Victoria Primary School – The NEN

Newhaven mural celebrates restoration project

A visual legacy celebrating a project aimed at restoring seagrass and oysters to the Firth of Forth has been unveiled.

The mural in the grounds of the Heart of Newhaven Community Centre celebrates the innovative Restoration Forth initiative which aims to bring back seagrass meadows and European flat oysters to the waterway.

Edinburgh based mural artist and illustrator Natasha Russell was commissioned by the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh to bring to life the restoration activities across the Forth.

Local residents, alongside pupils from Victoria Primary School, attended workshops to explore what the themes and design of the artwork would be.

Artist Natasha Russell said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with the local community and Restoration Forth, RBGE and Heart of Newhaven in order to design this mural.

“Through creating the artwork we wanted to celebrate and help to spark interest in the return of oysters to the Firth of Forth and the ways that they can benefit local communities once again by enhancing water quality and supporting biodiversity. The mural also looks to capture the story of how the oysters in the Forth used to support fishing communities in Newhaven and highlights how our relationship with this species has changed over time.

“Through painting the mural at the Heart of Newhaven we hope to support the lively environment of this community space and to make an artwork that is accessible to the wide range of people who pass this wall.”

Workshop participant Beth Cockerline said: “It was so lovely to come together to discuss the mural , the local community and learn about the beauty and importance of the oysters.

“I’ve been telling everyone how cool and vital they are.”

Workshop participant Lucy Neville said: “I have loved the opportunity to be involved in the mural workshops. The Forth was once such a biodiverse estuary filled with life that supported us communities.

“Volunteering with Restoration Forth has given me the faith that it can be that way again. And the mural will be a daily reminder of our history, present and potential future, as a community that is part of the river and sea.”

Heart of Newhaven is a community hub for the Restoration Forth project, aiming to engage local people with efforts to restore and enhance the Firth of Forth.

Judy Crabb, Chair of Heart of Newhaven said: “It is a great privilege for us to be the location for a beautiful mural that represents such an important part of the heritage of this area. We can’t wait to share it with everyone that visits the Heart for years to come.”

The oyster beds around the Firth of Forth were some of the most famous in Scotland over the 17th and 18th centuries. Oysters were significant for jobs, the economy and diet in the local Newhaven and Leith areas.

The ‘Newhaven Fishwives’ would sell oysters around Edinburgh and were a prominent part of the community. Some records show that nearly 30 million oysters were fished from the Firth of Forth annually. Unfortunately, overfishing and industrial development led to the local extinction of oysters in the area.

We now understand a lot more about the benefits of oysters within an ecosystem. Where there are oyster reefs, you can also find juvenile fish, crabs, sea snails, sponges and more! By reintroducing European flat oysters to the Firth of Forth, we’re creating a sanctuary for a vast array of marine life. Recent research suggests that by restoring healthy oyster beds, biodiversity could potentially double over a 10-year period.

Restoration Forth was recently announced as a finalist at the Nature of Scotland Awards.

The aim of Restoration Forth, a partnership with communities and organisations, is to restore 4 hectares of seagrass meadows and European flat oyster beds in the Firth of Forth. Partners delivering Restoration Forth include WWF, Edinburgh Shoreline, Fife Coast & Countryside Trust, Heriot Watt University, Marine Conservation Society, Project Seagrass, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scottish Seabird Centre, The Ecology Centre, and The Heart of Newhaven Community.

This three-year programme has been made possible by funding from Aviva, the Moondance Foundation, the ScottishPower Foundation, and Sky; this project is also supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, facilitated by the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund, and managed by NatureScot.

PICTURE: ANDREW PERRY

Victoria Primary School Head Teacher Rhian Chapman cuts the ribbon with some of the pupils that were involved in the mural design workshops

Heart of Newhaven’s New Year newsletter

Welcome to your New Year newsletter

It’s a new year and we hope you’re all raring to go. If you’ve made resolutions, we hope you stick to them!

HoNC certainly intends to. We won the right to purchase the building. We’ve been awarded enough funds from the Scottish Land Fund to pay for it. We have a business plan. We have architects. We have lawyers. We have volunteers at the ready.
What we need now are the keys and then it’s all hands on deck.

“So when will that be?” you ask.

Many of you have no doubt seen that the pupils and staff of Victoria Primary School have now moved into their new building and may be wondering when HoNC will be moving in to the old one.

