An Edinburgh based charity that helps people who have been homeless get established in their new home has been announced as Lothian Buses’ Charity of the Year for 2015.
Throughout 2015, Lothian Buses and Fresh Start will work together on a number of projects including a special bus wrap advertising the work the charity do, visits for the charity’s families to the bus depots, fundraising through staff events and the opportunity for the company’s 2000+ staff to volunteer with the charity.
Tony Depledge, Chair of Lothian Buses said: “Supporting a local charity every year is really important to us. This year we decided to choose a charity that was significantly different to previous years and Fresh Start is exactly that. Homelessness can affect anyone and its great that we can highlight the important work that they do.
“We look forward to working with the Fresh Start team over the course of 2015, helping to raise the profile of the charity in our local community whilst having fun raising funds for this fantastic cause.”
Since 2012, Lothian Buses has appointed a Charity of the Year in order to help the organisation benefit from focused fundraising and awareness activities.
Keith Robertson, Fresh Start’s Managing Director commented “This is a great opportunity for us. For a local charity like ours working in the Edinburgh & Lothian area, it will raise awareness of what we do and what homelessness means. Being homeless can have a devastating effect on families and individuals. They lose not only their belongings, but their confidence and self-esteem. We help them to settle in their new home and back into the community. This partnership with Lothian Buses will enable us to reach more people than ever before.”
Lothian Buses’ previous charities of the year include The Yard, It’s Good 2 Give and Lothian Autistic Society.
Fresh Start grew from the desire of a small number of people to do something practical in response to the growing scandal of homelessness in Scotland’s capital city in the run up to 2000.
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