• Category: Social Enterprise Alliance Midlothian

    Community Climate Action Project

    Midlothian Council has set a target of reaching Net Zero by 2030. We are living in a Climate Emergency and it’s imperative that we all take a role, big or small, in tackling the climate crisis. Climate action activities are already taking place across Midlothian. However, there are many people being left out of the climate conversation.

    To support community-led climate action, MVA managed a Community Climate Action Project from March 2022 to February 2023. The project was funded through a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery’s Together For Our Planet programme. All projects funded by this programme had to be focused on developing a community-led climate action project.

    The two criteria chosen from the programme list that this project set out  to achieve were:

    • Supporting the development of longer-term climate action within communities
    • Celebrating the importance of community-led climate action and encouraging more people to get involved

    Through engagement with the Federation of Community Councils, two communities were selected for the research – Damhead, a rural community, and Penicuik, an urban community. Discussions also took place with the relevant Community Councils, and they were in support of this project being carried out in their communities. The research was to be carried out by consultants, and a procurement process took place in summer 2022. A volunteer representative from each community supported interviewing applicants. The decision on who to appoint was made by the community representatives, with help from MVA.

    SKS Scotland were chosen to complete the research. The research began in September 2022 and was completed in February 2023.

    The outcome of this research was to form a report for each community that included:

    • A community climate action plan
    • Assessment of what a 20-minute neighbourhood means for each community
    • Summaries of discussions from community engagement sessions
    • Future funding opportunities

    The aim for this project was to include individuals from all sections of the two communities and to offer them a space to discuss what the climate crisis means to them on a local level and how they can tackle it together. This was facilitated through a stakeholder survey, drop-in sessions in the communities, and online workshops, that took place over the course of four months.

    This research helped inform the action plans and allowed the communities to prioritise activities under five main themes:

    • Energy use
    • Active and sustainable travel
    • Re-use, recycling and upcycling
    • Local food and food waste
    • Biodiversity and improving local spaces.

    The project was completed in February 2023, and two reports were delivered to the communities for them to take forward.

    Thank you to the communities for their engagement and enthusiasm throughout the project, and to SKS Scotland for delivering the reports.

    Midlothian Third Sector faces devastating cuts

    Midlothian council are facing a projected budget gap for 2023/24 is £14.481 million rising to a projected £26.575 million by 2027/28. The current proposal of budget cuts includes; the removal of staffing at libraries and secondary school libraries, end of funding grants to community transport and dial-a-ride service by Handicabs Lothian and Lothian Community Transport, and a 100% cut to large and small grants funding for the third sector. The loss of third sector services will have a devastating impact on communities and particularly on the vulnerable, elderly and youngest residents. This also occurs at a time of the cost-of-living crisis where many people are facing poverty with increasing food and energy bills.

    The Midlothian TSI and its third sector partners are launching a campaign to #CareDontCut to prevent cuts and start an open dialogue with Midlothian councillors and the decision making process. The councillors will meet on the 31st January at 11am (watch here) to discuss the proposed cuts and then there will be community engagement until the 21st February where they will make their final decision. If you are interested in lobbying your local MP and MSP then please find a link to the open letter signed by us and third sector partners which you can also sign and send out.

    Get in touch with natalie.thomson@mvacvs.org.uk to get involved or more information.

    Dear Councillors,

    We are writing to you as representatives of the third sector in Midlothian who are deeply concerned by the impact of the proposed cuts which will affect our most vulnerable, youngest, and oldest residents of Midlothian, and cause significant job losses to the third sector and a reduction of services.

    We recognise the difficult task you have in making cuts that no-one wants to see happen, and we are aware that many of Midlothian’s current difficulties arise from a lack of recognition of our status as the fastest growing local authority. However, we feel that it is important that councillors are aware of the impact of the saving proposals.

    Many of the proposals in the paper will have a negative impact on the funding of third sector organisations. Our organisations were not well-funded to begin with, and have been badly impacted by the combined effect of Covid, Brexit, inflation and the recent rise in utility prices. Further cuts to their budgets could lead to the closure of key, long-established organisations.

    Much of the work funded through the Grants Programme is preventative, and its removal will lead to increased costs for the Council and other community planning partners, for example, through a rise in isolation leading to increased calls on GPs and other health services, children being less able to cope at school, or an increase in anti-social behaviour.

    There are a number of proposed actions in the paper that suggest that the community could get more involved, yet at the same time the budget that could have supported this has been cut. Most volunteers only volunteer for a few hours a week, meaning that every full-time post that is lost would need ten to twelve volunteers to replace it. There are costs attached to coordinating this number of volunteers.

