Cameron Angus Mackay
Appearances
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Playing the piano saved my life
Norma Johnson is coordinator of the Christmas Tree Project at the heart of New Haven, a vibrant community group two miles from Edinburgh city centre.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Playing the piano saved my life
The group are based in an old Victorian school building in the village of New Haven. They are setting up an intergenerational hub for local people in a bid to reduce loneliness among different generations. They came up with the idea of creating a huge knitted Christmas tree to raise some awareness of what they're doing.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Playing the piano saved my life
Weekly knitting groups have been meeting for months to create green squares which represent the leaves of a tree, and there are thousands of them draped over long canes which stick out like branches from a 16-foot telescopic wooden trunk.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Playing the piano saved my life
The local men's shed were given the task of building the structure. Here's volunteer Derek Alexander-Hamilton.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Playing the piano saved my life
Word spread and soon knitting started arriving from England, Wales, Norway and the USA.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Playing the piano saved my life
The Mental Health Foundation says high rates of loneliness are impacting the mental health of people in Scotland. The knitting sessions aim to get people out of their homes so they can make new friendships around a shared activity.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Playing the piano saved my life
But it's not just for elderly people. Here's high school pupil Flora speaking to 89-year-old Pat.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Playing the piano saved my life
Judy Crabb, chair of the community group, says it's about breaking down barriers between old and young.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Playing the piano saved my life
Norma Johnson says the group already have ambitious plans for next year. She hopes to build on the success of the Christmas tree project, knowing it's helped many in the community.