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A cold but bright Tuesday morning in
early February saw the Edinburgh Silver Surfers head down for a guided tour
around the new Edinburgh Council offices at Waverley Court in the city’s old
town area…..
“We were greeted at the entrance by Ruth McAlpine - Special Projects
Officer, Culture & Sport Section of the City of Edinburgh Council’s
Corporate Services Department. Ruth is an old friend of the surfers by way
of her longstanding commitment to the Council’s annual Get Up + Go
Programme. The programme provides activities and opportunities for older
people across the capital and has seen both ACE IT and the Edinburgh Silver
Surfers repeatedly recognised for our work over the last few years.
We enjoyed a rather delicious lunch
where we had the opportunity to talk over our views concerning not only
Waverley Court but also the Get Up + Go programme
The Get Up + Go Programme is in effect a very comprehensive directory of the
resources and facilities available across the city to the 50 plus age group
- ranging from health and financial services through to practical help,
leisure, crafts, adult education and much, much more besides. In short, it
is a very useful and interesting publication which is freely available from
council offices, libraries, community centres and a wide range of
organisations such as our own ACE IT.
Ruth said it has a circulation of 35,000 within the City but we know of some
older people who haven’t either seen it or heard about it ! This is why we
decided to write this article and to link to the online questionnaire from
our web site in the hope that the circulation may be increased in the future
– please help us spread the good word!
"We think the Get Up and Go
Programme is a fantastic companion for anyone wishing to find out about
what’s going on in Edinburgh – it really is a mine of information!“
Please
Click Here to see
a copy of the programme
More information about the building…
Nestled in a natural valley between
the lower High Street and Waverley Station – Waverley Court is a new purpose
built building housing the council’s administration and service departments.
The stone-faced building while obviously of modern design seems to sit
naturally within the area and compliments rather than distracts from the
area’s older and distinctive architecture.
 A
spacious and brightly lit foyer and reception area sets the tone of the
building and while modern life means security always has to be a serious
consideration – the security system in place is neither overwhelming nor
overly intrusive. Glass partitions and internal walls greatly increase the
sense of light and space throughout the building with the concept used to
great effect in the planning department which borders the reception area and
where visitors can view through glass a huge model of Edinburgh’s city
centre.
From the outside Waverley Court is deceptively small and it is only by
walking through the building that the true scale of the space becomes
apparent. The core of the building consists of a series of large open plan
work areas linked together around a central courtyard and joined together by
wide corridors lined with meeting rooms, refreshment and gathering areas.
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