Recent Events

Bank Mill Project

The Trust’s groundbreaking project to regenerate Bank Mill as a centre of identity and regeneration for Penicuik continues to attract support. Nearly 160 people were at the Mill for a big band Bank Mill benefit night to remember in August. Our own Silver Band gave a truly magnificent performance and the Kfar Vradim youth band from Galilee on a 2 day visit to Penicuik raised the roof with energy skill and enthusiasm, both bands joining for a finale under Stuart Black. The Bank Mill project has since received an offer of help and support from European funding expert Jean-Marie Biliato visiting Penicuik in August with the table tennis and choir groups from our twin town L’Isle sur la Sorgue, and Denis Smith, doyen of industrial archaeology, has joined the Trust after a visit to the mill. Our membership is now higher than ever before. The Bank Mill Open Days have introduced many of all ages to the project and the chance to make paper with Mandy Mills and work in papiermache with Jan Miller have been popular. So much so that the researcher for James May’s Man Lab rang the Trust to ask us to teach the great man how to make hand-made paper Penicuik-style on his programme! They later decided to use Bank Mill’s friends at Frogmore Paper Trail attraction which is closer to London. Meanwhile the Trust has been working with both Penicuik and Beeslack High School teachers to empower young peoples skills in local history, geography, drama and entertainment in the new school year just started. Bank Mill is open to the public as part of the international DOORS OPEN DAY celebrations on 10 September.

Penicuik Open House

Every Saturday in the Town Hall from 10 till 2, drop in and join our craft teams or answer garden queries and find out about the Trust’s volunteer projects. With fresh tea, coffee, cakes and sometimes soup it’s a chance for all ages to exchange community information and see the special Open House exhibitions. After the Arts Festival at the beginning of September we aim to mark the community council’s street fair on 18th and the Penicuik Golden Oldies Rugby Festival with a Penicuik Greats display, and to bring the Saltire Society’s big 75th anniversary exhibition of Scottish cultural life to the Town Hall on 24th September and 1st October, from its other venues in Glasgow, Dumfries and later Inverness..

Penicuik Food Project

Get involved in this exciting growing project to restore the vast upper walled gardens at Penicuik House to production for the common good. We need builders, plant historians, and plenty of good hard digging. The food project plans to work with combat veterans and others in developing the feelgood benefits of this special place. As well as our intentions for the walled garden, the Trust has been sharing experience with food groups in Mayfield, Loanhead, Gorebridge and Roslin to put into practice ideas for volunteer landshare allotments between gardenholders and growers, extend positive teamwork between kids and adults, and provide a great place here for garden activity by people in Penicuik and community care groups across Midlothian.

Penicuik Cinema in the Town Hall

The enthusiastic Sunday night big-screen cinema audience, front and back of house and refreshment teams are set to grow. Town Hall showings at 7 for 7.30 continue through September with locally made THE SPACE BETWEEN a new Edinburgh romance on Sunday 11th, hellraiser Richard Harris in THIS SPORTING LIFE for Penicuik Rugby Festival on Sunday 18th, feisty new MADE IN DAGENHAM on Sunday October 2nd and Coppolla’s classic APOCALYPSE NOW on Sunday October 16th. Tickets £5. Around 100 great films have hit the big Town Hall screen in these public showings so far: see them all with the new programme on www.kosmoid.net/penicuik/cinema