Stockbridge & Inverleith Community Meeting
Wednesday 8 June at 7 pm
Stockbridge Parish Church, Saxe-Coburg Street
I am writing on behalf of Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council (SICC) to invite you to come along to a community meeting on Wednesday 8 June 2016 at 7 pm at Stockbridge Parish Church, 7b Saxe Coburg Street, Edinburgh, EH3 5BN. Continue reading Stockbridge and Inverleith community meeting
Recognition for Pilmeny’s World War One project
Congratulations to Leith’s Pilmeny Youth Centre, who won the Sunday Mail Young Scot Community Award for their Remembering the Leith Battalion project at a gala event at the EICC last night. Continue reading National award for Pilmeny Youth Centre
Get connected with your community this Tuesday
GameChanger are holding a free Community Event on Tuesday 12 April at Easter Road Stadium, taking place between 11am to 3pm.
The awareness day will help to showcase to the community what there is in the local area to help with their health and well-being, and is another event which demonstrates the positive impact GameChanger is having in the local area.
Attendees will be able to find out information across a wide spectrum of health issues including fitness, addiction support and mental health, as well as the related sub-topics that can help with your well-being, including information on healthy cooking, community gardening, yoga and dance.
Not only will it cover health and well-being, but it aims to highlight how to help with your employability and will offer advice on improving your digital skillset too. Information will be available for learning opportunities for students with varying disabilities and needs, as well as assistance for carers and advice on relationships and sex for young people. You can even find out what is happening at the upcoming Leith Festival.
For those with a keen football interest, you will also be able to discover a free online learning opportunity with the University of Edinburgh to study Football: More than a Game as well as opportunities for credit bearing face to face learning.
The event will take place within the Eighteen75 and Edinburgh Suites within the West Stand at Easter Road Stadium.
Reprieve for some but others still await funding decision
The city council has heralded a new way of distributing grants but some highly-regarded local voluntary sector projects still await the decisions that will determine their future. And with just six weeks before the start of the new financial year, management committees and voluntary boards across the city are faced with unpalatable choices: issue redundancy notices and risk losing staff or hope that all will be well with next year’s funding? Continue reading Council funding: for some, the wait goes on
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday 13 February 9.30 – 3pm
NORTH EDINBURGH COMMUNITY CONFERENCE
Organised by Community Action North and Granton Improvement Society
WHAT NEXT FOR OUR COMMUNITY?
Challenges and opportunities facing North Edinburgh
North Edinburgh is facing tough times. Services are being cut, jobs are hard to come by and some of our projects are struggling to survive.
But maybe it’s not all doom and gloom. Our community has some great resources, and chief among these is our people: the activists and the volunteers, young and old.
This important conference will discuss what our community needs – and work out how, together, we can get where we want to be.
We believe the people who know best are the people who live here. North Edinburgh needs your ideas – come along and help us to map out a positive future for our community.
Lunch provided
Free crèche available (MUST be booked in advance)
Contact: 0131 315 6405 or email communityactionnorth@gmail.com | grantonimprovementsociety.wordpress.com
And a wee local sheltie is Jewel in the crown!
Two local heroes from the Edinburgh area were crowned winners at the RBS – Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes awards ceremony on STV, hosted by Carol Smillie and screened last night. Continue reading Edinburgh’s Tom is a Real Hero
Edinburgh College Events students are commended at top industry awards
Edinburgh College students who raised thousands of pounds for charity have been honoured at the Scottish events industry’s top awards ceremony for showing they can stage events of professional standard.
Two teams each picked up commendations in the Best Student Event Award category at the Scottish Event Awards in Glasgow on Wednesday. The students received their commendations for the fundraising events they organised as part of their course work for BA (Hons) Events Management.
Along with other student groups from Edinburgh College’s Events Management courses, they helped raised a total of £20,000 for a range of charities last year.
One of the commended teams organised a fashion show featuring people with dementia as models to raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland. Service users, carers, staff and volunteers at the charity’s Fife Dementia Resource Centre in Kirkcaldy took to the catwalk as models at the event, which raised more than £700 for the charity.
The second team organised a sell-out mini fringe festival at the Voodoo Rooms, featuring musical acts and a magician. The team raised £2,200 for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.
The students learned of their success at the Scottish Event Awards ceremony at Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel.
Edinburgh College principal Annette Bruton said: “The students on our Events Management courses make a fantastic contribution to charities and raised more than £20,000 altogether last year. These commendations are testament to the hard work and professionalism the students put into organising their events, as well as the support they receive from their lecturers. I’m sure that this recognition is just the first step towards successful careers in the events industry.”
The Edinburgh College Events team and College Community department were also shortlisted in the Best Educational Event category for an event held to engage local schools, particularly head teachers, and increase opportunities for young people.
The college won in this category last year for its Graphic Design Industry Night, a one-night event that showcased graduates’ award winning design work, and celebrated the college’s close ties with industry.
The Scottish Event Awards honour the best events of various types across a range of sectors. They are run by magazine and marketing website The Drum.
We have now finalised the programme for our learning event Positively Diverse on the 1 October (see below). The event will support organisations to implement positive practices that include BME residents.
Please do BOOK your place by calling us on 0131 551 1671 or emailing admin@pchp.org.uk if you want to attend.
Programme
9.30am Arrive and coffee
10.00am Welcome
10.30am Professor Rebecca Kay, co-convenor of Glasgow refugee, asylum and migration network: ‘Living in Harmony: the benefits and joy of working with a diverse client group’
11.00am Residents tell their stories – followed by Q&A
12.15pm Lunch
1pm A Welcoming North Edinburgh – past and present
1.15pm How to make it happen – best practice from local organisations -followed by Q&A.
2.30pm What can you do next?
3.15pm Summing up
3.30pm Finish
Anita Aggarwal
Community Development Manager, Pilton Community Health Project
The Social Bite, Edinburgh Uni’s Best Buddies and veteran fundraising champion Tom Gilzean among those up for awards
Today, a shortlist of Scottish heroes has been unveiled ahead of the third series of RBS: Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes on STV to recognise people who have dedicated their time to local communities across Scotland.
A judging panel including John Boyle, chairman of Hamilton Portfolio Ltd and Motherwell FC, Managing Director of Branch and Private Banking in Scotland at Royal Bank of Scotland, Chris Wilson and Michael Shanks, member of the 77th Disabled Scout group which took home the RBS Young Real Hero of the Year award last year, gathered to narrow down the nominations received for this year’s show.
Elizabeth Partyka, fellow judge and deputy director of channels at STV said: “The series is a great opportunity to shine a light on people working tirelessly in communities to help improve the lives of others. We have seen an overwhelming response to this year’s call for nominations across Scotland and there are some truly inspiring stories to be told.
“The shortlist of nominees will be visited by our celebrity reporters throughout the show and it will be over to STV viewers to vote for the nominees they believe most deserving of an award.”
The series, presented by Carol Smillie and sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland returns to STV later this year. This year’s shortlist includes deserving Scots from all across the country.
Categories including Community Project of the Year and Hero Animal of the Year will return again this year as well as two new additional award categories including Hero Mum or Dad and Fundraiser of the Year. The overall winners will be voted for by the public and will be announced at a glittering, star studded televised awards ceremony later in the year.
Chris Wilson, Managing Director of Branch and Private Banking in Scotland at Royal Bank of Scotlandsaid: “It is a real honour to be part of the judging panel again this year. It’s important to celebrate the people that make a real difference in our local communities – especially those who would otherwise go unrecognised – and I think that every person on the shortlist is a deserving winner. Everyone at The Royal Bank of Scotland is getting behind the series again this year and we are all looking forward to finding out more about the finalists when the series airs later this year.”
And the nominations are ….
RBS: FINDING SCOTLAND’S REAL HEROES SHORTLIST
Community Champion
Ashley McIIvenny (Include Me 2); Barrhead, Glasgow
John O’Byrne (The John O’Byrne Foundation); Bellahouston, Glasgow
Jessie Douglas (Richmond’s Hope); Niddrie, Edinburgh
Sporting Volunteer of the Year
Carol Jones (Kelvingrove Community Tennis Club); Kelvingrove, Glasgow
Gregor Gardner (Azami Falkirk Judo Club); Hallglen, Falkirk
Janice Millar (Kilmarnock Harriers); Darvel, Ayrshire
Hero Neighbour of the Year
John O’Hara; East Glasgow
Donna Fitzpatrick; Fullerton, Irvine
Margaret ‘Mum’ Miller; Springboig, Glasgow
Fundraiser of the Year
Liz Smillie; Prestwick
Tom Gilzean; Edinburgh
Linzi O’Neil; Fife
Community Project of the Year
Paragon Music; Glasgow
The Social Bite; Edinburgh
The Coming Home Centre; Glasgow
Hero Mum or Dad
Pappinder Singh, Leith
Susan Hunter, Penicuik
Vicky Walker, Nairn
Scotland’s Real Heroes Courage Award
Allison Barr, West Calder
Paul Surgeon, Kirkintilloch
Suzanne Davies, Stonehaven
Carer of the Year
Karen Anderson (Carers United); Evanton
David Forbes (Future Choices); Aberdeen
East Kilbride Dementia Carer’s Group; East Kilbride
Young Real Hero of the Year
Leah-Grace Kean; Baillieston, Glasgow
Lee Falconer; Maryhill, Glasgow
Best Buddies Edinburgh
Hero Animal of the Year
Damson the Dog (Canine Partners): Slateford, Edinburgh
Jewel the Pony (Ravelrig RDA): Ravelrig, Edinburgh
Spike the Dog (Hearing Dogs for Deaf People): Cupar, Fife
For more information, visit www.stv.tv/realheroes or get involved on Twitter #scotlandsrealheroes or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/scotrealheroes.
The annual sponsored walk to support the biggest Summer Play Scheme in this area – supported and made possible by the parents, other third sector supporters and the Centre itself – gets underway at around 1pm today (writes James McGinty).
. This walk is becoming an ‘annual pilgrimage’ for people who do their best to support their communities. Refreshments will be available at the end of the walk as everyone returns to the Centre.
