Last year a group of local women started the first Food Festival in North Edinburgh called the Yummy Food Festival celebrating healthy eating in Muirhouse. Even although it rained, it was an amazing day – full of food storytelling , food demonstrations, giveaways, cooking demonstrations, theatre, information stalls and face painting! Over 500 people come to North Edinburgh Arts to celebrate the talented cooks and chefs within the North Edinburgh Community.
On Friday 15 March 2013 the festival will be happening again! Next year’s food festival will continue with the theme of cooking on a budget £5 for a family of five, but this year’s festival aims have a very international feel and celebrate the culinary talents that are in our community.
Would you like to get involved … YES! we hear you cry!!There are many ways you can get involved:
· Can you volunteer on the day? Can you be a steward?
· Can you give a cooking demonstration with an international feel?
· Are you a gardener and can show people how to plant seed?
· Are you an organisation with food, health related information you would like to share in a fun way
· Can you face paint?
· Are you a good story-teller?
· Do you want to share information about health, cooking books, budgets, food, money, diet, being economical and other food related issues and share it with people in a fun way?
Can you help with the washing up?
· Can you help make foodie decorations or signage?
· Are you a group who bake or make and would like to sell them at the festival for your group or charity?
Last year’s event was amazing and we are busy planning next year’s Festival. To make it a real celebration of our community do lets us know if you want to get involved.
Thanks for your support!
The Yummy Food Festival 2013 group
If you’d like to be involved or require further info contact Lisa Arnott at Pilton Community Health Project on 551 1671, email lisaarnott@pchp.org.uk
North Edinburgh’s Womens International Group are delighted with the success of last week’s Health Day – the first of it’s kind organised by the womens’ group based at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. Over forty women of all ages took part in a full day of events and activities in Royston Wardieburn – and while they may not all have gone home a lot healthier, they definitely went home happier!
From registration and refreshments at 10am it was a packed programme – Jane Jones gave a talk about ‘What Affects Our Health?’, there was Zumba and aerobics in the sports hall, pamper sessions and gentle exercise; all before lunch time!
A short presentation by local women got the afternoon activities underway, and this was followed by talk on Breast Awareness by Lynda Luke of the Breast Screening Service. Julie Smith gave a presentation on North Edinburgh Time Bank and Roberta Blaikie gave a brief contribution about North Edinburgh Credit Union. The final hour of the day was dedicated to social activities and fundraising for McMillan Cancer Trust in the cafe community room, with a nearly new stall and raffle.
Women’s International Group (WIG) said: ‘We would like to thank the following organisations for their support : Community Learning and Development, Royston Wardieburn Centre Management Committee, Pilton Health Project, North Edinburgh Arts, Telford College students, the Breast Screening Service, McMillan Cancer Trust, North Edinburgh Time Bank, North Edinburgh Credit Union and Stepping Stones. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the individuals who have given up their time or who have contributed to the raffle or nearly new stall and the local businesses who have made donations.’
Thanks to Community Learning and Development worker Lynne McCabe for the following Health Day pictures:
Pilton Community Health Project’s Food for Thought Forum will be celebrating the humble apple at a free event at Craigroyston Community High School later this month.
The Food for Thought Forum invite you to ‘A celebration of local apples (and pumpkins!)’ on Friday 19 October from 10am – midday at Craigroyston Community High School, Pennywell Road
Everyone’s invited to:
Bring and share your apple recipes
Bring a clean empty jar and fill it with fresh apple jelly
Children’s apple activities!
Tasters
Cooking demonstrations (including pumpkin soup)
Information about food activities and groups in the area
Who’s got the best apple recipe in North Edinburgh?
Cook your favourite apple dish, bring it along and enter the great apple competition! Everyone gets to be a judge and there will be a brilliant prize for the winner!
Almost four hundred local people took part in Friday’s Muirhouse Million Steps event. Local schools were well represented on the walk, which was also supported by Edinburgh Western MSP Colin Keir.
And did those marching feet make the magical million milestone? We’ll have to wait until next week to find out! Event organiser Lisa Arnott, Pilton Community Health Project’s Healthy Lifestyles coordinator, has promised to be in touch soon.
One day, Two routesAND our fabulous goodybag, free Zumba passes, FREE swimand our very collectable certificatefor everybody who registersand does the walk!
Last years Million Steps was on a Saturday but we have moved it back to a Friday due to popular demand!
Last year we did well over a million steps…. can we beat that!!!
Groups and organisations used this as an opportunity for raising funds for community groups and local groups – so if you are a local school, community group, mothers group, dads group, local organisation, work place, get a team together and take those wee steps towards a healthier lifestyle!
PS if you are a local organisation or business and you can’t make it on the day you can always take part in Walkin’ at Work week, from 17 – 21 September.
