Edinburgh Libraries is developing a new Future Libraries Strategy. We want your input!
Help us shape the future of our libraries by taking this short survey.
Your feedback will inform our plans for the next five years.
Take part here: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/futurelibraries
Before reading about all the exciting things that are happening this month at The Heart, please take a few minutes to do our survey.
In August 2022 Heart of Newhaven Community secured the purchase of Victoria Primary School.
In January 2023 we opened the buildings, now known as The Heart, for community uses in support of our vision- an Intergenerational Community Hub where everyone is better connected, less socially isolated and more actively engaged with their community.
In our first year of operation we focused on the buildings and their spaces and this year we undertook essential repairs to the fabric of the building.
We’ve also begun to develop community projects including the Dementia Meeting Centre, an intergenerational heritage project, a community lunch with Cyrenians and our ‘open4 coffee’/knit and natter/ IT support with AceIt, Newhaven Friendship Group.
We now need to know, from you, how we are doing?
Are we meeting your needs?
What are we missing?
Please do our survey and share as widely as possible
The closing date is November 30th
Thank you!
The Knitted Christmas Tree News
Firstly a massive thank you to everyone who donated green squares, beautiful decorations, knitted articles,the amazing tree trunk and the time you have given us to help raise money for easier access to The Heart for everyone.
We are almost there, the trunk is ready, the knitting is prepared and the Newhaven Fishwife has arrived. The next thing is to erect The Tallest Knitted Christmas Tree in the atrium of the Heart, ready for the Grand Opening on 30th November.
The official opening is at 11am. The craft fair will be open from 10am-4pm and there will be a raffle, tombola, children’s raffle and bottle stall. There will be the chance to choose the Fishwife’s name, guess the number of leaves on the tree and the number of decorations on the tree. Any contributions and donations to our stalls would be very well received.
On Sunday 1st December from 2.30-5.30 there will be a craft afternoon with the chance to make a Christmas Wreath, a Christmas Ornament and other crafts. Tickets for these activities will be on sale on the Saturday and Sunday.
On both days there will be refreshments including mulled wine.
Come along and see the Tallest Knitted Christmas, meet the creators, support a good cause and start the Christmas season at the Heart of Newhaven.
The Tree can be seen every day from 30th November until 22nd December. Call in to meet us and find out what the Heart can offer you.
Leith Creative Trail
The Leith Creative Trail running from 30th November – 8th December is an initiative designed to encourage people to explore their local creative community, art studios, organisations and services.
Follow the MAP and drop in on 19 different venues across North East Edinburgh including The Heart.
We’re open Saturday 30th Nov & Saturday 7th Dec 10am to 4pm with open studio visits, handmade artisan gifts and artwork for sale, craft demonstration, mulled wine, festive nibbles and cheer.
Meeting Centre Update October/November
Members of the Heart Dementia Meeting Centre have been enjoying our Wednesday morning meetings, working on creative projects with Tortoise in a Nutshell Theatre Company and continuing our intergenerational School Days sessions with students from Victoria Primary School. We celebrated Halloween with spooky bread making and enjoyed some home-made tattie scones.
Meeting Centre Manager Jan Brown also organised ‘Start from the Heart’ two dementia inclusive walks around Newhaven with local poet Ken Cockburn, piloting the idea of celebrating local heritage through poetry and song with a gentle health-walk. Feeback on these Monday afternoon walks was very positive, and we hope to start a series of monthly walks in the Spring.
Jan recently ran a Dementia Awareness session for volunteers at The Heart of Newhaven, if you or a family member is interested in becoming a member of the Heart Dementia Meeting Centre or volunteering with us, please contact:
jan.brown@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Schooldays Project
The Heritage Lottery Funded, Schooldays Project is underway, featuring intergenerational workshops with local primary school students from Victoria, Trinity, Wardie, and Holy Cross.
The students are collaborating with groups that regularly meet in our building, including the Dementia Meeting Centre, the Knit and Natter Group, the Newhaven Friendship Group, as well as new groups such as Feniks.
We’re thrilled about the creative workshops happening and being led by resident and local artists and look forward to sharing these experiences with our groups in the coming months.
