Whale Arts Agency

Wester Hailes Arts for Leisure and Education

0131 458 3267
  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Home
  • What’s On
    • Our Programme
    • News
    • WHALE Arts Community Picnic
    • VHS Archive
  • Who We Are
    • About Us
    • The Team
    • Board
    • Our Supporters
    • Publications
    • How we use your data
  • Get Involved
    • Participate
    • Partners
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Vacancies
  • Venue Hire
    • Bookable Rooms and Meeting Spaces
    • WHALE Arts Garden
  • Membership
  • Contact
  • Hubs Network
    • The Creative Community Hubs Charter 
    • MAKE SPACE
  • Local Cinema
  • Pod Café

Funding Secured for a New Harvesting Rainwater System

26/08/2026 By Whale Arts

We are excited to announce that WHALE Arts is one of eight organisations chosen to benefit from the Adapted Cultural and Creative Buildings Fund, a new National Lottery-funded pathway programme co-designed and managed by Creative Scotland and the Scottish Futures Trust. The programme supports cultural and creative organisations across Scotland to make practical improvements to their buildings and take action to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

This funding will enable us to install a rainwater harvesting system, capturing rainwater from the roof of our building and reusing it for flushing our toilets. This will decrease our mains water usage and make our building more sustainable and resilient.

It’s an important and practical step in our ongoing commitment to reducing our environmental impact. We are also delighted to be part of this project, bringing together organisations from across Scotland to learn from one another and take action.

Màiri McAllan MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, said:

“As climate change brings more frequent extreme weather to Scotland, we are feeling the impacts of conditions such as floods, droughts, wildfires and accelerating coastal erosion. Adapting cultural buildings to these conditions is an important part of safeguarding Scotland’s heritage, economy and community wellbeing. This fund will help preserve vital spaces for creativity, culture and community – to ensure they are more resilient to our changing climate, and can thrive for generations to come.”

We are incredibly grateful to Creative Scotland and the Scottish Futures Trust for this support, and we’re looking forward to getting started on this project.

Filed Under: News

WHALE Arts to become one of Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Funded Organisations 

03/02/2025 By Whale Arts

child smiling while taking part in athe kind of creative activity at WHALE Arts funded by Creative Scotland Multiyear Funding

WHALE Arts has been successful in its application to Creative Scotland for Multi-Year Funding for 2025-28. We will be joining the MYF Portfolio for the first time, which this time has seen 251 organisations across the country awarded funding.

WHALE Arts CEO Kate Griffin said:

We are extremely pleased and thankful that WHALE Arts has received multi-year funding from Creative Scotland to continue delivering our creative programme for our community. This support ensures that we can keep providing meaningful, inclusive, and inspiring opportunities for local people to connect, create, and thrive. With this investment, we look forward to deepening our impact, nurturing our artists and celebrating the creativity of our community.

Congratulations to our partners who also received funding! Starcatchers, Sistema Scotland Travelling Gallery, Art in Healthcare, Edinburgh Book Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Manipulate Arts, Push the Boat Out, Tortoise in a Nutshell, Theiya Arts and our Creative Community Hubs partners Craigmillar Now, North Edinburgh Arts and Lyra. Looking forward to more collaborations 2025-2028!

Filed Under: News

Community Café Volunteer (Barista)

12/12/2024 By Whale Arts

WHALE Pod Cafe Open with people sitting enjoying different hot drinks and food
Volunteer Role:  Barista 
Volunteer Link Worker: Pod Café Project Lead & Head of Operations 
Location: WHALE Arts Centre, 30 Westburn Grove, EH14 2SA 
Hours of Volunteering (3h): Tuesdays, 10am – 1pm
Minimum Requirement: 1 shift per week 

The Pod Café is a vibrant community café located within WHALE Arts, a community arts centre in the heart of Wester Hailes. We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help us make the café a warm, welcoming space for everyone in the local area. As a café volunteer, you’ll be at the heart of our community space, helping to prepare food and hot drinks, and providing a friendly experience for our customers. You’ll gain hands-on experience in customer service, food preparation, and barista skills, all while being part of a friendly and dedicated team.

The café is currently open every Tuesday 10:30am – 2pm, with the shift giving time either side for set up and clear up.

