LifeCare Edinburgh brought members of the local community together to enjoy some early festive cheer this year at their annual charity Christmas lunches. Over 150 two course lunches were served across three days in the charity’s Community Café, CafeLife, by volunteers from aerospace engineering company Leonardo, who chose LifeCare as their charity partner last year.
Guests also enjoyed entertainment from local choir, The Cheyne Gang, a community singing group for people living with long term respiratory conditions such as COPD, Asthma and Bronchiectasis, as well as a Tombola and Christmas Quiz.
LifeCare CEO, Sarah Van Putten, said: “Our Christmas Lunches are a fantastic way of bringing people together in support of a good cause.
“All the money we raise from our lunches and other Christmas activities go directly towards our Winter Warmer Appeal which we launched back in November, due to unprecedented demand for our services through the cost-of-living crisis.
“These funds will enable us to continue to provide vital support to local older people and unpaid carers during the difficult winter months. A huge thank you to all those who came along, including our wonderful volunteers and of course our fabulous choir. Your support funds ours, and it really does make a huge difference.”
LifeCare Edinburgh is a local charity with a proud 80-year-history of providing uplifting, positive and practical support for older people.
Their vision is of a society where no older person is alone or isolated, and their professional and high-quality support is delivered to the most vulnerable members of the community – including those living with dementia and unpaid (often older themselves) carers – within the home and out and about.
The LifeCare Christmas lunches have become a key date in the diary for many Stockbridge locals, with the 2023 events the second to take place since the covid-19 pandemic.
Offering everything from woodwork classes to meals for those who are homeless, the Grassmarket Community Project aims to create a community and provide sanctuary for those in the city who are often excluded.
The registered charity runs the fully accessible community hub and café on Candlemakers Row where people can pop in for their caffeine fix and something fresh to eat knowing that all proceeds support social good in the area.
However, with demand for their services growing year on year, and with the café rapidly running out of space, the registered charity secured funding from Foundation Scotland.
An investment of over £375,000 has enabled the organisation to extend its existing facilities and create a brand-new pavilion space hosting Coffee Saints, a larger, bright and friendly café and improved spaces for activities.
Ricky Ross is a long-term supporter of the Grassmarket Community Project’s work and was there on the night to officially open the space and meet staff, volunteers, supporters and local people.
Foundation Scotland, Scotland’s community foundation, offers social investment funding to social enterprises, community organisations and charities. Up to 50% of the funding is through a non-repayable grant, with the remainder through a loan. Foundation Scotland’s social investment team prides itself on its relationship-based support and helps successful applicants to raise further funds.
Chris Holloway, Head of Social Investment at Foundation Scotland, said: “Grassmarket Community Project secured over £375,000 from Foundation Scotland and we have worked closely together across the last few years to get to this exciting stage.
“Jonny and the team have worked so hard to get to where we are today. It’s great to finally have the doors open and get to see inside the spaces which will mean so much to so many.
“The funding landscape has changed monumentally post-covid. There are far less available opportunities for capital costs, and building costs are rising significantly. Yet we know groups urgently need this support to get started or grow. We’ve invested over £12.5 million in 72 organisations across the last ten years.
“This funding, combined with our dedicated and experienced support, has delivered transformational change. We enable socially conscious groups to become more sustainable, grow, and become less reliant on grant funding. It’s a win-win all round, and our impact reporting shows that this funding model works.
“We are encouraging all interested groups to visit our website or contact our team directly to discuss your eligibility”.
Jonny Kinross, CEO of Grassmarket Community Project, said: “The support we’ve received from the team at Foundation Scotland has been instrumental in enabling us to plan, develop and now finally officially open our fantastic new café and pavilion in the centre of the city.
“We’re extremely grateful to have received such a significant sum across the combination of loan and grant funding but above this, the team have offered a real partnership approach to the finance, which has been so refreshing and supportive.
They have taken the time to understand our business, the challenges and the opportunities presented.
“Like everyone else, our project was inevitably held up through the crisis, but the team have been with us every step of the way. We are so excited that our doors are now open, and we can’t wait to meet old and new friends for a coffee in the new café.”
Foundation Scotland’s ‘Investing in Enterprise Fund’ offers up to a quarter of a million pounds in blended finance to eligible social enterprises, community organisations and charities operating in 18 local authority areas.
For more information, including details on how to apply for the Investing in Enterprise Fund visit:
Could you spare two minutes of your time please? We would love to know what you think of our community cafe (whether you have visited it or not). Your opinion matters to us.
New Community Cafe: Thursday – Saturday 10am – 2pm
Granton: Hub at MADELVIC HOUSE
Join us at our new community cafe with a tasty range of food, snacks and drinks using local suppliers where possible. Open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10am-2pm starting 10 October.
Thursday, 10 October: soft opening from 10am-2pm
Grand opening Friday, 11 October from 10am-2pm
Saturday, 12 October, open 10am-2pm during our Wellbeing Day
Bonnie’s Cafe is a fantastic wee social enterprise based in the heart of Leith., serving delicious food including all day breakfasts, soups, snacks, home baking, diner classics such as burgers, fish and chips, mince and tatties and daily specials.Continue reading Bonnie’s: a warm welcome in Leith
