As a fitting end to Source, we wanted to introduce an independent community magazine that is presenting news at the hyper-local level – Greater Govanhill magazine.
Community
Five years ago Scotland extended the Community Right to Buy to urban areas, and extended the funding from the Scottish Land Fund to community bodies in cities and towns.
5 Years of the Community Empowerment Act: What Has it Done For Our Urban Communities?
“I speak with volunteers in our community who feel overworked, undervalued and frankly, dejected. One said recently, ‘we all rushed to help, we came together at grassroots and now they are trying to ‘systemise’ community spirit. Don’t they trust us?'”
Angela Watt: Community volunteers want to help – so why are their voices being lost?
Last week, North Edinburgh Arts opened up a new ‘Pennywell Pantry’. For a weekly membership of £3.50, members of the Pantry will be able to choose a selection of food with a value of £15-£20 each week. The Pantry is laid out just like a small super-market, where people go in and select items for their […]
Community solidarity will be needed to survive the coming weeks and months
Live in Edinburgh? Your city needs you. For the good of Scotland’s capital, you must “act like a tourist”. You see, the tourist industry doesn’t have any tourists to sell their stuff to, so residents need to take their place. Out of the goodness of your hearts, the people of Edinburgh need to rush back […]
‘Act like a tourist’, or build community wealth?
Andy Colvin, a resident of Kilmarnock, says many who are self-employed are not getting the support they need. Andy highlights the case of his friend, Sandy Hillan, who has been at the heart of the community response to the crisis but is under severe financial pressure personally. I’M getting a little tired with announcements on […]
The rhetoric and the reality
With the lockdown now exacerbating people’s sense of loneliness, we spoke to VHS about the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the health and wellbeing of these marginalised groups, and the potential for a longterm public health crisis quite apart from that caused by the virus.
Loneliness and Self-Isolation: Longterm Effects of the Covid-19 Crisis
Local knowledge is key to dealing with community’s basic needs during crisis, but the government should be doing everything they can to provide funding and support, in order to protect society’s most vulnerable people.
Food During Crisis: Government Needs to Support Communities That Support the Vulnerable
Last week Community Land Scotland held an event bringing together community organisations to talk about community ownership. We spoke to a couple of the many inspirational organisations in attendance, as well as learning more about the provision of a new South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.