Well the fact is that it probably won’t be until well into March. There are still formalities to be completed and final contracts to be signed, but the HoNC board is on the case and we’re hoping that there will be no hiccups before we can get started on the real work on the ground.

With the onset of Omicron some of our interim projects about which you might have been expecting news, had to be postponed, but they’re waiting in the wings for the right moment to get going again.

We’ll bring you news about them as soon as we have it.

In the meantime, sign up for free membership if you haven’t already done so, which will give you the right to have your say at the next AGM, (if you live in the area of benefit). Or sign up as a volunteer and offer your skills to the community.

Once we have the keys, we will need all sorts of practical help to get the Heart fit for purpose and operating the way the community would like to see.

We’ll need helping hands to clear any old school “rubbish” left behind, more to clean and paint, and repair and all sorts of things, so get ready.

We’ll be calling on you soon!

Heart of Newhaven update

Welcome to your November Newsletter

For those of you expecting to hear more about the Friendship Benches project, and perhaps even see some of the finished benches, prepare to be disappointed. Bad weather on the chosen weekend meant the decorating work could not go ahead outside as planned and has had to be postponed.

We’ll keep you updated on a revised timetable and let you know when the results can be seen.

Talking of delays, yet more problems with getting the new Victoria Primary School building ready for pupils, has meant that the earliest the Heart can expect to be in possession of the keys to the old site is now January 2022. We will of course update you when we have a more concrete timeline to share.

In the meantime however, time does not stand still. There is always work going on behind the scenes with the Trustees and volunteers, and new Working Groups are being formed to help make the transition from community vision to community reality.

These groups will be dealing with practical working arrangements for the site, community projects, and communications and marketing. If you would like to help out in any way, please use the Volunteering page on the website to get in touch.

Projects of course are always underway, despite Covid, especially as we ease out of full lockdown.

We recently collaborated with an exhibition entitled Forth Reflections, which was held in Ocean Terminal. Collaborators were Edinburgh Wellbeing PACT and the Forth/Edinburgh Shoreline Project.

This was an exhibition of crafted calico squares made by local residents, who used the squares to highlight a particular stretch of the Forth coast that meant something special to them.

They were used creatively to highlight concerns about pollution but also to illustrate the importance of living near water and how it helps individual well-being. On hand to talk to visitors were some of the Heart’s Trustees and collaborators, who discussed what well-being, one of the Heart’s main community objectives, means and how it can be improved.

Here’s what some of the visitors said:

“Living near the sea, walking, wandering with that Scottish sea breeze, gives me life and energy and reminds me to breathe.”

“I love to look at the ocean because you can lose yourself there.”

“Such pleasure taken in lockdown walking by the sparkling sea, such sadness at the pollution.”

There was more support also, for the Heart of Newhaven Community project as a whole:

“I think the Heart of Newhaven is a very good idea for people to have somewhere to go after we have all been in isolation for so long and it will be very positive to move on.”

“There is a great need of places to go that are suitable for people with disabilities. During lockdown there was nowhere to go and it’s taking time for people to feel comfortable about going out again.”

“The Newhaven area needs a community centre – there is nothing like that here.”

It is exciting to be able to report that the Heart is one of six designated community hubs along the banks of the Forth chosen to host exhibitions and activities associated with the wider Restoration Forth programme.

Restoration Forth has obtained a substantial grant for the many facets it involves, including the restoration of seagrass beds which provide the right habitat for, among other things, the oysters that used to be so plentiful in the Firth.

You can read more about the project and the new funding here:

Seagrass meadows and oysters being restored in major Firth of Forth marine restoration project

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald-1130/20211027/281797107205661

Heart of Newhaven Community is happy to be actively collaborating with such exciting initiatives and even more will be taking place once we’re in our new home.

Remember as ever, to check the Heart of Newhaven Community website and social media for any updates or news.

Heart of Newhaven: September newsletter

Welcome to your September Newsletter
(And this is mostly a pictorial one)

As you must know by now, the Heart will be all about “inter-generational” activities and what better way to explain this than by this photo: 99 year old David Flucker a former pupil at Victoria Primary School, and two current pupils Uma and Aubrée, chatting about what school was or is like for them.

The meeting took place in front of STV cameras as the news team filmed a piece on what we’re all about.

