Apply today to join our Tools for Life mentorship programme to learn the basic and fundamental skills of woodworking and DIY.
The Spring 2023 Tools For Life programme begins on Thursday 21st of March and will run for 12 weeks. The weekly sessions are on Thursday from 13.00 – 16.00 at our Porty Workshop. The programme is open to young people age 16 – 25 years old and best of all is FREE!
Applications are due on Tuesday 27th of February. We are always very happy to talk you through your application and give feedback. If you prefer a different format of answering the application form, for example in audio or video format, you are very welcome to do so.
If you would like to visit the workshop beforehand there will be an Open Day on Thursday the 15th February at the Porty workshop from 14.00 – 16.00 where you can ask any questions and get a feel if the mentorship would be something for you.
As the spaces are limited, and we want each participant to make the most out of this free programme we do ask of each participant to attend every weekly session. So please triple check your calendars and existing commitments before applying.
Any questions please contact janet@edinburghtoollibrary.org.uk
ID: (1) Yellow background with the text Tools For Life, the words are surrounded by tools. (2) Two participants of our current Tools for Life cohort measuring there wood ( 3) Participant using a circular saw with support from Mentor Alys (4) Happy participant showing a drill and current woodworking project
A local charity has been awarded nearly £5,000 to combat transport poverty across the city. The Edinburgh Tool Library will benefit to the tune of £4,985 from the Scottish Building Society Foundation.
The project – Cycle Kitchen – will see the development of a series of cycle maintenance courses aimed at tackling transport poverty, promoting bicycle tool proficiency, and fostering self-reliance in the community.
The grant provided by the Scottish Building Society Foundation will be used to cover the training costs for three volunteers to obtain professional cycle mechanic certifications, as well as funding the purchase of workstation tools, training kits. Additionally, the funding will contribute to employing a project coordinator who will oversee volunteers, assist in course development and training, and organise community events to promote the course.
Scottish Building Society Foundation was established by Scottish Building Society in partnership with Foundation Scotland, which is designed to give back to Scottish communities.
Launched in May 2023 to align with the organisation’s 175th anniversary, an incredible £175,000 will be granted to local charities, causes and organisations across Scotland.
The first phase of funding attracted 44 applications from across 11 local authority areas of Scotland, with nine successful applicants chosen to receive individual grants of up to £5,000 to help their cause.
Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, said: “As part of our 175th anniversary celebrations, we wanted to mark the occasion with an incentive that upholds our core value of giving back to the communities.
“Edinburgh Tool Library’s Cycle Kitchen is a fantastic cause and it’s great to see it being supported by the Scottish Building Society Foundation with funding.
“In the first round, we’re encouraged at the volume of interest from a variety of inspiring community groups and charities across Scotland and look forward to seeing how they use the funding to make positive impact. With the second round, we hope to see this go even further.
“The Scottish Building Society Foundation whilst in its infancy, we hope will make a big difference to many people across the country and we look forward to continuing our relationship with Foundation Scotland to grow the incentive in the years ahead.
“By investing in good causes, we are building stronger communities.”
Thomas Bartels, Project Coordinator at Edinburgh Tool Library, said:“Bringing Cycle Kitchen to life allows us to empower individuals seeking equality in transportation options. We’re here to facilitate those who may be curious about cycling as a means of transportation but are uncertain about bike maintenance.
“Most importantly, for those looking for more affordable and sustainable alternatives to public transport or car ownership, Cycle Kitchen offers a chance to experience a free and health-conscious mode of travel from point A to B.”
More than 50 projects tackling social isolation and loneliness throughout Scotland have received a share of a new fund.
Edinburgh recipients of Social Isolation and Loneliness Funding include Big Hearts Community Trust, Edinburgh Tool Library, Pilmeny Development Project, Pilton Community Health Project and The Living Memory Association.
Activities delivered by the organisations include community choirs, walking football, Men’s Sheds and volunteering opportunities.
Equalities Minister Emma Roddick visited Inverness Foodstuff, one of the successful projects, to see the impact of their work and hear how support through the Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund will benefit the local community.
