Fresh Start – Page 6 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

New opening hours for Fresh Start Pantry/Shop from 6th September

From Monday 6 September, Fresh Start’s Pantry and Shop will streamline their opening hours to 9.30am – 12.30pm, Monday, Tuesday & Friday.

Free ‘nearly new’ school uniforms at Fresh Start this morning

Today and tomorrow at FRESH START Ferry Road Drive

Pirniehall, St David’s, Craigroyston and Forthview Primary Schools

Craigroyston Community High School

subject to availability

Free ‘nearly new’ school uniforms at Fresh Start event next week

Fresh Start and @EdinUniformBank are running a free ‘nearly new’ school uniform drop in for families in need of help with school uniforms on Wed 11th & Thurs 12th August at Fresh Start Pantry, 28 Ferry Rd Drive, EH4 4BR.

PLEASE NOTE: This event is ONLY for families at Forthview, Craigroyston, Pirniehall & St David’s Primaries and Craigroyston High School. We will not have uniform available for other schools.

Numbers will be limited due to Covid restrictions & uniform is subject to availability.

What does living in North Edinburgh mean to you?

Fresh Start, with the Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership, are running online events on 12th & 13th May to allow residents to discuss how our services can adapt to fit what matters to you, the people that live and work in the area!

Join the conversation on Wednesday 12th May, 1-2.30pm by registering here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZYsd…

Or Thursday 13th May, 7pm – 8.30pm, by registering here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZ0qcu…

Please share around your networks and get the conversation going!

Fresh Start welcomes donations once again

FRESH START is now open for donations

FOR MORE INFORMATION TELEPHONE 0131 476 7741

or email Admin@freshstartweb.org.uk

Donations to restart at Fresh Start

Fresh Start will be accepting donations from Tuesday 6th April.

The charity, which is based on Ferry Road Drive, supports people who have been homeless to settle into new homes. Fresh Start is looking for donations of:

Dishes and cutlery

Cleaning Items

Pots and pans

Bed linen and towels

Small household electric items

Long dated food products

For further information telephone 0131 476 7741 or email admin@freshstartweb.org.uk

Community Climate Asset funding for Edinburgh organisations

Delivering Scotland’s green recovery

Communities across the country are to benefit from fast-tracked funding to help tackle climate change and deliver Scotland’s green recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A total of 279 projects will be funded through the Community Climate Asset Fund, helping to deliver electric bikes, food growing equipment and glazing to improve energy efficiency.

Successful recipients of the Fund based in the capital include Freh Start, Stockbridge Parish Church, ELREC and Granton Parish Church.

Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “Communities across the country are playing a vital role in responding to the pandemic crisis and in maintaining our resilience, our sense of spirit and our local support network.

“In what remains an exceptionally difficult time for us all, this funding is providing fast, tangible support to deliver long-lasting benefits to community based organisations while also helping them tackle climate change as we accelerate our just transition to a net zero society.

“I am particularly pleased that the successful recipients of the Community Climate Asset Fund come from right across the country, meaning many thousands of people will benefit from the projects and help play their part in ending Scotland’s contribution to climate change.”

Chief Executive Officer of Keep Scotland Beautiful Barry Fisher said: “We congratulate all the community-based organisations across Scotland awarded Community Climate Asset Fund grants.

“Keep Scotland Beautiful are committed to making Scotland clean, green and sustainable, and through the Community Climate Asset Fund, we are delighted to support communities to tackle climate change and contribute to a green and just recovery from COVID-19.”

A total of 279 organisations are being funded through the Community Climate Asset Fund. Edinburgh projects to receive funding are:

Action Porty. For community building energy efficiency improvements. £3,777.60.

Blood Bikes Scotland. For an electric motorcycle and charging station to help to reduce carbon emissions within the Lothian region by transporting urgent items for the NHS more sustainably. £24,896.70

Craigmillar Now. For community building energy efficiency improvements. £9,770.00.

Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council. For an electric vehicle to help the BAME communities of Edinburgh to reduce local carbon emissions by empowering their club users to drive more sustainably. £12,150.00

Edinburgh Community Food. For an electric van and charging point to help reduce carbon emissions in Edinburgh by delivering food parcels to families and local community organisations more sustainably. £28,607.16

Edinburgh Hindu Mandir and Cultural Centre. For insulation and low-energy lighting to help the Hindu community of Edinburgh to reduce local carbon emissions by making the community hall more energy efficient. £24,660.00

Edinburgh Napier Students’ Association. For food growing equipment. £2,660.00.

Fresh Start. For an electric van to help reduce carbon emissions in Edinburgh by distributing donations and running their PAT testing service more sustainably. £13,986.00

Friends of Seaview. For food growing and food waste equipment. £2,036.32.

Inverleith Allotments Association. For garden waste reduction equipment. £3,474.00.

Stockbridge Parish Church. For community building energy efficiency improvements. £3,790.80.

