Join us in celebrating #BookWeekScotland this week:
– A warm welcome for all at our ‘Book chat’ café today – 11:00 – 12:00pm
– Drop in and pick up your free copy of ‘Adventure’.
Or access the ebook or audiobook here: http://scottishbooktrust.com/…/scotlands-stories-adventure
– We are also delighted to welcome class visits from Leith Primary School and Trinity Primary School; and we will be visiting Stanwell Nursery School as well!
FREE FAMILY FUN ACTIVITIES
We’d love all the Leith community to join us for our Warm and Welcoming family fun day, TODAY – Friday 10th February – from 11am to 3pm.
– info & advice stalls throughout the day providing support with the cost of living, employability, health and wellbeing
from Access to Industry, AdvoCard, Age Scotland, Bethany Christian Trust, Changeworks, Edinburgh City Libraries, CEC Family & Household Support Service, LifeCare Edinburgh, People Know How, Social Security Scotland, Volunteer Edinburgh and more!
– Macmillan at Edinburgh Libraries are hosting a drop-in coffee morning from 11am to 12pm
– children’s face-painting, & other activities from Fair Saturday Scotland from 12pm to 2pm
– tour of Leith Theatre at 1pm (sign up for this on the day)
– dance workshop for children ages 4+ and their families at 2.30pm
*please book free ticket(s) for the children’s dance workshop in advance here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/dance-workshop-for…
Find out other things to do over the winter: edinburgh.gov.uk/warmandwelcoming
Help and advice with the cost of living: edinburgh.gov.uk/costofliving
A mobile exhibit, highlighting the science and issues around air pollution and air quality, is on display in Edinburgh this summer.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Glasgow Science Centre launched the touring exhibition in 2020, aiming to highlight the importance of air quality. It will be on display until the end of August at Leith Library.
The interactive exhibit encourages visitors of all ages to think about their local environment and the quality of the air, how poor air quality can affect them and their family and how we can all help to improve air quality through our daily choices. The interactive exhibit also uses a bespoke tool which allows visitors to share their thoughts on the environments they live and work in, and what can be done to improve air quality.
The exhibit uses a simulation model to control traffic and allow users to experience how different types of transport contribute to air pollution. At the same time, the interactive display provides information on the various sources of air pollution and how it can affect our health and wellbeing.
Dr Colin Gillespie, SEPA’s Air Modelling Unit Manager, said: “Reducing air pollution and its associated health impacts is a challenge we should all be mindful of. We all contribute to sources of air pollution through our day-to-day activities and all breathe the same air, so we all have a part to play in improving air quality, no matter how small our actions may seem.
“This mobile exhibition highlights how individuals can take steps to help improve the quality of life both for ourselves and our wider communities and the simulation demonstrates the different ways the quality of the air we breathe can be impacted.”
Transport and Environment Convener at The City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Scott Arthur, said: “This fascinating and engaging exhibition will really get people thinking about the impacts of poor air quality on our lives, and the choices we can make to limit this.
“Earlier this year I was proud to launch the Low Emission Zone in Edinburgh as this will reduce air pollution across the city. This is just one of a number of tools the Council is using to tackle poor air quality, from improvements to its vehicles to better infrastructure supporting cleaner modes of transport like walking and cycling, and for Leithers the Tram to Newhaven. What’s more, people using Lothian Buses can be reassured it has one of the cleanest fleets in the UK.
“Visiting this interactive exhibition at Leith Library will provide an insight into the need to make these kinds of changes for the good of all in our city.”
Dr Gillian Lang, Director of Experience Development at Glasgow Science Centre, said: “We are delighted to have been able to partner with SEPA on developing this touring exhibition to raise awareness of the science and issues around air quality.
“The exhibition was at Glasgow Science Centre during COP26 and has toured to Aberdeen Science Centre where it has been seen by over 16,000 people.”
The mobile exhibition is part of a larger educational package which SEPA has developed with Glasgow Science Centre, aiming to highlight the importance of air pollution and the impacts it can have on our health and the environment.
In 2017, SEPA and the Glasgow Science Centre developed a larger, permanent installation which was originally commissioned by the Scottish Government as part of the Cleaner Air for Scotland (CAFS) strategy, encouraging an interactive way to explore the science behind air pollution.
The mobile exhibit is a development of this work and is now available to tour individual local authority areas.
Anyone interested in finding out more information on how to bring the exhibit to their area can contact SEPA via AirQuality@sepa.org.uk.
The city council is looking at how they can offer alternative locations for library services on a temporary basis for the communities where buildings are currently being used as COVID Testing Centres – principally Leith, Oxgangs and Newington Libraries.
Work to take forward plans to prepare and adapt the space available in Fort Community Centre has already started, which will allow some library services to restart alongside the Early Years Centre in North Fort Street.
The community centre is just a six minute walk from Leith Library and, once ready, will aim to provide the following services:
CEC is also looking at ways to provide adult group activities in the building subject to Covid guidance. The intention is for the services to be running from Monday to Saturday and to build up the opening hours to closely match existing Leith Library ones.
More information will be provided soon, as the plans are developed further. Work is also underway to identify suitable alternative properties in the Oxgangs and Newington areas for their library services.
Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “I’m really pleased we’ll be able to relocate these essential services to the Fort Community Centre, which is only a few minutes walk from the existing Leith Library building, on a temporary basis until we get Leith Library back fully functioning.
“There is so much more to libraries in addition to borrowing books – they are trusted and much-loved hubs and bring local communities together. Although our online provision during the pandemic has been incredibly successful there’s no substitute for physical access.”
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convener, said: “I’m sure the local community will be delighted to hear that the services provided by Leith Library will soon be available from the nearby Fort Community Centre. All our libraries are centres of learning and information and are also essential for the wellbeing of our citizens.
