Leith-based youth charity The Junction has been awarded a £14,897 grant from the Scottish Children’s Lottery. Continue reading Children’s Lottery cash for The Junction
Tag: The Junction
Arts the way to do it: getting creative at The Junction
Creative Express – Creative Canvases Exhibition
@ The Junction
On Friday 26 January, The Junction was proud to hold its first exhibition of work from their Creative Express arts program (writes Tessa Hughes). The event saw over 40 attendees, including friends and family of young people whose work was featured, as well as members of the local community and friends of The Junction. Thanks go out to Tesco Express on Great Junction Street, who provided a range of snacks for everyone who attended to enjoy. Continue reading Arts the way to do it: getting creative at The Junction
By young people, for young people: Creative Canvases exhibition at The Junction
The Junction’s Creative Express project uses creative arts to support the health and wellbeing of local young people. It is a safe and confidential space where small groups of young people can express their thoughts and feelings about anything affecting their lives using a variety of creative media , including poetry, art, drama, creative writing, movement and music (writes Tessa Hughes). Continue reading By young people, for young people: Creative Canvases exhibition at The Junction
Youth projects launch My Travels postcard campaign
Young people from Deaf Action in Edinburgh and The Junction based in Leith gathered at the Scottish Parliament recently to launch the ‘My Travels’ postcard campaign, run by YouthLink Scotland. Continue reading Youth projects launch My Travels postcard campaign
Junction to benefit from Trainspotting 2 auction
The Junction is one of two local charities to benefit from the proceeds of the Trainspotting 2 auction, which will sell memorabilia from the Trainspotting 2 film. The online auction takes place next month to coincide with the film’s US release. Continue reading Junction to benefit from Trainspotting 2 auction
Healthy Respect: Junction patron Irvine Welsh drops in
“It’s an honour for me to be able to support this organisation and indeed this community, both of whom I admire.” – Irvine Welsh
The Junction – Young People, Health & Well-being is a Leith based charity offering support to young people living in North East Edinburgh. Irvine Welsh was born in Leith and grew up in North East Edinburgh which gives him an understanding of the challenges these young people may face. Continue reading Healthy Respect: Junction patron Irvine Welsh drops in
Young Peoples’ wellbeing: support session at The Junction
A King’s ransom: joy for the Junction
Leith-based The Junction youth project has been awarded £30,000 from The King’s Fund. The Junction is the only Scottish project among ten recipients of a GSK IMPACT Award, which recognises excellence in health and wellbeing – and The Junction is one of a very select few to have won the award TWICE!
The GSK community investment programme has been running for 18 years, during which time it has awarded more than £5 million in unrestricted funding to charities across the UK. This year’s winning organisations were selected from more than 350 charities who applied for the GSK IMPACT Awards, which are run in partnership with The King’s Fund.
Winning charities are also given access to a free training and development programme and are invited to join the GSK IMPACT Awards Network. This Network offers previous winners the opportunity to develop their staff and provides a forum to share and learn from each other’s experiences and expertise.
This year’s winners will join more than 60 previous winning organisations from across the UK, who have committed to ongoing professional development, collaboration and delivering outstanding services to patients and communities.
An overall winner, who will receive an additional £10,000 in funding, will be announced at an award ceremony recognising all winners to be held at the Science Museum in London on Thursday 14 May 2015.
The winners were selected by a judging panel of health and charity experts including broadcast journalist Fiona Phillips; Gilly Green, Head of UK Grants at Comic Relief; Sir Christopher Gent, Chair of GSK; and Sir Chris Kelly, Chair of The King’s Fund.
Katie Pinnock, Director, UK & Ireland Charitable Partnerships at GSK, said: ‘These awards recognise charities that make an incredible difference to many people’s lives right across the country. The programme has grown immensely since we started in 1997, and we are extremely proud of the way it has brought people together, enabling them to share knowledge and learn from each other. Each year we are impressed, inspired and moved, not only by the innovation and talent in the work our winning charities undertake, but by the commitment and dedication of everyone involved.’
Sam Anderson, director at The Junction, said: “We are delighted at being a 2015 GSK Impact Award winner. Being a GSK Impact Award winner in 2009 provided the Junction with the platform to celebrate our strengths, develop and deepen. The 2015 GSK Impact Award offers fantastic recognition of all we have achieved in the six years since and provides us with both significant funding and development opportunities which will ensure we are able to continue to flourish.”
Lisa Weaks, Third Sector Programme Manager at The King’s Fund, said: ‘Charities provide important services and support in our health and social care system. These winners show just how much can be achieved with relatively limited funds, through the passion and dedication of the organisations and their volunteers. Their work spans the whole of our lives – they can help prevent young people from making detrimental decisions like taking up smoking, or provide support for people at the end of their lives so they can make the right decisions for them and their family. Their energy and commitment is inspirational.’
A Junction spokesperson added: “We have been named a winner of the GSK IMPACT Awards, and in fact we’re one of the rare organisations that have won twice! Not only is this a huge honour but it is a great way to recognise how The Junction has continued to strive for excellence year after year.”
