Counting down the days to the annual Stockbridge jamboree ….
Stockfest runs from 20 -27 September this year and there are loads of activities for the whole family to enjoy. For details of what’s on click on the link below
or visit www.stockfestedinburgh.com
You won’t be disappointed!
Ian Cooke (pictured below) was manager of local community regeneration agency The Pilton Partnership/North Edinburgh Trust before moving on to become Director of Development Trusts Association Scotland. He shared his thoughts on community development at a national conference last month:
“Over the last few years we have seen the term ‘community’ increasingly move to the centre of the policy agenda in Scotland – community-led regeneration, community ownership, community renewable energies, community enterprise and a proposed key role for communities within the re-provisioning of public services.
“While this is both welcome and exciting, it does raise an important question about how we build capacity in communities, if they are to successfully rise to this challenge, and respond positively to these new opportunities. The development of enterprising, asset owning communities, who can lead regeneration processes and play a key role in future public sector delivery, invariably requires the development of an expanded knowledge base and skill set within communities, and requires us to re-think how we do community capacity building.
“Historically, community capacity building had been largely done ‘to’ communities, from outside agencies such as local authority services, Third Sector Interfaces (formerly CVS’s), consultants and other specialist voluntary agencies. Will this support continue to be available in the future, and are existing community capacity building services and agencies really up to the task of responding to this new agenda?
“Discussions about community capacity building have often been dominated by community development professionals. But much of the fore-mentioned policy development has been influenced by largely organic, bottom-up activity, as community after community has responded to threats and opportunities. In doing so they have drawn inspiration and support from a wide range of sources. Is it now time to reflect on this experience, and listen to communities themselves about what kind of capacity building they require?
“As Director of the Development Trusts Association Scotland, I have had the privilege of working with, and representing, some of the most dynamic community organisations in Scotland over the last few years, and it has been fascinating to discuss this issue with many of them. So here are a few thoughts to kick off this much needed debate about future capacity building provision in Scotland.
“Firstly, there seems to be a lack of clarity about what we mean by community capacity building – whose capacity is being built and for what purpose? My own experience suggests the need to focus on building the capacity of community anchor organisations as a pre-requisite for any wider community capacity building.
“Secondly communities need to be inspired, not patronised! The most effective (and cost effective) single intervention in the early development of community organisations is the opportunity to visit another community to find out what can be achieved and to learn how to go about it. This requires small grants of a few hundred pounds. So why do so few funders want to provide these?
“Thirdly, rather than funding capacity building activity as something done to communities, let’s recognise that the opportunity to employ their own staff is the most effective way to create a step change in capacity, and start investing directly in the core costs of community anchor organisations.
“Finally, let’s recognise the wealth of knowledge and experience which already exists within the Scottish community sector, and start to tap into this much more effectively and systematically by developing Peer Support Programmes.”
With the Community Empowerment Bill now before the Scottish Parliament, what can be done to support communities to influence the decisions that affect them? Let us know you thoughts
Don’t go to Glasgow – come to Comely Bank!
St Stephen’s Comely Bank Church extends an invite to the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony tomorrow evening at 7.30 – with strawberries and cream too! Ye’ll no’ get that in Glesca! All welcome!
Writing initiative ‘re-imagines the future of Scotland’
Take a pen and a piece of paper and write a letter to the future of Scotland? In this age of high-tech, super-fast digital communications it may seem like a very old-fashioned way to communicate, but a new writing project called Dearest Scotland has sparked a revival in letter writing.
The apolitical initiative has caught imaginations in the year of the Referendum by inviting letters and illustrations from people of all ages across the world with a connection to, or an interest in, Scotland.
Dearest Scotland is the brainchild of Glasgow-based social design agency SNOOK, who some readers may recall worked with Total Craigroyston and North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum on the ‘What’s the Matter?’ project in 2012.
Focused on crowd-sourcing from a widest possible demographic with the aim of giving a platform to citizens’ voices, Dearest Scotland’s co-founder, Sarah Drummond, recently spoke of the aspiration to receive handwritten letters that capture insights to what a future Scotland may look like.
Sarah said: “Our team at Snook work in grassroots communities and we hear great ideas everyday from ordinary people. Sadly there is no platform for these voices to be heard in the mainstream media, by governments or local authorities. Dearest Scotland aims to address that.”
The idea originated before the independence referendum was announced, and since it’s March launch Dearest Scotland has received a cross-section of letters keen to articulate visions that reach beyond the political debate of the 18 September vote.
