Our Story
Wester Hailes Growing Communities is a charity established in 2017 to support individual and community wellbeing through the creation of community gardens. We operate three gardens at; the Calders, Clovenstone, and Murrayburn & Hailesland. Over the years, we have broadened our scope to other greenspace projects which further our goals.
Our School Farm projects at Canal View and Sighthill Primary Schools, teach children to grow food and learn about nature. We also deliver a horticulture course for pupils at Wester Hailes High School.
Our community growing project grows fresh fruit and vegetables at the community gardens for the local Food Pantry.
Our next goal is to improve the local provision of community facilities. We are working towards the construction of a new community centre for Dumbryden, Murrayburn & Hailesland – we will be taking ownership of the site in 2025. We are also supporting Calders Regeneration Trust to community asset transfer and renovate the ‘Janitors Flat’ into a community space.
We also hope to become involved in the creation of adventure playgrounds and nature restoration.
Greenway Microhub Update
We’ve got the funding to build it
We received planning permission for the Microhub in October 2025 and took ownership of the site through Community Asset Transfer in December 2025. We have now secured funding to build the Microhub and are preparing for construction to begin in Winter 2026/2027.
More about the Microhub and how to get involved
Adventure Playground Update
Awaiting Planning Decision (expected Summer 2026)
We received funding in 2025 to build a new adventure playground in the Greenway and are currently awaiting a planning decision to approve the design, which will allow us to start on site. Early discussions throughout the pre-application process were positive, so we are cautiously optimistic.
Our Projects
Our projects fall into five main categories; our community gardens, the school farms, our placemaking work is seeking to establish new community hubs and adventure playgrounds, and more recently research into climate adaptation including rain gardens and nature restoration.
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We are researching opportunities to restore nature and adapt to climate change.
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We support four community gardens across Wester Hailes.
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We deliver several projects which seek to support learning and wellbeing, and give folk an opportunity to volunteer to support their local community.
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Community led design of new facilities and features.
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Outdoor learning for pupils of Wester Hailes schools.
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Latest News
Wester Hailes Growing Communities is proud to work with, and be supported by the following organisations:
