All the grants are now in place to deliver the Gorebridge Connected scheme .This has three main elements:

• Street improvements to Hunter Square
• A heritage trail and additional building improvements in the Main Street 
• The repair and restoration of the listed vacant station building 

The funders are the Scottish Government through the Borders Railway Blueprint Fund, Leader, The Railway Heritage Trust,Historic Environment Scotland, Midlothian Council and supported by the Gorebridge Community Development Trust, ScotRailand The Borders Railway Partnership.

The Gorebridge CARS newsletter no 7 is now available in Gorebridge library together with two exhibition banners that are on display to illustrate the scheme. The newsletter is also  available at the Trust's office in Gorebridge and will be distributed around the town.Please click here to down load the newsletter and the hunter square insert in the newsletter.

Front cover of the Newsletter with photos of the exhibition banners in Gorebridge Library 

The Gorebridge CARS has been successful in attracting an additional grant of £70,000 from Historic Environment Scotland (HES). This has to be spent by the end of March 2018 .

The Grant is for the following additional work:

A grant for the repair and restoration of 47-51 Main Street , the former Aytouns Butcher shop.

Additional community engagement work around the history and heritage of Gorebridge .This will involve : 

• Schools education week:  This would be to host a programme of workshops around history and heritage themes with the local schools.  Teachers in service to be involved.  There would be a number of learning materials and resource book developed which would be illustrated with cartoons, key stories related to Gorebridge archive project.  The outcomes would also feed into the heritage trail .

• The High Schools could be engaged with an archaeology project where the library could participate together with archaeology Scotland.  This could focus on the Newbyres Castle and the 3D modeling work that has been done and the Gunpowder works.  This together with a shop story telling initiative could feed into the development of the heritage trail.

  Another initiative for the week could be craft making i.e. ½ day workshop where the children could make something and learn more about traditional craft skills.  Other ideas could be a wildlife group with a heritage theme.  Heritage trail walks and stories. Food with a heritage theme.
• • A play coordinated by the Gorebridge archivist around an aspect of local history and heritage .  The story of how Gorebridge has developed and what the future might hold.  A small booklet/leaflet to be published as part of the project. 

  The drama project is now being taken forward with Matt Dunn and Sean Watson and will be based around 

  the formation of the Gorebridge District Nurses Hostel which was founded as a remembrance after the First World war.  This also acts as a legacy continuation of the First World War project run by the Gorebridge Development Trust between 2016-17.  The drama will be shown through 3 productions during the second week of April 2018.

• 47-51 Main Street

  Ideas for heritage trail plaques.

  Workshops for the new drama at the Gorebridge Pop up Beacon lead by Matt Dunn

Midlothian Council together with it's partners , Gorebridge Community Development Trust and Historic Environment Scotland have been successful in attracting a grant of £1,038,000 from the Borders Railwat Blue Print Fund for the Gorebridge Connected scheme which was drawn up in the form of a masterplan for the historic  centre of Gorebridge:( click here to view the master plan )

The Gorebridge Connected Masterplan was drawn up to compliment and build on the work of the Gorebridge CARS scheme. The project has three main elements:

• Ø Street improvements to Hunter Square
• Ø Improvements and the creation of a Heritage Trail in the Main Street
• Ø The restoration  and conversion of the vacant Gorebridge station building

The aim being to improve and enhance the centre of Gorebridge to attract new investment and create a safer and more comfortable pedestrian environment and restoring and enhancing the historic character of the conservation area as well as promoting more sustainable modes of travel .

A grant application was made to the Borders Railway Blue Print Fund ,Leader and the Railway Heritage Trust . These grants have now been approved and the scheme will be designed in detail and a start made in the spring of next year.

Hunters Square Public realm scheme comprises:( click here to view initial sketch idea)

• Ø Traffic calming
• Ø New pedestrian crossings
• Ø Wider footpaths
• Ø Public space for notice board/feature /Heritage Trail
• Ø Landscaping 
• Ø New bus shelters
• Ø New lighting, seating and bollards.

Main Street comprises:

• Ø New bollards
• Ø Heritage Trail interpretative panels/plaques
• Ø Some further building improvements .

Gorebridge Station comprises:

• Ø The station building restored and converted to community cafe/gallery , bike hire ,tourist information and offices on the upper floor.
• Ø Improved pedestrian access to the station from the Main Street .
• Ø New landscaping

News of the grant award was annouced by the Scottish Government Minister for Transport and the Islands , Humza Yousaf, who came to Gorebridge station on the 15th November to meet local people to celebrate the grant award.

We had three main events last Saturday for Doors Open Day at Gorebridge :

Stories and soup around the fire at Newbyres Castle. This event was brought inside due to the damp conditions . The Gorebridge Community Development Trust used the ex bank building in the Main Street ( this is being used by the Trust on a temporary basis to hold events that would have been held in the Beacon had it been completed this summer) to hold the stories and soup event . It was very popular with families who were able to come and listen to a story teller and have home made soup, about 30 people attended the event .

Sean Watson's ( Gorebridge CARS archivist) guided walk along the Main Street and into the gunpowder works site. 6 people attended , and learnt alot about the history of the town and some of it's key historic buildings and sites.

The Gorebridge CARS exhibition , in the Trust's office at 58 main Street , here an exhibition was available to explain the CARS scheme and some of it's achievements over the last 4.5 years. Leaflets were available , the Main Street model proved popular with young people and the Annie Swan exhibition was available with details of the play that was being performed over four nights in the National Mining Museum by local people . About 25 people attended during the course of the day.  

Need to hurry up to buy tickets for the Annie Swan play at Newtongrange Mining Museum . The show is on this Wednesday , Thursday , Friday and Saturday night , please click here to see poster with purhase details . The cast of local people have devoted many hours of their own time rehearsing and now they are in the last hours of dress rehearsals at the mining museum !!! , everyone is excited , nervious, but most of all having a great time !!!!, so come and discover someting about the life and work of Annie Swam , daughter of Gorebridge. Matt Dunn , drama graduate  has written the script with the assistance of Sean Watson the Gorebridge CARS archivist and has directed the play .

Work on the play entitled "Swan" is making excellent progress . Rehearsals are taking place regularly with the cast of local people who are really getting into their roles and are excited about the prospect of being in front of an audience at the National Mining Museum at Newtongrange. The play is directed by Matt Dunn a drama graduate from Queen Margaret University assisted by Sean Watson the Gorebridge CARS Archivist who has carried out the research on the life and times of Annie Swan. The cast are learning alot about Annie and her efforts to assist the troups and support families during the first World War.

The play was to be performed at the new Gorebridge Beacon but due to the arson attack on the building a new venue had to be found .Fortunately the National Mining Museum has come to the rescue and the play will be performed there from Wednesday 6th September to Saturday 9th September 2017, 7.30pm start. Tickets are now available so if you want to learn something about local history and be entertained at the same time please book now !!!!.Please click here for the details on the poster.