Fresh Start will be accepting donations from Tuesday 6th April.
The charity, which is based on Ferry Road Drive, supports people who have been homeless to settle into new homes. Fresh Start is looking for donations of:
Dishes and cutlery
Cleaning Items
Pots and pans
Bed linen and towels
Small household electric items
Long dated food products
For further information telephone 0131 476 7741 or email admin@freshstartweb.org.uk
Communities across the country are to benefit from fast-tracked funding to help tackle climate change and deliver Scotland’s green recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
A total of 279 projects will be funded through the Community Climate Asset Fund, helping to deliver electric bikes, food growing equipment and glazing to improve energy efficiency.
Successful recipients of the Fund based in the capital include Freh Start, Stockbridge Parish Church, ELREC and Granton Parish Church.
Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “Communities across the country are playing a vital role in responding to the pandemic crisis and in maintaining our resilience, our sense of spirit and our local support network.
“In what remains an exceptionally difficult time for us all, this funding is providing fast, tangible support to deliver long-lasting benefits to community based organisations while also helping them tackle climate change as we accelerate our just transition to a net zero society.
“I am particularly pleased that the successful recipients of the Community Climate Asset Fund come from right across the country, meaning many thousands of people will benefit from the projects and help play their part in ending Scotland’s contribution to climate change.”
Chief Executive Officer of Keep Scotland Beautiful Barry Fisher said: “We congratulate all the community-based organisations across Scotland awarded Community Climate Asset Fund grants.
“Keep Scotland Beautiful are committed to making Scotland clean, green and sustainable, and through the Community Climate Asset Fund, we are delighted to support communities to tackle climate change and contribute to a green and just recovery from COVID-19.”
A total of 279 organisations are being funded through the Community Climate Asset Fund. Edinburgh projects to receive funding are:
Action Porty. For community building energy efficiency improvements. £3,777.60.
Blood Bikes Scotland. For an electric motorcycle and charging station to help to reduce carbon emissions within the Lothian region by transporting urgent items for the NHS more sustainably. £24,896.70
Craigmillar Now. For community building energy efficiency improvements. £9,770.00.
Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council. For an electric vehicle to help the BAME communities of Edinburgh to reduce local carbon emissions by empowering their club users to drive more sustainably. £12,150.00
Edinburgh Community Food. For an electric van and charging point to help reduce carbon emissions in Edinburgh by delivering food parcels to families and local community organisations more sustainably. £28,607.16
Edinburgh Hindu Mandir and Cultural Centre. For insulation and low-energy lighting to help the Hindu community of Edinburgh to reduce local carbon emissions by making the community hall more energy efficient. £24,660.00
Edinburgh Napier Students’ Association. For food growing equipment. £2,660.00.
Fresh Start. For an electric van to help reduce carbon emissions in Edinburgh by distributing donations and running their PAT testing service more sustainably. £13,986.00
Friends of Seaview. For food growing and food waste equipment. £2,036.32.
Inverleith Allotments Association. For garden waste reduction equipment. £3,474.00.
Stockbridge Parish Church. For community building energy efficiency improvements. £3,790.80.
Swap and Re-use Hub Co-operative (Edinburgh) Ltd. For an electric cargo bike, fridge and freezer to help the Food Sharing Edinburgh Network to reduce local carbon emissions by reducing emissions for collections and deliveries and diverting more surplus food from landfill. £7,703.00.
The Broomhouse Centre. For an electric van to help communities in South West Edinburgh to reduce carbon emissions by distributing food donations, other deliveries, and activities more sustainably. £18,601.92
The Edinburgh Remakery Ltd. For textile repair equipment as part of the Covid-19 response. £1,000.00.
The Friends of Duddingston Charitable Trust. For food growing equipment. £2,956.83.
The Welcoming Association. For food growing and food waste equipment. £3,100.00.
Water of Leith Conservation Trust. For an electric cargo bike and community building energy efficiency improvements. £4,496.78.
Fresh Start Annual General Meeting 8th December 2.15pm, via Zoom
We will be hosting the Annual General Meeting of Fresh Start (Scotland) Ltd this year via Zoom web link on Tuesday, 8th December at 2.15pm. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic and current restrictions in place, we are unable to hold the meeting face to face and instead, ask that you join us virtually.
The formal business of the AGM consists of a presentation from the Convenor, Lindsay Wallace, on the activities of Fresh Start over the past year, together with a presentation of the Report and Accounts for 2019/20.
This will be followed by a short presentation from Biddy Kelly, Managing Director, and video showing what has taken place over the past year. The event will be finished by 3pm.
We would kindly ask that any questions are submitted prior to the event if possible but may be asked on the day either via the chat function on Zoom or afterwards via email.
To join us via Zoom, please click on the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86225701177?pwd=SmxveGVteDRWaTRhZ2ZFMlU2K0twZz09
Or alternatively, visit https://zoom.us/
Select ‘Join a Meeting’ and enter this code: 862 2570 1177
When prompted, enter this password: 594344
It is a great opportunity to catch up on all the latest from Fresh Start and see some friendly faces and would love to you join in.
If you would like to view the Company’s accounts prior to the meeting, please click here or email us to be sent a copy.
If you can attend, please let us know, by telephoning admin on 0131 476 7741 or by replying to this email by Friday 4th December. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you cannot attend.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you.
Kind regards,
Carrie-Ann
Carrie-Ann Scougall
Business Manager, Fresh Start
22-24 Ferry Road Drive
Edinburgh EH4 4BR
Direct Line: 0131 370 9000
Head Office: 0131 476 7741
The efforts of 14 Edinburgh groups have been acknowledged by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful at an online seminar yesterday.
North Edinburgh is well represented among these green-fingered groups, with awards for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Fresh Start Growers, Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden, Friends of Lauriston Castle Estate, Friends of Starbank Park and North Edinburgh Arts Gardening Group.
The other capital groups to receive awards are Balerno Village Gardeners, Craigentinny Community Gardening Project, Craigentinny Primary Parent Council, Friends of Morningside Cemetery, Friends of Saughton Park, Inch View Care Home, Inspiring Hillside and Northfield Community Growing Group.
Annually Keep Scotland Beautiful runs two community environmental improvement programmes in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society; the competitive Beautiful Scotland campaign and the It’s Your Neighbourhood initiative.
A full list of the 14 groups from Edinburgh can be found in the attached table (below).
Faced with the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to recognise and celebrate the achievements of communities and individuals across Edinburgh.
Throughout lockdown and the following months, groups have worked tirelessly to improve their communities through horticulture, environmental responsibility and working in partnership for the benefit of residents, visitors and our natural environment.
Despite circumstances this year, 47 new entrants were welcomed to the network, and although judging and mentoring visits were not able to take place due to restrictions across Scotland, groups were still supported with online seminars, networking events, question and answer sessions and a weekly e-newsletter.
Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful said, “We know that lockdown resulted in many people reconnecting with green and blue spaces local to them. Yet, it has also been a particularly challenging year for the communities who strive every year to protect and enhance the places they live and work in.
“I’d like to thank all the groups in Edinburgh for the efforts they have made to keep Scotland beautiful this year.”
Although many of the groups had to stop or curtail their planned activities for the year, we have been blown away by what they have managed to achieve – whether that be setting up a food bank, encouraging and supporting others to grow their own, creating virtual garden tours, connecting their members through online catch ups and keeping their neighbourhoods bright and cheerful.
If you’d like to join the network in 2021, check out the website for inspiration and details on how to get involved:
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/BeautifulScotland or www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/IYN
✨✨ FRESH START ARE RECRUITING ✨✨
We are looking for a Volunteer Coordinator for our Cooking classes.
This is a great chance to join the team as we develop the community kitchen and social spaces.
Please apply through Goodmoves 👉https://goodmoves.com/…/Volunteer-Coordinator-Cooking-Servi…
Please note, applications can only be received through Goodmoves.
CLOSING DATE: Monday 24th August.
Fresh Start is looking to recruit a team of community researchers to carry out some work in North Edinburgh …
Volunteering opportunities available at a new North Edinburgh initiative.
Email Pantry@freshstartweb.org.uk for more information
Port of Leith Housing Association’s (PoLHA) £50,000 Covid Response Fund has provided 18 awards of between £500 and £2,500 to local charities and social enterprises that are rising to the challenge of alleviating the effects of the coronavirus epidemic on people living in the community.
Grants to six additional organisations are also being processed.
With a remit to fast track flexible access to grants where they will have the quickest benefits, the Fund has already helped provide emergency food provision for isolated or vulnerable people, purchased vital equipment to allow third sector staff to carry on supporting service users from home and helped a wide range of people (from older adults to school-age children) access vital online services and education during lock down.
PoLHA Group Chief Executive, Heather Kiteley, said: “Organisations across Leith and North Edinburgh seem to have adjusted to the new challenges created by lockdown astonishingly quickly.
“They’ve been able to change both the ways they are working as well as the nature of the services they deliver in a few short weeks or even days.
“We’re thrilled to be able to support the life-changing work of community organisations through our Covid Response Fund which is helping organisations to create and develop crucial new services, from emergency food packages for vulnerable people isolating at home, to helping older adults bridge the digital divide and keep in touch with people.
“We hope to secure more funding to support even more organisations in the weeks ahead.”
Elaine Brown from the Edinburgh Remakery, which received a £2,000 grant from the Fund to provide refurbished laptop computers for vulnerable people in Leith to help them access digital services and keep in touch with loved ones, said: “Thank you so much for supporting the Edinburgh Remakery.
“This grant will not only support us in these challenging times, it will allow us to help vulnerable people within Leith and north Edinburgh to stay connected.”
The Milan Senior Welfare Organisation, which provides a range of services for older people from South Asian communities in Edinburgh and Lothian to meet their social, cultural, recreational, language and care needs, received a grant to buy laptops and phones to help staff work remotely, issue newsletters to keep in touch with service users and also buy bags and containers for hot food deliveries.
Sophia Latif from Milan Senior Welfare Organisation commented: “Funding like this is a lifeline to charities like us, especially when processed in such a timely manner.”
West Pilton-based Fresh Start, which helps people who have been homeless to get set up in their new homes and settle in their community, received funding to support the most vulnerable individuals and families across Edinburgh by providing them with emergency packs of essential food, toiletries and cleaning products.
Freh Start’s Jen McQuistan said: “This funding will make a big difference to the people we are supporting, especially during these challenging times.”
All funds have now been allocated but PoLHA are very hopeful of securing more funding to distribute soon – keep an eye on www.polha.co.uk and on Twitter @PortofLeithHA /Facebook
ESPC has announced that their charity partner for the upcoming year is Fresh Start, the North Edinburgh based organisation helping people who have been homeless get established in their new home.
They work with volunteers and organisations from across the local community to deliver a range of services that provide the practical and social support that help people resettle successfully. Each year they help thousands of new tenants settle into their homes.
Paul Hilton, CEO of ESPC, said: “We are really excited to be working with Fresh Start over the next year. The service they provide to the local community is fantastic. The whole team will get involved with volunteering and fundraising to help Fresh Start provide support to the thousands of new tenants they help settle into homes every year.”
Fresh Start’s Jen McQuistan said: “We are absolutely delighted to be selected as ESPC’s chosen charity for 2019/20. As a small local charity, the fundraising they’ll be doing throughout the year and the awareness raised will make a big difference to the people Fresh Start support.
“The ESPC team have already started planning some exciting fundraising events and we also hope to get them involved in Starter Pack collections and possibly some volunteering days throughout the year, so it is already set to be a successful partnership.
“All of this support will allow us to raise awareness of the issues surrounding homelessness and help fund direct service costs that help some of the most vulnerable people across Edinburgh.
“Through ESPC’s help we can make a real difference to those affected by homelessness and provide them with the social and practical support they need to move forward with their lives.”
Just a reminder about Fresh Start’s family fun day and community consultation afternoon at North Edinburgh Arts on Thursday. Continue reading Fresh Start Community Picnic this Thursday
