Following the successful completion of five sessions, our Efficient Healthy Cooking Project is now launching sixth round starting on May 13th.
Limited spaces are available, if you’re interested in joining, please get in touch.
SATURDAY 19 APRIL from 2 – 4pm
We wanted to let you know that, unfortunately, this week’s Friday Talk on the Edinburgh and Leith Gasworks has been cancelled due to unforeseen illness. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
We are currently working to reschedule the talk and will aim to include it in our Autumn programme.
Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to welcoming you to our upcoming events.
With warm wishes,
The Heart Team
CHANGEWORKS SESSION – MONDAY 16 DECEMBER 11am – 12pm
Come along to the free energy advice event with Changeworks at the Heart of Newhaven on Monday 16th December from 11.00 -12.00
Managing your heating and electricity can feel overwhelming.
Whether it’s understanding your bill, managing any debt, or accessing funding you’re entitled to – Changeworks can give you free and impartial advice and support to feel confident about your bills.
Come along to The Heart this coming Saturday 7th December, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM for some Christmas festivities!
There will be Christmas Stalls, Raffles and Tombola!
This event is organised by Pregnancy Counselling and Care.
See you there 
The opening of the Tallest Knitted Christmas Tree was held on November 30th in front of a huge audience.
Our champion volunteer Pat Wilson cut the ribbon, the Newhaven Choir sang beautifully and then people were able to enjoy the craft stalls and refreshments including mulled wine supplied by Malones of Leith.
A huge thank you to all the businesses and individuals who donated so generously to us. Also to those people who came and spent money and also donated money to help us make the Heart more accessible for everyone.
A special thanks to our army of knitters from across the world and especially those who were there at the weekend helping to make the event a such a success.
The fishwife is called JEANNIE a name chosen by 5 people and we held a draw to find the winner and she promptly donated her prize to our fund.
The Tree contained 6257 leaves and is 17’7” (or 536cm) tall.
The Tree and Jeannie can be seen until December 22nd when the Heart is open and if you come on a Wednesday or Saturday morning the kettle will be on!
In January we shall have news of next year’s projects where everyone who wants to can come and join in.
The Heart bringing people together.
Merry Christmas from the Heart
Photographs copyright Andrew Perry
The Heart of Newhaven will be one of the participating venues this weekend as part of the Leith Creative Trai! – a trail of Leith’s creative Markets and Open Studios.
It’s an opportunity to discover and celebrate all the artistic happenings in the vibrant nooks of Leith. Some new, some institutions, some small, some big but all full of curiosity and talent.
There are 19 participating venues over the course of the week! Check out the directory and map 
and explore all that is on offer!
Before reading about all the exciting things that are happening this month at The Heart, please take a few minutes to do our survey.
In August 2022 Heart of Newhaven Community secured the purchase of Victoria Primary School.
In January 2023 we opened the buildings, now known as The Heart, for community uses in support of our vision- an Intergenerational Community Hub where everyone is better connected, less socially isolated and more actively engaged with their community.
In our first year of operation we focused on the buildings and their spaces and this year we undertook essential repairs to the fabric of the building.
We’ve also begun to develop community projects including the Dementia Meeting Centre, an intergenerational heritage project, a community lunch with Cyrenians and our ‘open4 coffee’/knit and natter/ IT support with AceIt, Newhaven Friendship Group.
We now need to know, from you, how we are doing?
Are we meeting your needs?
What are we missing?
Please do our survey and share as widely as possible
The closing date is November 30th
Thank you!
The Knitted Christmas Tree News
Firstly a massive thank you to everyone who donated green squares, beautiful decorations, knitted articles,the amazing tree trunk and the time you have given us to help raise money for easier access to The Heart for everyone.
We are almost there, the trunk is ready, the knitting is prepared and the Newhaven Fishwife has arrived. The next thing is to erect The Tallest Knitted Christmas Tree in the atrium of the Heart, ready for the Grand Opening on 30th November.
The official opening is at 11am. The craft fair will be open from 10am-4pm and there will be a raffle, tombola, children’s raffle and bottle stall. There will be the chance to choose the Fishwife’s name, guess the number of leaves on the tree and the number of decorations on the tree. Any contributions and donations to our stalls would be very well received.
On Sunday 1st December from 2.30-5.30 there will be a craft afternoon with the chance to make a Christmas Wreath, a Christmas Ornament and other crafts. Tickets for these activities will be on sale on the Saturday and Sunday.
On both days there will be refreshments including mulled wine.
Come along and see the Tallest Knitted Christmas, meet the creators, support a good cause and start the Christmas season at the Heart of Newhaven.
The Tree can be seen every day from 30th November until 22nd December. Call in to meet us and find out what the Heart can offer you.
Leith Creative Trail
The Leith Creative Trail running from 30th November – 8th December is an initiative designed to encourage people to explore their local creative community, art studios, organisations and services.
Follow the MAP and drop in on 19 different venues across North East Edinburgh including The Heart.
We’re open Saturday 30th Nov & Saturday 7th Dec 10am to 4pm with open studio visits, handmade artisan gifts and artwork for sale, craft demonstration, mulled wine, festive nibbles and cheer.
Meeting Centre Update October/November
Members of the Heart Dementia Meeting Centre have been enjoying our Wednesday morning meetings, working on creative projects with Tortoise in a Nutshell Theatre Company and continuing our intergenerational School Days sessions with students from Victoria Primary School. We celebrated Halloween with spooky bread making and enjoyed some home-made tattie scones.