Ms Roddick said: “Social isolation and loneliness can affect anyone, but especially those most affected by the cost of living crisis such as disabled people, younger people, and those who live alone.
“The Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund is providing support to a range of projects across Scotland which deliver vital services in their communities. Inverness Foodstuff is a great example of how this Scottish Government funding will help to bring more people together, creating stronger social connections and improving public health.
“We are determined to tackle the harm caused by this hidden problem and this Fund is just one of the actions we are taking to help tackle social isolation and loneliness through our plan, Recovering our Connections.”
Inverness Foodstuff has been awarded a grant of £72,000 to deliver their lunch club twice a week in the Hilton area of Inverness. The lunch club will benefit an estimated 2,400 homeless and vulnerable people in the area over the duration of the Fund.
Chair of Inverness Foodstuff Stuart Black said: “Inverness Foodstuff has operated from Ness Bank Church since 2015 offering hot food three times a week, utilising surplus food.
“But, it’s more than just a meal. We offer access to clothing, debt relief, IT support, mental health support, housing and homelessness support and access to hairdressing. Inverness Foodstuff also provides 75 volunteering opportunities.
“Over the past year we have served 8,500 meals in our city centre premises, an increase of 58% compared to 2021-22. This reflects the cost of living crisis and the extent of poverty in our city.
“We are delighted to gain Scottish Government funding to expand our service into Hilton, a recognised area of need, in partnership with Highlife Highland.”
CELEBRATION EVENT AT PORTOBELLO WORKSHOP TOMORROWEVENING
The Edinburgh Tool Library is exactly what it sounds like: a library, but for tools. Instead of books, members can borrow a huge range of hand and power tools – from circular saws to sewing machines – all free of charge.
Inspiration for Edinburgh’s Tool Library came after Chris Hellawell, Founder and Director of Edinburgh Tool Library, visited the Toronto Tool Library during a family holiday. Chris not only saw the need for freely available tools in his own community, Leith, he had the vision of the wider environmental, financial and social value a tool library could bring.
Unlike his Canadian counterparts, Chris did not have a stock of tools, or premises to store and loan tools from, but his drive to help others inspired his next move:
“Giving people access to equipment means handing them the potential to better their living environment and potentially their lives” says Chris. “That could be as simple as putting up a shelf or hanging some pictures, or as life-changing as giving someone the tools and the chance of holding down a job. I just knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Chris used his resourcefulness to collect donated tools and stored them in his living room. And instead of renting premises he created an online tool inventory and hired a police box on Leith Walk once a week from where tools could be collected!
Since then, Chris hasn’t looked back and has built Edinburgh Tool Library from the ground up into the thriving charity it is today. With a loan depot in Meadowbank, and workshops in Portobello and Leith, the library has grown to include more than 2,000 tools which are borrowed regularly by 1,400 members from all walks of life, saving members a collective £1.5m compared to the cost of buying those tools!
An overall reduction of around 180T CO2, the equivalent of driving a car around the world 180 times. And with the cost-of-living crisis becoming an escalating challenge, Edinburgh Tool Library is fast becoming a lifeline for many.
Not only has Chris’s environmental and economic vision become a reality, its social impact is undeniable.
Much like a book library, Edinburgh Tool Library is a hub around which the community gathers. The year-round community and outreach programme offers workshops designed to reduce social isolation, improve wellbeing, champion diversity and most importantly provide opportunities for communities to come together to learn new life and employability skills.
Projects such as “Nailing It!” work with women’s support groups around the city teaching DIY skills, building confidence and encouraging women to participate in woodwork, often for the first time. Or ‘Tools for Life’ – a programme matching a young unemployed person with barriers to work, with an older, retired person, who has skills to pass on to the trainee, helping them to build confidence and learn new skills.
Run in large by its 50+ volunteers, the love and commitment of these volunteers was never more evident than during the pandemic. The Edinburgh Tool Library put it’s resources towards hot meal, and art pack delivery, as well as providing logistical support to the Edinburgh Mask Makers volunteer group, helping over 17,000 masks reach key workers across the central belt.
This kindness is also evident in the membership framework. The charity charges members £30 per year to borrow tools and to gain free access to their workshop programme, along with invites to community social events.
Members can also buy a ‘£40 pay it forward’ membership which includes a reduced £10 membership fee for those facing financial hardship. All membership income is ploughed back into supporting the charity’s environmental and social objectives.
For those interested in becoming a member or supporting their charitable work through their fun ‘Adopt a Tool’ scheme, visit edinburghtoollibrary.org.uk or email them on hello@edinburghtoollibrary.org.uk.
Or pop along to their celebration event at their Portobello Workshop (19 Windsor Place, EH15 2AJ) tomorrow – Thursday 27th October (5 – 8pm) – where they will welcome you in, show you their fantastic workshop facilities and introduce you to their friendly team!
National maintenance and compliance contractor Novus Property Solutions has completed its work on the Edinburgh Tool Library – the latest recipient of its Built Back Better initiative – in partnership with Places for People.
Novus’ Build Back Better challenge supports charities, community projects and vulnerable people under the three key themes of reducing poverty, good health and wellbeing, and environmental action.
As part of the initiative, Novus is encouraging its colleagues, clients, supply chain and the wider community to nominate deserving causes across the UK to receive funding – with Edinburgh Tool Library chosen to be a challenge winner by the contractor’s review panel.
The fourth flagship project to benefit from the initiative since its launch in February 2021, the Edinburgh Tool Library operates in the same way as a normal library but distributes tools rather than books.
It allows the public to borrow a variety of tools including drills and sanders, as well as hosting a range of classes and workshops where members of the community can learn and take part in non-tool related sessions including for mental health.
Novus’ team recently completed the repainting and decorating of the library’s new, expanded premises – donating labour and materials, with the refurbishment completed in March and a launch event in April. The contractor will also continue to work with Edinburgh Tool Library in the future by hosting workshops for users.
Commenting on the project, Charlie Cooley, Head of Operations at Novus Property Solutions, said: “We are delighted to be able to carry out a refurbishment of Edinburgh Tool Library’s much-needed expanded premises, creating a fantastic space for users to not only easily access the tools they need but also to improve their wellbeing.
“The library encourages the reuse of tools for the benefit of the environment, as well as empowering members of the public to carry out their own DIY projects and providing mental health support to those who need it – closely aligning with the key themes of Build Back Better.
“As a family-owned business, we pride ourselves on giving back to the communities in which we work and we’re looking forward to continuing to support the Edinburgh Tool Library in the future.”
Chris Hellawell, Director at Edinburgh Tool Library, added: “The Edinburgh Tool Library is extremely grateful to the team from Novus, who worked tirelessly to a very tight deadline to ensure the new library was looking fantastic in time for our launch.
“Our goal to make sharing a mainstream activity is only enhanced by spaces where people want to spend time and feel welcome, and our new Meadowbank Tool Library really looks the part.”
Novus is now accepting nominations for charities and community organisations that would benefit from the company’s support for the fifth Build Back Better challenge via its website.
Scotland’s community foundation has distributed over £130 million to date
Foundation Scotland, Scotland’s community foundation, is marking the organisation’s silver anniversary this St Andrews Day – also aptly ‘Giving Tuesday’ this year.
Originally established in 1996 as ‘Scotland’s Community Foundation’, the major funder has distributed more than £130 million to charitable organisations, social enterprises, and community groups operating across Scotland since its launch 25 years ago.
Set up with an initial group of three staff, the Edinburgh-based foundation now has over 30, managing around 100 different national and local funding programmes each year.
Earlier this year the foundation began offering investment for social enterprises following the integration with Resilient Scotland, further expanding the breadth of financial support offered to charitable groups and enterprises.
Through the pandemic, Foundation Scotland awarded over £1.1 million in crisis support grants to 268 Edinburgh-based community projects.
Supported groups included The Eric Liddell Centre, East Lothian Roots and Fruits, Sikh Sanjog, Bridgend Farmhouse and The Edinburgh Tool Library (above).
Quite often, groups can be eligible for more than one source of funding from the foundation and some organisations have received ongoing support from Foundation Scotland for many years.
The team pride themselves in getting to know and understand funded groups, supporting them with essential funding and vital advice to help them to develop and sustain their services.
Giles Ruck, Chief Executive at Foundation Scotland, said: “We are proud to be Scotland’s community foundation. For 25 years, we’ve maintained the vision of supporting confident, thriving, resilient communities across Scotland.
“And for every community to thrive, it should be resourced to match its vision and powered by transformative funding. That’s where we come in. Over the last quarter of a century, we have connected the generosity of donors, corporates and individuals, to enable and empower vital projects and grassroot-led change.
“As we look ahead, we will continue to work hard to reach and connect with new donors keen to distribute funds effectively at a local level so that together we can continue to deliver extraordinary support.”
The generosity of local donors
Foundation Scotland is an independent charity. The funds awarded to projects within Scotland’s communities are thanks to the generosity of donors who support the foundation’s work.
The breadth of donors includes individuals, families, companies, community bodies and other charities who distribute funds. The foundation connects donors funds with community organisations working on the ground, ensuring their support stays relevant to local circumstances and delivers real impact.
Even throughout the pandemic, new donors have come on board, and new funds have opened to help support communities through the crisis and beyond.
In the summer of 2020, Edinburgh-based investment company Martin Currie approached Foundation Scotland to design and brand a new fund to help them support charities and community groups in Edinburgh, with consideration for projects across Scotland.
Their priorities were to address inequality and support initiatives that improved social and environmental sustainability. The Martin Currie Community Partnership Programme launched in September, and to date has awarded almost £44,000 between 8 organisations Recent grantees include Edinburgh Remakery, Venchie Children and Youth Project and the Salisbury Centre.
Jennifer Mair, Chief Operating Officer for Martin Currie said: “The Martin Currie Community Partnership Programme (MCCPP) is delighted to partner with Foundation Scotland to support local charities that promote diversity and inclusion, or social and environmental sustainability.
“The MCCPP was established in 2020 and focusses on the communities where we live and work by partnering with and building deep and lasting relationships with organisations who are well placed to help us deliver Martin Currie’s goal to improve lives.”
Case Study: The Melting Pot
The Melting Pot is Scotland’s Centre for Social Innovation. Based in Edinburgh’s city centre on Carlton Road, the organisation runs a large coworking hub, meeting venue and events programme for charities, social businesses, campaigners and freelancers.
Foundation Scotland has supported The Melting Pot for over 15 years. The organisation received its first award from the funder back in 2006 and has received £120,000 from a number of different funds to support their growth and development since 2006.
Claire Carpenter, Founder and CEO of The Melting Pot said: “Foundation Scotland have been an instrumental investor for me and The Melting Pot. They’ve been part of the birthing story – twice now!
“Back in the 00’s when “Coworking” wasn’t a thing you could Google, they saw the potential in my big, novel and very practical idea to better support our sector, in all its diversity. Then, due to Covid, the landscape changed once again – for good.
“We’ve been able to play to each other’s strengths to help #BuildBackBetter. I’m looking forward to seeing how together we co-create the conditions for social innovators to thrive in the years ahead.”
More Info:
From grantmaking to social investment opportunities, legacies to bursaries, Foundation Scotland is continually developing innovative and effective ways for donors to help Scotland’s communities thrive.
Anyone interested in finding out more can contact:
Funding to deliver key recommendation of Scotland’s Climate Assembly
The Scottish Government is to help fund a new national network of community sharing libraries and repair cafes as part of a drive to reduce consumption and cut waste.
Under the £310,000 reuse and repair scheme, funded jointly with Zero Waste Scotland, more resource libraries will be established across Scotland – a key recommendation of Scotland’s Climate Assembly.
The facilities allow people to borrow items such as high quality tools, equipment, clothes and toys rather than buying them.
The scheme – overseen by the Circular Communities Scotland charity in collaboration with Edinburgh Tool Library and Edinburgh Remakery – will also see more repair cafes set up to teach people the skills to repair items.
A report by Social Investment Scotland on behalf of Zero Waste Scotland in 2020 identified 24 repair cafes and sharing library projects in Scotland and the intention is to increase this to 100 in the next three years.
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Michael Matheson said: “Scotland’s Climate Assembly called for action and I’m very pleased that we will support a network of resource libraries and repair cafes.
“Sharing libraries provide a direct reduction in consumption, waste and emissions because they allow people to switch from purchasing and owning items to borrowing them instead. Repair cafes give people the skills to re-use their own items.
“This network also supports our drive to tackle poverty by giving lower income groups access to tools or equipment not otherwise available and the skills to use them.”
Chief Executive Officer of Zero Waste Scotland Iain Gulland, said: “Scotland – and the world – urgently needs to address its consumption problem. The current demand on the planet’s finite, precious materials is unsustainable.
“The circular economy is one of the best tools we have in our arsenal. We can reduce our consumption by keeping existing materials in circulation and only buying new when absolutely necessary.
“Sharing libraries and repair cafes are not only great ways of implementing a more circular way of living, but an opportunity to get to know people and businesses doing amazing work in your community. We hope to see as many of these local initiatives come to fruition as soon as possible.”
Michael Cook, CEO, Circular Communities Scotland said: “For Scotland to combat climate change, we each need to change our own consumption behaviours. Sharing libraries and repair cafés provide simple and effective solutions to do this whilst reducing our carbon footprint.
“Rather than throwing an old item away we can repair it at a repair cafe, or even better, be taught the repair skills to fix it ourselves. Similarly, rather than buy a new product we can borrow one from a local sharing library. We are delighted to receive this funding to form the new network and significantly grow the number of these projects in Scotland.”
Muirhouse Millennium Centre is among twenty-seven community groupsacross Edinburgh are sharing in a £717,108 cash boost from The National Lottery Community Fund today.
The Millennium Centre receives £97,000 to ‘provide a range of community activities within Muirhouse Millennium Centre engaging approximately 150 local community members and four volunteers.’
Muirhouse Millennium Centre is also the base of LIFT (Low Income Families Together), who run a range of services from the Millennium Centre.
Thanks to an award of £53,463, Leith-based Fast Forward (Positive Lifestyles) Ltd will be able to continue their ‘Ask Dad’ project – a health education and training programme for dads and male carers across Edinburgh and the Lothians -for another three years.
Mark Hunter, Project Officer, Ask Dad, said: “Thanks to this support from The National Lottery Community Fund our ‘Ask Dad’ programme will be able to continue to support dads whose families are going through a period of difficulty.
“We’re looking forward to developing our work to date, including our Good Conversations programme, supporting parents to have what they perceive as awkward, difficult, or embarrassing conversations with their children.
“We are looking forward to working on our new programme, ‘Dad: The Invisible Parent’ which will support better awareness and understanding by practitioners of the challenges faced by dads, to improve their engagement and communication with dads, towards better outcomes for their children.
“In addition, by working with parents who feel ignored or unwelcome by service providers, we aim to improve their ability to communicate with services and to understand a service provider’s role and their limitations.”
Better informed, more confident dads improve the wellbeing of the whole family. They also improve their children’s educational attainment. These impacts are even more profound in the communities affected by poverty and inequality.
An award of £114,344 means that Craigmillar Literacy Trust will continue to provide their support to local families with babies and children up to nine years of age for the next three years.
They will also be able to run their new ‘Express Yourself’ programme for older children and young people aged up to the age of sixteen using digital media and performance to support them to connect with literacy in a way that is more relevant to them.
Kara Whelan, Project Manager, Craigmillar Literacy Trust, said: “This grant will support our work with babies, children, young people, and families in Craigmillar though our early literacy, family literacy and young people’s projects.
“Our work is relationship based and embedded in our community. We are looking forward to building on the strengths we have and to developing new and innovating approaches to supporting literacy in our community.”
Edinburgh Tool Library receives £9,500 to help with the costs of a Volunteer Co-ordinator who will deliver a bespoke training programme for volunteers as well as making links with other third sector organisations in Edinburgh and will help the group engage with new communities and neighbourhoods across the city.
Chris Hellawell, Founder and Director, Edinburgh Tool Library, said: “This support will allow us to reach communities that we haven’t yet spoken to before, help us enhance the support we give to our community and to produce materials to share with other organisations like ours across Scotland so we can amplify the impart of all the hard work or our volunteers in Edinburgh. Thank you so much.”