Stay tuned for regular updates in future newsletters!
simone.kenyon@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Keep an eye on our social media and hope to see many of you in the Heart!
Help us shape our museums for a greener future 
At National Museums Scotland we are working to minimise our impact on climate change and biodiversity loss.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on how we can use our collections and expertise to address these topics through interpretation, events and exhibitions 
Complete our short survey – (it’ll take about 6 minutes):
The British Dental Association Scotland has stressed that there can be no complacency over the future of NHS dentistry, following the first evidence from frontline dentists since the Scottish Government’s reforms rolled out in November last year.
A new poll of high street dentists shows:
Just over a year ago the BDA’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee and the Scottish Government entered formal negotiations on the new fee structure and Payment Reform. This moved at pace within a challenging fiscal environment. The previous funding model was unsustainable, as surging costs had left dental practices delivering some NHS care at a financial loss.
In an open letter to the Scottish Government the BDA stress the Scottish Government must show it is willing to build on these reforms, and to double down on policies to ease the workforce crisis in the NHS.
David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said: “Given the critical place dental services were at this verdict is welcome news, but there is absolutely no room for complacency.
“Dentists have seen improvements, but have told us reform falls short on access, inequalities and prevention. Changes might make some practices more sustainable today, but they do not provide the foundations for a 21st century service.
“The Scottish Government has set goals on improving access and sustainability. These promises must be kept.
“Scotland cannot have NHS dentistry without NHS dentists – and this service must be a place which can recruit and retain talent.”
Online survey of Scottish General Dental Practitioners, February-April 2024, 229 respondents:
Please indicate your agreement or disagreement to following statements
1. The new system means the practice I work in is better able to remain financially sustainable
Strongly agree 3%
Agree 23%
Neither agree nor disagree 27%
Disagree 21%
Strongly disagree 10%
Don’t know/not applicable 15%
Net Agree 26%
Net disagree 31%
2. The new system represents an improvement on the previous payment model
Strongly agree 10%
Agree 55%
Neither agree nor disagree 15%
Disagree 12%
Strongly disagree 7%
Don’t know/not applicable 0%
Net agree 66%
Net disagree 19%
3. The new system reduces bureaucracy
Strongly agree 4%
Agree 34%
Neither agree nor disagree 22%
Disagree 21%
Strongly disagree 17%
Don’t know/not applicable 2%
Net agree 38%
Net disagree 38%
4. The new system increases clinical freedom
Strongly agree 3%
Agree 30%
Neither agree nor disagree 27%
Disagree 26%
Strongly disagree 12%
Don’t know/not applicable 1%
Net agree 34%
Net disagree 38%
5. The new system enables a move a preventive model of dentistry
Strongly agree 3%
Agree 20%
Neither agree nor disagree 24%
Disagree 27%
Strongly disagree 25%
Don’t know/not applicable 2%
Net agree 22%
Net disagree 52%
6. The new system will enhance access for NHS patients
Strongly agree 1%
Agree 6%
Neither agree nor disagree 18%
Disagree 34%
Strongly disagree 39%
Don’t know/not applicable 2%
Net agree 7%
Net disagree 73%
7. The new system will support a reduction in oral health inequality
Strongly agree 1%
Agree 4%
Neither agree nor disagree 18%
Disagree 35%
Strongly disagree 38%
Don’t know/not applicable 3%
Net agree 5%
Net disagree 73%
8. The new system should be a final destination for reform of NHS
Strongly agree 0%
Agree 2%
Neither agree nor disagree 7%
Disagree 27%
Strongly disagree 61%
Don’t know/not applicable 2%
Net agree 2%
Net disagree 88%
Live in or around Granton Waterfront?
We’d like your views to improve walking/cycling/wheeling routes.
Drop-in events at Granton Station:
Thursday, 13 June – 3pm to 7pm
Sunday, 16 June – 10am to 2pm.
More info & fill in our survey – https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/connecting-granton-waterfront/…
All political parties must explain how they will urgently tackle hardship this #GeneralElection, says the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. .
The latest findings from our cost-of-living survey, out today, found the number of households going without essentials hasn’t dropped below 7 million since May 2022. This is unacceptable.