    Many older and disabled people are unable to get to third sector activities without the support of our community transport providers. If these cuts are made, the lives of our most vulnerable citizens will be hugely restricted.

    In light of the comments above, we call on council members to undertake the following actions:

    · Reconsider the 100% cuts proposed to the Third Sector Grants programme. We are in the process of compiling how many people this cut would affect; with 40% of the response received so far organisations are reporting that over 7000 vulnerable clients would be impacted.

    · Recognise that children and young people’s organisations will be particularly badly affected by the accumulation of cuts to both the Grants programme and commissioning budgets.

    · Institute transitional arrangements for commissioned services so that they do not stop abruptly on the 1st April. This would allow third sector employers to undertake the redundancy process as set out by law, and in line with the Scottish Government’s Fair Work criteria. It would also allow time for discussions about how clients continue to receive support.

    · Once the paper has been approved, undertake meaningful engagement that goes beyond just a survey, to ensure that the needs of people who struggle to complete surveys is also met, for example people with learning difficulties, people with mental health issues and people with literacy issues.

    We include two key quotes from our most recent third sector forum which highlight the difficulties they face:

    “If community places and libraries are closed or not staffed adequately as safe places then vulnerable people and disabled people become more isolated, isolated means more physical illness, physical illness means more hospital appointments or mental illness leading to increased rates of suicide.” Graham Thomson, Co-chair, Forward Mid

    “With a cumulative cuts to our service and the potential of losing our service level agreement, we are facing the potential of at least 40% cuts, which would mean the loss of 2 family learning centers with 18 staff and potentially therapeutic services which has a direct impact of children and families. This could mean redundancies of between 18 – 60 staff as early as Mar ’23.” Cheryl Brown, CEO, Midlothian Sure Start

    Yours sincerely,

    Lesley Kelly, Chief Executive, Midlothian Voluntary Action and Volunteer Midlothian

    Alasdair Mathers, Penicuik Alliance, Penicuik Youth Band and Penicuik Silver Band

    Brian Christie, Pathhead & District Community Association

    Dave Evans, Chief Executive, MYPAS

    Emma Diffley, Chair, Tynewater Parent Council

    Eric Johnstone, Graham Thomson and Marlene Gill, Forward Mid

    Ian Purves and Janice Burns, Midlothian Foodbank

    Jan-Bert van den Berg, Director, Artlink

    Jill Bunyan, Development Worker, MFIN

    Jim Hiddlestone, Chair, Roslin Village Group

    Julie Podet, Manager, Dalkeith Citizens Advice Bureau

    Linda Cuthbert, Service Manager, Play Therapy Base

    Lucy Holyrood, Senior Recovery Services Manager, Cyrenians

    Dr Neil Heydon-Dumbleton, Pathhead Men’s Café & Community Councillor

    Pat Bowie, Chairperson, Newtongrange Development Trust

    Paula Swanston, Manager, Home Link Family Support

    Play Midlothian

    Robert Scott, Manager, Rosewell Development Trust

    Scott MacFarlane, Chief Executive Officer, Penicuik YMCA

    Sharon Hill, Manager, Mayfield and Easthouses Development Trust

    Yvonne Hay, Committee Member, Beeslack Allstars

    Social Enterprise in the Spotlight: Penicuik Carbon Challenge

    With the UN Climate Change conference (Cop26) happening in Glasgow from Sunday 31 October to the 12th of November, Fraser Waugh caught up with Rene O’Reilly at the Penicuik Carbon Challenge (PCC) to talk about all things eco-friendly, sustainable, and how this project aims to educate residents on how to lead more eco-conscious and less wasteful lives.  

    How did PCC get started?

    The Storehouse Penicuik sells goods that are good for people, the community and for the planet, always ethically sourced and local as possible. Everything we sell uses small-scale suppliers and short supply chains to ensure sustainability and traceability. Through this, and our customers shopping with us, we aim to be a pivot point in enabling people to live a more sustainable life.

    What are some of the responsibilities you have at the PCC?

    I deal with the zero waste lifestyles portion of Penicuik Carbon Challenge i.e. bicycles re-makery, the tool library, eco art classes, fixing and repairing normal everyday household objects, use surplus food to supply to Food Facts Friends and am involved in a variety of other community projects as well

    Crochet crafts at PCC!

    How does someone go about volunteering at the PCC? What roles could they get involved in?

    They can come to us directly at our premises in Penicuik town centre where they can share their ideas and what they are most interested in, so that they can share their skills and expertise with others who come in asking about getting help with that specific service that PCC offer.

