All welcome at our monthly meeting on Monday 31 August, 6.30pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. This is our first meeting back since the summer break and will also include our Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Do feel free to come and raise issues for discussion. If you’d like to attend online, please get in touch for the MS Teams link.
Alternatively, we can raise any issues for discussion on your behalf. Simply email engagement@grantoncc.scot
Please find information below and attached about free courses this term for adults in North Edinburgh:
FIRST STEPS
Following on from the success of last term the First Steps course will now be on a Tuesday morning. Highlights last term included: visits to Edinburgh College, Lauriston Farm; Fresh Start; Granton Community Gardeners; and information sessions at the community centre on:
the redevelopment of West Pilton Park from ELGT;
the National Museum’s collection;
and volunteering.
Sessions start on Tuesday 8th September, but folk can join throughout the term.
We’ll meet at Royson Wardieburn Community Centre, as well as having sessions out and about. Please see the poster for more information and how to book a space.
ADULT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (AAA)
Five local people completed their AAA at a variety of levels last term. We’re going to stick with a time and venue that worked so it will be Thursday mornings again at Muirhouse Library.
Any adult who would like to gain a qualification by reflecting on current or recent learning or volunteering is eligible (SCQF levels 2-6 available). The course starts Thursday 17th September. Please see the poster for more information and how to book a space.
SOCIAL HISTORY
We have limited places available in the Social History group at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, starting back on Thursday 24th September.
Social History is how your life was growing up. What were the formative things that shaped your life? What was the world of work like in the past? How have we got where we are today?
The group will build on their recent work and publication OUR HEALTH, OUR NHS. The group meets on Thursday mornings – prior booking is essential.
SCOTTISH HISTORY
We have limited places available in this group at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, starting back on Tuesday 13th October.
An introduction to some of the key events in Scottish History. Visits to the Museum of Scotland to see Scottish History for ourselves. Scottish history is your past seen in the light of today. See you, See me. We are the future of Scottish History. The group meets on Tuesday mornings – prior booking is essential.
If anyone wants to book a space or wants more information, please do get in touch.
Best wishes
Tim Randall
Development Officer (CLD – Adult & Family Learning)
Wider Achievement & Lifelong Learning I Education I Children, Education & Justice Services
Community groups and organisations from across the city are being invited to register by Saturday 15 August to take part in the 2026 Edinburgh People’s Procession.
The People’s Procession takes place on Sunday 13 September 2026 and forms part of the spectacular Edinburgh Riding of the Marches, an annual event celebrating Edinburgh’s heritage while showcasing the city’s vibrant communities, culture and future. The procession gives local organisations the opportunity to raise awareness of their work and celebrate their contribution to life in the capital.
Organised by Edinburgh March Riding Association, with support from the City of Edinburgh Council, the procession will bring together more than 600 participants representing groups and organisations from across the city.
Participants will travel from Holyrood, near the Scottish Parliament and Palace of Holyroodhouse, along the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral ahead of the arrival of the Riding of the Marches cavalcade later that afternoon.
The Riding of the Marches will once again be joined by the Lord Provost Rt Hon Cllr Robert Aldridge, alongside the Edinburgh Captain and Lass, who will lead the cavalcade of 280 horses and riders up the Royal Mile watched by an audience of thousands.
City of Edinburgh Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “I’m delighted to see the return of the People’s Procession for 2026. The enthusiastic response to last year’s inaugural procession demonstrated the pride, diversity and community spirit that make Edinburgh such a special city.
“The procession is a fantastic opportunity for local groups and organisations to come together to celebrate the invaluable work they do and be part of one of Edinburgh’s most unique and historic events.
“I look forward to seeing even more community groups represented this year as the People’s procession continues to grow and become an established part of Edinburgh’s Riding of the Marches.”
Further information on the event including expected timings and the registration form is available via the events Eventbrite page.
With growing polarisation, mistrust, and a sense of being left behind for many communities, how can Scotland bring diverse voices together, move from division to empathy, and ensure community voices are at the heart of decision-making?
Come along and take part in this free panel discussion at the Scottish Parliament on 17 August: https://ow.ly/zmb450Zx3oS
Katie Hagmann MSP, Convener, Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Panellists:
Dr Hayley Bennett is Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on the design and delivery of social security, labour market programmes, and anti-poverty initiatives for the working-age population in the UK.
Gerard M Burns is an artist and studied drawing and painting at the Glasgow School of Art, graduating in 1983. Burns has had a successful teaching career, leaving his post as Principle of Art at Glasgow’s St Aloysius College to focus full time on painting. He has completed commissions for a number of private and commercial collections, notably his painting The Rowan which hangs in the Scottish Parliament.
Professor Dr Nasar Meer FRSE is Professor of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow and Academic Chair of the Stuart Hall Foundation. He has been a Commissioner on the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Post-COVID-19 Futures Inquiry, a Member of the Scottish Government COVID-19 and Ethnicity Expert Reference Group. He has previously held a Minda de Gunzburg Fellowship at Harvard University, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the UK Academy of Social Sciences, and a past recipient of the RSE Thomas Reid Medal.
Yuliia Hryshchenko is the founder of SCIO Music & Art Centre Nightingale. After fleeing Ukraine with her three children in 2022, she rebuilt her life in Scotland and turned her family’s journey into a mission to make arts accessible to every child.
She believes creativity can heal, build confidence and strengthen communities.