Two of our trustees and one of our volunteers also spoke to camera and while we don’t yet know when it will be aired, we’re hopeful it will be soon.

The next photo comes from our Thank-You event, held outdoors in the school playground.

The aim was for volunteers who have contributed to our journey so far, to meet each other and the trustees, given that most communication for them has been online up until now. Volunteers Lesley, Anna, and Simon provided the food and drink and a good time was had by all.

Most really appreciated the opportunity to finally meet face to face and enjoy a blether in the sunshine.

Pictured is Lesley with her magnificent thank-you cake.

Now, check out a new page of the website, It will be all about the environment and especially what we can do to improve it.

Take a look at this example: an unloved carpark area which could be transformed by the addition of a few plants and a bench, where people could meet and chat together in pleasant surroundings instead of hurrying away as fast as possible.

So head to the new page and then you can contact our “environment champion” with your own ideas.

A final photo:

Join Victoria Primary School and celebrate an inclusive community art initiative. It is planned to highlight the school’s important link to the cultural heritage of Newhaven as a fishing village and is to mark the move to the new building.

The school is seeking help in the form of cutting out wooden fish that are to be decorated before they are returned to school to be placed on permanent display.

Please contact Mrs Hilary Gorrie, Depute Head Teacher, at hilary.gorrie@victoria.sch.uk if you are able to offer carpentry support.

Finally, The Heart of Newhaven Community Board was thrilled to receive a letter of congratulations from local MP Deirdre Brock, expressing her pleasure at the Scottish Land Fund news and wishing the project every success. It’s nice to be appreciated!

Coming up next month: decoration and placement of the Friendship Benches and an exciting new collaborative event to be held in Ocean Terminal

Bright future for Victoria Primary School as community hub at the Heart of Newhaven

The community of Newhaven is celebrating this week after the Scottish Land Fund announced that it was awarding an exciting new community-led project the funds to purchase an old Victorian school and turn it into a vibrant new community hub.

The Heart of Newhaven Community, (HoNC) a recently-formed local charity, can now go ahead with the purchase of Victoria Primary School, currently the oldest working primary school in Edinburgh but due to move to new premises in the autumn.

The charity had previously won the right to purchase the building from the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) under the Community Asset Transfer scheme, on the back of its “robust business plan”, but plans were delayed as Covid hit the construction works at the new school.

The award of £792,000 in the latest round of SLF grants will now enable the purchase to go ahead although the buildings themselves will not be available until the pupils move.

The local community has been the prime mover in the whole project, ever since it was announced that the school would be relocating.

Public meetings and consultations were held to find out what could be done with the site, a Newhaven landmark since 1844, and it was decided that as the area had no central focal point, the buildings could be converted into just such a hub, serving the needs of the community while also saving the iconic building from conversion into flats or even demolition.

Following the first public meetings, a steering group of local volunteers was set up and this eventually converted into the board of HoNC, the Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SC049919) in February 2020. They were responsible for the application to CEC, the business plan, and all the other necessary documents and applications, including that to the SLF.

HoNC Chairman, Rodney Matthews was delighted when the news of the funding was announced. “This news is even better than we hoped at the time of our original application long before the set-backs we have experienced over the past 18 months,” he said.

“We have been granted a total of £792,000 which will cover the purchase price agreed with CEC and help cover some initial developmental costs.

“This will enable us to sign a contract with the City of Edinburgh Council to give us vacant possession of the site as soon as the children have moved into their new school in Western Harbour. While that date is still unknown we are now able to move confidently forward with plans for what can now safely be called The Heart.

“Watch this space will now really apply to a much loved icon of Newhaven,” he added.

The Gothic style listed building includes a relatively unchanged interior including original dado panelling, cast iron banisters and stone stairs and a double height hall, but the playground contains a modern, purpose-built addition in the form of the Anchor Building which opened in 2014 after the exciting discovery under the playground of the skeleton of someone who may have been a 16th century pirate.

The new community hub will provide much needed pre-school childcare facilities, work spaces for local artists, a heritage suite and various rooms for the use of community groups.

The threefold theme of Culture & Heritage and Learning & Enterprise uniting in contributing to Health & Wellbeing, aims to encourage various local partnership organisations and other charities to collaborate together on projects and activities which will create a safe centre for all generations to enjoy the space together.

