I've been living in Leith for over 6 years now and thought it was about time I checked out my local…read morecommunity centre! Leith Community Education Centre is based on the first floor of the Newkirkgate shopping centre, at the bottom of Leith Walk and is apparently one of the busiest community centres in Edinburgh. Approximately 3,000 people use the centre every week! It has a decent sized sports hall, a smaller hall, 4 general purpose rooms, crèche, public computers with free internet access, lending library and a wee café. They have loads of groups using the space from youth groups, literacy support, carers support, outreach teaching, help with stopping smoking and support for people with a learning disability, dance classes, drama groups, history groups, art classes, martial arts and children's movement classes. One group I notice on the poster board was 'Gleeith' the new community singing group in Leith! Brilliant! Not something I'll be joining with my crying cat voice, but I love the play of words! So I ventured there one snowy evening to try out a dance inspired class called 'Stretch and Tone'. You the enter the centre via the external steps and across a balcony, which could be tricky to find if you didn't know the area. The centre was fairly utilitarian looking (most community centres are) but there have designed quirky windows features into the modern scheme which adds a bit of interest to the building. The class was good, but sadly only 2 of us braved the snowy conditions, but I'm glad I did, I felt 2 inches taller after it! I picked up the centre brochure upon leaving so I may well return and check out some of the other classes they have available soon.

been coming here [member] for over 19 years. superb staff , a very good cafe, a bit worried about…read morewhat i read on leithsucks.net on there latest member of staff who is about to 'join the team' this centre caters for adult classes, bowls, art class, dancing. the full list is very long. there are also youth clubs-[ separate male / female.] and a satuarday special day when virtually all kinds of dancing [highland, tap, modern.] all for children. if you are a parent, you must get youself along to see everything that this centre can provide!

From the outside this second-hand furniture shop doesn't look like much--but nosey your way though…read morethe raggedy entrance, past the offices, and you will find yourself in an enormous vault of housewares. The quality and range of furniture here is excellent, and the prices make each item a fantastic value. Not only that, but it's run largely by volunteers with profits going to help the homeless. Although it looks modest and homely, (especially with Ibrox looming over it across the street), this really is a treasure trove of used goods that will spruce up your home *and* help a worthy charity! Other details: Cash only / Delivery for £15 / Close to Ibrox, Govan and on the 121, 89 and 90 bus routes

From the owner: Second Opportunities is a Scottish registered charity, set up to tackle the effects of poverty by…read moreproviding services, which incorporate the concept of recycling.

I have been to a few events here and the Grassmarket Community Centre has a modern new building and…read morenice event spaces. I've been in the main hall for a wine reception event and the space worked equally well for that for 100 people and also for a seminar for 15 people. There is a cafe in the front of the building and I believe they do film screenings either in the main hall or another screening room. The location is easy to get to and the staff seemed friendly enough and accommodating to host various events. The lunch they served us was really nice with flavourful carrot soup, an assortment of sandwiches, and a tray of cut up fresh fruit that was nicely presented. The wifi also worked well and I had no complaints about the event space. #underdog #newonyelp

Grassmarket Community Project was the building we stopped in when we were on our guided tour of…read moreEdinburgh. Has a nice café and indoor/outdoor seating area with reasonable prices. Stop in for a cake, coffee, or just to relax and remember that your patronage goes back into helping the community.

Have you ever wondered what an art gallery/installation/experience in The Capitol of Panem would be…read morelike? It's Jupiter Artland. If you know Hunger Games, you'll know exactly what I mean. If you're not familiar, think indulgent, a spectacle, disturbing, hedonistic, garish, innovative, creative, thought-provoking... you will feel polarizing things here, you will remember your visit here forever. According to their website, "Jupiter Artland is an award-winning contemporary sculpture garden... set over 120 azores of meadow, woodland and indoor gallery spaces, Jupiter Artland is home to over 30 permanent and unique site-specific sculptures... as well as a seasonal programme of carefully curated exhibitions..." Try to come on a beautiful day since this is an outdoor adventure! While it's mostly very accessible, there's a lot of walking, so wear comfortable shoes! We got the map and made it a point to visit and read about every site. I think Jupiter Artland became famous because of influencers showing off the vibrant Gateway pool (which you can actually occasionally swim in). I loved I Lay Here For You (about women in nature), Rivers (a collection of water from one hundred different rivers in the UK), Animitas (two hundred small Japanese bells that are constantly making different melodies; no two ever the same; it's supposed to be like how no two souls are the same); Rose Walk (the gothic and chinoiserie pavilions); I liked the Weeping Girls (statues in the woods) but my partner felt haunted, vice versa for In Memory (the cemetery with people's names erased); we were both left speechless, creeped out, and concerned after Upside Mimi! which we watched in its entirety. Woof. The Cells are also very iconic and apparently you can wild swim occasionally there too. The VERY LONG point? You SHOULD visit here. Art is supposed to make you feel stuff, and you will very much feel stuff here.

