MACTAGGART & Mickel has made donations to five Lothians organisations totalling £4,500.
The company’s Building Communities Fund makes annual awards to help organisations and projects to enhance the lives of people in the communities where they build homes.
One of the recipients was charity Hearts and Minds, which delivers Clowndoctor visits to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh. The charity brings laughter into young people’s lives through storytelling, music and general ‘clowning’. The £1,000 donation will pay for three visits, supporting 24 people and providing respite for children, families and medical staff.
Newtongrange Welfare Park requires upgrading, and with the park nearing its centenary in 2026, the donation will allow essential upgrades. The £1,000 donation will go towards a new play area, along with new pathway improvements and lighting installations.
Play Midlothian is using the £500 funding from Mactaggart & Mickel to support its Stay for Play service, which are family sessions for children aged up to four and their families. Providing fun activities such as messy play, dens, treasure baskets, dressing up clothes, stories and songs, these sessions bring families together, and allow parents and young children quality time together.
Corstorphine Dynamo Football Club have transformed a disused pavilion and created a community hall to improve the health and fitness of the Corstorphine community and provide a hub for social interaction. The £1,000 donation is being used for continued improvements to the club, including a ramp for wheelchair access, a baby changing facility and improved audio-visual equipment.
As well as providing home-cooked food, Our Community Kitchen aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness for people by bringing them together. The £1,000 donation will be put towards a greenhouse and seating area within their community garden. The charity encourages the community to plant, cook, eat and enjoy time together.
Joanne Casey, director at Mactaggart & Mickel, said, “From improvements to community facilities to Hearts & Minds’ Clowndoctors putting smiles back onto the faces of children and families facing unimaginable pain, we’re particularly thrilled to see this round of donations put towards improving the lives of young people.
“We have always cared deeply about the people in our communities where we want to make a positive difference. We are committed to helping organisations and projects that benefit people’s lives and these are just a handful of the charities we have been able to donate to, this year alone, as part of the Building Communities Fund.”
