Jen Richards leaves Pilton Community Health Project

Co-director Jen Richards has left Pilton Community Health Project:

Today is a day of reflection for me as I am leaving PCHP after working here for 9 ½ years; I’ve had a couple of different jobs here and my last one has been that of Director for the last 7 years (writes JEN RICHARDS). Continue reading Jen Richards leaves Pilton Community Health Project

Super-Chefs join fight to save Scotland’s oldest Community Health Project

Tom Kitchin and Martin Wishart back Pilton Community Health Project crowdfunding campaign launched today.

Two of Edinburgh’s – and Scotland’s – top chefs have added their support to the campaign to keep the closure-threatened Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) open.

Martin Wishart and Tom Kitchin today helped launch a crowdfunding campaign that aims to raise at least £50,000 to help prevent PCHP having to close its doors to some of North Edinburgh’s most vulnerable residents.

PCHP, which is Scotland’s oldest community health project, was told in late December last year that its funding was being withdrawn by the new Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board for health and social care funding in the city.

In the 35 years it has been in existence, PCHP has transformed thousands of lives.  The project provides a range of services to fight the often overwhelming results of health inequality in Edinburgh including mental health counselling, tackling food insecurity, cooking groups and community meals, tackling social isolation and loneliness, community crèche for local affordable childcare, and support for victims of domestic abuse.

By raising £50,000 the campaign will allow PCHP to continue to deliver a reduced level of its life changing services, for 12 months, until longer-term funding is secured again.

The 28 day crowdfunding campaign on

www.savepchp.com

 allows anyone to pledge a donation – large or small – to ensure the project can continue its lifeline services.

Both Tom Kitchin and Martin Wishart have offered incentives and rewards to boost the project’s 28 day #SavePCHP crowdfunding campaign, including Dinner for two Tasting menus and matching wines at their Michelin-starred Leith restaurants – The Kitchin and Restaurant Martin Wishart – for the first donors to pledge £1,000 or more.

Other generous donations have been made by the top chefs and these will be revealed at the Launch today, and throughout the campaign on www.savepchp.com and on social media.

Launching the crowd-funding campaign for PCHP, Tom Kitchin and Martin Wishart said: “We are delighted to add our support to this campaign.

“Leith and North Edinburgh have played a big part in our story so it’s great to be involved in saving the lifelines so many local people rely on.

“We are passionate about food, and about food education and food security, and PCHP plays a really important role in ensuring everyone can access and cook healthy, nutritious meals. It’s vital that these and other services continue.”

Between January and December 2018, PCHP has:

  • Provided mental health counselling to around 50 pupils at local high schools
  • Worked with 42 people to provide adult counselling assessment appointments and 48 people attend regular counselling
  • Supported over 140 women who are victims of domestic abuse or facing other difficulties in their lives
  • Supported over 353 people who are new and settled immigrants, from 20 different countries
  • Helped over 788 people access hot nutritious food and make social connections through community meals
  • Provided 204 people with regular cooking groups, clubs and/or food related training leading to qualifications
  • Supported 602 people and their families to access food through our local Sharing Shelves initiative and tackle holiday hunger with family food boxes
  • Encouraged and supported over 467 people to lead healthier lives by getting them more physically active
  • Trained and supported 30 local volunteer physical activity leaders
  • Worked with 933 people and linked them into 249 services and resources through the GP Link Worker Service

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/PCHP

 

It’s okay not to be okay

Nobody needs to feel alone this Christmas

Emergency Support

Edinburgh Crisis Centre
(open 24/7) 0808 801 0414
www.edinburghcrisiscentre.org.uk

Social Care Direct 0800 731
6969 for out of hours/holidays.
During office hours call 0131 200 2324

Scottish Domestic Violence Helpline – 0800 027 1234

If you are in danger, call 999 for emergency services.

Someone to talk to:

Samaritans – 116 123 (24/7)
www.samaritans.org

Samaritans local line – 0131
221 9999 (9am-10pm)

Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87 0800 (open 6pm – 2am)
https://breathingspace.scot/

CALM – 0800 58 58 58 (for men, 5pm-12am)
www.thecalmzone.net

The Mix – 0808 808 4994
(under 25s)
www.themix.org.uk

Food banks:

Trussel Trust
The Pilton branch will be closed on Wednesday 2nd January.

Full location, days and time for each foodbank centre can be found at: http://edinburghnw.foodbank.org.uk

Edinburgh City Mission at Granton Parish Church, Edinburgh
Closed on Tuesday 1st January.

Pilton Community Health Project also produced this useful support guide: 

Surviving the holidays 2018

Heartbreak as funding appeal rejected … but the fight goes on

Pilton Community Health Project could face closure unless alternative funding can be found. The respected local project – Scotland’s oldest community health organisation – was one of 35 who learned last week that they would receive no funding from the latest round of Health & Social Care grants. Continue reading Heartbreak as funding appeal rejected … but the fight goes on

Pilton Community Health Project AGM

,

You are warmly invited to attend our AGM on Wednesday 29th November

11 am – 12:30 pm at the Robertson Trust Suite, Spartans.