During lockdown and while awaiting the SLF decision, the charity has moved forward with various community projects.

“Partnership working and collaboration with other local organisations is a critical element of our approach,” says Project Coordinator Judy Crabb.

“We have already started to build important relationships with like-minded organisations through a series of small intergenerational projects including working with Mens Shed of Leith, Pilmeny Development Project, and local artist Johnathan Elders to create Friendship Benches to go in the grounds of the Heart.

“Other initiatives include Pots of Newhaven kindness – pots sown with seeds to produce edible plants given by children from Victoria Primary School to local, housebound older people.”

As part of their campaign, the charity held a Crowdfunding appeal earlier this year and raised their initial target of £5,000 (match-funding for architect-led community workshops to decide the use of the various spaces within the buildings on the site,) in only three weeks.

“This is a brilliant project that will deliver huge community benefits. It’s well thought-out and is being impressively well-organised,” said one anonymous donor.

heartofnewhaven.co.uk

Victoria Primary School history

(Taken from the school’s centenary pamphlet issued in 1944)

At an unknown date before 1800, a schoolmaster was employed by the Ancient Society of Free Fishermen to educate the boys of Newhaven. They met in a house belonging to this society. There was a weekly fee for each pupil, but orphans could attend for free.

In 1822 the Rev. Dr. Ireland (minister of North Leith Parish Church) formed a committee which became known as the Hillhousefield, Bonnington and Newhaven Local Sabbath Evening School Society. They were keen to promote religious instruction amongst children and made efforts to include girls in this as well as boys.

Not everyone in the area could afford the Free Fishermen’s fee-paying school and the illiteracy of the local children was problematic when it came time to employ them, so the Sabbath Evening School Society decided to open a Day School for boys, located in Newhaven. In 1823, the Free Fishermen handed the management of their school over to them, and the Sabbath Evening School Society changed their name to the Newhaven Education Society.

Within a year they had extended their school to accept girls and then infants. A Ladies’ Committee formed to oversee the running of these schools, but it soon merged with the main society.

In 1844, the Newhaven Education Society (then headed by Rev. Dr. Buchanan of North Leith) secured the feu of the ground where Victoria School was built. The original building was small and could not accommodate all of Newhaven’s children, and so four other schools sprang up in the area. Over the years Victoria School was extended until it could cater for all the children, and these other schools closed.

Victoria School, now known as Victoria Primary School, is Edinburgh’s oldest working school. The original building was built in 1844 and was extended in 1866, 1875, 1884 and 1897. The first headmaster was Alexander Ingram (1844 until 1876).

As well as being a school, it was used as a church for older parishioners who couldn’t walk as far as the North Leith Parish Church every week and was also used as a Sunday School. When its management was taken over by the Leith School Board in 1874 (Newhaven was part of the Burgh of Leith at this point), one of the conditions attached was that it would remain in service as a church.

N.B. (Not in the original pamphlet) – The school was in fact used as a church, as mentioned above, in much more recent times. When Newhaven Church on Craighhall Road was being redeveloped between 2004 and 2006 and the congregation was not able to use the buildings, Sunday morning worship took place regularly in the school.

Heart of Newhaven newsletter

Welcome to your (slightly early) August Newsletter

And it’s good news all the way.

As some of you may already have heard or read, the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) decision has been announced and we are happy to report that we have secured even more than we had hoped for.

We have been awarded the full cost of the agreed purchase price of the site from the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC), £700,000, and on top of that, we have also been given a further sum to help with some of the start-up costs.

The total amount awarded is £792,000.

First of all, the Board of Trustees would like to convey their thanks to all the volunteers and supporters who have helped us come this far. The community has led this project from the start and will continue to do so. However the hard work is really just beginning. Your support and help will be even more necessary as we move forward.

Here’s what our chairman Rodney Matthews has to say:

“The site of Victoria Primary School IS going to be the Heart of Newhaven Community.

“This time last year the City of Edinburgh Councilapproved our request to take over the school and reduced the valuation price by £85,000 because of what we’ve promised to do, especially for the very young, the elderly, isolated and most vulnerable. Provided we could pay them£700,000, they would sell the site to the community.

“The Scottish Land Fund (SLF) has just given us that whole amount – and more!

“This SLF was set up by the Scottish Governmentto help charities just like ours working to improve local communities in the ways we have set out for the site, in order for it to become a vibrant hub of activity of people of all generations working and playing together; as we have often said, ‘the beating Heart of Newhaven’.

“All approved. We are now poised to sign two contracts: one with the SLFand the other with the Councilfor vacant possession of the site on a date yet to be announced, dependent on the completion of building works across the road. When we do get the keys, there will be much work to be done to get the building safe and ready for use, so bear with us. We will go as fast as we safely can.

“There will be plenty of exciting things to share to take us on through the challenge of the months ahead right through the inevitably unknown autumn and winter to come and into the spring of 2022 – when you will really begin to see things happen.”

Get more involved

The Board is looking for three new trustees to bring some new blood into the mix. If you live in the area and would like to become more involved, please check our new web page – Trustees

In the meantime …

Friendship Benches

Men’s Shed have finalised the design and size of the benches and are now completing jigs to help with the construction. As covid restrictions are slowly being relaxed more men are attending and therefore the work rate will increase. They are hoping that all will be ready by early September. Then the fun part will begin as local youngsters are called on to help decorate them.

So come with us into the future … it’s looking bright!

A beating Heart for Newhaven!

£792,000 for Victoria Primary School community project

A primary school in Newhaven, which was about to fall empty, is set for a new role at the centre of the community following an award £792,000 from the Scottish Land Fund.

On hearing news of its successful application, Rodney Matthews, Chair, Heart of Newhaven Community, said: “This grant will cover the purchase price of the property and help with initial development costs.

“While the date when the children will move into their new school in Western Harbour is not yet known, we are now able to move forward confidently with our plans for what is a much-loved icon of Newhaven.”

In the project’s latest newletter, released this morning, The Chair told Heart of Newhaven supporters: “The site of Victoria Primary School IS going to be the Heart of Newhaven Community!

“This time last year the City of Edinburgh Council approved our request to take over the school and reduced the valuation price by £85,000 because of what we’ve promised to do, especially for the very young, the elderly, isolated and most vulnerable. Provided we could pay them£700,000, they would sell the site to the community.

“The Scottish Land Fund (SLF) has just given us that whole amount – and more!

The Heart of Newhaven funding announcement – and welcome news for three further community projects – was made yesterday (29 July) by Environment and Land Reform Minister, Mairi McAllan (below), while visiting EATS Rosyth.

Last November EATS Rosyth received £284,500 from the Scottish Land Fund in order to purchase a disused Clydesdale Bank Building in order to relocate and expand its community activities around cooking and food.

Ms McAllan said: “Communities across Scotland are achieving great things with support from the Scottish Land Fund. These awards will be a boost to the four communities who’ve worked so hard to keep their projects going through all the challenges of the last year.

“Visiting the Rosyth Community Garden and Orchard has shown the value of placing ownership and decision-making in the hands of local communities.

“By relocating the community hub to the new premises acquired through the Scottish Land Fund, EATS Rosyth aim to expand their existing services and offer a suite of new activities aimed at growing and sharing food, reducing waste, helping the environment, and improving food education.

“These projects will make a big contribution to their communities, to local resilience and recovery.”

Stephen Lynas, Chairman of EATS Rosyth said: “We’re grateful to the Scottish Land Fund for their assistance in helping us purchase the building. Following a successful round of fundraising and getting in place the various consents required, we will be starting the renovation works for our new hub premises in the very near future.

“We’re looking forward to providing a brand-new community facility that will give us with a fantastic platform to grow our services and support our local community in Rosyth and Southwest Fife.”

Other projects benefiting during the current round of funding include Forgan Art Centre, which has been given £292,800 to buy the Leng Home, a disused care home in Newport on Tay and turn it into a space for social and economic activities and to increase social interaction.

Forgan Art Centre Chairperson, Gillian Burch, said: “The management team at Forgan are really delighted that we have secured the funding to buy the Leng Home and take the Forgan Arts Centre forwards onto the next phase of its journey.

“The continued support from our local community, who want to see the Leng Home kept for community use, has encouraged us to keep going and we now look forward to expanding the Forgan Arts Centre in its new home.”

Carluke Development Trust has been awarded £112,000 to buy a two-storey house adjacent to Carluke High Mill, which the Trust already owns. This will allow it to continue its project to reduce dereliction and promote regeneration in the town.

