We’re proud to announce the official opening of Manor House Therapies, a new social enterprise providing high-quality, holistic wellbeing treatments while directly supporting hospice services across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Housed in a beautiful B-listed villa in Trinity with stunning views across the Firth of Forth, Manor House Therapies offers clients a unique and serene setting for a range of accessible services that support mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
Treatments include massage therapies, reflexology, and facials, and a dedicated counselling service. Every therapy purchased contributes to sustaining essential hospice care for patients, families and the wider community.
The new venture also plans to collaborate with organisations such as Edinburgh College and Complementary Therapy School (CTS) to provide training and work experience opportunities for young people and those retraining in the therapies industry, helping them develop skills and progress in their careers.
As an independent business, Manor House Therapies offers the public a professional, welcoming environment where wellbeing and social purpose go hand in hand.
Jackie Stone, CEO of St Columba’s Hospice Care, said: “Manor House Therapies demonstrates the innovative approaches we are taking to support our community.
“At a time when funding across the hospice sector is increasingly challenging, we see initiatives like this as an important way to help sustain the delivery of compassionate, specialist care for people across Edinburgh and the Lothians into the future.”
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has announced that its special 75th Anniversary fundraising initiative has raised a remarkable £157,161.75 for St Columba’s Hospice Care, following the conclusion of this year’s Show.
The donation, generated from 75p from every ticket sold in 2025, aimed to resonate with the message of this year’s performance, The Heroes Who Made Us, celebrating and supporting those that go above and beyond in our society.
This donation will enable St Columba’s Hospice Care to continue providing compassionate, free-of-charge palliative and end-of-life care to individuals and families across the region.
During the 75th Anniversary Show, each performance included a special moment honouring different individuals, highlighted as Spotlight Heroes, whose dedication and service enrich communities and the lives of those they encounter. Among those celebrated was Liz Gallagher, a valued fundraising volunteer at St Columba’s Hospice Care.
Liz has been part of the hospice’s fundraising team for six years, giving countless hours to bucket collections, events, and creative fundraising ideas. In her day job supporting people with additional needs, Liz involves her clients in St Columba’s Hospice Care fundraising activities, helping them feel part of the hospice community.
The donation from The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will be put towards St Columba’s Hospice Care’s continued specialist care provision for people across Edinburgh and the Lothians ensuring that individuals and families can access the support they rely on at such an important time.
This donation goes above and beyond the Tattoo’s usual charitable giving which sees surplus profits distributed annually to military and arts charities in the UK. St Columba’s Hospice Care was chosen by the community with over 50,000 votes cast to select from a selection of non-military charities that provide vital services in the local community.
Jackie Stone, CEO at St Columba’s Hospice Care, said: “Incredible donations like this don’t come along very often, and at a time when hospices across Scotland are facing significant funding challenges, we are especially grateful.
“Support from our community has never been more vital and we are deeply thankful to everyone who voted for us and helped generate this remarkable sum, simply by going along to enjoy the Show.
“It was also wonderful to see our volunteer, Liz, recognised as one of the heroes of the Tattoo’s 75th Anniversary. Her energy, creativity and dedication truly reflect the spirit of our entire hospice community.
“We would like to thank the Tattoo once again for this generous donation. It comes at an important time, helping us continue to provide specialist, compassionate care for people across Edinburgh and the Lothians and ensuring that individuals and families can access the support they rely on, when they need it most.”
Jason Barrett, Chief Executive, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “Our 75th Anniversary was a tribute to the people who have built and sustained the Tattoo over the years, and it was a privilege to extend that celebration to community heroes like Liz and the team at St Columba’s Hospice Care.
“This donation was made possible entirely thanks to our wonderful audience, whose support enables us to contribute to partner charities and champion the military, traditional arts, and—this year—an extraordinary cause.
“We are proud to stand behind such an exceptional organisation and the dedicated volunteers who give their time so selflessly.”
Discover the power of poetry as a tool for remembrance, on Tuesday 11th November from 6.30pm-7.30pm.
This guided session offers a gentle and welcoming space to reflect on loved ones through poems about memory, love, and loss. You are invited to join us in writing, sharing your own poems, or simply listening to others.
No poetry experience is needed; all are welcome to participate in this shared experience.
Light refreshments will be provided.
