The spirit of Robert Burns and his renowned concern for those encountering hardship was honoured by famous haggis manufacturer Macsween of Edinburgh Ltd, who organised a traditional Burns Supper for the Social Bite Village in Edinburgh.
The Social Bite Village Community is a supportive residential community in the Granton district of the city that provides a safe and caring home for 16 individuals who have been assessed as homeless. It was built by Social Bite and run by Cyrenians, with support, activities and administration provided by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers.
Macsween of Edinburgh Ltd, and sister company Malcolm Allan Ltd, have a long tradition of supporting charitable causes, and in recent times have frequently donated food items from their production to FareShare, an organisation that redistributes surplus food to other charities that turn it into meals.
Against this background, Macsween was quick to offer its support in organising a lunchtime Burns Supper event for both residents and staff of the Village Community, which included the donation of traditional haggis and vegetarian haggis, as well as steak pies from Malcolm Allan.
The event was a tremendous success, which included director James Macsween providing the star-turn by giving the traditional ‘address to a haggis’ at the start of the supper.
James Macsween said: “We were delighted to support the Social Bite Village, which does an incredible job in supporting homeless people in Edinburgh.
“We were especially pleased that it gave residents an opportunity to experience such an iconic part of Scottish tradition and culture, which would otherwise not have been possible.”
Josh Littlejohn, the founder of the Social Bite Village, said: “A huge thank you to Macsween for providing a Burns Night lunch at the Social Bite Village in Edinburgh. Sharing food in a safe space helps to create a sense of community and trust, which is why eating together is at the heart of our work.
“It can be something that people have never experienced before, so it’s wonderful that Macsween share our values and provided a delicious meal to bring people together in the supportive village environment.”
One of the largest regeneration projects of its kind in Scotland, to develop a £1.3bn environmentally friendly coastal town on the Capital’s largest brownfield site at Granton Waterfront, is set to take a huge step forward.
The delivery plans include new housing which will be enhanced with a new primary school (the school to be delivered through a separate contract), retail units, public and open green space.
This would be achieved through entering into a development agreement with Cruden Homes to deliver site wide enabling, infrastructure and new homes.
Each of the 847 new homes will be fitted with an air source heat pump providing residents who move in with new, warm, energy efficient ‘net zero ready’ homes, with fairly priced energy bills.
At least 45% of the homes will be affordable – 214 will be for social rent with the rest a mixture of mid-market rent and homes for sale. Some will also be suitable for families who require wheelchair accessibility.
The revitalisation of Granton Waterfront’s historic buildings and industrial built heritage, coupled with the delivery of new leisure and recreation opportunities, will significantly increase visitors to the area, creating new local employment opportunities.
The overall development will make a significant contribution to Edinburgh’s target to become a net zero carbon city, through a mix of energy efficient buildings, gas free heat solutions, cycling and walking paths and a nature-based approach to climate mitigation and adaptation.
This exciting regeneration in the north of Edinburgh, set to start early next year and due for completion in 2033 will build on early action projects already underway in Granton Waterfront. If approved by the Finance and Resources Committee on Tuesday, 18 November, the business case will then be considered by Council on Thursday, 18 December.
Some of these projects are already complete with others taking shape. Tenants are already living in 75 new ‘net zero ready homes’ for social and mid-market rent at Granton Station View. A short distance away Western Villages has 444 ‘net zero ready’ homes for social, mid-market rent and some for sale, which are nearly all occupied. A further 143 ‘net zero ready’ social and mid-market rent homes at Silverlea are also due for completion in Summer 2026.
At the heart of this nationally significant development of Edinburgh’s coastline sits the Granton Gasholder now known as ‘Gasholder 1 Park’.
The iconic gasholder frame has been restored and can be seen for miles around as it is lit up after dark. It has a new public park created within the frame making it a spectacular focal point in the area. The historic former Granton Station has been refurbished as a creative hub and has a new civic square in its grounds.
The Pitt has opened in a repurposed industrial building at 20 West Shore Road and the core path through the development has been upgraded and named Speirs Bruce Way.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said:“The £1.3bn regeneration of Edinburgh’s coastline is hugely significant for our Capital city. It is the largest public sector led project of its kind in Scotland. Over the next 10 to 15 years, it will continue to set the standard for sustainable economic growth in Edinburgh.
“We’re using the largest brownfield site we own to deliver the first phase of this project, with our development partner Cruden Homes. We will be delivering new and affordable, energy efficient ‘net zero ready’ homes which will provide our residents with fairly priced energy bills.
“The retail and leisure units we will deliver will provide an opportunity for local people to enjoy recreation and access employment. We’ll also be improving public transport and cycling and walking paths as well as education services. Our aim is to help to reduce child poverty as well as address the nature and climate emergencies we face locally and globally.
“Our investment in this major project for the Capital further reinforces our approach across the city to achieve low carbon affordable living for as many of our residents as possible. Our aim is to make Edinburgh more inclusive and well connected to support prosperity and wellbeing for those in the Granton Waterfront area and across the city region.”
Fraser Lynes, Managing Director of Cruden Homes, said:“We’re proud to be playing a leading role in delivering this landmark regeneration of Edinburgh’s coastline.
“Granton Waterfront is a bold and innovative project that will create a distinctive new coastal neighbourhood with a real sense of place, centred around much-needed, high-quality, energy-efficient homes and sustainable infrastructure.
“Working in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, we’re not only building net zero ready homes but also creating valuable community benefits, from local employment and apprenticeships to investment in skills and supply chains.
“This next phase marks an exciting milestone in shaping a more inclusive, sustainable and connected future for the Capital.”
Phase 1 of the project has been made possible through the Council securing funding from the Scottish Government – capital grant funding from its Housing Infrastructure Fund as part of its commitment through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, along with revenue funding through an innovative Place Based Accelerator grant. This was formulated with the support of Scottish Futures Trust.
The Place Based Accelerator grant is an innovative funding model that will allow the Council to take forward the development in return for achieving outcomes for the people in the north of Edinburgh including achieving targets related to improvements to health and wellbeing, educational attainment and local employment opportunities.
Granton Waterfront regeneration supports the delivery of the City of Edinburgh Council Business Plan, the Edinburgh City Mobility Plan, Edinburgh City Plan 2030, Climate Ready Edinburgh Plan 2024 – 2030 and the Edinburgh 2030 Climate Strategy. It also supports the delivery of key national policy objectives as set out in NPF 4, Housing to 2040 and the Programme for Government, 2025-2026.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “For people living in Granton and north Edinburgh, this investment means real improvements to daily life. Families will have access to affordable, energy-efficient homes that are cheaper to heat.
“Young people will get construction training and local job opportunities. Parents will see new safe walking and cycling routes to schools and shops and green spaces where their children can play.
“Our support for this project is directly tied to delivering outcomes that matter to local people—improving health and wellbeing, creating jobs that go to local residents first and supporting community organisations.”
Neil Rutherford, Senior Associate Director at the Scottish Futures Trust, said: “This innovative outcomes-based Place Accelerator, backed by Scottish Government and partners, is unlocking new opportunities for people in north Edinburgh and delivering benefits for the wider city.
“We believe the Place Accelerator shows how smart funding and collaboration can turn ambition into action, helping create healthier, fairer, and more prosperous communities.”
Detectives in Edinburgh are appealing for information to help trace a car involved in the attempted murder of a police motorcyclist two days after it failed to stop for officers at another incident.
The vehicle involved is described as a black Audi A1 (K3 OXK).
Around 4.50pm on Monday, 9 January, 2023, it was flagged down by officers on Ravenswood Avenue in connection with a suspected road traffic offence. As officers tried to engage with the male driver, the car sped from the scene in the direction of Walter Scott Avenue, causing one constable to need to jump to safety.
On Wednesday, 11 January, at around 4.15pm, the same car was seen by motorcycle officers in the Lindsay Road area of the city. On being signalled to stop in the Bathfield area, the driver drove directly at the officers, injuring one in the collision, before heading in the Granton direction.
The driver of the vehicle is described as being a white man, aged 18-22, slim build, with short brown curly hair. At the time of the first incident, there was a passenger described as a white man, of a similar age.
Detective Inspector Gordon Couper, from Corstorphine CID, said: “Violence against our people is not tolerated and we can be incredibly thankful that none of the officers involved in these two incidents were seriously injured as a result of this individual’s unacceptable and dangerous actions.
“We are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. If you witnessed these incidents, were driving in the areas at the times in question, or believe you’ve seen the vehicle involved, please come forward and contact police on 101, quoting incident 1853 of 17 January, 2023.”
ATTEND our annual programme of Community Meals for families in North Edinburgh. Kicking off next week with a #BurnsNight special with our pals at Granton Community Garden.
We bring communities together, filling bellies & minds of young people & provide 100s of meals! It’s what we do!
