Tag: workshops

Learn sea survival skills at National Museum of Flight this half term

Families can test their sea survival skills at the National Museum of Flight this half term. Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, special workshops and activities will take place at the museum in East Lothian on 15 & 16 and 22 & 23 October.

Sea Survival will offer visitors the opportunity to get hands-on and discover skills and equipment used by RAF’s Coastal Command.

Outdoor workshops will teach children aged 7 and up how to survive on a desert island, from safely lighting a fire to bushcraft.

Families can also climb aboard a real-life raft in the Concorde Hangar and handle equipment used by the RAF from the Second World War to the modern day, before exploring the historic airfield and hangars filled with fascinating aircraft and interactive displays.

The support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery means that Sea Survival is free with museum admission.

Steve Mclean, General Manager at the National Museum of Flight, said: “We are delighted to offer free family activities this half term, thanks to the generous support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

“We hope our young visitors will enjoy diving into the stories and skills of the RAF’s Coastal Command while exploring everything the National Museum of Flight has to offer.”

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “This Sea Survival event is a fascinating and fun way to learn about the history of the RAF’s Coastal Command.

“We are thrilled that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are supporting this brilliant programme of family activities at the Museum this half term. Player support has enabled many such initiatives. To date, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £900 million for thousands of good causes”

Visitors to the National Museum of Flight this October can also take part in Operation Sabotage, Scotland’s only escape room experience on an historic airfield. Taking place on 29 and 30 October, the experience is suitable for those aged 14 and over.

For more information and to book, visit nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events. 

The Museum is home to Scotland’s only Concorde and visitors can see an example of the iconic Supermarine Spitfire that played such an important role in the Second World War.

The attraction houses the family-friendly Fantastic Flight gallery with its interactive exhibits where visitors can explore the science of aviation and discover how aeroplanes fly.

They are also able to learn about East Fortune’s wartime heritage in the Museum’s Fortunes of War exhibition.

Lauriston Farm Harvest Festival this Saturday

It’s nearly time… our Harvest Festival with @DandelionScot and @northedinarts is next weekend.

Details of the lineup on are our blog https://lauristonfarm.scot/posts/175

See you down on the farm!

#DandelionHarvest

#AnythingGrows

#Dandelion2022

#DandelionScot

#Edinburgh

#NorthEdinburgh

Community Festival is ‘huge success’

The North Edinburgh community came out in force yesterday to enjoy the North Edinburgh Community Festival at West Pilton Park.

More than fifty local organisations contributed to a memorable day of music, food, arts and crafts, entertainment and information.

Local activist Willie Black, who chairs the Festival organising committee, said the hard work involved in staging the event had proved worthwhile.

“Covid has meant that it’s been a long time since our community has been able to have a party so it was great to see local folk coming out in huge numbers to enjoy themselves.

“Today has been a celebration of everything that makes North Edinburgh special and I’d like to thank each and very individual and organisation who contributed so much to making the festival such a huge success.”

More pictures to follow

New Debut Lab launched to support Scottish authors

Nine Edinburgh writers selected for new initiative

Scottish Book Trust has unveiled a new initiative to support writers based in Scotland whose debut, full-length work in poetry, fiction or creative non-fiction was published after December 2019 and impacted by the pandemic. Debut Lab is funded by, and a collaboration with, Creative Scotland.

Delivered remotely through a series of seven live-on-Zoom workshops and a range of additional online resources, Debut Lab will support writers affected by the pandemic during this transitional stage in their careers.

Workshops will include networking, marketing, author events and funding opportunities, and will be led by industry professionals including Mairi Oliver, owner of Lighthouse Bookshop, and writers Maisie Chan and Helen Sedgwick, as well as Creative Scotland’s Literature Team and Scottish Book Trust staff.

Nine writers based in Edinburgh have been selected for Debut Lab, including:

  • Amy B. Moreno, whose debut picture book, A Billion Balloons of Questions (Floris) will be published in June 2022
  • Caron McKinlay, whose debut novel The Storytellers (Bloodhound Books) will be published in May 2022
  • Charlie Roy, whose debut novel The Broken Pane (Leamington Books) was published in 2021
  • Flora Johnston, whose debut novel What You Call Free (Ringwood Publishing) was published in March 2021
  • Helen Boden, whose debut poetry collection A Landscape to Figure In (Red Squirrel Press) was published in November 2021
  • Kirsti Wishart, whose debut novel, The Knitting Station (Rymour Books) was published in March 2021
  • Lauren Pope, whose debut poetry collection, Always Erase (Blue Diode Press) was published in January 2022
  • Niamh Hargan, whose debut novel Twelve Days in May (HarperFiction) will be published in April 2022
  • Ry Herman, whose debut novel Love Bites (Quercus Publishing) was published in July 2020

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “Scottish Book Trust is pleased to support eighteen authors through our new initiative, Debut Lab.

“Being a debut author is daunting enough, but the pandemic and following lockdown made it incredibly difficult for authors to promote their work.

“We hope to shine a light on this fantastic range of books, from children’s novels to collections of poetry. Our thanks to Creative Scotland for making this possible and allowing us to give essential support to this cohort.”