    It’s all own the volunteer’s own terms- if they want to do something we don’t currently offer we can facilitate this. And we are very open to suggestions- we have a space for this on sticky notes at the front our place on John street.

    Tell us how you seek to be a hub for the community?

    We see our location in the town centre as a marketing tool because it is essential for people to know more about what we do at PCC. By engaging with the community in this way at our premises we talk to a wide range of people that we wouldn’t usually, therefore widening our audience and opportunities for promotion.

    What can people get involved in?

    This is our autumn programme of activities which will be updated with new events taking place in the future, here’s what you could expect:

    PCC’s Autumn Programme of Events- more to follow in the future!

    When people come into PCC they often ask if we would take…?

    And the answer usually is yes! We do even if we haven’t taken anything in like that before! We take everything and anything, we’ll find a way to reuse/recycle it to be as useful as possible- to give it a second life. It is all about learning to repurpose seemingly useless items.  These could be donations of bikes, tools, electronic goods that we have a specialist that PAT tests for us, materials for art classes etc.

    *****

    As Rene has mentioned the PCC’s mission is to enable people to live more sustainable lifestyles within Penicuik and the surrounding areas. This is in parallel to two of Cop26’s goals- adapt to protect communities and natural habitat and working together to deliver climate change targets. Penicuik Carbon Challenge achieve this by adjusting people’s habits, working together and getting them active in the natural environment- all reducing their carbon footprint and taking steps closer to net zero targets.

    Social Enterprise in the Spotlight: Mayfield and Easthouses Development Trust

    The green shoots of community-led regeneration are bearing fruit in Mayfield. Mayfield and Easthouses Development Trust (MAEDT for short), is showing how local communities can address social issues such as poverty and loneliness while also helping to combat climate change. MAEDT used the lockdown period to incubate two social enterprise projects that are already bringing benefits to local residents. First, they have transformed the old pavilion and bowling green in Mayfield Park into a beautiful café, meeting space and community garden. With the help of a new staff team including Phil (pictured below) and local volunteers, the garden is now bearing its first crops of fruit and vegetables. These are available to customers for a small donation.

    The Pavilion café is open for lunches as well as teas and coffees. It also has meeting rooms and an outdoor shelter that can be hired for all sorts of community events. People interested in volunteering are encouraged to drop into the garden and have a chat with Phil. The project will also be part of Midlothian’s first Green Prescribing programme, through which local GPs and other NHS health practitioners can informally ‘prescribe’ some clients to get active in their community in order to support recovery and improved health. 

    MAEDT has also opened Midlothian’s first community Food Pantry. The Pantry, which aims to help members make their money go further and support local households out of food poverty, is open to people who live in Mayfield and Easthouses. Since opening, it has already gained more than 200 members who can shop once a week.  Each shop costs £3.50 and members can purchase food, toiletries and other household essentials, typically worth up to £15.00. Warris (pictured below) and his team of volunteers are keeping the pantry well stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables from the

    garden, donated from the local Tesco at Hardengreen and through a partnership with Mark Murphy Total Produce Group   As well as non-perishable goods second-hand school uniforms and winter coats for children are also available. The Pantry is located at MAEDT’s office in Bogwood Court and is open Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-2 and Wednesdays 1-6.

    To launch these projects, MAEDT has secured grants from Midlothian Council, National Lottery Community Fund, the Supporting Communities Fund and the DTAS Pockets and Prospects Fund, as well as smaller amounts from Foundation Scotland, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Greenspace Scotland, and the Mushroom Trust. There have also been donations from the Co-op, Scotmid and the Jafaria Foundation in Easthouses. Income through trading activities will help sustain the projects as they grow. 

    Sharon Hill, Trust Manager, is looking forward to what the future will bring for MAEDT and the community: 

    We have plans to move and develop as our customers feedback to us.  We can already see how the Pantry can grow and change with time and member involvement, and the possibilities for growth in the garden and pavilion are almost endless.  It’s an exciting time for us and we are grateful for the support of our volunteers, members, customers, funders and partners.” 

    Social Enterprise in the Spotlight: The Storehouse, Penicuik

    Fraser Waugh recently caught up with Aglaia Kempinski, the Community Development Manager at the Storehouse in Penicuik to talk about all things eco-friendly, organic, and how this store aims to take its customers on a sustainability journey. Let’s get our teeth (pun intended) into finding out all about The Storehouse:

    Tell us about your mission
    The Storehouse Penicuik sells goods that are good for people, the community and for the planet, always ethically sourced and local as possible. Everything we sell uses small-scale suppliers and short supply chains to ensure sustainability and traceability. Through this, and our customers shopping with us, we aim to be a pivot point in enabling people to live a more sustainable life.