Lisa Arnott, PCHP Community Healthy Lifestyles Coordinator (on behalf of the organising group)
Pilton Community Health Project’s Healthy Lifestyles coordinator Lisa Arnott has news of two opportunities to step out next month:
WALKING at WORK WEEK
Monday 17 September to Friday 21 September
On 17 September Pilton Community Health Project will be launching its new physical activity event ‘Walking at Work Week’. Walking is free and is the simplest way to becoming fit. ‘‘Walkin at Work Week’ is a great way to encouraging us to think about the way we get too work, school or shops. Can I walk there and leave the car or bus?
Do we take a car to a meeting or shops when I can walk? This week we are hoping as may local business, schools and local organisations will join us in ‘Walkin at Work Week’ wear a pedometer for that week and show just how far we all walk.
All the steps made during ‘Walking at Work Week’ will contribute to the Muirhouse Million Steps which takes place on Friday 28 September from 10am.
MUIRHOUSE MILLION STEPS 2012
Friday 28 September 2012
10am -12.30 from North Edinburgh Arts, Pennywell Court Muirhouse
After the success of previous years the Muirhouse Million Steps 2012 is currently being planned. This year’s event will take place on Friday 28 September, 10am to 12.30am. The fun family walking event has proven to be popular in previous years and a way of encouraging local people to take those steps towards a healthier lifestyle.
This year Muirhouse Million Steps will have three walks, a long, short and toddlers walk. For every registered walker they will receive an amazing goody bag and vouchers for swimming at Craigroyston Community High School and a free Zumba class at PCHP .
To register for the walk, or for more information about Walking at Work Week, contact Lisa Arnott at Pilton Community Health Project, telephone 551 1671.
Use Your Loaf is a new and exciting initiative coordinated by Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) in partnership with CLD Forth Team and North Edinburgh Arts.
‘This is an exciting new development for Pilton Community Health Project. The idea came out of our community research which identified the barriers to healthy eating. The research showed that local people want to develop skills in all forms of eating healthy, cooking and bread making”, said Lisa Arnott, coordinator of the Community Healthy Lifestyles Project at PCHP. “As a result of the PCHP research we have seen the development of the Yummy Cookbook, the Yummy Food Festival and now the ‘Use Your Loaf’ project. This new project will teach local people how to make some fantastic bread and encourage people to eat more healthily.”
Sammy Dick, one of the women involved in planning the Yummy Food Festival, said: “The Yummy Food Festival 2012 was really exciting and there was such positive a response that we are planning to repeat it 2013. The Use Your Loaf project is a great idea and we will be learning how to make a simple loaf and planning for the next food festival.’
Use Your Loaf will be held at North Edinburgh Arts Centre, starting on Tuesday 28 August, 10am-12.30 and runs for ten weeks. There are also limited childcare places available.
So if you KNEAD to book a place on ‘Use Your Loaf’, contact Lisa Arnott at Pilton Community Health Project on 0131 551 1671!
Pilton Community Health Project’s Caroline Gibb has been in touch to remind us of a couple of food-centred events taking place this week:
Tuesday 24 July, 12-2pm: West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre, 19West Pilton Grove
Fabby Food Store Picnic & Barbecue
A drop in event at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre, people can come along and make their own burger, veggie kebab or salad, and find out more about Pilton’s newest food co-op at the same time. Loads of indoor space if we get unlucky with the weather!
Tuesday 24 July, 11am -1pm: Millennium Centre, Muirhouse Medway
Simple Snacks at MillenniumCentre Summer Youth Club
Making your own tasty veggiewraps. Places must be booked for this event by calling 0131 467 3578.
If your group or organisation is planning an event you would like to share with our readers please get in touch.
Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) has come through a tough year, and it would have been no surprise to have found staff and board feeling a bit down at their recent annual general meeting. That wasn’t the case, however, and a steady succession of staff and volunteers took turns to highlight some of the exciting initiatives they have planned for the year ahead.
PCHP is one of North Edinburgh’s oldest community organisations. Set up originally as The Health Hut, the project celebrated it’s 25th anniversary in 2010. Like all community projects PCHP has had it’s share of ups and downs over the years but there’s no doubt that last year was one of the toughest of them all.
Chairperson Irene Garden told the annual general meeting on 26 June: “As in previous years we were faced with severe cuts, so we have had to say goodbye to the Barri Grubb shop, with four redundancies. That was a very sad time for us all, and other, much-valued staff have also had to leave because their funding was not renewed. Our former manager Dave Hewitt left at Christmas, so we have lost a lot of good colleagues; familiar faces that were popular and well-known in the community”.
However Irene went on to highlight some of the project’s successes. “There is still a lot to be positive about – among other things we have recruited a new worker to do some research for Barri Grubb, the Muirhouse Million Steps project (pictured below) was both original and very successful and our school counselling sessions have been very well received. Women Supporting Women continues to offer excellent one to one support and we are delighted that waiting lists are now coming down and that people in our community are getting counselling when they need it. Thanks to our brilliant volunteers our Befriending Service is also going from strength to strength – and volunteers are the backbone of the very successful Walking Project too”.
