Tag: Harbour Homes

Leith sheltered housing tenants to walk 3,070 miles ahead of Scotland’s first match at the FIFA World Cup

A group of sheltered housing tenants living in Leith have set off on a 3,070-mile walking challenge from Easter Road Stadium.

The ‘Leith Legends’, comprising two teams, are walking the distance from Edinburgh to Boston in 140 days to virtually arrive at the Gillette Stadium ahead of Scotland’s first game against Haiti.

The ‘March to the Match’ will be the longest journey attempted by tenants who have previously walked the distance from John o’Groat’s to Land’s End (1,280 miles) and from Alloway to Dumfries in the footsteps of Robert Burns (60 miles).

The challenge officially kicked-off with a walk around Easter Road Stadium, with the two walking squads adorned with Scotland flags and team t-shirts. They will finish their challenge on Sunday 14 June to coincide with Scotland arriving at the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Maureen Combe, Sheltered Housing Manager at Harbour Homes said: “This is an exciting year to be a Scotland supporter. With this challenge, both football fans and non-football fans alike can get involved in all the thrills and the atmosphere that a World Cup brings.

“It is known that increased movement and group exercise are among the best things we can do to look after our health as we age, and those taking part are motivated by the benefits walking brings to them. This year’s teams are up for the challenge, and we’ll be cheering them on every step of the way!”

Kathleen Devine who is participating in the challenge said: “I joined Leith Legends and March to the Match to improve my walking and get my steps up.

“I really enjoyed our first team walk at Easter Road Stadium. It was lovely to participate, and being part of a team walking together felt really good. It was great to meet tenants from the other developments.

“I’m really looking forward to lots more walking and counting our steps together until we reach Boston!”

The two teams taking part are ‘We’re Still-Game’ and the ‘Pro-Aimers’. They will be aiming to walk a collective 22 miles per day for 140 days.

Harbour Homes is the largest social landlord in Leith, currently providing over 3,000 high quality homes at affordable prices in places people want to live.

Harbour consists of Harbour Homes and three subsidiary companies: Harbour Lettings, Harbour Connections and Harbour Multi-Trades.

To find out more please visit: www.harbour.scot/homes

Magic! Community comes together for Harbour Homes’ inaugural North Edinburgh Awards

HARBOUR Homes’ North Edinburgh Awards are all about celebrating what makes Leith and north Edinburgh an amazing place to live.

The inaugural awards night, organised by Harbour Homes, took place at Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Thursday 23 October 2025. The evening kicked off with a magic show and community get-together before the winners were revealed.

Tenants of Harbour Homes and members of the local community nominated neighbours, volunteers, local businesses and community groups who they felt deserved a big thank you.

The categories were: Good Neighbour, Community Champion, Community Group, and Favourite Local Business.

Heather Kiteley, Chief Executive at Harbour Homes said: “We created this event to bring the community together as part of our 50th celebrations.

“It was a much-needed celebration of the people who make our communities great. All those nominated were deserving of the recognition on the night, and I am immensely grateful for the positive impact they have on the lives of our tenants and the wider community.”

The winners announced on the night were:

  1. Good Neighbour: Dana Hunter
  2. Community Champion: Daniel Ndlovu
  3. Community Group: The Citadel
  4. Favourite Local Business: Quirkys

Nominations were encouraged to shine a spotlight on the everyday heroes around us. Dana Hunter received several nominations for looking out for her neighbours and being a kind and caring member of the community.

Dana said: “I didn’t expect to be nominated or to win, a big thank you to my neighbours.”

Daniel Ndlovu participates as a youth volunteer with YMCA Edinburgh and was nominated for his fantastic attitude and commitment to improving his local community. He plays an important role in the Friday Night Lights project which has been linked with a 25% reduction in anti social behaviour on the evening it runs.

The Community Group Award went to The Citadel whose nominations highlighted the excellent work they do with young people and families of Leith. 

Willy Barr, Manager, The Citadel, said: “Winning the North Edinburgh Community Group Award was a real boost to everyone involved at The Citadel.

“We love being in the heart of the Community in Leith and we have so many stories of bringing people together, trying new things, facing challenges together but most important of all, having fun!

“Well done to the other finalists and winners – we are all part of what makes Leith a great place to be.”

Quirkys won Favourite Local Business and received multiple nominations for their helpfulness and for uplifting the appearance of the local area.

Stuart Wright, owner of Quirkys plants said: “Thank you so much for this massively encouraging award.

