neighbourhoods – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Scotland Loves Local: new £10 million fund launched

Projects aiming to help transform towns and neighbourhoods could apply to a new £10 million multi-year fund.

The Scotland Loves Local Fund aims to encourage people to think local first, and support businesses and enterprises in their community. The fund will provide match funding of between £5,000 and £25,000 for projects run by groups like town centre partnerships, chambers of commerce or community and charity trusts.

Administered by Scotland’s Towns Partnership it aims to bring new, suitable, creative projects and activity to towns and neighbourhoods – helping build local wealth and increase footfall and activity, while supporting local enterprise partnerships. Eligible projects could include things like community shops, marketing and digital schemes, or enabling larger construction projects delivery.

Community Wealth Minister (Eh? – Ed.) Tom Arthur said: “To support Scotland’s towns and neighbourhoods recover from the pandemic we are launching a new £10 million Scotland Loves Local Fund.

“This will provide 50% match funding for local projects between £5,000 and £25,000. Whether it be funding for small-scale improvements or adaptations, climate or active travel programmes, home delivery digital schemes, pop up shops and markets, or the direct funding or expansion of Scotland Loves Local loyalty card schemes – communities will be able to decide how best to improve their local area.

“This 100 day Scottish Government commitment reinforces our determination to support all our communities as they recover from the pandemic and will help strengthen the vital support being provided through the Scotland Loves Local marketing campaign and loyalty card scheme.”

Scotland’s Towns Partnership Chief Officer Phil Prentice said: “Over the coming years, this significant commitment from the Scottish Government will make a real difference – empowering communities to take action that will make their areas fairer, greener and more successful. We are delighted to be working with ministers to deliver this.

“This funding will unlock the great potential of our towns and neighbourhoods, allowing them not just to recover from the impact of Covid-19, but to create a stronger, more sustainable future which has localism at its heart. I would encourage interested organisations across Scotland to get their applications in.”

Director of Milngavie Business Improvement District and Business owner Wendy Ross said: “The Scotland Loves Local campaign was a massive help to Milngavie, especially at the peak of the pandemic when non-essential retail businesses were forced to close.

“Using the digital experience of our business improvement district place manager and his network of collaborators, the Loves Local funding was invested to build many e-commerce websites very quickly so we could continue to trade online, with click and collect and deliveries.

“This was a critical help for local businesses and really opened our eyes to aspects of the digital world that we knew little about. Using the Loves Local messaging and excellent #ThinkLocalFirst campaign, we used social media and milngavie.co.uk to reach local people. That really struck home and continues to do so.”

www.lovelocal.scot

Eden Project’s back on the road!

After a year and a half of virtual events, we’re heading back out on the road!

We’ll be holding a number of small events around Scotland, bringing people together outdoors for a natter about all things community, a cuppa, and maybe even some cake!

These gatherings will be small, safe, community focused events that help us get together again to simply chat, catch up, share stories and hear from others.

Whether you’ve been part of our network for ages, attended a Community Camp (at the Eden Project or online) or are just interested in meeting other people and groups that share an interest in making positive change in their local neighbourhood, you’re most welcome to join us.

All events are free, but spaces are limited so registration is essential.

Follow the Eventbrite link for more detailed information on each location and to book your place:

Edinburgh – Sun 15 August 2-4pm https://roadshowedinburgh.eventbrite.co.uk

Falkirk – Sat 21 August 11am-1pmhttps://roadshowfalkirk.eventbrite.co.uk

Glasgow – Sun 29 August 1.30-3.30pmhttps://roadshowglasgow.eventbrite.co.uk

Aberdeen – Sat 11 August 2-4pmhttps://roadshowaberdeen.eventbrite.co.uk

Inverness – Sat 25 August 11am-1.30pmhttps://roadshowinverness.eventbrite.co.uk

Dundee – Sat 23 October 12-4pmhttps://roadshowdundee.eventbrite.co.uk

Edinburgh prepares for a Big Lunch!

Edinburgh residents are busy with final preparations for The Big Lunch (www.thebiglunch.com) next Sunday (7 June), which helps people get to know their neighbours better and create closer communities.

In the seventh year of the UK-wide initiative, lots of Big Lunch events are taking place across the city, including in Willowbrae, Newhaven, Trinity and Gorgie.

The Big Lunch is the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours, an idea from the Eden Project made possible by the Big Lottery Fund and supported by Halifax and Asda. It is the perfect recipe for having fun with neighbours, feeding community spirit and helping to build stronger neighbourhoods.

Elaine, who is helping to organise a fiesta themed street party with her neighbours in Trinity, explains: “We decided to give The Big Lunch a go in 2009 when we realised we didn’t know everyone in our stair of 8 flats – we’ve now held one every year since!

“We ended up meeting people who had lived in the street for over 40 years but who I had never even seen before as they rarely come out. They had seen previous year’s events through their window and decided to come down. It has been a real icebreaker for us, bringing our community closer together, breaking down barriers and providing a chance to socialise.”

Halifax Princes Street branch will be hosting a Big Lunch at Gorgie City Farm from 10am – 3pm next Sunday.

The Halifax Edinburgh Big Lunch event will host a range of activities for the community to get involved in to raise money for Gorgie City Farm and three other local charities. There will be a gazebo with free sandwiches, music throughout the day and fun activities including face-painting, tombola, bouncy castle, a ‘beat the goalie’ event, egg and spoon races and sack races. From 11am-12pm, the Lord Provost will be attending the event.

The Halifax Edinburgh Princes Street Branch is working with Asda, who will be providing sandwiches on the day.

Esther Clark, Branch Manager at Halifax Princes Street said: “We’re really excited that Halifax Princes Street is hosting a Big Lunch event at Gorgie City Farm on Sunday 7 June. There will be lots of fun activities for all the family to raise money for charity and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone from the local community along. The Big Lunch provides a great opportunity for us to talk to people on a more personal level and really helps strengthen relationships in the community”.

It’s never too late to host a Big Lunch! Anyone who would like to host one on Sunday 7 June (or another date if they prefer) can request a free planning pack from www.thebiglunch.com or call 0845 850 8181.

In 2014 over 4.83 million people took part in Big Lunches across the UK, including thousands from Scotland, who held street parties, picnics in the park and community hall gatherings.

Scheme to identify harmful drinking goes citywide

A successful pilot scheme that helps frontline staff identify problem drinking amongst elderly people in the west of Edinburgh is set to be rolled out across the city.

An advice toolkit was drawn up after alcohol-related harm was identified as a significant concern amongst those aged 65 years and over and living in the Almond and Western Edinburgh areas of the city.

A report about the scheme will be made to members of the Communities and Neighbourhoods Committee when it meets on Tuesday (10 February).

Staff training and the toolkit, which includes a unit measuring glass, phone numbers and information leaflets, has been well received and it is anticipated that similar training may be received by Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue and third sector partners in the future.

The scheme was created by the joint Almond and Western Edinburgh Neighbourhood Partnership Health and Community Care Sub-Group in collaboration with NHS Lothian who had concerns about drinking habits; these were supported by local health care partners and local GPs.

The next step is to roll the training programme out to third sector partners, equality groups and local businesses. Information sessions are also planned for GP surgeries, pharmacies, libraries and shopping centres.

Councillor Maureen Child, Communities and Neighbourhoods Convener, said: “Many elderly people enjoy the occasional tipple, and there is nothing wrong with that. This toolkit is aimed at those whose drinking habits are causing harm to their health and are in need of advice.

“Staff have been very positive about the pilot scheme and have welcomed the support it gives them to approach residents who may be struggling. It makes sense to roll it out to other areas of the city, and it’s fantastic that other organisations are also interested in using it.

“The health and well-being of our residents is the most important factor, especially with our ageing population. Anything that helps to reduce health inequalities should be welcomed.”

Lesley Taylor, Neighbourhood Support Service Manager for the Council, has taken part in the training. She works with vulnerable adults through the housing support service. Lesley said: “Our priority is to support the people we visit to make the best choices regarding their health and lifestyles. This toolkit has been extremely helpful by giving staff the confidence to talk to clients where there is a concern about their drinking habits. We’ve found that people are open to the advice and have been able to dispel some of the myths surrounding alcohol use.”

Eleanor McWhirter, NHS Lothian Lead in Alcohol Brief Interventions, said: “This pilot is a great example of community groups, NHS Health Promotion Service and the Council working together to promote the health and well being of the local population.

“It revealed that intervening early and focusing on the needs of local people can be effective in reducing alcohol consumption. We look forward to potentially expanding this work to other areas of the city.”

So, where do you call home?

Do you live in the capital? If so, which area do you call home? This is the question that the City of Edinburgh Council is asking in a bid to help define the city’s natural neighbourhoods:

Residents can identify their local neighbourhood through a quick survey and also sketch their “home patch” online to help the Council make sure that services are being directed across the city in the best way possible.

Anyone taking part will be put forward for the chance to win from a selection of prints of beautiful old maps of Edinburgh from Our Town Stories, and can also try their hand at a fun Auld Reekie heritage quiz.

The replies will also inform consultations such as an ongoing review of Council wards, and the Scottish Government’s consultation on data zones.

They should help services to identify areas that are more meaningful to their clients. For example, if a service involves home visits, in most cases it would make sense to ensure that each neighbourhood is served by a single team – although many service areas reflect current natural neighbourhoods, some service boundaries are based on historical areas and the city has been changing markedly over the last few years.

Cllr Maureen Child, Communities and Neighbourhoods Convener, said: “Whether it’s Broughton or Barnton, Craiglockhart or Comiston, we all have some idea of which area of Edinburgh we belong to. Some of these areas are not so clearly defined though, and having a better idea will help the Council to deliver services more effectively.

“When it comes to gathering the data, there isn’t any right or wrong answer, the project aims to look at how people choose to define where they live, rather than any official definition of a neighbourhood.

“If you live in Pilrig, does that mean you live in part of Leith? Or if you stay near Lothian Road – do you live in the Tollcross area or possibly Fountainbridge? It’s the kind of thing that most people have a view on and we’re seeking to capture these views to map the natural neighbourhoods in the city.”

So when does Muirhouse become Silverknowes or Clermiston become Greater Corstorphine? It’s over to you!