Broomhouse Centre presents Crescent Kitchen

Crescent Kitchen is a social enterprise launched in March 2010 by The Broomhouse Centre.

Crescent Kitchen offers a range of services including:

• café service
• training opportunities and courses in catering
• team building cook off challenge
• special Events
• outside catering service

Our café service caters for the local community and the other centre projects. The café is open Monday to Friday 9am to 2.30pm and offers a breakfast and lunch menu to the local people. The Café was also awarded the Healthy Living Award in 2009.

The training opportunities we provide are in catering to vulnerable adults with learning difficulties, mental health issues, prisoners, long-term unemployed and students. The trainees complete The Skills Accreditation Programme – a six month training programme accredited through Borders College. The trainees gain qualifications in food hygiene, bakery skills, cooking skills, customer service and cash handling. In addition to this, the Café Training Project works in partnership with CLAN Edinburgh to deliver adult literacy and numeracy skills to the trainees and people within the local community.

The food and health courses we run are for local groups and organisations. The courses we offer include:

• REHIS Elementary Food Hygiene
• REHIS Food and Health
• The Sessional Activity Award – a six hour course accredited through Borders College includes making soups, cooking skills, bread making, baking sessions, health and safety and food hygiene awareness
• The Children’s Healthy Cooking Club - aimed at 7 to 11 years olds to help and encourage healthy eating habits.

As well as all this we are part of the Edinburgh Food and Health Training Hub. The hub was established for people who experience health inequalities to enable them to manage a budget, cook healthy food, enhance their confidence, improve their self esteem, gain knowledge of basic nutrition and increase their levels of social contact. We are one of the training providers that are part of the consortium and we are the satellite for the South West.

Our team building day is designed for groups of 10 to 14 people. The group is split into two teams and each team will choose a specific culinary theme and are given a limited amount of time to produce a three course meal for the opposing team.

The special events we organise are for local groups and the wider community. We can offer room hire for events including meetings, training days and kids parties. Annually we organise and host a burns suppers for The Broomhouse Residents Association.

Our outside catering service caters for Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. We offer a wide selection of platters and buffets and can cater for various events including meetings, training days and parties.

For more information about any of the services we offer please contact Crescent Kitchen on 0131 455 7731.

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All neighbourhoods

Are you worried about someone’s drinking behaviour?

A series of courses is being offered through a partnership between Lothian Alcohol Problems Service and VOCAL Family Support Service. Open to family members or friends who are concerned about the drinking behaviour of someone else.

The next course will be run on 3 consecutive Wednesday evenings - 22 September, 29 September and 6 October - from 6.30pm to 8pm at the Department of Psychology, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Terrace, Edinburgh.

For further information and to book a place contact Moira Scarcliffe on 0131 622 6262.

Supporting Edinburgh's tenement residents to regenerate their gardens

Edinburgh Community Backgreens Association has been supporting residents in Edinburgh's Victorian tenements to work with their neighbours to regenrate their backgreens into community greenspaces. In 2011, they intend to start working in the suburban tenement communities in areas which were once largely Council estates.

The Community Growing Initiative will encourage residents to establish local growing spaces by providing training and material support.  They are seeking to identify local area partners to work with in this goal.

Please see this leaflet which introduces the initiative.

Applying Social Capital to our Work

The City of Edinburgh Council is running a free workshop, Applying Social Capital to our Work.

Social capital is the measure of networks and connections within communities. Increasing levels of social capital in a community has been shown to have positive economic, social and personal benefits.

Following a very successful introductory workshop, Assist Social Capital (ASC) will deliver a workshop on how to use the concept of social capital to deliver better services to our community. ASC will review what is understood by “social capital” and help us to explore how we can develop and use social capital in our day to day work. In the workshop, we’ll also explore how to measure social capital and how to provide evidence for the impact of our work in the area of social capital.

You can download the Social Capital Toolkit from the Edinburgh Compact website.

This training will be especially useful to those who would like to expand their understanding of social capital and how it applies to their work. This might include development workers, members of community organisations, community activists and those working in the voluntary sector.

The event will take place on Tuesday 21 September at the European Room, City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1YJ. The workshop is free to attend. Registration will begin at 9.30am for tea and coffee with a prompt start at 10am. It will finish at 1pm and we would like you to stay for a simple lunch. A detailed programme for the day will be released closer to the training date.

If you are interested in registering for the above course, please contact Heather McCluskey, Project Development Worker on 0131 316 5072.

The deadline for registration is Thursday 16 September.

