We are delighted to be part of @SPFLTrust Winter Response Fund 2023
Starting 25th January we have a free lunch offering for our community to attend
In our community hub space we have hot meals and access to wi-fi / devices, book swap & clothing bank.
Cyrenians Golden Years, in partnership with Hibernian Football Club and Hibernian Community Foundation hosted their second Gamechanger Baffies n Blankets Big Slipper give-away lunch at Hibs stadium in Easter Road yesterday (Monday 14 November 2022).
Amy Karp, Service Manager for Golden Years, said: “The day was a great success with around 80 people joining us for our big slipper event, some of whom enjoy our free Gamechanger Lunch every Monday at the Stadium.”
Each person received a free pair of brand new, high quality, safe and cosy baffies (more like indoor shoes). We had 3 podiatrists on hand to give everyone a precise measurement. We also threw in a cosy blanket for chilly winter evenings.”
The event comes at a good time when the Cost of Living Crisis is forcing many people, including older people to make difficult choices such as having a hot meal or putting the heating on. A well fitted pair of quality slippers can help keep the warmth in and importantly reduce the risk of trips and falls in the home.
Lewis Melee, CEO of the Hibernian Community Foundation, said: “Hibernian Community Foundation has a long and proud tradition of being at the centre of the community and providing support.
“We see every community members’ health and wellbeing as a priority and this is a small part of what we do to support every year.
“Hibernian CF are pleased to be working with Cyrenians. We share values including innovation and respect in working with older people.”
The Changing Room for young women delivered in partnership with partners @SAMHtweets at Easter Road Stadium has a new start date later this month.
See above for more info on the latest 12 week courses and for contact details.
Hibernian Community Foundation and Big Hearts Community Trust are set to meet for a fundraising football game on Sunday 10th October, to mark World Mental Health Day.
It’s the first time that both charitable arms of the Edinburgh football clubs, Hibernian FC and Heart of Midlothian FC, will come together on the same pitch to raise awareness around wellbeing and mental health. The game is kindly supported by charity partner Utilita Energy.
Kick-off is 4pm at Ainslie Park. Tickets are now on sale. All proceeds will go to fund our community projects across Edinburgh.
A single-entry ticket is priced at £5 or £2 for concessions and discounted family ticket at £10.
Tickets are available via Fanbase > Utilia Energy > Store > Events > Utilita Charity Challenge Cup > Buy Tickets.
Every year, the 10th of October is a reminder that 1 in 3 people will experience mental health issues at some point in their life. We are delighted to be joining efforts with the Hibernian FC charity on this special occasion, using the reach of football to share information on support services available across the city.
Keep your eyes peeled for further event details, including opportunities for supporters to get involved and support their team on the day!
Pupils at Hermitage Park Primary in Leith are sitting comfortably while learning from home, thanks to Hibernian Community Foundation’s donations of multi-purpose lap desks.
Depute Head Teacher Lisa Black explained: “Hermitage Park Primary is a Hibernian Community Foundation partner school. The foundation is keen to help us remove any barriers to learning our pupils may face.
“When I approached them to share my concern that many of our pupils did not have a desk space for home learning, they were keen to help”.
Lisa was troubled by survey findings from ‘The second wave of the Understanding Society COVID-19 survey’: “I read that over 30% of children lived in homes that did not have enough desk space for them to undertake home learning. This percentage increases to almost 40% for children living in low income households.
“Many of our pupils were working from their bed. Whilst this is not ideal, the lap desks give them a hard surface on which to work. This has benefits for their learning as well as their physical health promoting better posture,” Lisa continued.
“It also tackles the issue of overcrowded homes as pupils can carry their desk to any convenient spot and work at a place which suits them”.
They are already proving a hit with pupils who say their home learning has improved since getting a lap desk:
“My handwriting is better because I have something to lean on” says P6 pupil Brandyn.
