Can we Save Bellfield for the community?

If you’d like to show your sup­port, please let us know you are com­ing by going to this Facebook page:

Numerous won­der­ful spaces have opened up in Portobello over the last few years — wheth­er bakery, bis­tro, green cof­fee van, Tribe Porty, Full Cirqle cir­cus train­ings, or the many many more.

 

At the same time, cru­cial com­munity spaces, needed for the every­day activ­it­ies that under­pin the well being of our kids, par­ents and older folks are vanishing.

 

The most recent was Rosefield’s St James Church and halls, where the halls were a won­der­ful gift to the com­munity, enabling all sorts of day time and even­ing chil­dren’s activ­it­ies, as well as for older folk, all at rates that meant none were excluded because of a lack of money.

 

Rosefield is in the pro­cess of being sold after the mer­ger of the Church of Scotland con­greg­a­tions (St Philips, St James’s and the Old Parish Church, Bellfield) into one Portobello and Joppa Church’ at St Philips. The gift of space to the com­munity that all 3 church halls have been could­n’t con­tin­ue without the com­munity recip­roc­at­ing by filling the pews.

 

Most of the com­munity groups who pre­vi­ously met at Rosefield were accom­mod­ated in the Old Parish Church and Halls on Bellfield Street. Now the Church sees the need to sell this too.

 

Shall we just let anoth­er cru­cial shared com­mon space van­ish, while kids focus on screens rather than the big out doors on a wet even­ing, or attend won­der­ful but costly classes many can’t afford? If you are inter­ested in help­ing a com­munity buy out to keep the gift giv­ing then please join us on Saturday 16^th April to hear about a pro­posed road map for com­munity own­er­ship, and to con­trib­ute your ideas.

 

bellfieldaction@gmail.com