It’s officially summer, even if it may not always feel like it. That means that not only are schools now on holiday, but many of our supporters, staff and partners are as well.
That doesn’t mean the there’s nothing happening around the Heart though. Read on for some of the various events that you can come along and take part in and enjoy.
Don’t forget to check the website and social media platforms for up to date news.
The Knitted Christmas Tree update
The Knitted Christmas Tree is five months from opening day and is well on schedule. We are receiving green squares daily from West Sussex, London, Luton as well as every area of Edinburgh and the Lothians. Thank you for every single square and not forgetting the many beautiful tree decorations. We have 5000+ squares and 1000+ decorations.
We are having a series of sewing parties on Friday afternoons from 2-4pm. The dates are 5th July, 19th July and 2nd August. Everyone is welcome to come along. We are sewing the squares into triangles ready to go onto the branches and of course there is coffee, tea and cake!
The fantastic experts of Men’s Shed are busy constructing the trunk but it’s under wraps and no one but the men have seen it.
We had a great day at Leith Market describing what the project is about and thanks to Sara for generously giving us a stall. We met people from all over the world who were fascinated by what is happening and they took away our posting bags.
We are confidently expecting knitting from Texas, New York, New Zealand, Finland and Denmark to name but a few countries. Our Tree is going international and if anyone has a contact on the space station let us know.
More news next month
Save the Date – Tattie Fest 21 September 2024
Join us for our very first Tattie Fest at the Heart of Newhaven. We’ll be celebrating the garden and all thing potato-related at this free, community event.
Expect potato printing, potato fancy dress, a home grown tattie beauty contest and of course lots of potato eating!
If you’d like to get involved in organising, just get in touch with Hayley at bloomyogaedinburgh@gmail.com, and start growing your own now if you’d like to enter the beauty contest…
What’s on your bucket list?
Whilst developing the Crowdfunder with members of our Heart Dementia Meeting Centre we were able to identify some interesting activities; from indoor rock climbing to canoeing down the canal.
If you would like to help us with our blue-sky ambitions or simply support a member by ‘paying their membership forward’, please go to our crowdfunder and check out the rich array of ‘rewarding ideas’.
Don’t forget we have lovely rooms here at the Heart – perfect for meetings but also family gatherings over the summer.
We have a number of spaces available for booking, including meeting rooms, classrooms and workshop spaces.
We can cater to different types of events and meetings, whether for children’s parties, creative workshops, performance classes and rehearsals, board meetings or networking events.
Spaces can be booked for a single occasion as well as for regular sessions on a mid/long term basis.
More more information or to arrange a viewing of our spaces, please get in touch and we will be happy to help.
Teas and coffees can be provided for an additional charge and external catering arranged on request.
The tallest knitted Christmas tree in Scotland project has reached the halfway mark. The knitters are aiming for an ambitious height of between five and six metres for the tree, about the height of a giraffe, but are more than happy with progress so far.
The veritable army of knitters in Edinburgh and beyond has been busy knitting multi-toned green squares and colourful Christmas baubles and decorations for several months now, and are celebrating having reached the halfway stage. They now have 5,000 squares and need another 2,500 while the pile of decorations has reached the 1,000 mark, about half of what is needed.
The community project, based at the Heart of Newhaven Community (the old Victoria Primary School), has given people across Edinburgh a purpose for their knitting and is creating a real sense of community.
The squares are also coming from across the UK, sent by people who are happy to contribute to the imaginative project.
The tree is being supported by knitters in Edinburgh and the surrounding area as well as from as far afield as Liverpool, Southport, Luton, Norwich, Fife and Inverness.
Children at local primary schools have been learning to knit with the help of the Tree@ The Heart supporters and in return have been handing in their green squares. Local care homes have also been getting involved.
It is hoped the ambitious project will encourage donations which will go towards improved disabled access at the Heart while Homestart is the chosen local charity that will also benefit.
The Heart is now beginning to get ready for the official reveal on 30th November when the Tree will be the star of the show, but centred around the growing tree, there will also be a Christmas craft market and live music.
The team knows that there are many squares still out there but the Heart is open and ready to receive them all.
Apart from the current knit and natter sessions at the Heart (see the website Heart of Newhaven) there will now be new Friday afternoon sewing sessions to get the final branches ready.
They’ll be held on the following dates from 2 – 4pm: 5th July, 19th July and 2nd August.
The sewing sessions will concentrate on sewing the squares into leafy triangles ready to go on the Tree, while the trunk is being created by the craftsmen at the Men of Leith’s Men Shed, who are based at the Heart.
Everyone is invited to go along and join in at one of the knit and natter or sewing sessions. There’s always a warm welcome!
After all the recent rain, we were thankfully blessed with calm seas and brilliant sunshine for Gala Day last weekend.
The Queen was crowned, the bands played, hundreds of visitors enjoyed the festivities and activities outside and a good time appeared to be had by all.
Many took advantage of the occasion to venture inside the Heart where they were greeted by tours, teas and interesting table displays.
Thank you to you all for coming and enjoying yourselves and a huge thank you to the volunteers who helped make it all happen.
See you next year.
Art in healthcare – The Landscape has changed.
Come in and visit our new exhibition which features artworks from the Art in Healthcare collection.
It’s a selection of works that celebrate people and place and in particular draws on themes of communities that grew from fishing villages, living by the sea and coasts.
Some of the works have been selected by local people through a series of workshops, and artworks have been added and expanded. This began with identifying local artists and works that came from the Newhaven, Leith and then expanding to wider Edinburgh areas.