Granton:hub is taking part in an exciting European funded research project on the evolving heritages of Edinburgh’s shifting coastline.
A group of Edinburgh College of Art academics and their students would like to meet with the Granton community young and old, to reflect on the following themes / questions:
What is the wider geographical context of the Granton area?
How has the area evolved over time, physically, socially, and economically?
Who governs cultural heritage in Granton, and how?
How have local groups and stakeholders developed a sense of the heritage value of Granton?
We would like to invite you to discuss these themes, through interviews, either over Zoom, by phone or in person. Each slot will take around 30-45 minutes but this is flexible. Activities will take place on 3 separate days.
On the final day (Friday) the researchers will present a summary of their findings in the Hub and invite discussion on the future of cultural heritage in Granton. This event will give a chance to chat over a cup of tea/coffee and view the posters that the ECA studenst will have made.
To take part, please book the relevant day(s) on Evenbrite. A researcher from ECA will contact you to arrange a suitable time slot.
All in-person meetings and the Friday event will follow current government COVID guidelines.
After the event, ECA will produce a document outlining their findings, for presentation at Una Europe, hosted by Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne. Your input would therefore shape a collaborative generated dossier of information about Granton to be presented at European level.
This year’s Winter Windows from Edinburgh’s Christmas, with the support of the city council’s department of Arts and Creative Learning, have been unveiled, with 38 colourful festive designs by schoolchildren from across the city being turned into vibrant stained-glass masterpieces for all to enjoy.
The windows have gone on display over five locations across the capital – the City Chambers Quadrangle (above), Granton, Gracemount, Duddingston and Balerno – spreading messages of festive cheer.
The overall winner of the competition was Jackson Lobban, P5A, from St. Peter’s Primary School and was chosen by the Lord Provost himself.
All winning entrants were invited to receive their awards at a special reception at the City Chambers on Thursday evening.
This year’s Winter Windows are inspired by the theme of ‘Connections and Kindness’, allowing Edinburgh’s school children to reflect on the connections made and kindness that they have received and shown throughout the pandemic. Participants were encouraged to create their entries using sustainable, up-cycled materials.
Edinburgh’s Christmas festival has been running the Winter Windows contest since 2014 with the aim of encouraging and inspiring creative talent in local youngsters.
The displays will be available to view at the above locations until 4 January.
We’re officially moving to our brand new home in Granton THIS WEEKEND! We’ve had an incredible year and a half at the wonderful Leith Theatre, but it’s now time for us to part ways
This means we’re looking to recruit new volunteers across every aspect of our organisation to help us continue the amazing work that’s been done since April 2020. We’ve provided over a million and a quarter meals free of charge and judgement to vulnerable people across Edinburgh and we need your help to keep delivering 5,000+ meals each week.
Can you lend a hand cooking, packing, delivering, cleaning, fundraising, in business, HR, finance (and many, many other things)? Please get in touch today to sign up and join our community!
The history group at granton:hub is organising a large heritage exhibition, to be held on the weekend of 11-12 September and 25-26 September 2021, between 11-4pm. The exhibition will include displays on industries, the Madelvic Car Factory, Granton harbour, trains and trams as well as agriculture.
In addition, members of the public will be invited to come along to our ‘Share your memories’ boothto tell their stories.
We are also delighted that Edinburgh City Council will have their Waterfront Development Information Displays available, outlining the detailed plans for the local area. This will truly be a unique community event showing how Granton has developed over the years, with visions about its future.
Throughout the weekend, around a dozen artists will have a sale of original artworks celebrating local scenery and heritage, complementing the displays.
The event will feature two separate talks, each accompanied by photographs. Both talks are scheduled for the afternoon and will be seated events, with registration required. 30 tickets for each talk will be available on a first-come first-served basis.
Sunday 2 September at 2pm: Kenneth Williamson’s Brief History of Granton’s Industrial Past
Sunday 26 September, 2pm: Talk by John Dickson “The Sirius and Tall Ships at Leith”
Booking is free but we request a donation at the door so we can cover our costs.
Police Scotland can confirm that the body of a woman was found in Granton View around 11.15am today (Saturday, 25 April, 2020).
The family of local missing woman Elaine McArthur, missing since Saturday, 18 April, have been made aware of the discovery.
Formal identification is yet to take place and a post mortem will be carried out in due course to establish the exact cause of death. The death is being treated as unexplained.
There are still places on North Edinburgh Arts’ September Wildlife Watch next Friday 17th September, 2 – 4pm at Gypsy Brae 
