Have you always wanted to learn how to grow vegetables in Scotland but not sure where to start? ELREC has teamed up with The Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh (RBGE) to offer you an amazing opportunity!
Join the Community Gardeners at the Botanics who will share their knowledge with us fortnightly on Friday mornings starting from April 21st!
We will have a plot where we will learn different aspects of growing vegetables, such as how to look after your soil, make your own compost, sow seeds, protect seedlings from pests and diseases using organic principles, and much more!
These sessions are aimed at anyone interested in learning about growing produce, even if you are a total beginner!
The sessions start TOMORROW on Friday, April 21st, every two weeks ’til October – we don’t expect you to attend all of them, but it’s helpful if you attend most of them to build your knowledge.
The sessions will take place in the demonstration garden, by the Botanic Cottage, and will last 2 hours from 10:15 to 12:30. Be sure to bring sturdy shoes and clothing that can withstand the Scottish weather!
Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to learn about growing your own vegetables in Scotland!
All the below activities are taking place on Thursdays and are for FREE, please email cfc@elrec.org.uk for more information:
10am to 12pm – Join our cycle rides every Thursday on flat cycle paths. Our ride leaders will lead the way and everyone is welcome, including children under adult supervision. Bring your own bike, helmet, water, packed lunch, sunscreen, and waterproofs. Register at cfc@elrec.org.uk, and let us know if you need to borrow a bike.
2pm to 4.pm – Also, join our drop-in bike repair service and learn how to fix your own bike! Our experienced mechanics are available to guide you every step of the way, whether you need to fix a flat tire or advice on how to overhaul your entire bike.
4pm to 5pm – Finally, check out our e-bike library and loan one of our top-of-the-line e-bikes for just £10 per week! You can explore the city with ease and comfort, while reducing your carbon footprint. Enquire at cfc@elrec.org.uk.
We are excited to announce the launch of our Permaculture Course, taking place at ELREC plot in Lauriston Farm as part of our Communities’ Reduce Reuse & Recycle project.
This course is open to everyone who is interested in learning about gardening and sustainable land management practices.
Our course offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers a range of topics such as soil building, sowing seeds, compost making, beneficial insects, pest management, and much more. By taking our Permaculture Course, you will gain a deeper understanding of how to live more sustainably, reduce your ecological footprint, and contribute positively to the local and global ecosystem.
This is an excellent opportunity to participate in a transformative and enriching experience that empowers individuals to create meaningful and positive change in their lives and communities.
The best part? The course is completely FREE, although donations are welcomed to support our work. To book your spot, please email cfc@elrec.org.uk.
We need your help to make The Edinburgh Climate Festival a reality, so please vote for our project today!
You have 5 votes to support not only our project but other outstanding ones as well.
Here’s a guide on how to vote for The Edinburgh Climate Festival:
Step one: If you’re an adult, register on myaccount https://www.mygov.scot/myaccount to cast your vote. This is a secure online portal that provides access to various public services using a single login ID and password. You can find a registration guide on the Edinburgh Council website. Young people under 18 can vote through Young Scot https://getyournec.scot/ using their Young Scot NEC number.
Step two: Once your account is active, visit Your Voice website : https://yourvoice.edinburgh.gov.uk/ and sign in using your myaccount details.
Help us create a sustainable future for Edinburgh!
Community wellbeing for climate impact (Ferryhill Parent Council)
We are a parent council groups that’s passionate able helping the children learn and thrive in the community.
This project will enable us to create a forest school within the school grounds, giving the whole school the ability to learn more about climate through hands on learning.
We will also be looking to add to the schools existing orchard with some raised beds for the children to grow food and learn about sustainable practice. We also plan on linking up with the local community centre to support the garden project.
Starter Packs Project (Fresh Start)
Since 1999 Fresh Start has been supporting people moving on from homelessness to ‘make a home for themselves’ across Edinburgh. Responding to people with lived experience of homelessness we provide practical support as people move on from temporary accommodation into new unfurnished tenancies.
Our service-users typically are allocated unfurnished properties and do not have the means to purchase the goods that make a home. Fresh Start provides Starter Packs of essential household goods – crockery, pots/pans, bedding, towels – to homeless households within the first 3 days of them moving in to their new tenancies, relieving financial burden and ensuring they have the essentials they need to settle in their new home.