“I like the pockets as I can organise myself and that makes me feel less stressed” says Jenna P7.
P7 Abdul’s mum is a fan because he says, “I don’t leave all my work scattered on the floor!”
Lisa concluded: “We appreciate the challenges families face when undertaking home learning.
“This helps us to improve the physical environment for our pupils and we are grateful to Hibernian community foundation for their continued support.”
Hibernian FC takes part in ‘Challenge Poverty Week’ by ensuring no child goes hungry at Hermitage Park Primary School.
Hibernian Community Foundation are delighted to launch ‘Hibs Crunch and Munch’ with local partner school Hermitage Park Primary in an exciting initiative that will see every pupil at Hermitage Park Primary School receive a free piece of fruit every school day.
2020 has seen Hibernian Community Foundation and Hermitage Park Primary work together on a number of programmes which have supported pupils and families in the local area.
Throughout lockdown Hibs have provided weekend food parcels to pupils at home and developed digital educational resources to ensure learning can continue away from the class room. Hibs have also delivered ‘Score Goals’, an eight week project with primary 6 pupils with a focus on football, exercise and healthy eating.
Hibs Crunch and Munch will become a significant element of Hibs Class at Hermitage Park as the school aims to support pupils learning in the classroom in as many ways across a number of curriculum areas including literacy, numeracy, and wellbeing.
Hibs Crunch and Munch will also support Hibernian Football Club’s pledge to be the greenest club in Scotland as they have already identified ways in which extra resources can be shared. Over the summer Hibernian Community Foundation has saved over 2300kg of CO2 by sharing food that would otherwise go to waste.
Lisa Black, Deputy Head Teacher at Hermitage Park Primary School said: “We are proud to be a Hibernian partner school. The ‘Hibs Crunch & Munch’ is another example of how they are helping Hermitage Park Primary students thrive emotionally, socially and behaviourally.
“Hibs are helping us tackle childhood obesity, reduce playground litter and offer an opportunity for the pupils to develop social skills by sitting down together to eat the fruit.
“Hibernian Football Club has a long and proud tradition of working to support local communities and we are grateful to be supported by them”.
Charlie Bennett Hibernian Community Foundation CEO commented: ‘We’re really excited to be working with pupils and teachers at Hermitage Park and we’re pleased we can support the health and wellbeing of the pupils in this way.
“Like the school we want to ensure children in our communities are healthy and we hope the ‘Hibs Crunch and Much’ will make a significant contribution to this’.
Edinburgh is to mark the achievements of Hibs’ female football players with a celebration in the City Chambers.
£4 million funding boost for 29 Scottish groups
Four Edinburgh projects were among 29 groups to receive a share of £4 million Lottery grants announced today.
Edinburgh City Youth Cafe (above) receive £195,000 to develop their project which offers support to young people who have been victims of crime, while get2gether have been awarded £145,000 to deliver a range of social events for people with disabilities. Hibernian Community Foundation have scored £148,500 to deliver a three year programme of activites for older people experiencing social isolation and the Welcoming Association has been awarded over £118,000 to continue to run and further develop their befriending programme for newly-arrived refugees.
The Hibernian Community Foundation project, which is participant led, will deliver a wide range of activities including IT skills, gardening, walking, cooking, music and a holiday programme. The programme will also provide volunteering opportunities and will engage with almost 400 people across the life of the project.
Brenda Black, Hibernian Community Foundation Manager, said: “We are really pleased to receive this award and it will allow us to continue to build on our community engagement with older people.
“Our aim is to build our connections to help improve health and wellbeing and reduce social isolation for older people in our communities”.
MORE Scots recovering from addiction will get a second chance at life as an award winning bicycle refurbishing project in West Lothian today receives National Lottery cash to expand its activities and open its doors to more people.
1st Step, run by staff and volunteers many of whom have been affected by addiction, is one of 29 groups across the country sharing in £4,165,316 from the National Lottery Community Fund.
