We’re welcoming 12 new members to the network!
Say hello to Pianodrome, The Jester, North Merchiston Club, Le Petit Monde Stories, Art Buds Collective, Edinburgh Communities Climate Action Network, The Compassion Salon, Recalibrate Together CIC, Bold Scotland, NC: Collective, Afro-Glo Hair and Beauty Salon & The Likes Of Us š¤
Find out more about them below.
š¤ New Members
Pianodrome
At Pianodrome CIC we create unique playable, community-centred sculptures made entirely from otherwise disused pianos. As part of a large network of makers, artists, performers and volunteers we design, build and install, then utilise the created spaces to programme inspiring festivals, one-off events and educational experiences.
It gives us great pleasure to welcome you to Pianodrome Bruntsfield Community Hub! With help from the Scottish Land Fund, the beautiful St Oswaldās church came under community ownership in 2020, under the auspices of St Oswaldās Centre. Now amongst the whispering stone pillars and sunlit stained glass, we are delighted to install our original five wedge Grand Pianodrome and realise our shared dream of a resonant creative community hub for all. Open Fridays and Saturdays 10-5pm + evening shows.
Meanwhile, Pianodrome Granton is still open and thriving. Drop in on Saturdays for the Adopt a Piano showroom, keep a lookout for one off events or come along to our Pianosharing on the first Saturday of every month.
The Jester The Jester will be a community-focused performing arts hub in Edinburgh, dedicated to making the arts accessible to all and supporting the transition from education to the professional industry.
By day, it will provide an affordable creative space for writing, rehearsing, networking and workshops; by night, it will host high-quality productions, touring shows and community events.
The venue will also support local charities and community groups, while offering performance and rehearsal facilities for schools, colleges and a youth theatre programme, helping young people gain experience in a professional arts environment.
Find out more here : https://www.instagram.com/thejesteredinburgh/
North Merchiston Club
The North Merchiston Club, first established in 1921, exists to serve local people and families, groups and communities living within Edinburgh.
We are open seven days a week, and NMC CafĆ© 48 is at the heart of it all. Offering Adults Activities, Kids Activities, Soft Play, Health and Wellbeing Sessions, Room Hire, a gym, birthday parties, football, table tennis and more.We are a place for everyone ā committed to social inclusion and equality, with people, families, and communities at the heart of all we do.
Le Petit Monde Stories is an educational organisation that aims at supporting early learning and teaching of French, by following the inclusive and play-based Creative Puppetry for Languages approach. Our programmes can help children of all abilities develop self-confidence, awareness of cultural diversity – along with a basic and sound knowledge of French – while enriching teachersā practice.
Website : https://lepetitmondestories.com/
Phone : 0791 004 5743
Art Buds CollectiveArt Buds Collective is an award-winning social enterprise dedicated to the delivery of sustainable arts education for children, families and adults. Our work celebrates the creative journey and inspires protection of our planet.
Classes and Workshops
- Training and Mentorship – Our Professional Development Programme for educators is designed to enhance art skills while fostering creativity and connection with nature in children and young people. Our programme provides educators with tools to inspire and engage their students through process-led learning. We train educators to support and nurture the artistic expression of their students in meaningful ways.
- Art Buds Fridays – Our artist-led Friday afternoon classes are back! Designed to engage children aged 5-12 in outdoor adventure and art making, these sessions will spark curiosity in the natural world, environmental stewardship and joy in artistic process.
- Schools and Nurseries – We specialise in delivering engaging and inclusive classes and workshops for community groups, schools, and nurseries. Our programmes foster a deep connection with the environment, promoting personal growth and teamwork, as well as creativity. Together, we create memorable learning experiences that inspire a lifelong love for art and nature and enhance the curriculum.
Website : https://www.artbudscollective.com/
The Edinburgh Communities Climate Action Network (ECCAN) mission is to foster community-led initiatives in Edinburgh that address the climate and nature emergency, aiming for a just, thriving, and resilient city. We do this by providing networking events, training opportunities, funding, and development support
Inspire
Perhaps youāre just starting your journey towards climate action? Check out our āTake Actionā pages for steps you can take as an individual or community.
Connect
Are you looking to connect with others who have similar values and outlooks? We advertise and run various events, as well as hosting a membership directory so you can connect with others.
Grow
From resource lists, to dedicated funding and support, weāre here to help you get active.
The Compassion Salon
The Salon is a literary and community space, speakeasy, which grew out of a place of adversity. What began as a small gathering in Edinburgh has become a testament to the human spirit and the importance of getting back up.
It is a place where two or more people from different walks of life explore what compassion means to them, their work, and their lives. From these conversations, countless compassionate endeavours have taken root.
Together, we can shape a future rooted in compassion.
Spreading the word about compassion through a community and literary space including events, the retail sale of retail , Book publishing & Management consultancy
Recalibrate Together CIC
Recalibrate Together explores yoga, qigong, meditation, breathwork, nutrition, and mindful living as tools for restoring balance in modern life. Helping people recalibrate health through non-judgemental listening.
Alongside personal wellbeing, Recalibrate Together encourages greater awareness of our relationship with food, the environment, other living beings, and the wider systems that shape human health and connection.
Expect guided practices, reflections, practical tools, and conversations designed to support a calmer, healthier, more connected way of living.
For class bookings visit here or for a no obligation initial conversation click here
bold ā Bringing Out Leaders in Dementia
bold C.I.C. is a spin out company from the University of Edinburgh.
We are registered with Companies House as a Community Interest Company (C.I.C.) ā a type of social enterprise.
At bold C.I.C. We support those living with dementia, unpaid dementia carers and dementia practitioners to build on living with dementia after diagnosis. We provide resources and self-development training to inspire and contribute to flourishing communities so that living with dementia doesnāt matter for who we are as people or how we live our lives.
bold C.I.C. services and resources are based on the work and research of Professor Heather Wilkinson from The University of Edinburgh and Professor Brendan McCormack from Queen Margaret University and launched in 2019 and delivered for five years as a partnership project between both institutions.
This work was supported by the Life Changes Trust, 2019 and the UK Research and Innovation Healthy Ageing Catalyst Award, 2023.
NC: Collective
NC: Collective works alongside employers and people affected by the justice system to create fair access to work. Rooted in lived experience, we help organisations build confident, inclusive hiring practices that reduce stigma and enable people to move forward with dignity and purpose.
Set up to support fair access to work for people with convictions. We operate as the trading arm of Next Chapter Scotland SCIO, our parent charity and are legally owned by the charity in full. This ensures that all of our work, revenue and impact prioritise community benefit, not private gain.
Our personnel, safeguarding commitments, HR systems, and organisational values are grounded within the charity. The CIC structure gives us the flexibility to work directly with employers in a responsive, practical and collaborative way, while maintaining alignment with the mission and ethos of the charity.
We work alongside employers to build confident and stigma-aware hiring practices that create real opportunities for people affected by the justice system. We also engage people with lived experience of convictions as leaders in shaping solutions not as case studies or tokens. Their insight is invaluable in building approaches that are safe, respectful, realistic and hopeful.
At our core, we believe that access to meaningful work supports stability, dignity and belonging and that employers can be powerful partners in enabling that change.
Afro-Glo Hair Salon and Beauty Supply is a national community interest company providing expert hair care and products, with a special focus on foster children with Afro-textured hair.
The Likes of Us
The Likes of Us are a social enterprise focusing on employability in Arts organisations across the city of Edinburgh. With a vast amount of experience within the Scottish Arts Sector.
Are you a new social enterprise interested in joining the network or a non-social enterprise that wants to support people doing good things in their local community?
Choose Your Application Type
š Social Enterprise Application
Open to all organisations whose primary purpose is not to generate private profit and who have either a legal structure recognised as a social enterprise or a clear, written statement of social or environmental benefit included in the governing documents.
š¢ Non-Social Enterprise Application
Open to non-SE organisations who can demonstrate how they intend to support, promote & develop social enterprises in Edinburgh or what social impact they will make through their socially enterprising activities.
š Membership Criteria
We donāt have specific member categories but the process for joining as a social enterprise and a āsocially enterprisingā business or anchor institution are different and require different types of information.
The Social Enterprise category includes organisations who either fully or partially adhere to the Voluntary Code of Practice with either a legal structure recognised as a social enterprise or a written statement of social/environmental benefit.
If an organisationās primary purpose is profit, it cannot join as a social enterprise.
Why join the network? š¤
By joining us and The Good Stuff Community, you’ll gain.
Networking Opportunities
- Visibility
- Referrals
- Access to events
- Collaboration Opportunities
- Funding awareness
- Peer support & and much more.
š¢ Businesses & Anchor Institutions
Applications from businesses and anchor institutions go through a separate route and must demonstrate social impact or support for social enterprise. Fees are based on FTE size.
ā¹ļø Important Information
All members must be based in Edinburgh and agree to the Code of Conduct. Membership approval is at the discretion of the ESEN Ltd board.
š© Need Help Choosing?
Further details are available within each application page. If unsure, email:
info@esen.scot and weāll help you choose.
Who’s part of the network already?
Join hundreds of organisations already making a social impact in the community across Edinburgh.
And over 200+ more social enterprises
