Corstorphine Community Centre is working with Citadel Theatre, on a short project to unearth some of our stories.
Come along to share your story, help write it, devise a sketch or perform if you want to (not essential).
Get involved, no barriers, all adults over 50 welcome!
Scottish Book Trust has announced ten schools who will receive fully-funded author residencies this school year to inspire a lifelong love of reading and writing.
The residencies will also give professional writers the opportunity to build relationships with the school and work together on a creative project. Longstone Primary School will work with storytellers Macastory and Woodlands School will work with comic artist and writer Malcy Duff.
The Live Literature School Residencies Programme, now in its sixth year, is funded by the Walter Scott Giving Group and delivered by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing.
Three ASN centres were also awarded fully-funded author residencies in the third year of the Additional Support Needs strand of the programme, funded by the Mohn Westlake Foundation.
Schools across the country were invited to apply to the programme which brings professional authors into the classroom to inspire and engage pupils.
Each school taking part in the programme will receive 12 fully-funded residency sessions and ASN schools will receive 15 fully-funded sessions, carried out by an author from Scottish Book Trust’s author directory. It includes over 600 professional writers, poets, playwrights, illustrators, performance poets and storytellers.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “The Live Literature School Residencies Programme is incredibly important, as it allows authors to build relationships with a school over time, working together with pupils on a dedicated project.
“Many of these projects will work with the local community and will also build on the school’s COVID recovery plan, addressing issues such as pupil wellbeing; rebuilding reading and writing cultures and also lost transition time for P7/S1.
“We are grateful to our funders the Walter Scott Giving Group and the Mohn Westlake Foundation for making this programme available to all schools including ASN settings.”
The residencies will run across the 2021-22 school year and finish by May 2022. The Walter Scott Giving Group has funded the Live Literature School Residencies Programme for six years, and the Mohn Westlake Foundation has funded the ASN School Residencies Programme for three years. As well as an author residency, schools will receive a resources grant of £500.
Each school’s project will be showcased on Scottish Book Trust’s website, alongside suggested learning resources and helpful tips to make the most of the residency sessions.
Angela Pearston, Head Teacher at Longstone Primary School, said: “We are so excited about our forthcoming residency and hope that it will inspire and motivate our pupils to have confidence in their abilities as storytellers and writers.”
Macastory said: “We are delighted to be involved in the project and are excited to explore stories of the past from the Longstone area of Edinburgh with the children. We’ll see where that takes their imaginations! We can’t wait to see how the pupils will imagine their version of Longstone’s amazing history.”
Karen Byrne, Principal Teacher Support for Learning at Woodlands School, said: “Woodlands is excited to explore journeys of hope and resilience through word and sequenced visuals. We want to share and establish confidence in our personal and collective voice and continue this beyond the residency.”
Malcy Duff said: “I’m excited about offering comic book storytelling as a creative medium for learners to develop their own visual language and explore new narratives that challenge the old. I hope this work will increase participants’ confidence and expand the use of comic book storytelling as an important form of communication.”
Action for M.E. is excited to announce that it has secured further funding for Learn about M.E. – the M.E./CFS Professional Development Project in Scotland.
This project funded by Scottish Government and is a partnership between Action for M.E., The M.E. Association, #MEAction Scotland, The 25% ME Group and Dr. Nina Muirhead.
Dr Muirhead, who developed a free online Continuing Professional Development (CPD) module in partnership with the CFS/M.E. Research Collaborative (CMRC,) became ill with M.E./CFS in 2016.
Anna who has lived with M.E. said: “The module is brilliant and I think it covers a lot of really important information about M.E. I think the first thing it does is it dispels the myths that are surrounding M.E. … I think what this does is it really places M.E in the scientific knowledge we have about the condition”
A podcast is available to listen to now with input from the doctor who helped to develop the training module, a GP who has used the module to treat patients and people who have lived experience of living with M.E..
We are keen to involve GPs and health professionals in Scotland to shape the development of the module and further podcasts to complement the module.
If your GP has not yet completed this training we would be keen to hear from you both to inform the development of our work on this training module. Please get in contact with Avril McLean, Project Coordinator, at avril@actionforme.org.uk or call 0117 927 9551
This training module on M.E./CFS, based on 10 clinical cases, will improve knowledge of the illness; reduce delays to diagnosis; reduce multi unnecessary referrals and investigations and the potential for harm for people with M.E.
This module is also likely to be applicable to a subset of COVID patients who may develop post viral M.E./CFS and could be harmed by inappropriate advice to exercise.
Evaluation data from health care professionals who completed the module (November 2020 – March 2021) found that:
· 75% reported increased confidence in diagnosis of M.E./CFS
· 77% reported increased confidence in treatment & management of M.E./CFS
· 100% reported improvement in patient-centred care and patient pathways
The Scottish Government’s Neurological Framework funding is supporting the project to improve knowledge relating to diagnosis and management of M.E./CFS.
Many people with M.E. face disbelief and stigma around their illness and do not receive the appropriate care and support they need.
This project provides vital information to GPs and Health Professionals in Scotland to assist them to diagnose and manage the symptoms of M.E./CFS and Long Covid.
BECOME A VOLUNTEER TRUSTEE AT PILTON EQUALITIES PROJECT
Make a difference in your local community
PEP is overseen by a Board of Trustees who have overall responsibility and accountability for the Project. They set and maintain PEP’s vision, mission and values; support strategic development of services, establish and monitor policies, monitor employment procedures alongside the Manager, support the Manager and ensure good governance.
About Pilton Equalities Project
Aims to enhance the quality of life for older people in North Edinburgh by continuing to develop services that measurably reduce isolation and which enable people and other vulnerable and isolated adults to actively participate in community life.
Experience Required
Good independent judgement, ability to think creatively, willingness to speak your mind, an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship, an ability to work effectively as a member of a team and to take decisions for the good of the charity.
Training Details
PEP, 3 West Pilton Park, Edinburgh, EH4 4EL . Training will be given on commencement of volunteering.
Location/Travel Details
Board meet once a month for 2 hours by zoom. Normally meetings are held in the PEP Office, 3 West Pilton Park EH4 4EL .
Expenses
Public transport and out of pocket expenses paid.
Accessibility Details
Named Contact For Volunteer. Wheelchair Access/Disabled Access Toilet
Interested? Contact:
dianepepequalities@hotmail.co.uk or tel 0131 315 4466
www.pepequalities.co.uk Facebook: Piltonequalitiesproject
National volunteering and social change charity, Volunteering Matters and City of Edinburgh Council have joined forces to launch Volunteers Supporting Families in Edinburgh – a project that recruits, trains and support volunteers to mentor families going through a range of challenges, are in crisis or who need extra help in their lives.
This will be the first time Volunteers Supporting Families has launched in Scotland, with the programme already established in three local authorities in England.
The programme, run by Volunteering Matters, will enable trained volunteers to help families address the challenges they face and assist them in creating a happy and safe environment in which they can thrive.
Volunteers provide a listening ear, practical support and encouragement, helping families with budgeting, healthy eating, setting routines and improving social networks.
Thanks to a 3 year award from the Edinburgh Communities and Families Grant Programme, the projects volunteers will meet their allocated family on a weekly basis, over a six-month period.
Their support will empower parents to develop the skills required in overcoming serious challenges or hardships. In many cases this will enable the family to rebuild their lives and move on from social worker intervention, reducing the need of social services.
Already a success in other areas including Greenwich and Southend-on-Sea, the programme is now available to Edinburgh residents and Volunteering Matters is calling on potential volunteers to get in touch for this exciting opportunity.
John Brown at Volunteering Matters, said: “Our volunteers, and the parents they support, continue to impress us with their energy, resilience, patience and commitment to overcome serious challenges, protect vulnerable children and rebuild family relationships.
“We are proud to be able to offer this key support to people across parts of Edinburgh and would like to invite prospective volunteers to contact us to find out more.”
To find out more visit volunteeringmatters.org.uk/opportunity/vsfe/ or email: james.donnelly@volunteeringmatters.org.uk / kyle.mcfaddenyoung@volunteeringmatters.org.uk
Do you want to share your stories of North Edinburgh? Roots by Routes is a celebration of people and places within Pilton, Muirhouse, Granton and Drylaw.
Workshops will be held every Thursday from 23rd May – 27th June, 10am-12pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. Continue reading Roots by Routes: first session on Thursday
Edinburgh Napier teams up with Boston’s Berklee College to record real-time album
The first notes have been played in a project that will see an album recorded by musicians at opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean – in real-time. In what is believed to be a world first, an academic team from Edinburgh Napier has linked up with Berklee College of Music in Boston to record an album together at the same time – without either leaving their respective countries. Continue reading Transatlantic Sessions
Letter To An Unknown Soldier is a new kind of war memorial: one made only of words, and by thousands of people. And there’s still time to put pen to paper …
The project, created by Kate Pullinger and Neil Bartlett, is inspired by Charles Jagger’s famous statue in Paddington Station of a soldier reading a letter. Everyone in the UK is invited to pause, take a moment or two, and write that letter. All of the letters will be published online for everyone to read alongside contributions from 50 leading writers and held in the British Library’s web archive.
The project, run by 14-18 Now, asks as many people as possible to send a personal message to one of the men who served and was killed during World War One.
Schools and community groups, as well as individuals, have already written letters and their thoughts are part of an online exhibition. Letters are also featured from established writers including A.L Kennedy, Sheila Hancock, Andy McNab and Caryl Churchill.
It’s not too late to write your letter – the project runs until 4th August at 11pm: the centenary of the moment when Prime Minister Asquith announced to the House of Commons that Britain had joined the First World War.
For further information visit 1418now.org.uk
Produced in association with Free Word and in conjunction with the BBC
I’ve written to him:
Dear Friend
I hope I’m not being too presumptuous calling you friend – after all, we’ve never met but I feel that I’ve known you for most of my life. Let me explain.
Our paths first crossed when I was at secondary school; it must have been 1969 or 1970, which now seems such a long time ago!
It was Mr Macefield, a brilliant History teacher, who first introduced me to you and your pals. The Somme, Passchendaele, the misery, the suffering, the mud, the rats, the lice – I’ve remembered those lessons to this day.
I’ve never experienced war first hand; never felt the fear, breathed in the stench of gas and decay or cringed as shells came crashing down. I’ve never felt the grief of losing close pals. I feel dirty if I can’t shower every morning: God only knows how softies like me would have coped with the filth, the lice and the rats – but you did!
And I often wonder how I would have responded when the officer’s whistle sounded: would I have had the guts to clamber over the top and advance into an inferno of shells and withering machine gun fire? Would I have found it in me to summon up the courage to walk into Hell – you did.
I’m too old to fight now, so I’ll never know. I’ve reached middle age, something so many of you Tommies never did.
I wonder why you enlisted? Duty? Patriotic fervour? Maybe it was a sense of fair play, facing up to a bully? Or more likely you took the King’s shilling because you fancied an adventure and war offered a chance to see places you’d only ever heard about? You probably signed up because all your pals did, and you didn’t want to be left at home while they enjoyed danger and excitement abroad? Whatever your reason, I am grateful – and my generation and those that follow owe you so much.
It’s just a real pity we didn’t learn the lessons of your sacrifice: the Great War really should have been the war to end all wars, but mankind – and our so-called ‘leaders’ in particular – can be incredibly stupid. Just as they were in your day!
Society has moved forward in so many ways; you wouldn’t believe – indeed, couldn’t even begin to imagine – the advances we’ve made, but it seems we can’t stop finding reasons to fight each other. Territory, religion, ideology – you name it, we’ll go to war over it and we go on and on inventing new and ‘better’ ways to kill more and more people! Can you believe that?
But that’s not your fault. When the call came, you answered it. You did your bit; yes, for King and country but also for us. Thank you for all that you did and I’m sorry we’ve made such a mess of things. When I think of you – and the many thousands who also gave everything – I’m ashamed. We have let you down.