And while the project proves that the art of letter writing isn’t dead, the choice to write and illustrate letters digitally via the Dearest Scotland website is also available!
Sarah also spoke of plans to publish received letters in a collated book format. She said: “Everyone who writes to Dearest Scotland has the chance to see their letter published. This allows for the opportunity to read what people of all ages from every part of the country have to say about their hopes and fears for a future Scotland both in connection to and outside of politics and the referendum.”
While new letters are catalogued daily, Sarah’s aim is to publish the visions in an open source digital catalogue – in addition to the book format – after the 13 September deadline for submissions, and all proceeds will be donated to new and existing Scottish literary projects.
The Dearest Scotland team is currently touring venues and events across the country, spreading the word in towns and rural areas.
The initiative has also caught the attention of politicians. Glasgow Anniesland MSP Bill Kidd lodged a parliamentary motion in support of the project in June, and a Holyrood debate has been scheduled for 13 August – the motion has received cross-party support from a further 25 members of the Scottish parliament. There are also plans to exhibit a display of letters by the Scottish Rural Parliament in November and within Holyrood in early 2015.
Sarah’s business partner and project co-founder, Lauren Currie, added: “We all have a box of letters stashed away somewhere that fill our hearts with joy every time we dig them out and re-read them. Dearest Scotland is our nation’s box of letters. These letters are so much more than communication, they are re-imagining the future of Scotland.”
To find out more information about Dearest Scotland’s project, summer tour, or to submit a future vision of Scotland, visit…
www.dearestscotland.com
twitter @dearestscotand
facebook /dearestscotland
There’s still time to donate food items to support Tesco’s Neighbourhood Food Challenge.
Tesco is hosting a nationwide food collection from 3 – 5 July with foodbank charity Trussell Trust and food redistribution charity FareShare, and the group hopes that customers and colleagues will collect five million meals for people in need.
This is Tesco’s fourth Neighbourhood Food Collection since the initiative was launched in December 2012. So far they have collected 10 million meals for people in need around the UK with the last collection in December 2013 achieving 4.3 million donated meals.
Tesco will also be topping up total donations by a further 30%.
This weekend has been chosen because Tesco research found that “people are usually less generous in the Summer months than at other times of the year”. Only 7% of people surveyed said that they were at their most charitable during the Summer – yet many low-income families find the summer particularly hard as children no longer benefit from free school meals.
In July and August last year Trussell Trust foodbanks alone gave emergency food to 133,539 people, including 47,639 children. The charity expects demand to be higher this Summer.
Thousands of volunteers from the Trussell Trust and the FareShare network are involved over the weekend campaign, as will hundreds of volunteers from the British Red Cross. FareShare will distribute some of the donated food to some of the other 1,290 charities that it supports.
Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare said: “As the research shows, people are more generous at Christmas when it’s easier to remember those in need. However, we are urging people to give generously once more and not forget that the summer is also a difficult time for many as they struggle to provide for their families during the long break”.
Food aid organisations in Scotland can now apply for funding through the £500,000 Emergency Food Fund (EFF).
The Scottish Government fund is part of a £1 million investment in food aid, with £500,000 already committed to charity FareShare which redistributes surplus food from retailers to charities supporting their local communities.
According to figures produced by the Trussell Trust, the number of people who used food banks in Scotland between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014 rose to 71,428 compared to 14,332 people in the same period of 2012 to 2013.
EFF will support projects which respond to immediate demands for emergency food aid and help to address the underlying causes of food poverty.
Applications are invited for larger grants, up to four of which will be awarded at between £30,000 and £50,000 each. Smaller grants of up to £10,000 each will also be awarded, with £1000 being the minimum value for any individual grant.
Grants will be given to projects that concentrate on preventing food crisis recurring, those that build connections between food aid providers, advice and support agencies and organisations working to promote healthy eating and reduce food waste.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The amount of people experiencing food poverty in Scotland is simply not acceptable. Welfare reform, benefit delays, benefit sanctions and falling incomes are all having a detrimental impact on the people of Scotland.
“The Scottish Government’s Emergency Food Fund will help food aid organisations combat food poverty in Scotland by working in partnership with other local agencies. I urge relevant organisations to apply.
“One of the most depressing trends over the last few years has been the rapid rise of food poverty in our country.
“The only upside to this is seeing communities come together, gathering and distributing food for those in need. It is important that we support these people and organisations through initiatives such as the Emergency Food Fund.
