In October four organisations based in 525 Ferry Road were shortlisted in the Scottish Charity Awards
Creativity and innovation
525 Ferry Road is a modern office building situated in Crewe Toll, Edinburgh, run by People Know How and Edinburgh Palette. The space is home to many different charities, organisations, social enterprises and creatives, forming a hub of creativity and innovation.
In this year’s Scottish Charity Awards, a total of four organisations with offices in 525 Ferry Road were shortlisted for an award. Lead Scotland and People Know How were shortlisted for the Digital Citizens award, Scran Academy for Charity of the Year and Edinburgh School Uniform Bank for Trustee of the Year.
Edinburgh School Uniform Bank’s trustee Julia Grindley and Scran Academy received special commendations in each of their respective categories, and People Know How went on to win the Digital Citizens Award.
Scran Academy
Scran Academy is a catering social enterprise providing great value food that not only tastes good, but does good! The organisation was shortlisted in the Charity of the Year category and received a special commendation for their work.
In just their first year as a SCIO, Scran coordinated a coalition of charities that produced, packaged and delivered nearly 150,000 meals during the first lockdown, supporting over 1,000 people per week at the height of the pandemic. They worked hard to fundraise and embed a new team of staff and trustees, launched the Scran Van to tackle holiday hunger, and merged with PrepTable Scotland to open the Scran Café. Most importantly, they continued in their mission to support young people to develop the skills and confidence to thrive in life.
“We were totally blown away to be a finalist in the Charity of the Year category! In March 2020, we had two part-time staff, no space of our own and had two months operating costs at bank. 18 months on, we are a sustainable and growing organisation. We feel privileged to work alongside so many amazing people at 525 and are consistently inspired to offer the best possible support for young people and their families.”
Lead Scotland
Lead Scotland is a national charity supporting disabled people and carers by providing personalised learning, befriending, advice and information services. They were shortlisted for the Digital Citizens Award in recognition of their provision of accessible digital skills and cyber safety training to people with disabilities, unpaid carers, practitioners and people experiencing barriers to learning.
With a small team of five staff, Lead supported 989 people to improve their digital skills and feel more confident being safe online. They ran 47 webinars over the course of a year and produced Everyday computer skills, a free online course in partnership with Open University in Scotland, created with and for disabled learners. The organisation has had excellent feedback about these activities and is looking forward to running more activities in the coming year.
“We were incredibly proud of the team for being shortlisted in the Digital Citizens category. We were honoured to be finalists in this category amongst esteemed partners who have been doing great work under very difficult circumstances. It is fantastic recognition of everyone's hard work and passionate commitment…We love being part of the 525 Ferry Road community and we've nicknamed it the excellence incubator!”
Edinburgh School Uniform Bank
Edinburgh School Uniform Bank believe that every child deserves to look and feel smart at school, to feel that they belong, and to avoid the negative effects of hardship on their wellbeing and education. Their trustee Julia Grindley was shortlisted and received a special commendation in the Trustee of the Year category.
This volunteer-run charity is a safety net for struggling families and a vital resource for education and health professionals – and when pandemic restrictions were put in place Julia knew she had to keep the service open. Despite losing access to her premises, with half her volunteers and trustees shielding and her usual sources of stock and funding drying up, Julia found innovative ways around all of these hurdles. Throughout the pandemic the whole team pulled together to make sure that no child was left behind.
“It was fantastic to be given a special commendation for Edinburgh School Uniform Bank in the awards. COVID has highlighted how important it is for children to be in school and to participate fully in social, sporting and educational activities…We moved to 525 Ferry Road in February and discovered a welcoming community of like-minded professionals and volunteers. The space has allowed us to work more efficiently as well as opening up volunteering opportunities to a wide range of people, not to mention having plenty of wee chats with our neighbours in the building.”
People Know How
People Know How is a Scottish charity with a passion for solving social issues. They were awarded a Scottish Charity Award in the Digital Citizens category.
People Know How believe in the inextricable link between social and digital isolation, with the pandemic only reinforcing that view. Over the last year the team has provided devices, digital skills and connectivity to thousands of people across Edinburgh and East Lothian, helping them to stay connected with loved ones, access support and home-school their children. Throughout this work they identified that the biggest obstacle to digital inclusion is data poverty, which is why they have now launched Connectivity Now, a national campaign to end data poverty.
“There is so much creativity, passion and innovation at 525 Ferry Road. We are proud to be part of it and work alongside such wonderful organisations. It was amazing to our neighbours joining us as finalists in the Scottish Charity Awards! 525 Ferry Road has been our main base throughout the pandemic, and our achievement of the Digital Citizens Award is a testament to our brilliant team of volunteers and staff who have achieved so much over the last year.”