We supply 13 different Starter Packs of quality used-household goods which are donated by the public and local businesses. Teams of volunteers gather in these donations and sort them in our warehouse for distribution.
In 2022 we distribute 14,430 packs and helped over 2,000 people moving out of temporary Housing. We diverted 75,500 kg (75.5 t.) of goods from landfill.
Community Shed (North Edinburgh Arts)
Vote for the North Edinburgh Arts Community Shed and support our ambitions for a more sustainable future!
Our Community Shed has been nominated for The City of Edinburgh Council‘s Edinburgh Community Climate Fund, and you can vote for it as part of the public participatory budgeting process until 12th March.
The primary focus of the Community Shed is to reuse wood and wooden furniture to enable our members to make and mend things for their homes, gardens and communities. Each year in Scotland we throw away tons of stuff into landfill, including wood and furniture, that should be recycled, reused, mended or made into something completely different and the Community Shed does its bit to convert this waste into useful and beautiful things.
Since its launch four years ago, the Shed has become a key community project in North Edinburgh with over 150 members. Being part of the Community Shed has a significantly positive impact on our members’ lives by improving their self-confidence, giving them meaning and purpose, making new friends and social connections, as well as providing them with an informal support network.
The Edinburgh Community Climate funding will enable us to purchase new much-needed technical equipment to cut and process wood, which will help speed up our processes while also significantly improving the quality of our output.
Please support our work and help create a greener community by casting your vote today!
This is a chance for you to decide how the Edinburgh Council money is spent on things that matter to you and your community.
For those under 18 wishing to vote this can be done through Young Scot using your Young Scot NEC number. School libraries will be offering supported voting too.
If you would like to vote in person, please visit your local library.
For information for our local residents, Muirhouse Library is currently located in the foyer of Edinburgh College Granton campus near Morrisons (350 West Granton Road), and its opening times are as follows:
Monday – Friday: 10am to 5pm
Saturday: 10am to 4pm
Make sure you vote before 12 March.
Thank you for your support, and please share with your friends and families as every vote counts!
All Aboard for Climate Action (People Know How)
The All Aboard canal boat run by People Know How and Polwarth Parish Church has been shortlisted in the Edinburgh Climate Community Fund to receive funding to run climate change sessions with children and young people on the Union Canal.
These organisations are now looking for votes from the public, which will decide the final projects that will receive the funding.
The climate change sessions will focus on engaging children and young people with nature and the local environment and exploring the impact of climate change. Using fun and engaging activities, we will introduce them to small everyday actions that they can take at home and in their community to help tackle climate change.
The sessions will be open to pupils from local primary schools that People Know How work with as part of their Positive Transitions service, supporting children, young people and families in the transition to secondary school.
They will draw on the charity’s established experience of running groups across Edinburgh and East Lothian, including previous sessions on All Aboard that have introduced young people to a green space in the heart of their community, seeing plants and wildlife up close.
All Aboard was launched in 2021 and aims to nurture community cohesion and wellbeing in an innovative space on the Union Canal. It is open to the community, serving as a safe space in which to explore the canal, find new experiences and socialise, while surrounded by nature.
To vote, visit the webpage below and select All Aboard for Climate Action as one of your five projects. Voting is open to all Edinburgh residents over the age of 8 and can be done online or at your local public library. Please note, you must use all 5 votes for your selections to be valid.
Further instructions can be found via the link below.
We would like to invite you to the opening of Forest Bound – adaptation, resilience and uncertainty, a Community Group Exhibition of artwork and more, created as part of Forest Bound, a public engagement project.
Forest Bound is a project working to engage ethnic minority groups in Edinburgh with forest landscapes by using arts approaches grounded in environmental science. The project aims to create spaces so communities underrepresented in nature can engage with forest environments, while bringing attention to their experiences and values. We organised forest walks and a workshop session. Find out more about the activities by watching the short film produced by Written in Film.
Forest Bound is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and is a partnership between the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), artist Tamsin Grainger, and Written in Film.
The exhibition
This multi-media, multi-sensory and interactive exhibition includes collage, painting and drawing, film by Written in Film, sound, recipes, and an experience of the smell and touch of the Scots Pines and fungi found in the Autumn in Scotland.
