Victoria Park’s Bowling Greens Consultation Workshop!
Come and talk with us at our in-person workshop at the Pollock Pavilion, The Boys’ Brigade, located at 227 Ferry Road, EH6 4SP, on Monday 26th February from 6pm to 8pm.
This is a fantastic opportunity to delve deeper into proposals discussed at our previous event, share your valuable ideas, and actively contribute to the thriving green spaces in Victoria Park.
Thirteen tennis courts across four park tennis venues in Edinburgh, alongside a new booking system, have been officially launched after a £190,000 renovation.
This refurbishment was managed by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), and funded by the City of Edinburgh Council, the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation.
On Thursday (September 14) at the tennis courts in Leith Links, Culture and Communities Convener Councillor Val Walker, along with representatives from the LTA, saw in the official reopening of Edinburgh’s new courts.
There was also an opportunity for schoolchildren from the nearby Leith Primary alongside young leader pupils from Leith Academy, and other members of the local community to pick up a racket and get on court for a range of tennis sessions.
The Council contributed £33,000 towards the total investment, with the remaining £157,000 funds coming from the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation grant.
The courts have undergone extensive work to ensure viability for years to come, including resurfacing, repainting, new fencing, and a new gate system. This nationwide programme of investment is seeing thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition brought back to life for the benefit of communities across the country, providing vital opportunities for children and adults to get active.
As part of the partnership, the Council’s Parks and Greenspace service will manage the courts and adopt the LTA’s Clubspark booking system to manage community access which will be connected to a smart access gate at each of the refurbished venues.
The new booking systems and gate access technology means it is now easier to get on court by booking in advance to guarantee availability. The small booking fee of £1 will ensure that the courts are maintained at their new high standard for years to come. The LTA and the Council will work together to ensure free park tennis sessions are also available on the courts providing regular opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and play.
As well as weekly free park tennis sessions, with equipment provided, the new courts will host Local Tennis Leagues, giving people the opportunity to get involved in friendly and social local competitions.
The refurbishment works for courts at Inverleith, Victoria Park, and Leith Links have now been completed. Works at St Margaret’s Park are expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “I was delighted to attend today’s launch at Leith Links and meet the local schoolchildren who will be some of the many in the community who will benefit from these newly refurbished courts.
“It is fantastic that courts at three out of four of the parks, Inverleith, Victoria Park, and Leith Links have now had works competed and have reopened, with St Margaret’s Park expected in the near future.
“We very much welcome the funding boost that the LTA project will bring to the city’s provision for tennis. Working together we’re investing in and improving four of our park tennis courts giving more opportunities for residents to get involved in the sport. I am looking forward to seeing residents and visitors take advantage of these fantastic new facilities.”
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “After months of hard work, we’re delighted to see park tennis courts across Edinburgh officially back open to the public, and in better shape than ever.
“Public tennis courts are such vital facilities for getting active and we want as many people as possible, of all ages and abilities, to pick up a racket and enjoy playing tennis. Thanks to this investment the sport will be opened up to more players, for years to come.”
Stuart Andrew MP, Sports Minister, said: “We are committed to levelling up access to sport which is so important for the nation’s physical and mental health.
“The Government and the LTA are working together to deliver thousands of refurbished courts across Great Britain, supported by £30 million of investment including in £189,217 in the City of Edinburgh Council.
“These improved tennis facilities in Edinburgh will provide the local community with fun opportunities to get active and potentially become the next Andy Murray or Emma Raducanu.”
Blane Dodds, Tennis Scotland Chief Executive, said:“With tennis participation and membership in Scotland at record levels, it’s important that we continue to invest in facilities to grow capacity.
“Park facilities are key to ensuring tennis is accessible to all, so we are delighted that these park courts in Edinburgh have opened following refurbishment.
“The appetite for tennis in Scotland has never been higher and these revamped courts, along with a number of other facilities being built and refurbished around the country, will help make sure more people are able to get access and play tennis across Scotland.”
First of all, a big thank you to everyone who contributed to our recent Crowdfunder campaign.
This is to be put towards the costs of sprucing up the building once we get the keys. Lots of volunteers are of course already hard at work getting ready for the big day, making inventories and moving furniture, all essential logistical work.
Soon, it really will be “all hands on deck” as we start with the paintbrushes and the trowels and we’ll be calling on even more help on the ground then.
Meanwhile, if you haven’t already given, the Crowdfunder is still open for donations.
Did you know however that you can gift to our charity at any time you like, or even on a regular basis?
All you have to do is go to our website and follow the links.
You can donate online directly to our bank or you can send a cheque if you prefer.
Now that the weather is improving, remember our big Picnic in the Park, to be held in Victoria Park on Sunday 19th June, between 12.30 and 3.30pm.
