Leith Chooses has announced the groups set to be allocated the funds from the community grant funding pot operated by the council.
Leith Chooses is a participatory budgeting initiative where residents, workers and volunteers in the area can directly vote on how to allocate public funds to local community projects.
Founded in 2010 and pioneered by Councillor Maggie Chapman and City of Edinburgh Council officer Lorraine Duckworth, Leith Chooses is now led by a steering group in conjunction with the city council.
Every summer, there is a call for applications for funding, before a vote is held the following January so that locals can vote for which projects they think should get funded – with up to £5,000 available per project.
This year’s winners have now been chosen with an announcement on the Leith Chooses site yesterday reading: “Following the voting day and the online voting period, and after totting up all the votes cast by the Leith community, the groups that have been successful in receiving funding for their community projects are now revealed.”
The groups are:
The Milan Senior Welfare Organisation
The Milan Senior Welfare Organisaton (SWO) aims to develop and deliver provisions for 50+ older people from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Mauritian communities in Edinburgh and Lothian that meet their social, cultural, recreational, language and care needs.
Writing on its Facebook page, the Milan SWO said: “We’re delighted to share that we are one of the lucky ten organisations to have won funding from Leith Chooses to support our elderly clients in Leith with therapeutic activities.
“Thank you to everyone who voted for us, to all the organisations who took part, and to everyone involved in organising the event.
“We can’t wait to get started on our project.”
Dr Bell’s Family Centre
Dr Bell’s Family Centre is a family and community centre on Junction Place, aiming to serve as somewhere that families with young children can get encouragement, support and advice in a relaxed environment.
The centre provides universal and targeted provision for everyone – and focusing on the most disadvantaged – in order to minimise stigma.
The centre wrote online: “We did it! A big thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for us, either in person or online.
“Your vote really has supported us to continue to make a difference to families living in Leith. With this funding we will be able to continue to offer food, fun and nurturing activities as part of our holiday programmes.”
The Living Memory Association
The Living Memory Association is located in Ocean Terminal and focuses on bringing people together through reminiscence – believing that sharing memories can help people connect and highlight what they have in common.
It provides two Wee Museums of Memory – one in Ocean Terminal and another in Livingston – which serve as places for visitors to explore and handle artefacts, an approach that can be valuable for those with dementia, helping to unlock distant memories.
It also operates The Wee Hub, a community space for local artists, groups and families to come together to create, play and connect.
Leith Community Growers
Leith Community Growers is a collaborative project involving many community gardening groups and local organisations across the city.
The collective focuses on working to ensure that residents have access to community gardening and food growing opportunities.
Over the years, the group has distributed 100 planters around Leith and provided free hot meals to the community during winter months, and is currently operating the Leith Links Orchard, where they’ve planted produce and wildflowers.
Water of Leith Conservation Trust
The Water of Leith Conservation Trust (WOLCT) works to improve and protect the famous river running through the city, as well as its heritage and wildlife.
It works with volunteers and community groups to deliver around 250 river clean-ups and habitat improvement tasks annually.
The WOLCT wrote on Facebook: “Thanks to everyone that voted in person and online in the Leith Chooses process.
“Happy to report that we got the full grant that we applied for, meaning more tools and plants for the regular Coalie Park Coalition group so that we can keep the area looking lush for years to come.”
Edinburgh Community Food
Edinburgh Community Food is an initiative aiming to tackle health inequalities in low-income communities through their work – which includes cooking and nutrition courses and health information presentations, ultimately ensuring that people have access to an affordable and healthy diet.
The group runs stalls in Edinburgh’s hospitals selling produce to staff, patients and visitors and also delivers fresh fruit and vegetables to homes and businesses across the city.
It operates a host of community projects such as workshops to help manage fussy eaters, introducing food to babies, helping children learn how grow food and the importance of eating well for oral health.
Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council
The Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) is made up of individual members and representatives from a wide range of organisations.
The ELREC aims to reduce inequality and promote a culture of human rights, and to promote the elimination of discrimination in communities around the city and its surrounding areas.
It operates a slew of projects like women-only activities, refugees support and support for those facing energy or fuel poverty.
They also offer services such as free English classes, information campaigns and research and volunteer opportunities.
Pilmeny Development Project
The Pilmeny Development Project’s overall aim is to help support local residents and groups with the identification and resolutions of any problems they are facing.
The project aims to help children and young people to meet their social, educational and recreational needs and to help older people improve the quality of their lives and remain as independent and active for as long as possible.
The group offers a programme of events such as a women’s group, a men’s mental health and wellbeing group, youth clubs and various pop-ups, such as energy bills advice, to help out locals.
Mustard Seed Edinburgh
Mustard Seed is a church based on Easter Road that operates a programme of community-focused events with the aim of remaining progressive, inclusive and welcoming.
The church’s current week includes a Friday breakfast club, a gardening group, a group for new Scots to practice English and build connections and a baby and toddler group.
Mustard Seed began in 2017 with around 30 people – many of whom had been involved with the development of a community meal held every week.
It has expanded since then and ultimately aims to be “a place of safety for those who have experienced injustice or inclusion”.
Kin Collective Family Wellbeing
The Kin Collective works to support physical, mental and emotional wellbeing in pregnancy and early parenthood, and operates a Family Wellbeing Hub in Leith for people to meet, share and connect.
The group describes its aims as being to improve both the confidence and wellbeing of parents, babies and children by increasing community connection, providing a non-judgmental space and enabling families to feel prepared.
The hub runs pre and postnatal classes, courses and workshops, community groups and therapies for those making the journey into parenthood.