Katalina Watt, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland said: ““Creative Scotland is so pleased to be working with Scottish Book Trust on this vital initiative for debut authors impacted by the pandemic.

“Through a series of live online workshops and additional resources led and facilitated by industry professionals, Debut Lab will highlight the wonderful variety of works and support these authors in the next exciting steps of their author journeys.”

Creative fun at Collective: Easter Holiday Family Events

Collective is now open from Tuesday – Sunday, 10am—5pm

Visit Collective this Easter break to experience a range of creative workshops suitable for children of all ages – from workshops celebrating rainwater in partnership with Edinburgh Science Festival, to drop-in creative sessions exploring our PLAY programme, and a final weekend of activities inspired by our current exhibition H-E-L-L-O by artist Cauleen Smith.

Edinburgh Science Festival: Rain Harvest

9–10 April
11am—12.30pm & 2—3.30pm
£5 | Book in advance

Join in with the 2022 Edinburgh Science Festival and explore the beauty and vitality of rainwater in this hands-on, sensory workshop that blends art, science and play.

> Book Here

Collective PLAY: Drop-in Sessions

11–22 April
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am—4pm
Free | No booking needed

Throughout the Easter holidays, families are warmly invited to drop in to Collective and join us at our Play Shelter and Hillside spaces to take part in a range of art activities related to our year-round Collective Play programme.

Collective PLAY Weekend: Vibrations

23–24 April, 11am—4pm
Free | No booking needed

Join us for a final Easter holiday weekend of free outdoor play and creative activities for children and families, inspired by our current exhibition H-E-L-L-O by Cauleen Smith.

A limited number of quiet slots are available on 23 April for families and children with autism or sensory learning disabilities.

> Find out more

Dynamic Earth helps power the future as Scotland’s Science Centres unite for National Climate Campaign

The National Climate Campaign empowers underserved communities across Scotland with climate change knowledge

Dynamic Earth have delivered a packed programme of events and experiences exploring climate change including the delivery of STEM kits to a local children’s hospital, as part of a National Climate Campaign uniting Scotland’s Science Centres.

The kits, designed for young people, contain a variety of activities and experiments focusing on earth and environmental sciences, with connections to climate change and marine environments.

These boxes give young people the chance to explore connections between ocean depth and pressure, experience augmented reality colouring-in, build their own rope and more, bringing science directly to them wherever they are.

Alongside their STEM kit distribution, Dynamic Earth delivered a series of in-person events and digital programmes reaching over seven thousand people as part of a campaign, building on the legacy of COP26 alongside Scotland’s other science centres.

The centre has been running climate change workshops with community audiences and family learning activities with local primary schools, reaching groups including the Edinburgh Young Carers Project Care for Carers and the Citadel Youth Centre.

Brought together by Glasgow Science Centre, the centres have joined forces to inform, inspire and empower a diverse audience to tackle the climate crisis and ensure the discussion on climate change remains open.

Working together to further climate science education in their communities, the National Climate Campaign saw each centre deliver a coordinated and interactive campaign of over 89 events, reaching over 13,000 members of underserved and underrepresented audiences by the end of March 2022.

The programme strived to make science more relatable and helps learners build up their science skills to understand the world around them.

Elsewhere in Scotland, Glasgow Science Centre have been hosting weekly community visits and film screenings, shining a light on the importance of science in the community and engaging with groups who are unlikely to visit Glasgow Science Centre regularly and can be most affected by climate change and its effect on lifestyle.

In total Glasgow Science Centre have facilitated 16 community group visits this year to the Science Centre, including visitors from Glasgow Disability Alliance, Yorkhill Green Space and African Challenge Scotland.

They have engaged 374 people who may have not visited the centre before, while also offering 3,000 primary school pupils in remote, rural and deprived areas access to their online interactive ‘Learning Labs’.

A highlight from Aberdeen Science Centre’s 20-event programme was last month’s Supper and Science Evening, where families came together to cook an evening meal at Northfield Academy.

While the meal was cooking, Science Centre staff ran a series of climate-themed workshop activities, including one where they recreated an oil spill with feathers and soap, to give the children some hands-on climate science experience.

In Dundee, the team created 150 climate-themed community kits for young people, containing a mini solar-powered windmill as well as other items to show how earth and environmental sciences connect to climate change and marine environments, while also engaging over 1,000 primary school pupils in activities during COP26 Schools Week.

Eilidh Massie, Marketing Director at Dynamic Earth said: “It is so important for people to not only learn about our amazing planet, but also to understand that the Earth’s climate system is something we have taken for granted for too long.

“At Dynamic Earth we’re committed to reminding people, young and old, that we need to act now before the damage is irreversible.

“It has been a fantastic opportunity to work collectively with Scotland’s Science Centres as part of the National Climate Campaign to further these messages.”

Stephen Breslin, CEO of the Glasgow Science Centre said: “We set up the National Climate Campaign to ensure that there is a legacy of climate engagement left behind after COP26.

“We hope that by providing communities across Scotland with our knowledge and resources, we can act as a magnet for climate engagement and help empower young people to make considered decisions and learn what climate change means for them.”

