Today Sainsburys Blackhall presented a cheque for £2351.30 to their Local Charity Partner, Muirhouse Youth Development Group.
Checkout Manager Louisa Higgins, (pictured centre) would like to thank colleagues and customers for their help in raising the money.
Pictured (l-r) Gail Wilson, Dean Shanks, Louisa Higgins, Katie Tuff and Megan McGowan.
Twenty days to raise three grand
MY Adventure’s race against time to raise funds
MY Adventure, Muirhouse Youth Development Group’ social enterprise arm, is using crowfunding site Crowdfunder.co.uk to try to raise £6000 for essential repairs to their very own Borders bothy. With twenty days to go, they’re halfway there – but if they don’t reach their target they receive NOTHING.
MY Adventure’s Jonny Kinross gives some good reasons why you should pledge your support:
‘We believe in beautiful idyllic peaceful and natural wilderness spaces being accessible to everyone – Towford is just that.’
For many years now registered Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) and its Social Enterprise MY Adventure have been looking to secure a building, a bothy, a place that people can get away to and relax in – that is basic, comfortable and affordable. A place where young children can play safely but adventurously in the outdoors, exploring Scotland’s natural heritage with their families and friends. A place where teenagers can get away from pressures and learn new skills. A place where groups of adults can build friendships but enjoy space to themselves.
Towford Outdoor Centre, near Jedburgh, set in the beautiful remote yet accessible Scottish Borders, is the place we have been seeking.
Towford Outdoor Centre lies in the upper Kale Valley, on the northern slopes of the Cheviot Hills and has been lent to MYDG absolutely free, initially for 10 years but for the longer term if we can sustain it and assure our landlord that people are using it.
Towford was formerly an Outdoor Education centre until it closed in 1996. Before that, it was a school from 1876 to 1964.
The school log reads on June 30th 1964: ‘Today is the last day of Towford School. We have closed today and will not be returning’. Let’s return to this building a playful spirit and keenness to learn about the natural world, each other and ourselves!
You couldn’t find a better location for a Centre as Towford. Feeling remote but a mere 15 minutes from Jedburgh, the area contains an abundance of features of educational interest, quite apart from its out-standing potential for hill-walking and the beautiful conservation grade grounds. The area is typical of the Scottish Cheviot country, with its rolling hills and wide valleys, clear streams, shelterbelts and rich grazings.
The widely scattered hamlets and hill-farms are linked by narrow, winding roads, little used but essential to settlement in the area. Roman remains, along with standing stones, hill forts, cultivation terraces and the like all add to the educational potential of the area. This area and this building with your help can make an outstanding contribution to the lives of many children, groups, adults and communities.
Why are we crowdfunding?
The building has been empty and unused for 17 years. It urgently needs some heating and a rewire if it is to survive its first winter in our care. We also seek to make it more sustainable and more importantly more accessible to people with disabilities. Many of the old systems are now considered unsafe. The roof needs patching and the grounds have become hugely overgrown and inaccessible. We have a fantastic community of volunteers who can provide the labour (we are of course always looking for more, especially people with trade’s experience). However, funds are needed specifically to:
Crowdfunding is the best way to fund this project because we can offer amazing incentives (see below) including use of the building once it’s fully operational. We also need the funding urgently to complete the essentials for Towford to survive the Scottish winter.
Rewards – What you get for your pledges
Exclusive to TIC TOC Backers
Pledge £5 or more – Your name (or a dedication) on the ‘wall of supporters’ in the Centre and on the website. You get this for all the other pledges
Pledge £10 or more – A unique ‘TIC TOC ! Time for MY Adventure’ snap band
Pledge £20 or more – a Commemorative ‘Key to Towford’
Pledge £25 or more – A designer TIC TOC T –shirt
Pledge £50 or more – A Tandem cycle hire for a day for two people (and 2 ‘TIC TOC Time for MY Adventure’ snap bands) – making this a fantastic unique Christmas or Birthday Gift !
Pledge £60 or more – A Scroll of an extract from the original Towford School Log book (dating back to the 19th Century)
Pledge £75 or more – A Limited Edition Print of an original painting of the Centre in its grounds (framed and posted) with a certificate of appreciation for your support
Pledge £100 or more – A 2 hour Archery Session for 12 people – a fantastic Christmas Gift, birthday party or work celebration – competitive, fun, enjoyable for all ages and abilities!
Pledge £120 or more – for a Family Weekend self-catering at Towford – enjoying the beautiful Scottish Borders!
Pledge £250 or more – A half day Family or Group Day out (Mountain Biking, Coasteering, Canoeing, Canyoning for 6 people) – as adrenaline rushing or relaxed as you wish!
Pledge £500 or more – A self-Catering weekend at Towford with an activity for up to 30 people! Tonnes of hills, a warm fire, isolated setting with the freedom to explore!
