Today, 24th September, St James Quarter is proud to announce its partnership with two Edinburgh charities, Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids and Deaf Action. Through the partnership, St James Quarter aims to raise over £100,000 in the next 12 months, improving the lives of disadvantaged children or those who are deaf or hard of hearing in the local community.

Over the next year, St James Quarter aims to raise the equivalent of 1p per visitor to The Quarter through a host of staff and guest initiatives.

Through the partnership with Deaf Action, St James Quarter is committed to becoming the world’s first cultural and lifestyle hub which is fully inclusive and accessible to deaf visitors. There are 75,000 deaf and hard of hearing people living within 1 hour of St James Quarter, so together, the partnership aims to raise deaf awareness, celebrate deaf culture, and equip those at St James Quarter with the skills they need to offer a truly welcoming and inclusive experience for all.

Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids is a local charity based in Edinburgh. Everything raised locally, stays locally. The partnership with St James Quarter will help to raise vital funds to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the local Edinburgh community who are affected by poverty, illness, neglect and additional needs.

The collaboration comes at a crucial stage for Cash For Kids who have supported over 10,000 local families who have been hardest-hit by the pandemic by providing the basic essentials such as food, toiletries, clothing and electricity.

Nick Peel, Managing Director for St James Quarter, said: “St James Quarter sits at the heart of the Edinburgh community, and we distil this ethos through everything we do. We’ve been truly inspired by the incredible work Deaf Action and Cash For Kids do and we’re really proud to play our part in supporting them over the next 12 months.”

Victoria Hendry, Charity manager at Radio Forth Cash for Kids, said: “We’re thrilled to have been chosen as a charity partner of St James Quarter. Being a local charity supporting children and young people right on our doorstep, we’re so passionate about creating strong partnerships with local brands and with St James Quarter being such a staple destination in the city we couldn’t think of a better fit. We are really looking forward to working with them over the coming months on innovative and creative events and campaigns to enable us to support events more local children in and around Edinburgh.”

Philip Gerrard, CEO of Deaf Action, said: “Deaf Action is honoured to be one of the first official charity partners for St James Quarter for the year ahead. With 1 in 5 people in Scotland being affected by hearing loss, this is an amazing opportunity to raise the profile of deafness across the country. As we work with the team at St James Quarter to improve accessibility, we can help them become the UK’s first fully inclusive lifestyle hub where the deaf community feel welcome.”