Church & Community Groups

The Open Door Toddler Group runs from 10am – 11.30am on Tuesday mornings during school term time. The group aims to provide a safe, friendly environment for babies and pre-schoolers and the big people who look after them!  This is a free service run by volunteers who organise toys and play areas for the children. Free tea, coffee, water, juice and biscuits are provided as well. We greatly appreciate any donations given which enables us to keep the group open.

Prayer Space meets on a Tuesday evening.

The Guild of Friendship meets fortnightly from September to June, on a Thursday afternoon, at 2pm in Hall 2 at Juniper Green.  Ladies and gentlemen are all welcome to join us for an afternoon of fellowship, friendship and fun.  The programme includes speakers, music, games, a cup of tea and a chance to make new friends.

Messy Church meets monthly throughout term time, at Dreghorn Loan Hall, Colinton.  Following this year’s Festive Season, Messy Church will re-commence on Saturday 11th January 2025, when we will celebrate Eric Liddell’s birthday with our very own Messy Church Olympics!

The Colinton Choir and Praise Band ​comprise members of the congregation and is led and conducted by David Turner, Director of Music for Colinton church.

The Choir in Juniper Green comprises members of the congregation and is led by organist, Florence Kinnear.

The Lit was founded in October 1903 and has hosted many eminent academics, authors, artists and musicians at its events. In 1911, Sir Ernest Shackleton gave a lecture entitled ‘Furthest South’, in 2011, author Ian Rankin provided background to his novels and in 2024, Sir Alexander McCall Smith presented an immensely interesting talk about his world-wide publishing experiences.  The 112th season of Colinton Literary Society is well underway and meetings are held in the Dreghorn Loan Hall, Dreghorn Loan, Colinton. Tea, coffee, biscuits and wine is served from 7:30pm. Each talk or event commences at 8pm and the evening finishes at around 9pm.

Almost twenty years ago, a couple of individuals at Juniper Green Church decided to start a walking group and the Green Strollers came into being. The numbers were slow to start, but now we have around 25 Strollers, with an approximate turnout of 10 to 15 people on any one walk. We walk every three weeks throughout the year, weather permitting. The walks are organised and led by a group of six volunteers and are varied in distance and difficulty in order to accommodate all levels of ability.

As well as the regular day walks, once a year, in September/October time, the Strollers head off for a three-day weekend. We have visited a variety of places throughout the UK, including Callander, Melrose, Pitlochry, Tarbert, Loch Lomond, Braemar and Hexham. Once a year, we also meet for a celebratory dinner, typically around March time.

We are always happy to welcome new members. Notification of future walks can be found either on the website or in the Juniper Green intimations on Sundays.

The ladies Badminton Group have been been meeting since the 1960’s. It meets on Wednesday mornings, 10am – noon, in Juniper Green Hall 1 between September and June. New members are always welcome!

Colinton Care is a team of volunteers who drive people who find it difficult to get to various places. Examples include getting to the doctor’s surgery, the dentist, the hospital, a hairdresser or visiting friends. There is no charge for the service but donations are most welcome in order to cover expenses.

To get in touch, please telephone our coordinator Alyson Patrick, on
0131 477 3947. She will take details of your request and then ‘phone you ​back later ​with the name and number of the volunteer who will be driving you. If you would be interested in becoming one of our Colinton Care volunteers, please telephone Alyson- we’d be delighted to hear from you.

A Kids and Family friendly tabletop game club, we enjoy all forms of tabletop gaming from Board Games to Card Games and Wargames. We are open fortnightly on Fridays 6pm to 9pm and we run occasional Saturday afternoon events (see list for these dates). We meet at Edinburgh Pentlands Parish Church in Juniper Green, Hall 2 on Fridays and Hall 1 on Saturdays during special events.

Upcoming Meetings/Events: 13th December

Colinton Townswomen’s Guild meets in the Episcopal Church Hall, Westgarth Avenue, on the 2nd Thursday of the month from September to June, from 2.15pm – 4pm.  A Guest Speaker gives a talk and then we finish the afternoon with a cup of tea.  New members will be most welcome so do please get in touch. For further information, you can telephone phone our Secretary, Anne Gordon, on 0131 441 1600 or simply turn up at the Church Hall on the day.