Swap and Re-use Hub Co-operative (Edinburgh) Ltd. For an electric cargo bike, fridge and freezer to help the Food Sharing Edinburgh Network to reduce local carbon emissions by reducing emissions for collections and deliveries and diverting more surplus food from landfill. £7,703.00.

The Broomhouse Centre. For an electric van to help communities in South West Edinburgh to reduce carbon emissions by distributing food donations, other deliveries, and activities more sustainably. £18,601.92

The Edinburgh Remakery Ltd. For textile repair equipment as part of the Covid-19 response. £1,000.00.

The Friends of Duddingston Charitable Trust. For food growing equipment. £2,956.83.

The Welcoming Association. For food growing and food waste equipment. £3,100.00.

Water of Leith Conservation Trust. For an electric cargo bike and community building energy efficiency improvements. £4,496.78.

Fresh Start online AGM set for Tuesday 8th December

Fresh Start Annual General Meeting 8^th December 2.15pm, via Zoom

We will be hosting the Annual General Meeting of Fresh Start (Scotland) Ltd this year via Zoom web link on Tuesday, 8^th December at 2.15pm. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic and current restrictions in place, we are unable to hold the meeting face to face and instead, ask that you join us virtually.

The formal business of the AGM consists of a presentation from the Convenor, Lindsay Wallace, on the activities of Fresh Start over the past year, together with a presentation of the Report and Accounts for 2019/20.

This will be followed by a short presentation from Biddy Kelly, Managing Director, and video showing what has taken place over the past year. The event will be finished by 3pm.

We would kindly ask that any questions are submitted prior to the event if possible but may be asked on the day either via the chat function on Zoom or afterwards via email.

To join us via Zoom, please click on the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86225701177?pwd=SmxveGVteDRWaTRhZ2ZFMlU2K0twZz09

Or alternatively, visit https://zoom.us/

Select ‘Join a Meeting’ and enter this code: 862 2570 1177

When prompted, enter this password: 594344

It is a great opportunity to catch up on all the latest from Fresh Start and see some friendly faces and would love to you join in.

If you would like to view the Company’s accounts prior to the meeting, please click here or email us to be sent a copy.

If you can attend, please let us know, by telephoning admin on 0131 476 7741 or by replying to this email by Friday 4^th December. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you cannot attend.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you.

Kind regards,

Carrie-Ann

Carrie-Ann Scougall

Business Manager, Fresh Start

22-24 Ferry Road Drive

Edinburgh EH4 4BR

Direct Line: 0131 370 9000

Head Office: 0131 476 7741

www.freshstartweb.org.uk

Local groups receive awards for Keeping Scotland Beautiful

The efforts of 14 Edinburgh groups have been acknowledged by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful at an online seminar yesterday.

North Edinburgh is well represented among these green-fingered groups, with awards for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Fresh Start Growers, Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden, Friends of Lauriston Castle Estate, Friends of Starbank Park and North Edinburgh Arts Gardening Group.

The other capital groups to receive awards are Balerno Village Gardeners, Craigentinny Community Gardening Project, Craigentinny Primary Parent Council, Friends of Morningside Cemetery, Friends of Saughton Park, Inch View Care Home, Inspiring Hillside and Northfield Community Growing Group.

Annually Keep Scotland Beautiful runs two community environmental improvement programmes in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society; the competitive Beautiful Scotland campaign and the It’s Your Neighbourhood initiative.

In total 197 groups, those who would in previous years have been out creating and maintaining community gardens or allotments, looking after habitats for wildlife and adopting streets, have been issued with Certificates of Recognition for the work volunteers and supporters did manage to carry out to brighten up and pull their neighbourhoods together during this year’s health pandemic.

A full list of the 14 groups from Edinburgh can be found in the attached table (below).

Edinburgh-groups Download

Faced with the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to recognise and celebrate the achievements of communities and individuals across Edinburgh.

Throughout lockdown and the following months, groups have worked tirelessly to improve their communities through horticulture, environmental responsibility and working in partnership for the benefit of residents, visitors and our natural environment.

Despite circumstances this year, 47 new entrants were welcomed to the network, and although judging and mentoring visits were not able to take place due to restrictions across Scotland, groups were still supported with online seminars, networking events, question and answer sessions and a weekly e-newsletter.

Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful said, “We know that lockdown resulted in many people reconnecting with green and blue spaces local to them. Yet, it has also been a particularly challenging year for the communities who strive every year to protect and enhance the places they live and work in.

“We have been amazed by the desire of communities, volunteers and local authorities to stay connected, motivated and inspired by each other, all with a steadfast determination to do things to make a difference, even if this had to be done differently this year.

“I’d like to thank all the groups in Edinburgh for the efforts they have made to keep Scotland beautiful this year.”

Although many of the groups had to stop or curtail their planned activities for the year, we have been blown away by what they have managed to achieve – whether that be setting up a food bank, encouraging and supporting others to grow their own, creating virtual garden tours, connecting their members through online catch ups and keeping their neighbourhoods bright and cheerful.