You’ll find it all the way up the red stairs in the Heart if the stairs are difficult there is a qr code at the bottom which allows you to see a virtual version. Come in and enjoy.
Grow
Gentle reader, after all the stimulation and hearts beating in expectation, it’s official and we can now tell you more about the recent filming in the Heart.
Sky has confirmed that GROW will air on the Sky Cinema channel next year. Bridgerton star Golda Rosheuvel leads in the family comedy about pumpkin-growing, neglected youngster Charlie (played by Priya-Rose Brookwell) and well-known British actors Nick Frost, Tim McInnery, Jane Horrocks and Alan Carr will also appear.
Golda Rosheuvel’s character, Dinah, finds Charlie, her lost niece, at an orphanage, aka the Heart, and takes her to her farm where she, and a field of pumpkins blossom.
Director John McPhail says “Grow is a joyous comedy about growth, nurturing and family, set in a world of pumpkin-obsessed, madcap characters but grounded in real relationships.”
We can’t wait!
Little Free Library
Our very own bookbinder, Cass (aka Bookbinding with Cass), has recently led an initiative to install two Little Free Libraries at The Heart of Newhaven, one for youngsters and one for adults. She had plenty of help from our other creatives so this has been a project with real, creative collaboration at its heart!
Leith Men’s Shed built and installed the library box structures, Susan Thomson, member of The Edinburgh Book Arts Group (which meets monthly at The Heart), worked with Cass to decorate the children’s book box and a mix of residents and members of the local community helped paint the black and white mural backdrop.
The community garden volunteers got involved with the design and Lorna Brown (Ik on Mesh) printed the design onto the box. The final step will be establishing a growing roof using donated plant cuttings inspired by the Sir Patrick Geddes quote – ‘By leaves we live’.
Cass would like to thank all those involved and give a special shout out to local resident Shona Littlejohn for her generous donation which covered the materials for this project.
Both Little Free Libraries have been created for you to use so we encourage you to take a book, read a book, exchange a book and/or donate a book – you can find out more about the Little Free Library network here, which currently includes over 175,000 Little Free Libraries in 121 countries!
If you’d like to get involved at the garden you’re very welcome to drop in on Mondays from 4-6pm or Thursdays 10.30am – 12.30pm. You can either dig in with the rest of the volunteers or you might just fancy finding out a bit more about what we have growing.
If you’d like to find out more please contact Hayley at :
The potatoes were sown in the community garden last month so mark your diary and come along on the 21st September for Tattie Fest. Expect creative activities, family friendly fun and lots of tatties!
Volunteers needed for a new project at The Heart
Our schooldays – memories and legacies Heritage tales from Newhaven, Trinity and Leith Harbour
The project will use the theme of ‘school days’ to connect via a series of workshops and events, people of different ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds to learn more about each other, and the changing local area by sharing their learning experiences.
A programme of activities will explore and creatively share these experiences. Participants will include pupils from our local schools and other community groups based around or within The Heart.
We will be working with highly experienced resident artists within The Heart, to deliver and develop these workshops, community events and a touring exhibition.
We are looking for volunteers for this project over the coming 18 months who would be interested in supporting this project specifically through:
Helping to evaluate the project through information gathering from project participants and through your observation of workshops and events. This could include using recording equipment and interviewing participants. Full training and support would be given throughout the project.
If you are interested in this voluntary role and would like more information, please leave your contact details if you visit The Heart or email the school days Project Co-ordinator, Simone via email: simone.kenyon@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Heart Dementia Meeting Centre Update
The Heart Dementia Meeting Centre enjoyed a delicious bread making session recently, led by a member who is a keen and experienced baker. We are also excited to play host to the exhibition, now up in the lounge, from a collaboration betweenEdinburgh University and QMU celebrating five years of being bold: Bringing Out Leaders in Dementia. The nine panels on display show a range of poetry and images created in response to each creative session.
If you are awaiting a diagnosis, have recently been diagnosed with dementia or are living with mild to moderate dementia then the Heart Meeting Centre is for you!
June is Dementia Awareness Month and Meeting Centre manager Jan Brown will be hosting a Curiosity Café every Tuesday Morning from 11-12 noon in the Lounge for carers and families of people living with dementia and for folk who are curious about brain health in general and how to top up their cognitive reserves.
Finally, we’re celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Edinburgh Local Heritage Network (ELHN). The network was launched on the May 10, 2023 and was attended by HONC along with 16 representatives from a variety of other local community groups and now has 30 members.
The Lord Provost Robert Aldridge is Honorary President and the purpose is to develop and maintain partnerships between local heritage groups and with Council services, chiefly Archives, Libraries, and Museums and Galleries. Currently, the key focus of the ELHN is collaboration on the Edinburgh 900 programme with a focus on supporting local communities to celebrate this anniversary.
In connection with ELHN, the Heart was represented at the recent royal visit of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie. They were treated to a grand reception in the City Chambers and we were able to chat about our plans for celebrating Edinburgh 900.
We’re finalising these ambitious plans, centred on the history of Newhaven now, and will update everyone after the summer, when the real work will begin in earnest. Watch this space.
In the meantime, here’s a photo of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in the City Chambers, listening to Shionka Kamikaji-Inkster, who played the clarsach at the end of the event and another of some of the ELHN members at the event.
We hope the recent filming did not inconvenience you too much. We were excited to see what went on and can’t wait to see the finished result.
The production crew had to set up beforehand of course, replacing the ground floor window grilles that we had taken down and reintroducing grime and dirt that we had cleaned away, not to mention covering up umpteen things that were not in keeping with their vision of a run-down children’s home.
Then of course everything had to be reinstated when they had finished with the actual filming. We were quite exhausted!
We’ll keep you informed once the film is released and we can all see the results.
Building Works Updates
Final Handover
Findlay Wallace and Tommy Bell from Ashwood’s have finally completed the recent renovation works, and have handed the building back to Judy Crabb (Chair HONC) and Hugo Target (HONC Architect with John Gilberts) as pictured below.
It will be good to be free of scaffolding and hard hats but it was worth it!
Update on the Heart’s record-breaking Christmas Tree
Hello to the Heart’s army of knitters. The Christmas Tree Project is making great progress and we are one third of the way there, with lots of squares and decorations being delivered by hand and by post, but we still need you to keep knitting even when the sun tempts you outside.
We are planning to fireproof the squares and decorations that we already have, towards the end of May. Then in June we need volunteers to come to the Heart and stitch the squares ready to hang on the branches and of course there will be cake and tea for all those involved.
More about this next month.
On May 11th there is a craft fair at the Eric Liddell centre and we shall be advertising our Christmas Tree.
Please come along with your squares and decorations and support the Eric Liddell 100 celebration. We have been very fortunate to receive a donation from Bailie Gifford to help with our project, so many thanks to that organisation.Happy knitting and crocheting.
Open for Coffee
The recent Open For Coffee morning on Saturday 13th April, proved a great hit, with some hundred people coming along to enjoy the free food and entertainment.
The Scran Van rolled up to provide free lunches and the food was accompanied by musical performances from the Men’s Shed.
The free bicycle maintenance provided by EZ Bike Tours was also in great demand.
Role-Play teachers wanted
Our Partner, the History of Education Centre is keen to recruit some new role-play teacher volunteers for their Victorian Schoolroom.
The facility on the first floor of the Heart has been proving so popular for visits that new volunteers are needed to help cope.
Volunteers always work in pairs and the most common time to be needed is on weekday mornings.
Gala Day is fast approaching, when the Gala Queen and Fisher King arrive in the harbour and are met by a parade of fishwives and pirates to be escorted up to the grounds of the Heart for an afternoon of family fun.
This is the biggest local community event of the year, and we need your support to make it the success we all enjoy.
Can you help us serve refreshments on the day? Can you help steward and keep people safe? Can you help us to promote activities that go on at The Heart? i.e give out leaflets, talk to people and get sign-ups to our newsletter?
The Dreadnought Shanty Crew was originally started in January 2020 at The Dreadnought Pub and shortly after ran into heavy weather.
They navigated Covid by singing weekly online and then went into dry dock for repairs when their skipper absconded to The Northern Isles!
Now back by popular demand with the barnacles scrubbed off and seeking new recruits, The Dreadnought Shanty Crew can be found singing on Wednesday lunchtimes from 1-2pm in the Anchor Building.
There are no auditions; apparently all you need is a broad mind and a sense of humour!
The first session is free and then by donation to cover the cost of room hire.
Jan B Brown, leader of the Dementia Meeting Place and the Dreadnought Shanty Crew
Jan B Brown, leader of the Dementia Meeting Place and the Dreadnought Shanty Crew
Staff Update
You can now meet our caretakers – come and say hello when you come into the Heart .
Mike Gourlay – JohnRobert Townsley – Emmanuel Alor
Coming up soon
Saturday 18th May – Join us at the Heart for a day of free events being organised by the National Film and Television School – 10.30 till 4pm – a day of insight into some of the many creative careers available in film and television.
Three sessions will be delivered by film and TV professionals, including award-winning documentary filmmaker Miranda Stern, animator Ana Songel and sound designer Anya Przygoda.
Last month we told you about a ministerial visit by Baron Cameron of Lochiel. Only a few weeks after that visit, we hosted another, this time from MSP Mairi Gougeon. Ms Gougeon, who is Holyrood’s Cabinet Minister for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, was visiting us in part to find out how smoothly or otherwise the process of acquiring the Heart for the community had been and also to announce that there would be a review into the Community Right To Buy process which will begin this summer.
During her visit she spoke to several of the Heart partners, including Chair of HEC (History of Education Centre), Alice Bacciarelli and potter Borja Moronta.
“It was wonderful to meet so many of the team and visitors at Heart of Newhaven and hear how they are offering a hub for the community,” said Ms Gougeon. “To see how much they have achieved is remarkable, especially when so much of it had to be done in the face of all the additional difficulties caused by the pandemic.
“Their dedication to offering space to artists and looking at so many different ways to bring people together is really impressive and I look forward to hearing about their future plans.”
Staffing changes
We have recently welcomed a new caretaking team of three to the Heart; Mike, Johnrobert and Emmanuel. They can be found beavering busily round and about the buildings at all hours.
Please make them welcome.
By having three members in the team, we hope to be able to eventually enable full access to the site as well as ensure added security.
Thanks to further funding, from Age Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund, we have also been able to appoint two new project staff, both of whom started in March.
A new Dementia Meeting Centre Manager, Jan Bee Brown, started working three days per week from March 6. Jan is a well known local story teller and was with us at the start of our Heart journey and so we are pleased to welcome her back after three years working in Shetland. She has plenty of relevant experience resulting from her role as a part-time Dementia Advisor with Alzheimer Scotland.
Alongside this new team, we are happy to announce that our staff members Roger Walpole and Kim Thomson have been confirmed in their positions as Centre Manager and Centre Administrator respectively following the initial transition period of the Heart. We hope they will both be with us for some time to come.
