Port of Leith Housing Association has been named the 10th best housing association to work for and the 33rd best company to work for in the UK.
It is recognised as the 11th best company to work for in Scotland. Based in Leith and providing over 3,000 homes across north Edinburgh, it employs over one hundred staff who work closely with local communities.
The Best Companies rankings are based on staff feedback on workplace factors such as leadership, wellbeing and personal growth.
Heather Kiteley, Group Chief Executive said: “It is incredibly important to Port of Leith Housing Association that staff enjoy great working conditions and feel supported and motivated in their roles.
“This is captured in our strategic plan and we believe that employee engagement is key to being a brilliant company. It has been a great success to rank among the top companies to work for in the UK. I am immensely proud of all our members of staff who contribute to making our organisation a brilliant place to work.”
Three key workplace factors that stood out in Association’s Best Companies ranking were work life balance, charitable activities, and that the organisation is run on strong values and principles.
This includes an ‘open-door’ approach to leadership, referring staff members to free counselling and supporting wellbeing during lockdowns, and distributing over £200,000 to local community organisations.
This ranking comes just months after an award for Excellence from the European Foundation of Quality Management last year. The award acknowledged the flexibility and responsiveness with which the Association met the impact of the pandemic.
House Price Index for Scotland in December from Walker Fraser Steele
Key points:
Average house price £213,646
Monthly change up 0.4%, up 7.7% annually
31 of 32 Local Authorities continue to see average prices rising over the year
Transactions up by 11% on 2019 levels
The Lothians have seen the highest price increases during the last ten-years
Alan Penman, Business Development Manager at Walker Fraser Steele, comments:“This can only be described as an exceptional annual performance with thirty-one of the thirty-two Local Authority areas in the country recording rising prices over the last twelve months.
“Though we can see from our data that the annual rate of price growth has begun to slow in pace, house prices continue to rise ending the year on a new high of £213,646. When we look back at the start of the year, this figure is in stark contrast with the average value of £198,384. It is incredible to think that December 2020 was the last month in which Scotland’s average house price was below £200,000.
“When you step back, as we have in this report, and cast your eye over what has happened to house prices in the last 10 years in Scotland, the percentage rise in Scotland’s average house price is some 38%.
“The last five years accounts for most of this growth and in particular the pandemic period when the demand for bigger properties to accommodate post-pandemic working and living needs and the lack of suitable stock have supported growth.
“The Lothians have benefitted most with Edinburgh’s commuter belt experiencing considerable activity during the pandemic as buyers seek plenty of space outside the city centre, but within reasonable commuting distance.”
Commentary: John Tindale, Acadata Senior Housing Analyst
The December housing market
In December 2021, the annual rate of house price growth has continued to slow, for the third month in succession, and now stands at 7.7%. This is down from a peak of 13.1%, recorded in September 2021. However, the rate of fall in December was the lowest of the last three months, amounting to a 1.4% reduction from November’s rate of 9.1%, which itself was 2.3% down on October’s rate of 11.4%.
In Table 2 on page 5, we show that the number of homes that were purchased at a price of £750k or higher has reduced from a peak of 127 – which occurred in September 2021 – and now amounts to 74 such properties in December, although this number is likely to rise as further purchases are processed by Registers of Scotland during this next month.
Even though the annual rate of price growth has started to slow, prices are continuing to rise, with 31 of the 32 Local Authority areas recording rising prices over the last twelve months. Scotland has ended the year on a new high of £213,646, which contrasts with a value of £198,384 at the start of the year – December 2020 being the last month in which Scotland’s average house price was below the £200,000 threshold.
On pages 9 and 10 of this report we cover the change in house prices in Scotland over a ten-year period, from December 2011 to December 2021, which makes for interesting reading. Scotland’s average house price over this time has risen by some 38%, the majority of this growth having taken place during the last five years and especially since the start of the pandemic.
Analysis shows that, on the mainland, the Lothians that have seen the highest growth in house prices over the last ten-years – suggesting that it is Edinburgh’s commuter belt that has witnessed considerable activity during the pandemic, with many purchasers looking for a home with plenty of space outside the city centre, but still remaining within reasonable commuting distance of the capital.
Transactions analysis
Monthly transaction counts
Figure 2 below shows the monthly transaction count for purchases during the period January 2015 to December 2021, based on RoS (Registers of Scotland) figures for the Date of Entry. (December 2021 figures are based on RoS Application dates.)
The fall in the number of transactions at the onset of the pandemic in March/April 2020 is clearly visible – the March 2020 property sales that actually took place would largely have been agreed prior to the commencement of the first lockdown in Scotland on 24 March 2020.
However, what is also clear is the recovery in sales during the summer of 2020, followed by an acceleration from August 2020 to a peak of 13,028 transactions in October 2020 – the highest number in a single month since November 2007.
It can be seen too that sales per month from September 2020 to March 2021 were at higher levels than the previous five years, as the market played ‘catch-up’ with the transactions lost during the spring and early summer months, and also benefitted from the LBTT tax reductions available from 15 July 2020 to 31 March 2021 (inclusive).
Also noteworthy is the spike in sales in March 2021 – as the tax reduction expiry date approached – as is the fall in sales in April 2021, indicating the extent to which buyers had managed to bring forward their purchases into March 2021 to take advantage of the LBTT tax savings.
Sales volumes from May to November 2021 look roughly on a par with, or slightly ahead of, previous years, perhaps suggesting that the market has now returned to its pre-pandemic transaction levels.
Comparing total sales in 2020 with those of 2019, there was a 13% fall in the overall size of the market. However, looking at the total number of transactions in 2021 and comparing them to 2019 (2020 figures are distorted by the lockdown in the early stages of the pandemic), sales are up by 11%, although this does include the spike in March 2021, which will have enhanced the 2021 totals.
Scotland transactions of £750k or higher
Table 2 shows the number of transactions per month in Scotland which are equal to or greater than £750k. The threshold of £750k has been selected as it is the breakpoint at which the highest rate of LBTT becomes payable.
Table 2 shows that there have been 1,088 sales in excess of £750k during 2021, and we anticipate that there will be at least a further 26 additional sales in December 2021, not yet recorded by the Registers of Scotland and hence not included in the above total.
Sales of high-value properties in 2021 will therefore likely reach 1,100 in number, once RoS updates its figures, which are due to be published at the end of February. Hence annual transactions of £750k or higher in 2021 will likely be double those in 2018 and 70% higher than in 2020.
The reasons for this dramatic increase in top-end sales in 2021 are, as previously discussed, partly to do with the change in preference for larger properties.
Home movers were thus encouraged to look for premises which better suited their updated needs. But additionally we should mention the record low interest rates, which made the purchase of a top-end property more affordable, as well as the tax savings associated with the LBTT holiday, available up to the end of March 2021. This encouraged the whole market to be more adventurous in its outlook.
However, even with the additional 26 as yet unrecorded sales being taken into account, December 2021 will be the third month in a row in which the number of homes purchased with a value of £750k or higher will be lower than that recorded in the same month of the previous year.
For the record, the five areas with the highest number of sales of £750k or above in 2021 were (with the number of high-value sales in brackets):- City of Edinburgh (547); Glasgow City (90); East Lothian (61); Fife (41); and Perth and Kinross (41).
Annual change
The average house price in Scotland has increased by some £15,250 – or 7.7% – over the last twelve months, to the end of December. This is a reduction from the £17,700 growth in prices seen to the end of November 2021, and is now the third month in succession in which the annual rate of house price growth has slowed, having reached an annual rate of 13.1% in September 2021.
In December, Scotland’s growth rate trails Wales rate of 8.5% by 0.8%, but in percentage terms is still higher than seven of the nine GOR regions in England, including that of Greater London.
In December 2021, 31 of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland saw their average prices rise over the previous twelve months. The one area with a price fall compared to one year earlier was East Renfrewshire, where prices of detached homes have fallen from an average £440k in December 2020 to £427k in December 2021.
Part of this reduction in the average price of detached homes in East Renfrewshire was due to a fall in the number of homes that sold for more than £750k – there were five such homes purchased in December 2020, but only two in December 2021. This is symptomatic of a general, but still relatively slight, reduction in the purchase of high-value homes in Scotland during the final quarter of 2021.
The area with the highest annual increase in average house prices in December was the Orkney Islands, where average prices have risen by 28.5% over the year – sales this month included a delightful detached property in St Ola which sold for £820k. On the mainland, the highest rise in prices over the year occurred in Stirling where average prices rose by 16.7%. Sales in the month included 4 homes valued at over £750k, including a 4-bedroom new build detached property in Blair Drummond, located some 5 miles to the North West of Stirling and overlooking the Trossachs.
Monthly change
In December 2021, Scotland’s average house price in the month rose by some £900, or 0.4%, compared to a rise of £200 in November. The average price of a home in Scotland now stands at £213,646, which sets a new record level for the nation for the eighth time in the last twelve months.
In December, 19 Local Authority areas in Scotland experienced rising prices in the month, with 13 seeing prices decline. The largest increase in average prices in the month of December, of 10.6%, was in Na h-Eileanan Siar, followed by the Orkney Islands at 7.1%: however, as often stated on these pages, Scotland’s Island groups tend to see volatile price movements, due to the low number of sales that take place each month.
On the mainland, East Lothian saw the largest increase in prices in the month, of 4.9%. This increase in its average price was helped this month by the purchase of the second most expensive detached home in East Lothian of the last twelve months, for £2.1 million. The home, which has six bedrooms, is located in North Berwick, approximately 0.5 miles from the Railway station. Interestingly, North Berwick was recently identified in the Daily Telegraph as being one of the most favourite commuter locations for Edinburgh, with a travel time of 30 minutes into Waverley Station. As a result of this high value transaction, the average price paid for properties in the area increased in the month and has resulted in East Lothian currently having the highest average property price of all the 32 Local Authority Areas in Scotland, pushing Edinburgh down into second place (see Table 3). The last time that East Lothian topped this Table was in March 2016.
Peak Prices
Each month, in Table 3 above, we highlight in light blue the local authority areas which have reached a new record in their average house prices. In December there are 14 such authorities, the same number as in November. We can also add that Scotland itself has set a new record average price in December 2021 ~ ending the year on a high!
Heat Map
The heat map below shows the rate of house price growth for the 12 months ending December 2021. As reported above, all but one of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland are reporting an increase in their house values over the last year. The one area with negative growth is East Renfrewshire, where prices over the year have fallen by -1.2%. The highest increase over the twelve months to December 2021 was in the Orkney Islands at 28.5% – on the mainland it was Stirling that was top with price growth of 16.7%.
Scotland’s housing market – The last ten years
Given that we are reporting on December’s housing data, we considered it would be an appropriate opportunity to take a longer-term view of Scotland’s housing market. Figure 3 below shows the average house price in Scotland for the period December 2011 – December 2021.
The graph starts in December 2011 in the aftermath of the banking credit crisis of 2008/09, with prices still falling by -3.4% on an annual basis to December 2012 – the lowest point on the chart. However, from December 2012 onward prices began to climb with annual growth remaining at a near constant of some 3% per annum up to the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020.
There is an interesting and very noticeable spike in prices which occurred in March 2015, which reflects the period immediately ahead of the introduction of the then new LBTT (Land and Buildings Transaction Tax – which replaced the previous UK-wide SDLT (stamp-duty land tax)) coming into force on April 1st 2015. House purchasers in the first quarter of 2015 looked to forestall the new tax by purchasing high-value properties prior to its introduction, causing a substantial rise in average house prices at the time.
After an initial dip in house prices at the start of the pandemic, the market recovered, partly spurred on by the change in lifestyles, reflecting a movement to work from home – the so-called “race for space”, with prices also climbing due to the LBTT tax holiday, the low interest rates resulting in properties becoming more affordable, and the increase in household savings as expenditure on items such as foreign holidays and other luxuries diminished.
A dip in prices can also be seen in April 2021, as the LBTT tax-holiday came to its end, but price growth subsequently recovered, reaching a peak of 13.1% on an annual basis in September 2021. The current annual rate of 7.7% in December 2021 closely matches the rate of 7.5% seen in December 2020.
Table 4 above splits the ten-year period into two groups of five years. As can be seen, the larger increase in prices occurred during the last five years – with the highest growth rates happening during the pandemic from June 2020 onward.
Looking at the ten-year time span, the highest growth in prices was in the Orkney Islands at 79.9% – but this is likely to have been a function of purchasers buying second homes on the Islands for personal use or for holiday-home lets.
However, looking at the ten-year period for areas on the mainland, the top three spots in house price growth are taken by the Lothians, with Midlothian at 62.2%, East Lothian at 54.6% and West Lothian at 53.8%. This suggests that it is the commuting areas in close proximity to Edinburgh that have seen the highest growth in prices over the last ten-years.
£33,000 funding secured from the Scottish Government to help with fuel poverty debts
Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA), in partnership with Changeworks, has secured £33,000 in funding from the Scottish Government and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations to support tenants with existing fuel poverty related debts.
The fund ensures we can support up to 50 households with this issue until the end of March 2022.
Currently, 21% of Edinburgh households live in fuel poverty, rising to 44% for social housing tenants. In Leith, 24% households live in material deprivation which has been further exacerbated by the pandemic.
Affordable Warmth Services Team Manager at Changeworks, Lisa Bygate, commented: “Through our work on the Link-Up Leith project we have seen increasing demand for support as people find themselves struggling with high bills and fuel debt.
“We are now seeing the highest incidences of households at risk of disconnection since the project started. This much welcomed funding will support people living on low incomes to have improved life skills and confidence to tackle fuel poverty issues themselves.
“We are delighted to be strengthening our partnership with Port of Leith Housing Association to provide support to their tenants and Leith residents with energy debt. We will be working closely with their welfare rights staff and other members of the Link-Up Leith project to identify and provide assistance to those who need it.”
PoLHA Group Chief Executive, Heather Kiteley, said: “I’m thankful that we have secured this funding to help our community during this time of rapidly escalating fuel costs.
“We are committed to ensuring our tenants’ welfare and I’m proud that the PoLHA Group has been able to react so quickly to our tenants’ needs and provide vital support.”
Eligible tenants will be identified for this grant through PoLHA’s Tenant Advice Service and Changeworks existing Link-Up Leith project run in partnership with Edinburgh Community Food and Stepping Stones.
Changeworks will also identify people eligible for support through referrals to their Affordable Warmth Service.
How to apply
Tenants can apply for the fund by speaking to their Housing Officer or our Tenant Advice team who can make a referral to Changeworks.
Other services
PoLHA offers the following support services to social housing tenants: welfare benefits advice, money advice and tenancy sustainment advice.
Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) has secured an internationally recognised excellence award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).
EFQM’s Recognised for Excellence status enables organisations to evaluate and demonstrate efforts to improve performance against a range of globally recognised definitions of excellence.
PoLHA achieved a Five-Star Excellence Award, following a rigorous, independent assessment process which highlighted the organisation’s main strengths and areas for improvement.
The EFQM Assessment Team identified a wide range of positive practices across customer service, strategic planning and staff engagement among PoLHA’s 107 employees.
The organisation was also praised for the flexibility and responsiveness with which it met the impact of Covid-19 while simultaneously proceeding with ambitious plans to undergo an organisational review and launch a new strategic plan.
PoLHA’s Group Chief Executive, Heather Kiteley, said: “EFQM assessment provides a robust means with which to measure our performance as we work to provide affordable homes and life-changing services and create brilliant communities in Leith and north Edinburgh.
“The Five-Star Excellence Award is testament to the hard work of our staff team, who were praised for their sense of purpose and commitment to high standards of customer service. Our ambition is to push on and meet the challenge of embedding even more good practices to drive continuous improvement across the Association and the rest of our Group.”
Janet Robertson, EFQM Director, Scotland said: “We are delighted to see Port of Leith Housing Association awarded 5-Star Recognised for Excellence.
“PoLHA demonstrated a clear purpose and commitment to delivering high standards of customer service. Their flexibility demonstrated in response to the Covid pandemic, and the dedication to their people during this time of change is a further testament to their drive for excellence. We are proud to recognise PoLHA as a leading organisation in Scotland and a valuable member of our EFQM community.
“Thanks to everyone who took part in the Recognition process, and many congratulations on the well-deserved progression from four to five stars.”
Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) and its subsidiary Persevere Developments Ltd (PDL) are marking Scottish Housing Day 2021 today by celebrating the opening of 104 affordable homes on Edinburgh’s waterfront.
The properties at Heron Place, Heron View, Heron Lane and Hesperus Crossway are situated at Granton Harbour and make up a stretch of the city’s large-scale waterfront regeneration programme.
The development has been designed with existing and new communities in mind and has a sunlit central courtyard which residents will be able to enjoy together. In total there are 46 homes for social rent, including two wheelchair accessible flats, and 58 homes for mid market rent.
The completion of this development brings the number of affordable homes provided by PoLHA in north Edinburgh to over 3,000.
Heather Kiteley, Group Chief Executive said: “It was a pleasure to visit our new development on Granton’s waterfront and to meet some of its new residents this Scottish Housing Day.
“The location is close to various paths and networks that interconnect north Edinburgh’s greenspaces. I am sure the community here will enjoy making the most of the city’s coastline and all the sustainable transport options it offers.
“That Scottish Housing Day is focusing on housing and the climate emergency this year is of personal importance to me. This new development has the lowest Environmental Impact Rating, good insulation, and is fitted with air quality monitors throughout.
“We as an industry have a long way to go to reach net-zero, and I am committed to working closely with colleagues on even more ambitious solutions to the climate challenges we face in the months and years to come.”
CCG Managing Director, David Wylie, said:“The Granton Waterfront Regeneration is one of the most significant of its kind in Scotland with housing being a key part of the City’s vision for its transformation.
“CCG’s journey at the waterfront began at Heron Place and works continue to be progressed with Port of Leith HA on a further 304 homes on an adjacent development.
“It’s an exciting time for the area and the wider housebuilding programme in Edinburgh and we are delighted to be playing our part as we embark on a further 600+ homes which are set to commence in 2022.”
Cezary Grabski, 27, works in Customer Operations for Standard Life. Originally from Poland, he is moving from elsewhere in the Granton area, and says: “I feel very lucky to have found this housing association and this beautiful development.
“The flats are brand new, finished to a very high standard, in a great location and with stunning views of the water and Edinburgh Marina.”
Sarah Watson, 25, a Clerical Officer working with NHS Lothian, is moving to one of the new mid market properties from the Saughton area of the city. Sarah said: “I immediately fell in love with the area and the picture of the flats were to die for!
“I can’t fault anything in regard to the process of applying for a mid market property and would highly recommend anyone to have a look at some for yourself. I can’t wait to move in and make my new flat a home.”
John Donald, 47, is an Accounts Assessor for the Scottish Legal Aid Board. He is moving from Great Junction Street in Leith and says: “I am delighted to have found this mid market rental property in such a great location. I have lived in private rentals since moving to Edinburgh 16 years ago.
“With my youngest heading to university this year I had been thinking I would probably have to move out of the city to find something more affordable. Thankfully I saw the mid market flats available in this development and I am now excited to be moving into a brand new home in a great and developing part of Edinburgh.”
Port of Leith Housing Association has ambitious plans to deliver more than 600 high-quality, affordable homes by 2025.
You can read more about this in its strategic plan polha.co.uk/2025.
An application to build new homes in Telford is facing opposition.
Port of Leith Housing Association has lodged plans to build eleven flats on the site of the shops on Telford Drive, but one resident has appealed to Drylaw Telford Community Council to challenge the application.
At one time there was a row of shops on the site at the heart of the scheme – older readers may recall a fish and chip shop, a haberdashery and a general store there – but the last remaining convenience store closed last year.
The nearest shops for Telford residents are at Ferry Road ‘shopping centre’ in Drylaw or over the busy Telford Road at Craigleith Retail Park – and at least one Telford woman thinks this is wrong.
She told Drylaw Telford Community Council: “When the shop closed in January 2020 it was to make way for flats and a convenience store included, but with covid that all fell through.
“We have waited on the same plans to re-emerge, only to find out that the council are giving planning permission according to a report in Edinburgh live yesterday , for the flats only.
“I am outraged as our nearest shop is the Today store in Drylaw and it is a long journey for most and to carry shopping is very hard.
“I have lived in this street for over 50 years and we have always had a shop here – Sohil the shop owner was reluctant to give up this land but he was promised a new shop would be built and he would have a choice to come back and run it.
“The residents of Telford Drive need a shop in our street – not everyone has a car.”
Drylaw Telford Community Council will discuss the application at their August meeting.
Barratt Homes East Scotland is leading the drive to bring much-needed modern and affordable homes to popular areas of Edinburgh.
The homebuilder has announced a multimillion-pound investment that will see almost 100 new homes – a mix of social housing and mid-market rent – created across three developments.
Alison Condie, Managing Director of Barratt Homes East Scotland said:“We’re committed to using our position as one of the country’s leading housebuilders to work in partnership with housing associations to develop well-integrated and modern low cost homes all across Edinburgh’s diverse neighbourhoods.
“High quality affordable housing has a huge role to play in addressing some of the most important societal challenges of our time – and we’re proud to help communities thrive by creating homes that meet their needs.”
In south Edinburgh, this includes 24 homes at Lime Grove in Burdiehouse and 29 homes at Heritage Grange – bringing a total of 161 affordable homes to the site once the development is completed. Both projects, which are due to complete by spring 2023, are being delivered in partnership with Castle Rock Edinvar – one of the country’s largest housing associations.
Both developments will provide high quality housing for families in particular, with a new primary school near Heritage Grange, Frogston Primary School, due to open in 2021.
Barratt Homes East
In the vibrant district of Leith, a £6m project will commence to create 43 new affordable homes at Barratt Homes’ Merchant Quay development, built in partnership with the Port of Leith Housing Association.
The homes, which aim to welcome residents by summer 2023, will be the first delivered at the Baltic Street site in recognition of the urgent need for affordable housing.
Barratt Developments – which includes both Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes – has to date delivered over 1,000 homes across Edinburgh through the Affordable Housing Policy, making the group one of the biggest contributors to affordable housing land supply in the city in the last 15 years.
This feeds in to the wider Scottish Government goal of providing 50,000 new affordable homes – with work safely kickstarting with urgency following delays caused by national lockdowns.
For more information about Barratt Homes’ properties and locations, visit
Port of Leith Housing Association is among 17 north Edinburgh charities and groups collaborating as Leith Gives to support local communities this winter. The initiative has helped to alleviate hardship over December and January with organisations delivering thousands of gifts and hampers to households in Leith and the north of the city.
Over the festive period, the collaboration distributed around 1,000 food hampers which provided ingredients to make 16,000 meals at home. More than 25 Port of Leith Housing Association households each received three hampers in December and January. These were delivered by staff from T.B. Mackay Energy Services, a subsidiary of Port of Leith Housing Association. The most recent food hamper included additional items to celebrate Burns Night.
Four households also received carefully selected gifts to wrap as a surprise for their children over Christmas. A further 27 adults at risk of isolation were given gifts which were safely distributed by Port of Leith Housing Association staff.
Heather Kiteley, Group Chief Executive at Port of Leith Housing Association said:“The importance of collaboration in Leith has never been felt as strongly as during lockdown this winter.
“The work of specialist teams including Tenant Advice, Sheltered Housing, Community Works and T.B. Mackay, has allowed us to connect with and identify tenants and members of the community whose wellbeing was most at risk over December and January.
“It has been a joy to collaborate with other Leith Gives partners, and I am pleased that the hampers and gifts brought nourishment and comfort to so many people this winter.”
Amid another strict lockdown, being connected online is also essential to the wellbeing of our communities. In addition to providing food for households, Leith Gives has distributed over 200 digital devices to help people stay connected during the pandemic.
Port of Leith Housing Association’s Jane Whiting has been co-ordinating the distribution of devices and Wi-Fi provision to households identified by the housing association’s Tenant Advice Team. This makes it possible for individuals living alone, and lacking digital confidence, to connect with family and friends during lockdown.
Despite this effort by a wide range of partners we know that many of our tenants and customers continue to find it difficult to make ends meet. Port of Leith Housing Association is exploring what role it can play to collaboratively make Leith a better place to live and work for all its residents.
Anita Aggarwal, Community Support Co-ordinator at Port of Leith Housing Association said: “Leith Gives has been an amazing collaborative effort from local organisations and groups and made Christmas a wee bit better for a wide range of Leithers.”
Port of Leith Housing Association is proud to be one of 17 north Edinburgh charities, community groups, schools and other organisations who have joined forces to support people most likely to be hit hardest by coronavirus and associated restrictions this winter in a new collaboration, called Leith Gives.
The Leith Trust is coordinating the campaign which seeks to provide tailored food hampers and other household essentials to vulnerable individuals and families in the run up to Christmas and again in late January.
It also plans to provide gifts and other items people may need to celebrate Christmas, Diwali, Hanukah and other festivals, and to offer practical help to get people online and connect with loved ones or support groups.
Heather Kiteley, Group Chief Executive, Port of Leith Housing Association, said: “The first wave of this pandemic showed just how much we all need each other to get by. Our tenants, the people of Leith and north Edinburgh, charities and community groups, have already demonstrated great resilience and perseverance.
“Now as we head into winter, we’re thrilled to help harness that collective dedication through Leith Gives to spread hope and offer practical support over the festive season and into the New Year.”
New campaign ‘Leith Gives’ appeals for help to ease pressure of pandemic over winter months
Seventeen North Edinburgh charities, alongside community organisations, local schools, rugby clubs and others brought together by the Leith Trust, have joined forces in a bid to support people most likely to be hit hardest by coronavirus and associated restrictions this winter as a new collaboration, Leith Gives.
With food banks at risk of being overwhelmed and people likely to feel more isolated during winter months, Leith Gives is hopeful that, with successful fundraising, they will be able to do everything possible to support vulnerable people in December and January.
John Evans, Leith Gives, (above) said:“Leith Gives is seeking support to raise funds for vulnerable households facing a challenging lockdown amid the second wave of the COVID pandemic. This will allow us to provide tailored food hampers and other household essentials to vulnerable individuals and families in the run up to Christmas and again in late January.
“We also plan to provide gifts and other items people may need to celebrate Christmas, Diwali, Hanukah and other festivals, and to offer practical help to get people online and connect with loved ones or support groups.
“People in Leith and north Edinburgh are well known for looking out for the most vulnerable members of our communities and I’m confident that with their support and the collective knowledge and expertise of all the members of Leith Gives, we can spread some hope during what is likely to be a testing winter.
“We believe this approach to be impactful and innovative in its collaboration and every penny raised goes to help the people we support.’’
