Living Leith Podcast

The Citadel is a community-based youth centre which has been in Leith since 1980. Their building is in Commercial Street, where they've been based for 42 years. In this episode Jennie speaks to Willy Barr, the centre's manager, and Connor Muir, a 21-year-old Citadel volunteer who grew up attending programmes and clubs there. Willy and Connor talk about the history of the Citadel, and share their own lovely stories and experiences.  They also highlight the important intergenerational work that the centre does - the Citadel goes far beyond youth work. Find out more on their website citadelyouthcentre.org.uk and check out their YouTube channel for the videos mentioned in the episode.

Talha Imam is a cinematographer and creative director. After working in food and drink photography for a long time, he founded Gulp (previously Medialiciously), a food and drink content agency. At Gulp, Talha co-founded the Food Hero Scot campaign - an initiative designed to support and champion food and drink businesses who are leading the way in Scotland with eco-friendly practices. In this episode, Talha tells Jennie and Rumana about his career, his business, and the legacy he hopes to leave with his work. Find out more about Talha on his website, and follow his photography work on his Instagram.

Personal Trainer. Author. Food Critic. Chef. Leith Festival Coordinator. Web Designer. Graphic Designer. Is there anything Tracy Griffen can't do? Tracy has been running her own fitness studio - Griffen Fitness - in Balfour Street since 2005. We went along to hear about her fascinating journey, meeting Coco the Fitness Pug as well. We discuss nutrition, the Fringe, Leith Festival, and Tracy tells us about her recovery from a stroke she experienced at 21. To find out more about Tracy's work and to buy her books - visit griffenfitness.com. 

Ben Macpherson is the MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, and the Minister for Social Security and Local Government. Ben tells us about his background and what led him into politics, about the different careers he’s had, and all of his favourite things about Leith - which is a huge part of his constituency. As self-proclaimed political dafties, the Living Leith gang ask Ben to explain more about his ministerial roles and how the political system works. The list of Social Security Benefits Ben mentions can be found here: www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/benefits, and more information about the SS Explorer Society we discussed is here: www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/page/ss-explorer-preservation-society-leith. You can follow Ben on Twitter (@BenMacpherson) and Instagram (@benmac). Ben’s website is https://benmacpherson.scot/. This episode was recorded on Friday 29 October 2021.

Tim Bell runs Leith Walks, home of the original Trainspotting tours, and is the author of Choose Life. Choose Leith: Trainspotting on Location. Tim’s lived a fascinatingly full life in Leith for the past 40 years. Tim discusses his time working as a Port Chaplin at Leith Docks, meeting seafarers from all over the world. He talks to us about Irvine Welsh’s depiction of Leith’s social issues and the demolition of the old Leith Train Station. He also tells us about Dr Robertson who, in 1986 in Muirhouse, made the discovery that HIV wasn’t a virus that was only shared by gay men; a breakthrough which changed public policy. Dr Robertson issued clean needles to his patients when the Scottish Home and Health Department wouldn’t. Find out more about Tim and the tours he offers at leithwalks.co.uk. 

Ellen Desmond and Lauren Nickodemus run Monstrous Regiment Publishing together, an intersectional feminist press, based in Leith, that they created to publish books and stories that are missing from bookshelves. The books they’ve published so far include The Bi-ble: Essays and Narratives About Bisexuality, New Testimonials: Essays and Narratives About Bisexuality, and So Hormonal: Essays About Our Hormones, along with their Monstrous Regiment magazines, Crimson and Emerald. Ellen and Lauren tell us about what it was like to start their own publishing press, how they put together their books, feedback they get from readers, their relationship with the creative community in Leith, and their upcoming novel, Duck Feet.

Anna Higham is the longest standing member of staff at the Leith Theatre Trust. She tells us about the history of this iconic building and shares fun facts and interesting stories about the theatre's past, including the Female Chorus Bar, some of rock's biggest bands playing the venue, and a haunted door. We talk about Leith Theatre's partnership with Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts, and the Big Radiator Generator Crowdfunder which Leith Theatre is currently running until Wednesday 16th December. This Crowdfunder will make a huge difference in helping to preserve and protect this historic building, which is on the Theatres At Risk Register.

Sinita is the Social Enterprise and Media Manager at Punjabi Junction, which is the social enterprise cafe that's part of the organisation Sikh Sanjog, set up in 1989 under the name ‘Leith Sikh Community Group' with the aim of providing support for women in the Sikh community. Sinita tells us about the journey of the organisation, how they've adapted during the pandemic, and their new Christmas Hamper available to order. Sinita shares how she attended the Sikh Sanjog Youth Group in her childhood, teaching Bollywood classes at Sikh Sanjog, and how she took time away from the community before coming back to take on her current role, where she's helped develop Punjabi Junction to the huge success it is today. Follow Punjabi Junction on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for updates.

Singer-songwriter Kirsty Baird is the Founder and Creative Director of Sing in the City, Founder of Chief Radio, and band member of Hanley and the Baird. Kirsty tells us about her varied career in music, from gigging in Leith bars at the age of 17, to performing at the Usher Hall. Kirsty shares stories about her band, Hanley and the Baird, who have a new single out - Looking at Me, Looking at You. We talk about her wildest gig (involving a gun), crawling underneath the Hibs stadium barriers as a child, and her work to combat the challenges that face small bands and unsigned musicians in today's music industry.

Joanna is a Fitness Instructor and PT who has been in the fitness industry for 15 years, teaching different classes and presenting at fitness conventions around the world. In 2014 Joanna and her husband Leszek opened Fitness Soul Studio, a fitness and wellbeing hub based in Tennant Street in Leith, offering a wide range of fitness classes, programmes, services, workshops, wellness getaways and more. Joanna tells us about building the amazing community at Fitness Soul, what inspires the energy in her famous Zumba classes, and about achieving her own fitness goals in learning to swim and completing Ironman. We talk a lot about cold water swimming, how it helped Joanna’s depression, and how Joanna and Leszek are hosting cold water swimming sessions at Granton beach that anyone can sign up to. The BBC documentary Joanna talks about is The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs: A Soothing Swim. You can find out more about Fitness Soul at fitnesssoul.co.uk.