Craigroyston Community Centre – The NEN

Future Premises: A statement from Corstorphine Community Centre

STATEMENT ON FUTURE PREMISES FOR CCC (2nd February 2022)

Since the disastrous fire in 2013, we have been looking to rebuild the former Corstorphine Public Hall at Kirk Loan.

We have made considerable efforts, with success, to modernise our governance structure to facilitate this, trusting it would then enable us to access the required funds as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) which owns and runs a Community Facility for the area.

A Lottery Fund application was applauded, but no funds were granted and as you may be aware the CCC has over the past few years received indications of funding options on a number of occasions by the City of Edinburgh Council but has not been allocated anything towards the approved project to rebuild on the original Public Hall site.

Strenuous efforts have been made over a number of years to secure the funds to make that project possible but without success. Our current lease at St John’s road will be coming to an end shortly, leaving us nowhere to run all our current and successful community groups and services.

After much serious consideration and research, CCC has now started the proceedings for a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) of Westfield House in Corstorphine, the former city council office building, also situated in Kirk Loan

Our intention is to adapt the current building to create the required community centre. The CAT presents an opportunity to provide even more services and activities for the local community. It is also anticipated that external funding for this project will be available from the Scottish Land Trust.

In addition to our existing cash reserves and all donations received, the original site at Kirk Loan has a value and although somewhat reluctantly, it is our intention that the site will shortly be marketed for sale; this will provide funds to be used solely for the provision of the new community centre for Corstorphine.

Gwen Campbell-Mullin: Funeral Arrangements

FOR ALL FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Gwen’s Funeral has been arranged for THURSDAY 9th DECEMBER

10am Mass at St Margaret Mary’s

87 Boswall Parkway EH5 2 JO (Gwen’s Wedding Venue)

11am Warriston Crematorium Lorimer Chapel

There will be a Death Notice in Thursday’s Evening News.

Venue for Funeral Reception

Silverknowes Golf Club

Everyone who knew Gwen is warmly welcomed to either and or both services

REST IN ETERNAL PEACE

Gwen Campbell

It is with deep sadness that I report the untimely death of Gwen Campbell this morning.

Gwen passed away peacefully after a characteristically brave battle.

My thoughts are with Gwen’s family, friends and community colleagues.

Adult learning classes at Craigroyston

Happy New Year!

Our adult learning classes begin next week and we still have spaces available for some courses. Please spread the word! Starting from Monday 23 January for an 8 week term.

We also have FREE Walking: Tuesday mornings 10.15-11.15am free walkers group to encourage people to become more active. They will be gentle walks building up into longer sessions. These start from Tuesday 24^th January. Just come to the school for 10am. Wear waterproofs and good waterproof shoes and bring a bottle of water.

Plus a drawing class on Monday afternoons, Scottish History through Novels on a Wednesday afternoon and Mindfulness on Thursday afternoons and a New year, New You class on Saturday mornings to help make 2017 your best year ever!

Courses cost £48 for the 8 weeks (£24 for senior citizens and £15 for people receiving concessions)

All the best

Fiona Henderson

Saving community space at Craigroyston: complete the survey

Craigroyston Community Centre’s management committee, which oversees the adult community wing at Craigroyston Community High School, has sent out an unofficial audit (see below) to raise awareness of the cuts in community service provision in Craigroyston High School.

CommunityAudit July 2016

Have you used the facilities at Craigroyston? Do you plan to use them, and if not, why not? Please complete the attached survey and email it to

vanessacousins@blueyonder.co.uk

or drop it off at the Community Shop on Pennywell Road.

Thank you,

Craigroyston Community Centre

Craigroyston’s adult learners in last ditch appeal

Fight to keep the ‘community’ in Community High School

Craigroyston Community Centre, the adult education wing of Craigroyston Community High School, has appealed to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for her support in retaining a full adult education service at the school. Continue reading Craigroyston’s adult learners in last ditch appeal

HELP! An appeal from Craigroyston

Craigroyston Community High School to lose adult education classes?

My name is Vanessa Cousins, Chairperson of Craigroyston Community Centre. I wish to draw your attention to the fact that we are LOSING our Community Centre and Day Time Adult Education Classes.

WE NEED YOUR HELP.

We have asked to be updated and informed by the Head Teacher, Steve Ross in a written request in February 2016 of any changes and received NO reply.

We have contacted Councillors Cammie Day, Vicki Redpath, Steve Downie and Allan Jackson to invite them to a meeting and have received NO reply.

We have emailed David Bruce (senior education official). No reply.

Steve Ross, has made it clear that we will not be able to run any daytime adult education classes in the Craigroyston Community High School from August 2016 as the school will be using all of the community rooms for pupil classes, during curriculum time.

He had a group from Council Asset Management inspect the school and they confirmed the community wing classrooms to be for pupil use only from August 2016. It is not clear if they were made aware of the regular community use.

We wish to meet with the Council Community Asset Management team. If the decisions are not made by Steve Ross then we need to know who does and be allowed to meet them to put our case forward.

We need to be advertising courses very shortly so we need clear information and confirmation that our community centre rooms will be available from August.

Info Points

The head teacher suggested that the increased school roll, possibly going up to around 480 pupils (although the school was designed for a school roll of 600 pupils), necessitated use of the community rooms to offer two Social Science classes and the third classroom to be used by a new development teacher for the school.

There seems no recognition of the loss of this as being a vital community asset, especially as the three rooms are all that remains of the original Craigroyston Community Centre, guaranteed by the council at the time (2009), to provide community centre equivalent in the school building.

Craigroyston Community Centre was established in the 1970s to serve the community in North Edinburgh and was demolished when the centre was amalgamated with the new Community High School

The three community rooms, specially built to provide access for local people, are usually constantly busy with daytime adult education classes and community groups – with a newly formed community centre management group, made up of adult learners, developing more ideas and classes in response to community needs.

At the moment the rooms are taken up with providing classroom space for the additional 250 Craigroyston Primary School pupils who have been accommodated in the high school, along with teaching and admin staff, and admin staff from Pirniehall Primary school which is supported by the Committee.

‘Empowering communities is key to creating a more prosperous and fairer Scotland. It is the role of central and local government to work in partnership with communities and support them to lead change for themselves, to create thriving and sustainable places to live.’

(First sentence of the Community Empowerment Act (Scotland ) 2015 Asset Transfer section)

Vanessa Cousins

Craigroyston community meeting cancelled

Tomorow’s Craigroyston Community Centre meeting has been postponed as rooms in the school’s community wing are being used by displaced primary school classes.

Craigroyston Community Centre chairperson Vanessa Cousins said: “We are having to reschedule the meeting planned for the 18th as Craigroyston Primary are having to use the rooms due to the problems with the schools in the area. We as the community are fully supporting this measure and are more than happy to help and change plans for the children. We will let you know the revised date.”

The Craigroyston group recently announced that the committee plans to mount a campaign to save community facilities in the Pennywell Road school, which they say are under threat once again.

Craigroyston Community Centre faces closure – again

Community annexe at High School under threat

Members of Craigroyston Community High School’s Community Centre management committee have e-mailed politicians to seek support to save the school’s community wing. Continue reading Craigroyston Community Centre faces closure – again

Community Conference: now it’s time for action

Action Groups formed based on community priorities

Five new Action Groups have been formed following last month’s community conference at Craigroyston Community High School.

The conference, organised by Community Action North and Granton Improvement Society supported by Craigroyston High School’s Community Centre, gave local people an opportunity to identify the main issues affecting the area. Participants then worked in small groups to look in detail at these topics and went on to form Action Groups to work with others to find short, medium and longer term solutions to the area’s problems.

The Action Groups are:

Big Picture (Economy, Employment & Decision Making)
Community Spaces & Environment
Crime & Community Safety
Housing
Youth

More than fifty local people took part in the event and it’s hoped that many more with attend a follow up event in the autumn.

A spokesperson for the conference organisers said: “The weather on the day was really dreadfully so we were delighted that so many people made the effort to attend. There was a lot of enthusiasm and many ideas were generated at the conference and the Action Groups will now take these ideas forward and plan the way ahead. There are lots of changes happening in the area just now and it’s important that local people are involved and have a say in the decisions that affect their lives.”

If you would like to be involved in the Action Groups or want more information about CAN, email comunityactionnorth@gmail.com

Community Conference Report