Meeting Centre activities
The Meeting Centre at Heart of Newhaven is excited to be partnering with Healing Arts Scotland to take part in their ITAC Healing Arts Week Relay. Meeting Centre Artist in Residence, Willy Gilder, will be hosting three playful creative workshops together with Fenella Kerr and Jan Brown on: Wednesday 10th, 17th & 24th April at Heart of Newhaven 1.30pm – 3.30 pm.
Come along and get creative with like minds, all materials will be provided plus tea and cake to help get the creative juices flowing.
Session 1. Wednesday 10th April – ‘Mapping the Mind’ with Fenella Kerr
Session 2. Wednesday 17th April – ‘Creating with Clay’ with Jan Brown
Session 3. Wednesday 21st April – ‘Drawn to the Dance’ with Jan Brown
All sessions are free and dementia inclusive. If you would more information contact Jan Brown at jan.brown@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Our response will be part of Scottish Ballet’s partnership with Healing Arts Week in partnership with The Edinburgh International Festival this summer.
Our ‘Schooldays’ Heritage Lottery Fund coordinator, Simone Kenyon also started two days per week from the end of March.
Simone will be leading the community team’s latest project, which will bring together pupils from the local schools in the area, together with older residents and Heart partners, to share memories of their schooldays and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come. More details in the weeks to come.
Gardening group update
Funding has arrived in our bank account for the Community Garden project which began in March and Hayley, our sessional worker, is organising a number of intergenerational sessions on Monday afternoons and Thursday mornings. Do come and admire the continuing developments in the garden.
These include: new high, easily accessed planters and new compost bins, all kindly built by Leith Mens Shed; a beautifully woven willow screen to hide the road, created and donated by Judy Gray, seen at work in the photo; a “dead hedge”, also part of the screening process; lots of seedlings sprouting and potatoes chitting by the Anchor Building windows.
With the Lottery funding we have bought lots of new tools for volunteers and visiting groups to use, and other immediate plans include raising the height of the existing beds, surrounding them with wood chip paths, siting and filling the high planters and acquiring more shrubs and climbers to grow along the north fence.
New volunteers, experienced gardeners or those keen to learn, are always very welcome at Hayley’s sessions. Ask for details in The Heart or contact her directly to learn more: bloomyogaedinburgh@gmail.com.
Our Christmas Tree project has really taken off and we now have an army of knitters handing in squares as well as those people who have joined our knit and natter sessions.
Primary school children, church groups, line dancers, knitting circles, knitters from London, Inverness, Sleaford and Lancashire are just some of the knitters who are contributing to our growing bundles of squares.
We are approaching our first 1,000 and 150 decorations but we need many more and it will be you, who by knitting and spreading the word, will keep the momentum going.
Knit and natter groups meet in the Heart on Tuesdays at 7.15 till 8.30 and on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 10 till 12.
Happy knitting!
13th April – Scran and a Song
As well as our Open For Coffee morning on Saturday 13th April, the Scran Van will be rolling up to provide some free lunches from 12.30. There will be a limited number, so get there early.
The food will be accompanied by performances from the Mens’ Shed and there will also be bicycle maintenance from Euan from EZ Bike Tours.
Bring your bike along for a wee tune up and advice. More details online or on our social media.
Remember to check our website and social media regularly.
For example have you seen the latest addition to the Culture & Heritage blog page? It features an interview with Cassandra Baron, one of the Heart’s resident creative Partners. (We featured Borja Moronta a few months ago: all you need to do is scroll down till you find it.)
All our Partners produce a lot of wonderful work and we don’t have space to feature them all in our regular newsletters, but we hope to include more about them on the website. So remember, check it out regularly.
Congratulations
Talking of Partners, we’d like to congratulate Neil Smith our Partner and resident composer, who had a piece of his work premiered recently in the Reid Concert Hall. We didn’t know about it in time for the March newsletter’ belated congratulations, Neil.
He shared a stage with three other premiered pieces of music, with his contribution – Regular Music, a piece for piano and nine-piece ensemble. He’s pictured with the ensemble along with conductor Oliver Cope.
Ssh!
Finally, don’t tell anyone, but the Heart has been chosen as the setting for some scenes in a new film currently under production. We are thrilled to be part of something so exciting but we can’t tell you too many details yet.
All we can say is that someone famous will be on set! You’ll have to watch this space. Meanwhile, we have to apologise in advance to anyone using the building on Monday 15th April when filming will be happening on the ground floor of the Victoria Building and in the playground.
There will also be preparatory work and then reinstating afterwards so be prepared!
New Scotland Office minister Donald Cameron included the Heart in his first official visit on Thursday 22nd February.
Mr Cameron, now Lord Cameron of Lochiel, has sat in Holyrood since 2016 but quit the Scottish Parliament in February for the House of Lords and a position in the Scottish Office at Westminster.
As well as the Heart, he also visited Granton’s historic gas holder, which is being restored as the centrepiece of a new public space in the regeneration of the waterfront and Portobello Town Hall, recently rescued for the community by a local charity much like ourselves here at the Heart.
All three projects have recently received much-welcomed funding from Westminster’s Levelling Up Fund.
Lord Cameron met many of the Heart’s Partners and users, including the Ukranian Spiders, Mwamba, Vintage Vibes, Robert Furze and some of the History of Education volunteers who were coincidentally hosting a visit from Primary 7 pupils from Victoria Primary School.
He also spoke to Alex Bird from Tortoise in a Nutshell, Charlie Traylor from Men of Leith’s Shed, volunteer Judy Gray hard at work on our knitted Christmas Tree project, and artist Jill Boualaxai, so he got a good overview of the many skeins bound up within the Heart.
