Join LifeCare Edinburgh this Sunday 10th November for our family-friendly community jumble sale!
Come along for a browse, pick up a bargain, enjoy a hot bacon or sausage roll, tea and coffee.
Running from 10.30 – 1.30 at the LifeCare community hub on Cheyne Street in Stockbridge. See you there!
Are you having a clear out before Christmas and looking for an opportunity to earn a little extra cash?
Local charity, LifeCare will be hosting its first community jumble sale on Sunday 10th of November at our thriving community hub on Cheyne Street in Stockbridge – and we’ve still a few spaces left!
Tables cost just £20 each, call 0131 343 0940 or email enquiries@lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk to book before they all sell out …
Edinburgh-based charity project, Vintage Vibes held a week of celebrations, marking 9 years of tackling the loneliness crisis in the city.
The week of celebratory activity started on Older Peoples’ Day (on 1st October) with Kaukab Stewart MSP, Minister for Equalities, joining the charity project’s VIP Voices group, where people over 60 who are lonely and isolated are invited to meet every two months and share their views on current topics affecting older people.
The topics for discussion with the Minister covered the value of older people in society, over 60s contributing to communities through volunteering, and how to make local heritage and culture venues barrier free for the older population.
Kaukab Stewart MSP, Minister for Equalities said: “I want to congratulate Vintage Vibes for the great work it has been doing over the last nine years to bring generations together and provide companionship and support to older people.
“The Scottish Government has delivered a range of policy measures over the last five years aimed at reducing inequality and promoting health and wellbeing and reducing social isolation for all older people across Scotland.
“We aim to enable better access to a range of services for older people as and when they need them and we want to ensure people are financially secure and supported as they age. We will ensure that older people’s views and aspirations are taken into account as we undertake a refresh of our strategy for older people.”
The VIP Voices group and fellow VIPs (over 60s supported by Vintage Vibes) also came together to celebrate 9 years of friendships and connections at The Broomhouse Hub with a pizza party filled with fun, games, singing, chat and laughter.
Alongside this, the Vintage Vibes team hand-delivered cakes to those who are housebound and unable to attend the birthday celebrations, to ensure every member felt included and shared in the fun.
Vintage Vibes VIP, Shelia said: “Vintage Vibes lifts my spirits enormously. I get on so well with my friendship volunteer, Nicky and we just laugh and laugh when we’re together.
“I love everything about Vintage Vibes, it’s so much fun and I get to be involved in so many things – it’s just lovely.”
Vintage Vibes brings people together through friendship matches, groups, meet-ups and events to tackle social isolation and loneliness in the over the 60s across Edinburgh. Since its creation in 2015, the charity project has now helped over 1200 older people in the city to establish one-to-one friendships and delivered over 30,000 hours of volunteering.
Events, and groups are also available including film, theatre and singing or simply meeting for a chat over a coffee, bringing older people together for friendship, improve their wellbeing and have some much-needed fun.
Alongside this, the charity project has a passion for tackling ageism, changing perceptions and reducing stigma around isolation and ageing.
Gemma Wright, Communications and Fundraising Lead at Vintage Vibes said:“We are incredibly grateful to our fabulous VIPs (older people we support), volunteers and supporters for helping to us to build this amazing, supportive, empowering community.
“Over the past 9 years, Vintage Vibes has changed the lives of so many older people feeling alone for the better.
“We’d like to thank Kaukab Stewart MSP for taking the time to listen to the insightful thoughts, views and ideas of our VIPs and hope that together we can create a brighter future for the circa 11,000 older people in Edinburgh who are often or always alone.
“As we celebrate 9 fabulous years at our pizza party, we are joined by our wonderful VIPs and volunteers. It is always so special to see everyone laughing, chatting and having fun to mark the difference Vintage Vibes makes to so many.
“For those who sadly couldn’t attend due to ill health, we delivered cakes and flowers to their homes and popped in for a chat. We exist to prevent the development of chronic loneliness and bring fun, fulfilment and friendship to older people who are feeling lonely and isolated through our network of amazing friendship volunteers and the support of local people, businesses and funding partnerships.
“We would like to thank all involved for your ongoing support and helping us to ensure everyone is included and feels valued.”
Having successfully delivered over 30,000 hours of volunteering, Vintage Vibes’ 2024 annual survey showed that 97% of their VIPs felt that being involved in the project left them feeling happier and gave them a better quality of life and 91% saying it had improved their mental health.
Vintage Vibes is now seeking amazing new Edinburgh-based volunteers to expand the project and offer support to even more older people across the city.
For more information on becoming a Vintage Vibes volunteer, please contact Vintage Vibes by emailing hello@vintagevibes.org.uk or visit vintagevibes.org.uk.
This winter will be much harder for many local older people. Cuts to winter fuel benefits alongside continued high prices will force more older people in Edinburgh to make difficult choices.
Local charity LifeCare delivers vital services and activities which makes an immediate difference to the lives of those that need it most – but urgently needs support to help meet increasing demand.
LifeCare Edinburgh has over 80 years’ experience offering the vital care and support older people need all year round, and supports over 900 individuals a year. The charity reported unprecedented levels of enquiries for support through the pandemic and continues to experience rising demand for their free and subsidised services through the cost of living crisis, with enquiries up over 67% from those living on a low income.
The charity responded to these growing local needs by extending its vital programme of free support.
This includes free ‘meals on wheels’ delivering hot, freshly-cooked two-course meals to the homes of local older people, free ‘help at home’ services helping with cleaning, shopping and prescription collections – even more important during the icy cold months, free wellbeing activities and hot drinks for the growing numbers of struggling unpaid carers and a growing programme of free community engagement activities for local people.
They also run their free Saturday Social warm space providing hot food, activities and companionship from their Cheyne Street community hub every week.
However, the charity is struggling to sustain these services through this period of high need. The organisation’s own costs are increasing with food, fuel and staff costs all rising significantly plus the charity has been impacted by the recent Local Authority budget cuts with further reductions anticipated next year.
The charity is calling on local people and businesses to get involved and give a donation to help deliver support to those that need it most this winter.
Sarah van Putten, Chief Executive of LifeCare said “Local older people right here in Edinburgh face a very difficult winter ahead. With the 10% increase on energy costs, continued high food prices and a reduction in benefits, it will be devastating for many.
“Last year we delivered over 5,000 free meals to those living on a low income. This year we anticipate needing to grow the service by a further 30% to help meet growing demand for this important service as more local older people struggle.
We urgently need the support from local people and local businesses, to enable LifeCare to deliver services such as this which make a real difference to those struggling most.
“Thanks to our services, older people keep well in their homes, they have a warm place to visit, hot nutritious food to eat, have company to look forward to and are able to get out and about to activities safely.
“Over 75% of the people we support live alone, rising to over 85% of our Meals on Wheels clients. And as many of our clients can’t leave their homes unaided, they would go for a very long time without any contact without our support.
“The frustration is that we know we can deliver the care that people want and need, but we are facing increased costs too. We are asking local people and businesses to consider giving a one-off or regular gift through our Winter Warmer appeal.
“Donations can be made on our website or alternatively people can come along to our community café on Cheyne Street to pledge their support. Even choosing to have your coffee or lunch from our café will help us to deliver the care local older people need to ensure they continue to thrive at home.”
All money raised through Winter Warmer will go directly towards supporting older people in the city. For more information about LifeCare’s services visit https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk/ or call 0131 343 0940 to chat with the friendly team.
Staff and patients at Duddingston Dental Practice are proudly continuing their support of renowned local charity LifeCare Edinburgh.
The dental team are actively getting involved with a huge number of activities to help raise vital funds for the charity which has provided care for older people in Edinburgh for over 80 years.
Duddingston Dental chose LifeCare as their charity partner in 2023 and the team have done an amazing job rolling up their sleeves and jumping into a variety of challenges including the Forth Bridge Abseil and most recently, they entered a team of five in the Kiltwalk.
LifeCare offer a range of compassionate and considered services for older people to enable them to continue to live independently. The charity supports people living with dementia, those who are frail, who are isolated and those who are struggling with other health issues.
Over 75% of the charity’s clients live alone and services include registered outreach and day clubs, help at home, meals on wheels, wellbeing support for unpaid carers, Vintage Vibes companionship and a Saturday Social warm space. Collectively these services support over 900 older people a year and all the charity’s services are either subsidised or provided for free for those struggling on a low income.
The Cottage on Milton Road East, nearby to the Duddingston Practice, is home to one of LifeCare’s day clubs for people living with dementia. The team have been volunteering their time at the Cottage on a regular basis with cleaning, painting, supporting clients in their recent sponsored walk
Amy Robertson, Fundraising Coordinator at LifeCare said “We are so grateful to the brilliant team at Duddingston Dental Practice.
“They’ve raised over £1,704 for LifeCare already but they have also done so much more than that. They’ve engaged with our clients, got to know our staff and raised awareness of our services amongst their patients. We are absolutely delighted to be working alongside them and can’t wait to see where this partnership goes.
“Local older people rely on our support to help them keep physically and mentally well, and in the current climate our accessible services have never been needed more. We are always eager to chat with businesses keen to get involved – to both raise funds and to support our services through volunteering.
“We are actively encouraging anyone interested to get in touch by giving us a call or dropping in to our centre on Cheyne Street. We always look forward to meeting new kind-hearted local people, please do get in touch for a chat!”
LifeCare Edinburgh is a registered charity and relies on the support of its funders. For more information visit https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk
Are you worried about writing or updating your Will and not sure where to begin? Join LifeCare Edinburgh and Lindsays Solicitors at their free information event to find out about the practicalities of the process, including when you should make a Will, what is involved and what you need to think about in advance.
Making a Will is a simple thing you can do for your family, loved ones, friends and favourite charities and is probably easier than you think.
This event will help ease any concerns you may have, so you can ensure that your affairs are in order. Bring along your questions and take time to talk to the experts from Lindsays on a 1-2-1 basis after the presentations.
This event will take place on Wednesday the 18th of September between 2pm and 4pm at the fully accessible LifeCare Centre, 2 Cheyne Street, EH4 1JB, in the heart of Stockbridge. Arrival from 1.45pm to get refreshments and seated for a 2pm start for the presentations.
Free tea and coffee will be served. To register, please visit LifeCare’s website:
https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk/
or give us a call on 0131 343 0940.
This Carers Week (10th – 14th June) local charity LifeCare Edinburgh is highlighting the support offered to unpaid carers every week of the year
Are you an unpaid carer? Do you support another adult – friend or relative – due to their age, illness or disability? Then this could be for you!
LifeCare Edinburgh understands how important it is for unpaid carers to get a well-deserved break. The charity offers a range of respite services such as their registered day clubs, outreach care, help at home and meals on wheels services. The charity also offers a fantastic range of free drop-in activities designed for unpaid carers to relax, do something for them and meet others in a similar position.
Join LifeCare to try a new activity or get back to something you love. All unpaid carer activity sessions take place in the LifeCare Hub on Cheyne Street and run through the week at different days and times.
Why not pop along to Zumba on a Monday 6pm, Watercolours on a Tuesday at 11am, Painting and Sculpture for Beginners on a Thursday at 11am or Yoga on Sunday at 5pm? Everyone that joins a class receives a voucher for a free tea or coffee in the charity’s community café CafeLife based within the hub.
Thanks to these activities, carers report feeling supported, connected, valued, refreshed and overall they feel better equipped to continue in their caring role. One carer recently told us “I feel like myself again”
All activities are drop-in, no need to book, and are completely free thanks to funding from The Short Break Fund and LNER Community Fund. You’re welcome to bring along the person you care for.
To find out more drop in to the hub on Cheyne Street, call 0131 343 0940, email enquiries@lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk or visit www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk.
We can’t wait to welcome you!
Jonathan Erskine, LifeCare Trustee, is taking part in the Great North Swim to raise vital funds for LifeCare.
Jonathan’s dad has used LifeCare’s services for many years, which inspired him to get involved.
Jonathan said “I will be taking part in the 2 mile swim on Lake Windermere, and I hope that every stroke will contribute to making a difference in the lives of older people in Edinburgh.”
The Arla Great North Swim is a weekend-long celebration of open-water swimming taking place over 7-9thJune. Participants choose from six different open water distances, to suit all ages, abilities and level of experience. Distances range from 250m to a 10k.
Jonathan has opted for the 2 mile distance which is the equivalent of 125 lengths of a 25m pool.
To wish Jonathan luck and to help raise vital funds, take a look at his fundraising page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/jonathan-erskine-1710754938989
Foysol Choudhury MSP, Co-Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Volunteering, has today raised alarm bells over Scottish Government proposals to replace the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) membership fee waiver, for volunteers in Qualifying Voluntary Organisations (QVOs), with a fee discount.
MSP Choudhury, who visited LifeCare Edinburgh last month, raised alarm bells over this proposal, which he said would hugely impact organisations such as LifeCare Edinburgh who carry out vital work and rely on volunteers to be able to deliver their services.
Following his visit to LifeCare Edinburgh, Mr Choudhury lodged a motion at the Scottish Parliament on Recognising LifeCare Edinburgh’s Contributions to Community Wellbeing. For these essential contributions to continue, however, Mr Choudhury says the Scottish Government must listen to the pleas of integral third sector organisations.
Mr Choudhury said: “LifeCare Edinburgh has worked tirelessly for 80 years providing uplifting, positive and practical support for older people, such as through day clubs, support with household tasks and home care, which allow older service users to thrive in their own homes and community.
“LifeCare Edinburgh and many other organisations foster community wellbeing, both by providing volunteering opportunities and by running essential services using volunteers.
“They therefore rely on the goodwill of volunteers being easily accepted by the system, such as via the PVG fee waiver system which allows volunteers to be easily and freely accredited for volunteering opportunities with vulnerable groups.
“The proposal to remove this fee waiver and replace it with a fee discount will, therefore, mean more barriers to volunteering, especially for those from economically deprived backgrounds, which will have a knock-on effect in terms of decreased wellbeing for volunteers and decreased services available to be run for the community.”
Sarah van Putten, LifeCare Edinburgh CEO, said: “LifeCare strongly opposes the Scottish Government’s proposals to remove the current fee waiver for volunteers and replace this with a fee discount.
“The price of a PVG application, even at the subsidised rate, is not inconsiderable, particularly for those from economically deprived backgrounds.
“The proposed changes would create a further barrier at a time where the cost-of-living crisis is already limiting access to volunteering. Adopting the proposed changes would worsen this problem and further exclude marginalised and disadvantaged communities throughout Scotland.
“The only way volunteer-involving organisations could conceivably help to mitigate this barrier would be to reimburse the cost of the PVG application back to volunteers. However, the cost of even subsidised membership applications is a substantial burden for charities to bear – particularly for organisations like LifeCare who have been significantly impacted by funding cuts, increasing demand rising costs.
“These changes will inevitably force a decline in the number of volunteering opportunities organisations are able to support in the future.
“This will ultimately have an adverse impact on all those who benefit from volunteer-supported services across Scotland, and of course the volunteers themselves whose health and wellbeing benefits through the hugely rewarding experience volunteering can bring.”
Mr Choudhury, following his visit to LifeCare Edinburgh and the submission of his motion recognising their work, is joining LifeCare Edinburgh in highlighting concern over these PVG proposals.
Mr Choudhury says he will, as Co-Convener of the Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Volunteering, continue to pursue this matter with the responsible Minister.
LifeCare Edinburgh has been awarded a significant funding boost of over £75,000 from the ScottishPower Foundation. The funding will go towards its vital Help at Home and Meals on Wheels services, enabling the charity to reach over 200 local older people living on a low income with free support.
Twenty charities across England, Scotland and Wales have been awarded funding totalling almost £1.2 million for projects tackling a range of issues, from cost-of-living support, to promoting diversity and inclusion and raising awareness of the ongoing climate and biodiversity crises.
Sarah van Putten, Chief Executive of LifeCare said: “The funding from The ScottishPower Foundation will make a significant difference to the lives of hundreds of local older people.
“At LifeCare, we believe everyone should be enabled to thrive in their own home and be active within their community. Over 75% of the people we help live alone and without LifeCare, many older people would be left critically isolated.
“Our services help people to keep well in both body and mind; delivering fresh, hot and nutritious meals to doorsteps with a smile and a chat, providing help with practical tasks when things are getting more difficult to manage, and offering companionship activities to keep people connected.
“With a rapidly growing older population we are struggling to cope with demand for care coupled with the rising costs of service delivery. None of our services are fully funded and we rely on our fundraising to sustain our life-affirming services.
“Thanks to this support we will be enabled to offer our meals on wheels service for free to those that need it and open our Help at Home service for free for those on low incomes for the first time. We are all extremely grateful.”
Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee at the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “Projects like LifeCare’s free Help at Home and Meals on Wheels services are a prime example of how the ScottishPower Foundation’s support is helping to create a better future.
“With this year’s projects providing vital support set to aid vulnerable people, communities, and natural ecosystems across the nation, it’s important for us to recognise and boost the incredible work of these charities.”
For more information about LifeCare’s services and activities visit:
https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk/
For a full list of the 2024 ScottishPower Foundation funded projects, go to www.scottishpowerfoundation.com