“We’re actively looking at how we can provide more services for our other communities where libraries are being used as test centres and we’ll do everything we can to get these up and running as well. I want to thank all the hard work and efforts from the various Council teams who worked so hard to achieve this.”
Leith Library has opened as Edinburgh’s newest Covid-19 testing centre as part of the UK Government’s drive to make testing more accessible to local people.
This will be the third City of Edinburgh Council building to operate as a test centre following the Usher Hall and Gate 55 Community Hub in Wester Hailes.
The building, also home to the Registrar’s Office, will provide an additional and safe centre for anyone showing symptoms.
Residents living close to the venue can now pre-book a test by visiting www.nhsinform.scot/test-and-protect or by calling 0800 028 2816.
Anyone attending an appointment will be provided with guidance on getting to and from the centre safely, with additional support for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities.
Adam McVey, Council Leader, said: “Our top priority is keeping Edinburgh’s residents safe and the best way to do that is by encouraging people to follow the latest guidance and get tested if they have any Covid-19 symptoms.
“Our two other sites in the city centre and west Edinburgh have been helping hundreds of people every week to get tested so it’s really welcome that we now have a third site open in the north of the city.
“We’ll keep the use of Leith Library under review and if we’re in a position to safely reopen the library in the New Year we’ll work with the government to find alternatives.”
Cammy Day, Depute Leader, said: “It’s important we play our part by providing the government with buildings to carry out the testing which has been going really well. We now have three centres open in different parts of the city and I urge anyone with symptoms to follow the guidance and make sure they get checked out.”
The Leith Library testing site is open now between 8am and 8pm and can be found at 28 – 30 Ferry Road.
Those being tested will be required to follow public health measures, including social distancing, not travelling by taxi or public transport, practising good personal hygiene and wearing a face covering throughout, including while travelling to and from the testing centre.
Anyone who tests positive will be contacted by contact tracers to help people to identify who they may have been in close contact with and protect others from further transmission.
Close contacts of those testing positive will also hear from contact tracers, asking them to stay at home for 14 days to prevent them from unknowingly spreading the virus. They will be advised to also book at test if they develop symptoms.
FACE TO FACE WITH LEITH
Citadel Arts Group’s photography exhibition will be launched at Leith Library on Monday 1 August at 2.30pm with refreshments and music by Laure Paterson and John Lamb. Continue reading Portraits of Leith: Citadel’s exhibition opens on Monday
‘Libraries are often the hub of a local community’ – Cabinet Secretary for Culture Fiona Hyslop
She may be too young to read, but Halle Edwards has become Edinburgh’s youngest library member – at the tender age of three weeks! Continue reading Meet Halle – Edinburgh’s youngest bookworm!
A book has been launched recounting the memories of eight Leithers. ‘An Adventure! – Happy Days in Leith’ has been produced by the Citadel Arts Group and tells the stories of residents of Port of Leith Housing Association’s (PoLHA) St Nicholas Court Sheltered Housing Complex.
A launch event was held at the complex on Monday, when musician Laure Paterson entertained residents and a class of Trinity Primary School pupils who called in to join the celebrations and bring the generations together.
Maureen Tait, Senior Sheltered Housing Co-ordinator with PoLHA who manages the complex, said: “It is nice for the children and staff to hear stories of the past from the tenants and tales of things that we’ll never experience. The children are so good, always polite and helpful. It means a lot to the tenants here.”
‘An Adventure! – Happy Days in Leith’ is a collection of memories about childhood, school days, first work experiences and family life collected by Citadel Arts Group living memory workers, Laure C Paterson and Liz Hare.
The book features St Nicholas Court residents Rita Falconer, Bertha Glancy, Margaret McKinlay, Annie Mulvaney, Mary McNicol, May Stevenson, Jean Tait and Frances Veitch (pictured above) – each of whom shared their memories of Leith past and present with the book’s authors. Margaret said: “Things have changed a lot over the years and it’s been great to share those stories”.
The book is the culmination of seven weeks of sharing, recording and transcribing the stories of the eight residents. Citadel Arts Group’s Liz Hare said: “The tenants generously shared their memories and we have collected them into this book which will be a resource for the whole community. Each member of the project will receive two copies and copies will go into Trinity Primary and local libraries. It has been one of the most enjoyable projects we have been involved in.”
The project is funded by The Robertson Trust.
Leith Library is eighty years old next week, and you’re invited to join in a week-long series of events to celebrate the milestone in style!
Leith Library and New Town Hall was officially opened on 20 July 1932. As Leith became part of the capital, it was promised that the library would be built by the City Council and since then, it has gone from strength to strength. Still at the heart of the community, Leith Library is now also host to a Registrar’s office, an office for council enquiries, a wedding suite and, of course, a fantastic, renovated library too!
With reading groups, bookbugs, crafts for kids, free computer classes and even a knitting group, there’s loads going on in the library throughout the year and to celebrate next week’s special birthday they have a whole host of events on offer. Have a look at the programme below – why not pop in to wish them many happy returns…?
13th July , 11am – 3pm Open Day! Stalls showcasing council services and local organisations. Timetable of free family events.
Monday 16th July , 3pm-3.30pm Birthday themed stories for the under 5s.
Tuesday 17th July, 10.30am – 11.15am Birthday Bookbug
Wednesday 18th July, 6.30pm – 8pm My Favourite Place is… Leith – a creative writing workshop for adults.
Friday 20th July, 1pm Leith Time Bank – come together and share your skills in this new initiative.
Friday 20th July, From 1pm Big Birthday celebrations! Be transported back to Leith Library as it was in the 1930s. With music, birthday card making for kids, a photo exhibition of Leith Library through the ages and a display of library artefacts!
Have a look at their Facebook page and keep up-to-date with all their latest goings on!
