We were thrilled to unveil these beautiful public art displays in north Edinburgh last week.

The artwork comes from a short picture book created by our Citizen Communities Writer in Residence, Eleanor Thom, with P3 pupils from Craigroyston Primary School in Muirhouse, Edinburgh and their families - including Nathalie and Leia and their parents, pictured here. The book, Where Dandelions Go, tells the story of a typical day-in-the-life of the community by joining together snapshots of the everyday goings-on of families in the area, from parents getting everyone ready for the day to kids playing together in the street – in the process revealing the rhythms of life in the area, and the hopes and ambitions of resident families.

Eleanor pulled these stories and images together for the book, copies of which have been gifted to Craigroyston Primary School and the families involved. We're hoping to make more copies available in the near future. The images – mainly taken by the participants themselves – have been blown up and will now be displayed in the heart of the community itself, thanks to Robertson, a construction company working on renovating the public area near our Citizen partner venue North Edinburgh Arts.

Pennywell Town Centre will be constructed in phases to allow as many shops as possible to stay open while the works are being carried out. The new space, Macmillan Square, will form part of the town centre and officially opens at the end of 2022 when all surrounding construction works are complete. The square is named after Maureen MacMillan, 1937-2002, a community activist who dedicated her life to improving the Muirhouse area particularly for young people and those unable to speak up for themselves.

We’re delighted Robertson reached out to North Edinburgh Arts with the opportunity and that we have been able to feature artwork which represents the vibrancy of the community, while also encouraging others in the area to become involved with Citizen and share their stories and ideas about life, belonging and community in the area.

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Citizen is an ongoing creative programme fostering discussion and collaboration in communities across Edinburgh and beyond produced by the Edinburgh International Book Festival in partnership with North Edinburgh Arts and other organisations, supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery and funded through the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government- through Creative Scotland - the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals.