Few general rules, which we would appreciate you respect:
the event is absolutely FREE and anyone in need of clothes, household items/ books etc is more than welcome to attend,
it is NOT A SWAP, everyone is allowed to take anything they need for free. We already have quite a few bigger donations, please, DO NOT BRING ANY DONATIONS on the day,
be mindful of others on the day
finally, help us to spread a word and invite friends to attend the Big Swap
Four charities based in Edinburgh have received donations totalling £14,000 from Amazon Development Centre Scotland.
Edinburgh Refugee Sponsorship Circle and Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council(ELREC) received £5,000 each, and The Yard and Four Square Scotland each received £2,000.
The charities received the donations following nominations for support from employees at Amazon Development Centre Scotland in Edinburgh and the company’s Head Office in London.
Formed in 2020 with the goal of making Edinburgh a safe place for refugees and asylum seekers to live, Edinburgh Refugee Sponsorship Circle organises safe pathways for families fleeing conflict zones and helps them secure a new life in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council works to combat inequality and discrimination. The charity promotes equality of opportunity and good relations between people in Edinburgh and across the region.
Four Square Scotland supports people impacted by homelessness in Edinburgh. The charity provides accommodation, advice, support and learning and employability training for homeless and vulnerable people.
The Yard has been involved with the Edinburgh community for more than 35 years, supporting disabled children and young people, and their families, through adventure play.
Speaking on the donations, Oliver Masting, Managing Director at Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “Edinburgh has been a happy home to Amazon for many years and we’re proud to be a part of the community in the city.
“We’re passionate about supporting great organisations in our community with donations and it’s great to lend a helping hand to these four important charities.”
Jane Devine, Chief Executive from Four Square Scotland added: “It’s fantastic to get this support from Amazon Development Centre Scotland.
“On behalf of all the staff and volunteers at Four Square Scotland, I’d like to say a big thank you to the Amazon teams in Edinburgh and London for their kind support.”
Angus Robertson MSP added: “Each of these charities provide huge support and excellent services to so many in Edinburgh and beyond. They are thoroughly deserving of these donations and I thank Amazon Development Centre employees for their nominations.”
The charities received the donations as part of Amazon’s programme to support the communities around its operating locations across the UK.
Community donations are one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19.
Throughout the pandemic Amazon has provided disadvantaged students with online STEM courses and supported virtual classrooms with no-cost resources from AWS and Amazon Future Engineer.
The company has also teamed up with charity partner Magic Breakfast to deliver more than five million healthy breakfasts to disadvantaged families around the UK.
For more information on how Amazon is supporting the UK during COVID-19, click here.
A group of Syrian refugees met with MSPs yesterday to tell them how their lives are being transformed thanks to the expertise of the staff at Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC).
The group who arrived in Scotland through the UK Settlement Scheme, met Sarah Boyack MSP and Foysol Choudhury MSP to tell them how they are adjusting to their new life in Scotland.
The group meets up every Friday to learn digital skills using devices provided by ELREC and Connecting Scotland through its Kickstart Scheme. The group receives weekly training at ELREC to help them to improve their English and computer literacy.
Kickstart staff Hassan and Mohammad are originally from Syria. They have been helping the group adjust to life in Scotland by providing practical help to complete forms and register for banking.
With the help of Hasan and Mohammad who acted as translators, Sarah Boyack MSP, and Foysol Choudhury MSP heard some of the issues the group are facing since their move to Scotland.
Language barriers are a huge issue. Inappropriate accommodation which is simply too small for traditional large Syrian families is causing significant problems too. Some families remain in temporary accommodation for several years, and the lack of affordable housing has only intensified the problem.
The group spoke of health conditions and some are waiting for surgeries. Other families are suffering mentally from the trauma of war and resettlement, and many are under a great deal of stress trying to obtain VISAs for relatives who have been left behind in Syria.
Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian Region and ELREC’s Chairperson, said: “I’d like to thank the group for giving us their time today and ELREC for hosting the meeting.
“From our conversations, it is clear there are many issues for refugees, but I was heartened to hear the support ELREC can and is providing to help them adjust to their new life in Scotland.
“I hope this meeting showed the group they are a valued part of the community and reassures them that we will take forward the issues we discussed”.
ELREC have launched a new project to support people from BAME communities affected by Covid-19. A brief launch event took place at the ELREC meeting room on Monday (4 October).
The BAME RECAP will work towards restoring the livelihoods of BAME communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Edinburgh and the Lothian.
The Global Majority Fund, financed by Comic Relief in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust (NET), supports this project. In Scotland, CRER is an Intermediary Partner for Comic Relief’s Global Majority Fund.
CRER’sYasmin Luqman said: “We are delighted to act as an Intermediary Partner of The Global Majority Fund and to make grants available to support BME community organisations like ELREC to continue delivering services to communities facing racial inequality who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.
“This fund is also focussed on creating a positive impact with and for communities facing racial inequality across Scotland. The Global Majority Fund, financed by Comic Relief in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust (NET), supports this project”.
Lothian MSP Foysol Choudhury MBE attended the launch event as a chief guest. He said ‘’ I would like thanks to CRER and funders for providing the grants for the BME communities aftermath of the Covid-19. It will help create a positive impact and improve the livelihood of the affected communities.’’
The BAME RECAP project coordinator Mizan Rahman hosted the launch event and explained that a wide range of support is available for the Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) community.
Tailor-made support and advice services freely available at ELREC. Specialised advocacy support is also available for people with ‘no recourse to public funds’.
He said that the project will address mental health and wellbeing issues by facilitating various activities over the year.
To access support and services, anyone living across Edinburgh and Lothian can contact the project team by WhatsApp +447392663851 or email: bamerecap@elrec.org.uk.
More information about the project can be found on social media @bamerecap.
ELREC organised a lunch for their team of volunteers to say thank-you for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.
ELREC’s chair Foysul Choudhury MBE MSP explained: “We wanted to show our appreciation to all our volunteers who have helped us deliver vital work during Covid 19.
“The volunteers came together every Friday to collect Fareshare food, prepare food boxes, order and include halal chicken and then deliver to local communities in Edinburgh.
“Since June 2020 we have supported over 250 families with food boxes. The demand is still high however due to end of funding we have had to reduce our supply to 25 boxes per week.
“The event was attended by 32 of our dedicated volunteers and staff members. We had lovely lunch and provided gift bags and certificates to everyone involved.”
The lunch was organised by Foysol (above left), ELREC secretary Ragnish Singh and Honorary President Sir Geoff Palmer OBE.
A regional equality council covering Edinburgh and the Lothians has been given a £1,000 boost by one of the country’s leading housebuilders.
Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), based on Forth Street, is a charity that aims to support local communities and eliminate discrimination in all its forms through a range of projects.
ELREC, set up in 1971, applied to Persimmon Homes East Scotland to help to fund weekly sports sessions for disadvantaged children aged five-16 years of age. The free sessions would be available for the youngsters in parks across Edinburgh.
The charity is among the first to receive funds as part of the housebuilder’s Building Futures campaign for 2021, which runs until August and will donate more than £1m to good causes this year.
Parveen Ishaq, of Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council, said: “We are really excited to receive this support from Persimmon Homes.
“Our team work hard to promote equality and diversity across our region through a wide range of projects and in particular we are targeting young people in our communities living in poverty.
“The money will help us provide free outdoor sports sessions for children in and around Edinburgh and the Lothians. The sessions will not only get young people moving they will also help to support young people’s mental health and social interaction, which are so important after the lockdown restrictions.”
Building Futures aims to support community groups working with under-18s across three categories – education & arts, health and sport.
A total of 128 grants of £1,000 will be awarded across Persimmon’s 32 regional businesses to improve local facilities and the delivery of vital community projects.
Three initiatives will go on to win £100,000 each through a national online public vote. The winners will be named at a gala dinner for finalists in November.
In each sector – education & arts, health and sport – as well as the £100,000 first prize, there will be a £50,000 second prize and a £20,000 third prize, while a further 87 shortlisted projects will each receive £5,000.
Laura Still, sales director at Persimmon Homes East Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to help Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council and the truly inclusive work it is doing with young people in Edinburgh.
“The pandemic has had a huge impact on mental health across the board, not least amongst young people. It is important that charities like this are supported in the good work they are doing.
“Building Futures is all about helping young people and youth groups in our area. We’re accepting entries until mid-August so we’d urge more people to apply by visiting www.persimmonhomes.com/charity”
Persimmon is currently selling stunning new-build homes at sites across Edinburgh and the Lothians at developments including Lang Loan, The Willows, Kings Cove, Burgh Gate and Kings Meadow.
Founded in 1972, Persimmon Homes is one of the UK’s leading housebuilders. With headquarters in York, the Group operates from 31 regional offices throughout the UK, trading under the brand names of Persimmon Homes, Charles Church and Westbury Partnerships, building quality homes across England, Wales and Scotland. The company directly employs more than 5,000 people and supports around 86,000 jobs in the construction sector.
