Tag: Wester Hailes Library

Recycle your tech for a good cause


Edinburgh residents are being encouraged to hand in their unwanted laptops and other tech to be refurbished & repaired for reuse as well as being passed on to people who suffer who digital poverty.

The Council has partnered with the Edinburgh Remakery, an award-winning social enterprise committed to diverting waste from landfill and promoting a culture of repair and reuse, to help to make this happen.

Three tech donation centres have been set up at the following locations: 

  • 13 Sept – 16 Oct : Central Library
  • 17 Oct – 20 Nov : Wester Hailes Library
  • 21 Nov – 13 Dec : South East Locality Office

So far, the Edinburgh Remakery has helped more than 400 people out of digital poverty by donating tech to them through their Tech Gifting Programme.

Council Leader Cammy Day said: “The idea is to make it as easy as possible for anyone to pass on their unwanted technology instead of throwing it away.

“An estimated 24 million old smartphones are kept as ‘spares’ in homes across the UK in cupboards or drawers so I’d encourage everyone across the city to have a clear out where you can and donate your old phones or other tech items to those on low incomes who really need them.

“This project is also about tackling electronic waste, which is one of the fastest-growing and most polluting waste streams in the UK.”

Chief Executive Officer the Edinburgh Remakery Elaine Brown said: “We are delighted that our tech Donation Boxes will be hosted in the three libraries. 

!The impact your donations will make cannot be underestimated.  Together we can contribute to the city’s ambitious net zero targets, ensure that tech can get a new lease of life and prevent valuable, finite resources going to landfill. 

“In addition, we will be able to give the gift of connectivity to people in our community experiencing digital poverty. Together we can Waste less and Live More!” 

Through their activities, the Edinburgh Remakery estimated that they saved 83,087kg (CO2e) in CO2 emissions in 2022 – equivalent to 100 million smartphones being fully charged, or 1,400 trees grown for 10 years.

What you can donate:

  • Laptops and Macbooks
  • Tablets and iPads
  • Smart phones
  • DSLR cameras
  • General cables
  • Chargers
  • Headphones
  • Routers
  • Smart watches
  • Peripherals, such as keyboards, webcams, and mice.

Further information 

Edinburgh library service selected for pioneering ‘Lend and Mend Hub’ pilot project

Wester Hailes Library has been selected as one of the first in Scotland to host a ‘Lend and Mend Hub’, as part of a trailblazing pilot project helping to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

Managed by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), Wester Hailes Library will build on its current offering to introduce a ‘Lend and Mend Hub’, giving the community free access to repair, reuse, rent and upcycle everyday items, to help keep items in use for longer, rather than them being thrown away.

Funded by The John Lewis Partnership’s £1m Circular Future Fund, the Edinburgh library will join eight other services across Scotland in developing the country’s first circular community hubs, forming a ‘network’ of sustainable ‘Lend and Mend Hubs’ across Scotland:

  • Aberdeen Central Library, Aberdeen
  • Wester Hailes Library, Edinburgh
  • Forfar Library, Forfar
  • South West Library, Inverclyde
  • Kilbirnie Library, Kilbirnie
  • Gorebridge Library, Midlothian
  • Orkney Library & Archive, Orkney
  • A K Bell Library, Perth
  • Girvan Library, South Ayrshire

Five of the services selected to take part in the pilot scheme were announced late last year, and work to source equipment, upgrade the space and train staff to deliver this promising project in these areas is well underway.

It is expected these public libraries – in Aberdeen, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Perth and South Ayrshire – will open their ‘Lend and Mend Hubs’ for public use early this year, with the other four services expected to open later in 2023.

Pamela Tulloch, chief executive of SLIC, said: “The ‘Lend and Mend Hub’ library project has the potential to create a real impact – especially at a time when all of Scotland’s communities are experiencing economic and environmental challenges.

“The introduction of this network will build on the important role our public libraries play, giving people access to resources they might not otherwise have to support responsible consumption and learning – with the added benefit of it being local and free. 