Jupiter Artland is out of this world COOL!!!! On our recent trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, this…read moreplace was one of the highlights of our visit. Definitely the BEST sculpture garden that we have ever visited anywhere in the world. There are both indoor and outdoor exhibits. The exhibits are displayed all over the more than 100 acres property. You can get a lot of exercise walking while searching and exploring the place looking & admiring the exhibits. Personally, my favorite area was the Cells Of Life. Very beautiful landscape work of art!! You cannot miss it because once you enter the property.....there it is!! "Cells of Life consists of eight landforms and a connecting causeway which surround four lakes and a flat parterre." Unfortunately, we only had a couple of hours to spare. So we did not have the opportunity to explore everything that Jupiter Artland had to offer. Still, we did enjoy our time. If you are in the Edinburgh, Scotland area, I recommend dropping by.

What a neat spot! This historical spot is rich with stories, but also has some of the most…read moredelicious ice cream I have ever had. Get your Scottish trinkets and grab a scoop of ice cream before you leave!

I don't get this place isn't listed as an ice cream establishment, because the ice cream here is…read morenext level great! Wow! Get the award winning double cream vanilla and the raspberry sorbet! So. Damn. Good!

My mum collects handbags, particularly old school/vintage ones so sent me on a mission the other…read moreday to go round the charity shops to see if I could find any for her collection and if I bought them for her she'd give me the money back. I've heard that one before... I strolled around pretty much every charity shop in the city centre to no avail, it was quarter to five and I'd almost given up hope when I saw a sparkly, mother of pearl handbag in the window of this Cancer Research store. Bingo! After staring at it in the window, I quickly marched inside. Well, tried to march inside, there were still a lot of people inside but they'd locked the door as they were trying to close up. A second later everyone left and the staff grabbed their stuff and turned the lights off... it was still ten to five. I guess they must have been in a hurry to close up, maybe they had something planned but it was a shame as my mum would have really like that bag and all the other stores on the street are open till 5-5.30. Oh well, there's always next time! Peering through the window, I noticed a whole host of clothing, books, bric-a-brac and a good selection of jewellery too. Maybe next time I'll actually get to explore it inside.

One of several charity shops in a cluster on Nicolson Street. In some ways I prefer the layout and…read morelook of the others like Shelter or Oxfam more. However in terms of actually buying clothes I have bought come great things here. They seem to regularly have trousers that fit me, which is rare for charity shops which seem to be mostly larger trousers and rarely below 32" waist. Here though there have been several my size and sometimes smaller. Actually not smaller as (in adults sizes) you can't get smaller. I can currently fit into a wonderful pair of size 26 jeans from here, just got to keep it that way. Also got a coat a while ago from here. With prices like they have, you can impulse buy without regretting it when you look at your bank statement.

This is another impressive Edinburgh charity shop. It's just round the corner from a large BHF…read morefurniture and electrical shop, and keeps things traditional. I primarily browsed the DVD section here, and was not disappointed. Charity shops are the ideal place for a great bargain. For example, whilst perusing the DVD shelves, I found 'Wanted' for the bargain price of £2.99. All of the stock on offer seemed of a good quality, and I was impressed with the selection of things on all fronts. As with all charity shops, you have to hunt around a bit, as they are not as meticulously organised as typical high street retailers. I may have to come back and do a more thorough check of their selection. Of course, the stock will change all the time, as is the case with charity shops. An unbelievable bargain is almost guaranteed.

I am a frequent visitor to this store. Its conveniently…read morelocated near Haymarket Station and the bus stops just outside (No.3,33,44,4,25.....) Inside it is quite roomy and what I like most is the book selection on the right side of the wall. It is massive. They are stocked in order and you can easily look by authors names. You can get old and new titled books, as well as DVDs and CDs. They also have a vast clothes collection and some children toys and games at the back. You can even find changing rooms and try on the garments in private. The staff is really friendly and the place is clean. Prices are fab and don't forget you support a Charity :-)