Building work at the Heart
The emergency conservation works including roof and window repairs are being undertaken by a team from our contractors, Ashwood, led by site foreman, Findlay and should be finished by the end of March.
Ashwood will then return in April to fit a couple of stones and install some new windows that are being cut or made off site. (Did you know that when you need to replace stone, a stone “library” is brought to site so that the stone can be matched?)
Most of those repairs won’t be visible, but were very necessary to get the building wind and water tight, before we embark on future works to bring the building into the 21st century in terms of repair and energy efficiency for the comfort and use of all.
In the meantime, people might see safety scaffolding going up in the atrium for a few weeks, and our apologies in advance to our Partners and user groups who may experience some disruption as windows are repaired.
We must give a huge shout out to our funders without whom we couldn’t have done all this; The Department of Levelling Up, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and The Pilgrim Trust and of course there’s also the Design Team who specialise in the conservation of listed buildings in community use, led by John Gilbert Associates.
Hear About… talks
Our Hear About… talks taking place in the Heritage Suite on Friday afternoons have been proving very popular, with up to three dozen people attending each of the various events.
They will continue to run until the first Friday in April and then we will pause them over the summer and restart them in the autumn.
Here are the next scheduled talks …
Friday 8th March – Bill Hall on the Newhaven fishing industry
Friday 15th March – Kenneth Williamson on the old Caledonian Railway between Leith and Granton
Friday 22nd March – Niall Campbell on birds of the Isle of May
Friday 5th April – Anna Inman on the Restoration Forth project
More details on the website.
Volunteer to help and get a guaranteed place in the action!
We are keen to recruit a team of volunteers to help with the logistics of the talks. We need to set up the chairs (and rearrange them again at the end) in the Heritage Suite as well as welcome attendees and then serve teas and coffees at the end.
It may be the end of the Spring talks in April, but we already have talks lined up for the autumn, including one on the Hill & Adamson photographs of Newhaven fishwives, from Louise Pearson of the National Portrait Gallery and another on Celtic folklore and the mythical sea creatures of Newhaven. Watch this space!
Death Cafés at the Heart of Newhaven
A death cafe is described as a safe place where people can feel free to talk about anything they wish, to do with death and dying.
On Saturday morning, 27th January we held our very first death café when fourteen people attended and the feedback was very positive. The discussions were enjoyed by all and there was delicious cake.
There will be more death cafés at the Heart on Saturday mornings of April 27th, July 27th and October 19th, all 10.00 am to 12.00 noon. Please arrive around 9.45 for welcome and coffee.
Remember our regular Events
Monday lunch club
The Cyrenian Lunch Club takes place at the Heart every Monday from 12.30 until 2pm. The lunches are free and open to all (advise in advance if you have allergies)
They’ll be serving a nutritious two-course meal along with tea/coffee. Some weeks there will also be entertainment to enjoy!
Sharing the Pastmeetings at the Heart are now taking place on the last Thursday of every month and the next one will be on Thursday 28th March.
Come along and reminisce with our Reminiscence volunteers. The topic changes every time. All on a Thursday at 10.30 -1130 am.
Keep up to date with all the regular events and activities by checking our website or following us on social media.
Oyster Mural
Remember too to get involved in the Restoration Forth project to create a mural for one of the outside walls of the Anchor Building. There will be a get-together to discuss plans, with coffee and cake at the Heart on Saturday 23rd March at 10am.
You can find out more on our website or follow the link below:
The Friends of Western Harbour Ponds have asked us to help raise awareness of their fight to save the re-wilded space now home to numerous bird species and a precious haven for humans too.
A petition calling on The City of Edinburgh Council and The Scottish Government to “recognise the value of the self-willed wetland habitat for nature and for people, and to help save it from development” has so far gathered more than 3,000 signatures.
If you’re keen to help document the biodiversity of the Ponds and other spots in Edinburgh, pop 26 to 29 April in your diary!
The City Nature Challenge is an annual worldwide bioblitz to record wildlife and plant life in cities, with the Edinburgh project coordinated by RSPB Scotland.
We hope you have survived the recent cold weather!
Friends and supporters cooried in with us recently, enjoying exploring the ever-improving facilities and meeting our partners and trustees.
Some of them even joined Norma and her knitters as they continue their work on next year’s Christmas tree.
The pile of green squares is growing as are the decorations and we are receiving more and more intimations of participation from all over the country, from London to Inverness, including Conwy North Wales and Southport Merseyside.
Why not join the expanding groups of knitters and natterers and support a good cause?
We are happy to announce the Heart is one of 12 recipients of recent funding awards from Age Scotland, to “build on the difference we are already making”. The funding will cover the post of our Dementia Centre Manager for a further 12 months.
We will be open one afternoon a week and continue to co-produce a programme of activities that meets members’ needs and interests as well as develop a programme for family carers.
Watch this space and our social media outlets for further news.
Building repairs
You may have noticed the scaffolding being erected around the Victoria Building towards the end of last month.
This is thanks to part of the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund award, plus further funding from The Pilgrim Trust, Historic Environment Scotland and The Community Ownership Fund (Department of Levelling Up) involving essential repairs to the roof and windows.
Work is progressing well and we hope it will be complete by the end of March ensuring the old building is waterproof and cosy, not to mention more eco-friendly!
Ukranian cooking
The local Ukranian Community are also running a cooking workshop at the Heart on Saturday 3rd February from 12 till 2pm. Come along and learn how to make Ukrainian dishes!
This time they are making pierogies, also known as varenyky or dumplings, both sweet and savoury kinds, with three kinds of stuffing: mashed potato, sweet cottage cheese, and cherries.