Millions of low-income households are having to take drastic measures to cope with a crisis that is far from over:
-1.6 million households turned off their fridge or freezer
– 4.9 million households couldn’t replace worn out clothing
– 5 million households reduced showers
Meanwhile, party leaders remain silent on what they would do to address this in power. This should bring shame to a country as wealthy as ours.
Politicians must set out how they will bring an end to this relentless hardship. They need to tell us their immediate plan to help families who can’t afford life’s essentials – as well as their long-term strategy to tackle poverty.
Find out more about the relentless reality of years-long hardship for low-income families, here:
New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) shows the relentless reality of years-long hardship for low-income families, with almost 5 million households finding themselves having to cut back on showers.
Those on the lowest incomes, over 5 million households, have continued to go hungry, skip meals and cut back on food.
Carried out immediately before the general election was called, the latest data shows the number of low-income households who are going without essentials like food, adequate clothing and a warm home hasn’t fallen below 7 million since May 2022.
JRF is calling on the politicians to set out their plans to tackle ongoing hardship. It found the bottom 20% of low-income households are facing levels of hardship that refuse to budge and whose situation is no better compared to last year, despite some improvements to the economic situation for families higher up the income scale.
Research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) finds that:
Families on low incomes say they are still taking the same drastic measures to try and save money that were widely reported at the height of the cost-of-living crisis.
In May 2024, low-income households reported that they had taken the following measures through the cost-of-living crisis to cope, due to cost:
Those with the least are struggling the most, with levels of hardship staying at stubbornly high levels. In the last 12 months, the proportion of households going hungry, cutting down on food or skipping meals in the previous 30 days has not budged for those in the bottom 20% of incomes. But there is a slight improvement for those in the bottom 20-40% of incomes. [5]
Our social security system should act as a safety net for families who’ve fallen on hard times. However, 86% of low-income households who received Universal Credit were going without the essentials in May this year.
Rachelle Earwaker, Senior Economist at JRF, says: “The number of low-income families in our country who’ve been forced to choose which essentials to go without because they can’t afford them hasn’t fallen below seven million since May 2022. Despite inflation falling there has been no let up for the poorest families, who are just as likely to be going without food as last year.”
“We need our politicians to set out how they will bring an end to this relentless reality of hardship in the general election campaign.
“Political leaders need to tell us what they will do straight away to help families who can’t afford life’s essentials, as well as their long-term plans to tackle poverty.”
The Scottish Older People’s Assembly is evaluating the impact of their Age-friendly Communities (AfC’s) Project in Scotland.
They want your help to better understand the levels of awareness and perception of their work.
Take the survey: www.surveyhero.com/c/SOPA
Last few days to tell us by what library services are important to you and what services you think people would like to see in the future.
It only takes a few minutes to fill in our survey:
www.edinburgh.gov.uk/futurelibraries
Survey closes on 19 April.
Retail trade union Usdaw has today (13 March) launched shocking statistics from their annual survey of over 5,500 retail staff showing that 18% of shopworkers suffered a violent attack last year, compared to 8% in 2022.
The increase in assaults comes during an epidemic of retail crime with official stats and reports from retailers showing significant increases in theft from shops. Usdaw’s survey shows that levels of violence, threats and abuse all increased compared to pre-pandemic figures. In the last twelve months (pre-pandemic levels in brackets, from the 2019 survey):
· 70% (68%) have experienced verbal abuse.
· 46% (43%) were threatened by a customer.
· 18% (5%) were assaulted.
Full report: www.usdaw.org.uk/FFFReport2023
These findings follow similar trends to recent reports from British Retail Consortium and the Association of Convenience Stores.
Both retail trade associations found significant increases in violence and abuse against shopworkers alongside much higher levels of shoplifting, which is costing the industry £3 billion in lost stock and security measures.
Scottish voices from the frontline:
These are some of the comments Scottish shopworkers shared when responding to Usdaw’s survey:
Central Scotland: “Customer wasn’t happy about something and took it out on me with shouting.” – “Most abuse when asking for ID for age identification.” – “Customer wasn’t sold alcohol and became verbally aggressive, they left but I felt shaken.”
