Tag Archives: community engagement

Vote! Vote! Vote! Online is open now!

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Online voting for this year’s £eithChooses is now OPEN and LIVE and waiting for you! Here is the link: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/voteleithchooses

If you missed out on Saturday’s voting day, all is not lost, you can vote online. To be eligible to vote, you must live in Leith, work in Leith, or volunteer or study in Leith and be able to give the post code. The details of all the projects applying for funding are laid out for you to read and you then click to vote for three different projects, plus one (optional) ‘boost’ vote for an ethnic minority project.

AND – woo-hoo! – even if you voted in-person  at the Community Centre on Saturday, you can still vote again online – you get an extra vote for having turned out in the rain (only joking, it still works even if it is good weather).

Do it! And be sure to share this info and get all your Leith friends, family and workmates to vote too!

Online voting closes on 10 February

Have a look at all these great projects!

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Wow! This year’s Leith Chooses has attracted a record number of applicants! The ‘Gallery’ is now open and you can see details of all the proposed projects here, in advance of voting in January 2026.

Loads of great projects are being proposed but sadly, not all of them will be able to win funding, as the Community Grants Fund ‘pot’ is limited to £44,707.16.  You need to be sure to vote for your preferred projects – and tell all your friends and family to vote too!

Date for your diary- Voting Day at the Community Centre is Saturday 24 January 2026 (online voting opens on 27 January). It will help you to decide who to vote for if you take a wee moment to read through the project outlines online before you come along, as otherwise the day can sometimes get a bit overwhelming.

Reminders: LeithChooses applications are open, support for applicants

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Applications now open

Local charities and constituted community groups are invited to apply for project funding of up to £5,000. As usual, projects should be new or adding new value that will be of benefit to the community in Leith. Projects should start after 31st March 2026 and run until March 2027 at the latest. The theme for this year is ‘Well-being in Leith’. Continue reading →

Applications for LeithChooses 2025/26 are now open!

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Local charities and constituted community groups are invited to apply for project funding of up to £5,000. As usual, projects should be new or adding new value (not continued funding of an existing service) that will be of benefit to the community in Leith. Projects should be designed to start after 31st March 2026 and run until March 2027 at the latest. The theme for this year is ‘Well-being in Leith’ and the deadline for applications is midnight on Wednesday 22nd October 2025.

We welcome your applications using our new online form at edinburgh.gov.uk/applyleithchooses. If you would like access to the application form in a different format, please contact leithchooses@edinburgh.gov.uk or 07743 167 340.

Be sure to also download and read the LeithChooses guidance notes, to check if your project is eligible, and to guide you in putting together your application. You can also read additional guidance and a sample application form from Edinburgh Council.

If you have any questions or would like any support from the steering group with your application, please get in touch as early as possible to allow time for discussions, by emailing leithchooses@edinburgh.gov.uk.

You are also welcome to come along to a Steering Group meeting, to discuss your project ideas, and ask for advice on completing the Application Form. See ‘About’ page for details.

We look forward to hearing your ideas for new projects.

Choose your themes for next year!

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Leithers, we need to hear from you, please!  We are planning for LeithChooses 2026 now, but as per our ‘Community Conversation’ commitments, we would like YOU to determine which topics or themes ought to be given priority. In the past, some years we have had very ‘open’ themes, other years we have asked that all project applications for funding should be focused on particular areas/types of activity.

Here are a few suggestions. Please select the one (or those) that you like best, and/or add your own suggestions.

  1. Healthier and Safer Leith
  2. Culture and Creativity
  3. Greener, Cleaner Leith
  4. Nurturing Connections
  5. Other (your ideas)

Please email your choices and ideas directly to LeithChooses@edinburgh.gov.uk, with ‘Themes for 2026’ in the subject line)

Last Chance Saloon! Vote online now!

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Online Voting is still live until Monday 3rd February!
Have you voted yet? www.edinburgh.gov.uk/voteleithchooses

If you didn’t manage to get to the in-person day at the Community Centre, you can still vote online. Even if you DID vote at the Community Centre, you can ALSO vote once online.

Please remind your friends, family and colleagues to vote, too. Everyone 8 years or older who lives, works, volunteers or attends school or college in Leith is eligible to vote.

Who to vote for?
You can browse the list of projects here, or on the voting site itself as you go through the voting process.

Please cast your votes now at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/voteleithchooses

LeithChooses goes live!!

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We have lift-off!

Happy to announce that we can now reveal to you all the exciting projects that are applying to LeithChooses for funding, this year.

Deliberation
You can find the list of 24 projects here, and you have about 6 weeks to browse through all these projects and think about which you would like to vote for when the time comes. Remember to tell your friends, family and colleagues to have a look too.

Voting
Voting will open on Saturday 18th January 2025. You can come along to the Leith Community Centre on that day, and meet all the project applicants in person, and place your votes in the ballot box there and then.

Then there will be a further 2 weeks of online voting. If you didn’t manage to get to the in-person day at the Community Centre, you can vote online. If you DID vote at the Community Centre, you can ALSO vote once online.

Please remind your friends, family and colleagues to vote, too. Everyone who lives, works, volunteers or studies in Leith is eligible to vote.

Voting closes on Monday 3rd February 2025.

Deadline for Applications coming up……….

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Please get your application in NOW for LeithChooses 2024-2025!
The deadline for applications is 10 October 2024.

 The theme this year is Leith Uniting.

Local charities and community groups* can apply for project funding of up to £5,000.
As usual, projects should be new or adding new value (not continued funding of an existing service) that will be of benefit to the community in Leith. Projects should be designed to start after 1 April 2025 and run until March 2026 at the latest.

Please do ask for help and support in putting together your application if you wish. Contact leithchooses@edinburgh.gov.uk Please submit your application as early as you can – or let us know that you are intending to apply – that then leaves time for any questions or adjustments that may be necessary, and avoids the stressful ‘last minute rush’!
*only organisations that have a Constitution and a bank account may apply

Please download an application form here, and be sure to also download and study the Guidance Notes, to help you ascertain if your project is eligible, and to guide you in putting together your application. Various formats are available:

format Application Form Guidance Notes
DOCX Application form (DOCX format) Guidance notes (DOCX format)
DOC Application form (DOC format) Guidance notes (DOC format)
PDF Application form (PDF format) Guidance notes (PDF format)

You can also pick up a paper form at Leith Library, McDonald Road Library, Leith Community Centre, Out of the Blue, or Duncan Place.

The vote will be in January 2025.

Apply Now to LeithChooses!

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Please get your application in for LeithChooses 2024-2025!
The deadline for applications is 10 October 2024. The vote will be in January 2025.

The theme this year is Leith Uniting.

Local charities and community groups* can apply for project funding of up to £5,000.
As usual, projects should be new or adding new value (not continued funding of an existing service) that will be of benefit to the community in Leith. Projects should be designed to start after 1 April 2025 and run until March 2026 at the latest.

Please do ask for help and support in putting together your application if you wish. Contact leithchooses@edinburgh.gov.uk Please submit your application as early as you can – or let us know that you are intending to apply – that then leaves time for any questions or adjustments that may be necessary, and avoids the stressful ‘last minute rush’!
*only organisations that have a Constitution and a bank account may apply

Please download an application form here, and be sure to also download and study the Guidance Notes, to help you ascertain if your project is eligible, and to guide you in putting together your application. Various formats are available:

format Application Form Guidance Notes
DOCX Application form (DOCX format) Guidance notes (DOCX format)
DOC Application form (DOC format) Guidance notes (DOC format)
PDF Application form (PDF format) Guidance notes (PDF format)

You can also pick up a paper form at Leith Library, McDonald Road Library, Leith Community Centre, Out of the Blue, or Duncan Place.

LeithChooses 2024/25 opens for applications this week!

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Hope everyone is enjoying the summer! Here’s the latest news from LeithChooses –

The new theme for LeithChooses for 2024/2025 is Leith Uniting.
Hopefully this is open enough to allow for all sorts of creative interpretations. We will look forward to hearing your ideas for new projects.

Applications are opening early, so you should have plenty time
Along with the ‘back to school’ bustle, LeithChooses will be open for applications from Wednesday 14th August. You will thus have the full school term to prepare and submit your application (until mid October). But please make good use of this long preparation time, and don’t leave everything until the last minute…!

Get Support
At our ‘community conversation’ day in May 2023, many groups expressed a wish for support in putting together their application, and we are very happy to offer as much support as necessary. It’s a good idea to get in touch early, to make the most of support opportunities. Contact can be made via: leithchooses@edinburgh.gov.uk

The new Application Forms and Guidance Notes will be available very soon, from this site. Watch this space! Paper copies will also be available to be picked up from the Leith libraries, The Leith Community Centre, Out of the Blue, and Duncan Place.