Working alongside Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust, Goodies SCIO and Simon Community Community Scotland we are organising and hosting Communities at Christmas 2025. This public call for donations is to support this years event.
Christmas can be a time that might feel lonely and quiet for the people that we support. So, we want to support people at Christmas through our Communities at Christmas initiative which is about more than food and presents; it’s about dignity, togetherness and being seen.
Communities at Christmas is a collaborative initiative involving Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust, Goodies SCIO, Simon Community Scotland, and us – Southside Community Centre Association SCIO.
Christmas Day itself will begin with breakfast and access to showering facilities. Over the course of the day there will be various activities available including arts & crafts, board games, musical entertainment, movie showings and four Christmas dinner servings! And, we would like to give each of our guests their own thoughtful present – such as a pamper or treat pack.
We are fortunate to have various non-financial contributions to our initiative such as people volunteering their time, skills and knowledge, and we have some existing resources that we are contributing such as equipment and materials. We are also exploring grant funding opportunities, but these are often high in demand and may not be able to provide the funding in time.
So we are looking for your help! Public donations can make a big difference to this event and the community we support. That being said we know the lead up to Christmas can be financially challenging time – so please only donate what you can afford.