This session will be facilitated by our dramatherapist, Sally McRae.
The walks are designed for people who have experienced loss in the past two years, and are gentle, creative strolls designed especially for those navigating grief.
Together, we’ll explore the local landscape through art-making, reflection, and connection.
Facilitated by Caledonia Funeral Aid’s Emma Ritchie and St Columba’s Hospice’s community artist Isla Macleod, you will be warmly welcomed to share space with others who understand and find comfort in nature and community.
We’re excited to be bringing more marvellous live music to the Hospice this Friday, with Penny Jackson visiting to play classical piano in the Iona Cafe!
The performance is free, and there’s no need to book. Just come in, grab a cuppa and enjoy!
The store, located on Broughton Road, has spent eight years raising vital funds for the hospice, which provides people in Edinburgh with end-of-life care, as well as supporting their families.
Recently, members of the Tesco team took part in the 7 Hills of Edinburgh Challenge, a long gruelling walk of around 27km with over 700m of climbing involved, in which they raised nearly £2,000 for the hospice alone.
In September, the team will be taking part in the famous Edinburgh Kiltwalk, part of Scotland’s largest mass participation walking event with over 178,000 people taking part since 2016.
Year-long fundraising in store includes a book donation point, which was started by store colleague Caroline Phillip, where customers are encouraged to take a book and make a small donation, which is then given to the hospice – with a current sum of £17,432 donated so far. Books are provided by local businesses and customers.
Ross Wallace, Store Manager at the Superstore, said: “We have supported St. Columba’s Hospice Care for many years and are delighted we have been able to give them such a fantastic donation of over £19,000.
“The hospice has provided help to not only colleagues in store, but our customers as well, so it’s a cause very close to our communities’ hearts.
“I’m extremely proud of all my staff for going the extra mile to raise funds for a vital service which supports so many people in the area, and I’d like to thank everyone who kindly donated over the years too.”
Amanda Southey, Partnerships Fundraiser, said: “We’re incredibly thankful to the team at Tesco for their continued commitment and generosity over the years.
“Their support makes a real difference to families across Edinburgh and the Lothians, allowing us to deliver expert, compassionate care, so no one has to face the end of life alone.”
Tesco Superstore is located at 7 Broughton Rd, Edinburgh, EH7 4EW.
Donations can be made to the store’s Kiltwalk efforts at:
Scottish Government and local partners must act now to protect vital palliative care services
St Columba’s Hospice Care and Marie Curie Edinburgh are warning that essential palliative and end-of-life care services are now at serious risk due to funding decisions made by the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and inaction by the Scottish Government.
The HSCP has chosen to reverse a 3% inflationary uplift in funding to hospices, which they committed to earlier in the year. This decision was taken in reaction to the Scottish Government announcement of an additional £5 million to help hospices address workforce pressures.
That £5 million was solely intended to support hospices with the recruitment and retention of skilled staff during a time of extreme pressure, not to replace existing funding agreements.
This decision from HSCP undermines the purpose of the allocation and places essential palliative and end-of-life services across the Lothians at risk. To date, St Columba’s Hospice Care has not received its share of the £5 million, which is approximately £496,000. The delay is creating further financial uncertainty and threatening frontline services for patients and families.
We call on the Scottish Government and HSCP to:
Reinstate the 3% inflationary uplift immediately.
Release the national pay parity funding without delay.
Commit to a national review of hospice funding to ensure equity and sustainability across Scotland.
Jackie Stone, CEO, St Columba’s Hospice Care, said:“Hospice’s are being pushed to make very difficult decisions that may impact on our patients and families. This reversal sends a devastating message to our staff and to the families we care for that fair pay and essential services are negotiable. They are not.
“The Scottish Government made a public commitment to fair pay and sustainable services, but we are being left with broken promises and growing deficits.
“We urge the Scottish Government and local partnerships to act now before we are forced to withdraw services that thousands of people across Edinburgh and the Lothians rely on every year.”
Hospices are an integral part of Scotland’s healthcare system and must be treated as such. They need sustainable, equitable funding. The government must act now to ensure a consistent national approach to hospice funding.
Hospices deliver vital, high-quality care that the NHS relies on, and they must be supported, not penalised, for working to achieve fair pay for their staff.
