We are looking for new Board Members to support the development of the organisation at a critical time for both the citizens and communities of Edinburgh and the community and voluntary sector across the City.

Skills & Experience
We are looking for people with a variety of professional skills including HR, marketing and communications, political campaigning and those with experience working in small charities. We are also interested in encouraging enquiries from people who understand the key issues Edinburgh faces coming out of lockdown or with an interest and understanding of key policy drivers such as the Edinburgh Poverty Commission or the setting up of the National Care Service/the Feeley Review.

We would particularly welcome applications from groups currently under-represented on our Board, including people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds; younger people and people living with a disability – this is part of our commitment to Scotland’s Equality Action Pledge. 

What’s Involved?
EVOC Board Members attend quarterly Board Meetings, playing an active role in informing organisational policy decisions as well as working with the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team to develop long-term strategic plans. They provide financial oversight and ensure EVOC adheres to all legal and regulatory responsibilities including employment legislation, ensuring a safe and supported working environment for all staff members.

Interested?
If you’re interested in being an EVOC Board Member then please get in touch with Jan-Bert van den Berg, Chair of the Board by Fri 6 Aug.

Find out more

We’re delighted to announce that Edinburgh & Lothians Health Foundation has provided additional funding to support more micro-grants (up to £500) to community organisations based across Edinburgh and the Lothians who are supporting groups and communities experiencing vaccine / testing inequality. 

At a time when case numbers are rising, it is even more important that our sector is able to support groups like carers; black, Asian and minority ethnic communities; homeless people; people with mental health conditions; SIMD areas (amongst other groups of people, this is not an exhaustive list) to get vaccinated and/or tested.   

You can apply for funds for a range of activities and ideas, some of these are detailed on the application form, but we are open to hear about your ideas too! 

Applications are now open and will be considered on a first come first served basis. 

If you had previously applied to this fund to support vaccinations, you can now reapply in order to support testing.

Download an application form

Submit completed applications and get more information by emailing us: funding@evoc.org.uk 

Over 10,000 charities and good causes raise millions each year across the UK via community lotteries and we are hoping to launch a local community lottery to support fundraising across Edinburgh.

We invited organisations from across the City to join us for an Info Seminar on Wed 2 Jun and a big thanks goes out to everyone who came along. It was great to have so many people in the Zoom room and to have such a positive response to the idea.

If you couldn’t make it along you can access the slide presentation here or watch a recording of the presentation here. 

What is a Community Lottery?
A community lottery is a free fundraising opportunity for charities across the City and every one that signs up with have access to the following:

• Your own dedicated page on the lottery site
• Great prizes for your supporters including a top prize of £25,000 (each ticket has a 1 in 50 chance of winning)
• 50% of tickets sales to your cause, 10% to a fund supporting good causes in the city
• Marketing help and resources (FREE)

Moving Forward
There was an overwhelmingly positive response to the idea of a Community Lottery for Edinburgh so we are moving forward with the process – watch this space for more details or feel free to get in touch: communitylottery@evoc.org.uk 

Other Community Lotteries in Scotland:

Glasgow Community Lottery I East Lothian Community Lottery

Thanks to Edinburgh & Lothians Health Foundation we’re offering micro-grants of up to £500 to community organisations based across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

The funding is to support groups working with people who may be experiencing vaccine/testing inequality – carers; black, Asian and minority ethnic communities; homeless people; people with mental health conditions; SIMD areas (amongst other groups of people, this is not an exhaustive list). It can also be used to help reduce vaccine hesitancy. You can apply for funds for a range of activities and ideas, some of these are detailed on the application form, but we are open to hear about your ideas too!

Applications are now open and will be considered on a first come first served basis. 

If you had previously applied to this fund to support vaccinations, you can now reapply in order to support testing.

Download an application form

Submit completed applications and get more information by emailing us: funding@evoc.org.uk 

We are delighted to be able share the final report on the distribution of over £329,000 of grants to children, young people & families organisations in Edinburgh to support and improve mental health and emotional wellbeing in our communities: Mental Health & Wellbeing Funding Report 2021

This investment of Scottish Government money through City of Edinburgh Council is fully detailed, providing a guide to funded additional services in the city during 2021. 

Over £1million of applications were received from 65 organisations, with 24 grants being awarded by the funding panel based on the Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Support and Services Framework.

Grants were awarded to the following organisations and partnerships:

• Big Hearts Community Trust
• Canongate Youth
• Citadel Youth Centre
• Collaborative Partnership: City of Edinburgh Council, LAYC, NHS
• Cyrenians
• Deaf Action
• Firsthand Lothian
• Granton Youth
• Multi-Cultural Family Base
• NHS Lothian Psychology Adding Value: Epilepsy Screening (PAVES)
• NHS Lothian Training in Psychological Skills-Early Intervention for Children (TIPS-EIC)
• One Parent Families Scotland / Family Journeys
• Richmond’s Hope
• Safe Families
• SCOREscotland
• Space & the Broomhouse Centre
• Stepping Stones / Circle
• Tailor Ed Foundation
• The Junction North East
• The Speech Language Communication Company
• The Yard
• Wester Hailes Youth Agency
• With Kids
• YMCA / Pilmeny Development Project

We are working with the City of Edinburgh Council, Caring in Craigmillar, Cyrenians, Pilton Equalities Project and Space to deliver food to those who need it. The City of Edinburgh Council is following a cash first principle in terms of supporting those in crisis, and this has currently kept demand very low. We are aware that this could change very quickly given a new lockdown and the programme will evolve according to need. (You can read an overview of this approach from the City of Edinburgh Council below.)

If you are aware of people in crisis please encourage them to call 0131 200 2388, or apply online.

This short term crisis work does not replace plans to bring organisations together across Edinburgh to develop a partnership approach to addressing food insecurity in the longer term, particularly in light of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission’s call to action.

“City of Edinburgh Council, EVOC and local organisations must continue to fund, co-ordinate and operate services to provide quality fresh food to citizens who experience food insecurity, avoiding a return to reliance on food banks. Our call to improve income security is key to replacing the need for food provision, combined with action to develop place-based approaches to bring together healthy eating, sustainability and community development.”

You can also read our most recent blog by Roisin Hurst (Development Worker) which reflects on 2020 and COVID-19 Food Fund Project. 

City of Edinburgh Council and EVOC Partnership Approach: Support for Citizens
As a result of Scottish Government funding the City of Edinburgh Council has recommenced a range of activities to support people facing financial hardship over the winter months. The Scottish Government has again emphasised the principles of choice and a cash-first approach, and this approach is endorsed by the Council.

Similar to earlier initiatives, requests for support will be coordinated through the Council’s Contact Centre (0131 200 2388) to establish whether direct financial support is available e.g. Isolation Grant, Crisis Grant, compensatory payments for the loss of Free School Meals etc. Citizens will also be signposted to alternative areas of support to address additional issues they may be experiencing to offer a holistic and tailored solution to service users.

Where direct financial support is not available, or not required, arrangements have been put in place to support a network of food deliveries across the city. The Council worked successfully with EVOC, supported by local partners, throughout the first months of the pandemic to deliver food packages across the city. Building on this experience, a targeted food delivery service has now restarted for those in need of support.

Given direct financial support is available the predicted level of food deliveries is expected to be lower than at the start of the pandemic. As a result, the system has been streamlined, and the Council will be working with EVOC and key hub organisations. Food deliveries will be made for up to 2 weeks, and citizens will be asked to make contact again if further support is required. These are challenging times and there are many changes ahead, including Brexit, and while there is no broader funding for food provision across the city at this time, the funding allocation will be kept under review.

Any individual identified as in need of support due to hardship, should be referred to the Council’s Vulnerable Support Line on 0131 200 2388 or the Scottish Welfare Fund on 0131 529 5299.

We are delighted to announce that Bridie Ashrowan will be stepping into the role of Chief Executive at the end of March 2021, when Ella Simpson retires after leading EVOC for more than twelve years.

Bridie has over thirty years’ experience in the community sector, having worked in start-ups, social enterprise and business, including her most recent position as Chief Executive at Space & Broomhouse Hub. In fact, she successfully headed the £3.2 million capital investment programme to open the Hub – a local community development trust in an area that has some of the highest child and in-work poverty in Scotland – towards the end of 2019.

Bridie commented:
‘I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead EVOC and to take up the reins from Ella Simpson. Across the communities of Edinburgh, there will be many who will face hugely challenging circumstances. I look forward to working with partners, this talented team and the folk of Edinburgh in building a future together that we can be proud of.’

Ella Simpson (Current Chief Executive) said:
‘I’ve had the most amazing time working for EVOC. It has been an absolute privilege to work with such an incredible team and dedicated Board. It’s in our DNA to work WITH people, partners and all our stakeholders and I know that Bridie will build on that strong heritage. It would always have been bitter sweet to leave EVOC and this has been a particularly difficult year for everyone. However, I know the strength and courage of EVOC and our sector and I’m convinced that with Bridie’s leadership and the dedication of the EVOC team, peoples’ voices and the sectors’ value will be heard and understood.’

Earlier this year EVOC committed to a three-year strategic plan, informed by their deep understanding of the practice, priorities and pressures in communities, the voluntary sector and the public sector and Bridie’s extensive experience will ensure she can steer the organisation to the successful delivery of that strategy through the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Jan-Bert van den Berg (EVOC Chair) commented:
‘I am looking forward to working with Bridie on the many challenges that communities and voluntary organisations in Edinburgh face over the coming years. She, our depute CEO Ian Brooke, and our amazing staff will make a formidable team and provide the best possible leadership, advocacy and support to the sector over the coming years. Although Ella won’t leave her post until the end of March 2021 I would like to thank her for leading EVOC with so much energy, dedication and skill over the last 12 years.’

Bridie will officially take up the role of Chief Executive for EVOC at the end of March, but will be doing a phased handover with Ella in the coming weeks and months, as the organisation continues to be a leader and catalyst of social change to support inclusive communities, working with the voluntary sector.

We are reviewing the direction of the Older People’s Service Providers’ Forum, to refocus the group and ensure that ALL service providers across the City are represented.  We really want to identify our shared priorities and key actions for the year ahead, so are running two facilitated sessions to bring as many service providers together as we can. 

SESSION 1: Thu 14 Jan, 2pm – 4pm

• Why we do the work we do?
• What are the challenges we face in our work?
• How do we tackle these?

SESSION 2: Tue 26 Jan, 2pm – 4pm

• Our aspirations for the forum & how we get there
• What our priorities should be
• Agree set of actions

We are keen to ensure a broad range of older peoples’ service providers are involved in these sessions so we can take this opportunity to shape the future direction of the Forum. 

To register for the sessions please get in touch: roisin.hurst@evoc.org.uk

Attendance at both sessions is requested, but if you are unable to attend please get in touch to discuss how you might still contribute to this process.