The Edinburgh International Festival announces the opening of the Philharmonia VR Experience at Space @ Broomhouse Hub, which will be available for four days of music and discovery from 20th – 24th August.
This 360° experience, which is free to attend and unticketed, brings the classical music experience to Broomhouse with the opportunity to see the UK premiere of the Philharmonia VR Experience’s performance of Vaughan Williams’s iconic piece, The Lark Ascending, performed by Festival Director Nicola Benedetti with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Attendees will wear a VR headset which will allow them to sit right in the heart of the orchestra and experience this profoundly moving performance in astonishing detail. This VR experience will be staffed by graduates and members of Space Station, an entry level skills development course designed to support local people into the hospitality sector.
The Philharmonia VR Experience marks the first Edinburgh International Festival event held at Space @ The Broomhouse Hub which was named as the Edinburgh International Festival’s inaugural Community Connections Hub earlier this year. Which is an 18-month partnership exploring opportunities for creative collaboration and connection between the Festival and the local community.
Neil Hay, CEO, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub said: “This is a wonderful thing to be able to bring to Broomhouse. Despite being in Edinburgh, it can often feel as though big cultural activities are set very far apart from communities like those in Southwest Edinburgh.
“This partnership will allow people to experience things they never have before or take part in things that they simply would never have considered. This is the first event as part of our link with Edinburgh International Festival and we are excited to see what the next 18 months might bring.”
This event is free and unticketed. Each slot is 20 minutes long. Listed below are the times the VR Experience is open.
Wed 21 Aug 11.30-13.45, 15.00-16.00, 17.00-18.40
Fri 23 Aug 11.30-13.45, 15.00-16.40
Sat 24 Aug 10.30-11.45, 13.15-14.00, 15.00-16.40
More information on the Edinburgh International Festival’s Discovery and Participation programme, which runs year-round, can be found here: https://www.eif.co.uk/social-impact.
Community groups across Edinburgh are celebrating the news of their National Lottery funding today (WEDNESDAY 17 July).
Over 500 community projects share in this latest round of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, totalling £17,341,549. The funds will be directed towards bringing local people together and providing essential services across Scotland.
A full list of successful applicants can be found below.
North Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Centre receives £133,334. NEDAC, (formerly SHADA) who have been based in Muirhouse since 1983, will continue to deliver their service helping people who struggle to engage with mainstream services.
People who are at the highest risk of drug-related death who have long-term substance misuse/mental health issues will be assisted to gain control over their lives.
Drylaw Telford Community Association receives £20,000. The Neighbourhood Centre will use the funding over one year, for their 50 years+ Link Worker.
This project will benefit the over 50s community in North Edinburgh; and in particular those at high risk of being socially isolated.
An award of £19,513 means the Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust will run a sustainable food project which will recycle food to produce jars of preserves which they will sell to the community and to farmers’ markets.
Rob Hoon, Chief Executive, Out of the Blue, said; “The ‘Preserves’ project is a new and exciting adventure for us, and this funding will allow us to process at least 4,000kg of ingredients per annum to make quality products that extend the shelf life of that food for up to 12 months.
“We will achieve this by producing small batch jams, pickles and preserves embracing traditional methods of preservation. We will work with people and community groups to support them to make their traditional preserves and gain new cooking skills.
The Grassmarket Community Projectwill run a programme of weekly digital skills workshops for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness after an award of £19,763.
Helene Van des Ploeg, Chief Executive Officer, Grassmarket Community Project, said: “Digital skills are so vitally important for all of us, whether it just be for connecting with friends or family through social media, writing a CV and applying for jobs or developing skills to open opportunities for employment through accredited learning.
“We will offer a high-quality service in which members can access new IT skills at any level and tailor the learning to match the needs of the individual and support them to work at their own pace, achieving their goals. We really appreciate the support that this funding will give us to go ahead with this vital project that will enable our members to flourish in the future.”
Thanks to an award of £63,189, Space at the Broomhouse will be able to extend their opening hours on Saturdays and provide more activities on offer.
Neil, Hay, CEO, Space at the Broomhouse, said: “We know that costs have risen significantly for all charities and community groups in the past few years and wanted to find a way to assist.
