We write this to you on what is supposed to be the hottest day of the year so far! And from our vantage point overlooking the Deaconess Gardens, it certainly looks that way. That view also reveals to us the changes beginning to happen in the City which herald the arrival of the Edinburgh Festival for 2016.
Those changes will also be reflected in this Centre, as from next week we once again become the home of Zoo Venues. This means that the majority of activities within the Centre will not be happening during August with a few exceptions. Sunday gatherings by Victory House (Assemblies of God), the Edinburgh Japanese Church, and the Study Service will all continue but will be relocated to the Baillie Meeting Room on the first floor. The only other regular activity to continue is the fortnightly Heart for Art group led by Crossreach. This will continue on August 4 and 18 but again will be moved to the Baillie Meeting Room.
It's great that we can still offer some space to premises users, and we also have a couple of one off events in the Meeting Room during August. But we do appreciate the flexibility of other groups who make way for Zoo to come in. They have been coming for many years now and it is good to see our suite of buildings used in this way once again. We look forward to welcoming all our existing groups back again in September.
While we've got your attention, can we also let you know of some extra space that will be available in the evenings after the Festival? Due to some diary changes and also a different staffing system, we are pleased to offer Wednesday and Friday evenings for groups to make use of. If you're starting a new group or looking to expand an existing provision, then please get in touch.
We are also pleased to offer the Kirk o'Field Sanctuary on weekday evenings. This would make a lovely rehearsal venue for your choir, orchestra, drama or similar groups.
Finally, we have space available most days for daytime events - conferences, training, meetings etc. Contact us for details of our day and half day packages.
So we wish you a very happy summer and hope we get to enjoy more days like today! We look forward to creating more community connections in the months ahead.