“With all nine public library partners now selected, we can’t wait to see these local library services transform and thrive for the long-term benefit of the communities around them. And with such wide geographical spread and diverse community reach, we believe this pilot project will provide valuable learnings in promoting the urgent need to adopt a more circular way of living and help develop a long-term model for libraries to be a hub of circular economy activities.”

The projects, led by SLIC, follow a co-design approach with all service teams bringing local knowledge and expertise to the delivery to ensure each hub is tailored to community needs.

Upon completion, each hub will also introduce an education programme to support new skills development, helping to reduce inequality through equitable access to resources.

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “I am delighted that Wester Hailes Library will be leading the way on the ‘Lend and Mend Hub’ pilot scheme. I am confident that this scheme will bring great benefits to the local community as we continue to grapple with an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.

“This scheme also does excellent work on reinforcing the circular economy and sustainability in our communities by emphasising the importance of repairing, reusing and upcycling. One of our strategic approaches and principles within our 2030 Climate Strategy is supporting a circular economy across the city.

“I look forward to seeing how this scheme progresses here in Edinburgh and across Scotland.” 

Taking a free COVID test ‘helps keep your community safe’

Residents living close to Wester Hailes Library are being urged to come forward and get a free, rapid COVID test at the temporary community testing centre if they don’t have symptoms of the virus. 

The Asymptomatic Testing Centre (ATC) is open until Sunday 9 May from 9am to 6pm daily and is the second ATC in the Capital, following the first one which operated from Craigmillar Library until 2 May. 

Local resident Sas Martinez popped into Wester Hailes Library for a quick COVID test, to check if he was carrying the virus despite feeling fine. 

Sas said: “I think it’s really important to get tested as you don’t really know if you are a carrier of COVID.  People are unwittingly spreading the virus as they don’t have any symptoms and they don’t know they could be spreading it. 

“If more people get the test they will know for sure they are ok and people who do test positive can self-isolate, which will help stop the spread and keep their families safe – and, in turn, their local community.

“We all want to get back to normal as soon as possible and taking this test will help us achieve that.”

When Sas went to the community testing centre, he also met Council Leader Adam McVey and Depute Leader Cammy Day, who had come along to visit the centre and meet the staff working so hard to help identify symptomless cases in the local community and limit the spread. 

Cllr McVey said: “These community testing centres are vital in keeping the pandemic under control and getting back to something like normality again.

“If we can identify positive cases, even though there may be no symptoms, we can better keep the spread under control and keep people safe.

“It was great to meet Sas and all the staff doing such a great job to run the centre safely and efficiently.”

Cllr Day said: “If we don’t know where all the cases of COVID are, we’re in a much more difficult position when it comes to stopping the virus in its tracks if outbreaks do occur, so it’s really important as many people as possible come forward for a free and very quick test when there’s a community testing centre in their area.

“Hats off to all the centre staff here in Wester Hailes Library, they’re working incredibly hard on such a valuable project.”

Community testing information, including guidance on support available for anyone who has to self-isolate, is available on the council website. 

Asymptomatic testing centres are run in partnership with the Scottish Government. The next ATC in Edinburgh will open at Gilmerton Library from 10 to 16 May.

Residents who do not have any of the three COVID symptoms (a new continuous cough, temperature, loss or change in sense of taste or smell) are encouraged to get tested.

There is no need to book and testing is available from Wester Hailes Library until Sunday 9 May 2021, open 9am to 6pm daily. 

The centre is only for people without symptoms.

Anyone with COVID 19 symptoms should self-isolate and book a test in the usual way via nhsinform.scot or by calling 0800 028 2816.

Residents will be tested using lateral flow devices (LFDs), which can give people their results in around 45 minutes. Any positive cases will then be confirmed by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test.

Anyone who receives a positive LFD or PCR test result will be asked to self isolate. Dedicated support is available to anyone who needs to self isolate, including food packages and financial support.