Environment Minister, Mairi McAllan said: “Young people have been among the strongest voices calling for urgent global action to address climate change.

“This campaign will make sure that young people in communities across Scotland continue to play a key role in our journey to becoming a net zero nation, delivering a lasting legacy for COP26, and making their voices heard loud and clear.”

For more information on the National Climate Campaign and Scottish Science Centre’s climate change education programming visit:

https://www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/discover/our-world-our-impact

CUTE workshops: Cultural heritage at the edge in Granton

Granton:hub is taking part in an exciting European funded research project on the evolving heritages of Edinburgh’s shifting coastline. 

A group of Edinburgh College of Art academics and their students would like to meet with the Granton community young and old, to reflect on the following themes / questions:

  1. What is the wider geographical context of the Granton area?
  2. How has the area evolved over time, physically, socially, and economically?
  3. Who governs cultural heritage in Granton, and how?
  4. How have local groups and stakeholders developed a sense of the heritage value of Granton?

We would like to invite you to discuss these themes, through interviews, either over Zoom, by phone or in person. Each slot will take around 30-45 minutes but this is flexible. Activities will take place on 3 separate days.

On the final day (Friday) the researchers will present a summary of their findings in the Hub and invite discussion on the future of cultural heritage in Granton. This event will give a chance to chat over a cup of tea/coffee and view the posters that the ECA studenst will have made.

To take part, please book the relevant day(s) on Evenbrite. A researcher from ECA will contact you to arrange a suitable time slot. 

All in-person meetings and the Friday event will follow current government COVID guidelines.

After the event, ECA will produce a document outlining their findings, for presentation at Una Europe, hosted by Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne. Your input would therefore shape a collaborative generated dossier of information about Granton to be presented at European level.

If you have any questions please contact artingranton@grantonhub.org

Address: Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1HS

Madelvic House is just off the cycle path, has a dedicated car park and is a 2 minute walk from the number 19, 16 and 200 bus stop.

Image credit: Ed Hollis

Edinburgh women to Flourish in jewellery design

Funded by Creative Scotland, The Flourish Jewellery Project is an exciting craft jewellery project. Working in partnership with North Edinburgh Arts and Four-Square’s Womanzone, Jewellery Artists, Lisa Arnott and Jessica Howarth have enabled women who are recovering from trauma from domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, social isolation, and economic hardship to develop new skills in jewellery design and making.

Working with a variety of organisations who support women, Lisa and Jessica created a series of outreach jewellery sessions introducing and enabling the women to make rings, pendants and bangles from silver. For these participants, being part of this project has provided a space for them to dare to dream and have a moment in their week where their creativity is realised.

From the outreach session, 12 women then went on to engage with the project on more intensive weekly jewellery and metalwork sessions. During this time, they learnt the foundations of metal and jewellery work which included saw piercing, soldering, texturing and shaping metal.

Despite the various challenges the women experienced, the project has provided materials, travel and childcare alongside safe and high-quality jewellery workshops.

Having never made any jewellery out of metal at the start of the project, the women from the Flourish Jewellery Project have now produced a small collection of silver jewellery which will be on display at the project’s exhibition, which takes place from 22nd until the 25th January at Custom House in Leith.

The exhibition, which is sponsored by fine jeweller, Hamilton & Inches, with support from the Scottish Goldsmith Trust and Scottish Historic Building Trust, will display beautifully handcrafted items.

Lisa Arnott (above) and Jessica Howarth said: “We were both delighted to have received funding from Creative Scotland for the Flourish Jewellery Project.

“By working in partnership with Foursquare’s, Womenzone project and North Edinburgh Arts in Muirhouse we have been providing jewellery making opportunities for women from across the city.

“This project has enabled women who have experienced trauma, social isolation and/or economic challenges to develop traditional jewellery making skills.”

A Flourish participant said: “The Flourish Jewellery Project has made me find myself. I’m shocked at who I was when I first started coming as to who I am now”.

Earlier this Autumn the Flourish Jewellery Project was featured at The New York Jewellery Week 2021’s the ‘Power of Jewellery’ and was shortlisted for a Creative Edinburgh Award for Best in Collaboration. 

Lisa and Jess (above) have also taken part in research undertaken by University College London and Birmingham City University and collaborated with a host of local artists and designers.

This has included Professor Sandra Wilson from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, furniture designer Colin Parker, web designers Erin Smith and Zena Walczynska, illustrations by Kinship Press, Photographer Shannon Tofts and Media Scotland who are co-producing a film reflecting the women’s experience of the project.

The project is now becoming a community interest company and has secured further funding to enable six women to continue to develop their jewellery training further.

Croft Coorie-in all set for Saint Andrew’s special!

Get your dancing shoes ready! 💃🏼

We’re very excited for our next Croft Coorie-in which will take place on November 27th at Leith Community Croft ✨

From 11am we will have flea market stalls, (email greta@earth-in-common.org for a stall), a whittling workshop (sign up: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/introduction-to…), as well as a crafting corner ✂️

From 3pm we will have a Ceilidh with wonderful ‘Flaming Nora’ 🎶🎻 – we can’t wait to have a boogie together, so make sure to save the date!