We are very pleased to be able to invite you to our ‘Coorie-In for Winter’ event at The Heart on Monday 5th February, 2 – 3.30 p.m. This is a great opportunity to mingle with our partners and groups to find out what’s on offer here at The Heart and how YOU can get involved!
Come along and browse the information stalls, chat directly with partners and group facilitators, visit the Heritage Suite and the Victorian Schoolroom!
Book now for your summer Victorian experience
One of our very first partners, the History of Education Centre (HEC aka the Victorian Schoolroom) has asked us to let everyone know that they are available for bookings over the summer holidays.
So if you know of a group of adults or children, perhaps a community group or an after-school club, that would like to experience the Victorian Schoolroom and adjacent Victorian Homelife Exhibit, tell them to get in touch with HEC via: histedcentre@gmail.com
Visits normally last around two hours but can be adapted to your preferences. Check out their website for further details : histedcentre.org.uk
Eyemouth Disaster wall plaques search
If you’ve checked the Heart’s Culture & Heritage blog recently, you will know that our heritage lead, Christine, is looking for information on a series of wall plaques that were created for the families of the 17 fishermen who drowned in the Eyemouth Disaster in 1881.
Would you like to be involved in creating a mural for our Anchor Building?
Restoration Forth is working with mural artist Natasha Russell to celebrate oyster reintroduction in the Firth of Forth and cultural connections to oysters.
We would love to hear your ideas for how you would like the mural to look and what imagery it could include.
Share your thoughts by filling out this online form:
or pop into The Heart and submit a drawing or written ideas.
There are paper forms you can pick up with some questions and a space for creative design sharing.
Work with us on our next big heritage project
We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced project worker (two days per week) to coordinate and deliver a Heritage Lottery Fund funded project: ‘Our Schooldays’- memories and legacies’ – Heritage tales from Newhaven, Trinity and Leith Harbour’.
The post is funded from April 2024 for 18 months and will be based in the Heart. The project will use the heritage of schooldays as a means of bringing people together, enabling participants of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds to learn more about each other, by sharing experiences and memories.
We are looking for a highly motivated individual with experience of community development work.
Contact lynne.porteous@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you have any questions about the position. Closing date for applications: February 12th, interviews scheduled for 26th February
Hear About …
Remember to come along to our series of winter talks, Hear About, all on Friday afternoons at 3pm. The next ones will be:
Friday 2nd February – City archaeologist John Lawson on what emerged from the tram extension,
Friday 9th February – Jane Evans on the Newhaven Witches,
16th February – Gillian Gray on Your Heart,
23rd February – archaeologist Rob Engl on the playground excavation.
Check the website and social media for further details.
The talks are free but it’s useful to have an idea of numbers so please advise us at admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you’d like to come along and if you have mobility issues.
Come and enjoy a trip down memory lane
The next meeting of the Reminiscence Group will be at the Heart on Thursday 22nd February. The session runs from 10.30 – 11.30 am. What will be the topic this time? Come and find out.
The sessions will now run on the last Thursday of every month, at the same time, so check your calendars and mark off the days!
Next month
Watch out for the next Leith folk Club event, being held in the Heart on 5th March when the Tannahill Weavers will be stopping by.
Happy New Year to you all. We hope you celebrated in style.
Hear About…
We’re kicking off this year with a series of talks at the Heart.
“Hear About…” all sorts of things, will begin on Friday 26th January and run into the spring at 3pm on Friday afternoons. Come along, have a cup of tea or coffee, chat with old friends and make some new ones. The talks will be free but donations would be welcome for the tea/coffee.
They may take place in different areas of the Heart depending on how many people are interested and what the topic is. Some for example, might take place in the hall, others in the Anchor Building and others upstairs in the Heritage Suite.
All we ask is that you register your interest in attending in advance with admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk to give us an idea of numbers, and check with reception when you arrive to find out exactly where the talk will be.
Here are the first five talks, each starting at 3pm:
Friday 26th January – our very own Chair, Judy Crabb will explain the ups and downs of how the Heart has come about and what we hope for from the future.
Friday 2nd February – John Lawson, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh’s archaeologist will talk about what came to light while the Newhaven tram extension was being built.
Friday 9th February – Heart volunteer, researcher and writer Jane Evans will tell us about the, perhaps not so famous, Newhaven witches.
Friday 16th February – From the Heart to hearts, Gillian Gray, Heart volunteer and recently retired Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh, will talk about what the heart does, what commonly goes wrong and how current drugs are used to prevent and treat disease.
23rd February – Archaeologist Rob Engl of AOCArchaeology will tell us all about the excavation that took place in the school playground before the Anchor Building was built. Although the schoolchildren of the time like to refer to the skeleton found as a pirate, the reality may be a little more prosaic, but exciting nevertheless.
See you there, and watch out for more talks to be announced soon. If you would like to give a talk or have a topic to suggest for which we could find a speaker, then contact gillian.bannantyne@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Keep the dates free
Watchout for our two forthcoming Coorie-in for Winter events, coming up on the evening of Tuesday, January 16th from 7- 8.30 and again on the afternoon of Monday 5th February from 2- 3.30. More details nearer the time.
The Evening event will include some Ukrainian food tasting and a chance to meet and speak to some of our building creatives.
The afternoon will allow visitors into the different spaces and find out more about what is on at the Heart for you.
Keeping green and beautiful
Hot on the heels of our Lottery funding for greening the Heart, announced in our December newsletter, we are proud to present our new certificate from Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Really great news!