“I am really grateful to my fantastic customers who continue to support me and other small businesses.”

Affordable homes at Granton waterfront shortlisted for two awards


Harbour Homes, alongside Cairn Housing Association and CCG Scotland, has been announced as a finalist in the Scottish Home Awards, sponsored by Ross & Liddell. The awards are a celebration of excellence in Scottish housing.

Leith’s biggest social landlord is in the running for Social Housing Development of the Year (over 100 units) for its development at Chestnut Street on Granton’s waterfront. The development is also a finalist in the Housing Regeneration Project of the Year category.

The project at Chestnut Street includes 96 homes for social rent by Harbour Homes and 130 properties for mid market rent by Harbour Lettings. The remaining 80 properties are social rent homes provided by Cairn Housing Association. The project’s contractor was CCG and the architect was Hackland + Dore.

Heather Kiteley, Chief Executive, Harbour Homes, said: “We are very proud that our development at Chestnut Street has been recognised for its success in bringing high-quality, affordable homes to Granton.

“To also be shortlisted in the Regeneration Project of the Year category is a wonderful testament to the hard work of all those involved.”

Audrey Simpson, CEO, Cairn Housing Association, said: “We’re thrilled that Chestnut Wynd has been recognised at the Scottish Home Awards.

“This project is a fantastic example of what can be achieved through strong partnership working, and we’re proud to have played a part in delivering high-quality, affordable homes in Granton.

“It’s great to see our collective efforts being celebrated, and we’d like to thank everyone involved in making this development a success.”

More than 300 affordable homes come to Granton

Harbour Homes has worked in partnership with Cairn Housing Association to create 306 new affordable homes at Granton Harbour on Chestnut Street, Chestnut Wynd, Hesperus Crossway, Hesperus Terrace and West Harbour Road.

This includes 96 homes for social rent by Harbour Homes and 130 properties for mid market rent by Harbour Lettings. The remaining 80 properties are social rent homes provided by Cairn Housing Association.

A seven-bedroom independent living home and office space with an adjoining one-bedroom flat has also been opened by Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust to support people in the care system.

Dean and Cauvin provide accommodation for young people (from ages 15-21) as well as supporting their transition to living independently.

Following an event for new tenants to meet each other and find out more about what’s happening in the community,  Heather Kiteley, Chief Executive of Harbour Homes, said: “Everyone at Harbour is very proud of the many years of hard work and dedication which has gone into creating these fantastic new homes.

“With brilliant communal gardens and courtyards, breath-taking views over the Firth of Forth and great public transport links to the city, I know our tenants will be happy in their new homes and will play a part in the new communities which are flourishing along Granton’s waterfront.

“It was a joy to work with Cairn and other partners to make this ambitious project a reality.”

Audrey Simpson, Cairn’s Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Harbour Homes and other key stakeholders to bring much-needed affordable housing to Granton.

“These new homes are a testament to what can be achieved when organisations work together with a shared vision. Thanks to Harbour Homes and to everyone involved for their dedication and hard work. We are confident that our new tenants will thrive in this vibrant community.”

Councillor Jane Meagher, Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “Edinburgh’s council housing stock was devastated by the Right to Buy policy meaning only 14% of homes in our city today are social housing, compared to a Scottish average of 23%.

“We desperately need to work on reversing this trend as we work with developers and social landlords to tackle our city’s Housing Emergency.

“At Granton Harbour, there has been an impressive effort to create over 300 new affordable homes in total, almost 60% of which will be for social rent. Hundreds of people are now moving into good quality and genuinely affordable housing as a result, which is well worth celebrating”

Funding secured to help parents seek work and maximise income

Single parents and families with young children living in Leith and north Edinburgh can continue to access a free service providing employability and income maximisation advice.

This comes after the Scottish Government announced an extension of its Accessible Advice Fund to existing providers, including Harbour Homes. This will total just over £98k of funding from 2023 until March 2026. Grants are being distributed by AdviceUK on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The service is provided by Harbour Homes’ Placemakingteam who have been working alongside local community organisations to support parents.

One partner organisation is Leith-based Kin Collective, a social enterprise working to support physical, mental and emotional wellbeing in pregnancy and early parenthood.

Kathryn Lawrence, Director of Kin Collective said: “We have been so grateful to have received support from Jane Whiting and Harbour Homes for our parent community.

“Jane has been a frequent guest at our weekly perinatal group to chat to parents and provide information about the tailored 1:1 support available.

“This has been particularly relevant to families who are facing a range of challenges including reduced income due to maternity and parental leave, parents seeking new employment, the issue of high childcare costs, a lack of provision, and in some cases support with existing employment and flexibility to work around family life.”

Kathryn added: “We have received excellent feedback from parents that have worked with Jane on an individual basis, in particular that her input has been instrumental in helping to secure new roles and employment.

“To date Jane has worked with 16 parents so far and we are delighted to have been able to work with Jane and Harbour Homes on this project and receive such invaluable support.”

John Murray, Placemaking Manager at Harbour Homes said: “This funding extension is a testament to the positive impact this service has already had on the lives of the people receiving advice.

“We’re thrilled to be able to continue this important work.”

Parents in Leith and north Edinburgh interested in learning more about this service should contact jane.whiting@harbour.scot.

A new house in North Edinburgh for care-experienced young people

Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust – one of Scotland’s oldest children’s charities – are delighted to announce the opening of our new custom-built house in north Edinburgh for Edinburgh’s care-experienced young people. 

Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust have served the children and young people of Edinburgh since 1733. Over the years we have continued to develop and adapt our support to meet the needs of our changing city.

Today we provide a fostering service for teenagers, a Wellbeing Hub, a range of community support for young families and a unique specialist house for young mums and babies.

Our new house in north Edinburgh has been built in partnership with Harbour Homes with CCG (Scotland) Ltd as the main contractor. T

he house will provide a home for young people aged 15-21. Five young people will have their own en-suite rooms, a range of shared living and wellbeing spaces and gardens. Our dedicated staff will work with each young person to help them on those first steps towards adulthood, education and work.

Gary Dewar CEO of Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust said: “Our new house in north Edinburgh is the result of many years of close collaboration with our colleagues at Harbour Homes.

“We aspired to create a vibrant and welcoming ‘place of hope’ where young people are valued, part of their community and helped to take the next steps in their lives. Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Dean and Cauvin”.

Jaslin Bhagrath, Chair of the Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust Board said: “We are a proudly local charity, and our new house is an investment in our city and in our ambition for young people.

“This could not have been possible without the hard work of our staff, board members and young people and with the additional help of independent funders and community members who contributed time, money and passion to help us realise this.”

Heather Kiteley, Chief Executive at Harbour Homes said: “We have enjoyed collaborating with Dean and Cauvin on this custom-built house which five young people will soon call home.

“There is a real sense of excitement after the opening, and I look forward to seeing how this new Edinburgh community thrives in months and years to come.”

Leith landlord addressing high cost of home essentials

Addressing high cost of home essentials

Harbour Homes is working hard to assist tenants with the high costs associated with moving into and running a home.

Since April this year Harbour Homes has:

  • Invested £30k in housing starter packs for new tenants to purchase high-quality used furniture from Four Square Edinburgh Initiative. Eligible tenants receive
    a voucher for up to £500 (the amount varies depending on what is needed) to choose their furniture and have it delivered for free. They may also purchase
    brand new items such as cot mattresses and bedding
  • Secured funding of £15k from the Turn2us Edinburgh Trust for tenants to access one-off grants for things like furniture, flooring and white goods, and to
    relieve the cost of living crisis
  • Set up a carpeting/flooring fund of £6k for tenants who cannot otherwise afford floor coverings
  • Allocated £3k to a white goods/washing machine fund for tenants

Fiona Whitelaw, Tenant Advice Team Leader at Harbour Homes, said: “With the cost of living crisis showing little sign of abating and changes to the Scottish Welfare Fund, unfortunately many more of our tenants are finding it increasingly difficult to pay for essentials such as flooring, furniture and white goods.

“We’re really proud of all the work we’re doing to secure and free up funding so people can have these essentials in their homes.”

Strengthening Communities: The Ripple Project grants £10,000 to local initiatives

Local Edinburgh organisations receive transformational grants to expand community programmes in Lochend, Craigentinny and Restalrig.

The Ripple Project celebrated local community enterprise this weekend, distributing £10,000 of vital funding grants to support community initiatives. 

Now in its third year, ‘LCR Stands Up’ is a participatory budgeting programme, which this year saw over 600 residents in the Lochend, Craigentinny and Restalrig area vote to back 6 local projects, who each received a grant of up to £2,000 each.

The grants are funded by several private donors, including Harbour Homes, who are the owners of The Ripple’s community hub in Restalrig.

This year’s chosen projects are ‘Lochend Boxing Club’, ‘Tai Chi and Tea @ Craigentinny Garden’, ‘Just Dance at Disneyland’, ‘Investing in Youth Drama’, ‘The Botanical Mural at Craigentinny Primary School’ and ‘Mindfulness for Wellbeing’.

‘LCR Stands Up’ is led by Tristan Green (above), Community Action Worker at The Ripple, who commented: ‘One of the key benefits of participatory budgeting is that our local residents have democratically chosen who receives this additional funding to enhance our community.  

‘We’re proud that over the last 3 years we’ve been able to support initiatives with almost £50,000 of funding. This year’s grants will be used across a spectrum of initiatives, including those supporting greater mental health, the creation of a new mural at a local primary school, the upgrade of fitness equipment at the local boxing gym and helping 20 children go to Disneyland Paris to take part in a performing arts programme.

‘I’d like to thank all of our amazing donors and to SCDC for their continued support of The Ripple and the LCR Stands Up programme and to our local community in North East Edinburgh for their dedication in offering vital voluntary initiatives to support and enhance the lives of residents in such a challenging financial and social climate’.  

For anyone looking to find out more about how to get involved in participatory budgeting or support future ‘LCR Stands Up’ campaigns, contact Tristan at Tristan.green@theripple.org.uk or visit www.rippleproject.co.uk.

Harbour Homes partners with Edinburgh Women’s Aid to provide emergency accommodation for families experiencing domestic abuse

Since January this year there has been a 38% increase on the previous year of women seeking help from Edinburgh Women’s Aid due to experiencing domestic abuse.

At the same time, the longer-term impact of the pandemic has made accommodating families in shared homes more challenging. Fear of infection, lack of personal space and the impact of lockdown on children have prompted Edinburgh Women’s Aid to review their current shared accommodation options within the city.

Edinburgh Women’s Aid approached Harbour Homes who are providing up to four two-bedroom flats to be used as emergency accommodation. Those living in the flats leased to Edinburgh Women’s Aid will receive weekly support and a safe and furnished home.

Heather Kiteley, Chief Executive at Harbour Homes said: “In 2022-23, 90% of recorded domestic abuse incidents in Scotland took place inside the home.

“We care deeply about the work Edinburgh Women’s Aid are doing to provide support and refuge to women and children affected by domestic abuse. We extend our support to Edinburgh Women’s Aid and will do all we can to assist those living in the emergency accommodation we provide.”

Karen Griffiths, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Edinburgh Women’s Aid said: “We are incredibly thankful to Harbour Homes for their support in leasing this emergency accommodation to us.

“The flats will provide a safe and stable environment for women and any accompanying children who are at risk of homelessness because of Domestic Abuse, whilst they are supported by Edinburgh Women’s Aid to recover.”

Over £172k funding secured to provide energy advice to Edinburgh tenants

Leith’s biggest social landlord, Harbour Homes, has made a successful bid on behalf of the ARCHIE partnership for funding from the Energy Redress Scheme. 

The £172,089 grant will cover the cost of two Energy Advisors to continue providing a service to tenants of seven registered social landlords operating across Edinburgh for a further two years.

The service will help households to address fuel poverty and increase energy efficiency. This can include assisting with applications for subsidies and funding to help with bills.

The Energy Advisors may also liaise with energy providers to ensure the best deal and help resolve any disputes on the customer’s behalf.

Households who can benefit from the funding are those who rent a home from one of the seven locally based ARCHIE partners.

Alongside Harbour Homes, the project partners are Lister Housing Co-operative, Manor Estates Housing Association, Muirhouse Housing Association, Prospect Community Housing, Viewpoint Housing Association and West Granton Housing Co-operative.

Fiona Whitelaw, Tenant Advice Team Leader at Harbour Homes said: “Our Energy Advisors will continue to build on the work we’ve been doing across Edinburgh to advise and advocate for tenants whose quality of life is impacted by high energy costs or energy debts.” 

Claire Ironside, CEO of Manor Estates Housing Association and Chair of ARCHIE said: “We are delighted that Harbour Homes, as the lead partner in this project, has successfully secured further funding to ensure that the tenants of all partners benefit from the energy advice service that can be provided as a result.”

Kevin Wilson, Housing Services Manager at Harbour Homes said: “I’m proud of the hard work our Tenant Advice Team has put into securing this funding on behalf of ARCHIE.

“Sharing resources with our fellow ARCHIE partners helps to provide value for money and keep rents affordable.”