Category Archives: Leith Links Community Council

Possible Funding Sources for Projects

Posted on by

Sadly, there is just not enough money available through City of Edinburgh Community Grants Fund to support all the great projects that were put forward to £eith Chooses. There’s always next year…..
Meanwhile, here are some other possible avenues to explore, in the hunt for funding:

Feedback Night! Tuesday 12 March, 6:30pm. Come along – Debrief, Discuss, Evaluate, Share ideas…

Posted on by

£eith Chooses is holding an open discussion session to review and evaluate all aspects of the 2019 £eith Chooses process, and to share ideas for future events. Please do come along if you can – 6:30pm, Leith Community Centre cafe, Tuesday 12 March. All Leithers welcome.

2019 Results are out!

Posted on by

All the votes have been counted and we can now reveal that the following projects successfully won a funding award in £eith Chooses 2019, having received the highest number of votes from members of the Leith community, at the Voting Event on 23rd February:

FOOD Projects £12,000
– Hermitage Park Primary School: Feeding Healthy Hermie futures £3,400
– YMCA: Breaking down barriers with food  £5,000
– Broughton Primary PC & Partners:Growing food (partial funding) tbc

SUPPORTING VULNERABLE PEOPLE Projects £32,000
– Sikh Sanjog: for Girls and Young Women  £3,000
– Dr. Bells Family Centre: Holiday Activities £4,400
– Creative Electric: Equality and Accessibility £5,000
– Multicultural Family Base: Summer Support £5,000
– Socks for the Street: Leith Cares packs £4,000
– Pilmeny Development Project: Older Peoples services £5,000
– Citadel Youth Centre: Back to the Future, old & young together £4,960
– The Junction: Self-care kits & support (partial funding) tbc

These awards add up to a total of £44,624 that will go to the community in Leith in many and varied ways, through the energy, work and commitment of all the great project teams listed above.

Sadly, projects and groups whose names do not appear above did not win funding on this occasion. This is not a reflection on the quality of their projects, which were all excellent, but of the sad fact that there is never enough money to go round….  The £eith Chooses team feels just as distressed about this as the project groups must be.

Any project applicants who wish private feedback on their application, or on the exact number of votes received, and where their vote totals rank alongside those of other projects, are most welcome to email in for this information, or to request a private discussion. Email: caroline.lamond@edinburgh.gov.uk

There will be an open Discussion session next Tuesday, 12 March at 6:30pm in the Community Centre cafe, to review and evaluate all aspects of the 2019 £eith Chooses process. All welcome, and all views and contributions will be listened to and taken on board for future events. Do come!

 

£eith Chooses 2019 is a Record Breaker!

Posted on by

What a day! And Well done, Leith! A record-breaking 1,267 people (not including volunteers and some project applicants, so probably c100 more) came along on Saturday, showing a commitment in our wonderful community, and supporting all the brilliant community groups putting forward their project ideas for making Leith even better!

The sun shone, and the people came! We served delicious food from local suppliers, and many people stayed around to network and chat, after voting. It’s everything you’d hope for and expect in lovely Leith. We know that the project groups are all winners in their own ways, in who they are and what they do. The only sadness is that there is not enough money to fund all of them.

The ‘themes’ for this year’s £eith Chooses were tight, so that the only projects eligible for funding were ones that met the criteria of addressing inequalities and aiming to benefit disadvantaged people. Local community groups rose to the challenge and all put forward imaginative, creative ideas! There was also a requirement to actively include members of ethnic minority communities in project designs, and groups did this too!

This year we introduced the new idea of a ‘Boost Vote’ for a few projects that  go ‘over and above’ in involving and benefiting minority ethnic communities, as some of these groups have been ‘left behind’ in previous years, due to ‘minority’ status and the fact that Participatory Budgeting is essentially a ‘first past the post’ model. We’ll have to wait for the count, to see the results of this innovation….  But it was heartwarming to see how generously the people of Leith accepted/welcomed this experiment, to make sure our community is ‘fair’ to all.

Voting in 2019, and Booster Vote

Posted on by

This short video explains a bit more about how voting will work at this year’s £eith Chooses, and about the new ‘booster vote’.

