WHALE Arts Covid Response 2020

WHALE Arts Community Anchor Organisation Community Response to the Covid-19 Crisis in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh Update Report on Activity Between March - July 2020

Art & Wellbeing Packs

2

We have now sent over 1500 packs to families and

schools

Government

and

thanks

funding

Communities

we

to

the

from

were

able

Scottish

Supporting to

buy

high

Food

quality materials to include in the packs.

After responding quickly to the need to get

By September this figure is likely to be over 2000.

We

recently

sent

Art

Packs

to

all

3

local primary schools (Clovenstone, Sighthill and

Canal

View

Primary

Schools)

and

the

local high school (WHEC) for pupils over the summer holidays and the response has been hugely

positive

from

the

headteachers

/

food

out

local

locally

and

organisations

with

help

we

now

from

other

have

an

operation that works well with a combination of staff and volunteers cooking 150 hot meals a

week

most

sent

out

to

families

and

individuals with around 30 picked up on a Friday.

teachers.

The goal over the next few weeks - working

This

has

been

outstanding WHALE

and

work our

possible of

Kate

through and

freelance

the

Kirsty

from

artists

and

towards the end of August - is to reduce the number of hot meal deliveries and increase pick-ups from the takeaway.

volunteers.

We have had a small group of volunteers and staff

including

Barnwell

who

our

have

dedicated made

this

chef

happen

Paul and

each week improved the service and we are hugely grateful to all those who have given their time for free including drivers and those helping with food preparation.

3

Online Classes Our freelance artist team have been - since March

-

creating

participants children's

for

groups.

online

both These

adult have

classes

for

groups

and

ranged

from

watercolour salt painting with Let's Create, a simple apron and a scrunchie with Stich n Time to handstands at home and shadow art with Street Arts.

These

online

classes

have

been

complemented by materials and packs which

Digital Access We

have been buying tablets, laptops and

have been posted or delivered to participants phones

for

local

people

and

groups

and

undertaking a range of remote digital skills These can be viewed here. support to build confidence in using digital devices.

This work is part of a wider area-wide project called

Wester

Prospect

Hailes

Community

partnership

with

Connects Housing

WHALE,

led

by

working

in

SCOREscotland,

CHAI and Open Heavens Church.

We

have

secured

funding

from

Supporting

Communities to expand on this between now and September and we have plans to start a new digital drop-in on zoom for those looking to

take

stage.

their

new

digital

skills

to

the

next

Community Newspaper

4

Digital Sentinel – printed version - has been created by Craig from WHALE. This paper will be circulated in the coming weeks and talks about the community effort during lockdown and

how

community

groups,

organisations

and residents have come together to support eachother. It also includes some reflections on

how

lockdown

has

been

for

local

residents.

Friendship Calls These have continued throughout the phases of

lockdown

with

the

team

and

volunteers

during lockdown talking to participants and This

was

Seven

produced

in

Kingdoms

University

and

with

partnership

project

with

Prospect

with

the

Napier

any

new

people

who

signed

up

for

calls

through the referral system.

Community

Housing.

We have a conversation, a catch up and if needed we refer people into other services

Local partners were supportive of this - the original Sentinel Newspaper was loved locally by residents and it was agreed that getting a 'happy news' community newspaper through their doors would be welcome.

We plan to create another printed newspaper in the autumn.

locally where required - counselling, therapy, food packages.

CoProduction As

part

of

our

'Growing

Our

Own

5

Artists'

project funded by Creative Scotland and the William

Grant

Foundation

our

Artist

in

Residence Morven Odling has been working with

our

freelance

artist

team

and

participants of the adult creative programme on the Treasured Tree project.

1:1 Creative Sessions As

part

of

Creative

Placemaking

Rebecca

The goal is to create a large collaborative from

WHALE

has

been

doing

1:1

creative

sculpture and the aim to keep all participants sessions with local residents during lockdown who

usually

attend

the

adults

groups by post, phone and online.

connected, entertained and actively creative.

Content has been developed at request of Every single member who participates in the participants to try something new. This has adult programmes at WHALE has been invited included: to participate from their own homes helping Buying

plants

and

developing

a

mural

to build it in three different stages for which with a new residents gardening group; they receive art packs with craft materials to Drumming by phone; firstly, design the Leaves, then the Blossom Painting with a local artist who has not and finally the Fruits. used oil paints before; Trying

out

abstract

painting

with

The end result is to symbolically plant the Tree someone

who

has

only

ever

tried

at WHALE at the end of Summer, share it on representational painting. social media and invite everyone to view it once the building is re-open. Also open to We are now looking at developing 1:1 sessions give

it

continuity

byÂ

travelling

around

the as part of our post-lockdown programme.

area

making

the

wide

connected by its roots.

community

feel

Small Community Grants

6

We received organisations,

£20,000 projects

from Scottish Government Supporting Communities Fund to distribute to and

community

groups

in

Wester

Hailes

in

May

2020.

This

is

Scottish

Government Funding which is being distributed and administered by National Lottery Community Fund. These are small grants of up to

£2000 to be used by organisations and groups to support the

community of Wester Hailes during the recovery phase of Covid-19.

Funding allocated locally at 15th July: Edible Estates – Building wooden shelters at Canal View Primary School About Youth – A partnership with Bridge 8 Hub to get young people accessing outdoor activities on the canal Calders Residents Association – Purchasing outdoor toys, clothes, bereavement counselling and a thank you event for volunteers Grass Roots Remedies – Grass Roots Remedies Co-op – producing & distributing free herbal remedies locally Dove Centre – Fuel costs for distributing food locally and provision and delivery of activity packs for people locally Wester Hailes Litter Picking Group – Purchasing litter grabbers, bags and other items such as fishing magnets to accommodate more litter picking across the area.