We’re also thrilled to announce that we have secured a major new National Lottery Heritage Fund grant.
The £200,000 will be divided between further renovation and conservation work on the old Victoria building and an intergenerational community heritage project: Our schooldays – memories and legacies, Heritage tales from Newhaven, Trinity and Leith Harbour.
The project will involve some of our Heart Partners as well as the schools in our area of benefit and will leave a lasting legacy for the future. The news of the award arrived immediately before Christmas – what a great Christmas present!
Watch this space for more details in the coming months.
Dementia Meeting Centre
We have also secured 12 months funding for the further development of our Dementia Meeting Centre from Age Scotland.
From February, this will take place every Wednesday from 1.30 – 3.30 in the kitchen/lounge.
has had an incredible year! You can watch a few special moments along the way, in their new Youtube video. Together with other participating hubs, we at The Heart are excited to share the highlights of 2023.
Thanks to everyone who has been involved so far in this truly important project. If you’d like to play a part in restoring marine habitats and coastal environments in the Firth of Forth, find out more and sign up to the Restoration Forth newsletter HERE.
Reminiscence
Remember when? Our reminiscence volunteers will be ready to welcome all-comers at their first session of the new year, on Thursday 18th January,10.30 – 11.30. Themes change at each meeting so what will it be this time? Come along and find out.
New logo
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that a new logo has appeared on our website. This is to signify that we are registered members of the recently formed Edinburgh Local Heritage Network.
This is an umbrella organisation for all local heritage groups who can use it to exchange ideas, advice, information and even exhibitions and events.
There’s so much coming up this year. Why don’t you get involved? It’s your community, your Heart.
Remember to watch our website and social media for news of events and classes.
We are thrilled to announce that we have received just over £7,000 from the National Lottery towards the greening of the Heart grounds.
The aim is to bring together people of all ages and from all walks of life to help not only with the greening work itself, but also to improve their own physical and mental wellbeing by being involved in the creation of a green and welcoming space.
Not only will the space look more attractive to visitors and local residents alike, but all the new planting will contribute to the “green lungs” of the city.
The first stage of the project, beginning on 1st March, engagement, gardening and landscaping opportunities as well as harvesting produce for use in the community teaching kitchen, is expected to last one year, but we have loads of plans for future improvements, which would involve more trees and reducing the amount of hard playground surfacing.
More good news on the conservation works on the Victoria Building
As we have previously reported, funding has been awarded to us over the past year for significant conservation repairs to the Grade B Listed Victoria Building. As good stewards, we have prioritised some of the more urgent repairs to the stonework, roof, rainwater goods and windows and having tendered the project, we hope to start Phase 1 of the works in the New Year. So watch out for the scaffolding going up and the work beginning.
Of course we’re always on the lookout for more funding, or sponsorship, so spread the word, or if you can help our Operations Group with managing the upkeep or health and safety of the Heart, please get in touch as we would love to hear from you.
On the warm front…
Recent visitors may well have noticed a welcome rise in temperature inside the Victoria Building, especially with the cold weather outside. Repairs have been successfully carried out on the boiler which had originally been installed in 1983 and we are now feeling much warmer as we go about our work. We were even able to find the original engineer who installed the old machine and he was more than happy to come and look after it for us. Enjoy the warmth!
The Heart’s Christmas tree project
What would Christmas be without a tree? You may have heard that at the Heart we are planning to knit next year’s Christmas Tree!
The year-long project was unofficially launched this month (watch out for the official launch in January) as we decorated the Heart for this Christmas.
The idea came originally from a tree that was knitted in Norwich in 2012 and was displayed in prominent buildings to raise funds for Livability, a charity which cared for people in John Grooms Court in Norwich. Such was the success of the tree that they achieved enough money to provide a second lift for the building as well as an extension.
Now the Heart of Newhaven also needs a lift to provide access to the upper floors of the Victoria building, but we will similarly be partnering with local charities and are beginning with the announcement that Homestart, which helps families give children a good start in life will be one of our beneficiaries.
More will be announced in due course.
We’re going to need at least 5000 six-inch squares knitted or crocheted in any shade of green, as well as colourful decorations and adornments for the tree.
You have twelve months to get knitting, so don’t say we haven’t given you enough warning!
Talking of knitting, there are three new knit and natter groups starting at the Heart next month from 9th January.
Bring your own knitting or crochet, or join in with the Heart of Newhaven’s exciting new project to knit the 16ft Christmas tree to go on display next year and raise money for our chosen projects. We’ll give you more details next month.
The groups will meet on Tuesdays at 7.15 till 8.30 pm, Wednesdays from 9.30 till 12 noon and Saturdays from 9.30 till 12noon.
Start of regular Heart talks in January.
From local archaeology discoveries to water purity, from Newhaven witches to how to look after your own heart, watch out for an announcement on a new seasonal series of talks at the Heart. We’re creating a schedule of what we hope will be interesting talks which will take place on Friday afternoons in the spring beginning on the 26th January. Come and be enlightened and entertained. More news to follow.
Reminiscence
The next reminiscence sessions with our trained volunteers will be taking place on 21st December and 17th January, 10.30 – 11.30, and will then move to a regular day each month. Watch this space for further details.
Thinking of running away to the circus?
Why not try out some practice sessions first?
The Kids Circus (thinkcircus.co.uk) has found a new home at the Heart, so young people between the ages of 5-8 and 8-11are invited to explore the world of juggling, hula hoop, poi, flower sticks, plate spinning and many other tricks while developing their balance, coordination and confidence.