In the past, small and new, or not widely known groups have very often missed out, at £eith Decides / £eith Chooses. In particular, sadly, this has affected groups whose projects mainly involve ethnic minorities. The key is in the word ‘minority’ – such groups just don’t manage to get the vote numbers. It’s not just a problem in Leith, it’s a weakness of Participatory Budgeting in general. This year, any group that has made special efforts to engage with minority ethnic communities (including language minorities) – as applicants, partners, project workers, participants, beneficiaries etc.could qualify for a ‘booster vote’.

Contact the £eith Chooses team, to find out if / how your project might qualify.
Email – Caroline.Lamond@edinburgh.gov.uk

2 weeks to go! Get your application in!

Posted on by

Come along to a drop-in support session to check your application is on the right track, and to see if you could qualify for ‘boost vote’ status.Talk it through –

  • Tuesday 8th January, McDonald Road Library 1:30 – 5:30 pm (Business Hub downstairs)
  • Thursday 10th January. Leith Library Ferry road, 3-5 pm
  • Tuesday 15th January, McDonald Road Library 3 – 8 pm (Business Hub downstairs)

If you can’t make any of these, but want to discuss an application idea, email

Caroline.Lamond@edinburgh.gov.uk

The themes for this year’s £eith Chooses reflect the fact that many people in Leith are really struggling, these days. Proposed projects should show that they will benefit people in Leith who are in need, and they must fit one of the themes –

A ‘boost’ for some projects

If a project application shows that special efforts are being made to inform / involve / benefit minority ethnic communities, it could qualify for a ‘booster vote’. Come along to a support session or get in touch for more details about how to qualify for this.

£eith Chooses rides again, 2018/2019

Posted on by
Reply

Evaluations from 2017/2018 have been ongoing since April, as has forward planning. And at last we have news!

£eith Chooses will take place once more. There is £44,000 of City of Edinburgh Community Grants Fund money available for community projects. Groups can apply for one project, up to a maximum of £5,000 (bids for less also warmly welcomed).

20th November 2018 – £eith Chooses 2018/2019 launches and application open . Please do come along and hear about the plans for this year: 6pm, Tuesday 20th Nov., Leith Community Centre, New Kirkgate.

21 January 2019 – Applications close

23 February 2019 – Voting Day, Leith Community Centre, New Kirkgate.

   

 

Help the Scouts go to camp

Posted on by
Reply
The  154 Scouts received a £eith Chooses grant of £500 earlier this year. Here is a brief report of what they’ve been up to, spending that money. All sounds great!
We used the money to organise the ‘Leith Chooses Canty Bay Camp’ in June 2018, which was attended by 12 Beavers, 14 Cubs and 11 Scouts. Beavers slept in tents (many for the first time), visited Tantallon Castle by minibus, and learned emergency First Aid. 
Cubs obtained different stages of hiking badges, visit Tantallon Castle to obtain their local history badge and complete their nature badge, the latter of which is only possible in rural settings and near the seaside. The camp also facilitated three Cubs staying overnight for their first ever camp, contributing to their ‘Nights Away stage 1’ badge.Scouts hiked to and from North Berwick to the camp site. They cooked their own dinner using a Trangia (Cowboy Stew!), hiked to Tantallon Castle, and played games. They went swimming at North Berwick pool as well.They set up their own tents and helped set up the tents for the Beavers.

Some of the badges that this trip contributed to are: First Aid Badge, Local History Badge, Nature Badge, Chef Badge, Navigator Badge, Camping Badge, Nights Away, Teamwork Challenge, Outdoor Challenge award and Swimmer Activity Badge.

All of this has really helped the young people bond, learn about their environment and grow in independence – allowing them to become better citizens and neighbours in the future.

£eith Chooses – Leith Neighbourhood Partnership report

Posted on by
Reply

Following distribution of £44,000 (City of Edinburgh Council, Community Grants Fund) to community projects through participatory budgeting, via the £eith Chooses process, the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership made the following report (14 June 2018).

Read the report here: Leith Neighbourhood Partnership Report June 2018