HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS ENJOY ‘OUR TEVIOT’ SUMMER FESTIVAL

This month, the annual ‘Our Teviot’ summer festival came to fruition, hosted by award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group and housing and regeneration community association, Poplar HARCA.

The successful event, held at the Teviot Centre on Wyvis Street, was enjoyed by close to 600 residents, along with over 120 volunteers and stall providers from across the community, who helped make the day a huge triumph.

This year’s festival highlights included an inspiring music concert hosted by young performers from Spotlight creative youth service, alongside a host of games and stalls, with family-friendly workshops hosted by local organisations for the community to enjoy throughout the day. Local residents could participate in these activities free of charge as well as enjoy a selection of food and drink. There were also dozens of popular activities available for the children including a bouncy castle, face painting, and craft stalls.

The festival is just one of the ongoing investments that Hill and Poplar HARCA are bringing to the local area as part of the partnership’s proposals to regenerate the Teviot estate. This extensive transformational programme includes 1,750 new homes, enhanced green and play spaces, shops, community and faith facilities, and improved infrastructure.

Our Teviot Festival’ is a great example of a successful partnership working to benefit the local community, with local stakeholders such as Spotlight, Leaders in Community, and WellOne offering boundless support in delivering the event.

Alongside the festivities, visitors had the opportunity to talk to the Poplar HARCA and Hill teams to learn more about the exciting plans for Teviot, community investment and employment openings.

Andy Fancy, Regional Managing Director at The Hill Group, comments: “It is a pleasure to be celebrating ‘Our Teviot’ festival with our partners Poplar HARCA and local residents. The community spirit at Teviot is extremely warm and welcoming and we are proud to be working alongside them to create a new vision for the area. I was overwhelmed with the work that had gone into making the day such a success, particularly the number of stalls and the energy of the amazing performers who entertained us throughout the day.”

Steve Stride, Chief Executive of Poplar HARCA said: “We were really pleased that so many people braved the weather to join us for a fun-filled day at the Teviot Festival.

“Residents have been at the heart of our regeneration plans right from the start. We are committed to investing in initiatives that directly benefit residents and the local community. We are looking forward to continuing to work with local people to bring these plans forward.”

Poplar HARCA and Hill continue to collaborate with the communities at Teviot to ensure they are involved in creating a clear vision for the future. Some of the many events include; coffee mornings, money management workshops, various drop-in sessions at the Teviot Centre, community cycling, health and fitness gatherings, community litter picks, and a popular repair café, which teaches residents how to upcycle and mend old furniture rather than buy new.