The Edinburgh Reporter June 2023 issue

Edinburgh’s Warm

& Welcoming

Initiative

55

An honour to be at the Coronation

Threat of being thrown out of studios sparks angry campaign

By CLLR STEPHEN JENKINSON

THE COUNCIL became all too aware that

the cost of living crisis was having a

devastating effect on thousands of

Edinburgh households.

Many of our citizens have had to choose

between heating their homes or feeding

their families.

As a councillor I decided to see what I

could do to create a service to provide safe,

warm, and welcoming spaces where

people could receive support and advice

services which would help them deal with

food and fuel poverty.

I tasked Council Officers to design,

develop and deliver this new service at

pace, and within existing Council budgets,

which was certainly no mean feat.

The officers rose to the challenge

and working across all the council

services really delivered for the people

of Edinburgh.

SUMMIT

Within a few weeks a communications

strategy, website and a digital map were

all up and running.

This highlights all the physical spaces

offering access to events, activities,

resources, information, and support.

At the launch 88 organisations

geographically spread across the city were

included, 28 libraries, 22 places of worship,

three cultural venues and 35 third sector

organisations.

I recently had the pleasure of attending

a Warm & Welcoming summit which was

held in the City Chambers.

We brought together Edinburgh

Voluntary Organisations’ Council (EVOC)

along with our partners in the third sector,

religious groups, and the business

community to share successes, learn

lessons and plan for the future.

This initiative has on every measure

been a real success story. Our libraries and

community spaces have been

reinvigorated and we now plan to deliver

services and community events

throughout the year, not just in winter.

Venues continue to sign up to this

exciting programme enabling us to

expand and enhance the services^

we provide.

I’m convinced that this year we will

deliver a programme of important events

in our Warm & Welcoming spaces that we

can all be very proud of.

By ROBERT ALDRIDGE

Rt Hon Lord Provost of Edinburgh

LAST month it was an honour to

represent the capital at the

Coronation of King Charles and

Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey.

The atmosphere in London was

truly special as the city prepared for

a momentous weekend. For me, it

was an early start! We had to be

through security by 8.30am and in

our seats.

All was going according to plan

until walking to the entrance I was

faced with Westminster Bridge

being closed and an ever

increasingly agitated group of

coronation invitees asking to cross.

We were told to wait for a band to

pass, then another one, then

another one for 20 minutes. The

good news was we witnessed a lot

of the splendour – the bad news

was that we were some of the last

to arrive at the Abbey – but made it

in time to see the Royal Procession

in what truly was a historic occasion.

In the Abbey I was entranced by

the music, beautiful pieces

performed by some of the best in

the country and real sense of

occasion as they played for the

global audience. The spectacle of so

many Commonwealth Heads of

Government processing alongside

their flags also made me reflect on

the legacy of the late Queen and

her commitment to the

Commonwealth of Nations.

The ceremony is like nothing else

I’ve witnessed, it was full of

tradition, it was moving and at

times a surreal spectacle rehearsed

to finest detail. To have a front(ish)

seat at this moment in history is

something I’ll always remember and

proud to be there for our city.

Here at home, West Princes Street

Gardens hosted a special free

screening of both the ceremony

and the Coronation Concert at

Windsor Castle the following day.

For those who were celebrating I

hope you enjoyed the atmosphere

of the extraordinary weekend.

Now our attention turns to

Edinburgh’s own Royal Week in the

summer which will mark the first for

King Charles III.

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

LOCAL ARTISTS who rent space at West Park

Place Studios in Gorgie/Dalry say that their

premises, previously owned by the council, are

under threat of closure by the current owners and

have begun a campaign against eviction.

Local councillor Dan Heap raised the matter

asking that the Culture Convener, Cllr Val Walker

steps in to meet the artists and discuss what can

be done to save the “thriving artistic community”.

He noted the sale of the property by the

council in 2021 and asked whether there were

any conditions imposed on the current owners,

Working Artists Studio Provision Scotland

(WASPs), in the event of any re-sale.

Council officer, Peter Watton, explained the

details of the history of the building to councillors

saying that the condition of the property is such

that around £4 million is now needed to put it in

good repair. He explained the council has no

direct role but that there was a clawback clause in

the sale. The council sold the property to WASPs

for £1. The studios which are situated in two large

industrial buildings are used by around 40 artists

and local creative businesses.

The buildings changed hands when WASPs

bought the property from the council, but the

organisation is now threatening to close and sell

it due to escalating maintenance costs.

Multi-media artist Jill Martin Boualaxai is a

creative based at the studios. She said: “When the

building was bought by WASPS in 2021, we

understood it was under the proviso it remained

as an art space. After years of uncertainty, it was

such a relief to feel safe and secure. We were also

told the studios would be renovated. For us to

now be threatened with eviction less than two

years later feels underhand. There appears to

be little regard for the challenges we already

face where funding, commissions and sales of

work are so tough to secure. The suggestion

that our studios could be sold from under us

has caused a lot of anger, stress and anxiety

within our community.”

Chair of local arts and cultural organisation,

Gorgie Collective, Katriona Gillespie, said:

“Gorgie-Dalry is already one of the most

culturally disengaged areas of the whole city and

we have been historically under-resourced in the

arts. We do not receive our fair share of cultural

funding and these studios are one of the only

assets we have in the area that actually supports

the livelihoods of local artists. It is unthinkable

that they should be closed and we are appealing

to our local representatives to support the

campaign to save the studios.”

Cllr Heap said: “A number of local artists and

residents have been in touch with me asking for

my help to keep the studios open. Gorgie-Dalry

has limited cultural provision as it is, so the

possible closure of these studios is deeply

concerning. I will push the council to do what it

can to ensure the continued operation of the

studios and provide additional resources for local

artists in my area.”

Artists eviction sting

Cllr Stephen

Jenkinson