Join the NHS Lothian Team…

Do you live or work in the NHS Lothian area? Have you ever wanted a say in the decisions taken by NHS Lothian? If so, this could be for you.

As part of NHS Lothian’s and the Scottish Government’s commitment to the concept of a mutual NHS, a non executive member position is being made available on Lothian NHS Board. NHS Lothian wants local people to have a real say in how their health service is planned and delivered. This builds on NHS Lothian’s work in learning from people’s experience and involving people over the last ten years. We are looking for someone who has experience of representing people’s views, for example in community groups or voluntary organisations.

The ambition for NHS Lothian is:

• To be at the level of Scotland’s best
• To be in the world’s top 25 healthcare systems.

Part of how this will be achieved is by:

• Improving the experience and outcomes for patients
• Delivering equity in access and health outcomes for the population.

As a non-executive member of the Board you will be expected to:

• Contribute to Board discussions
• Challenge in a helpful way other Board members
• Work in a committee or group to deliver results
• Be able to understand complex issues, such as strategy and performance
• Ideally be able to see the bigger picture.

If this sounds like you and you are interested in joining us, please contact Brian Nisbet, Scottish Government, Health Board Election Team on 0131 244 2033 to obtain an application pack.
Closing date for applications is 6 September.

Alcohol Awareness Week 2010 - Resources now available
You can now order your resources for this year's Alcohol Awareness Week, to be held from Monday 4 to Sunday 10 October. Materials available this year are as follows

• Posters (5 poster variants)
• Tent cards
• Drip mat
• Shelf wobbler
• Alcohol measuring cups and inserts

To order any of these resources please complete the order form and send to Barry McGinnes .  Alternatively, please call 0141 572 6295 to order. Please ensure to include your postal address when ordering. All materials are free of charge. Orders should be placed as soon as possible. 

Best Practice in Risk Assessment & Risk Management

Health & Life for Everyone (HALE Trust) will be running courses for practitioners who work with children, young people and adults at risk of harm. The courses have been developed over a number of years and are based on research and evidence. They provide participants with:

• better understanding of issues in risk taking and risk assessment
• increased awareness of what counts as good practice in this area
• improved professional skills for making risk judgements
• an integrated approach to risk decision making which can be justified
• guidelines for managers and practitioners

Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Adults & Older People
Wednesday 27 October
The Melting Pot
5 Rose Street, Edinburgh

Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Child Care and Child Protection
Thursday 28 October
The Melting Pot
5 Rose Street, Edinburgh

For further information or to book a place please contact HALE Trust.

Meet the Funders Event - West Edinburgh

You are invited to come to the Meet the Funders event which is taking place on 30 September in West Edinburgh.  Meet the Funders is a drop-in market place for the public/voluntary groups. A wide range of funders will be there including Waste Aware, John Watson's Trust, WREN Environmental, Robertson Trust, Princes Trust Scottish Youth Business Trust, Age Scotland, Working with Families, Comic Relief, Voluntary Action Fund, Lintel Trust, Travel2Give Network, PassITOn Computers, Bike Club and the Community Grants Fund.

Thursday 30 September from 2 to 4.30 pm, at St Thomas Church , 75-79 Glasgow Road, Edinburgh EH12 8LJ

Painting Edinburgh Green
Painting Edinburgh Green is a weekend of free events celebrating community action for a more sustainable Edinburgh.

It will take place at Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG. Events on both days are free but booking is required on Sunday.

Saturday 25 September from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm
Information stalls, storytelling, childrens activities, chill zone, sustainable fashion, local produce, fair trade cafe.

Sunday 26 September from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm
Day Conference: How local communities can survive the financial & environmental crisis. this conference is a space to explore options for local action in and around Edinburgh, with keynote speakers and interactive sessions. Open to all groups and individuals embracing the ‘Transition’ to low-carbon, sustainable, life-enhancing communities. Booking is required for the conference, and a communal breakfast and lunch will be provided.

For more information see the flyer or contact Transition Edinburgh by email.

Helping People Participate: vacancy for Volunteer Organiser at Pilton Equalities Project

Pilton Equalities Project (PEP) is a medium sized voluntary organisation based in North Edinburgh providing a range of services to older and other vulnerable adults. They are currently looking for a Volunteer Organiser to support PEP’s existing structures for volunteers, provide training and development activities, link with other employability organisations, to provide options for volunteers who want to move into the labour market.

The post is funded until March 31 2011 which will be renewed thereafter dependent on future funding. For an application pack, please email your name and address only. All completed applications should be submitted by Wednesday 15 September.

The post is for 30 hours per week normally worked Monday to Friday (some weekend/evening work may be required). Salary Scale AP3 23 -26 (£20,338) pro rata applies.
 

 New service for LGBT over-50s

LGBT Age is a new service designed to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people over 50 years old, living in Edinburgh or the Lothians. The project will offer:

• a befriending service
• social events open to LGBT over 50’s
• information and advocacy

More details can be found at the LGBT Health website. Please feel free to get in touch with Garry McGregor, LGBT Age Coordinator should you have any questions or wish to discuss the potential benefits of the service to anyone you may already be in contact with.

Tackling Inequalities for Edinburgh's Children and Young People
'Tackling Inequalities - Promoting Health and Wellbeing for Edinburgh’s Children and Young People' will bring partners together to increase our understanding of how inequalities impact on children and young people and to identify and build on good practice in tackling inequalities and improving outcomes for children and young people.

Co-author of The Spirit Level and co-founder of the Equality Trust Richard Wilkinson will present the keynote address, and participants will engage in a world cafe conversational process to enable the development of collective intelligence around actions to address inequalities.

This Compact-run Edinburgh Partnership: in Conference event takes place on Wednesday 3 November at Tynecastle Stadium.

The full programme and a promotional poster are available online.

To register, please contact Dianne Morrison at Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations' Council on (0131) 555 9100.
 

Lothian and Borders Police perception survey

In order to know local communities' views about policing, safety and what it is like to live in their local area, the Police Force has launched a Perception Survey for anyone living within Lothian and the Borders to complete. The results of the survey will be used to help inform policing priorities and influence how the police engage with local communities in future.

The aim is that the results of this survey will be available to Council Ward areas, they are therefore keen for as many people as possible to complete the survey in order for the results to be representative. It would be very much appreciated if you could take the time to complete the survey.
 

EVOC website survey

EVOC is currently planning a redevelopment of its website and as part of the process wants to ensure that it meets the needs of everyone that currently uses the website. A short surveymonkey questionnaire has been created to gather thoughts and feedback about the existing site as well as ideas and suggestions for a new website.

It would be very much appreciated if you could take the time to visit the EVOC website and then take a few minutes to complete the short survey.

Should you wish to discuss anything about the website further, you can contact Tom Bathgate, ICT Officer or Julia Macintosh, Communications Officer on 0131 555 9100. 

Pakistan flood: donations appeal
As flood waters continue to rage in Pakistan, Scotland’s capital has launched an urgent appeal to raise funds for the millions affected by the disaster.

The Edinburgh Disaster Response Committee is calling on people to donate via Edinburgh-based relief agency Mercy Corps, to help the people of Pakistan recover from the floods. Donations can be made at the Mercy Corps website , via this form, or by calling 0845 245 0686 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Access to Work Workshop

This workshop is for deaf people who need to know more about 'Access to Work' and what it is for. It will look at what 'Access to Work' can do for you. 'Access to Work' support is provided by JobCentrePlus.

The workshop takes place on Saturday 25 September from 10am to 4pm at the South Bridge Resource Centre, Infirmary Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1LT. There is a free car park available. It is also accessible by Lothian Bus services 3, 3a, 5, 7, 8, 14, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 47 and 49, as well as First Bus service 86.

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City Centre

The Mayday Network in Scotland is launching Project Start in Scotland, a project aimed at influencing behaviour change of consumers through positive messaging and simple steps that one can take to lead a more sustainable way of life. To celebrate this, they are having a climate change festival in St Andrew Square in central Edinburgh from Saturday 4 to 6 September.

They also have an exhibition in Glasgow Central Station on 6 September. HRH Prince Charles will be visiting the Glasgow Exhibition on Saturday 6 September, before visiting the festival in Edinburgh. He will then be opening our latest, most innovative project to date, the Start Living Climate Change shop that is situated in St James Centre.

For more information on all of these, please this flier or visit the website.

It is intended that the shop be a conduit in portraying the positive steps that lead to healthier, wealthier lifestyles while at the same time supporting Scotland's move to a low carbon society. They are also happy to host specific workshops run by partners on specific themes around waste, transport, energy, food etc. If you are interested in running a workshop at the shop, or if you have any thoughts, suggestions, tools or anything else that you would like to display in the shop, please do not hesitate to email.

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Forth

North Edinburgh Arts has three gallery spaces which are available in kind to community groups, organisations and artists living or working in the Greater Pilton area or to organisations and artists outwith the area, for exhibitions which would benefit or be of interest to the local community.

They are currently programming the galleries for late 2010 and 2011. If you have a project which you’d like to exhibit in a lively community space please get in touch with Emily Chandler, Arts Co-ordinator, on 0131 315 2151. 

