Some Sainsburys colleagues took part the Kilt Walk on Sunday (11 May). We have raised almost £1,000 between us for childrens charities and Maggies Centre.
Pictured: James Stewart, Estelle McLous, Chris Markham, Gail Wilson, Fiona Forrest and Andy O’Dea.
Gail Wilson
Broughton High School pupil Anna McLuckie was the star attraction at a charity event held to support the OneCity Trust at the City Chambers last week.
The fundraising dinner, hosted by the Honorary President Lord Provost Donald Wilson, celebrates 10 years since the Trust’s inception and was attended and supported by key businesses in Edinburgh including Qatar Airways and Petroleum Experts.
Guests were entertained by compere Grant Stott, and teenage harpist Anna McLuckie. Anna, who’s from Stockbridge, made her public debut at the Lord Provost’s annual garden party and made a huge impression across the country when she appeared on BBC One’s The Voice earlier this year.
The mission of the OneCity Trust is to promote equality of opportunity and a sense of community throughout the capital. The OneCity Trust funds and manages projects that help advance, facilitate and promote social inclusion and the tackling of poverty in Edinburgh communities.
As part of the Trust, the Lord Provost’s Rapid Acton Fund supports smaller community group projects that require urgent help through grants.
The Trust places great emphasis on bringing together different groups to work together in innovative and creative ways to tackle the problems of social exclusion, and is this year funding initiatives for the allotment group Piershill Plotters, Edinburgh’s Northwest Foodbank Warehouse, and the Edinburgh Garden Partners SOS Programme which helps disabled and older people care for their gardens*.
The Lord Provost, Donald Wilson, said: “On becoming Lord Provost it was clear to me that the role had great fundraising potential and my objectives chime identically with the OneCity Trust. As the Honorary President, I am delighted the fundraiser has received so much support from Edinburgh based businesses.”
“The money raised will go directly the Trust’s continued promotion of community initiatives in the city, and will enable us to support even more worthy projects that tackle poverty and inequality in Edinburgh. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who has shown support for the OneCity Trust and all of those who have worked so hard make this fundraiser such a success.”
Matthew Haggis, Chair of the OneCity Trust, said: “Edinburgh is a divided city, and perhaps always has been, with wealth and privilege rubbing up alongside poverty and deprivation. The OneCity Trust attempts to bridge those divides, bringing many parts together for the benefit of all.
I hope that the dinner has not only raised money, but raised awareness. And that some of the companies who supported us will seek ways to tackle social exclusion in the city themselves, with or without the help of the Trust.”
The OneCity Trust also sponsors the prestigious Edinburgh Lectures Series 2014 which is running throughout May and June. For details and tickets, please visit
If you have an interest in applying for funding or supporting the Trust, please visit www.onecity.org.uk
Sainsbury’s staff – or ‘colleagues’ – are encouraged to help in the community and are rewarded for their services.
The Blackhall store’s Gail Wilson volunteers at Edinburgh Athletics Club, where she is a volunteer official at athletics meetings and also helps with fundraising – and Sainburys has awarded her charity £200.
LOCAL HEROES: Pictured above are Edinburgh A.C. sprinters Craig Knowles, Gabriella Vita, Salvano Marcantonio, Gail Wilson, Michael Fernie, Chris Kelly and Sam Revie.
Sainsbury’s Blackhall are collecting in-store for the food bank at
Granton Baptist Church (pictured above).
Customers can buy an extra grocery item and add to a trolley at the front of the store. Goods are delivered to the food bank three times a week.
Sainsbury’s Blackhall would like to thank all their customers for their
continued support.
Music and TV personality Michelle McManus visited Crewe Toll fire station yesterday to hear about how The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) are supporting The Big Lunch in Scotland in 2014.
Michelle, who backed The Big Lunch in Scotland last year, met with SFRS Group Manager and Station Commander for Crewe Toll, Steve Harkins and heard how station staff across Scotland are keen to lend a hand at Big Lunches happening locally and take the chance get to know neighbouring communities better.
The Big Lunch – the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours – is funded by The Big Lottery Fund and partnered by Halifax, ASDA and StreetClub by B&Q. Now in its sixth year, the simple idea from the Eden Project aims to provide neighbours with an opportunity to get to know one another better. The Big Lunch happens on the first Sunday in June each year – this year Sunday 1 June.
SFRS Assistant Chief Fire Officer Lewis Ramsay, the Director of Prevention and Protection in Scotland, said: “The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is delighted to team up with The Big Lunch Scotland, and as part of our support for local communities, we would encourage community fire stations throughout Scotland to actively participate in local neighbourhood Big Lunch events and activities. Community groups and neighbours planning events should not hesitate to seek support and assistance from their local fire crews.”
In 2013 over 3.65 million people took part in Big Lunches across the UK, including thousands from Scotland, like Michelle, who held street parties, picnics in the park and community hall gatherings.
Local Group Manager Steve Harkins, said: “The Big Lunch is an extremely worthwhile initiative which encourages neighbours to build upon community ties. We’re very pleased to have teamed up this year as it’s a fantastic opportunity for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to engage with members of the public in a positive, meaningful way.”
Communities further afield in the Lothians and across Scotland are being encouraged to host their own Big Lunch events with their neighbours to help build community bonds and enjoy a simple day of food, friendship and fun.
Michelle said her own community is particularly friendly. She said: “I’m lucky to have so many good friends on my doorstep and I have the best neighbour anyone could wish for – he’s one of the reasons that I haven’t moved!
“We pop in to see each other for a cuppa and a catch up every few weeks or so, he’s a fantastic friend and we help each other out. That feeling of community is invaluable to me, it means you’re never lonely and you always feel safe.”
Anyone interested in taking part this year can get started by requesting a free Big Lunch pack from www.thebiglunch.com to get events off the ground. Packs contain invitations and posters to adapt for your community, as well as seeds, a bunting template and an inspiration booklet with lots of ideas and information.
All pack materials are undated so communities can have Big Lunches when best suits them if they can’t join in on Sunday 1 June.
For more information, email Emma at The Big Lunch in Scotland on emma.smith@thebiglunch.com
or telephone 0141 559 5066.
One of North Edinburgh’s best known and most respected community organisations has been short-listed for a national award. The Spartans Community Football Academy is one of thirty projects from across the country in the running in this year’s Scottish Charity Awards – and you can vote for your favourite in the People’s Award.
Organised and staged by the Scottish Community and Voluntary Organisation (SCVO), the awards celebrate all that is best in Scotland’s third sector, recognising our country’s most innovative and effective people and organisations
Spartans is one of thirty organisations to have progressed to the final round of the Scottish Charity Awards, and an impressive ‘not so shortlist’ includes major national organisations, community groups, partnership projects and individuals who have channelled their energies into supporting their communities and making Scotland a better place to live.
The Spartans Community Football Academy (above) has become a key part of the fabric of north Edinburgh, offering sport, education and leisure opportunities to thousands of children and young people from North Edinburgh and beyond. Based at Ainslie Park, SCFA is succinctly summed up by Alastair Davis, the chief executive of Social Investment Scotland: “we never fail to be impressed, inspired and overwhelmed by the impact of Spartans. Their quality, dedication and passion sets them apart”. SCFA has been nominated in the Sporting Chance category.
Joining Spartans on the shortlist is another great local project, Leith-based The Junction (below). The Junction youth group and Port of Leith Housing Association got together to create purpose-built – and very popular – new premises for young people aged 12-21, offering counselling, health advice and support to young people.
For a full list of nominees and to vote for your favourite project in The People’s Award visit www.scvo.org.uk/charity-awards
Twitter user? It’s #ScotCharityAwards
The glittering awards ceremony, hosted by Kaye Adams, takes place at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on 5 June. Good luck to all the candidates – but really, you’re all winners already.
A local resettlement charity is looking for enthusiastic people to join its band of volunteers. Ferry Road Drive-based Fresh Start, which helps people previously homeless make a home for themselves, urgently needs people to join its Hit Squad and Gardening teams.
Keith Robertson, Managing Director at Fresh Start (pictured above with volunteer Caroline) said: “You don’t need to be an expert gardener or decorator – we are just looking for people with some basic skills who can work as part of a team and support vulnerable people to get back on their feet.”
Hit Squads work alongside new tenants to help them decorate their new house. Volunteers help prepare the rooms for decorating including cleaning, sanding, lining walls and painting the whole room. Last year 120 clients received support to decorate their new home through the Hit Squad service.
But while Hit Squads work alongside new tenants to help them decorate their new house, it is more than just a decorating service. Not only does it improve a client’s living space but also teaches new skills to help them establish and maintain a home and it also benefits people through positive social contact, helping to combat vulnerability and isolation
The charity is also looking for people to volunteer in its allotment where food grown such as vegetables, herbs and potatoes will be used in cookery classes at Fresh Start’s Food Station.
The Food Station service aims to tackle health inequalities amongst people who have been homeless by giving access to refurbished cookers, cooking classes, food packs and budgeting advice.
Keith Robertson added: “Both these projects are fundamental to Fresh Start’s work helping to combat vulnerability and isolation often experienced during periods of homelessness. Hit Squads support people to learn new skills that will enable them to maintain their home, while our cookery classes and gardening projects help people to learn basic cooking skills as well as enjoy being outdoors in the garden.”
To find out more about volunteering:
visit http://bit.ly/freshstartvolunteer
call Fresh Start on 0131 476 7741
or email enquiries@freshstartweb.org.uk
The MS Therapy Centre’s latest fundraiser – the Mad Hatters’ Tea Party – has raised nearly £4,500.
The Centre, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, called on locals to host a tea party and wear a crazy hat last month to help raise much needed funds and make a difference to all those in the Lothians living with multiple sclerosis.
Nancy Campbell, Operations Manager at the Centre, said: “Hitting nearly £4,500 is a fantastic sum of money and will make such a difference to those attending the Centre. Nearly 2,500 people in the Lothians live with the debilitating condition and our Centre provides a life line for many. We are there for practical and emotional support and only exist because of the generosity of others.”
Nancy added: “I would like to thank local residents, businesses, community groups and schools who took time out of their busy days to bake and host tea parties.”
Liberal Democrat South Scotland MSP Jim Hume joined in the tea party celebrations. He said: “I was delighted to visit Nancy and her team at the MS Therapy Centre Lothian again and to celebrate their 30th anniversary at the mad hatter tea party. The Centre provides a range of therapeutic and peer support to people living with multiple sclerosis, all the while improving the quality of life for its users.”
The Centre is hoping the tea parties become an annual event and will be looking for tea party hosts again in 2015.
The MS Therapy Centre is a charity providing help and practical therapies such as physiotherapy, complementary therapies and oxygen therapy as well as emotional support and advice. For further information go to www.mstc-lothian.org.uk or call Louise Liddell at MS Therapy Centre on 0131 554 5384.
Anti-poverty protestors blockaded Edinburgh’s main Salvation Army shop for three hours last Saturday (5th April) over the charity’s support of the Westminster government’s ‘work for benefits’ scheme. The demonstrators – the group included members of local campaigning group North Edinburgh Fights Back – displayed a giant banner proclaiming IF YOU EXPLOIT US, WE WILL SHUT YOU DOWN at the Earl Grey Street shop.
Dubbed The Starvation Army by its opponents, Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty (ECAP) says the Salvation Army is heavily involved nationally in the government’s controversial work-for-your-benefits schemes, and in Edinburgh is believed to be the main work placement for claimants ordered to participate in the Mandatory Work Activity scheme, administered by the provider learndirect.
ECAP claim The Salvation Army is also very involved in the Work Programme, under which even disabled claimants can be forced onto workfare. Claimants unable to take part in this unpaid work, or who decline to work for no pay, face having their benefits stopped under the government’s “enhanced sanctions” regime.
ECAP say the blockade was a success – the shop closed for a time and at least two women turned away and took their bag of donations to the nearby Shelter shop when they were informed of the ‘Sally Army’s’ involvement in workfare.
“We felt our action was very successful. We shut down a key workfare user for three hours at the busiest time of the week. And we gave out hundreds of leaflets to passers-by, stressing that workfare is an attack on the wages and conditions of all workers, and many people reacted positively,” said Esther McDonald of Edinburgh Coalition Ágainst Poverty.
The protest was aimed at galvanising opposition to the government’s plan for a new workfare scheme, Community Work Placements, which extends the period of compulsory work-for-benefits to six months. A Britain-wide week of action, co-ordinated through Boycott Workfare has seen actions in many towns and cities. On 31st March in London protestors invaded the YMCA and sang “Forced to work at the Y-M-C-A”.
“The Community Work Placements scheme is already in trouble, ” say ECAP. “Many charities have already said they will not participate – even the Salvation Army won’t touch it – and its start date has been postponed. We urge all charities and voluntary organisations to boycott the scheme. Research shows that workfare does not help the unemployed find jobs and being unemployed is not a crime.
The main contract for the Community Work Placements scheme in Scotland does not yet seem to have been awarded – we are researching which organisation is to be involved as we plan to take direct action against them and make this workfare scheme unworkable.”
For more information see:
www.edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk
www.boycottworkfare.org
Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty and Boycott Workfare are both on Facebook and on Twitter
New dates have been announced for a special club night in Edinburgh for local adults living with a disability, following the success of the first event earlier this year.
The next club night takes place tonight (Thursday 10 April, followed by June 12, August 14, October 16 and December 11.
The charity get2gether organises the club nights, which take place at the Cav nightclub. The event is an opportunity for people from Edinburgh and the Lothians living with a disability to meet up and make new friends.
get2gether is an Edinburgh-based organisation that arranges ordinary social activities in ordinary places for disabled people. The charity – which currently has over 70 local members – believes that everyone deserves the same opportunities for love and friendship.
Marion Smith, Project Co-ordintor, said: “Our launch night was a fantastic success with around 150 people coming along. There was a great atmosphere with people still dancing at 12.30pm! We’re delighted to release the rest of the club night dates for this year as we’re sure there are lots more people who will want to come once word spreads about how great they are.”
She added: “The nights are a great way for people, who are maybe not sure about going to a mainstream club night, to meet new people in a fun and safe place. After attending our events we hope that they will gain more confidence about going out and meeting new people. “
One member said: “It’s given me opportunities to do things I wouldn’t otherwise get to do.”
The club nights are free to members and £5 for non-members. The night runs from 8pm – 1am. To book a ticket or to find out more, email info@dates-n-mates-lothian.co.uk or phone Marion or Ellie on 07970 000454.
To find out more about the group – and the other events they run – visit http://get2gether.org.uk/
