Posts filed under 'Open view'
Sandwiched between Young Scot and Safe Sex, will Leith Open Space attract any interest at Telford’s Student Festival of Learning? Click ‘more’ to find out.
Setting up my stall at the Student Festival of Learning in Edinburgh’s Telford College I soon realised that I was a bit short of merchandise. Thanks to Tommy we had the biggest and boldest banner in the hall and I had put together a nice display of bright leaflets about intercultural arts events, voluntary work and community gardens. Then I discovered Leith Open Space was sandwiched between Young Scot and Safe Sex and it was obvious they both had a much more interesting selection of freebies.
“It’s all about give aways,” said one of the Young Scots sympathetically as a queue gathered in front of his stall to pick up some very smart triangular plastic markers. Then I looked to my left and saw a crowd of young women lining up to examine a rather different line of plastic give aways on the Safe Sex stall.
I sent a surreal text to family and friends. “Amazing”, Tom texts back, “take a picture”. So
I did and got rather a good one of Ms Safe Sex sipping a pot noodle but sadly she told me they are not allowed to be photographed for publication. Mr Young Scot had no such qualms, “Just make sure it’s my good side.”
All in all, Telford’s Diversity Day was so interesting I stayed twice as long as I intended. With Mike Cowley’s help I even had time to sit in on a couple of workshops which gave me a glimpse of the extraordinary scope of further education. In Nil by Mouth a group of young men became seriously engaged in discussion about sectarianism in Scotland. Mike’s workshop on Rock against Racism provided a thought provoking exploration of the grassroots rebellion against the fascism of Enoch Powell and – would you believe it – Eric Clapton who made his millions out of black music. (I did not know that Clapton still believes that Powell was a brave man speaking out against the danger of black supremacy. The one black student in the room said something like: “what planet is he on?”)
Back at my stall, I found a few people lining up to find out about the Opening Doors shadow scheme I am helping to organise with Mike and the rest of the Leith Open Space Group to enable minorities to become more involved in politics. A group of Chinese students had already picked up a load of postcards advertising the extraordinary intercultural extravaganza Dialogues of Wind and Bamboo in the Botanics in June. So I didn’t need the plastic merchandise after all – but I wouldn’t mind getting hold of a few of those magic markers.
The show is over but the message lingers on. Thanks to Tommy for the banner!
May 5th, 2008
Caught on CCTV: volunteers from Leith Open Space in Persevere Community Garden. “You’ve been working hard,” commented the concierge when we went to return the key to the walled garden. He’d been watching us on the screen.
This is a challenging piece of ground. After two hours of heavy digging with spade, fork and mattock (that’s the evil looking object you can see in the corner), we had covered one third of the plot we are sharing with Greener Leith. In that time we dug up several empty bottles and cans, a huge concrete block, lots of stones and two very optimistic worms (or was that the same worm twice?).
Never mind going to the gymn, never mind jogging: if you want to burn off a few calories this is definitely the way to do it. So if you want to help please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We might even lend you the mattock…
There’s lots of hard work going on. Congratulations to Greener Leith volunteers who have been hard at work since the opening – most of the spiky berberis bushes round the edge of the garden have been cleared away. Persevere Community Flat have got their plot dug already. And there are buds on all our fruit trees!
Posted by Fay
April 7th, 2008
Fay Young from Leith Open Space Group went looking for a new community garden in deepest Leith: this is what she found…
It took me a while to find the right place tucked away between high rise flats. By the time I got there the rest of the team were inside having coffee and my blurry mobile picture shows a community garden without people. Even so, the sun was slanting between high walls and if you squint you can imagine what it might be like once fruit trees are showering the ground with blossom.
Community gardens are spreading across Edinburgh. Backgreens are coming to life again. And there are plans for unused land in different neighbourhoods around Leith.
Two weeks ago I went to a wonderfully cheering meeting in the appropriately named Persevere Room at Leith Community Centre. I had been watching Monty Don’s new BBC television series, Around the World in 80 Gardens, and wistfully imagined what Leith might be like if we could capture some of Cuba’s enthusiasm for growing organic fruit and vegetables in every spare piece of land. It didn’t seem likely. Leith is not Havana and we are not facing a food embargo.
I found the room was full of community groups keen to use common land to encourage local people to get together to grow healthy local food. As a member of Leith Open Space, I found myself agreeing to share a plot with the infectiously enthusiastic and energetic Alastair Tibbitt of Greener Leith.
Alastair has secured funding to buy rare fruit trees from John Butterworth, who encourages people to rediscover the kind of apples, pears and plums you won’t find in the supermarket.
So my next visit to the Persevere Community Garden will be accompanied by other members of Leith Open Space, armed with spades to take part in a tree-planting ceremony with three other community groups. At the same time, the garden opening will mark the launch of Edinburgh’s Children’s Orchard – inspired by the fantastically successful Children’s Orchard in Glasgow.
Perhaps Leith could be more like Cuba than I imagined!
February 15th, 2008