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Leith

Leith decides: local money for local projects by local people

Leith Neighbourhood Partnership has identified £16,600 to pilot a new way of making Community Grant awards. The difference is that the Leith Community will be asked to make the decision at an event at Leith Academy on Saturday 27 November at 1.00 pm.

Applications for up to £1,000 are invited to be submitted by Thursday 23 September. Please use this application form; help is available with completing applications and there is an information sheet with guidance for applicants. Leith Neighbourhood Partnership would particularly like to hear from small community groups who have not previously made an application for a community grant.

It is also important that the Leith Community supports the pilot by coming along to the event on 27 November to cast their votes on who they would like to be given a community grant.

Art Cards from Multi-Cultural Family Base

Multi-Cultural Family Base (MCFB) has set up a small social enterprise to help raise money to continue its valuable Art Therapy project.

The Art Therapy offered at MCFB provides much needed support to some of the severely traumatised children, young people and families that MCFB works with.

In keeping with the Art Therapy theme, they have decided to produce a range of Art Cards to sell, with any profit made returned directly to MCFB. The cards will be printed on a high quality card from FSC managed forests. There are 6 different packs to choose from (including 2 Christmas / Holiday),each of which consist of 4 cards with envelopes (14.8 x 10.5cms) - a fantastically good value at £3.00 per pack.

Please see the order form to view the images on the cards. Order forms can be returned to Becky Robertson at Multi-Cultural Family Base, 50 Coburg Street, Edinburgh, EH6 6HE. Please bear in mind that to guarantee a November delivery on any Christmas cards, orders will need to be received by Monday 5 October, however as this will be an ongoing enterprise orders are welcome at any time.

Remember unlike most charity cards sold through retailers – all of the profits will go towards a good cause, so we hope that you like the cards and can support us by placing an order.

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Liberton and Gilmerton

Our City, Our Future, Help Us Decide

The City of Edinburgh Council, like all public sector organisations across the country, has challenging times ahead.

Over the next three years, we will need to make savings of at least £90 million and we are embarking on a major budget engagement programme to ensure that we can achieve these savings while at the same time protecting the services that matter most.

There is no doubt that this will be extremely difficult to do and it is clear that efficiency measures alone are not enough. We need to prioritise our services, transform the way we do things and focus on those services that are needed most. We also need to work closely with our partners in Police, Fire and Health, who are all facing similar challenges.

To help us shape our future plans, we are organising a number of "Budget Summits" across the city. These events will bring together citizens from a wide range of backgrounds so that we can outline our ideas and get feedback. This will help shape the budget proposals which will go to the Council meeting in February 2011.

The Budget Summit for South Edinburgh is taking place in Southside Community Centre, 117 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh on Thursday 23 September. I would be delighted if you are able to attend as I am sure you will be able to make a valuable contribution to the discussion.

Refreshments will be available from 6.30 pm, with the summit starting at 7.00 pm and finishing no later than 9.00 pm. Please RSVP to Donald Burgess, South Local Office, 40 Captains Road, EH17 8QF by Wednesday 8 September giving your preferred postal and/or email address. As well as booking your place at the event, this will allow the Council to ensure you have background information in advance and get feedback as the budget process continues.

For more information contact Mags Campbell, Partnership Business Manager, South Neighbourhood Office on 0131 529 7182.

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South Central

Our City, Our Future, Help Us Decide

The City of Edinburgh Council, like all public sector organisations across the country, has challenging times ahead.

Over the next three years, we will need to make savings of at least £90 million and we are embarking on a major budget engagement programme to ensure that we can achieve these savings while at the same time protecting the services that matter most.

There is no doubt that this will be extremely difficult to do and it is clear that efficiency measures alone are not enough. We need to prioritise our services, transform the way we do things and focus on those services that are needed most. We also need to work closely with our partners in Police, Fire and Health, who are all facing similar challenges.

To help us shape our future plans, we are organising a number of "Budget Summits" across the city. These events will bring together citizens from a wide range of backgrounds so that we can outline our ideas and get feedback. This will help shape the budget proposals which will go to the Council meeting in February 2011.

The Budget Summit for South Edinburgh is taking place in Southside Community Centre, 117 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh on Thursday 23 September. I would be delighted if you are able to attend as I am sure you will be able to make a valuable contribution to the discussion.

Refreshments will be available from 6.30 pm, with the summit starting at 7.00 pm and finishing no later than 9.00 pm. Please RSVP to Donald Burgess, South Local Office, 40 Captains Road, EH17 8QF by Wednesday 8 September giving your preferred postal and/or email address. As well as booking your place at the event, this will allow the Council to ensure you have background information in advance and get feedback as the budget process continues.

For more information contact Mags Campbell, Partnership Business Manager, South Neighbourhood Office on 0131 529 7182.
 

Communities Connecting: new project from Health in mind

Can you spare a couple of hours a week to help older people to find out what's on in their local community, and help build their confidence to get out and about again?

We all value our interests, relationships and local connections and recognise their importance in maintaining our mental health and wellbeing. When we experience difficulties, it’s easy to forget about them and it can be hard to take the first step to re-engage.Communities Connecting recognises this and supports older people to find out what services, activities and groups are available in their local area. Health in mind is a registered charity promoting health and wellbeing in and around Edinburgh. Communities Connecting is a brand new service from Health in mind working with older people and is looking to recruit volunteers.

We support people to rebuild lost confidence and try out new things or get involved again in previous interests and hobbies. We do this by providing one-to-one support and encouragement from volunteers.

Volunteers make a huge difference to the people we support. As well as giving a lot volunteers also get a lot out of being involved in the project, including the chance to develop new skills, attend training and meet new people.The service is based in West and South Central Edinburgh and we encourage volunteers from all areas of Edinburgh. We welcome volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds and would particularly like to hear from older people.

If you are interested in volunteering or if you would like to refer someone to Communities Connecting, please contact Alison McGhee on 0131 225 8508.

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South West

Access to Creative Arts at WHALE Arts Agency

There are still a few places available for the Access to Creative Arts Course beginning on the 13 September. The course is jointly run by WHALE Arts Agency and Stevenson College and is aimed at students who would like to get into a creative arts course at college but who don't have the necessary qualifications.

Students will study a wide range of arts subjects including media, photography, audio-visual and drama and can gain up to 8 SQA modules. Class time is 16 hours a week for 18 weeks.

If you know someone who may be interested please could you ask them to contact Course Leader, Carol Fyfe to arrange a short interview.

For further information about the course please don't hesitate to contact Gavin Crichton, Arts Development Officer (Adults), on 458 3267

From There to Here

The new Wester Hailes website, From There to Here, has been posting some interesting blog pieces about the history of the area. Wester Hailes before Wester Hailes is being chronicled on the website and there are currently two postings on this subject. Take a look at this great new community resource.

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West Edinburgh

Communities Connecting: new project from Health in mind

Can you spare a couple of hours a week to help older people to find out what's on in their local community, and help build their confidence to get out and about again?

We all value our interests, relationships and local connections and recognise their importance in maintaining our mental health and wellbeing. When we experience difficulties, it’s easy to forget about them and it can be hard to take the first step to re-engage.Communities Connecting recognises this and supports older people to find out what services, activities and groups are available in their local area. Health in mind is a registered charity promoting health and wellbeing in and around Edinburgh. Communities Connecting is a brand new service from Health in mind working with older people and is looking to recruit volunteers.

We support people to rebuild lost confidence and try out new things or get involved again in previous interests and hobbies. We do this by providing one-to-one support and encouragement from volunteers.

Volunteers make a huge difference to the people we support. As well as giving a lot volunteers also get a lot out of being involved in the project, including the chance to develop new skills, attend training and meet new people.The service is based in West and South Central Edinburgh and we encourage volunteers from all areas of Edinburgh. We welcome volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds and would particularly like to hear from older people.

If you are interested in volunteering or if you would like to refer someone to Communities Connecting, please contact Julie Dick on 0131 225 8508. 

Meet the Funders Event

You are invited to come to the Meet the Funders event which is taking place on 30 September in West Edinburgh. Meet the Funders is a drop-in market place for the public/voluntary groups. A wide range of funders will be there including Waste Aware, John Watson's Trust, WREN Environmental, Robertson Trust, Princes Trust Scottish Youth Business Trust, Age Scotland, Working with Families, Comic Relief, Voluntary Action Fund, Lintel Trust, Travel2Give Network, PassITOn Computers, Bike Club and the Community Grants Fund.

Thursday 30 September from 2 to 4.30 pm, at St Thomas Church , 75-79 Glasgow Road, Edinburgh EH12 8LJ

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Send us your news

The deadline for the next issue of Voluntary Sector Forum News is 5pm Thursday 30 September. Please send your news to Julia and also please ensure that you include the following information:

• a contact name and details for your news item - if this is not yourself, please specify or it will be your name published
• which section/s your news belongs in, eg one or more neighbourhoods (which ones?) or all neighbourhoods

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