“Room hire, especially for smaller groups who do not have their own premises, is a big part of their costs, so we approached The National Lottery Community Fund to see if they could help.
“Thanks to their support we are in a position to offer a whole raft of help to the community, including free use of the halls at Space well into 2025.”
An award of £173,409, will enable Networking Key Services to run an innovative project which will use storytelling to build confidence in talking about challenging topic and issues.
Over the course of the next three years the project will work with hundreds of people from South Asian communities across the city.
Naina Minhas, Director, Networking Key Services, said: “The ‘Breaking Silence and Improving Lives’ aims to empower communities by giving them a collective voice to address issues affecting them.
“Through storytelling, the project will identify complex challenges and raise these with relevant services to improve quality of live for communities.”
The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “As The National Lottery approaches its 30th birthday it’s wonderful to see how the funding continues to help change lives for the better and just what can be accomplished when people join forces for a shared purpose or to support one another.
“National Lottery players should be proud to know the money they raise is supporting people across Edinburgh to lead happier and healthier lives.”
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes funding on behalf of National Lottery players who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.
£500,000 from Foundation Scotland helped develop the state of the art Broomhouse Hub, transforming the lives of hundreds living in South West Edinburgh
For over 30 years, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub has delivered transformative personal, social and community development opportunities for local people in and around Broomhouse, Parkhead and Sighthill.
The charity offers training, volunteering and employment opportunities for those disadvantaged by poverty or other limiting factors, counselling and befriending support, community food initiatives including school holiday support, social groups for isolated older people, and a range of classes and groups designed to support mental health and wellbeing.
An important organisation for many people, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub successfully navigated the many challenges of the pandemic and they are now helping local people to manage the continuing cost of living crisis.
As one of the most deprived areas in Scotland, Broomhouse feels the impact of rising costs disproportionately. Over the past few years, the charity has delivered numerous events to support all parts of the community in coping with mental and economic challenges.
Key services now include dignified access to food. From their popular community café, they offer nutritious, good value food, providing over 1,500 community meals so far this year including free meals for struggling young carers who may barely be getting one meal each day, and free meals for all children (no registration, no other purchase needed) throughout the school summer holidays.
Thanks to their ambitious vision and support from funders, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub has undergone a massive period of growth, equipping them to support the growing numbers of people that need them.
Across the last few years, the charity has tripled their staff capacity and doubled the reach of their vital support services post-pandemic. The charity cites the development of their multi-purpose community hub as the catalyst for this expansion.
Foundation Scotland’s social investment played a pivotal role in this development.
The Foundation Scotland social investment relationship with Space @ Broomhouse began in 2018. The two organisations had already worked together on several grant awards, but with growing demand for their services and an ambitious strategy in place, the team at Space turned to Foundation Scotland for expert advice and growth funding.
The social investment support offered by Foundation Scotland is a unique form of blended grant and loan, designed to help organisations to open doors and grow effectively. Over the past 11 years, they have invested over £12.5 million in 72 organisations around Scotland.
The Foundation Scotland team works closely with applicants to offer more than just traditional funding, also providing unique insight, planning support and advice to help attract further investment.
Neil Hay, CEO of Space @ The Broomhouse Hub said:“Support for capital projects, and core funding, is critical to our work, yet unfortunately not so prevalent.
“As an organisation, we believe in connections and working together for the benefit of all. The partnership approach from Foundation Scotland has been so refreshing. Both the funding and relational support allowed us to get the build off the ground.
“Together they helped us to realise our vision, and along with our other funders they have enabled us to develop our spaces, grow our team and ultimately helped us to build the foundations for a brighter future for many.”
Ali Kennedy, Social Investment Executive at Foundation Scotland, said“Space @ Broomhouse is an important and inspiring place for everyone in the local community and we are extremely proud of our involvement in its development.
“Their fabulous new facilities support significant numbers of people in the area, families have an affordable safe and welcoming place to come to and enjoy, young people are provided with opportunities to develop skills, confidence and self-esteem, and older people and those living with dementia feel part of a connected community.
