Over 200 visitors attended granton:hub’s Open Weekend – keen to try their hand at a wide-range of workshops and activities, whilst finding out more about the history of the area and what the group has planned for the future. Continue reading More than 200 people attend granton:hub Open Weekend
granton:hub, the creative and cultural group based in the heart of Granton, will open the doors of Madelvic House to the public this weekend – and celebrate the signing of a five-year, rent-free, lease agreement with the EDI Group for the ground floor of the historic building.
Established to create a thriving cultural centre to benefit both the local and wider community, granton:hub has been working closely with the EDI Group for a number of years to develop a proposal that would allow them to be permanently based at Madelvic House. The upcoming Open Weekend has been designed to mark this agreement, whilst giving a taster of the workshops, classes and events planned over not just the next few months, but coming years.
Visitors to the Open Weekend can try their hands at book binding with artist Cassandra Barron, help design a mosaic for granton:hub with Toni Dickson or take part in group-singing sessions with Creative Facilitator, Clare Watson. All this, along with many other activities and events, including planting in the new community garden and the history:hub exhibition, will take place over the two days, with free tea, coffee and cake available in the proposed new café.
Speaking ahead of the Open Weekend, Wendy Wager, Chair of the granton:hub Steering Group, said: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming everyone to Madelvic House this weekend to showcase what granton:hub has to offer. We’ve been working hard with various expert tutors to put together an exciting and diverse programme of activity, open to all ages and interests.
“The signing of this lease agreement with the EDI Group for Madelvic House is a major milestone for granton:hub. It will help us to build on our vision to create a vibrant community facility in Granton, one that local residents and those from the wider area can enjoy and be proud of.”
Following this Open Weekend, granton:hub will be launching its first full time programme, Madelvic:May, featuring a host of activities, workshops and community events – bringing together a wealth of expert tutors, whilst helping to establish Madelvic House as a centre for creative and cultural activity in Granton.
Denise Havard, Community Development Manager at The EDI Group, added: “It’s been great to partner with granton:hub on this exciting project, one that will bring significant and lasting benefits to the local community.
“The EDI Group is always looking for innovative and flexible ways to maximise use of our portfolio, including pop up events and meanwhile uses, ensuring that community development is a real tool for change alongside physical regeneration. The granton:hub’s ambitious proposals perfectly aligned themselves wiith this and I look forward to seeing them continue to grow and thrive, making great use of this important, historical building in the heart of Granton.”
Along with this programme of events, granton:hub has wider aspirations to create a new community garden in the grounds surrounding Madelvic House, and has already partnered with landscape architects HERE + NOW and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to create a Butterfly Garden, Coastal Grassland and establish a community growing project.
granton:hub design and build event
Friday 31 March 11am – 3pm
Dear All,
Please find attached the notes from the first meeting of the history sub group, granton:hub.
You will see that the meeting agreed to a second meeting for this Saturday coming. However we are unable to meet then so the date of the next meeting is Saturday 20th August 10am – 12 noon.
I do hope you can make that and please invite others that you may feel would be interested in making this a success.
The meeting will be as before in Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, upstairs in the big room. There will be tea and coffee.
Barbara Robertson
GET INVOLVED: Madelvic House moving on to next phase
AND TODAY:
Saturday 9 April: granton:hub at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation – showing the history of the Madelvic car – come and visit us!
The sun is shining, summer is on its way and life in the northern hemisphere re-emerges (writes Bill Rodger). Among the green shoots to know about are: Continue reading We all need Friends – even Parks and Houses!
A weekend of fun activities for all the family coming up at The Madelvic
Lord Provost to open Made in Granton exhibition
![madelvic_office[1]](https://i0.wp.com/nen.press/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/madelvic_office1.jpg?ssl=1)
Council-owned property development and investment business The EDI Group (www.edigroup.co.uk) is to support support a new programme of arts initiatives based at Madelvic House in Granton (above).
The series of events organised by granton:hub@The Madelvic will officially launch this Saturday with the ‘Made in Granton’ exhibition, showcasing the history of the local area. Forth Neighbourhood Partnership is also supporting the exhibition.
Madelvic House will host a series of pop up events over the next six months organised by the granton:hub group. The focus of the initiative is to test out ideas in the community with the view to securing long term use of the building for a community arts hub.
If successful in receiving approval from EDI, the group propose to use the ground floor of the building to house a number of artists’ studios, café and a flexible space which will be used for events such as temporary exhibitions and workshops.
The programme launch and local history exhibition ‘Made in Granton’ is open to all and will take place on:
Saturday 24 October
11:00am to 2:30pm
at Madelvic House
More events to look forward to at Madelvic House include:
Denise Havard, Community Development Manager at EDI, said “We are pleased to support the granton:hub and its programme of arts initiatives and we look forward to receiving their business plan outlining their proposals for future use of the building. Ensuring that community initiatives are supported in the area where EDI are working is key for our wider regeneration plans.”
Demand for a community art space in Granton was identified at an open day in May where local residents put forward their ideas for using Madelvic House. The granton:hub is a group of largely local residents of Granton and surrounding areas with a vision to create a community-led initiative using space at Madelvic House.
Louise Knight, spokesperson for the granton:hub, said: “We are very grateful for EDI’s support with our programme of events at Madelvic House. We’re really pleased that EDI shares our vision for community initiatives which bring people together and offering locally based activities.”
Madelvic House is located on Granton Park Avenue in Granton and was originally built as the offices of the Madelvic Carriage Company. The Madelvic Carriage Company Limited was formed in Edinburgh in 1898 producing electric vehicles and built the first purpose built car factory in Britain. The red sandstone, two storey building is currently owned by Waterfront Edinburgh Ltd and managed as a multi-let office space.
EDI is working with adjoining landowners to deliver a number of major developents as part of its regeneration of Granton, including a new Collections Facility for National Galleries, retail and leisure opportunities along with residential.
If you’d like to get involved with the granton:hub group, or you’d like to find out more, contact Louise Knight: louiseesknight@gmail.com
