The milestone year saw inspiring charities awarded additional funding for their vital projects including Stockbridge-based charity, Lifecare Edinburgh
At the 10th Anniversary ScottishPower Foundation Awards, LifeCare Edinburgh took home the Community Engagement Award for its outstanding Community Care for Everyone project.
This recognition comes with a £10,000 funding boost, which will be used to help the charity continue to fight the pressures caused by the cost of living crisis as well as bring new activities to its service users.
This dedicated service delivers significant, life-changing benefits to the growing population of older people living on low incomes. This includes the CafeLife where people in the community can meet, eat, chat, and feel a sense of belonging.
By providing practical help within the home, companionship, and hot, freshly-cooked meals, LifeCare Edinburgh is making a profound impact on both the physical health and mental wellbeing of over 200 vulnerable older individuals. This support ensures that these individuals feel secure, connected, and enabled to thrive in their own homes and communities.
Lifecare Edinburgh’s Ian McRae also came runner-up in the Charity Champion category for his work over the past six years, providing support to clients with dementia. His commitment and empathy shine through his work, including helping introduce new clients, supporting existing ones, and easing the reintegration of clients post-pandemic.
Ian’s personal experience with dementia in his family helps drive his passion, leading him to create a handbook, “The Importance of Memory,” to help others.
His efforts have been instrumental in raising awareness for LifeCare, and his warmth and understanding make him a beloved figure among clients, staff, and volunteers.
This award has also come with an additional £5,000 which the charity looks to put towards training new volunteers up to the incredible standards Ian has set.
Sarah van Putten, Chief Executive, LifeCare Edinburgh, said: “We are so grateful to have been honoured with this award and are excited for what this means for our service users. LifeCare Edinburgh provides vital support and to be able to do what we do is so vital to the population of Edinburgh.
“A huge congratulations must also be given to Ian who consistently has gone over and above, impressing us with his commitment, understanding, empathy and support.
“We send our thanks to the ScottishPower Foundation for its continued support through this project, and we cannot wait to put this funding to use.”
Melanie Hill, Executive Officer, and Trustee at the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “A heartfelt congratulations to all our winners at this year’s ScottishPower Foundation Awards. This milestone year is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the incredible work these charities do in our communities.
“Choosing this year’s winners was an immense challenge, given the outstanding quality of nominations we received. The dedication and passion demonstrated by LifeCare Edinburgh truly embodies the spirit of the ScottishPower Foundation Awards. Their unwavering commitment to making a positive difference in people’s lives is inspirational.
“It brings us real joy to celebrate with such highly deserving charities. The additional funding they receive will undoubtedly help them advance their impactful projects even further.
“Once again, a massive congratulations to all our winners. Their phenomenal work continues to make a significant difference, and we are excited to see what they achieve next.”
Further details on the winners and runners-up are available on the ScottishPower Foundation website: scottishpowerfoundation.com.