The heat is on and it’s that time of year when parents have to dig deep to find ways to entertain their kids for the long summer holidays. This can be a daunting task, but what better way to spark children’s imaginations and keep them amused than to get them stuck into some fantastic books.
Here at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) we know there are 25,000 children aged 0 to 16 across the UK who are living with a vision impairment which can make reading that bit more challenging;
We’re determined to make sure these children can spend the summer with their favourite book characters in the same way sighted children can.
That’s why we’ve got more than 5,000 children’s books in braille and audio formats that children can read in RNIB’s completely free online Library.
Our fantastic collection of awe-inspiring audio books can be downloaded directly from the RNIB Library on smart devices like tablets and phones, or via voice commands on Alexa-enabled devices.
Specialised Daisy CDs designed for easy, structured navigation, can be delivered to your door as can USB memory sticks with up to three books on each. Printed braille books can be ordered on-demand and electronic braille can be downloaded to read on braille displays.
Children can use all these brilliant books to take part in the annual Summer Reading Challenge – a summer readathon run by The Reading Agency which encourages children aged 4-11 to read six books and provides incentives for completion.
With the Scottish Government aiming to deliver average savings of £0.5bn a year to public services over the next three years, Holyrood’s Public Service Reform Committee is seeking views on how achievable the proposed public sector reforms are.
The Committee has today launched a consultation asking how barriers to progress with reform can be overcome; how preventative approaches to spending can be promoted; and how the delivery of public services can be simplified.
As part of its pre-budget scrutiny work, the Committee will also consider whether there is sufficient clarity around how front-line roles, which are to be protected, are defined.
Speaking as the call for views launched, Committee Convener Bob Doris MSP, said: “A Spending Review demanding £1.5bn worth of public sector efficiencies, lays bare the need for us to understand the detail of how these savings are to be made and fundamentally, how they will shape public service delivery.
“Funds designated for prevention must also be put to good use and the simplification of services must lead to positive outcomes for both the provision of services and expenditure.
“We’d like to hear from those who lead, deliver, and rely on public services about what steps can be taken to remove barriers to more progress with reform, support preventative approaches, and ensure that efficiencies do not undermine frontline delivery.
“Our scrutiny will help shape the Scottish Budget before it is finalised, so contributions at this stage are especially valuable.”
The Committee is keen to hear from leaders in the public sector; community planning partnerships; trade unions; academics and think tanks; third sector representatives and staff who deliver services within or on behalf of the public sector.
The call for views closes on Friday 14 August 2026 after which the Committee plans to take oral evidence, before reporting to Parliament late October/early November this year.
The Scottish Government aims to deliver on average £0.5 billion in savings through efficiencies per year for the next three years (2026-27 to 2028-29):
To what extent are these savings achievable, and how will they shape public service delivery?
What progress is being made towards achieving these efficiencies?
What are the barriers to achieving greater efficiency and how can these be addressed?
How should the Scottish Government best present the extent of any realised efficiencies in the annual budget publication, including providing clarity on whether these are expected to be recurring savings?
The Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan aims to achieve an average reduction of the public sector workforce of 0.5% per year over five years.
To what extent is this target achievable and how will it shape public service delivery?
What progress is being made towards achieving this target?
What actions can the Scottish Government take to ensure these workforce reductions are delivered in a managed way which best supports effective government and public service delivery?
The PSR strategy states that it will protect frontline services. To what extent is there sufficient clarity about how frontline roles are defined and how efficiencies in back-office functions can be delivered in a way that minimises impact on the delivery of public services?
Beyond the financial benefits that the Public Sector Reform (PSR) Strategy aims to achieve, what are the key outcomes that reform should be aiming for?
The PSR Strategy includes 18 different workstreams which aim to remove barriers to reform. One workstream focuses on “simplification”, recognising that “complexity of processes, structures and reporting requirements is a key barrier to effective and efficient service delivery”. “Prevention” is one of three pillars providing structure to the Strategy.
What should the Scottish Government’s priorities be under its simplification workstream and what level of savings can be achieved through this approach?
What progress has been made to date with preventative budgeting?
How should the forthcoming Budget support greater progress towards preventative budgeting across the devolved public sector? Please set out any barriers and how these can be addressed.
What changes to the Scottish Government’s approach to budget-setting are needed to effectively deliver public service reform?
The Scottish Government included an upfront Invest to Save Fund of around £30 million in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 Scottish Budgets for reform projects that will deliver ongoing savings and support the delivery of the PSR strategy.
To what extent is the Invest to Save Fund delivering projects that achieve ongoing savings?
How are successful outcomes from this Fund being shared more widely across the public sector?
AND THE SUN IS SHINING ON WEST PILTON PARK ONCE AGAIN!!
North Edinburgh Community Festival is back TODAY – Saturday 16 May, taking over West Pilton Park for a full day of music, food, activities, sports, arts and crafts and proper community spirit.
Expect live performances, family fun, local groups showcasing what they do best, and plenty of free things to get stuck into. It’s a celebration made by the community, for the community, and everyone’s invited to come along, get involved and make the park buzz.
The festival parade will set off from North Edinburgh Arts at 1030am and wind its way to West Pilton Park arriving for 12noon. It’ll be led in vibrant style by local groups, organisations, schools and performers – a wonderful colourful collaboration with Edinburgh Carnival.
Expect colour, music and a proper burst of energy as the community walks, dances and drums its way into the heart of the festival.