We now have two Youth Circus Clubs, Teen Circus, running every Tuesday and Friday at the Heart: bookwhen.com/thinkcircus Further classes soon.
Looking back
Remembrance weekend
Two events were held on both the Friday 10th Saturday 11th November
Fair Saturday
Back on the 25th November we got together to celebrate community and culture.
Interested in caring for old heritage buildings?
Lastly, join us in creating a safe, welcoming hub for the whole community. We’re always on the look-out for new trustees and consultants, but we’d like to extend a special welcome to anyone who is interested in the maintenance in an old heritage site such as the Victoria Building.
It has so many special needs and with frequent changes in legislation, we could do with an extra pair of hands for advice or practical help.
If you have even one hour a week to spare and you could walk around the site and lend a hand on health & safety issues, please contact linsay.miller@heartofnewhaven.co.uk.
This might suit anyone from a retired surveyor to a student studying estate maintenance, so come and talk to us if you think you could help.
Finally may we wish everyone a happy festive seasonand a very Guid New Year!
Make some New Year resolutions and join us in January.
Autumn is truly upon us and with autumn comes tidying up the garden. Here at the Heart, a volunteer team from British Gas worked hard in the grounds last month and seemed to enjoy themselves – they want to come back next year anyway!
Tools were borrowed from the Tool Library and a tremendous amount was achieved: encroaching vegetation on the decking behind the Anchor Building was cut back and part of the decking covered in chicken wire to prevent slips; hedges were trimmed, litter was picked and rotten planters and sheds were demolished or righted as necessary.
A van load of prunings was removed, but there was still a lot of green waste.
Some of this was chopped into rubble bags and the rest was piled out of sight next to the garden shed. Perhaps we can make a bug hotel out of it.
There’s still work to do, of course, including digging out the mugwort and finishing the chicken wire, so if you’d like to get involved, remember that the gardening group meets every Thursday morning, from 10 till 1
.Remember too to dress for the weather! It is autumn, after all.
Halloween ceilidh
Autumn also means that witches, fairies, ghosts and pumpkins were to be found reeling and wheeling at our Halloween Family Ceilidh on Saturday 28thOctober.
Head witch Norma was in charge of proceedings, ably assisted by under-witch Leslie, who looked after the dooking for apples while both children and adults had their faces painted by Ailie, and were fed by loads of spookily decorated biscuits and cakes supplied by Lesley and the Ukrainian Spiders.
There were plenty of other helpers on hand to assist and everyone commented on the warmth of the event and how family-friendly it was. Don’t miss the next one!
Oyster Day Celebration
Around 70 people came along to celebrate the native oyster and took part in Restoration Forth’s marine-themed craft activities on Saturday 21st October.
They were treated to a performance by the Newhaven Choir and were able to learn the fascinating history of oysters in Edinburgh and catch up on what is being done to restore the oyster beds and the health of the river Forth.
Photos: Espen Helland
Coming up:
Fair Saturday, 25th November
Every last Saturday of November, the day after Black Friday, people in different parts of the world join together by supporting a social project of their choice. Here at the Heart we will be joining in and promoting fairness and social equality through our various offerings.
Come along on Saturday 25th and look at the tremendous amount of objects recently made or repaired by the Men’s Shed. They will be for sale at fair prices.
Similarly, the History of Education Centre will be offering many surplus objects from their collection, such as old school posters and books, in return for donations.
There will be plenty of other offerings. Come along, have a cuppa and investigate.
Cyrenian Lunch Club, Mondays
Starting on Monday 6th November, and running weekly thereafter, the Cyrenian Lunch Club will be taking place at the Heart from 12.30 till 2pm. The Cyrenians try to tackle the causes and consequences of homelessness and the launch of the new lunch club is simply one part of that. The lunches are free and open to all.
They’ll be serving a nutritious two-course meal along with tea/coffee. Some weeks there will also be entertainment to enjoy. Simply turn up.
There’s no need to book unless you have specific dietary requirements they need to know of in advance, in which case contact amandasomerville@cyrenians.scot or call 0131 554 3900
New Pilates classes
We have a new offering on Saturdays at the Heart. Kirsty Pollock is offering Community Pilates for beginners/improvers and complete beginners on Saturday mornings. Contact Kirsty at kpollock008@gmail.com or call her on 07842657411. Classes start at 10am and 11am. You can just drop in and try it or sign up for a block of classes.
Folk Club
Leith Folk Club have made their regular home with us and their next gig is coming up on Tuesday 7thNovember. This event is part of a special John Renbourn Project Tour and will feature guitarists Clive Carroll and Dariush Kanani. Doors open at 7.30 for an eight o’clock start and remember it’s not just for members. Anyone is welcome. Tickets on the door. Check their website for more details.
Reminiscence
Come along and share your memories with the Reminiscence group.
Next dates are 23rd November and 21st December, 10.30 – 11.13.
Free to attend, with a different theme each time.
Coffee at the Heart
Join us for a cuppa and biscuits on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, 9 – 12. Remember that on Wednesdays Ace-It will be there with free advice and support for problems with your laptop, phone or tablet.
Ginger
Children’s show at the Heart.
We are looking forward to seeing a performance from partners, Tortoise in a Nutshell.
Saturday 2nd December
Performances at 10.30 – 11.30am and 1.45 – 2.45pm
Cost: ‘Pay what you think’
Ginger tells the tale of a misshapen gingerbread man ,discarded and marked for the bin. We follow Ginger a he tries to find his place in a kitchen where all confectionery looks the same.
Dynamic puppetry, multi-sensory performance and immersive soundscape combine to create an anarchic adventure for families and 3-7year olds.
