Happy Solstice!

Were you up for the dawn at 4.25am? Maybe just catch the sunset at 10pm today instead.

Today I’m mentioning a couple of local events coming up that interest me and I think are worthy of a flag and which are the sort of things I hope will happen around and in our Town Hall.

The first is The Craigmillar & Niddrie Community Festival 2021 taking place Sat 14th and Sun 15th Aug which is to be a celebration that marks 100 years of Greater Craigmillar since it came within the boundary of the City of Edinburgh.

Sound familiar?

It will look at Craigmillar now and then; sharing the rich social and cultural history of the area, whilst also celebrating the diverse communities and cultures that make up Craigmillar today.

It is part of a revival of the famous Craigmillar Festival which has not been held since 2015, but which ran for over 40 years since the 1960s as an internationally renowned community arts festival every August.

It is to be led by local residents, with the support and involvement of local community groups, venues, and organisations. These groups have been planning the festival since January 2021, and there are plans for a range of performances, outdoor events, food stalls, workshops, wandering musicians, window decorations, exhibitions, tree planting, and more.

Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Numbers are going to be limited and ticketed for obvious reasons but I’m watching with interest to see how it works out. I want something similar running in Porty and Porty Central definitely see Craigmillar and Niddrie as part of our 20 minute neighbourhood. You can find out more here:

#craigmillar100 hashtag on Instagram • Photos and Videos

https://www.facebook.com/events/884442472414373/?event_time_id=884442472414373&ref=110

The second event I’d like to share is a call out for participants for a performance by local artist Deirdre MacLeod as part of the wonderful Porty Art Walk in September.

Art Walk Porty – CALL OUT: Do you live in, or near, Portobello? … | Facebook

In describing the event to me, Deirdre wrote:

“Aside from the creative aspects of the project that you might enjoy, my sense from the chat we had on our walk round Gilberstoun is that you are interested in community-building projects. This project seeks to draw attention (gently and maybe poetically) to the way in which we use public spaces – who gets to use what space and how they feel, act and move in those spaces, how these spaces have changed and the possibilities for the future use of public spaces within communities. The improv. project seems, to me, to chime with the interests of projects like Portobello Central, which I think you might be involved in.”

I am powerless to resist. See you there?

Jennifer’s blog number 21