News

Granton churches on the Waterfront

April 6, 2006

Local churches have signalled a positive response to Edinburgh’s Waterfront development. With around 35,000 people from many existing and diverse communities coming together, the churches aim to be a uniting factor.

This has involved the recent appointment of Mrs Pat Elliott as a Community Development Worker for a three-year period. "I am very excited about the chance to be involved with this new chapter of Edinburgh’s life," she said.

Mrs Elliott will work primarily with developers and incoming residents. Through this post it is also hoped not only to help form a common identity for new residents but also to forge strong and lasting links between new and existing communities.

Local Church of Scotland minister Rev Norman Smith said: "It’s great to see the churches doing something really positive for our new communities. Locally we will be doing everything we can to support this work."

Mr George McArthur, secretary of the Granton Churches Waterfront Centre, said: "We intend this positive response to help create a sense of community within the Waterfront."

Granton Churches Waterfront Centre is a collaborative response by eight denominations - Baptist, Church of Scotland, United Reformed, Salvation Army, Roman Catholic, Quaker, Methodist and Scottish Episcopal.

Pat Elliot can be contacted at comdevworker@gwcc.wanadoo.co.uk.