Bridgend Inspiring Growth AGM and Winter Celebration

Hello everyone,

We hope you have all had a fruitful and encouraging year so far and are preparing your hearths for the coming winter.

We apologise to all for the lack of updates we have been able to send out recently, but would like to let you know that behind the scenes we have been continuing to work hard to collaborate with various local groups on developing ideas for the farmhouse renovation, applying for funding, and starting to develop a business plan for the renovation. As always, any extra assistance, support and expertise would be hugely appreciated, however big or small, and would make a significant difference towards the renovation project.

This year we have so far:

• Established ourselves as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (No SCO42769) and got public, volunteer and employers liability and insurance
• Carried out an intergenerational storytelling project with Liberton Primary and Inchview residential carehome. A printed and electronic book of stories produced documenting this and collecting stories told and written is available on request if you would like one. Please email or call to ask for a hard copy, or for a free one online for ipads go to: https://itunes.apple.com/book/id575931767?mt=11 
• Held a workshop led by Development Trust Association Scotland which identified and assessed various uses for the building, looking at their social and financial benefits, and developing an outline for best uses of the farmhouse in the future
• Began developing a business plan and Social Return on Investment audit for the farmhouse
• Written and soon to submit an application for funding to develop an options appraisal to be presented back to all for comment and further participation

Now, we are coming to the end of the year and wanted to host a Winter Celebration to accompany our Annual General Meeting. This will be: Sunday December 9th 2-3.30pm, Bridgend Allotments Barn, 41 Old Dalkeith Road, EH164TE. There will be winter baking and hot drinks available to keep us all warm (but dress in layers too!) We have gone with a Sunday because a lot of people said they could not make the dark evenings, and others are working during the week.

A poster is available if you would like to help us distribute which you can see below.    

All members, organisational partners and non-members are invited to attend this event. If you would like to stand as a trustee or nominate anyone this would be fantastic, and please get in contact and we can send you the appropriate form. Equally, if you cannot make the meeting but would like to cast a vote on the election on trustees then let us know and we can ensure you are able to vote by post. An agenda for the meeting will be available on the day, but if you would like to see in advance or add anything additional then please let us know as well.

We are currently looking for 3 or 4 key partner organisations who would be interested in collaborating on the farmhouse renovation. If you are interested please get in touch

We look forward to seeing some of you there or hearing from you soon, and thankyou for your continued support.

Hello all,

I hope those of you who were able to got to look through the notes and list produced on possible sustainable activities in the farmhouse if renovated which came out of our most recent workshop. To follow on from this we will be having our next meeting to try and put some of this into action and start assessing the potential for the different activities on the site.

Please do come along, your input is really valued and there will be practical tasks for people to go away with should they wish, so we do need you there.

It is MONDAY 14TH MAY 6.30pm - 8.30pm at Inch House Community Centre, EH16 5UF.

If you need any support or assistance in getting directions there or access to the park in the dark then please let us know. 

Also, please see here for information about our next public event. It is the final event in an intergenerational living memory project being carried out gathering local tales and stories with pupils from Liberton Primary school and residents from Inchview residential home. Do come along to hear some of the final stories that were created and also some special tales from professional storytellers, even one specifically about the farmhouse. There will also be other workshops and refreshments provided. 

Please let us know if you may attend on Monday, or send apologies if you cannot make it but would like to.

Bridgend Farmhouse developments; the next steps...

Dear members and affiliates,

Just to let you all know the report that came out of our recent workshop with the aim of identifying key aims and outcomes for the group. It is available here. We'd like to emphasise these are Draft working aims, but will help to guide us towards clarifying them over time and giving us a clearer direction.

Over the next 6 weeks we will be researching the different possible key and important uses of the building. If you would be able to help with this at all please get in touch and we can elaborate more on this. Especially for those who attended the workshop last thursday whom we don't know your specific email addresses.

We are also beginning a living memory project in May with Liberton primary school and Inchview residential carehome, if you'd like to get involved in that at all. We particularly are looking for people interested in material and resource making and gathering of different types.

Finally, our next meeting for all to attend will be Monday 14th May, Inch Community Centre, 225 Gilmerton Road. Postcode, EH17 5TT, 6.30-8.30pm.

If you need any extra directions or would like to walk through the park with someone just let us know beforehand.

Anything else do get in touch in the meantime.

Bridgend Farmhouse; From vision to action

To all members and affiliates,

You may have thought things had gone a little quiet with developments around the Bridgend Farmhouse renovation project, but we have been working away developing the suggestions put forward, planning a local living memory project, and organising a community action workshop on what we can do next and who can do it. We are still in need of time, expertise, energy and assistance though, so please get in touch if you can help in ANY way. We have many suggestions if you are wondering what would be useful.

We are now very glad to be able to invite you to attend this workshop though to look at what are the next stages and how we get there. Please see here for more details.

Bridgend Farmhouse: From Vision to Action

Thursday March 15^th 6-8.30pm

Inch Community Centre, Bottom floor, Inch House,

225 Gilmerton Road, EH16 5UF (in Inch Park)

Bridgend Inspiring Growth (BIG) is a small voluntary group who have come together to work towards the renovation of the farmhouse for community benefit and ownership

Over the past year, BIG has consulted the local community, users of the allotments, and potential partner organisations to identify what local needs the farmhouse project could and should meet. We are now looking at ways to go forward with those and turn them into a reality.

Purpose of this event

This workshop is for local people to come together to review the information gathered and agree on:

1. The local priorities (strategic aims) that the farmhouse project will meet

2. Key activities (operational objectives) that will turn these aims into reality

3. A clear work programme that sets out the main steps required to achieve progress towards these objectives over the next year

Who should attend?

This event is for anyone in the local and wider community who is passionate about making the farmhouse a working resource for the local area and is able to commit at least some time to help make this happen (over whatever period of time you can manage).

All other details are on the poster, but if you have any additional requirements or assistance needed to attend, or have any further questions beforehand please let us know.

Please RSVP to bridgendfarmhse@gmail.com to indicate if you may be attending.

Meeting Minutes - 26th January 2012

Hello folks,

Attached are minutes from the most recent committee meeting here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/79767633

We also have recently held some planning meetings for an intergenerational living memory project in the area. If you are interested in hearing about this or getting involved please let us know: bridgendfarmhse@gmail.com

We will be meeting to consolidate the project plan and vision on February 19th. Please send us anything you want added before then.

Following that we will be running a workshop with Development Trust Association Scotland around project planning and identifying priority actions and activities. This will be in early March. if you would be able to attend this please do and please let us know.

Following this we will produce a new leaflet to send out to members and local residents outlining the next years plan of action and how you can contribute and be involved in the project.

Any ideas, suggestions or thoughts in the meantime do get in touch.