can help it to blossom.”
There are 13 local pots of money, each covering a different area of the city.
In some areas the money for this financial year has already been allocated, but there are several areas where funds remain (see above).
For more information about how to apply and to check how much money is available in different areas, go to the Council’s CGF web pages.
If you require further information or help to apply, please email:
Invitation to Participate in Community Planning Transformation and Improvement Stakeholder Engagement Sessions
The Edinburgh Partnership agreed to look afresh at the role of Community Planning in Edinburgh to maximise the relationships between public sector agencies and the voluntary and community sectors to address poverty and inequality and the climate and nature emergency. We need your views to help shape the future of community planning in Edinburgh.
These sessions aim to bring together key partners to discuss, plan, and drive forward positive changes for communities. Your insights and contributions are highly valued, and we would be pleased if you could join us.
Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to book your place as soon as possible to secure your spot at your preferred session.
To register, please email communityplanning@edinburgh.gov.uk with your name, contact details, and the date of the session you would like to attend.
Thursday, 10th October | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Craigentinny Community Centre
or
Friday, 11th October | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre
or
Wednesday, 23rd October | 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM | St. Bride’s Community Centre
or
Thursday, 24th October | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | West Pilton N/hd Centre
or online
Monday, 28th October | 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Microsoft Teams
Background Information on the Edinburgh Partnership Transformation and Improvement Programme –
Did you know 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of community ownership of land, assets and buildings in Scotland?
To celebrate this, and to mark North Edinburgh Arts coming into community ownership in 2022, we have commissioned a work from local textile artist Francia Boakye.
Francia will be weaving a set of baskets to carry our hopes and ambitions into the next 100 years of community ownership. Francia will be using a range of fabrics to represent the rich diversity of our local community. The many languages spoken across North Edinburgh will also be incorporated into the baskets, written on fabric woven into each piece.
The completed collection will be part of an exhibition in the Travelling Gallery touring Scotland between June and August this summer and will have a permanent home within the refurbished and expanded NEA building due for completion later this year.
If you live in North Edinburgh, we’d be delighted if you can take part in this project. Simply reply to this post with your hope for our community, and note additional languages spoken, or email these details to admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk by Friday 19 April 2024.
What do you think makes a strong community? How can we improve or change things for the better? Are you interested in climate and environmental issues?
You are warmly invited to come along to a relaxed and informal workshop and be part of a conversation about these questions. We’ll have free refreshments on offer and the discussion will be supported by a couple of facilitators who will help guide the discussion. No previous knowledge is required, we simply hope you will bring along your thoughts, opinion insights and hopes for your community’s future.
Please let me know if you’d like to take part in one of these sessions by emailing lynne.porteous@heartofnewhaven.co.uk and letting me know whether the morning or evening workshop works best for you. Please also let us know if you have any specific dietary requirements.
This event is organised by Restoration Forth, Heart of Newhaven and WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to gather information on community resilience. Your contribution is voluntary and confidential, but the anonymised results from discussions will be used to build a better picture of people’s perceptions, attitudes and practices around the Firth of Forth and the local community
Please join us at our AGM tomorrow (Tuesday, 23rd August) at 12pm.
Are you interested in becoming more active in your local community and shaping the future of your Neighbourhood Centre? We are looking for local people to join our Management Committee as a Charity Trustee.
In order to be elected on to our Management Committee you must be a member of the Drylaw Telford Community Association – membership is free.
Membership forms will be available at the AGM or drop in to the centre prior to the meeting.
With 2022 just around the corner – The Scottish Engineer wanted to give all of Drylaw Telford Community Council a little present to start the year!
From next Monday (3rd January) you can enjoy 25% off food for the whole of January.
To qualify, simply tell your server you are from Drylaw Telford Community Council facebook group when requesting your bill and the discount will be applied automatically.
You may use this discount as many times as you like throughout January and no booking if required.
The public will have a greater say in how major decisions around health and social care services are delivered in Scotland.
New guidance will ensure NHS Boards, Integration Joint Boards and local authorities uphold their legal duty to consult and engage with local communities about major planning decisions.
This will guarantee people with real experience of using local services will be able to shape decision making at a local and national level, from building or rebuilding hospitals, to transferring health and social care services into the community.
This ‘forward thinking’ approach will ensure lessons are learned from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by giving people with lived experience a say in the future of NHS Scotland and the reshaping of Adult Social Care. It will also help ensure services are effective, safe, value-for-money and meet individuals’ needs.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Community engagement and participation is vital as we look to reform health and social care services, ensuring they are fit to meet the needs of the public as we deal with the long term impact of the pandemic.
“This guidance will help ensure people have a greater say in decisions which affect the care they receive.
“Our collective response to the pandemic has shown the strength of our public services and how we can come together to address challenges. Since the start of the pandemic we have been delivering services differently and have engaged with communities to ensure they are involved in decisions that affect them. This guidance captures that learning and seeks to ensure we all benefit from it.
“The Scottish Government will continue to listen to the views of people who use health and social care services and actively involve them in re-shaping how we deliver care as we re-mobilise beyond the pandemic.”
COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson Cllr Stuart Currie said: “Planning with people promotes real collaboration between NHS Boards, Integration Joint Boards and Local Authorities.
“It sets out the responsibilities each organisation has to community engagement when services are being planned, or changes to services are being planned, and it supports them to involve people meaningfully.
“Fundamentally, good engagement means that services are developed which are effective, safe and value-for-money. And there is no doubt that greater participation brings better outcomes for communities all round.
“So, we encourage people in communities across Scotland to read this guidance and find out what they should expect when it comes to engagement about care planning. Ultimately, it is their experience that will be the real measure of what impact it is making.”
The Scottish Parliament debated the report of Scotland’s first Citizens’ Assembly on Thursday 18 February.
MSPs welcomed the Assembly’s shared vision and 60 recommendations for the country’s future, ahead of an action plan on the Assembly’s findings to be published by the next Scottish Government and a further debate to be held by the new Parliament following the election in May.
Parties were urged to take forward the Assembly’s work through manifesto pledges.
The Assembly’s report was published last month. The vision and recommendations were agreed by an overwhelming consensus of members, and cover a wide range of areas including future citizens’ assemblies, incomes and poverty, tax and the economy, health and wellbeing, support for young people, sustainability and further powers for the Scottish Parliament.
Following the report’s publication, Assembly members met virtually to discuss their vision and recommendations with ministers from the Scottish Government, including the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs Michael Russell and a number of other ministers.
Last week, the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Futures Forum held an event convened by the Presiding Officer which brought together members of the Assembly, a political panel and a number of MSPs to discuss and consider the vision and recommendations of the Assembly ahead of the Parliamentary debate on Thursday.
The report of the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland can be read online at citizensassembly.scot
To accompany the report, a short film on the Vision and Recommendations agreed by the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland, and featuring the voices of members is here:
All of the materials including evidence from previous weekends, an interim report and range of supporting papers covering previous work and articles and videos about the impact of COVID-19, together with recordings of plenary sessions, are available on the Assembly website
Scotland has another Citizens’ Assembly underway. Scotland’s Climate Assembly is tackling the question: “How should Scotland change to tackle the climate emergency in an effective and fair way?” and will continue its work over the next few months.
