Community activist and Kirk minister to lead Edinburgh neighbourhood board deciding how £20m funds are spent
‘This money will make a huge difference in our communities’ - Rev Bill Wishart
A community activist and a local church minister will lead a neighbourhood board of East Edinburgh residents to decide how a £20 million UK Government grant will be spent across four East Edinburgh communities.
Community activist Miranda Baird and the Rev Bill Wishart will oversee the 10-year initiative in Bingham, Magdalene, The Christians and Niddrie.
The money is part of the Pride in Place programme, designed to support and invest in overlooked communities and restore pride to local areas, for instance through reviving the local high street, restoring parks or breathing life into community spaces.
In Edinburgh, five areas of the Capital had to bid against each other for the cash, with the East Edinburgh communities announced as the winners in December.
Community activist Miranda Baird and Church of Scotland minister the Rev Bill Wishart, from St Martin’s Parish Church, Magdalene Drive, have been named as co-chairs of the neighbourhood board, which has yet to be recruited but is intended to ensure that community voices are at the heart of the decisions made about the future of their areas.
Mr Wishart said: said: "I am excited and honoured to have been chosen as co-chair of this amazing project and look forward to working with Miranda to appoint the new board and begin the work in earnest.
“The money that we have been given by Pride in Place will make a huge difference in our communities and I can't wait to see all the wonderful ideas that people will bring forward to make real change happen."
And Ms Baird said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been appointed co-chair for Pride in Place funding. As someone who cares deeply about our community, this role means a great deal to me. It is a brilliant opportunity to support projects that strengthen our community, celebrate inclusion, and create lasting positive change. I can’t wait to get started!”
Edinburgh East & Musselburgh MP Chris Murray, who will also sit on the neighbourhood board, said he was “beyond delighted” that Ms Baird and Mr Wishart had come forward to lead the board.
He said: “Pride in Place is a community empowerment project with amazing potential: it recognises that local people know what their community needs, so hands the power to the community to improve their area. I’m so pleased I was able to secure this £20 million from the UK Government for an area that has been overlooked by other governments for far too long.
“Miranda and Bill are two people rooted in this area with links across the communities. I can’t wait to work alongside Miranda, Bill and residents, to deliver Pride in Place’s full potential.”
The board is expected to involve the community in generating a vision for the future of their area and set out a pathway to deliver that over the course of the 10-year programme and beyond, considering opportunities to attract and combine new and existing private, public, and philanthropic funding streams.
Applications will open shortly, and the co-chairs and Mr Murray are urging local residents and those with a deep connection to the four areas to apply.
Mr Murray said: “The success of Pride in Place depends on those involved with the neighbourhood board. Miranda and Bill are excellent co-chairs, the next step is to recruit a board which represents all four corners of this special area.
“This project is not what national governments think your community needs, or what the local authority decides is your priority, this is about how you want your community to benefit from this long-term investment.
“This is a unique opportunity, £20 million pounds to invest in your community and help to make it an even better place to live. If you want to be a part of this, please do consider an application.”