Bill Anderson, Carluke Development Trust, said: “We are delighted to receive support from the Scottish Land Fund for the acquisition of the former Millers House that sits within the Carluke High Mill and ONECarluke Community Growing & Learning Garden site.

“The acquisition of the house will complete the community ownership of the whole site and allow the project to create a larger Community HUB and move into an even more exciting period of delivery and further development.”

And Edinbane Community Company on Skye has been given £135,000 with which to buy three serviced building plots on which it plans to erect six affordable homes that will be rented to the community.

Alistair Danter, Chair, Edinbane Community Company, said: “This is great news for the community who have been working for over three years to tackle the lack of affordable housing in Edinbane.

“We are immensely grateful to the Scottish Land Fund for its support of our community initiative, and we look forward to working with the private developer SLL to deliver six new affordable homes in 2023.”

The new Chair of the Scottish Land Fund, Cara Gillespie, said: “We are delighted to make these awards, the first for our new Committee.

“It is a privilege to support communities with their efforts to improve where they live. These awards will make a positive difference, strengthening communities and empowering local people.”

The Scottish Land Fund is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership by The National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Sandra Holmes, Head of Community Assets at HIE, said: “It’s great to see more dynamic communities taking control of resources for the long-term benefit of their local areas and people.

Having greater control over such assets will help ensure their long-term future. I am delighted we have been able to provide Scottish Land Fund support and wish all the groups the very best in their new ventures.”

Heart of Newhaven: Past, Present and Future

Welcome to your July Newsletter. This is a newsletter about past, present and future.

First: the past.

We have been receiving plenty of positive feedback from the Pots of Kindness project. If you remember, this involved pupils from Victoria Primary School potting up edible flowers, herbs and vegetables and distributing them to some of the isolated or elderly members of the community, whose details were supplied by the Pilmeny Development Project (PDP). Recipients have been responding.

“What a lovely idea. It is so nice to be part of this initiative. As you know I am housebound, so it is great that I can still be part of the community while being at home. I loved the beautiful letter I received from the pupil – what a fantastic idea. Thank you,” said one.

Mary from PDP received a phone call once one pack was delivered

“Thank you so much for the plant and letter – I absolutely love it. I am delighted with the wee package and the letter from the pupil was adorable. And the man who delivered the package was really friendly – thank you”.

A few weeks later, the same recipient rang Mary to say “My plant has started sprouting – I have it on my window sill and I check it everyday. It was great getting the instructions on how to help the plant grow. I really am delighted to be part of this project – thank you”.

“My spinach has started to grow – I love Spinach and I think I might be like Popeye after this. The letter from the pupil was so sweet – thank you,” said another.

We’re glad it has proved so welcome.

The Present

Our partners at the PDP are organising more volunteer induction sessions so if you would like to get involved, make a note of this date: Saturday 7th August at 11am on Zoom, when you can find out about the different volunteering opportunities available within PDP. Expectations, boundaries and confidentiality will be among the topics for discussion.

Similarly, you can join in the HoNC/ PDP Newhaven Virtual Coffee Group for those living in or around Newhaven on either Mon 19th July at 4pm or Mon 16th Aug at 4pm, both on Zoom.

If you are interested in these events then please contact Norma by Email

Still in the present:

We’re thrilled to tell you that the University of Edinburgh student social media team has included HoNC in the most recent episode of their popular podcast’s third series

The Broadcast is The Broad Online’s podcast and aims to bring local community initiatives to its listeners’ attention. HoNC trustee Judy Crabb and Head of Victoria Primary School Laura Thomson were engaged in discussion on the creation of our intergenerational community centre in the old school in the latest recording.

Lauren Galligan and Jack Liddall were the co-hosts and interviewers. She is the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The Broad Online. Jack is the Secretary of The Broad and a volunteer with HoNC.

The podcast will shortly be available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Podbean. We will share a link to the podcast on the Heart’s social media and website as soon as it is available.

Future

Now on to the future. The Men’s Shed members have been busy at work on our Friendship Benches, which we aim to have ready for Mental Health Day in October. We will be organising painting and decorating days with local artist Johnathan Elders over the summer holidays, so watch this space.

In the immediate future, we await the decision from the Scottish Land Fund on our application for the funds required to make good our promise to buy the school site.

We will pass on the news as soon as we can.

Keep your fingers crossed!

