SCOTLAND’S OLDEST COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT CELEBRATES 40th ANNIVERSARY
PILTON Community Health Project marked an amazing milestone on Thursday as they celebrated their fortieth birthday.
The ground-breaking local health project, which was launched at a doctor’s surgery on Crewe Road North back in 1984, was the first of it’s kind in Scotland.
Pilton Health Project later moved to bigger premises on West Pilton Park, where the Health Hut housed the innovative Barri Grubb food initiative and was home to the celebrated Western General Action Group campaign, before moving on to their present home on the corner of Pilton Drive North / Boswall Parkway.
My own involvement with the Health Project began in 1990 when the Western General Action Group fought a long campaign to retain Accident and Emergency and maternity/paediatric services at our local hospital.
Sadly Lothian Health Board decided otherwise, but through our persistence we did achieve the establishment of a Minor Injuries Unit at the Western – the first of it’s kind in Scotland.
Despite repeated funding challenges over the years Pilton Community Health Project has continued to provide a wide range of support services to some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable people, and Thursday was an opportunity to celebrate a remarkable story.
The project welcomed a visit by health minister Neil Gray and local politicians in the morning and in the afternoon a hardy group of us ‘golden oldie’ original supporters and PHCP staff took part in a wee walk from PCHP HQ to the project’s birthplace (and back again!) – an opportunity to meet up with friends old and new.
Back at the project guests enjoyed refreshments and shared stories and magic memories of some of the amazing characters who have played a part in PCHP’s rich history.
It really was a pleasure to be there – and I’m looking forward to the 50th anniversary party already!
Next Tuesday 28th of May at 1pm Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) will be hosting a COPD workshop. If you have COPD, researchers from NHS Lothian and The University of Edinburgh, want to hear about your experience of having COPD, so they can design their research to meet you needs.
You can expect nice and welcoming atmosphere, a warm cup of tea and £20 voucher for you time.
If you are struggling to get to PCHP, transport can be provided too.
To sign up for workshop please fill in a form https://bit.ly/3WS3VCZ or use a QR code on a poster or Call Sammy Waite Patient and Community involvement in research officer 07385347040
PCHP are pleased to welcome the Menopause Club back this evening (Monday 20th May )from 6.30pm – 8.30pm.
Led by Karen Anderson; an experienced, engaging and enthusiastic freelance facilitator. The Menopause Club is an opportunity to meet with other local women who are going through this transition and share experiences, advice and top tips. T
here’s usually tears and laughter in equal measure and the group is open to ALL local women going through peri and post menopausal symptoms.
Sometimes just being with others can be all it takes to realize you’re not alone. So grab your fan and come along for an evening of #connection.
We look forward to welcoming you soon. Any queries please get in touch via email: hello@pchp.org.uk
We’re pleased to announce that we have a new offering for local men here at PCHP. We’re opening up our community hub on Thursday mornings 10am – 11.30am for men to come together for a cuppa, chat and board game.
This is a great opportunity to meet new people and find out what else you could get involved in so get your game face on and come along.
Whether you’re a domino champ or just enjoy a light hearted game of scabby queen we’re sure you’ll find our community hub a welcoming space to #connect.
No need to book, just drop-in. Thursday 9th of May, runs weekly.
LOCAL PARENTS LAUNCH DAMNING REPORT ON HOUSING CRISIS
North Edinburgh Parents Action Group has launched an exhibition and publication highlighting the horrific housing conditions local people are being forced to live in.
The group also screened a new film about the lived experience of a local woman’s heart-breaking attempts to secure a decent home for her children.
North Edinburgh Parents Group hope that the event held at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre yesterday will draw attention to the significant impact that poor housing is having on local families’ physical and mental health and will send a clear message to politicians at all levels of government that urgent action is required to tackle North Edinburgh’s housing crisis.
Guests were welcomed by Royston Wardieburn Community Centre chairperson Billy Fitzpatrick and the event was launched by Forth SNP councillor Stuart Dobbin, who has been taking a particular interest and holding surgeries on the issue:
“Living in a home safe from Damp and Mould should be a basic right that all Council and Private tenants should enjoy.
“This important event was made all the more powerful and moving by hearing the testimony of women who, with their families, have to live with Damp and Mould and the exhibition showing pictures from inside their homes.
“Dampness creates a risk to our physical health and our mental health. It impacts on the future life chances of our children. And if not addressed, it places additional burdens on our doctors and the wider NHS services.
“This is the issue that I am most passionate about addressing as a Councillor. By my estimate about one quarter of all Council dampness cases in Edinburgh are in North Edinburgh.
“I have been raising cases and campaigning within the Council for faster action to be taken to eradicate damp from tenants homes, and as a result, the Council has now set up a dedicated, skilled team to do just that. Early days and a lot to do.
“I want to hear from residents who have damp and mould, or are having difficulty getting the problems addressed.
