Sainsbury's Edinburgh Portobello High St Local

Places for People’s Hay Avenue Community Hub in Edinburgh is a welcoming community space designed to support local residents through a wide range of social, educational and wellbeing activities. The hub provides services such as ESOL classes, employability support, community pantry access, youth clubs, cultural groups and peer support sessions, helping to reduce isolation, improve skills and promote inclusion. It reflects Places for People’s wider social impact aims, which focus on creating thriving communities, tackling barriers such as unemployment and social exclusion, improving health and wellbeing, and generating measurable social value. Guided by values centred on inclusivity, empowerment and community connection, the hub demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to supporting people beyond housing by strengthening relationships, opportunities and resilience within the local area.

The Food Rescue Group, Edinburgh was established by Suyash Mishra, a student at the University of Edinburgh, to address the growing challenges of food waste, climate change, and local food insecurity. In an era defined by environmental strain, resource scarcity, and ecological imbalance, this initiative is both timely and essential. A core focus of our work is tackling food waste, a significant issue that results in the loss of valuable resources and contributes substantially to methane emissions from landfill. Addressing this problem is both an environmental necessity and a moral responsibility, as redistributing surplus food can provide meaningful support to local families and individuals in need. We work closely with local producers and retailers to ensure surplus food is rescued rather than discarded. These partnerships allow businesses to reduce disposal costs while delivering measurable environmental and social benefits to the community. The day-to-day operation of the Food Rescue Group is led and managed by Suyash and Marina, who oversee all aspects of the initiative. This includes coordinating volunteers, organising surplus food collections, communicating with retailers and partner organisations, managing collection schedules, arranging distribution, responding to last-minute changes, and ensuring food reaches recipient locations safely and on time. Their hands-on management helps maintain an efficient, reliable, and community-centred operation across Edinburgh. Our mission is powered by dedicated local volunteers who collect and distribute surplus food shortly after it becomes available. This rapid turnaround ensures freshness, removes the need for storage, and helps maintain high standards of food safety and quality. Every item is carefully inspected, and any food deemed unsuitable is disposed of responsibly to minimise environmental impact. Volunteer coordination is managed through a dedicated WhatsApp group, providing real-time updates on collection times, locations, and available quantities. Suyash and Marina use this system to coordinate volunteers, respond quickly to changing collection requirements, and ensure the smooth running of rescue and redistribution activities. Through this initiative, we are reducing methane emissions and resource waste by diverting surplus food from landfill. Our work supports those in immediate need while remaining open to anyone who values food, sustainability, and responsible consumption. By engaging a broad cross-section of the community, we aim to foster shared ownership of the solution to food waste. As we continue to develop and refine our approach, we are making meaningful progress towards a more sustainable and inclusive future. Join us in Edinburgh and help make a difference, one meal, one volunteer, and one community at a time.

Within the heart of Prestonpans, our work reaches out to families within the Preston, Seton and Gosford area helping families that need an extra helping hand. With nutritionists in our team we aim to provide healthy and substantial meals throughout the school holidays - outwith the school holidays we have many clubs running at our Pennypit centre, including cooking classes, youth clubs, homework clubs and parent cooking groups.