The ten winners are:
- Alzheimer’s Support – a charity improving diagnosis and support for people with dementia in Wiltshire
- CoolTan Arts – based in Southwark, helps improve the lives of people in mental distress through creativity, self-advocacy and volunteer opportunities
- Cut Films Project/Deborah Hutton Campaign – based in Islington, helps prevent smoking among young people through peer-to-peer education and campaigns
- Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust – based in Islington, is the only UK charity supporting women affected by cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities and focuses activity on raising the profile and understanding of the disease and ways to prevent it
- National Council for Palliative Care – a members’ organisation campaigning to help everyone approaching the end of life have the right to the highest quality care and support
- Neuromuscular Centre – a Cheshire-based charity that provides physiotherapy, training and employment opportunities for those with degenerative neuromuscular conditions, as well as assistance for their carers
- Off the Record – a Bristol-based charity helping young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing
- RESTORE – an Oxford-based charity supporting people with mental health problems to gain or maintain employment
- The Junction – this is the second award for this Leith-based charity, which helps children and young people make positive choices that promote their health and wellbeing and reduce harmful behaviour
- Wave Trauma Centre – a Belfast-based charity offering care and support to anyone bereaved, injured or traumatised through the violence in Northern Ireland.
Doors open at Great Junction Street
Great Junction Street development launched
Port of Leith Housing Association and subsidiary company Persevere Developments Limited’s latest development has been officially opened by Malcolm Chisholm MSP.
The new affordable housing development at Great Junction Street consists of 32 high quality and energy efficient homes – nine one bedroom and 23 two bedroom properties – providing 20 new homes for social rent and 12 for mid market rent.
Located in the centre of a busy shopping street, the ground floor has also been designed as a large commercial space which has been leased to local community group, The Junction, providing health, education and support services to young people.
Malcolm Chisholm, Labour MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, said: “I am delighted to be officially opening this outstanding housing development which has been named as one of the top affordable housing developments in the UK. There is always a desperate need for more affordable homes in this city and I am pleased that once again Port of Leith Housing Association is providing such high quality, energy efficient homes.
“I am very pleased also that the superb The Junction is benefiting from spacious new premises on the ground floor.”
In keeping with the surrounding buildings, the exterior is stone and the properties feature Solar Thermal Heating provided by panels located on the roof.
The main contractor was CCG Limited and the architect was EMA. The £4.23million development was funded by a combination of private finance raised by PoLHA and a Government grant allocated by the City of Edinburgh Council.
Great Junction Street has recently been named as one of the top 50 affordable housing developments in the UK and is also shortlisted for a “Homes for Scotland” award.
Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of Port of Leith Housing Association, said:
“We are extremely pleased to have completed these new homes in what has been a complex and challenging process for us over the past few years. The development, design and construction team should be congratulated for their efforts.
“Working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and other funders we are able to provide much needed additional high quality, energy efficient and affordable homes in the heart of Leith plus the added bonus of enabling The Junction, which is a highly valued local community project, to locate its services in new modern facilities.”
PoLHA has built the mid market rent homes on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary company Persevere Developments Ltd (PDL) which was set up in 2011 to enable the Association to offer a wider variety of affordable housing in future.
PoLHA owns over 2700 properties throughout Leith and the wider North Edinburgh area and has plans to deliver 400 more new affordable homes over the next few years through the Association and its subsidiary Persevere Developments Limited.
Pictured: (left to right: Keith Anderson (PoLHA Chief Executive), Jack Hunter (PoLHA Chairman), Great Junction Street tenant Julie Crawford, Malcolm Chisholm MSP and Philip Neaves (Chairman of Persevere Developments Ltd).
Up the Junction – Sir Harry opens new premises
Junction moves just along the road – to a new world!
Sir Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, has officially opened The Junction’s new premises.
Based at 160 Great Junction Street for eight years, the community organisation has now moved to 82-86 Great Junction Street and is leasing the brand new premises from Port of Leith Housing Association.
Set up in 2005 by the organisation’s Director Sam Anderson as a partnership response to an action research project, The Junction provides confidential health related services, education and support for young people aged 12-21 in Leith and North East Edinburgh. It has helped thousands of young people in the city and has author Irvine Welsh as its patron.
The Junction’s Sam Anderson said: “We are delighted to have Sir Harry Burns officially open our new premises. It’s important to listen to young people and find out what they think and want, which is why they have been consulted throughout the evolution of the Junction.”
Sam added: “We continue to be able to successfully respond to the expressed health and wellbeing needs of local young people because of the partnership nature of our work. Port of Leith Housing Association is a key partner, committed to delivering a quality, purpose built building for our award winning work in supporting young people, and has done so to brilliant results.
“We owe them an immense debt as while just a few hundred yards along the road from our old premises our new space feels a world away.”
Sir Harry Burns said: “Young people are the lifeblood of the community and it’s imperative they are supported to grow their health and wellbeing. This is why organisations, such as The Junction should be applauded for the tremendous work it does.”
Patron Irvine Welsh said: “Omnipresent, The Junction is there at the heart of the community offering education, support and its own distinctive brand of loyalty and determination to do the best it can for local young people. It’s an honour for me to be able to support this organisation and indeed this community, both of whom I admire.”