Tag: local schools

News from Heart of Newhaven

Welcome to your November newsletter

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?

The Survey

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!

Local schools host storytelling events in partnership with Fort Kinnaird

Picture – Chris Watt Photography 07887554193 info@chriswatt.com www.chriswatt.com

More than 260 children from Edinburgh have taken part in storytelling sessions organised by Fort Kinnaird aimed at helping them fall in love with reading.

The event allowed children to listen to stories from professional storyteller Ron Fairweather and were part of the Young Readers Programme, an award-winning initiative sponsored by Fort Kinnaird co-owner British Land and run in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, that is designed to encourage children to read outside of the classroom.

Ron Fairweather has been writing and performing stories, songs, and poems for decades, including performing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the National Museum of Edinburgh, and The Scottish Storytelling Centre.

During the literacy-focussed events, pupils from Niddrie Mill Primary School, Brunstane Primary School, and Castleview Primary School were also able to take home a book of their choice.

This marks the twelfth year of British Land’s partnership with the National Literacy Trust, and since the programme launched at Fort Kinnaird, it has supported more than 2,500 school children and seen more than 7,600 books donated across Edinburgh.

Research by the National Literacy Trust has shown that owning a book means children are more likely to say they enjoy reading and are more inclined to read in their free time. However, 6.5% of children in the UK do not own a book, which equates to half a million children across the country*. This rises to one in 10 (9.7%) children from disadvantaged backgrounds, which is the demographic this partnership aims to reach.

With reading for enjoyment proven to have a positive effect on children’s reading skill* as well as their wellbeing and mental health, the Young Readers Programme initiative aims to give support and help with the development of children in under privileged areas by giving them access to books.

Picture – Chris Watt Photography 07887554193 info@chriswatt.com www.chriswatt.com

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “Supporting our community is very important to us, so we’re incredibly proud of the Young Readers Programme and all the local children and families we’ve been able to support in the last 12 years.

“It’s always very rewarding to hear how the children are inspired by the stories and start to get excited about reading and bringing their own books home.”

Picture – Chris Watt Photography 07887554193 info@chriswatt.com www.chriswatt.com

Martin Galway, Head of School Programmes at the National Literacy Trust, said: “The right book, at the right moment, can change a child’s life.

“That’s what the Young Readers Programme has been doing with British Land for the last 12 years – giving children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to experience enchanting storytelling events, and to choose books that speak to their interests and passions.

“Our goal is to spark a love of reading that will last them a lifetime, which in turn will empower them with the literacy skills they need to succeed.”