Canine collaboration at 525 Ferry Road

Since 2017 People Know How has based its offices at 525 Ferry Road, supporting Edinburgh Palette in the management of the building. Home to a dynamic selection of charities, businesses and social enterprises, the location boasts an open and welcoming environment for organisations of all sizes to grow and develop. And we haven’t mentioned the best bit…it’s dog friendly!

Fostering collaboration

The building is run by People Know How and Edinburgh Palette, who have worked together to revive this dormant building, transforming it into a flexible and multi-purpose space that meets the needs of the local community. These spaces are made available to businesses and charities at an affordable rate.

Built on values of community and partnership, the building provides a vibrant hub for collaborative projects and events. A photography studio, radio station and dog-grooming agency are just a few of the diverse tenants based at Ferry Road (alongside numerous charities); and there’s room for many more!

At the end of last year, People Know How organised a cross-sector collaboration event to encourage the sharing of ideas between the private, public, education, and third sector. Aptly named ‘Connect Four’, the event welcomed representatives from across Edinburgh to make positive steps towards social change. The event also helped foster communication between organisations within the building, making the space even more accessible and open-to-all.

Joining the dogs

As a time of giving and charity, the Christmas period is a fantastic opportunity for third sector organisations to boost fundraising efforts and enhance project awareness. In support of this, The Big Give launched its Christmas Challenge 2019; matching any donations raised by participating charities and creating twice the impact for service users. Thinking caps were well and truly on to create a creative new fundraising campaign, and the idea for Dogs of 525 was born!

Nicole Parry, our modern apprentice, devised the idea to create a dog-themed 2020 calendar (with some adorable fancy-dress costumes thrown in for good measure), and our colleagues at Ferry Road were only too keen to get involved! Dog-lovers from across the building brought along their furry friends for a photo shoot like no other – ready to have some fun and raise money for a great cause. The models included a Halloween pumpkin, a St Paddy’s day pup, and the building’s clear favourite: a hot-dog sausage dog!

Many laughs (and woofs!) were had in the process, resulting in more than 80 calendars being sold; raising over £400. This was doubled to £800 thanks to The Big Give, helping fund some of our fantastic services such as the Positive Transitions Service and Reconnect. This wouldn’t have been possible without the enthusiastic pet-owners from WEA, Intercultural Youth Scotland, Vintage Vibes, Ingentium, For Spills, Lee Hair and EVOC, and Andy the building manager! A huge thank you goes out to these great organisations for getting involved, as well as Nicole for coordinating the project, Claudia our Communications Officer for designing the calendar, and volunteer Alice for photographing the adorable subjects!

Find your space at 525 Ferry Road

Connect Four and Dogs of 525 are just a few inspiring examples of what can be achieved when ideas are shared, and organisations work together. People Know How have fostered a dynamic environment at 525 Ferry Road, with the space and community to help even more small businesses, charities, and social enterprises develop and thrive.

If you or your organisation are interested in flexible and dynamic office or studio space, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

P.S. Dogs of 525 calendars are still very much available to brighten up your homes and your hearts in 2020!