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General Information
 Centre phone numbers: Day Centre: Short Breaks Centre: |
Centre Address: 257 Colinton Road EH14 1DW |
Google Map of Centre Location:
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Opening Hours
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The Day Centre is open between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm (2:00 pm on a Friday. However staff are normally available in the centre between 8:30am and 4:00pm (2:15pm on a Friday). The short break Centre is open 24 hours
Transport
The Department of Health and Social Care can provide transport to the Centre for those who require it. Details of this are provided as part of the intake process.
Catering
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The Day Centre coffee bar sells a variety of refreshments at very reasonable prices. The Coffee Bar is usually open in the mornings.
Lunch is usually served at 12:30pm. This consists of a two-course option presently costing £3. Special diets can also be catered for. The Short Break Centre also offers a catering service
Smoking
Edinburgh City Council does not allow smoking on its premises.
THE EARLY HISTORY OF FIRRHILL CENTRE
Services for disabled people in Edinburgh had been provided by a voluntary organisation; Edinburgh Cripple Aid Society, since the early 1950’s. In the late 1970’s with the advent of Lothian Regional Council, the then social work department, carried out a review of the contract that the society had to provide a social work, occupational therapy and Day Centre service. The outcome of the reviews was to increase the contact and to integrate the social work and occupational therapy staff into the review of area social work teams in the city by the early 1980’s.
The Day Centre provision, known as Simon Square continued in the building in Howden Street but the society gave a year's notice to the Council. The Centre had at it’s core a number of workshops mainly carrying out contract work. The workshop made bath-seats and wheeled trolleys that were purchased by Social Work Occupational Therapists for Disabled clients. A workshop constructed molecular models for the university of Edinburgh Bio-Chemistry department and were known as ‘Beevers’ models after Dr Beever who sold these all over the world. The main workshop tackled a range of contract packing and assembly work. All these activities were contracts that provided an income for the Centre and individuals received various funds and levels of payments which supplemented any allowance they might receive.
By 1982 a briefing Group, under the chair of Ian Huggan, Assistant Principal Officer, was created to specify and oversee the building of two new Day Centres. It’s membership included John Robertson, Architect; George Wilson, Simon Square Manager; Harry Vassie, Project Officer; Gillian Brodie, Senior Occupational Therapist. The Social Work Committee of Lothian Regional Council had decided that they would commission two Day Centres which would become Firrhill and Craighall Day Centres. The Briefing group oversaw both projects which had a combined budget of over £2 million.
In late 1982 the Day Centre at “Simon Square” closed and the Disabled people were defused to two temporary locations Sighthill Day Centre a new facility next to the Residential Home for Older People and Deanbank in Caanan Lane a recently closed Children’s Home. Neither were suitable for disabled people so adaptations were made and became the Day Centres for Disabled people for just over 3 years.
Firrhill House was originally the home of a Leith ship owner and exporter and was like many ships at the beginning of the 20th Century “fitted out” extensively with rich wood panelling and fittings. In the 1960’s it had been purchased by Edinburgh Corporation and used as a Residential Home for old people. In 1980 it had 12 elderly men as residents.
Various sites in the South of the City, including one at Redford Barracks, now occupied by Tesco, were looked at and eventually it was decided Firrhill House and its grounds provided the best option to create a new Day Centre. The remaining eight residents were moved to new Homes.
The four men on the Briefing Group visited three Day Centres for disabled people in Macclesfield, London and Bristol as there was, at that time, no national standards or guidance for the building of a Day Centre, Draft after draft plans were drawn up by John Robertson the listening architect, who was keen to ensure the Centre would be user friendly.
The final design was submitted to the Scottish Office in 1983 for approval. At that time Local Authorities had to have “borrowing consent” for any major building project. Officials challenged the design, the increased spaces, corridor widths etc. which allowed for two wheelchairs to pass. Ultimately they reduced the amount of money available for the project and various modifications and cuts were made to the final design.
The contractor who was successfully tendered for Firrhill and Craighall was Smarts of Edinburgh based in Davidson’s Mains. The project took eighteen months and was completed in early 1986. The home to the new Firrhill Day Centre was completed later that year.
The overall aim of the project was to create a modern, light and totally accessible facility for disabled people which enabled and promoted their independence.
I hope we achieved that aim. Only the people that use and have used the Centre will confirm if we did get it right.
Ian W. Huggan
20th June 2006
