Tag: Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust

Revitalising communities

Initiatives to drive economic growth and tackle poverty

Funding for community regeneration projects in Granton and Wester Hailes

Projects to create jobs and regenerate communities across Scotland will benefit from funding set out in the 2026-27 Scottish Budget.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes outlined 32 projects across Scotland which will benefit from the latest round of the £36 million Regeneration Capital Grant Fund. The proposals are expected to support more than 1,200 new jobs and 800 training opportunities as well as bringing 21 disused or derelict sites back into use.

Initiatives include funding to transform Granton Lighthouse into a hub for musicians, artists and creative businesses, with studios and offices as well as exhibition space and a café open to the public.

Other projects include:

  • starting works on an advanced manufacturing park for maritime technologies on the River Clyde
  • creating affordable homes in remote areas of the Highlands and Islands
  • expanding watersports businesses in Tarbert and Campbeltown
  • extending Harris’s only visitor centre to include retail and events space and student accommodation

Following a visit to Granton Lighthouse Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “This investment will make a real difference to people’s lives – providing affordable homes, economic opportunities and community spaces the length and breadth of Scotland.

“Creating hundreds of jobs and training opportunities will boost family incomes and give children a better start in life.

“Granton Lighthouse is a beacon for its community’s future. Once derelict, it will become a vibrant creative hub as part of our commitment to support plans to regenerate Granton Waterfront into a thriving coastal community.”

Granton Lighthouse will be operated by Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust after its restoration. Rob Hoon, Chief Executive of the trust, said: “Out of the Blue is delighted that the Scottish Government has granted regeneration funding for the refurbishment of Granton Lighthouse. 

“We have been an integral part of the team planning the refurbishment of Granton Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is a significant landmark listed building loved by local people, who see an exciting opportunity for involvement in a new creative space, with opportunities for learning, a cafe, studios, music practice and recording.”

Regeneration Capital Grant Fund projects for 2026-27:

  • Granton Lighthouse Creative Hub (City of Edinburgh) — £2,277,545
  • The Scottish Marine Technology Park (West Dunbartonshire Council) – £4,229,000
  • Achagarry: homes for Coigach (Highland Council) — £575,920
  • Sustainable living in Applecross (Highland Council) — £552,000
  • Hebrides People Visitor Centre (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) — £1,850,000
  • Kintyre Seasports (Argyll and Bute Council) — £800,000
  • Tarbert Harbour Community Water Sports and Activity Hub (Argyll and Bute Council) — £850,000
  • North Uist Community and Heritage (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) — £599,000
  • Tighnabruaich community refuelling and business hub (Argyll and Bute Council) — £120,000
  • 130–132 High Street, Dumfries (Dumfries and Galloway Council) — £838,909
  • GDI site remediation and enabling works, Gatehouse of Fleet (Dumfries and Galloway Council) — £1,034,058
  • Kirkton Community Centre (Dundee Council) — £1,426,916
  • Bourtreehill village regeneration (North Ayrshire Council) — £1,169,000
  • The Cairnlea Centre: a wellbeing hub for Airdrie (North Lanarkshire Council) – £1,700,000
  • Grant Lodge: gateway to Moray (Moray Council) — £1,104,827
  • Speldiburn Community Hub enhancement project (Shetland Council) — £997,943
  • A new community hub and civic square for Dalgety Bay (Fife Council) — £1,500,000
  • Rouken Glen Wellbeing and Enterprise Hub (East Renfrewshire Council) — £450,000
  • Shawfield Innovation – Red Tree Labs (Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company) – £1,000,000
  • Nonhebel Park final phase (Argyll and Bute Council) — £648,500
  • Aberfeldy Affordable Housing (Perth and Kinross Council) — £300,000
  • Greenway Micro Community Hub (City of Edinburgh Council) – £464,200
  • Ionad Eilean na h-Òige (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) – £959,000
  • CRT new speculative units (Fife Council) – £3,756,638
  • Springburn Winter Gardens (Glasgow City Council) – £1,129,059
  • Community and business units at the Space (Highland Council) – £500,000
  • Westray Community Hub (Orkney Council) – £1,200,000
  • Johnstone vision – Houston Court regeneration (Renfrewshire Council) – £850,000
  • The bandstand project (South Ayrshire Council) – £700,000
  • Barr Community Hub (South Ayrshire Council) – £500,000
  • Glassford Village Hall redevelopment (South Lanarkshire Council) – £750,000
  • Stoneyburn Community Hub (West Lothian Council) — £1,200,000.

Information on Wester Hailes’ Greenway Micro Community Hub:

Greenway-Micro-Community-Hub-Project-UpdateDownload

£2.9m heritage investment for Granton Waterfront regeneration

Funding from Historic Environment Scotland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund will protect the built heritage of Granton Waterfront

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) are investing £1.34 million and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) are investing £1.24 million from their jointly funded Heritage and Place Programme into Granton Waterfront. 

With the funding, the City of Edinburgh Council will bring the area’s historic buildings and structures back to life through restoring, upgrading and connecting these facilities with the wider community. The money will also be used to support new opportunities for the community to explore and celebrate Granton’s heritage.

Each building and structure awarded the funding has its own unique story to tell about the history of Granton Waterfront, stretching from the late Victorian era to the early modern period. Together, they reflect the area’s rich industrial and cultural heritage. The funding secured will ensure that future generations will enjoy what they have to offer in the years to come.

Restoration projects

Granton Lighthouse

At Granton Lighthouse, a full refurbishment of this nineteenth century C-listed building, including major fabric repairs and accessibility enhancements, will create a new flexible, creative, learning, enterprise and community development space, operated by arts charity Out of the Blue.

Madelvic House

Madelvic House, a B-listed building from the 1890s, will also benefit. Once the headquarters for the UK’s first car factory, it will undergo roof and window restoration, interior upgrades, and accessibility improvements so it can be used by local arts and heritage organisations.

Granton Station building platforms

The magnificent Edwardian former Granton gasworks railway station building is one of the capital projects that will benefit from the funding. It has already been beautifully refurbished and is occupied by social enterprise charity WASPS.

The funding will be used to carry out upgrades to the disused platforms and introduce a heritage arts installation with green space that supports biodiversity.

Granton Castle Walled Garden

The Council is also working with the Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden to carry out structural restoration to the boundary walls and doocot. This will build on initial works the Council has already carried out, helping to ensure its continued use as a community garden and food education hub.

Beyond physical restoration, the project places strong emphasis on community engagement and skills development.

As part of the funding secured, a dedicated Community Heritage Officer will be appointed to lead a programme of heritage activities, including open days, exhibitions, walking tours, and volunteering opportunities.

These events will be developed with local people and organisations to make sure they reflect the community’s interests, aspirations and the heritage that they care about.

Numerous community organisations are involved in the initiative, including Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden, Wasps, Granton:Hub, and Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust.

Their collaboration ensures that the heritage investment not only preserves the past but also empowers the present and future generations.

The work will all be completed by 2030 and as it continues interpretation boards will also be installed to support navigation, explain the significance of the place and improve visitor experience and engagement. 

Sir Mark Jones, Chair of the Board at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “Heritage has always played a vital role in shaping places and communities, and it’s important that it continues to do so.

“Through our Heritage and Place Programme investment in Granton Waterfront, we’re supporting a place‑based approach that not only conserves historic buildings but reconnects them with the people who live here today.

“From local landmarks like the Lighthouse and Madelvic House, to community assets like the walled garden and industrial heritage embedded in Granton Station, each helps to tell the story of Granton’s past.

“By restoring and upgrading them, we’re ensuring they remain at the heart of its future – creating inclusive and accessible spaces for generations to come.”

City of Edinburgh Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “We’re very grateful to be awarded this funding to carefully restore the built heritage of Granton Waterfront as part of the wider £1.3bn regeneration of the area.

“A key aim of the project is to involve the local community in our plans for these listed buildings and structures as we bring them back to life for local people and visitors to use and enjoy for generations to come.

 “As part of the restoration work we will deliver traditional skills training in partnership with Edinburgh College and local contractors will focus on construction and conservation skills that support career development and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the area’s heritage.

“The regeneration of Granton Waterfront is guided by a “place first” approach and we’re aiming to reconnect heritage sites and create inclusive, accessible spaces that foster wellbeing, creativity, and social cohesion.

“The project will also support activities at Granton Castle Walled Garden, enhancing local food production and education, and helping to alleviate food poverty.

“This project, along with the recent refurbishment of the gasholder and creation of Gasholder 1 Park, demonstrates our commitment to celebrate the historical legacy of the area.”

Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland, said: “Granton is in the midst of major regeneration which will deliver exciting new opportunities for the area, creating new homes and bringing existing and new communities together.

“In that context, Granton’s heritage offers strong anchor points for community connections and our investment of £1,248,86, thanks to National Lottery players, will ensure heritage sits at the heart of Granton’s regeneration underpinning its character and values.

“Heritage connects people, cultures and communities to a place. We are investing in Granton as a place that supports community, embraces cohesive and sustainable economic regeneration, and cultural connections with a genuine pride in place.”

granton:hub responded: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce that granton:hub has been included in a £2.9 million investment as part of the Granton Waterfront Regeneration project 

“Madelvic House which is ‘B’ listed and from the 1890s will also benefit.

“Once the headquarters for the UK’s first car factory, it will undergo roof and window restoration, interior upgrades, and accessibility improvements so it can be used by local arts and heritage organisations.

“We are thrilled to be in fantastic company alongside @grantoncastlegarden @ootbdrillhall and look forward to seeing their projects expand and develop for the local community in Granton.”

The Granton:hub AGM takes place this Saturday 29th November, from 11am – 2pm.

This is a chance to come together as a community, hear about everything we’ve been up to@over the last year, and find out what’s ahead for 2026.

Next year marks a significant step forward for the hub, as we look to renovate our historic building – preserving its heritage for future generations while making it more accessible and welcoming for everyone in the community.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Edinburgh community groups hit National Lottery funding jackpot

NEDAC RECEIVES £133,000 LIFELINE

Community groups across Edinburgh are celebrating the news of their National Lottery funding today (WEDNESDAY 17 July).  

Over 500 community projects share in this latest round of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, totalling £17,341,549. The funds will be directed towards bringing local people together and providing essential services across Scotland. 

A full list of successful applicants can be found below.

North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre receives £133,334. NEDAC, (formerly SHADA) who have been based in Muirhouse since 1983, will continue to deliver their service helping people who struggle to engage with mainstream services.

People who are at the highest risk of drug-related death who have long-term substance misuse/mental health issues will be assisted to gain control over their lives.

Drylaw Telford Community Association receives £20,000. The Neighbourhood Centre will use the funding over one year, for their 50 years+ Link Worker.

This project will benefit the over 50s community in North Edinburgh; and in particular those at high risk of being socially isolated.

An award of £19,513 means the Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust will run a sustainable food project which will recycle food to produce jars of preserves which they will sell to the community and to farmers’ markets.

Rob Hoon, Chief Executive, Out of the Blue, said; “The ‘Preserves’ project is a new and exciting adventure for us, and this funding will allow us to process at least 4,000kg of ingredients per annum to make quality products that extend the shelf life of that food for up to 12 months.

“We will achieve this by producing small batch jams, pickles and preserves embracing traditional methods of preservation.  We will work with people and community groups to support them to make their traditional preserves and gain new cooking skills. 

The Grassmarket Community Project will run a programme of weekly digital skills workshops for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness after an award of £19,763.

Grassmarket Community Project

Helene Van des Ploeg, Chief Executive Officer, Grassmarket Community Project, said: “Digital skills are so vitally important for all of us, whether it just be for connecting with friends or family through social media, writing a CV and applying for jobs or developing skills to open opportunities for employment through accredited learning.  

“We will offer a high-quality service in which members can access new IT skills at any level and tailor the learning to match the needs of the individual and support them to work at their own pace, achieving their goals.  We really appreciate the support that this funding will give us to go ahead with this vital project that will enable our members to flourish in the future.”

Thanks to an award of £63,189, Space at the Broomhouse will be able to extend their opening hours on Saturdays and provide more activities on offer.


Neil, Hay, CEO, Space at the Broomhouse, said: “We know that costs have risen significantly for all charities and community groups in the past few years and wanted to find a way to assist.

“Room hire, especially for smaller groups who do not have their own premises, is a big part of their costs, so we approached The National Lottery Community Fund to see if they could help.

“Thanks to their support we are in a position to offer a whole raft of help to the community, including free use of the halls at Space well into 2025.”

An award of £173,409, will enable Networking Key Services to run an innovative project which will use storytelling to build confidence in talking about challenging topic and issues.

Over the course of the next three years the project will work with hundreds of people from South Asian communities across the city.

Naina Minhas, Director, Networking Key Services, said: “The ‘Breaking Silence and Improving Lives’ aims to empower communities by giving them a collective voice to address issues affecting them. 

“Through storytelling, the project will identify complex challenges and raise these with relevant services to improve quality of live for communities.”

The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “As The National Lottery approaches its 30th birthday it’s wonderful to see how the funding continues to help change lives for the better and just what can be accomplished when people join forces for a shared purpose or to support one another.

“National Lottery players should be proud to know the money they raise is supporting people across Edinburgh to lead happier and healthier lives.”

  The National Lottery Community Fund distributes funding on behalf of National Lottery players who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.     

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk    

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