The group (above) receives £137,934 to develop and continue its bike refurbishment programme, 1st Step Bikes, for people in recovery in West Lothian and Falkirk. Based in Linlithgow Community Recycling Centre, it provides new skills and volunteering opportunities to people like 1st Step Bike Mechanic Stephen McKnight, 37, who credits the group for helping him to rebuild his life after nearly two decades of being stuck in addiction and the criminal justice system.
Stephen said: “I first became involved with 1st Step Bikes in 2016 with a simple idea of creating a group for people affected by addiction, like me, to learn some transferable skills. The plan was to break some of the isolation that addiction can cause and make some connections between ourselves and other support networks within the community.
“Over the last three years I have been one of the lead mechanics within the project, which has given me structure to my life and taught me to be responsible. Most importantly, it has helped me to repair and rebuild relationships with my loved ones. Enabling me to be a son, a brother, a partner and a father which would not have been possible without the continuous support from 1st Step and the new relationships I have been able to make.”
Volunteers at 1st Step Bikes fix up old unwanted bikes and give them a new lease of life before they are sold or gifted back to the community. In doing so they complete an accredited training course and thereafter many move onto more positive destinations such as paid work or college.
Maria Throp, Development Manager, 1st Step Development Ventures, said: “We are all extremely excited to have received this award from the National Lottery. It will make a huge difference to what our team can achieve in terms of providing support and training for people and families getting their lives back on track after being affected by addiction.
“We are a community group run by a mixture of people, many of whom have been affected by addiction. Anyone can be affected by addiction at any time in their lives and it can have huge impacts for individuals, families and communities.
“At 1st Step we’re all about getting people together to provide a positive environment, where they can support each other and work together, and make a real difference to themselves, each other and the wider community.
“We are also very grateful for the support of our local partners including Police Scotland, West Lothian College and West Lothian Council who let us base our workshop at the Linlithgow Recycling Centre. By working together we can really get things done.”
Announcing today’s funding to 29 projects across Scotland, Maureen McGinn, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, said: “This £4minvestment will allow more groups across Scotland to expand and develop their activities to help improve the health and wellbeing of hundreds of people and their families.
“Through these projects, people will gain new skills and confidence to help achieve their ambitions and move on to more positive destinations. I want to say thanks to all the National Lottery players who have helped make this possible.”
Last year The National Lottery Community Fund gave out over £48m of National Lottery funding to community projects across Scotland. Over 1130 projects benefitted from this, enabling people and communities to bring their ideas to life.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
Scottish Cup Trophy Tour hits the magic 114 target today!
2016 was a memorable year, with so many events of world importance. It was the remarkable twelve months when the impossible became possible. Brexit. Donald Trump becoming President of the USA. And Hibs winning the Scottish Cup! Continue reading Persevered: Journey’s end for happy Hibees!
Get connected with your community this Tuesday
GameChanger are holding a free Community Event on Tuesday 12 April at Easter Road Stadium, taking place between 11am to 3pm.
The awareness day will help to showcase to the community what there is in the local area to help with their health and well-being, and is another event which demonstrates the positive impact GameChanger is having in the local area.
Attendees will be able to find out information across a wide spectrum of health issues including fitness, addiction support and mental health, as well as the related sub-topics that can help with your well-being, including information on healthy cooking, community gardening, yoga and dance.
Not only will it cover health and well-being, but it aims to highlight how to help with your employability and will offer advice on improving your digital skillset too. Information will be available for learning opportunities for students with varying disabilities and needs, as well as assistance for carers and advice on relationships and sex for young people. You can even find out what is happening at the upcoming Leith Festival.
For those with a keen football interest, you will also be able to discover a free online learning opportunity with the University of Edinburgh to study Football: More than a Game as well as opportunities for credit bearing face to face learning.
The event will take place within the Eighteen75 and Edinburgh Suites within the West Stand at Easter Road Stadium.