Meeting Centre Manager Jan Brown also organised ‘Start from the Heart’ two dementia inclusive walks around Newhaven with local poet Ken Cockburn, piloting the idea of celebrating local heritage through poetry and song with a gentle health-walk. Feeback on these Monday afternoon walks was very positive, and we hope to start a series of monthly walks in the Spring.
Jan recently ran a Dementia Awareness session for volunteers at The Heart of Newhaven, if you or a family member is interested in becoming a member of the Heart Dementia Meeting Centre or volunteering with us, please contact:
jan.brown@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Schooldays Project
The Heritage Lottery Funded, Schooldays Project is underway, featuring intergenerational workshops with local primary school students from Victoria, Trinity, Wardie, and Holy Cross.
The students are collaborating with groups that regularly meet in our building, including the Dementia Meeting Centre, the Knit and Natter Group, the Newhaven Friendship Group, as well as new groups such as Feniks.
We’re thrilled about the creative workshops happening and being led by resident and local artists and look forward to sharing these experiences with our groups in the coming months.
Stay tuned for regular updates in future newsletters!
simone.kenyon@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Keep an eye on our social media and hope to see many of you in the Heart!
Help us to restore native oysters to the Firth of Forth for the first time in 100 years!!
Free lunch and refreshments provided as well as return transport from The Heart of Newhaven on Monday 14th October
FOR MORE INFO AND TO SIGN UP:
Email: Admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
#RestorationForth #MarineConservation #OceanConservation #Biodiversity #oceanrecovery #restorationproject #oysterrestoration #RestorationForth #wwf #oysters #seagrass #Environment #seagrassrestoration #environmentalwork #VolunteerOpportunity
A visual legacy celebrating a project aimed at restoring seagrass and oysters to the Firth of Forth has been unveiled.
The mural in the grounds of the Heart of Newhaven Community Centre celebrates the innovative Restoration Forth initiative which aims to bring back seagrass meadows and European flat oysters to the waterway.
Edinburgh based mural artist and illustrator Natasha Russell was commissioned by the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh to bring to life the restoration activities across the Forth.
Local residents, alongside pupils from Victoria Primary School, attended workshops to explore what the themes and design of the artwork would be.
Artist Natasha Russell said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with the local community and Restoration Forth, RBGE and Heart of Newhaven in order to design this mural.
“Through creating the artwork we wanted to celebrate and help to spark interest in the return of oysters to the Firth of Forth and the ways that they can benefit local communities once again by enhancing water quality and supporting biodiversity. The mural also looks to capture the story of how the oysters in the Forth used to support fishing communities in Newhaven and highlights how our relationship with this species has changed over time.
“Through painting the mural at the Heart of Newhaven we hope to support the lively environment of this community space and to make an artwork that is accessible to the wide range of people who pass this wall.”
Workshop participant Beth Cockerline said: “It was so lovely to come together to discuss the mural , the local community and learn about the beauty and importance of the oysters.
“I’ve been telling everyone how cool and vital they are.”
Workshop participant Lucy Neville said: “I have loved the opportunity to be involved in the mural workshops. The Forth was once such a biodiverse estuary filled with life that supported us communities.
“Volunteering with Restoration Forth has given me the faith that it can be that way again. And the mural will be a daily reminder of our history, present and potential future, as a community that is part of the river and sea.”
Heart of Newhaven is a community hub for the Restoration Forth project, aiming to engage local people with efforts to restore and enhance the Firth of Forth.
Judy Crabb, Chair of Heart of Newhaven said: “It is a great privilege for us to be the location for a beautiful mural that represents such an important part of the heritage of this area. We can’t wait to share it with everyone that visits the Heart for years to come.”
The oyster beds around the Firth of Forth were some of the most famous in Scotland over the 17th and 18th centuries. Oysters were significant for jobs, the economy and diet in the local Newhaven and Leith areas.
The ‘Newhaven Fishwives’ would sell oysters around Edinburgh and were a prominent part of the community. Some records show that nearly 30 million oysters were fished from the Firth of Forth annually. Unfortunately, overfishing and industrial development led to the local extinction of oysters in the area.
We now understand a lot more about the benefits of oysters within an ecosystem. Where there are oyster reefs, you can also find juvenile fish, crabs, sea snails, sponges and more! By reintroducing European flat oysters to the Firth of Forth, we’re creating a sanctuary for a vast array of marine life. Recent research suggests that by restoring healthy oyster beds, biodiversity could potentially double over a 10-year period.
Restoration Forth was recently announced as a finalist at the Nature of Scotland Awards.
The aim of Restoration Forth, a partnership with communities and organisations, is to restore 4 hectares of seagrass meadows and European flat oyster beds in the Firth of Forth. Partners delivering Restoration Forth include WWF, Edinburgh Shoreline, Fife Coast & Countryside Trust, Heriot Watt University, Marine Conservation Society, Project Seagrass, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scottish Seabird Centre, The Ecology Centre, and The Heart of Newhaven Community.
This three-year programme has been made possible by funding from Aviva, the Moondance Foundation, the ScottishPower Foundation, and Sky; this project is also supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, facilitated by the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund, and managed by NatureScot.
PICTURE: ANDREW PERRY
Victoria Primary School Head Teacher Rhian Chapman cuts the ribbon with some of the pupils that were involved in the mural design workshops
