Tag: George Heriot’s School

Where to Begin to light up the city

Only one week left before the Edinburgh International Festival’s spectacular Opening Event

  • Exclusive sneak peek of the stunning projections designed by Pinwheel and a legend of Scottish music announced as part of the event’s creative team.

Audiences are invited to ignite their festival season with Edinburgh International Festival’s Opening Event: Where to Begin, set to light up the grounds of George Heriot’s in the heart of the Scottish capital on 2, 3 and 4 August in response to this year’s Festival theme: Rituals That Unite Us.

Tickets are now available on Festival’s website.

Blending immersive installations, performance, spectacular video projections and captivating storytelling, Where to Begin is the perfect opening to the city’s festival season.

Released today are stills from the projections designed by UK’s leading creative production company, Pinwheel, giving the audiences a taster of the spectacular event they can expect.

It is also announced that “One of the finest singer-songwriters in Britain” (The Guardian), Karine Polwart features on a new track commissioned for Where to Begin, composed by Roma Yagnik with lyrics by Davey Anderson and Simon Sharkey. Listen to a snippet of the song here.

An Edinburgh International Festival production, created by Pinwheel and in partnership with The Macallan, Where to Begin transforms an iconic Edinburgh location into the epicentre of creative power, exploring the myths and rituals which shaped the country, the capital and its festivals.

These include the process of whisky making and the warm welcome visitors to the city received in 1947 thanks to the private donations of coal rations by Edinburgh residents which were used to light up Edinburgh Castle during the first ever Edinburgh International Festival.

George Heriot’s pupils raise £2,616 by taking part in Invisible Cities’ ‘In Our Shoes’ Challenge

As part of their Poverty Week focus, students kept their shoes on for 48 hours straight to raise awareness around homelessness 

George Heriot’s School took part in Invisible Cities’ ‘In Our Shoes’ Challenge: an innovative new challenge introduced by the social enterprise, where pupils are asked to keep their shoes on for 48 hours straight (without removing them at all).   

The mission behind the challenge is to help school children to understand more about and discuss some of the issues faced by rough sleepers while on the streets such as podiatry issues, lack of access to adequate shoes, etc.  

Zakia  Moulaoui  Guery, CEO and Founder of Invisible Cities said: “We are delighted to say, that through completing this challenge, George Heriots School raised an amazing £2616 which we split with our fellow social enterprise and friends at the Grassmarket Community Project.”  

Based right next to the school, Grassmarket Community Project have been a long-standing partner of Invisible Cities and have supported with recruiting new guides and working on collaborative projects together.  

Katherine Duncan, Principal Teacher of Curricular Enhancement, explained: “Our Junior School pupils took part in Poverty Awareness Week at the end of March as part of our annual Financial Education focus. 

“It created an opportunity for them to learn more about the causes of poverty (both locally and globally) and how poverty impacts on the rights of everyone affected.   

“Putting themselves “in the shoes” of rough sleepers not only allowed our pupils to empathise with rough sleepers, but also helped them to make a difference by raising £2616 for Invisible Cities and the Grassmarket Community Project.”

Invisible Cities is a social enterprise that trains people who have previously experienced   homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city in Edinburgh, Glasgow , York and Manchester. 

Zakia  Moulaoui  Guery, CEO and Founder of Invisible Cities, said: ” This challenge was designed to give a different perspective on homelessness and focus on a very practical issue that people can face. 

“We are so thankful to the school, teachers and pupils alike for taking part and supporting us with such a generous donation.”   

Jonny Kinross, CEO for Grassmarket Community Project, said: “We are delighted to be one of the beneficiaries of George Heriots School’s incredible fundraising effort as part of their poverty awareness week.

“With this donation we will be able to provide practical support, training, access to free IT classes, free IT equipment, free food 5 days a week and one to one support including counselling and therapies to many of the City’s homeless and vulnerable.   

“As the lockdown relaxes and we are able to provide one-to-one face to face support this donation will enable us to re-connect to people who are exceptionally vulnerable and isolated – to help them sustain their tenancies, ensure they receive the benefits and support to which they are entitled as well as get the emotional and mental health support they need.

“What an exceptional fundraising initiative and our huge thanks go out to the pupils and their families who got behind and will help us to ensure that no one is left behind in the city’s recovery.”   

For more information on Invisible Cities visit https://invisible-cities.org/     

End of term celebration for Circle’s ISSEP

Ben Macpherson, Deidre Brock at Circle

Circle’s Inter School Social Education Project (ISSEP) works with primary-aged children supported by volunteer mentors who are 5th/6th year students.

For children, ISSEP provides a consistent 1:1 mentor one afternoon per week for the entire school year to support homework and a positive approach to learning, as well as providing a range of fun activities.

Mentors get a lot out of ISSEP too. It provides a first-class opportunity for volunteering, which is undertaken by some as part of accredited schemes such as Duke of Edinburgh and it helps to increase confidence and skills in working with young children. 

The ISSEP project has been a great success, and last week West Pilton-based Circle held an end of term celebration, as the project’s Claire Martin explains: 

Holly and Emma

Circle’s ISSEP Project enjoyed an end of term celebration on May 31st. Around 90 people joined the party at North Edinburgh Arts Centre. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the achievements of the 30 mentors and 30 children involved in the mentoring project this year (writes Circle’s Claire Martin).

The sun was shining and everyone enjoyed face painting, food, certificate presentations and a slideshow of the year’s highlights! Highlights included Zumba sessions at the mentors’ school and several visits to the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Thank you to the mentors from George Heriot’s School whose fundraising efforts made these outings possible. We also enjoyed planting vegetables in the newly developed raised beds at Muirhouse Avenue thanks to Centipede Project.

Lots of special friendships have blossomed throughout the year and the feedback from parents, teachers, children and mentors involved has been extremely positive. Thanks to Ben Macpherson MSP and Deidre Brock MP for joining us to celebrate, as well as teachers from local primary schools and George Heriot’s School.

We wish the mentors well as they move on from secondary school. We look forward to the project starting up again after the summer.

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Powerful Partnership: Circle Scotland and George Heriots short-listed for national award

Local initiative up for Powerful Partnership Award

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An innovative collaboration between West Pilton-based family charity Circle Scotland and senior pupils from George Heriot’s School has been shortlisted in the 2015 Scottish Charity Awards.

Nominated in the Perfect Partnership category, Circle’s Inter School Social Education Project (ISSEP) sees George Heriot’s S6 pupils volunteering every week for a year, providing one-to-one mentoring for a primary aged child in the North Edinburgh community.

The children benefit from the consistency and commitment of a caring and enthusiastic role model; the mentors gain increased social awareness and responsibility.

Circle’s ISSEP is one of 31 terrific finalists spread across six categories – Celebrating Communities, Charity Champion, Charity of the Year, Cracking Campaign, Digital Dynamos and Perfect Partnerships – and faces stiff competition in the People’s Choice public vote.

You can take part in the People’s Choice public vote:

go to www.scvo.org.uk/vote 

Voting closes on 8 May.

Winners will be announced at a gala event in Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on 4 June.

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