More Edinburgh projects celebrating today include Ama-zing Harmonies, Big Hearts Community Trust, Leith Community Centre, LifeCare and St Columba’s Hospice.
Across Scotland 179 projects are sharing in£5,752,948today.Announcing the funding, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “Local community groups bring people together to support one another through difficult times.
“Sometimes this is as simple as providing a listening ear and other times it can be a real lifeline connecting people who might otherwise be lonely and isolated. Each of the projects receiving funding today in Edinburgh remind us of the power of social connections and the difference that community projects can make to people’s lives.
“National Lottery players can be proud to know that the money they raise is helping to support this vital work.”
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and more than £30 million a week is raised for good causes across the UK.
Thanks to National Lottery players, last year we awarded over half a billion pounds (£588.2 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK. Over eight in ten (83%) of our grants are for under £10,000 – going to grassroots groups and charities across the UK that are bringing to life amazing ideas that matter to their communities.
Scottish Government campaign shines a light on positive action being taken across society
As Scotland prepares for the arrival of COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, businesses, organisations and individuals from all across Scotland are coming together to shine a light on the climate action and nature conservation being taken in their local communities and call on others to join them in making the changes needed for the country to reach net zero by 2045.
The COP26 summit is the most urgent ever held and the best chance of securing global action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The twin crises of climate change and nature loss are the greatest threats facing people and the planet and are already impacting communities throughout Scotland.
As all eyes will be on Scotland, a new national poll has revealed that many people across the country now recognise the need to play their part and that improving climate awareness and understanding the support available, remains vital for helping people to make changes.
The YouGov poll, commissioned by the Scottish Government, asked adults living in Scotland if they were planning to make future changes to their lifestyle to help tackle climate change.
Almost half (46%) of the Scottish public said they were already planning to make changes and the poll also highlighted that 20% said they were unsure on how to make changes. A third (34%) of adults surveyed said that they have no plans to make any future lifestyle changes.
The Scottish Government’s Let Do Net Zero campaign aims to provide the necessary information and support to help more people make the changes needed across all levels of society and showcases inspiring examples of businesses, enterprises, community groups and individuals leading the way.
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson said, “Scotland was one of the first countries to declare a climate emergency, and as a nation we have already made great progress in tackling climate change. We have halved Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions, and we are determined to reach net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045.
“Ending our contribution to the climate emergency within a generation will require transformational change across all parts of the economy and society. This campaign seeks to shine a light on the positive action taking place right across the country to inspire greater action and the Scottish Government will play its part to support people in Scotland to make these changes.”
To demonstrate the role that individuals and communities can play in reaching net zero, a sustainable, glowing zero artwork will be touring Scotland’s cities and shining a light on projects across Scotland that are already bringing people together to create change and support their communities.
The glowing zero landed at its first stop with Edinburgh Castle as its backdrop and shone a light on the community tool-sharing hub, Edinburgh Tool Library. The Library supplies a service that allows members to borrow tools as and when they need them, without spending money on seldom-used tools that have a large carbon footprint.
Environmental Scientist and climate activist Laura Young (Less Waste Laura) is an advocate for encouraging people to adopt a more environmentally conscious lifestyle and will be taking part in the blue zone at COP26.
Joining the Edinburgh Tool Library in the glowing zero today, she said: “There is so much good work happening and momentum has really grown in recent years, and this is hugely encouraging. But everyone needs to keep playing their part to drive real change and help Scotland reach net zero.
“We are already used to doing some things that help combat climate change, such as food waste recycling, but there may be things that people have not even considered such as making sure their gardens help biodiversity or repairing and reusing their clothes and homewares rather than throwing them away. Every ounce of carbon that we save adds up to help get us to net zero.”
Groups from across Scotland are sharing in a bumper package of National Lottery grants totalling £952,883 this morning.
Across the country, 136 community groups have picked up awards from National Lottery Awards for All – a quick and simple way to access small National Lottery grants of between £300 and £10,000. Continue reading Scottish groups hit the Lottery jackpot
