Projects

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Our projects fall into four main categories.  We have Community Gardens in the Calders; Clovenstone and Harvesters; and Dumbryden, Murrayburn & Hailesland.  We have School Farms at Canal View and Sighthill Primaries, and a horticultural project with Wester Hailes High School.  Our Placemaking work is seeking to establish new community hubs and adventure playgrounds across Wester Hailes.  And more recently, we have started research into climate adaptation including Rain Gardens and Nature Restoration.

More information below.

Community Gardens

We have three large neighbourhood gardens across Wester Hailes, which provide growing spaces for approximately one hundred and fifty growers. The gardens are managed as outdoor community centres, each garden has a large timber shed which provides space for meetings, workshops and social activities. Alongside food growing activities, we host a variety of  events for local residents from the gardens, including community meals and art classes, often in collaboration with other local organisations.

School Farm

Each year, our School Farm Leaders teach over 120 children across two primary schools how to grow food and engage with nature in a curious, enjoyable and responsible way. Workshops tie in with the curriculum for excellence, and centre on food growing, biodiversity and climate change.

We have also partnered with Oatridge College to deliver NVQ’s in horticulture for pupils of Wester Hailes High School.

Learning, Wellbeing & Volunteering

Our core goal is to improve individual and community wellbeing, we seek to create opportunities for local people to gain new skills and experience through volunteering to build new facilities for the community, whether at the gardens or elsewhere.  This might result in future employment or be away to get out of the house and get some exercise.

  • Growing Youth

    Growing Youth

    For several years now, Wester Hailes Growing Communities has been collaborating with Edible Estates’ Growing Youth programme which supports young ...

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  • Lend A Hand

    Lend A Hand

    For the last year we have been working with Edible Estates to establish a Lend A Hand team in Wester ...

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Placemaking

Placemaking is the art of creating neighbourhoods that uplift people and help them connect with each other.  It normally refers to the ‘public realm’, the spaces between the buildings.  Over the years, we have carried out several community consultations across Wester Hailes.  These consultations have consistently highlighted the demand for good quality greenspace, particularly that which provides opportunities for play and recreation; they have also identified the need for better community facilities.  Whilst we are a small organisation with limited resources, we have sought to address both of these issues.

Climate Adaptation

Climate change means that Scotland will be wetter in winters, drier in summers, sea level rise will continue, and our weather will become more variable and unpredictable.  Building resilience and adapting to climate change is about becoming better equipped for the present and future changes brought about by climate change.

In Wester Hailes, in the coming years, we are going to focus on nature restoration to improve the biodiversity of local greenspace, this will be good for wildlife, but also for local residents by creating beautiful openspaces which are good for wellbeing, and shade in the hot days of summer.  We will also look to develop knowledge and skills in the creation of ‘rain gardens’, a flood remediation measure which can also improve the biodiversity and beauty of the area.