Today is the International Day of Charity, and to mark the occasion Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council (EVOC) staff, along with an elderly black Labrador called Sally, are to deliver ‘thank you cards’ to voluntary organisations across the city
The team will broadcast their journey in a series of live Twitter video streams and provide information and insights into the charities that will be featured. The event is part of a yearlong programme of activities and events to mark EVOC’s 150th Anniversary.
During it’s lifetime EVOC has gone from providing poor relief and improving sanitation in Victorian Edinburgh to supporting charities, community and voluntary organisations to make life fairer for people from all walks of life.
Many of the charities that will form part of the route have their origins in EVOC and as part of uncovering Edinburgh’s rich heritage of benevolent organisations, the team will be uncovering and explaining these links.
Lucy Ridley, EVOC 150 Programme Manager, said: “EVOC has been supporting Edinburgh’s residents through its work with charities for 150 years.
“What a lot of people don’t know is that organisations such as Volunteer Edinburgh and the Edinburgh branch of Citizens Advice Bureau were originally projects within EVOC.
“This journey is a great way to recognise these special relationships, and also to thank the people in these organisations for the work they do.”
Local politicians have lent their support to EVOC’s International Day of Charity event. Edinburgh Northern & Leith MSP Ben Macpherson was joined by Leith Walk councillors Marion Donaldson, Amy Mcneese-Mechan and Susan Rae when he called in to Volunteer Edinburgh’s Leith Walk office to wish the team well on their journey.
Ben Macpherson said: “Days like the International Day of Charity are a good chance for all of us to recognise and celebrate the contribution that charities make and that the staff and volunteers who work for and campaign for charities make.
“The difference that they make to people, and the contribution that they make to building a fairer and more inclusive society and towards the shared aim of social justice.”
The journey will start at the EVOC offices on Ashley Place at 9:30am and the route will cover charities based in Leith, Stockbridge and the New Town.
You can follow the EVOC journey on Twitter at @evoc_edinburgh and using the hashtag #EVOC150
More information about the EVOC 150th Anniversary project can be found at www.evoc150.org.uk
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