A LEADING homelessness charity is making a concerted effort to completely eliminate rough sleeping in Edinburgh, by providing bikes to its volunteer support teams, so they can see more people in any given period of time.
By Simon Community Scotland’s own estimations, rough sleeping in the capital is at an all-time low, and the charity is replicating a highly successful Street Cycles team model from its base in Glasgow to Edinburgh, after having recruited 12 volunteers to provide support to people at risk of, or currently, rough sleeping.
Help includes connecting people with services such as health and accommodation and providing basic essentials like food, clothing, telephones, sanitary products and, most importantly, showing that someone cares and that no-one should feel they are on their own.
The charity’s fundraising has allowed it to purchase eBikes and the move to add Edinburgh to the Glasgow bike service follows Simon Community Scotland chief executive, Lorraine McGrath, also becoming CEO of well-known Edinburgh homelessness charity, Streetwork.
The eBikes not only allow volunteers to see more people during any given time period but to extend their reach, beyond the city centre. The volunteers, who have all received dedicated training, come from a wide background, including health, law, corporate finance, education and retail.
Training includes the administration of opioid antidote, Naloxone, and also CPR.
The service is officially launching, today: Thursday March 4.
One of the volunteers is Jill Reilly. She first became involved with Streetwork during the COVID-19 lockdown, helping make meals in a hotel used in the city to accommodate people who were homeless.
Jill said: “The Naloxone training is a potential life-saver. But, more generally, getting to know people and to hear their stories, makes me realise why I got involved, as a volunteer, in the first place.
“I like walking, but I think I prefer cycling, and the bikes should allow me to see more people. The main thing, of course, is to help people find secure, if necessary supported, accommodation. When that happens, it feels like a real achievement.”
The charity is seeking to recruit more volunteers plus partners who can provide bike storage and maintenance facilities.
Hugh Hill, director of Services & Development at Simon Community Scotland, said: “Edinburgh has seen a dramatic fall in people rough sleeping in the city.
“Streetwork, along with key Third Sector partners and The City of Edinburgh Council, have worked throughout the pandemic, supporting people into safe accommodation.
“We are determined to see that no-one ever has to sleep on our cities’ streets. Our brand-new cycle outreach service is powered not just by electric motors but, cucially, by our volunteers working hand in glove with Streetwork’s existing street outreach team.”
Ambitious new measures aimed at widening responsibility for homelessness prevention could stop people from losing their homes and make Scotland a world leader in ending homelessness, according to a new report from an independent group of experts.
With at least 8% of the Scottish population (1 in 12 people) having experienced homelessness there is clear need to change the system to stop people from losing their homes in the first place.
The Homelessness Prevention Review Group was set up at the request of Scottish Government and convened by the charity Crisis to take forward the work of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group on preventing homelessness.
In its new report, the Group recommends that action to prevent homelessness would start up to six months before someone faces losing their home.
This would mean that public bodies, such as health services, should ask about people’s housing situation to identify any issues at an early stage and act where a problem exists.
They would then work together with housing professionals to ensure that people get help early and do not lose their home unnecessarily. The proposals, if implemented, would ensure that no one leaves an institution, such as prison or hospital, without somewhere to sleep that night.
The Group proposes clarifying the current law and requiring local authorities to take specific steps to prevent homelessness, building on recent developments in Wales and England. This would mean that once again Scotland has the strongest protections in Great Britain for people facing the prospect of homelessness.
The recommendations would mean that people facing homelessness should have greater choice and control in where they live and have access to the same options as other members of the public. They set out protections which must be in place to ensure that an individual’s housing is stable and meets their needs, minimising their future risk of homelessness.
The Group was chaired by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick of Heriot-Watt University and was made up of local authority bodies, representatives from the housing and homelessness sectors and health and social care.
It was supported by the Prevention Commission, a group of people with lived and frontline experience of homelessness, whose views shaped the proposals.
Commenting on the report, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “Ending homelessness is a priority for the Scottish Government so I welcome the recommendations in this report, which focuses on the importance of preventing homelessness from happening in the first place.
“The report also highlights the importance of a whole-system, person-centred approach to our goal of preventing homelessness, for example through the work of health, education and justice services.
“This report was developed in consultation with frontline workers and people with lived experience of homelessness as well as so many organisations from across the public and third sector, and I want to thank everyone involved.
“Crisis in particular has provided significant resources to this work and I am grateful for the commitment they have shown. I now look forward to working with COSLA and all our other partners to discuss how we can put these proposals into action.”
Prevention Review Group chair Professor Fitzpatrick said:“While we have strong protections in place to help individuals and families when they are at imminent risk of losing their home, we have laid far less emphasis to date on effective work to prevent homelessness happening in the first place.
“This means it is all too common for someone to reach crisis point before they get the help they need.
“It was this need to act earlier and prevent people from ever having to experience the trauma of homelessness, which drove the work of the Prevention Review Group.
“Our work was guided by three principles: that there should be a collective responsibility across public services to prevent homelessness; that intervention to prevent homelessness should start as soon as possible; and that those at risk of homelessness should have greater choice in where they live and access to the same options as other members of the public.
“The homelessness system should become the safety net it was intended to be rather than a default response to housing problems. The recommendations in this report hold the potential to radically change the face of the homelessness system in Scotland.”
Lisa Punton, Prevention Commission Member, said:“Having worked in the sector for more than 10 years I have become increasingly frustrated with the existing legislative framework. In providing such a strong safety net for people experiencing homelessness something of what we were trying to achieve, which is to prevent it, was lost.
“If we really want to end homelessness those with lived experience must always have a seat at the table. People who have experienced services can tell us how these impact on their lives amid crisis and trauma.”
Cllr Kelly Parry, COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, said:“The publication of the report from the Prevention Review Group is welcomed, and I am grateful to members of the group and those who have supported its work for their efforts.
“I am particularly grateful to those who contributed their own lived experience of homelessness to inform the work of the group – it is important we keep their voices at the centre of our considerations.
“Local Government is committed to ending homelessness, and fundamental to that is preventing it happening in the first place. We know that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been felt equally across society – with those who are facing poverty and social inequality most affected.
“The importance of sectors, organisations, and individuals working together is clear, and as we work with our communities to rebuild and recover, we have the opportunity to put the needs of those most at risk at the centre. The recommendations within the report offer insight on how we do this together.
“Local Government will work with Scottish Government over the coming months, to consider the proposals within the report seeking further input and consultation with partners.”
As well as new shared public responsibilities to prevent homelessness, the Group made recommendations in some specific areas:
Where people needing homelessness assistance have complex needs requiring input from multiple services, a case co-ordination approach should be put into place
Health and social care partnerships should co-operate with the local authority to plan for the needs of applicants for homelessness assistance who may have health and social care needs
16 and 17 year olds who are at risk of homelessness should be assisted by children’s services rather than adult services
Recommendations in relation to support for victims of domestic abuse include:
Support and security measures to remain safely in their own home where this is their preference, including access to free legal aid to get an exclusion order
Social landlords should put in place protocols to address housing issues relating to domestic abuse
Collaboration will enable human-centric tours of the city, which will be broadcast in real time by your local Invisible Cities guide
Invisible Cities, the social enterprise that trains people who have previously experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city in Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow and York – has teamed up with Virtualtrips.io to offer LIVE virtual tours of Edinburgh.
Virtualtrips is a dedicated live-streaming platform that offers raw, human-centric tours of interesting places, broadcast in real time by expert locals. With more than 250 tours across 45 locations and counting, people can ‘travel’ together to Venice, explore Yellowstone National Park, and make it back in time to see the coast of Guernsey – all in the same day.
Viewers can enjoy following Virtualtrips’ friendly and knowledgeable guides and engage with them and fellow travellers through interactive chat. All of the tours are currently free to watch, though tips are encouraged (and very much appreciated!)
On average, people have rated the tours 4.7 out of 5 across 15,000 reviews.
Zakia Moulaoui Guery, Founder & CEO of Invisible Cities, said: “The Virtualtrips online platform offers virtual walking tours from around the world and we are really delighted to be joining forces with them.
“We are also hoping to eventually be able to take this partnership further and become a Virtualtrips community partner, but that is for the future!
“In the meantime, our virtual tours of Edinburgh will keep the community engaged, allow us to continue our work, giving a voice to those who have felt invisible and offering some much-needed entertainment for people across the UK and beyond.”
The virtual tours of Edinburgh are also available on Invisible Cities’ very own Zoom platform, making them ideal for teams at work, or families and friends, who wish to discover the city from the comfort of their own home.
Zakia concludes, “We are inviting people to book their preferred date and time via our Invisible Cities website and then they can just log onto zoom on the day.
“Their guide will take them through a journey along the streets of Edinburgh – either on their own or as part of a group tour experience, with others from various households, no matter where they are in the world!”
‘We are putting tackling poverty at the heart of the Budget’ – Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville
Tackling deep-seated poverty and inequality will be supported by increased funding from the 2021-22 Scottish Budget.
To ensure all children have the best start in life, £68 million will be invested in the Scottish Child Payment, and £53 million will fund universal Free School Meals to all children in primary one, two and three.
Communities impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will continue to be supported through funds aimed at helping them recover and rebuild.
The 2021-22 Scottish Budget includes:
a near doubling of spending through the Tackling Child Poverty fund with £23.3 million of investment, and providing £6 million to local authorities to continue providing a school clothing grant worth at least £100 to every eligible child
£3.6 billion for social security to carers and those on low incomes
£150 million for fuel poverty and energy efficiency measures
£711.6 million for affordable housing and a new £55 million programme to support town centres
£32 million to promote equality and human rights, including actions to ensure this approach is embedded across government and the wider public sector
£15 million to further support children and young people with Additional Support Needs
more than £26 million of investment in the vital Third Sector
£81.6 million for projects to support community regeneration, town centres and 20 minute neighbourhoods – where people can meet their needs within a 20 minute walk from their home
over £12 million to support the Ending Homelessness Together action plan, including specific actions to scale up Housing First, end the use of communal night shelters, advance legislative protections for people experiencing domestic abuse and explore alternative routes to reduce migrant homelessness
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We are putting tackling poverty at the heart of the Budget. In two weeks we introduce our new game-changing Scottish Child Payment, backed by investment of £68 million.
“As well as mitigating the impact of UK Government welfare cuts, we are supporting carers, young people, and low income families through our range of new benefits. This year also sees the start of the introduction of the first disability benefits as we continue to establish a social security system that is based on dignity and respect and investing in our people.”
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell (above) said: “In addition to responding to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, this budget is investing in actions designed to tackle deep-seated poverty and inequality including almost doubling our child poverty budget to £23.3 million.
“This means we will deliver our £50 million Tackling Child Poverty Fund commitment in full, continuing with investment in actions including our Parental Employability Support Fund, Access to Childcare Fund and innovative Children’s Neighbourhoods Scotland programme.
“Funding for more affordable, greener housing is at the heart of the Scottish Budget, contributing to our net-zero ambitions while helping to ensure everyone has a home that meets their needs.
“We will also invest over £26 million in the local and national Third Sector infrastructure, support the capacity and growth of social enterprises, and ensure the Third Sector can help people and communities recover from the impact of the pandemic.”
Kind Aldi customers have donated over 1000 unused pairs of socks since Boxing Day
Sock Amnesty boxes will remain in store until the end of the month
Aldi is reminding customers that they can help the homeless by donating unwanted and unused socks in store until the end of January.
The supermarket’s ‘Not Socks Again?! campaign launched on Boxing Day and kind Aldi customers and colleagues have already donated over 1000 pairs of new socks to support the work of three homeless charities: Simon Scotland,Aberdeen Cyrenians, and Trust in Fife.
Sock Amnesty boxes will remain in stores across Scotland until the end of January where people can drop off any unused socks they received for Christmas. Aldi is also donating £250 to each charity to further support the vital work they do in the community.
Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Scotland, commented:“A massive thank you to all our customers and colleagues who have donated socks to this campaign so far.
“With one week to go, we wanted to remind people that they can still put any unwanted, new and unused socks to better use and they will find our Sock Amnesty boxes in store until the end of the month.”
This thoughtful initiative builds on Aldi’s commitment to supporting communities across Scotland. Since 2016, Aldi’s Scottish Sports Fund has supported over 458 local clubs with more than £240,000 worth of donations.
Aldi is also Kiltwalk’s official ‘Supermarket Partner’ and in 2019 was responsible for fuelling over 20,000 Kiltwalkers across events in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Dumfries.
Meanwhile, since July 2019 Aldi has helped over 200 charities provide over a million meals to vulnerable people across Scotland through its partnership with community engagement platform, Neighbourly. The supermarket is also set to relaunch its popular Supermarket Sweep programme later this year in support of local foodbanks.
A DIGITAL service, to add to the support available for people in Edinburgh who are homeless, has been developed by researchers and community partners, including leading Scottish homelessness charity, Simon Community Scotland.
The website and an accompanying app – called Street Support Edinburgh – provides advice, support and resources for homeless and vulnerable people, plus the wider Edinburgh community who want to help and emergency services personnel.
Street Support Edinburgh has been developed as part of a project by the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Homeless Inclusion and Health (CHIH) and the Manchester-based Street Support Network.
Information includes providers of meals, drop-in services, food banks and accommodation.
The digital hub also features advice on financial help, health services and training and employment opportunities.
Organisers say the resource provides a vital service to vulnerable people and the community by providing accessible information in one easy-to-use location.
Advice on Covid-19 and support available during the pandemic has also been added.
The information hub has been launched by the University of Edinburgh and the leading homelessness charity, Simon Community Scotland, which runs the Streetwork service in Edinburgh.
Researchers at the University’s School of Informatics have assisted with technical aspects of the project.
Street Support Edinburgh features content from more than 30 organisations and has been backed by both Police Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council.
The platform is the first resource of its type in Scotland. Organisers are hoping to offer similar digital provision elsewhere in Scotland.
Dr Fiona Cuthill, director of the Centre for Homelessness and Inclusion Health at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Street Support Edinburgh is a great opportunity for the University of Edinburgh to build on our existing community networks and to work together to help to reduce homelessness in our city.”
The Street Support Network has assisted in the launch of similar Street Support services in several locations in England, such as Portsmouth and Cambridge.
Lorraine McGrath, chief executive, Simon Community Scotland, said: “A year of Covid-19 has been hugely challenging, but it has also forced all of us to rethink how we deliver our services and reach the most vulnerable people on our streets, with some incredible outcomes.
“Lockdown created the opportunity for organisations in Edinburgh to come together and almost eradicate rough sleeping in the city. It has shown us what we can achieve by collaborating, being creative and keeping people at the heart of what we do.
“Street Support Edinburgh is a natural progression for us in connecting the talent, expertise and commitment of people and organisations across the city in preventing homelessness and the need for anyone to ever have to sleep on our streets.”
The app is available to download from the Apple App and Google Play stores.
Colin Beck, chair of the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership at The City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I welcome this innovative way of providing information, which will help people connect.
“Knowing how and where to get help and support is a crucial component of feeling included. I realise there are access issues for some people and we must search for solutions to help people connect.”
Regeneration firm Urban Union is donating £1,500 to support homeless charities across Edinburgh this festive season.
Crisis in Scotland will receive a cash boost from the developer behind Pennywell Living, to support people homeless in Scotland this Christmas. The donation has been made in lieu of the firm’s annual staff Christmas party, with Turning Point also being recipients of the donation.
Crisis in Scotland will be using the money to help its front-line team and 250+ volunteers provide people with hot meals, personalised wellbeing packs, online activities (including entertainment, learning and wellbeing) and a telephone befriending service throughout December.
Urban Union has also embarked on a new partnership with Invisible Cities, an Edinburgh-based social enterprise that trains people affected by homelessness to become walking tour guides.
Work is currently underway on a new tour celebrating the rich history of Glasgow’s Gorbals area which is home to Urban Union’s first development, Laurieston Living.
Neil McKay, Managing Director of Urban Union, said: “Our focus at Urban Union is to not only build new homes, but to create strong relationships and support the communities in which our developments are based.
“We are pleased to be able to support Crisis as well as work with organisations like Turning Point and Invisible Cities, who carry out brilliant work supporting the displaced and vulnerable across Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“We hope our donations will allow them to continue to provide crucial and important services through what are difficult times for many over Christmas.”
Crisis’ Edinburgh Skylight centre provides expert support and advice to homeless people to help them leave homelessness behind for good. How Crisis helps someone depends on their individual needs and situation, so it could be that they help someone to find a home and settle in, work together to help them gain new skills and find a job, or improve their overall health and wellbeing.
Kirsty Potter, Fundraising Manager from Crisis in Scotland, said:“We are very grateful for this generous donation from Urban Union which will make a real difference to people in Scotland without a home this Christmas.
“It will help bring comfort and dignity to people being supported in hotels, BnBs and other forms of temporary accommodation this Christmas. Everyone deserves a home, and donations like this will help people in incredibly challenging situations access the support they need to end their homelessness for good.”
City of Edinburgh Council’s Convener of Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, Councillor Kate Campbell said: “We’ve worked together to put our most vulnerable residents first during this crisis – but the biggest challenges are still to come.
“Making sure people can access the right support when and where they need it is an absolute priority. So it’s great to see these funds going to Crisis and Turning Point to help them help others. Particularly at this time of year”
Urban Union will also be donating funds to Turning Point Scotland which provides support for people who are dealing with mental health conditions, learning disabilities or are homeless.
The charity has led the way in its introduction of the Housing First approach to homelessness in Scotland – by granting secure accommodation as a first step in addressing the issues that led to the situation, rather than the last and being given as proof of recovery.
In addition to the donations, the regeneration specialist has partnered with Invisible Cities to train up to eight people who have experienced homelessness and develop a new walking tour proposed to launch in early 2021.
The group will undertake training to help with confidence building, public speaking and customer service skills and have the opportunity to become an official Invisible Cities guide or access further support to pursue a career path of interest to them.
Urban Union regenerates areas across Scotland to create revitalised communities through building new, high quality, affordable homes.
Across each of its developments, Urban Union aims to deliver sustainable long-term benefits to the new and surrounding neighbourhoods, with job and training opportunities, ensuring the community will benefit from the projects for years to come.
People experiencing and at risk of homelessness battle extremely difficult circumstances every day and never more so than during this Covid-19 pandemic.
Research shows that if you’re rough sleeping in Scotland, your life expectancy is 47 years for a man and if you’re a woman, this decreases to 43 years.
The family of Arthur Williams are therefore well aware of how much of a miracle it is that, despite living on the streets of Leith for almost 30 years, he somehow managed to defy these odds.
Next month he will be 83 and he is currently living out his days with dignity and respect and being lovingly looked after in a care home. However, it took years of support and interventions to eventually get him to this point.
It also took years of tolerance, kindness and generosity from countless local businesses and good hearted Leith locals to keep him safe and alive for all those years sleeping rough.
It is for this reason that the family of Arthur Williams, on his behalf, want to give something back to the community of Leith, to say thank you for the years of support from the everyday people and good Samaritans who showed him enormous kindness.
It is hoped that this mural by the incredibly talented local artist Shona Hardie (shonahardie.com) will honour his legacy and bring some much needed cheer, in these dark days, to the people of Leith and to all who see it.
We are delighted and extremely honoured that Shona Hardie was willing to be involved and are touched at how committed she was to making this happen.
In addition we are grateful to Vue Art (vueart.co.uk) who collaborated with Shona Hardie to incorporate the homeless/mental health signposting artwork on the utility box situated below the mural.
We also want to thank Casa Amiga (casaamiga.co.uk) for granting permission to site the mural on the side of their premises on the most aptly named street – ‘Arthur Street’.
Throughout his life on the streets, Arthur Williams was known to Social Services, NHS Lothian and Police Scotland and was supported by them and the local homeless charity Streetwork (streetwork.org.uk) which is part of Simon Community Scotland (simonscotland.org).
It is hoped that this mural will serve as a reminder of the plight of people experiencing and at risk of homelessness and that the homeless/mental health signposting may be of use to anyone out there who needs it.
If you wish to make a donation to Streetwork, no matter how large or small, it will help make a difference through the work they deliver:
£1 pays for a warm drink a in safe place off the street
£5 pays for someone to have a hot shower and access to laundry.
£10 helps someone to become more employable – to find a route off the street.
£30 pays for a sleeping bag when all options for the night are exhausted.
£50 per month helps our outreach team reach and speak to vulnerable people on the street.
£150 provides ongoing support to someone in a situation of crisis, including access to health services.
We know that people can and do recover from homelessness. Individual support, linking people into the services they need and, above all, human kindness make a huge difference. Every day we are astounded by the resilience and tenacity of people to survive and find their way to a more positive future. Arthur Williams is a perfect example of this and embodies the motto of Leith – “Persevere”.
Jan Williamson, Assistant Director for Streetwork said, “We are so grateful to Arthur and his family for arranging this mural for the community of Leith, and for raising awareness of homelessness and mental health.
“The team at Streetwork were honoured to know Arthur and to have been part of his remarkable story, he is a real gentleman and a true Leith legend and this mural is a fitting tribute to him.”
Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith said: “This stunning mural is a really uplifting tribute to Arthur, who I know is doing well in his new home. The widespread positive response that the painting’s received already is testament to how much Arthur is loved by the community in Leith and beyond.
“It’s also testament to Shona Hardie’s magnificent artwork. What’s more, the generous donations that are being made to the family’s fundraising campaign, for Streetwork, emphasise that people want to help those in need where they can, like local people in Leith supported Arthur over the years, and our shared commitment and determination to tackle and prevent homelessness.”
Donate to the crowdfunding page and receive a Christmas gift bundle!
Offering unique tours to thousands of customers across the country, Invisible Cities trains people who have previously experienced homelessness, to become walking tour guides of their own city – Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, and York.
Following a year of country-wide lockdowns and a huge dip in the tourist industry, the social enterprise has announced a crowdfunding page where individuals can donate to Invisible Cities and its cause.
A social enterprise that doesn’t believe in labels or stereotypes, Invisible Cities’ mission is to show that everyone has great potential. Training focuses on confidence building, public speaking, and customer service, which not only offers the prospect of a better future, but also the skills to undertake these innovative walking tours. Each Invisible Cities recruit partners with a professional tour guide to build bespoke tours, practicing their routes and gaining further knowledge of their beloved city.
Zakia Moulaoui Guery, Founder & CEO of Invisible Cities CIC comments: “The safety of our guides and guests will always be a top priority for us. Due to the devastating effect of the global pandemic, we have had to pause all activities and tours, whilst of course continuing to support our guides, trainees and volunteers.
“Having all experienced homelessness, trauma, substance addiction, poverty, a history of poor mental health or learning difficulties, it is key that although the tourist industry may have all but stopped for now, our support of them, has not.”
Invisible Cities relies on the income from the walking tours to support its guides and trainees, so the national lockdown has seen a huge decrease in available resource.
The Crowdfunder offers the chance to donate to your chosen location, ensuring that the team in that city, benefits. Donations each coincide with a gift bundle that will arrive in time for Christmas, starting at just £5 and going to £30 or more.
Those who give £5 will receive a thank you video message from one of the guides in your chosen city, whilst top donations of £25 or more will receive a bundle of goodies including hand-written postcards, poetry, books and items from the local area. There is also a ‘Kids Bundle’ for £12 or more, for the little ones.
According to Shelter, an estimated 320,000 people are homeless in the UK. This equates to one in every 201 people living in the UK and was an increase of four per cent on the previous year’s number.
Shelter says its figures, which include rough sleepers and people in temporary accommodation, are likely to be an underestimate of the problem as they do not capture people who experience “hidden” homelessness, such as sofa-surfers, and others living insecurely in sheds or cars, for example.
Crowdfunder is making community and charity crowdfunding projects completely free during the coronavirus crisis.
Invisible Cities have put together a Crowdfunder to allow the same level of support to their guides and the wider community to continue. A donation for Invisible Cities this Christmas means security and comfort for these individuals.
Profits from purchases will directly support people who have previously experienced homelessness
2020 will, for many, have been one of the toughest years of our lives, and for those who are currently experiencing homeless or those who have found themselves without a roof over their heads in the past, this Christmas could perhaps be one of their most challenging times.
Social enterprise Invisible Cities are inviting you to support them by purchasing from a carefully curated selection of unique gifts, available for sale via their website.
All profits from purchases will go directly towards supporting some of those most in need of support this winter:
Scotland Map (Unframed, £7 or Framed black, £12) –
This unique design of Scotland has been created exclusively for Invisible Cities, by their very own artist in residence – Nicola Boon! Full of intricate illustrations, this makes a great gift, on its own or framed.
City of Edinburgh Hand Drawn Illustrated Map Print (£15) –
Crammed with tiny details, this map displays many of the famous landmarks and is the perfect way to celebrate your local pride, as a souvenir of your time in Edinburgh or as a gift for a loved one. The map was also created for Invisible (Edinburgh), by Nicola Boon, a local artist based in the capital (Print comes unframed and signed by the artist).
Invisible Cities Kids Bundle (£12) –
This is THE perfect gift for the little people around you. Each kit includes: Invisible Cities Sticker Set with a map of the UK where you can stick them all, stickers of each of the guides, a set of 5 colouring sheets, each representing the Invisible Cities, a set of mini colouring pencils and a Scotland Memory Game for the whole family to enjoy!
Invisible Cities World Tour Subscription Box – Yearly Subscription (£105) –
Want your children to discover the world from the comfort of your home? This box is for you: with a different activity book each time, it has games, gifts and unique items to collect. Each box is themed on a different country and for each box purchased, Invisible Cities distribute free books, activities and games to children in temporary accommodation.
Zakia Moulaoui Guery, Founder & CEO of Invisible Cities CICcomments, “This has been such a tough year for so many people and we are doing everything that we can to support some people who may have been hit harder than others as a result of this pandemic.
“Through purchasing out gifts online, people can show they care for a loved one whilst also paying it forward and supporting those who really need it.”
Invisible Cities is a social enterprise that doesn’t believe in labels or stereotypes. They want to show that everyone has great potential.
They train people affected by homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city and offer these alternative tours to tourists and locals.
Training focuses on confidence building, public speaking and customer service.
They partner with professional tour guides to build bespoke tours and practice their routes.