Inspired by the Eden Project’s Big Lunch, this is being held in collaboration with the Friends of Victoria Park and the Victoria Park Allotment Holders. Bring a picnic and enjoy meeting your neighbours. Take part in the fun races and games or take advantage of the plants and books swap tables. There will even be an (optional) fancy dress competition for children and pets – with prizes!
New initiatives
Thanks to successful applications to the Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund 2022, The Arnold Clark Community Fund and the People’s Postcode Trust, we have successfully achieved funding to help connect and bring people together. This is the aim of the following two new projects.
Reminiscence training
We know that sharing stories and memories is valuable in preserving not just family history but social history and brings people of different generations together through understanding and sharing. It’s also enjoyable and rewarding.
If you’re interested in reminiscence and recording people’s stories and memories, then we have funding for training in reminiscence work which will be led by the Living Memory Association.
The second project is an expansion of our earlier Pots of Kindness. That project was so well received that we are going to run another.
This time, as well as primary school children, we are inviting young people of 16+ to get involved.
We will supply the seeds, pots and compost. All you do is plant the seeds and write a short letter to an elderly recipient. We’ll deliver the planted pots with their accompanying letters to the elderly or isolated within the community.
It’s a wonderful way to bring the generations together.
Finally, we are due to hold our next AGM shortly, probably towards the end of June. If you’ve not become a member, consider doing so now, before the meeting, so that you have the right to vote.
There are two types of membership depending on where you live and you can find out all about it on the website page.
On October 8th, a group of older and younger people from the New Spin intergenerational project at the Citadel will decorate the first of our six friendship benches, all of which have been made by Mens Shed.
The New Spin group will be working with local artist Johnathan Elders to create patterns for the backs of the bench. Further benches will be decorated in further sessions, so each will be unique. The project is being run with the help of Thrive, to celebrate World Mental Health Day on 10th October.
Fruit tree planting in Victoria Park
Our Greening Team have been busy with plans for the area and pupils from Trinity High and Trinity Primary Schools will be helping to plant some young fruit trees in Victoria Park this winter to enhance the area, by adding beauty, interest and biodiversity.
There are already a couple of small trees in situ, so those will be added to, to create a mini orchard. The trees will be Scottish heritage fruit trees, specially chosen for the site, and will include apple, pear and plum.
Each one will have its own protective cage, provided by Edinburgh City Council, and the pupils will learn from a Royal Botanic Gardens representative how best to plant and care for them.
We hope to work on more tree-planting and wilding projects in the future, not just in the parks but in the more built-up parts of our neighbourhood, where urban nature needs some encouragement.
Keep abreast of the latest news on our Greening Page
The Heart of Newhaven Community was assessed by It’s Your Neighbourhood, part of the Keep Scotland Beautiful charity recently, and despite it only being the first year of our association with them, we have scored a Level 3, (out of five) which means we are “advancing”.
The score was helped by having achieved our goal of funding from the Scottish Land Fund to acquire the site, as well as successfully engaging with a variety of local communities and groups. Well done everyone involved. The next level is “thriving” and the top level is “outstanding”. How long will it be?
Forth Reflections
On October 22nd from 2pm – 4 pm we are collaborating with an exhibition in the main entrance to Ocean Terminal called ‘Forth Reflections and Expressions of Wellbeing’. The event is being organised in conjunction with the Edinburgh Wellbeing PACT and the Forth/Edinburgh Shoreline Project.
Conceived during the dark days of winter lockdown this project is the passionate responses of well over a hundred different people to a part of the Forth coast that is special to them.
A long storyline of enmeshed crafted memories and visions of the Forth has emerged, linking the Fife, Edinburgh and East Lothian coasts, biodiversity, people and communities.
Each participant expressed their response to their chosen 1km of coast on a calico square and many people have focused on the coast’s local history and wildlife, its beauty and diversity and the many species and memories that have been and are still being lost. While frustration and anger can be seen in many pieces about marine and intertidal pollution, there is also heartfelt hope for the future.
We hope that as many people as possible will call in and have a chat. Not only will it be an opportunity to talk to us about our plans for the Heart in general but we also want to have conversations about wellbeing and what it means to each of us in our community. As inspiration we will be displaying a selection of the calico squares created by local people.
Call in to see the display and have a chat.
Keep watching our website and social media platforms for the latest news, as we await the move of Victoria Primary School pupils to their new home and the handover of the keys for the site from Edinburgh City Council to the Heart.
Victoria Park & North Edinburgh Cycle Paths Sunday 12th September, 1pm – 6pm
A full afternoon of music outdoors, along and nearby the cycle paths in North Edinburgh. Join us along the trail for any or all of the following events!
See the map for details of where we’ll be playing.
Note: the event & times are dependent on the weather – if it’s dry we’ll be there, if not we may have to cancel.
Victoria Park’s Bowling Greens Consultation Workshop! 
Review of previous proposals
Brainstorming and idea-sharing session
Comprehensive discussion
Confirm your attendance by sending an email to: thrivinggreenspaces@edinburgh.gov.uk.