Pledge £600 or more – Your Company or Dedication details engraved onto a traditional wooden Bench
Pledge £1000 or more – A Dynamic Team Building Day (Wet/Dry/high-low impact) Activity of your choice and a plaque with your company details inscribed upon it – acknowledging your support
Pledge £6,000 or more – An idyllic water feature named after you and no one else for ever! (set in Towford’s beautiful 17 acre gardens).
Your pledge will benefit many people from all different walks of life. The organisations who have already stated that they will use this fantastic facility is huge and includes groups who organise or fund:
We are a ‘hands-on’, ‘can-do’ social enterprise that look for creative and sustainable ways of changing young people’s lives – we do this on a daily basis. We can organise huge teams of volunteers – we have successfully done so on many projects – and this keeps costs down to a minimum (materials & technical advice only).
Due to this tremendous social capital your pledge will go far beyond how you imagined – making a huge difference to the long term prospect of this wonderful building becoming the source of so many positive memories and life-changing experiences.
Please pledge generously and remember – we’re not asking for something for nothing: you, your friends and family will love the rewards for your pledges that are exclusive to TIC TOC backers.
You have the opportunity to help create something that will benefit thousands of people every year – year on year.
Convinced? If you’d like to pledge your support to MY Adventure’s project go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/towford
MYDG’s social enterprise arm MY Adventure is looking for your support to help create a haven for the area’s young people in the Borders countryside. They’ve found the ideal place – Towford Outdoor Centre near Jedburgh (above) – and with your help they can transform the building into something really special.
MY Adventure’s director Johnny Kinross explained: ” The building has been empty and unused for 17 years and it urgently needs some heating and a rewire if it is to survive its first winter in our care.
“We also seek to make it more sustainable and more importantly more accessible to people with disabilities – many of the old systems are now considered unsafe. The roof needs patching and the grounds have become hugely overgrown and inaccessible.
“We have a fantastic community of volunteers who can provide the labour – we are of course always looking for more, especially people with trade’s experience! – but funds are needed to put in a wood burning stove, re-wire the building, replace two windows and to upgrade the shower/toilet block to make it accessible to people with disabilities.”
To find out more about the project – and how you can help – click on the link below:
I would like to introduce a new female only swim session at Craigroyston High School on Sundays from 2 – 2.50pm. We have female only lifeguards on the poolside and the pool is closed to any other participants.
The cost of the session is £1.00 per adult. Children aged 8 years and under are welcome to come along to the session for free as long as they are with a female adult.
I have attached the flier with all the information for the female only swim session (below).
NOTE: Sessions will not be held on Sundays 3 and 10 August due to maintenance to the pool – sessions will start up again on Sunday 17 August.
Marie Kneeshaw
Aquatics Development Officer, Edinburgh Lesiure
mariekneeshaw@edinburghleisure.co.uk
www.edinburghleisure.co.uk
Direct: 0131 458 2195
MYDG host their annual Youth Work Games 2014
Sixty-five young people, by the banks of Loch Tay and the very enthusiastic staff and volunteers from Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG), Granton, Citadel and State Street proved to be the perfect concoction for this year’s youth work games.
MYDG’s annual event brings together youth organisations from across North Edinburgh and Glasgow to compete in 10 events over the two-day residential hosted by our sponsors Wildfox events just outside Aberfeldy, at Kindorchit by Loch Tay.
This year the event took place in early July with a Commonwealth Games theme; the group were raring to go and the beautiful sunshine added to the enthusiastic spirits of those participating.
The first of the events was the cross-country run, followed by the tandem bike ride, then into some wetsuits for a swim and canoe in Loch Tay.
Evening entertainment was the amazing Corra ceilidh band with the participants creating a massive strip the willow right out the marquee and into the field, dancing the night away! As bedtime loomed none of the young people showed signs of tiredness, but went to their separate tents to tell stories and laugh until the wee hours of the morning!
As the sun rose on the second day so did the young people, sleepy but excited about the day ahead. With a buzz in the air, breakfast was eaten and the last events were well underway. Swamp football, tree climbing, archery, long jump and tug of war with the finale as a particularly fun assault course, involving balloons and blindfolds.
The swamp football proved to be one of the favourite events as the young people and leaders slid around the grass in an attempt to score some goals, additional water from the loch was brought in to make it extra soggy! With over 65 young people, volunteers and staff members all contributing to the games it was a great to see the teamwork camaraderie and sportsmanship throughout the two days of the games: everyone encouraged each other to participate and showed good teamwork, keeping energy up and motivation high for every event.
Pilton Youth and Childrens Project (PYCP) went on to win the games overall, with the other teams from other organisations claiming medals in each event. Bridging the Gap (from Glasgow) won the sportsmanship award for their enthusiasm and all round spirit throughout the whole event.
It was great to see relationships build up across various organisations and young people. Plans are beginning to take shape for an even bigger and better event in 2015, so watch this space!!
