Hands Up for Trad became the first Scottish organisation to hold an entire awards ceremony online, when they unveiled the winners of the Scotland Sings Chorus Awards 2016 by streaming live via Facebook yesterday. And among the winners was local singing group The Timebank Temptations. Continue reading Scotland Sings award for Timebank Temptations
THURSDAY 12 MAY 10am – 12 noon
Join the Timebank Temptations at North Edinburgh Arts
Join the Timebank Temptations on Thursday morning
The Timebank Temptations, founded by the North Edinburgh Timebank, will bring joy to North Edinburgh this Thursday in celebration of Voluntary Arts Week – and they want YOU to join them! Continue reading Sing a song to inspire with the Timebank Temptations
Music and stories at Makin’ a Brew
My luv is like a … blue suede shoe!
It’s that time of year when the story of Robert Burns is told again and again at events and gathering all over the world; his poems recited and his songs sung. Wonderful as Burns’ story is, it’s so well known that you seldom learn anything new about Scotland’s national Bard.
So imagine the delight, then, when twa wandering minstrels shared their groundbreaking new research: that our very own Robert Burns was also the inventor of rock’n’roll!
The ‘truth’ was revealed at ‘Makin’ A Brew’, an entertaining family and children session at Craigroyston Early Years Centre last week.
Makin a Brew is a Youth Music Initiative-funded project for parents, their
children and the staff at Granton and Craigroyston Early Years Centres.
Led by musician Gica Loening and storyteller Clare McNicol, music and
storytelling sessions are held each week at the centres, encouraging
parents to take part, share and enjoy ryhmes, games, stories with their
children.
Makin’ a Brew has made a wee CD and accompanying booklet of their
songs so families can carry on enjoying them at home too. They also run
occasional events like last week’s Burns event featuring the Twa Rabbies, as well as ceilidhs, and the chance for parents to have some one to one
tutoring in music , song, story -whatever is their passion!
You can find out more about Makin’ a Brew sessions by contacting Craigroyston (332 3855) or Granton (552 4808) Early Years Centres.
More pictures and some video footage on
Facebook page
Muirhouse Shopping Centre Thursday 26 November 6 – 8pm
The UK’s body for championing participation in creative cultural activities, Voluntary Arts, has launched the Epic Awards
Thousands of people across the UK give up their time to share their passion for arts and creative activities. Leading groups of young and old, these people improve the lives of millions of people across the country.
The Epic Awards offer the opportunity to celebrate and reward these volunteers and groups and spread the word about the huge range of activities enriching our lives in all areas of Scotland.
https://youtu.be/Ncad5dgSv2U
Are you involved in an arts or crafts group that is doing something new and interesting? Have you struck up an interesting collaboration, inspired others or solved a problem in your home town?
From singing to knitting, amateur dramatics to painting, over 60,000 amateur arts groups across the UK and Republic of Ireland are making a difference to lives in their local areas. The Epic Awards shines a spotlight on their achievements.
You can nominate your group for an award by filling in the form on www.epicawards.co.uk and put them forward for national recognition and a range of prizes from financial support to advice, partnership and performance opportunities.
Winning groups have usually run initiatives or activities that involve interesting collaborations, or engage with their local community or beyond, undertake creative activity that inspires others or increases participation, or use new ideas in innovative ways.
Last year’s Scottish winner, Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail (below), is a volunteer-led arts trail which has grown to include over 100 venues filled with work created by over 200 participants attracting audiences from far and wide.
Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail’s Pauline Saul reflected on what winning the Epic Award meant for the group. She said: “We were delighted to be short listed for the Epic Award for Scotland. When the email came saying that we had won we were extremely proud of our achievement, wanting to run outside and tell everyone!
“The Epic Award has given the trail some good publicity through local papers and town folk have been really pleased both for us and for Kirkcudbright. Following the Epic Award we have grown in confidence, and become more forward thinking, planning a Christmas event and our theme for 2016.”
Last year’s runner-up in Scotland DD8 Music is a group run by volunteers in Kirriemuir, which provides free lessons, jams and recording equipment for young people. DD8 Music also picked up the UK wide award for exceptional work with young people.
The public have their chance to vote and award a prize to one of the shortlisted groups through The People’s Choice Award. Last year’s winners were Knitted Knockers UK, a group of over 650 people across the UK who co-ordinate online to create and send 100 per cent cotton breast prostheses to women who have had mastectomies.
Jemma Neville, director of Voluntary Arts Scotland, said: “The Epic Awards demonstrate the scale and diversity of self-led creative cultural activity in Scotland. From volunteer-led festivals to community radio stations, and poetry groups to choirs, there are creative people across the country with the passion and initiative to provide opportunities for people to take part in voluntary arts activity. I strongly encourage groups thinking of applying to do so.”
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: “The Voluntary Arts Epic Awards showcase excellent examples of inclusive and local participation in the arts and the initiative and drive of many dedicated volunteers across the country who set up and run thousands of arts and cultural groups.
“Voluntary arts contribute much to Scotland’s rich and varied cultural life and Voluntary Arts Scotland’s support helps enable more people to get involved in creative activities.
“These awards demonstrate an ongoing commitment to ensuring that communities across Scotland are supported to create and participate so that all the hard work and imagination that contribute to the cultural life of our communities, often undertaken by volunteers, is recognised.
“I’m looking forward to hearing more about the exciting work taking place the length and breadth of Scotland in the run up to this year’s awards and encourage Scottish nominations to be put forward.”
The Epic Awards are supported by Spirit of 2012, an independent trust created to sustain the spirit and opportunities from London 2012, and are themselves supporting BBC Get Creative. Spirit has also helped to create two new categories of Epic Award as well as the Epic Places project. Voluntary Arts also acknowledges funding from Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, Creative Scotland and Arts Council Northern Ireland.
Debbie Lye, chief executive of Spirit of 2012, said: “We at Spirit are delighted to be supporting the Epic Awards again in 2016. I was blown away by the sheer breadth of high-quality award nominations last year – it’s clear we’ve got a voluntary arts scene to be proud of.
“The Epic Awards really do showcase the cream of the UK and Ireland’s amateur artistic and cultural crop, and I am eager to see who’s in the running in 2016. Best of luck!”
Remember that closing date for nominations: Monday 7 December
BRIGHT NIGHTS WINTER ART EVENT
Muirhouse Shopping Centre
Thursday 26 November 6 – 8pm Continue reading See Muirhouse Shopping Centre in a whole new light!
Congratulations to North Edinburgh’s very own Timebank Temptations, who have been Highly Commended in the Scotland Sings Chorus Awards!
Congratulations to Craigroyston Primary School choir
Craigroyston Primary School children flew the flag for North Edinburgh at The Assembly Rooms in George Street when they took part in the inaugural Edinburgh Glee Challenge last week.
The Frisson Foundation charity’s vision is to get every primary school child in Scotland singing, and back in 2013 they held their first GLEE event in Fife. Glee has been a real phenomenon and the event proved a huge success. Since then the idea has continued to grow in popularity and last week’s competition was the first event to be staged in the capital.
Craigroyston’s young singers warmed up for the event at the opening of the school’s popular art exhibition at North Edinburgh Arts – where they performed brilliantly without a backing track!
Joining Craigroyston at the event were Bun-Sgoil Taobh Na Pairce, Carrick Knowe Primary School, Clovenstone Primary School and Clermiston Primary School, and after some excellent performances Clermiston were crowned champions.
Congratulations to Clermiston, but well done too to Craigroyston and all the other participants. No doubt they’ll be joined by a few more next year – don’t stop believin’!
For more information on the charity – www.frissonfoundation.org.uk
Susan Boyle serenades residents during music session
Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle, who has sold over 20 million albums since being discovered on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, made a surprise visit to specialist health and social care service Penumbra Milestone last week.
Grammy-nominated Susan took time out of her busy schedule to visit the ten-bed residential service for people recovering from alcohol related brain damage (ARBD). During her visit she was given a guided tour by Service Manager Lesley Forbes and spent time listening to a residents’ music group.
The singer, who is due to head into the studio to record a new album later this month, was invited to visit Penumbra Milestone by a former service user.
Dr Mathew Hicks, who runs the music group at Penumbra Milestone, said: “Our music therapy group aims to encourage recovery from ARBD. Performing and listening to music helps residents to improve memory, coordination and motivation.
“When we told residents that Susan Boyle was coming to the therapy group they thought we were joking. When she arrived they were amazed.
“Susan listened to the music and chatted to staff and residents. Towards the end of her visit she sang one of her biggest hits – Wild Horses. It was an amazing experience to hear her sing in person – we were mesmerised!”
Penumbra Milestone is a partnership between mental health charity Penumbra, Waverly Care, NHS Lothian and Edinburgh City Council’s Department of Health and Social Care. It is an alcohol-free 10-bedded step-down unit which provides short-term care for vulnerable men and women, aged 18+, who have a diagnosis of ARBD.
Speaking about the service Graeme Henderson, Director of Services and Development at Penumbra, said: “Penumbra Milestone is an innovative step-down unit which bridges the gap between hospital and community based care. The service has been designed to ease the pressure on acute hospital beds caused by the lengthy stay of people diagnosed with ARBD.
“This joined-up approach makes the NHS more efficient and improves the care provided to people by drawing on the valuable range of skills in the third sector, NHS and council services.
“Penumbra Milestone offers the ideal environment in which people experiencing ARBD can be supported, allowing them to transition back into the community when they are ready.”
While Penumbra Milestone began accepting referrals late last year, it will be officially opened next Thursday (23 April) when actress, comedienne and campaigner Elaine C. Smith – who coincidently played Susan Boyle in a musical based on the singer’s life – will be the special guest.
for more information about Penumbra visit www.Penumbra.org.uk
Twitter (@Penumbra_Scot)
and Facebook (Facebook/PenumbraScotland).
