OUR CONSTITUTION
Name and date of becoming a social enterprise
Art and Spirituality CIC was constituted on 16th August 2022, previously it run as a sole trader business from 27th April 2021.
Mission, aims and values
Art and Spirituality CIC is a health and healing centre with a yoga studio and therapy room, connected to a small and welcoming cafe. It was opened in April 2021 with the aim to offer creative arts and mental, physical and well-being health activities to residents in the local area of Gorgie- Dalry, Edinburgh. Activities delivered in the centre include arts workshops, exhibitions,therapies and classes such as yoga, meditation, baby massage, dance, reiki, coaching, stress management and any other practice that can benefit the community. It is a safe and supportive space. For local residents, barriers to participation in health and mental wellbeing activities are cost, social links and availability of facilities and classes.
Our objective is to run free of charge classes and therapies for people
*to improve mental, emotional and physical health and wellbeing,
*to increase social connections
*to provide support in a non-judgemental and affirming environment
In order to do this we need to be able to cover the running costs of the Cic
Impact Measures reported by participants: reduced levels of stress and anxiety; improved confidence, self-esteem and resilience; greater sense of control over their lives; improved physical health, increased social interaction and reduced social isolation; new friendships.
Our values:
Compassion, kindness, knowledge, community, contribution, competency, openness, creativity, optimism, fairness, respect, stability, service.
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GORGIE AREA
Consultations by Gorgie Collective, alongside Census (2012) and SIMD data (2020) shows that Gorgie is a highly-populated urban area. Gorgie is well-known within Edinburgh as a destination for first-time homebuyers and young professionals. The distribution of the housing stock means Gorgie is well positioned to serve these groups, with over a fifth (23% in Gorgie/Dalry) of properties comprising 2 room (1 bedroom) accommodation, compared to an Edinburgh average of just 6%. There are issues with overcrowding – 7 of the 10 most housing deprived neighbourhoods in Edinburgh are located in Dalry, Gorgie and Sighthill. Almost all dwellings (96%) in Gorgie/Dalry and 83% of dwellings in Sighthill/Gorgie are tenements or flats.
A very high proportion of people – 55% in Gorgie/Dalry, 45% in Sighthill/Gorgie – live in single person households. This is significantly higher than the Edinburgh and Scottish averages at 39% and 35% respectively. Only 7% of households in Gorgie/Dalry comprise children under 16. Gorgie residents are unlikely to own a car: 62% of households in Gorgie/Dalry and 55% in Sighthill/Gorgie do not own a vehicle. Most residents use public transport to travel to work. Only 23% of people in Gorgie/Dalry travel to work by car (against an Edinburgh average of 41%); just under half take the bus or train and almost a third (30%) walk or cycle.
Ethnicity
Gorgie-Dalry is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in Scotland and the second most ethnically diverse neighbourhood in Edinburgh after Southside in the city centre. It is home to a large Asian community, comprising 13% or 1 in 8 local residents. The proportion of Europeans in the area, including a large Polish community, is at 14%, double that of the city as a whole (7.5%). Only around half of the local population (55%) was born in Scotland.
Gorgie-Dalry town centre, one of Edinburgh’s 8 town centres, is located on Gorgie Road and Dalry Road. The town centre is typified by small businesses, many of which cater to the area’s migrant residents, with businesses owned and managed by migrant workers from Poland, India, China, Turkey, Italy, Pakistan and Nigeria amongst others.
There is a very close correlation between the number of respondents declaring a country of birth outwith Scotland and the number of respondents identifying as being of non-white Scottish ethnicity.
This indicates that the majority of non-white Scottish residents in the area are migrant workers.
Deprivation
The Scottish Index of Mass Deprivation identifies several neighbourhoods in Sighthill/Gorgie as being amongst the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in Scotland. There are also a few which are amongst the most deprived 5%. Multiple social, economic, educational and health issues are associated with areas of high deprivation.
Broadly speaking, the incidence of deprived neighbourhoods increases as you move west through the ward, from central to more peripheral areas. There is a significant distribution of social and council housing stock in Sighthill corresponding with sites of deprivation.
The key demographic trends in Gorgie are therefore:
GORGIE PROFILE
- Gorgie is a highly-populated urban area
- The majority of Gorgie residents live in single person households
- The vast majority of households comprise adults
- The majority of residents do not have a car
- Gorgie-Sighthill includes some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Scotland
- Gorgie-Dalry is one of the most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in Scotland, the second most ethnically diverse neighbourhood in the City of Edinburgh
- Most non-white Scottish residents are migrant workers