We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the following community and charitable organisations. They are helping us to hear the “hidden” stories of more vulnerable, marginalised, or digitally excluded members of our community. 

By participating in the Lothian Diary project, you can support the incredible work that these organisations do by entering the unique Charity Support Code for one of our charities in our survey (you’ll find it near the end of the survey).

• People First (Scotland): The National Disabled People’s Organisation of adults with a Learning Disability in Scotland. Charity Support Code: CHLLPFIRST
• Redwoods Caring Foundation: also supports people with learning disabilities throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians. Charity Support Code: CHLLRWOODS
• Streetwork – supporting people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Charity Support Code: CHLLSTWORK
• Carr Gomm –  a leading Scottish social care and community development charity supporting about 2000 people across Scotland to live safe and fulfilling lives. Charity Support Code: CHLLCGOMM
• Edinburgh Direct Aid – an all-volunteer charity currently working in Lebanon, Kurdistan, Gaza, Kenya, Bosnia and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Charity Support Code: CHLLDIRAID
• Community Help and Advice Initiative (CHAI) – CHAI helps and empowers people through high-quality, impartial advice on welfare benefits, housing, and debt. Charity Support Code: CHLLCHAI

If you would be interested in collaborating with us, register your interest on our charity registration page! 

In addition to our charity partners, we have also had the pleasure of collaborating with Monty Roy, of the Leith Police Box Popup Space, who has helped us greatly in recording the stories of local community members.

The pandemic has hit local businesses and non-profit organisations hard. Despite governmental support, many have suffered financially. Many have been working tirelessly throughout lockdown to support those in need, and are, themselves, in need of support. 

You can make a difference to these organisations, simply by participating in The Lothian Diary Project. Besides using a charity support code (see “Support our charity partners code”), you can choose to receive your payment for taking part in the form of a £15 voucher for a local business, to support them as they begin to reopen to the public. Or, you can request that we donate your payment directly to support the work of your favourite charity.

Plus, if you refer the project to someone else you know, you can also earn a further £5 to help those in need.

Let’s start #givingback to our community together!

The Lothian Diary Project is working with Museums and Galleries Edinburgh to integrate the video and audio diaries of willing participants into their collections, to preserve our experiences of the pandemic for posterity.

Museums and Galleries Edinburgh are also investigating and documenting the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the people of Edinburgh in their ongoing project, Covid-19 Contemporary Collecting. The project seeks to create a collection of objects that have been of significance to Edinburgh residents throughout the lockdown, to create a tangible, physical record of this period in our city’s history.

The Scottish Parliament is working to assess the impact of Covid-19 on the lives and livelihoods of people all across Scotland. At the completion of our project, we plan to prepare a report which we will submit to the parliament’s Covid-19 Committee. It is hoped that our findings will be valuable in helping inform future decision-making, as we continue to deal with the fallout of the pandemic.