With a new year now in full swing, we urgently need the following household items for our Starter Packs:
Towels
Crockery / Dinnerware
Pots & Pans
Duvets and Pillows
Small Electrical Goods
For a full list of accepted items, visit our website
Donations of goods can be dropped off at our warehouse at 22-24 Ferry Road Drive, Edinburgh, EH4 4BR, from Monday to Thursday 9am-4pm and Fridays 9am-1pm.
Alternatively, you can order essential household items from our Amazon Wishlist, which will then be delivered directly to our warehouse: https://tr.ee/S8BHy0
Staff and residents at Strachan House on Craigcrook Road in Blackhall are celebrating receiving exceptional feedback in the home’s customer satisfaction survey. Everyone is as proud as can be after the home scored incredibly highly in all aspects of the survey.
Each year Barchester Healthcare, who own Strachan House, conduct a mammoth customer survey to collate feedback from their 13,800 residents and patients, and their loved ones. The survey is an opportunity to gather the opinions of the people living in Barchester’s homes and hospitals, along with those of their families and loved ones, in order to learn and improve.
Every single piece of feedback given in the survey is considered and acted upon. This year the survey received over 13,000 individual pieces of feedback, all of which are passed on to the relevant home.
An impressive 84% of the residents at Strachan House stated that they would recommend the home to a friend. In the six different areas of the survey covering people, care, environment, activities, dining and communication, the home consistently scored over 80%.
The home’s top score out of the six areas was for the calibre of its staff at 92%, followed by the home’s environment at 89%, and the quality of the care delivered at 88%. All team members are thrilled to have received such brilliant scores.
The report contained many glowing quotes from residents and their loved ones including: “From the start, we been nothing but impressed by the home and the way our dad is cared for” and “the carers’ positive outlook and energy never fails to amaze me. They are all wonderful!”
Staff are all over the moon with the comments they received which mean so much.
Frances Fisher, General Manager at Strachan House, said: “We are delighted that Strachan House received such excellent feedback from our residents and their loved ones.
“The team at Strachan House always strive to provide the best quality person-centred care for everyone who lives here continually going above and beyond to ensure all our residents lead the most fulfilling lives possible. They are all superstars and it is wonderful to see their dedication recognised.”
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential, nursing and dementia care, from respite breaks to long term stays.
We’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our 2025 Light Up a Life appeal. Thanks to the generous support of our community, the appeal raised over £110,000.
This incredible sum is already making a difference to people across Edinburgh and East Lothian, and will help us to expand our work to reach even more people in 2026. Thank you for your support!
We’re excited to share a fantastic creative opportunity for local adults who would like to develop skills in jewellery making at North Edinburgh Arts.
We have a couple of places available for an extended jewellery programme with Flourish Jewellery Project, open to local adults living in Granton or Pilton.
Workshops will run weekly on Thursday mornings, 10.30am – 12.30pm, from February to August 2026.
As places are limited, participants must be able to commit to attending weekly to ensure they get the most out of this opportunity.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:
Places are being offered to adults (aged 18+). The course is funded by City of Edinburgh Council Forth Ward so to be eligible to attend you must live in Granton or Pilton.
If you are interested in taking part but unsure if your address is eligible, please get in touch.
A national review into the provision of Additional Support for Learning (ASL) will be led by former Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland Janie McManus.
Announcing the appointment to Parliament, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said Ms McManus will lead an expert group to examine how to strengthen delivery, including provision in schools and how policy is translating into effective practice.
The review report will be completed within two months and be shared at a National Engagement Event on 12 March. This will be the first in a series of events, enabling teachers and practitioners to come together and showcase effective ASL practice from different local authorities across the country.
The Education Secretary said: “I am delighted that Janie McManus, our Professional Advisor for Education, is leading this work. She brings substantial experience in inclusive education and system improvement, and will lead a rigorous, evidence-informed review.
“Our ASL National Engagement Event will also provide an opportunity for stakeholders to come together, reflect on the findings, and to hear more about the short, actionable improvement agenda, which will inform the next phase of ASL policy design.
“This work will mean we are in a strong position to shape the next phase of ASL policy, ensuring future developments move swiftly from insight to implementation.
“Our commitment is unwavering to build an education system where school staff have the tools and confidence to meet diverse needs and where children and young people with additional support needs thrive – every day, in every classroom, in every community.”
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL EVENTS NEXT MONTH
On a dark winter’s night, what could be more uplifting than hearing from leading Scottish authors? We know… seeing them for FREE!
Taking place in partnership with Edinburgh Libraries, our flagship communities project Paper Trails is kicking off the year in Muirhouse Library and North Edinburgh Arts for a special series of events this February.
Poetry, fantasy, crime, fiction… we’ve got it all covered with our top-tier line-up of speakers (if we do say so ourselves). And don’t miss the half term workshops for keeping little minds busy on the school break.
Edinburgh College’s Sighthill Campus has welcomed the opening of a brand-new hub for childcare students.
The new immersive teaching space, which is designed to simulate all the sights, sounds and smells of a real-world nursery, will let prospective practitioners get some all-important hands-on experience, while also allowing for their classroom studies, helping prepare students to enter the workforce after they complete their courses.
As well as prospective practitioners, the space is used for professional development courses, with the College offering qualifications ranging from SCQF Level 4 through to SCQF Level 9.
The space, which came about as a result of increased demand for Childhood Practice courses, features lots of open space and outdoor inspired design touches, to improve focus and mental wellbeing. There are doors painted with forest scenes, alongside sky tiles on the ceiling.
There’s a kitchen which can be used to practice food hygiene, as well as make cups of tea, while dedicated quiet areas will allow students to sit down and take a break when needed. The different learning spaces let practitioners explore how play takes place in a nursery setting.
Doors open up into a garden to simulate free flow indoor/outdoor learning and teaching, lining up with current professional standards in the early learning and childcare sector.
Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive, with the spaciousness and amount of natural light pouring in seen as a big bonus, making it a warm, welcoming and interactive environment in which to learn.
Rooms will also be utilised for yoga classes and other events, with students from across the College able to book it out.
Jacqueline Vural, the Head of School for Childhood Practice, is excited to see the hub being put to use: “Developing this space at Sighthill Campus is ensuring that Edinburgh College is at the forefront of providing high quality learning and teaching in childhood practice, responding to demand from the public and private sectors for highly qualified staff.
“It’ll mean students can experience first-hand, immersive activities that replicate what it’s like to work in a childcare setting. It will give them confidence and motivation to go into their placements and gain the skills they need to move into employment after college.”
This year alone the College has received over 900 enrolments on Childhood Practice courses – this includes around 300 full-time students.
The space was officially opened on Thursday (15 January 2026) by Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk, a renowned developmental psychologist and Honorary Fellow at the University of Dundee.
STARTER PACK DONATIONS CALL OUT
Towels
Crockery / Dinnerware
Pots & Pans
Duvets and Pillows
Small Electrical Goods
Poetry, fantasy, crime, fiction… we’ve got it all covered with our top-tier line-up of speakers (if we do say so ourselves). And don’t miss the half term workshops for keeping little minds busy on the school break.
