Community Fund Lottery cash for Move On and Fast Forward
Older people across Scotland are celebrating a £1.4m National Lottery cash boost that will help them get out of their homes and into their communities for tea dances, lunch clubs, men’s sheds, fitness classes and much, much more. Continue reading £1.4 million National Lottery boost gives older Scots a new lease of life
Addressing Inequality in Employment forum meeting
29th June 1.30-4pm at Spartans Community Football Academy
Employment is a big issue for many people in North Edinburgh. Research in the recent Framework for Racial Equality highlighted that BME people are underrepresented in many areas. How should organisations address this?
We will have a guest speaker from the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights giving an overview of the current inequalities and how these could be addressed. We will also hear from organisations, including Port of Leith Housing, that have reviewed their recruitment practices to try to make them more accessible or to reach out to specific groups.
Local BME residents who have been supported by Community Renewal to find work or start businesses will share their experiences. There will be a chance to exchange ideas and discuss ways of moving forward both collectively and as individual organisations or residents. Lunch and crèche included. Please RSVP.
Hannah Kitchen
Development Worker, Living in Harmony,
Pilton Community Health Project
0131 551 1671
Recognition for Pilmeny’s World War One project
Congratulations to Leith’s Pilmeny Youth Centre, who won the Sunday Mail Young Scot Community Award for their Remembering the Leith Battalion project at a gala event at the EICC last night. Continue reading National award for Pilmeny Youth Centre
The Power to the People group has been busy …
Power to the People is a group for adults in North Edinburgh who are interested in social history, current affairs and the arts.
We have been meeting together since 2012 and enjoy getting together to learn about things we are interested in and getting involved in issues which concern us. The group is friendly, informal and free and new members can join any time.
Over the last year, we have been learning about North Edinburgh’s early history through studying archive material, visiting exhibitions, watching films and inviting guest speakers to our group.
We are currently working on a heritage leaflet and a short film for STV’s history programme documenting key aspects of North Edinburgh’s history which will allow us to share the area’s fascinating history with a wider audience.
We also enjoy getting out and about and going to different places of interest. Last week we went on a visit to Wester Hailes to learn about their social history project.
Over the last few years, the project has been involved in digitising and publicising back copies of the Wester Hailes Sentinal and have established a local blog and Facebook page.
The project have also been involved in developing social history walks in the area in conjunction with Wester Hailes Health Agency and has installed Scotland’s first digital totem pole (above) which contains QR codes which allow people to access further information about the area’s history via a smart phone.
We have recently developed a new programme of information and discussion sessions dealing with issues we are concerned about such as fracking on the Forth, the proposed abolition of the Human Rights Act and the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP).
The first of these sessions will take place tomorrow – Tuesday 6 October, from 10am – 12.30 – in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.
The next session will take place early in November and will be held in the evening to allow people to attend who are unable to get to day time sessions. A free crèche will be provided by Royston Wardieburn Community Centre to allow people with children to participate.
We have also organised a screening of the Glasgow Girls, (see above), the true story of a group of school pupils from Drumchapel, who led a successful campaign to save their friend from deportation. The film developed into a powerful human rights movement which resulted in changes in immigration practices in Scotland.
Following the screening of the film, we will be joined by Roza Salih, one of the Glasgow Girls, for a discussion about the issues raised. The screening will take place this Thursday 8 October at 6.30 in North Edinburgh Arts. There is no charge for attending this event and transport and a crèche have been organised. Please call 552 5700 to book.
For those of you who enjoy getting out and about and enjoy the company of others, our next visit will be to the National Library of Scotland on Tuesday 27 October. We will be viewing an exhibition on the life and times of Thomas Muir, a radical political reformer known as ‘the father of Scottish Democracy’.
Anyone wishing further information about the group or any of the activities planned this term should call Lynn McCabe, on 552 5700 (Tuesday – Thursday) or email Lynn at lynn.mccabe@ea.edin.sch.uk
New group for mums starts at Ainslie Park next week
MONDAYS FROM 5th OCTOBER
WANT TO GET FIT AND SPEND TIME WITH YOUR BABY?
NO CHILDMINDER REQUIRED
COME MEET OTHER MUMS AND MAKE NEW FRIENDS
AINSLIE PARK LEISURE CENTRE 9.30 AM COFFEE AFTER
(possibly cake!! )
WALK/JOG GROUP ALL LEVELS WELCOME !!
PHONE TRACY 0791 987 2128 FOR MORE DETAILS
No Boundaries is a support group for people who have a disability or long-term condition and want to get out and about in their community to meet people, socialise and give & receive peer support.
The group members previously attended Craighall Day Centre but had to move on when criteria for places at day centres were changed – founder member and former Chairperson of the Craighall Day Centre’s Welfare Committee Rudy Bleau received the letter informing him of the changes on Christmas Eve last year.
Fellow member Brian also recalls hearing the news: “It was a shock, really. It meant a big change for us and there was nothing else at the time. There was a real danger that some vulnerable people would become even more isolated”.
Undaunted, the group established a new base at Royston Wardieburn and over recent months they have been working to become a ‘formal’ organisation with a constitution, mission statement, office bearers and the like. While the group is becoming ‘formalised’, however, members are keen to assure potential new recruits that the group is anything but formal!
Chairman Rudy Bleau explained: “Becoming a properly-constituted group opens more doors for us so we decided to go down that route. The paperwork takes a lot of time though and we’d like to thank EVOC, Susan Dalgliesh from the City of Edinburgh Council’s Local Area Co-ordination Team and Kirsty at Grapevine for supporting us through the process. We have charitable status now and that’s thanks to their help.”
He continued: “We’ve had to spend an awful lot of time over the last few months talking about our plans for the organisation but now we’re in the exciting position of being able to actually DO more things. The prime purpose of the No Boundaries Group is to reduce the sense of isolation that people experience and improve their mental health & wellbeing. This essentially is about building a healthier community in North Edinburgh, a place where people feel actively part of society – and have a life.”
He added: “We are an inclusive group, welcoming people aged 16 years and over – if people need any additional support they can bring a carer or personal assistant along to help them participate as fully as possible.”
The group meets twice a week at Royston Wardieburn Communiyt Centre – on Monday and Tuesday from 10am – 12noon. What happens at ‘No Boundaries’ sessions depends on what the members want.
“We meet up together to socialise and discuss topics of interest and take part in a range of activities. On Thursdays we go on outings”, said Brian. Among the places visited by the No Boundaries group are Maxi’s Stockbridge, the Botanic Gardens, North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Morrison’s Ferry Road, Eric Liddell Centre, Craighall Centre, Out Of The Blue, Café Camino, Newkirkgate Community Centre, No.1 Nicholson Square, National Art Gallery, Costa St James Centre, Drumbrae Library, Punjabi Junction and Lauriston Farm – that’s a lot of coffee!
“We hope to put reviews on Euan’s guide to help others get out and about too to accessible places. We are planning to have speakers in from a range of a projects like the Living It Up Project. The group is a place to get information and guidance too.
“There is a diverse programme and everything we do is agreed by the group collectively. We’d really welcome more members and it would be great to see more people getting involved in our activities”, Brian went on. “We’re open to new ideas and we can structure our programme to fit. We’ve got a lot to look forward to”.
For more information about the No Boundaries group contact rudy.bleau@gmail.com