Requirements:

  • A friendly and engaging personality with good communication skills.
  • Good time management and commitment to the role.
  • Being comfortable working with members of the public and being able to provide good customer service.
  • Interest in food and communities.
  • Complying with Health & Safety standards, strict hygiene procedures, and food safety laws (training will be provided).
  • Minimum age 16

Duties

  • Providing friendly and efficient service, including taking orders, processing payments, and serving food and drinks.
  • Assisting with food and drink preparation, including making coffees and other beverages.
  • Maintaining cleanliness in the café, including washing up, clearing tables, and general cleaning tasks.
  • Supporting with stock rotation and other kitchen-related tasks.

Training

  • Full training for this role and an induction into the organisation will be given.
  • Barista training.
  • Level 1 Food Hygiene Certificate training will be paid for by the organisation to fulfil the role.
  • This is a good opportunity to gain experience in the catering industry within a supportive environment.

Expenses

All volunteers are entitled to claim reasonably incurred travel expenses, whilst carrying out their role. Lunch is provided from the café.

Boundaries of Role: To work within WHALE Arts policies and procedure for GDPR and confidentiality.

To apply for the role or for further information please contact WHALE Arts:

Email: volunteering@whalearts.co.uk

Phone: 0131 458 3267

Closing date: 9.00am, Monday 31st August 2026

Filed Under: Vacancies Tagged With: recruitment, Volunteering

What’s On at WHALE

22/07/2024 By Whale Arts

Check out our latest What’s On Guide detailing events and activities taking place at WHALE Arts from August – December 2026.

Filed Under: Slider

WHALE Arts Appoints New CEO

22/07/2024 By Whale Arts

WHALE Arts Appoints CEO, WHALE new CEO Kate Griffin with board members Eunice Main and Allan McNaughton
Kate Griffin, CEO , centre, with Board Members Eunice Main and Allan McNaughton

WHALE Arts are delighted to announce the appointment of Kate Griffin as our new Chief Executive, replacing Leah Black, who leaves us in July 2024 after 6 years at WHALE.

Kate brings a wealth of experience and insight to the role, having held the posts of Interim Chief Executive since August 2022 and Head of Programmes prior to that. She has worked for more than twenty years across the creative sector, with a focus on national arts programmes and creative education.

Dr Andrew McNiven, Chair of Trustees, WHALE Arts

Kate’s expertise in the challenging and exciting field of community arts, her excellent interpersonal, management and strategic skills, and her deep understanding of Wester Hailes, allied to her ability to advocate for this community at regional and national level ,will, we feel sure, enable her to provide excellent opportunities for our participants and our community. On behalf of the WHALE Board, our members, participants and staff team, we wish her all the best in her new role.

We would like to thank Leah Black, our outgoing Chief Executive, for her excellent work as WHALE Chief Executive since 2018, and especially during the pandemic. WHALE Arts ability to adapt and work in supporting our communities during this difficult period was outstanding and widely recognised. We wish Leah good luck in her new exciting role leading Foundation Scotland’s Regenerative Futures Fund.

Kate Griffin, CEO, WHALE Arts said:

I’m absolutely thrilled to be appointed as WHALE Arts’ CEO. I’m looking forward to working with the team, participants, members, volunteers and Board at WHALE Arts to continue our award-winning work as the creative heart of our community 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Edinburgh, Wester Hailes, WHALE Arts

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 24
  • Next Page »

WHALE Arts is …

... the cultural anchor organisation for Wester Hailes. We are a community-led arts charity and social enterprise, set up by local people in 1992. Our mission is to be the creative heart of a vibrant, thriving community.

WHALE Arts

30 Westburn Grove,
Edinburgh,
EH14 2SA
0131 458 3267
info@whalearts.co.uk

Latest News

Funding Secured for a New Harvesting Rainwater System

We are excited to announce that WHALE Arts is one of eight organisations chosen to benefit from the Adapted Cultural and Creative Buildings Fund, a new National Lottery-funded pathway programme co-designed and managed by Creative Scotland and the Scottish Futures Trust. The programme supports cultural and creative organisations across Scotland to make practical improvements to […]

More News

Keep in touch

Living Wage Logo Future Arts Centres Logo Surf member Badge

WHALE Arts Agency is a company limited by guarantee (SC180118) with charitable status (SC020305). Copyright © 2026