    Tell us more about what is on offer at the Storehouse
    • A refillery within the shop for essential and organic produce, so customers only buy what they need and refill when they need to, vastly reducing plastic waste. This includes household supplies such as washing up liquid and shampoos/conditioners
    • We now have our café area back up and running serving freshly made cakes, toasties, sandwiches and hot drinks amongst other tasty treats to takeaway as well
    • Many shelves filled with fresh, organic fruit and vegetables, drinks, fresh meat and dairy, dried goods, and household supplies
    • A fruit and veg box scheme that can do deliveries within the local area
    • Locally- crafted gifts such as knitted goods, cards, jewellery and accessories
    • We now have a second-hand bookshop in store, catering to all genres and readers of any age.

    Penicuik Storehouse

    Tell us how you seek to be a hub for the community?
    We are a community-owned and led social enterprise with close relationships with our local customers and volunteers. We want the Storehouse to be a focal point not just for shopping but for community activities and learning.

    Volunteering is really important to us. It is all about volunteers building skills and providing an experience that customers will want to continue to be a part of and come back to. It’s a great place to develop skills that can be used in any retail capacity.

    The store is also all about giving back to nature as we take away from it. We have a gardening section within the store, where left-over seedlings can be donated, and ‘wonky’ fruit and vegetables are sold instead of going to waste.

    How does someone go about volunteering at the storehouse? What roles could they get involved in?
    This is mainly a volunteer lead shop so volunteers could be doing a variety of different roles within the store- what you put in is what you get out of it! To get involved or if anyone requires more information, please contact hello@penicuikstorehouse.org

    The Penicuik Storehouse is open seven days a week, Monday to Saturday: 9:30am – 5:30pm and Sundays 10:30am – 3:00pm in Penicuik town centre. Make a small change to make a big difference!

    Third Sector Growth Fund: One to Watch Out For

    The Scottish Government’s Third Sector Growth Fund will provide loan funding of £30 million to social enterprises and charities in Scotland. The fund aims to help the sector access new forms of investment in order to grow. It also seeks to support our sector to recover from the pandemic and become more sustainable.

    Further details about the Third Sector Growth Fund, including what types of social enterprises and charities will be eligible for the funding, and details of how to apply, will be published later this spring. Check here for more.

    Make a change in your community

    The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out the best in Midlothian communities. We’ve seen people banding together to look after neighbours and the environment. Now is time to think about the next steps and keep that energy going. Do you want to make change in your community?

    Midlothian Council’s Communities and Lifelong Learning Service and Midlothian Voluntary Action have created a free four-week introductory course to community changemaking which starts on 1 June 2021. The course will be led by Daniel Baigrie (Midlothian Council) and Rebecca McKinney (MVA), both with many years’ experience in community development and changemaking.

    Find out more about the course.

    Covid can’t stop Randori Judo!

    Randori’s new judo centre in Dalkeith

    Just a couple of years ago, Mark Taylor walked into our office in Dalkeith with a dream: to start a social enterprise that would share the physical, emotional and social benefits of judo with children, young people and adults across Midlothian. He founded Randori Social Enterprises in 2018, running clubs and classes in schools around Midlothian.

    In the spring of 2020, facing all of the uncertainty that the pandemic brought, Mark took the brave decision to sign the lease on an industrial unit at Hardengreen Business Park. During the lockdown period, the Randori team worked relentlessly, galvanising the support of their members, local businesses and the wider community to fully refurbish and kit out their brand new dojo, complete with sprung floors, mats, mirrors and much more.

    SEAM worked alongside Firstport and Midlothian Business Gateway to ensure that Randori had the business support they needed and were able to make the most of available funding opportunities. The new Randori dojo is now up and running. It is an amazing space and an inspiring example of social entrepreneurship in Midlothian. Locate in Midlothian recently featured this article about Randori. You can also follow what Randori is up to on Facebook.

    SEAM and MVA are having a clear out

    A lot has changed since the pandemic happened, and it’s certainly been a very challenging time for many organisations, especially not being able to get into our work places very easily.

    This picture of Rebecca was taken before lockdown, but we are actually still in the process of sorting out our office and meeting room on White Hart Street in Dalkeith. We are hoping that when life can return to ‘normal’, the TSI premises will be a safe, warm and supportive space for local third sector organisations to come for a one to one session, some training, or even just a general catch up to say hello and tell us how it’s been during lockdown.

    We look forward to seeing you once our space is sorted out and the regulations allow it. In the meantime – see you on Teams or Zoom!