Our second outreach event at the Gorebridge Beacon was a resounding success, with over 170 people in attendance throughout the day!
This is was in no small part due to the amazing team at Gorebridge Community Development Trust, whose year-round work has an obvious social, environmental, and economic impact in Gorebridge. A special thank you to all the staff that helped us set up and to the Cafe staff, who ensure everyone had a drink and delicious cake.
The real stars of the day were dozens of community groups and organisations who came together to share their knowledge, skills and inspiring stories.
Newtongrange Community Garden inspired us with their passion for brightening their local environment by creating a blooming garden in the heart of their village.
MAEDT’s Wheelbeing Hub’s very own Mike, the Bike Mechanic, joined us once again to teach us and help us fix our bikes.
Midlothian Wildflowers educated us about the roles of our wildflowers in keep local pollinator populations healthy.
Home Energy Scotland were there to provide much needed advice on funding for renewables and energy efficient home improvements.
Similarly, Changeworks provided guidance on how to save energy and make our homes more energy efficient.
Buglife and Riverfly on the Esk gave us a glimpse of the invertebrates living in our rivers and their importance in a healthy ecosystem.
Elaine, the Storyteller, dazzled us with her fantastic stories about nature and wilderness.
Volunteer Midlothian brought information about amazing volunteering opportunities across Midlothian and managed to get one very committed new furry recruit.
Aging Well Midlothian took us on a walk exploring the beautiful woodlands and sites of historical interest in Gorebridge
Alison, from the Lend and Mend service at Gorebridge Library gave us an insightful demonstration on upcycling.
1st Rosewell Brownies once again showed us how to make Seed Bombs, so we can go out and rewild the world!
Midlothian Council’s Communities and Lifelong Learning helped us improve our numeracy skills with their Counting Carbon game, part of the Midlothian Numeracy Pathway Project.
Gorebridge Community Gardeners gave us a tour of the wonderful garden at the Beacon .
We had a fantastic day and we hope everyone in attendance did so as well.
Overall, the day was a fantastic example of community-powered skill-sharing. This is the kind of collaboration and community sharing that can make a difference – we learned new things, made new connections a felt inspired for the future. We hope you did too!
Our last outreach events will be taking place over the next 2 Saturdays:
- Saturday, 16th March 1pm-3pm @ Ladywood Leisure Centre, Penicuik
- Saturday, 23rd March 1.30pm-4pm @ One Dalkeith, Dalkeith
We hope to see you there! Keep an eye on our social media channels for more information.