MYDG will be hosting a mini Triathlon on the 22nd July and a Commonwealth opening ceremony event on the 23rd July – for more information contact Katie Tuff 0131 332 3356.
Katie Tuff
Sainsbury’s Blackhall has announced that Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) will receive a year’s worth of fundraising and awareness support.
MYDG supports local young people by giving them a purpose with volunteering, educational experiences and activities, and the project will be the new Local Charity partner for Sainsbury’s Blackhall store for the next twelve months.
It’s the sixth year of Sainsbury’s Local Charity partner scheme, which has raised over £6 million for local charities.
Congratulations, MYDG!
Tennis is popping up in Muirhouse!
Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) has been selected as part of a nationwide programme to bring Pop Up Tennis to disadvantaged young people.
The programme was established by national sports charity, StreetGames with one hundred Pop Up Tennis Clubs across the UK being funded by Lawn Tennis Association. This activity will enable the young people of Muirhouse to emulate the excitement of Wimbledon and get involved by playing tennis this summer.
Last summer, Andy Murray became Britain’s first men’s winner in 77 years and the country exploded with Murray-mania. This partnership aims to harness that excitement and help disadvantaged young
people get involved by creating clubs that are fun and vibrant. By holding the sessions on their doorsteps, the programme aims to help encourage a sporting a habit for life.
The programme follows on from the success of the 2013 partnership between StreetGames and the Lawn Tennis Association where 25 Pop-Up Tennis Clubs were created, engaging 720 young people from around the country. This year, the LTA has backed StreetGames to extend the programme so that thousands more will get the chance to play the sport with the Lawn Tennis Association funding the activity taking place in the UK, including young people from MYDG.
This partnership is a continuation of StreetGames’ work to make sport more accessible to young people living in disadvantaged communities. Currently there are 1.6 million young people who live in disadvantaged areas of the UK; recent research shows lowest-income households are most likely to have least active children, with the poorest households spending less than £2 a week on sport. StreetGames hope to combat this by getting young people engaged with Wimbledon and developing a sporting habit.
Ali Grant of MYDG said, “We’re really excited to be given a StreetGames Pop-Up Tennis Club. We now have a ‘sport-in- a- bag’ that we can take out onto the streets and green spaces of Muirhouse. Our Pop-Up Tennis Club has all the kit we need to get young people started playing tennis. So, look out for us over the summer holidays. Who knows, we might find the next Andy Murray right here in Muirhouse!”
Jane Ashworth OBE, CEO of StreetGames said, “Andy Murray’s triumph showed how sport can bring the nation together, we aim to take that inspiration and ensure disadvantaged young people can experience it on their own doorsteps. We know that the Pop-Up Tennis Clubs makes tennis fun for all and bring the excitement of Wimbledon to Muirhouse, Edinburgh.”
Michael Downey, Chief Executive of the LTA said: “Last year the StreetGames Pop-Up Tennis programme was a resounding success, bringing tennis to the doorstep to hundreds of young people across the country. We want to see more people playing more often which is why we’re very excited to extend the programme further, so even more young people can enjoy tennis this summer.”
Babolat, a leading global manufacturer of premium tennis equipment is also helping bring the Nadal touch to the young people’s lives by supplying rackets, balls and mini tennis nets for this year’s Pop Up Tennis programme.
Come on, Andy …!
Support MYDG’s swimathon!
Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) will be taking part in a 24 hour fundraising Swimathon on Thursday 3 April and they could use your support.
MYDG’s Operational Manager Dean Shanks explained: “Money raised will support field trips, outdoor activities and MYDG’s commonwealth summer sports programme.
“You can pick up a sponsor form from MYDG’s office in Craigroyston Community High School or the Community Shop on Pennywell Road. Alternatively, you can make a donation online at our justgiving site which will be up and running tomorrow and I will forward on a link to everyone then. You can also come along and swim or volunteer to help with the running of the event!”
MYDG is based at Craigroyston Community High School
Telephone: 0131 332 3356
Website: www.mydg.org.uk
Good luck to all the participants who will be taking part in the Youth Games over the next two days. The story:
These games are targeted at youth projects to encourage young people not engaged in mainstream sporting activities to compete in a series of outdoor adventure sports and challenges.
Activites will include:
New taster video of Bike Track at Gypsy Brae http://youtu.be/S8gMmqz6Yng worth a watch (better with sound)
Volunteer Days coming up at Gypsy Brae:
Monday 10 June – 9am – 5pm – TOMORROW !!!
Monday 17 June – 9am – 5pm
Launch Saturday 22 June 1-4pm
Races, refreshments, side stalls
Jonny Kinross
Social Enterprise Manager www.myadventure.org.uk
Office: 0131 332 7132 Direct: 0131 208 3321
M: 07794 467 351 F: 0871 528 4830