News from Heart of Newhaven

Welcome to your June Newsletter, which seems to be mostly about money.

While we wait for the decision on our Scottish Land Fund application for the necessary funds to buy the Victoria School site, expected now in July, the board has been busy organising and collaborating on various projects, all of which have secured much-needed funding.

Architect-led community workshops

Top of the list comes the £8,000 grant from the Lottery Fund’s Awards for All. This is contributing to the architect-led community workshops which we hope to announce later in the summer. These aim to bring community users together with our chosen architects to discuss how to use the building flexibly for the benefit of all. Planning Aid Scotland will be facilitating the workshops to ensure that this helps create a truly effective, multi-generational and age-friendly environment that meets the needs of the community.

It is heartening to know that the National Lottery looks favourably on our project, as shown by the comment from the National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still.

“In these unprecedented times,” she says, “it’s heartening to see the way Scottish communities are coming together to provide each other with support. I would like to congratulate the Heart of Newhaven Community on their award which is testament to the incredible efforts of their staff and volunteers. National Lottery players can be proud to know that the money they raise is making such a difference.”

Pots of Newhaven Kindness

Another project to benefit from funding, this time £150 from Food for Life, is the Pots of Newhaven Kindness, run in collaboration with Victoria Primary school and Pilmeny Development Project.

Once again, it is all about bringing the generations together, with children sowing and decorating pots with edible plants and flowers and then gifting them to the elderly. The project aims not only to teach youngsters where food comes from but also to create lasting relationships between them and the elderly or isolated within the community.

30 pots were created with the children paired up with the recipients, half going out to elderly residents within the Newhaven community and the other half remaining with the children at Victoria Primary School. Once the Heart is established, it is hoped to arrange regular, celebratory get-togethers between the children and the recipients, all around the theme of food.

Mental Health Awareness Day

Finally, there has been another award, this time for £500 from Edinburgh’s Thrive Arts Programme, to go towards the Heart’s contribution to Mental Health awareness. This once again will be an inter-generational project, in collaboration with Men of Leith’s Shed, Pilmeny Development Project and local artist Johnathan Elders.

Friendship benches will be designed and created with help from the Men’s Shed while Johnathan will help local children draw up designs to decorate them. The finished products will be ready by World Mental Health Day in October and placed in the school playground.

Men’s shed find actively working in the local community improves men’s mental health. Older people have lost confidence in going out of their homes. Younger people have also struggled with isolation from friends and those of all ages outside restricted ‘bubbles’.

The benches will be safe places to talk to each other and they will remain as a lasting legacy to be enjoyed over the years to come by people of all generations visiting The Heart.

Does money make the world go round? Well it certainly helps!

Remember to keep updated between newsletters by visiting our website and various social media platforms and remember you can aways get in touch with the board if you have ideas to suggest or help you can offer.

Gie’s a hand … on Burns Night

Here’s a hand, my trusty fiere and gie’s a hand o’ thine …

What would Rabbie Burns have made of our digital age? He would probably have loved it. He was a philosopher and a rebel and as a man of humble origins living during the Enlightenment, he would surely have dived right in.

So as we celebrate the birth of our national poet let’s celebrate our digital age as well. We’d like to ask you to “gie’s a hand” in our digital appeal.

DIGITAL RESOURCES APPEAL

Home learning can be an issue for those who do not have access to technology, especially during the unprecedented times we are all living through.

Can you help make significant change in your community?

If you have a laptop, mobile, tablet or any other device that could help us in our mission to help people, we would love to hear from you!

Many local schools are struggling to support families with home learning and children within our community are the future and our hope. They are our next generation of essential workers: doctors, teachers, politicians, engineers, and retail workers.

Victoria Primary School would be grateful for at least ten additional devices to help tackle these issues and to make sure those in disadvantaged situations are not punished long-term for a situation that is not their fault.

We will arrange safe collection of devices and have them cleaned and refurbished if necessary. After which, the school will distribute accordingly.

As you will understand, due to the current situation, we need to act as soon as possible.

If you can assist, we wholeheartedly appreciate any help you can provide at this time.

So “gies’ a hand”, and as you celebrate Rabbie Burns’ birthday, remember to play and watch our online Heart of Newhaven choir sing Auld Lang Syne.

https://youtu.be/yO6XITf5-kk

DIGITAL RESOURCES APPEAL