Exciting news for LMA/Wee Museum of Memory, Ocean Terminal and the local community…
We can confirm that LMA will be running the empty Debenhams unit as a Community Heritage and Culture Hub. The unit is very big – two large floors and a restaurant area – so we hope that it will provide space and opportunities for a whole range of community activities.
When we sat down to discuss the possibilities our list grew quickly… At the moment we plan to use the ground floor as a heritage centre for Leith, working with Spirit of Leithers to expand their displays and organising themed areas for people to sit and watch films or slide shows about local history. Over the coming months we would love to work with any Leith-based group: perhaps art projects painting scenes of Leith streets on the walls or exhibitions by any community/culture groups in Leith. Even as a starting point for guided tours of Leith…
We intend the upper level to be less Leith focused and available for any groups who need space and have little or no finance to pay for hire of halls etc: it’s free! Youth groups, choirs, theatre, bands or art groups could use some of the space for rehearsals, workshops, and performances or displays. We are planning a dedicated stage area with seating and floor space for audiences and dancing – tea dances or themed events based around the music of different decades and style – wartime, 1970s disco, ceilidhs…
We have worked with a range of other groups in the past, including Leith Labs and Citadel Youth, and hope that these collaborations will continue and expand, as well as develop new projects with some of the other organisations in Ocean Terminal such as House of Jack dance studio, Projekt 42, Leith Collective, Street Soccer.
Working with such a vast space and a lot of different groups will mean there will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. We also hope we will be able to offer a number of Kickstarter employment opportunities for young people.
If you are interested in helping or need some space for your project/group get in touch…
Hi good day joyce to you and good luck with all projects.
My suggestion is to introduce antiques fairs to the debenhams .they are extremely popular, you might know this.the one each month on dalmeny street called out of the blue .im sure the space being offered would be positive move if well publicised , word of mouth is good as well . the enviroment is ideal with lots of space for parking ,which is also a huge problem in and around dalmeny street for buyers and sellers .the out of blue space is very cramped due to its size and popularity but good day out .kind regards
Hello I am a volunteer adviser at Volunteer Edinburgh. This sounds like an exciting development- will you be recruiting volunteers? Would you like to have a chat about how might support that- advertising for roles and supporting you and the volunteers?
Well done ? great thing for Leith. As a burn and bred Leither I would be interested in volunteering in some capacity.
Well done LMA. A great step forward in Leith. Showcasing our Heritage and also providing a platform for new and innovative ideas. Count me in !