Hailesland Gardeners – Purchasing plants, stones, equipment and other such items for a new volunteer-led gardening group Open Heavens Church – Buying and sending out board games to families in the area.

Holy Trinity Church – Buying equipment to move worship as well as the CAP debt services online Murrayburn and Hailesland Community Park Association – Purchasing play and art materials for families locally The Health Agency – Development of the Willow Garden as a space for people to visit and enjoy post-lockdown With Kids – Continuation of play therapy for vulnerable children where their therapy was cut short by lockdown Mums Into Business – Start-up and development grants for mums running small businesses locally

Wester Go Beyond Hailes Together / Living Well Wester Hailes Go

Beyond

was

established

as

a

7

crisis

response network for SW Edinburgh initally by Bridie Ashrowan from Space and Broomhouse Hub and Leah Black from WHALE as co-chairs of the SW Voluntary Sector Forum soon joined

by Craig Wilson from Big Hearts.

The group has focused areas such as food provision, mental health, young people and the summer holidays.

These meetings have

been supported by Kate Barrett from EVOC, Kate Barlow, Public Heath Practitioner NHS, and Ally Hunter from Be More Human. Kirsty

WHALE Arts worked with partners to set up Frankland from WHALE has been working with Wester

Hailes

Together

which

was

a

crisis Go

Beyond

on

a

plan

for

mental

health

response for Wester Hailes, with Leah Black beyond from

WHALE

chairing

fortnightly

the

crisis

and

developed

a

zoom Community

Resources

Map

(initially

a

food

meetings with with Emma Cormack the new map)

which

has

been

supported

by

Craig

CEO at The Health Agency.

Tyrie and Fabien Merville from WHALE.

This network has been very helpful and has Our

Supporting

Communities

(Scottish

led to some of the fantastic ideas that have Government

funds

supported

by

National

come through the small grants fund.

Lottery Community Fund) applications were made using a joined up approach across SW Living

Well

Wester

Hailes

is

an

established Edinburgh.

network set up by an innovative GP in Wester Hailes,

Peter

Cairns.

Because

these

are We

are

energised

about

what

we

can

similar groupings of people and ideas Wester achieve together as a locality network, with Hailes Together has been merged into Living plans to explore Community Wealth Building Well Wester Hailes and Emma Cormack and and

a

Leah Black will soon take over as co-chairs of space...

Living Well Wester Hailes.

Wellbeing

Economy.

Watch

this

What Next...

8

Programme As we move towards the end of July 2020 we are getting ready to communicate what we

Lessons Learned

think our adult and young people’s creative programme might look like from August 2020

The last few months have been challenging in

onwards.

a number of ways: adapting how we deliver activity and how we continue to co-produce

Very

tentatively

Government considering some garden

and

Phase that

outdoor and

we

in 3

line

guidance

may

groups

with

be

we to

are start

with

local

residents;

losing

months

of

our

earned income, overnight; being a dispersed team

when

our in

reason

and

for

the

WHALE

embedded

across

Wester

community in Wester Hailes.

using

greenspaces

able

Scottish

being

working

is

to

alongside

be our

Hailes from August 2020.

We

have

take

learned

forward

lessons

Festival in the autumn, exploring the use of

working that we would never have considered

outdoor projections, using phones, and linked

before. And to leave behind some of the less

in with the Little Free Libraries project.

positive approaches.

We are carrying out detailed risk assessments

So

to allow for a safe transition of some groups

Back/Move

back into the building starting initially with 1:1

volunteers and freelancers. We plan to share

creative sessions.

this learning and we are happy to talk over

we

Forward

are

new

ways

we

want

September

some

and

We are planning a Children’s Film and Book

in

to

however

planning

session

with

this with locals, partners and funders.

a

of

Look staff,

This has been possible thanks to...

Staff Team

9

Our (Amazing) Volunteers!

Craig Tyrie

Laura Tyrrell

Danielle McPhilemy

Leah Black

Dawn Borthwick

Michael Bowdidge

Claire Dancer

Susan Gibson

Fabien Merville

Paul Barnwell

Jodie Johnstone

Louize Gibson

Jill Scott

Rebecca Green

John McClarey

Mark Howden

Kate Griffin

Rob Davidson

Jonny Taylor

Dean Wright

Kirsty Frankland

Verity Combe

Lesley Chalmers

CharlieÂ

Donna Heritage

Kevin O'Rourke

Laura Delahunt

Freelance Artists & Leads

Trustees

Debbie Wright

Rene Sommer Lindsay

Andrew McNiven

Grant Williams

Gemma Smith

Marion Preez

Charlotte Binstead

Jade Jackson

Lillian Shipton

Pam Van De Brug

Denise Young

Kenneth Fowler

Liz Waterston

Jill McKirdy

Emily Stevenson

Ross Campbell

Mirja Koponen

Rachael Hunter

Euan MacLean

Susan Gibson

Morvern Odling

Sindy Santos

Eunice Main

Kirstin Cunningham

Denise Allan

And Huge Thanks to All Our Funders

9

For Their Support, Kindness and Flexibility City of Edinburgh Council Robertson Trust The William Grant Foundation SCVO One City Trust Bupa Foundation UK Scottish Government Power Up & JP Morgan Wester Hailes Community Trust Creative Scotland Stafford Trust Erskine Cunningham Hill Edinburgh Airport Community Fund Nancy Massie Trust Children in Need John Watson Trust

New Park Dr Guthrie's Association Lothian Buses Mickel Trefoil Batchworth Trust Mbili Trust Algrade Trust STV Foundation Foundation Scotland & National Emergencies Trust Travers Smith Soil Association Ryvoan Trust Clothworkers RS McDonald National Lottery Community Fund