“Most people recognise that the increase in foodbank use is directly linked to welfare reform and benefit cuts. Only an independent Scotland will have the full powers we need to protect people from poverty and help them fulfill their potential in work and life.”
Application deadline is w/c July 11, with successful projects due to be announced in early August.
People across Edinburgh sat down with neighbours and residents in their communities for the sixth annual Big Lunch yesterday. They joined an estimated 4 million people across the whole of the UK as The Big Lunch seems set to establish itself in the nation’s annual calendar on the first Sunday every June.
The Big Lunch, which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and led by the Eden Project, encourages people across the UK to have lunch with their neighbours once a year, for a few hours of community, friendship and fun. The simple act of chatting to neighbours can make a real difference in communities and can help tackle isolation, say organisers behind the initiative.
One of the Edinburgh Big Lunches took place on Summerside Place where around fifty neighbours got together over a bite to eat at their first ever Big Lunch street party.
Lou Kiddier, one of the organisers said: “Our street was really excited in the build-up to today, being our first ever Big Lunch. We took over Summerside Place for the day and enjoyed a day filled with fun, food and blether with everyone – it was a great chance to catch up with neighbours that we don’t always have time to in our busy day-to-day lives.
“I would definitely recommend others getting involved next year – whether your Big Lunch is for 5 or 5,000 it is the perfect excuse to get together with the local community. We can’t wait for next year and make it a regular event for our street!”
Other lunches taking place across the city included a street party in Gorgie and the second Big Lunch at the Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre.
Robert Scott, manager at the Centre and one of the organisers of their Big Lunch said: “We started holding Big Lunches last year as a way to get to know our neighbours better and welcome people into the Centre.
“It was another fantastic day for the community and for the Centre this year and it was great to see everyone just coming together and getting to know each other or catching up with old friends. Gathering people together can have so many benefits, from chatting to neighbours people have not met before to helping people come out of their comfort zones and try something new, especially for those who may be living on their own, or who are socially isolated.”
Emily Watts, Communications Manager at The Big Lunch in Scotland, said: “Year after year, I never fail to be impressed by the sheer number of people who get involved and take the time to hold a Big Lunch in their community.
“The Big Lunch is always a great success and the perfect excuse for people to get together. While on the surface, it’s a day of laughter, friendship and fun, if you look deeper than that, these get-togethers are having an enormously positive impact on communities. Big things come from Big Lunches and what they each have in common is they all start in the same way – with small talk.
“After six years, it’s amazing to see so many people taking our simple idea and really making it work wonders for their communities. We’ve heard so many inspiring stories already and know they’ll be plenty more to come. Roll on The Big Lunch 2015…”
Inspired by this Sunday’s Big Lunch celebrations? There’s still chance to take part as you can organise a Big Lunch on a date to suit your community. Free packs including posters, invitations, an inspiration booklet and other resources to help organise your Big Lunch are available from www.thebiglunch.com until the end of June 2014.
Events for May:
Newhaven Gala Day – join our local community celebrations
Saturday 24 May, from 12.30 pm at Newhaven Harbour
As many villages around Scotland know, the local gala day is one of the biggest celebrations of the year, and in our village of Newhaven, in a city that attracts performers from about the world, that is really saying something.
For the first time our Newhaven Fishing Folk Choir, will be entertaining the crowds with a mixture of fishing songs and a brand new ‘Song for Newhaven’, created by Jed Milroy and Victoria Primary’s P4 class especially to mark the occasion.
This event is open to – all
Tickets – Free
the disappearing sea – exhibition preview at the Wee Museum
Friday 30 May, 5 – 6.30 pm at Victoria Primary School
For the last few months artist Johnny Gailey has been working with staff and pupils at Victoria Primary towards the redisplay the Wee Museum.
Through workshops and visits to archives they have been learning about the history of Newhaven and what did happened to the sea…
Find out more about Fishing Folk and the Wee Museum by joining us for the opening.
The Wee Museum is open by appointment through out the year.
Newhaven History Day – getting together to discuss this place
Saturday 31 May, 12 – 4.30pm, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
Since earliest times Newhaven has been famous for it’s fishing, it’s shipbuilding and – it’s local community identity.
Our Newhaven History Day will gather together some of the voices of this place, residents and experts, to discuss the stories, songs and the rich heritage that is the fisher folks legacy. But as the last generations who remember the fishing industry pass on, how will Newhaven survive into the future?