“I will be at Pilton Community Health Project tomorrow morning (Friday) from 09.15-11.00 if anyone needs to discuss this or any other matter that I can help with. Or you can email me – cllr.stuart.dobbin@edinburgh.gov.uk”
Few who attended the event could fail to have been moved by the heart-rending stories of local woman struggling to be heard. The women, for many of whom English is not their first language, bravely shared their dreadful experiences to a packed room.
As one said after the event: “Speaking to a big crowd made me very nervous and I wasn’t sure that I would be able to do it.
“But we all did do it – we had to do it. We want people to hear how we are living.”
A spokesperson for the group said: “We understand that there are no simple solutions or easy fixes to Edinburgh’s current housing emergency.
“However, Edinburgh is one of the richest cities in the country and it is time that all levels of government – Edinburgh Council, the Scottish Government and the UK government – come together and prioritise spending on improving housing conditions in this city.
“We are serious about our demands and we are prepared to do whatever it takes to secure a decent place to live. We hope that we do not have to resort to a class action which is the route that over 50 tenants from various local authorities have taken in order to secure a warm, safe home.
“However, nothing is off the table. Enough is enough!”
Sara, who spoke at the event, said: “We welcomed the opportunity to tell our stories and have our voices heard.
“We’re fed up of nobody listening to us and being blamed for causing the problem. It’s not our fault. It’s well documented that people have been having problems with dampness and mould down here for decades and its time that something was done about it for once and for all”.
Susan, another member of the group, added: “We are really disappointed that the ‘high heid yins’ didn’t come to our event to hear our stories and see for themselves the conditions that people are having to put up with.
“We will be making sure that they all get a copy of our report and we will be expecting to hear from them soon about how they are going to respond to our demands. They need to understand that we’re not going away.”
Dr Olivia Swann, Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Infectious Disease at Edinburgh University, also spoke at the event.
Thanking the women for their moving testimonies, Olivia’s presentation explained how homes are much more than just physical structures and made clear that “strong scientific evidence has shown that poor housing can affect someone’s physical and mental health throughout their life”.
Sara says this is an extremely worrying fact for those of us with young children who have been living in mouldy homes for most of their young lives.
Dawn Anderson, Director of Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP), who attended the event along with members of her Board, including former Leith MP/MSP and Holyrood Health Secretary Malcolm Chisholm, said: “We are very concerned about the problems the parents group has raised.
“PCHP has been supporting people to get help for some time. One parent has been working with Media Education on a new film featuring the nine year battle of Anita, a local women, desperately trying to escape her damp house”.
Dawn explained how it was fitting that the parents action group had called their exhibition ‘Home Sweet Home’: “It’s 40 years since PCHP was established in North Edinburgh and dampness and ill-health was one of the first issues the campaigners worked on. Meetings with local parents led to a womens’ group forming.
“They produced a slide show called “Home Sweet Home” and presented it to health professionals in the area. This resulted in The Scottish Executive backing a research project conducted by the University of Edinburgh who established a direct link between dampness and ill-health all those years ago.
“There have been countless studies on this issue over the years which have drawn the same conclusions. Sadly, we can see from Anita’s film and from the parents stories and photographs, little has changed and family’s in the area are still faced with health threatening living conditions.”
The Group is already planning a follow-up event to build on the momentum created by yesterday’s launch.
HOME
A poem by members of North Edinburgh Parents Action Group
Did you know that we have a secret weapon right under our nose? One that can help us calm our nervous system; helping us to feel grounded, centered and connected to ourselves.
And what is this secret weapon I hear you ask…? Well, it’s the simple act of breathing mindfully.
Join me, Jules. on Monday mornings here at PCHP and together we’ll explore different breath practices that help not only improve our quality of breath but also help us relax and re-charge ready for the week ahead.
10-10.30am – Breathwork, seated warm-up and guided meditation
10.45-11.30am – Yoga Practice
*** Women Only ***
Want to know more? Get in touch with us via email: hello@pchp.org.uk
I am a community development worker for Positive Futures (Libertus services). I am currently engaging with people aged 50+ in the Muirhouse, Granton and Pilton areas, to facilitate community led self-supporting activity groups to alleviate social isolation.
We are particularly keen to increase the numbers in our allotment group at Lauriston Farm allotments as well as making contact with anyone in the area with an sewing skills or learning the same, with a view to starting a new sewing group in the very future at Birnie’s court community room.
Baz Simcock
Positive Futures Community Development Worker Libertus Service
PILTON Community Health Project have updated their Food Access & Sharing Points document.
Trying to get by on whatever income we have can be incredibly challenging for many of us, particularly in the winter months.
Take a look on here to find our where you can get a meal, hot drink or groceries.
If you’d like a hard copy of this to take home, please pop in and ask. Also, please share with any neighbours or local friends to make sure everyone knows about these.
) to find out more!!