“We are thrilled to be here with the team today at the Broomhouse Street Party. We’ve worked together for many years and it’s great to get the chance to see the activities in action. The Hub is a space for the community to come together. It’s clear how much of a lifeline these services are for local people.
“We know there are other groups that urgently need support to get started or grow, and this is even more challenging in the current climate. We are encouraging all interested groups to visit our website or contact the Foundation Scotland team directly to discuss eligibility.”
Community groups in Edinburgh will be able to provide vital services and support for thousands of local people thanks to National Lottery funding announced today (THURSDAY 9 MARCH).
The latest round of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund is shared amongst 324 projects across Scotland, sharing in £10,909,040.
A full list of projects is below.
Among the big winners are Corstorphine Community Centre, who receive £98,550 to provide a range of activities for all ages that will be developed and led by local residents in Corstorphine and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
They will also provide a variety of different volunteering opportunities for community members.
Scotland Yard Adventure Centre will use their £120,000 grant to provide family play sessions at their Edinburgh base for disabled young people and their families.
These sessions will support whole families to play together, and to meet other similar families and young people.
Cyrenians hit the jackpot with two awards totalling over £230,000.
The charity will use funding of over £70,000 to recruit an Income Maximisation Worker who will work across work across all services to support people impacted by cost-of-living crisis.
The Worker will provide one to one support and train 50 key workers at the organisation to also provide financial support. Cyernians estimate 1,800 people will benefit from the project over 12 months.
Cyrenians was also awarded a further £160,000 to continue its “Golden Years” service which is formed from a variety of support and activities for people over 60 years of age living in Edinburgh.
This is led by a befriending service, which has now evolved to offer additional support to meet the needs of participants. Over two years of funding there will be 460 participants and 65 volunteers.
Thanks to an award of £100,000, Aberlour Child Care Trust will provide a befriending service to people in Edinburgh and the Lothians experiencing perinatal mental health issues.
Liz Nolan, Deputy Directorsaid: “Thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund we can offer vital emotional and befriending support to parents of babies living in the Lothians who have received care through the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
“Working in parallel with our NHS partners, the service will offer in person support from a Perinatal Coordinator, a one-to-one match with a Perinatal Befriender and our bespoke digital support all of which connects parents, improves emotional wellbeing, reduces isolation and supports positive relationships between parents and babies.”
An award of £58,844 to Space @The Broomhouse Hub means the group can provide free early evening meals for local people four nights a week for the next 12 months. Working with local partners their will also be an advisor on hand at each session to offer support and signposting for those who need it.
Neil Hay, CEO, said: “Space @ The Broomhouse Hub is literally and metaphorically at the heart of our community. Our events allow us to listen to local people and shape future support locally.
“We pride ourselves on being dynamic and innovative, so it is refreshing that funders like The National Lottery are supporting our work helping people through the cost-of-living crisis.”
Thanks to an award of £9,953, The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) – Edinburgh Branch – will be able to offer a cost-of-living response to Ukranian families who have been displaced by conflict.
This will come in the form of regular community meals and drop-in sessions for those in need.
Hannah Beaton-Hawryluk, AUGB Edinburgh Chairperson, said: “Over the last year, as an organisation we’ve had to work through a great deal of change.
“Prior to the start of the war in February 2022, our main activity was to provide social and cultural activities for a small community however since February we’ve welcomed over 6,000 Ukrainians to Edinburgh who have been displaced by the war with Russia.
“As a community, we’ve focussed our energies on providing a range of social and integration activities such as coffee mornings, information sessions, English language lessons and cultural events.
“The support of The National Lottery Community Fund will enable us to further support our community to integrate into communities across Edinburgh, reduce social isolation and decrease longer term mental health issues that may be experienced.”
Announcing the funding, Kate Still, Scotland Chair, The National Lottery Community Fundsaid: “This latest round of National Lottery funding will be distributed to important groups and organisations who are providing essential services, drop-in points, and community centres around the country – making a real, tangible difference to everyday life.
“With the rising cost-of-living being at the front of everyone’s minds, groups like these are more vital than ever, offering people across Scotland a place to turn to in times of need. This amazing support is only possible because of National Lottery players.”
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes funding on behalf of National Lottery players who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.