Manager Jen Richards (pictured below) told the meeting: “I have already spent two and a half years here in different roles and I am very passionate about keeping our services going – Pilton Community Health Project has been part of this community for 27 years and I’d love to think we can be here for another twenty-seven”.
Jen said her priorities over the coming months will be to raise the project’s profile, maximising funding by looking at new income generation streams and developing and building new and existing partnerships.
“There have been a lot of changes and I’m very grateful to very talented and totally dedicated we have here – I really value their support in a very challenging environment. Yes, it is challenging but I’m sure we’ll come out smiling at the other end!”
Local councillor Cammy Day then conducted election business before the staff team gave updates on both what’s been happening and what’s going to be happening this year. And there’s an awful lot to look forward to at PCHP …
Community Healthy Lifestyles Project’s Motivate to Move and Muirhouse Million Steps 2012, Use Your Loaf – a bread baking class that will be taking place at North Edinburgh Arts Centre, a major consultation into men’s health to find the gaps in current service provision. Then there are plans to develop the popular walking programme, the possible development of a Zumba class in Stockbridge as a social enterprise, continuing to meet the needs for counselling services. The recently launched SOURCE information room will be developed and good news about Barri Grubb, too – Barri’s no’ deid at a’! While the shop is no more, the service has been restructured and Barri Grubb will be relaunched – maybe with a name change – in the near future. In the meantime summer events are planned; a community food map, more partnership working and the Food for Thought forum will be expanded …
Yummy Food Festival was a big success too …
That’s quite a catalogue – check out Pilton Community Health Project’s website at www.pchp.org.uk for more information.
Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) has come through a tough year, and it would have been no surprise to have found staff and board feeling a bit down at their recent annual general meeting. That wasn’t the case, however, and a steady succession of staff and volunteers took turns to highlight some of the exciting initiatives they have planned for the year ahead.
PCHP is one of North Edinburgh’s oldest community organisations. Set up originally as The Health Hut, the project celebrated it’s 25th anniversary in 2010. Like all community projects PCHP has had it’s share of ups and downs over the years but there’s no doubt that last year was one of the toughest of them all.
Chairperson Irene Garden told the annual general meeting on 26 June: “As in previous years we were faced with severe cuts, so we have had to say goodbye to the Barri Grubb shop, with four redundancies. That was a very sad time for us all, and other, much-valued staff have also had to leave because their funding was not renewed. Our former manager Dave Hewitt left at Christmas, so we have lost a lot of good colleagues; familiar faces that were popular and well-known in the community”.
However Irene went on to highlight some of the project’s successes. “There is still a lot to be positive about – among other things we have recruited a new worker to do some research for Barri Grubb, the Muirhouse Million Steps project (pictured below) was both original and very successful and our school counselling sessions have been very well received. Women Supporting Women continues to offer excellent one to one support and we are delighted that waiting lists are now coming down and that people in our community are getting counselling when they need it. Thanks to our brilliant volunteers our Befriending Service is also going from strength to strength – and volunteers are the backbone of the very successful Walking Project too”.
Manager Jen Richards (pictured below) told the meeting: “I have already spent two and a half years here in different roles and I am very passionate about keeping our services going – Pilton Community Health Project has been part of this community for 27 years and I’d love to think we can be here for another twenty-seven”.
Jen said her priorities over the coming months will be to raise the project’s profile, maximising funding by looking at new income generation streams and developing and building new and existing partnerships.
“There have been a lot of changes and I’m very grateful to very talented and totally dedicated we have here – I really value their support in a very challenging environment. Yes, it is challenging but I’m sure we’ll come out smiling at the other end!”
Local councillor Cammy Day then conducted election business before the staff team gave updates on both what’s been happening and what’s going to be happening this year. And there’s an awful lot to look forward to at PCHP …
Community Healthy Lifestyles Project’s Motivate to Move and Muirhouse Million Steps 2012, Use Your Loaf – a bread baking class that will be taking place at North Edinburgh Arts Centre, a major consultation into men’s health to find the gaps in current service provision. Then there are plans to develop the popular walking programme, the possible development of a Zumba class in Stockbridge as a social enterprise, continuing to meet the needs for counselling services. The recently launched SOURCE information room will be developed and good news about Barri Grubb, too – Barri’s no’ deid at a’! While the shop is no more, the service has been restructured and Barri Grubb will be relaunched – maybe with a name change – in the near future. In the meantime summer events are planned; a community food map, more partnership working and the Food for Thought forum will be expanded …
Yummy Food Festival was a big success too …
That’s quite a catalogue – check out Pilton Community Health Project’s website at www.pchp.org.uk for more information.
Hello!
There are many ways you can get involved:
If you’d like to be involved or require further info contact Lisa Arnott at Pilton Community Health Project on 551 1671, email lisaarnott@pchp.org.uk