If you would like to stay for lunch following the meeting would you please let us know by 23rd November, 2017.

Many thanks,

Vikki-Lee Fyfe

Administrative Officer, Pilton Community Health Project

73 Boswall Parkway, Edinburgh EH5 2PW

Tel:      0131 551 1671

Emailadmin@pchp.org.uk 

Web:  www.pchp.org.uk

Like us on Facebook for regular updates www.facebook.com/PiltonCommunityHealthProject

AGM – Invitation (1)

Walking Group Open Day

Pilton Community Health Project, Boswall Parkway

Wednesday 26 April, 1 – 4pm

Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) are hosting an walking group open day from 1-4pm on Wed 26th April at PCHP, 73 Boswall Parkway EH52PW. The aim is to introduce people to our regular walking group that happens on a Monday and Friday every week (and has done for six years or more!).

If you know anyone who might would benefit from a walking club, might want to get out and about but feels shy or who has been recommended they exercise more but doesn’t know what to do, then this is the perfect opportunity to come and meet our walking volunteers and find out more about our walking group. Just drop by, no appointment necessary. Clare Symonds, Development worker – Physical Activity, Move It, Pilton Community Health Project, 73 Boswall Parkway, Edinburgh, EH5 2PW, 0131 551 1671, http://www.pchp.org.uk/!

Free training opportunity at Granton Library this week

Overcoming Language Barriers for Frontline/Reception Staff

Training Opportunity for Workers in North Edinburgh

 10am – 12pm, Wednesday 29th March 2017

Granton Library, 25 Wardieburn Terrace, Edinburgh EH4 4DT

Learn about:

• Practical ways to remove language barriers in your organization.

• Race equality in Scotland

• Some of the current challenges for BME communities.

The trainer will be Eleanor McKnight from Elite Linguist CIC. Living in Harmony and Muirhouse Library are organizing the training.

Book your free place by contacting Anita on 0131 551 1671 or anitaaggarwal@pchp.org.uk

www.pchp.org.uk

Like us on Facebook for regular updates www.facebook.com/PiltonCommunityHealthProject

Food for Thought at Millennium Centre

Earlier this week Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre played host to a Food for Thought Forum for the community led by Pilton Health Project, with Memes Molina (Food Development Worker at PCHP, above) leading the proceedings by explaining the previous forums: what they had discussed and what had been gained from the experiences (writes James McGinty)

Anita Aggarwa(PCHP Community Development Manager) then laid out the processes of the day.

A very well attended audience were treated to home made soup and some superbly healthy sandwiches, tea and coffee provided by centre volunteers and our manager Peter Airlie.

For more information on PHP please click HERE 

 

Pictures by JAMES McGINTY

Turning politics on it’s head: more details announced

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Details of a community event, which will give north Edinburgh locals the opportunity to tell politicians what improvements are needed in the area, have been announced.

The ‘upside down hustings’, organised by Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP), will bring together community campaigners, residents, councillors, and MSPs to debate issues such as mental health services, the environment and housing.

The event will take place at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, Pilton Drive North, on 23 November at 6pm. Media are invited to attend. Members of the public can book their place at:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/upside-down-hustings-turning-politics-on-its-head-tickets-28733801574?aff

Grassroots representatives confirmed for the event are:

  • Mhairi Curan, community activist
  • Sara Martin, Parklife (Friends of  West Pilton Park)
  • Sandra Marshall, community activist
  • Danielle Ward, North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum
  • Roy Douglas, North Edinburgh Housing Action Group

Andrew Paterson, Research and Policy Officer from CHEX will also give context on how policy is changing to give communities more voice.

Politicians who have confirmed their attendance are:

  • Ally Broughton, Scottish Green Party candidate for Forth
  • Jim Campbell, Conservative candidate for Forth
  • Vicki Redpath, Labour Councillor for Forth
  • Alex Cole-Hamilton, Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh West
  • Ben Macpherson SNP MSP for Edinburgh North and Leith.

All current Councillors for Forth and Inverleith, as well as those from their Parties who support the development of the manifestos, have been invited.

Anita Aggarwal, PCHP’s Community Development Manager, said: “By flipping the traditional hustings model on its head and creating an opportunity for the people of north Edinburgh to discuss the changes they want in the areas, we hope to influence political parties’ manifestos for next year’s city council elections. We hope this will be the start of a constructive dialogue with local politicians through until next year’s elections and beyond.

“While parts of Edinburgh continue to prosper there remain some serious social and economic inequalities between different parts of the city.  Men in the most deprived areas of Edinburgh can expect to live over ten years less than those areas with the lowest levels of deprivation.”

The outputs from the debate will also be fed into the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision.