After a very rewarding day in Glasgow and Kilmarnock, LandAid had two more stops to make in our trip to Scotland.
The day began with a very enjoyable visit to our charity partner Four Square at their hostel for homeless young people in Edinburgh. Homelessness is a major problem in Scotland’s capital, with the city’s streets home to the greatest number of rough sleepers in the country.
Four Square recently received a LandAid grant of £30,000 – match-funded by St James Place Foundation – for the refurbishment of the kitchens and bathrooms in all four flats in the hostel. Four Square’s team were incredibly excited by the improvements, which not only created the space for residents to be able to cook and eat together, but would also allow them to develop knowledge of and skills in cooking and nutrition. Through our support for Four Square, we are helping Edinburgh’s homeless young people get off the streets and into a warm, welcoming environment.
Next a ten minute walk to visit David Melhuish, Director of the Scottish Property Federation (SPF). Part of the British Property Federation (BPF), and a key LandAid supporter, SPF enables the conditions for the property industry to grow and thrive in Scotland. SPF and its 180 members work with the Scottish Government to help them deliver many of their policies, particularly those involving urban regeneration, creating employment, sustainable economic growth, carbon reduction and improvements to the built environment. Our discussion was wide ranging, and in a few months time we look forward to inviting SPF and its members to see the completed refurbishment project at Four Square.
The final visit of our short tour of southern Scotland took us to the inspirational charity Venture Trust. We recently awareded Venture Trust a grant of £49,000, match-funded by £49,000 from St James’s Place Foundation, for renovation work at new premises in Edinburgh and Stirling. These relocation projects would not have been possible without invaluable pro bono assistance from a number of LandAid supporters: Peter Fraser and John Price of GVA James Barr, Andrew Crichton of Pinsent Masons, and Festus Moffat and Angela Jeng of John Robertson Architects.
We were joined at the meeting by Peter and Andrew, both of whom offered very positive feedback about their experience of giving their time and expertise to Venture Trust. The new Edinburgh premises is in the city centre, and has the space to enable the charity to run regular sessions for young people. While there we participated in a number of team building games with Venture Trusts’ beneficiaries, who also told us about their experiences of going on the charity’s wilderness expedition.
Two more fantastic charities that LandAid supports. Over two days packed with visits, we had a truly great time meeting with all the people who give up their time and expertise to run these inspirational projects in support of disadvantaged children and young people in Scotland. It also reminded us that there is so much more we can do to help them.
If you want to get involved and lend your support for our work, find a project near you or join our campaign today. Together, we make a bigger difference.