This event is open to all
For further information contact:
Citizen Curator
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
21 Hawthornvale, Edinburgh, EH6 4JT
44+(0)7812167130
info@citizencurator.com
www.citizencurator.com
John Swinney launches new £16 million fund at Spartans
Cabinet Secretary John Swinney and Social Investment Scotland (SIS) visited The Spartans Community Football Academy on Thursday to formally announce the launch of a new £16m Social Growth Fund.
The Social Growth Fund, run by Social Investment Scotland (SIS), brings together an investment of £8m from the Scottish Government and a further £8m from Big Society Capital, the independent financial institution set up to develop social investment in the UK.
SIS is using the fund to expand existing investment activity within Scotland’s third sector, and to launch a new risk capital product for the Scottish social investment marketplace. This will provide long-term finance from £10,000 to £1m with repayments tailored to each organisation’s needs.
Alastair Davis, chief executive of SIS, said the new fund will enable it to provide considerably more support to social enterprises and community businesses across Scotland.
He said: “This funding support will in turn help these local organisations improve the lives of people within their communities by making them much more self-sufficient and sustainable.”
John Swinney said Spartans, which currently receives SIS support, is a good example of how this kind of funding works to better communities.
The Cabinet Secretary said: “I am delighted that the new Social Growth Fund for Scotland is now open for applications. This is an exciting opportunity for third sector organisations in Scotland, allowing them to continue their vital work within our local communities.
“Today I have seen the great work that has been achieved by the Spartans Community Football Academy in the local area, with police and youth groups noting a huge reduction in call outs and antisocial behaviour. The facilities here at Spartans show what can be done with the type of funding the Social Growth Fund will provide.
“Through schemes such as this, social enterprises will be able to have a greater role going forward, bringing more benefits to the communities they serve.”
In tandem with this new funding, SIS has also launched a Great Social Enterprise Tour – visiting five cities in five days next week – to raise awareness of the Social Growth Fund amongst local social enterprises across Scotland. The events will provide social enterprises with a chance to speak directly to an investment manager about how social investment can support the sustainability of their business.
Monday 12 May – Glasgow: The Lighthouse, 10am till 12pm
Tuesday 13 May – Edinburgh: Out Of The Blue, 10.30am till 12.30pm
Wednesday 14 May – Inverness: The Spectrum Centre, 1 – 3pm
Thursday 15 May – Aberdeen: Transition Extreme, 12.30 – 2.30pm
Friday 16 May – Dundee: The Factory Skatepark – 12.30pm till 2.30pm.
Alastair Davis, Chief Executive of Social Investment Scotland, added: “The Social Growth Fund will enable us to provide considerably more support to social enterprises and community businesses across Scotland. This funding support will in turn help these local organisations improve the lives of people within their communities by making them much more self-sufficient and sustainable.
“However, we also recognise that applying for funding can be a daunting prospect for many organisations, as it frequently represents a change in the way they do business, moving from grant dependency to a mix of income streams. Our Great Social Enterprise Tour is aimed at addressing this uncertainty by providing social enterprises with the answers they need to start moving their organisations on to the next level to create longer lasting social impacts.”
Nick O’Donohoe, Chief Executive of Big Society Capital, added: “Social Investment Scotland is a leading example of how regional social finance managers can play an important role in helping charities and social enterprises to access social investment, through their deep knowledge of the needs and challenges of a local area. They have an exceptional track record of delivering social investment support to organisations in Scotland, and we are pleased to have been able to help them to continue doing this.”
Big Society Capital’s investment in Social Investment Scotland is the first of its kind in Scotland since its formation last year, and will increase Social Investment Scotland’s funds under management by a third. It is the largest investment in SIS for twelve years and the largest ever investment by an external organisation.
Organisations who are looking for investment should call a member of SIS’ investment team on 0131 558 7706 to discuss possible funding or support.
Case Study: Spartans Community Football Academy
The Spartans Community Football Academy is a social enterprise and charity located at Ainslie Park in North Edinburgh which uses sport to deliver social change. Their local community includes some of the most deprived post codes in Scotland. With support from Social Investment Scotland, the Spartans have invested £4.5m in the last 5 years to build first class facilities and services which generate commercial income, the profits from which are re-invested to deliver their charitable objectives.
In the past 15 months, Spartans business has continued to grow, enabling them to increase their social impact. Some recent highlights are:
