As part of our Citizen project, early this month our Communities Team and Adults Writing Group helped take the joy of the Book Festival to children and families at the North Edinburgh Festival. 

Relaunched in 2022 the North Edinburgh Community Festival is an annual day-long festival held at West Pilton Park. This year’s edition featured over 100 organisations and, with the sun beaming down, welcomed 9000 people across the afternoon. For the third year our Communities team took part in the festival – hosting a Book Festival stall.  

With 250 children’s book bags to give away, the Book Festival stall was busy and buzzing all afternoon! Each of the bags was tailored for different aged children – with the picture books for under 5s being the first to be snapped up. Alongside the bags we also had postcards featuring stories and poetry from our Adults Writing Group and illustrated by students from Edinburgh College of Art. We met so many families from North Edinburgh, as well as further afield, and we loved hearing people’s stories and seeing children and young people enjoying their book bags.  

On the other side of the park our Adults Writing Group ran a creative session for families in the North Edinburgh Arts tent. The group had created a special story-telling board game that featured a range of questions – for example: What is the best way to make a new friend? And If your room had a magic door where would it lead to? – designed to encourage players to tell stories. The game sparked so many funny and creative responses from the families who took part! 

As well as meeting people from the local community we also bumped into lots of our partners including Scran Academy, North Edinburgh Arts, Spartans and Project Esperanza. Plus, it was fantastic to see colleagues from the Fringe, Science Festival and Children’s Festival too. Roll on next year! 

Images provided by Dave Pickering (NEN) 

Citizen is part of Edinburgh International Book Festival Communities Programme, a series of events and activities around Scotland throughout the year, and is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and through the PLACE Programme (funded by the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council, and the Edinburgh Festivals, and supported and administered by Creative Scotland).