The groups were interested in, and learning about, how we, as part of nature, share the ability to adapt, maintain resilience and manage uncertainty. Created by people who live in Edinburgh, including members of the Chinese, Syrian, and Polish communities, in this exhibition you will be surrounded by the infectious laughter that comes from walking together in such special places.
Evening opening event
The evening opening of the exhibition is on Thursday 16th of February 2023, 6pm – 8.30pm.
The venue is Out of the Blue Drill Hall (Main Hall) in Edinburgh (EH6 8RG). See how to get there here.
We encourage you to bring along others with you to the evening opening and share the invitation with your network.
Please note the exhibition is cost-free and will be open to all from Tuesday 14th of February 2023 until Saturday 18th of February 2023 (inclusive), so if you are unable to attend the evening opening you can visit during normal opening times these dates (10am – 5pm Tuesday-Friday, 10am – 3pm Saturday).
Come along Saturday 4th February 2023 at St Martins Church (232 Dalry Rd, Edinburgh, EH11 2JG) to find some great clothes, toys, books, DVDs, kitchen utensils, and other stuff for FREE!
All welcome!! At the event, you will find clothes and other useful items in need of a new home. Everything will be available at NO COST.
You will find a great selection:
• Women’s, Men’s & Children’s clothes
• Toys
• Books, CDs & DVDs
• Kitchen utensils
..and more!
Bring your own bags and help us reduce waste.
**** Please note that we will not accept donations on the day. If you wish to donate items pop in at ELREC Office (14 Forth Street EH13LH) on Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd February from 10 am to 5pm. ****
If you have any queries please contact: cfc@elrec.org.uk or anna@grantongoesgrenner.org.uk
Please, confirm your presence here: https://fb.me/e/2AM1WtnIz and share it with your family and friends.
Come along Saturday 4th February at St Martins Church (232 Dalry Rd, Edinburgh, EH11 2JG) to find some great clothes, toys, books, DVDs, kitchen utensils, and other stuff for FREE! 1pm to 4.30pm
This year ELREC are celebrating Book Week Scotland by organising an event, reading and sharing short stories, including some around moving and migration.
Come and join us on Saturday, 19 November and read the story of your own, or listen to the others. Maybe you get into the spirit of reading and you want to buy some books So, a gift card to help you buying them is on us thank to a grant from #ScottishBookTrust
Places are limited and early booking is encouraged to avoid disappointment. Please reserve your free ticket via this link:
Have you always wanted to learn how to grow vegetables in Scotland but not sure where to start? 
ELREC has teamed up with The Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh (RBGE) to offer you an amazing opportunity! 
Join the Community Gardeners at the Botanics who will share their knowledge with us fortnightly on Friday mornings starting from April 21st! 
These sessions are aimed at anyone interested in learning about growing produce, even if you are a total beginner! 
The sessions will take place in the demonstration garden, by the Botanic Cottage, and will last 2 hours from 10:15 to 12:30. Be sure to bring sturdy shoes and clothing that can withstand the Scottish weather! 
10am to 12pm – Join our cycle rides every Thursday on flat cycle paths. Our ride leaders will lead the way and everyone is welcome, including children under adult supervision. Bring your own bike, helmet, water, packed lunch, sunscreen, and waterproofs. Register at cfc@elrec.org.uk, and let us know if you need to borrow a bike.
2pm to 4.pm – Also, join our drop-in bike repair service and learn how to fix your own bike! Our experienced mechanics are available to guide you every step of the way, whether you need to fix a flat tire or advice on how to overhaul your entire bike.
We are excited to announce the launch of our Permaculture Course, taking place at ELREC plot in Lauriston Farm as part of our 
Our course offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers a range of topics such as soil building, sowing seeds, compost making, beneficial insects, pest management, and much more. By taking our Permaculture Course, you will gain a deeper understanding of how to live more sustainably, reduce your ecological footprint, and contribute positively to the local and global ecosystem.
This is an excellent opportunity to participate in a transformative and enriching experience that empowers individuals to create meaningful and positive change in their lives and communities.
The best part? The course is completely FREE, although donations are welcomed to support our work. To book your spot, please email cfc@elrec.org.uk.
Check out the course timetable here 
So, a gift card to help you buying them is on us thank to a grant from