Community taking action
A COMMUNITY ACTION Group, supported by locals, has applied to The City of Edinburgh Council to turn the Meadows Pavilion into a community hub by using a Community Asset Transfer.
The Meadows Pavilion Community Action Group (MPCAG) formed last March. Amanda Scott, who has run the café for ten years, has been unable to open it for a year, and The Pavilion Café has been sorely missed by all. As lockdown restrictions ease, cafés and bars open again and the Meadows remains one of the few places where people can gather safely, the community are taking matters into their own hands.
Amanda said: “The Pavilion is a vital part of the Meadows landscape and community, and the cafe has served the Meadows and wider Edinburgh community for 15 years. Before the pandemic, it was a busy and friendly wee spot, and has been sorely missed by all this past year. We need to keep this building in the hands of the community."
MPCAG led by Amanda is made up of community members from all over the city, including the Shrub Cooperative and Re-Rooting Gardening Cooperative, who have redesigned the Pavilion Garden with the help of local volunteers since the beginning of this year.
After canvassing local schools, community groups and sports clubs, the group held an open meeting which was attended by 50 people, all supportive of the transfer.
The group has now drawn up a vision for the Pavilion which makes it into a community hub, with a community garden, a food-surplus sharing hub in collaboration with The Shrub, a tool library in collaboration with the Edinburgh Tool Library, a pop-up shop available to small local businesses, space for sports clubs and schools to run activities, and a healthy and affordable café.
All are welcome to get involved with the Action Group to help make the Meadows Pavilion a community hub.
For more information, please email: