With The Harvest Meal and other August celebrations now a distant memory, and September almost over we are looking forward to the usual autumn and winter events.
First up on the calendar is the Apple-Pressing Day on 28th September in the Allotments 11am-4pm which is being combined with Open Doors Day with Tours including access to our new Mindfulness Garden and our annual AGM 3-3:30pm. We are also being treated to musical entertainment from Morag Brown and Lewis Powell-Reid on fiddle and bouzouki(?) in the marquee 1:30pm-2:30pm, followed by the Rolling Hills Men’s Chorus [barbershop group] 2:30pm-3:00pm to ease us into the AGM. No need to book for any of these- just pop along.
Into October we will host the first of a series of "Community Conversations" on Wednesday 9th October from 5:30pm; the Storytelling Festival will join us 2-3:30pm on Tuesday 15th October with a session featuring the stories and legends of Craigmillar and The Inch; and we'll round off the month with a Hallowe'en Party on Saturday 26th October, 5:30-8pm.
November is looking equally busy with an early highlight being a book signing by local author, Lawrie Johnston, on Wednesday 6th.
Bookings for these events will be via the Bridgend Farmhouse eventbrite, or the main administration email- look on our blog/ facebook page for details and to find out about the wider range of activities continuing and developing.
Bridgend Farmhouse is a community owned and run charitable organisation in south Edinburgh with a mission to ensure our now renovated farmhouse exists as a sustainable community-owned centre for learning, eating and exercise, where all can learn, work and grow together to develop a flourishing community and place.. |
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WHEELING THROUGH THE SUMMER
Over the summer we’ve had a steady stream of people coming to the farmhouse, some just to have coffee and a chat, others to attend a short course, still others to have their bicycle repaired or to buy one of our reconditioned bikes. Volunteers have been helping to staff our kitchen and café, creating something interesting in our woodwork or craft shop, or tending our gardens.
The summer party was a great success, especially the circus skills sessions and the face painting. The hill race was won by a nine year old boy, who beat all the adults, even his father, who could only take the bronze medal in the men’s event. While our normal children’s clubs were taking a well-earned rest, our Bothy has been used as a Summer School for children learning Arabic.
Our new Bike Barn was officially opened on Saturday 10th August by the round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont. He led a mass ride-out of about 50 cyclists up to Craigmillar Castle and back. The next big event is our traditional harvest meal on the 31st August (tickets on Eventbrite).
We have been fortunate in the last few months to have been awarded four major grants from private trusts and charities who have seen the value of our work - tackling poverty and isolation, and, in particular, helping young people develop skills and gain confidence for the next stage in their lives. These trusts and charities have stepped in to fill the gap left by the lack of government funding in recent years.
These trusts have allowed us to keep our two skills development workers and to employ a manager for the first time in two years. We still need funding for our community engagement team and to expand our woodwork and Bike Barn staff. And, of course, we are always looking for volunteers. The whole point of a community centre like Bridgend Farmhouse is that it should be operated by volunteers, with the assistance of only some paid staff. So if you know of anyone with time on their hands and who is willing to commit to a regular day or afternoon at Bridgend, please encourage them to email us. It’s a great place to “work.”
John Knox
Chair of Trustees
Over the summer we’ve had a steady stream of people coming to the farmhouse, some just to have coffee and a chat, others to attend a short course, still others to have their bicycle repaired or to buy one of our reconditioned bikes. Volunteers have been helping to staff our kitchen and café, creating something interesting in our woodwork or craft shop, or tending our gardens.
The summer party was a great success, especially the circus skills sessions and the face painting. The hill race was won by a nine year old boy, who beat all the adults, even his father, who could only take the bronze medal in the men’s event. While our normal children’s clubs were taking a well-earned rest, our Bothy has been used as a Summer School for children learning Arabic.
Our new Bike Barn was officially opened on Saturday 10th August by the round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont. He led a mass ride-out of about 50 cyclists up to Craigmillar Castle and back. The next big event is our traditional harvest meal on the 31st August (tickets on Eventbrite).
We have been fortunate in the last few months to have been awarded four major grants from private trusts and charities who have seen the value of our work - tackling poverty and isolation, and, in particular, helping young people develop skills and gain confidence for the next stage in their lives. These trusts and charities have stepped in to fill the gap left by the lack of government funding in recent years.
These trusts have allowed us to keep our two skills development workers and to employ a manager for the first time in two years. We still need funding for our community engagement team and to expand our woodwork and Bike Barn staff. And, of course, we are always looking for volunteers. The whole point of a community centre like Bridgend Farmhouse is that it should be operated by volunteers, with the assistance of only some paid staff. So if you know of anyone with time on their hands and who is willing to commit to a regular day or afternoon at Bridgend, please encourage them to email us. It’s a great place to “work.”
John Knox
Chair of Trustees
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