ALDI EDINBURGH - COMMERCIAL ST

Hi. I’m Kat and I’m autistic. I run a community fridge and weekly support meetups for autistic and learning disabled men and women in Edinburgh. My main aim is to reduce loneliness in the autistic community whilst providing peer advice to address issues impacting autistic women e.g lack of mental health assistance, food insecurity and unemployment. The meetups are free to attend and information is provided online on our website and in our group WhatsApp chat with over 120 people in it (link available online). No.6 One Stop Shop for Autism highlights our meetups on their Facebook page and their coordinators use word of mouth to identify potential users. Our meetups are officially recommended by The Department of Work and Pensions, GP practices and link workers across Edinburgh who identify and signpost our services to users. At our weekly meetups guests can meet, have a coffee and receive advice from like-minded autistic women and information on other support organisations incl. Goodies Charity, SWAN Scotland and Mad Jam. Our drop-in is held every second Friday from 5.30-8pm at The Alcove, a private room in Bar 50 and is free to attend. It provides a free space which guests can use at their leisure e.g to eat, do craft, play board games or watch the TV. Additionally, with assistance from staff I run and operate seasonal craft workshops at No.6 One Stop Shop for autism. There users can relax with a coffee and make or decorate Christmas, Easter or Halloween crafts. I am now a linked in part of the autistic community in Edinburgh, receiving active support, discounts and free venue hire from local organisations like the Scottish Arts Club, Nor’ Loft, Bar 50, The Commons Club, Brewhemia and many more. This allows for the weekly support meetups to be held in different venues each week depending on private room availability. Guests who attend the meetups automatically become group members gaining access to the discounts and a free Autistic Girl card. As 75% of autistic women are unemployed and many food organisations are inaccessible to low functioning autistic people, using Neighbourly, I now collect and supply any surplus food I can to group members when asked for. I am contacted through the WhatsApp group and and when food is available, I provide it at a location of their choosing. The autism community have been so grateful for what I have done so far for those struggling with autism related difficulties and loneliness. I am very aware of my community and what we need to do to support each other. Whilst there is always more to do, supporting each other goes a long way. Images below include 1. Christmas card making. 2. Christmas baking and decorating at drop in. 3. Example of Autistic Girl card providing discounts. 4. Guests at meetup. 5. Champagne offered at Scottish Arts Club meetup. 6. Halloween decorations put up by member in drop-in. 7. Christmas cake decorating and craft at No.6 One Stop Shop Autism 8. Photo of Kat at first meetup.

At Tummies Not Trash, we believe good food belongs in tummies, not in the trash. Our volunteer team operates 7 days a week, collecting surplus food from retailers across Edinburgh and redistributing it through our central Hub, helping ensure perfectly good food is eaten rather than wasted. Food collected through our network is made available in a number of ways: Free items, including bread, fruit, vegetables and other short-life produce, are available to all throughout our opening hours. Within the Hub, chilled, frozen and ambient items are also redistributed through our community basket model, with voluntary donations helping to support transport, storage, premises and the ongoing running of the charity. To maximise impact and minimise waste, surplus food from our Hub is also shared daily with partner organisations across Edinburgh, including schools, libraries, lunch clubs and community centres, helping extend the reach of good food into local communities. Everything we do is built around our simple goal: reducing food waste, supporting communities, and making the very most of food that would otherwise go to waste.

RE OPENING OF SERVICES PEP creates opportunities for older and other vulnerable adults in North Edinburgh, reducing isolation, supporting Mental Health, Accessible Community Transport We run 5 daycare clubs for the most isolated of individuals to participate in these community events. The programme is supported by our energetic team of volunteers. We are always looking to recruit new volunteers to assist with our service delivery to assist at one of our days clubs, minibus drivers and passenger assistants ... for a morning or an afternoon.