Tag: Gorgie

LOVE Gorgie Farm ready to reopen

LOVE Gorgie Farm, formerly Gorgie City Farm, is set to reopen its doors on Monday 29th June as Scotland moves into phase 2 of easing lockdown measures.

Social distancing strategies have been adopted to create a safe environment for visitors and staff. These are temporary and include a one-way system and an open picnic area and other measures to ensure groups of visitors don’t gather too closely. Staff will be using PPE and hand sanitizer will be supplied.

The café will also offer take-away services.

During lockdown the farm has been acting as a focal point for the community, operating as a food bank and delivering free breakfast for children amid school closures. It also provides free pet boarding to those who were unwell or had to be temporarily admitted into hospital.

The farm will be open from 9.30am to 4.30pm seven-days a week and visitors will have the opportunity to see pigs, cows, sheep and goats, as well as its fantastic alpacas.

While entry is free a donation is welcomed.

Visitors will also get to see the abundance of food growing and can find some quiets spaces to sit amid nature and learn more about the farm’s future plans.

Lynn Bell, CEO of LOVE Learning, the education and social care charity which operates LOVE Gorgie Farm said: “We look forward to welcoming back visitors to LOVE Gorgie Farm at the end of the month. The safety of our staff and visitors is paramount and we have introduced a range of measures to build trust and confidence.

“Lockdown has been a difficult time for everyone and while closed the farm has been a crucial local resource, acting as a food bank and providing free pet boarding. Travel restrictions remain in place and, for the immediate future, the farm will be restricted to welcoming local communities.

“The connection with the environment that we can provide is vital for the well-being of all. This is a first hugely important step in a return to normality and we ask for everyone’s patience and understanding as we resume operations in a way that works for everyone.

“While free, any donation that can be provided will be much appreciated.”

Gorgie Farm spearheads local community support during pandemic

LOVE Gorgie Farm has been spearheading support for communities in Gorgie, Dalry and Stenhouse, coordinating different local organisations to deliver key services.

Participating organisations are working collectively to provide a comprehensive range of services to the community. Acting as a one-stop shop they are sharing a request for support with the right organisation if they can’t deliver it themselves. They are also working together to identify existing gaps in support that need filled.

The first organisations to witness the benefit of this collaboration has been LOVE Gorgie Farm and Big Hearts, who have joined forces to enhance their foodbank provision to the local community.  Big Hearts is a family-focused charity, aiming to improve the lives of people who are at risk of social isolation across communities.

Through this initiative, referrals going to Big Hearts seeking food provisions can automatically be shared with LOVE Gorgie Farm’s food bank, improving the support given to these individuals.

LOVE Gorgie Farm is coordinating this collective initiative since it temporarily closed its doors to the public due to the coronavirus outbreak at the end of March.

In addition to running a foodbank, LOVE Gorgie Farm has been undertaking a volunteer-led initiative to deliver free breakfast every morning to the children of the community amid school closures.

Amber Isaacs, Project Manager at LOVE Gorgie Farm said: “LOVE Gorgie Farm has been at the heart of the local community for years, and in this time of crisis, we felt that it was vital to ensure everyone in the area is being fully supported.

“By linking with other organisations supporting the most vulnerable people in the area, we have been able to not only address any gaps in support provided but have also managed to tear down the barriers that individuals had to face when accessing support.

“The support received from all the members has been exceptional and we are already seeing the positive effects of this collaboration amongst individuals and families of the area.”

Katriona Gillespie, Chair of local arts organisation Gorgie Collective, said: “It is so positive to see local volunteer and charitable organisations pulling together to support our community here in Gorgie-Dalry.

“By signposting help and sharing resources, we can make sure that help gets to everyone who needs it at the right time.”

Organisations taking part in this initiative include LOVE Gorgie Farm, EVOC, Big Hearts, Health All Round, NHS Lothian, Gorgie Collective, Lifelong Learning, The Welcoming Association, and Home Start as well as the local community councils.

People looking to access these support services should contact: 

gorgie@l-o-v-e.org.uk

Big Hearts: Gorgie charity opens new helplines

Big Hearts, the charity of Heart of Midlothian FC, is shifting their activity to focus on phone and online support, through new dedicated helplines launched today.

Over the past two weeks the Big Hearts’ team of nine staff has been working on alternative ways to maintain their vital work to local groups at a high risk of loneliness, poor mental health, complex family backgrounds and food poverty.

The new Big Hearts helplines are designed to provide regular support over the phone and use digital means to address people’s urgent needs – whilst ensuring the safety of all staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.

Based at Tynecastle Stadium, the charity supports more than 150 vulnerable adults and children on a weekly basis, through a range of programmes including the Kinship Care after school club, The Changing Room project and Football Memories for over 65s.

Craig Wilson, Big Hearts General Manager said: “On 13 March we decided to suspend all our face to face activity to ensure everyone’s safety. Our staff team has been working remotely, completing hundreds of calls to families, isolated adults and older people to assess their immediate needs and offer some guidance and support.

“After a couple of weeks working in this new setting, we are delighted to announce a new series of landline numbers that people can call for a confidential chat and some targeted support.”

Kinship Care Helpline: 0131 603 4927
Advice on parenting strategies, peer support & service referrals for local kinship care families.

The Changing Room at Hearts: 0131 603 4929
Mental health support, wellbeing info and regular peer support in partnership with SAMH.

Community Helpline: 0131 603 4928
Social connection & advice for beneficiaries and volunteers at risk of loneliness & poverty.

www.bighearts.org.uk

Volunteers needed to bring LOVE back to Gorgie Farm!

The new folk at Gorgie City Farm are seeking volunteers to assist in bringing the popular visitor destination back to life, ahead of the farm opening its doors again to the public as LOVE Gorgie Farm on Saturday 29th February. 

LOVE Learning, an education and social care charity that supports vulnerable individuals by using innovative ways to engage them in learning, announced it was taking over the city farm in January after the farm went into liquidation in 2019. 

The charity is now looking for volunteers to help prepare the site in time for its official opening date at the end of the month. Activities for the volunteers will consist of organising and tidying up the site to make it presentable and safe for both the public and the animals. 

Volunteer days will take place from 10 am – 3:30 pm over the course of the next two weekends: 15th, 16th and 22nd, 23rd of February. Volunteers do not have to stay the whole day, even an hour would be great. 

After the site opens its doors to the public it will remain open 7 days a week and will be free for visitors. LOVE Learning intends to keep using the site as a city farm as part of their portfolio of environmental projects. 

In addition, LOVE Gorgie Farm will procure educational services to vulnerable children through animal and forest therapy.

It will also provide a range of professional apprenticeships and Scottish Qualifications Authority awarded qualifications, as well as organise social prescribing and wellbeing therapies in partnership with the NHS.

Lynn Bell, CEO of LOVE Learning, said: “We are delighted to have taken responsibility for Gorgie City Farm. LOVE Learning know how treasured and important the site is for the community and we want to bring this back to the people of Edinburgh as soon as possible. 

“We are asking anyone that might have been involved with Gorgie City Farm in the past, may have a fond childhood memory of the farm or that simply wants to come and give us a hand to contact us ahead of the opening. 

“There is a lot of work to get done prior to opening the farm doors on the 29th of February and the local community, businesses and volunteers will be key for the farm to thrive and achieve its full potential. 

“After we get the farm up and running on the 29th we will put in place volunteer activities for those looking to continue to be involved with our LOVE Gorgie Farm project going forward.” 

Volunteers are advised to bring lunch and wear old clothes and mud resistant boots!

Anyone looking to volunteer should contact LOVE Learning at

 Gorgie@l-o-v-e.org.uk