Glasgow: “Shouting at me, getting in my face, calling me names, saying I’m useless, swearing, using derogatory female terms.” – “Pregnant member of staff got assaulted with a solar light.” – “Attacked in the car park finishing shift.”
Highlands and Islands: “Have been pushed and punched.” – “Called horrible name and barged past by a customer who I asked to leave because he is barred for shoplifting.”
Lothian: “Threats to stab us, wait for us to finish etc.” – “Customers who are drunk issuing vague threats, personal insults.” – “Touched by a male customer, he got angry, called me a rat and a lesbian because I didn’t want to be touched.”
Mid-Scotland and Fife: “Verbal abuse daily, at Christmas get threats.” – “Threatened to get punched and verbal abuse.” – “Challenging shoplifters on a daily basis and dealing with antisocial behaviour.” – “Grabbed me from behind.”
North East Scotland: “Customer said they liked my hair then pulled it.” – “Intentionally swung his basket at me after being told the alcohol aisle was closed.” – “Swearing directed towards me when asking shoplifter to leave the store.”
South Scotland: “Abuse from youths on a daily basis – threats and violence from shoplifters under the influence of drink and drugs.” – “Customer spit in my face after assaulting security.” – “Hit with packs of cakes and called a fat lazy cow.”
West Scotland: “Hit in the face by a drunk man with a basket.” – “Someone tried to hit me with a bottle.” – “Shouted at about queues, items not in stock or wanting a refund on an item that has been used and no receipt.”
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “It is heart-breaking to hear these testimonies from Scottish shopworkers who deserve far more respect than they receive. Our latest survey results clearly show the scale of the appalling violence, threats and abuse faced by retail staff.
“No-one should feel afraid to go to work, but our evidence shows that too many retail workers are. It is shocking that nearly a fifth of our members working in retail are being assaulted for simply doing their job and serving the community. They provide an essential service and deserve our respect and the protection of the law.
“Our members have reported that they are often faced with hardened career criminals and we know that retail workers are much more likely to be abused by those who are stealing to sell goods on. Our latest survey results show that 7 in 10 retail workers suffered abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence. Theft from shops and armed robbery were triggers for 61% of these incidents.
“Violence and abuse is not an acceptable part of the job and much more needs to be done to protect shopworkers. We were delighted to have won the campaign for a protection of workers law in the Scottish Parliament, but that is the beginning not the end. We have to ensure that the legislation is central to tackle a growing wave of retail crime and Usdaw looks forward to working with Police Scotland to make that happen.”
I am pleased to be getting in touch to inform you about an exciting opportunity regarding planned improvements to Drylaw Park and to invite you to attend a community drop-in event on Thursday 22nd February at the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre 4pm – 7pm.
Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre – DNC – The place to be! (drylawnc.org.uk)
Drylaw Park forms part of the Climate Ready Craigleith project which sits under the cities overarching Climate Ready Edinburgh strategy. There is an open consultation on the council’s citizen space regarding the Draft Climate Ready Edinburgh plan if you’d like to take a look for more information and complete the survey:
Draft Climate Ready Edinburgh Plan – City of Edinburgh Council – Citizen Space
We are working with the City of Edinburgh council to develop concept designs for enhancements across Drylaw Park. These include improvements to park connectivity, accessibility and safety, infrastructure to address surface water issues, nature enhancements and improvements to play provision.
At this early design stage, we are looking to gather local knowledge to help inform its development and shape the improvements for the community who use it most.
We would like to invite you to join us on the 22nd of February anytime between 4pm and 7pm to find out more, share your views and help us to understand how the park is currently used and to tell us about opportunities which will help to inform the concept design.
Online Survey: If you are unable to attend in person, please find a link to our short survey here: https://forms.office.com/e/MYP4G94GYd?origin=lprLink
Alternatively, please don’t hesitate to contact us using the details below if you have any questions or wish to find out more.
We look forward to welcoming you at the Drop-In event on the 22nd of February.
Lynn Stocks
Behaviour Change Lead, Transportation
Highways and Active Travel
AtkinsRéalis
0131 221 5770,
Canning Exchange, 10 Canning Street
Edinburgh, EH3 8EG
