Fundraising at St James: Congratulations!
From all of us at the Diocese of Edinburgh, we want to wish a heartfelt congratulations to St James, Leith and all involved in their successful Building Links campaign.
The campaign was launched to raise funds to transform St James into an inclusive community hub for Leith. The building required capital improvements, proving necessary the need to raise funds for maintenance and growth of a new space in order to support new connections and community.
“Our vision is for St James to be a community hub with the church at its heart. Our focus in building links with our local community is to provide welcome and radical acceptance to all, celebrate the arts as a way of expressing spirituality and bringing healing and joy, provide space for quiet contemplation, build connection between diverse groups, and challenge injustice”
With astonishing effort and partnership, they surpassed their £20,000 target by over £1,000, reaching a sum of £21,639 (which is still growing!). Their efforts must be acknowledged and admired, if not providing huge amounts of inspiration to anyone hoping to raise funds.
As well as calling for donations online, the Leith community banded together to hold a number of exciting events! These ranged from Christmas cards and clothes-swaps to Kilted Bike rides and even Lego-building! It is worth a mention that the Christmas cards raised £300 alone, adding up to 500 pre-orders, all made by children and young adults! Not to mention Hugh, who climbed Arthur’s Seat 10 times in a day, raising over £1,300.
You can see below the fundraising efforts in further detail from St James themselves.
The Clothes Swap raised a record breaking £1,329 – everything from dresses with ‘pizazz’ to wardrobe staples, a pristine pair of purple Dr Martins, alpaca wool jumpers, all sorts, and more! Friends of friends, people who’ve never met, uncovering shared passions via the medium of fashion.
Christmas Cards were pre-ordered, bringing the donations raised so far by the children and young people to over £300. https://gvwhl.com/WALWI
Hugh’s 10x Arthur’s Seat adventure has inspired folk to donate over £600, and climbing. https://gvwhl.com/QZ6XH
Frank and Iain’s epic Kilted Bike Ride. https://gvwhl.com/JUWJH
Jo & Ralph’s Crafty Gifts Stall. Each week they sold the most charming Christmas decorations as well as other handmade delights (which made lovely little post-able gifts). https://gvwhl.com/LFPPO
Pat’s Attempt to Reduce Food Waste, Save Money, and Contribute to the Building Links Project has raised a wonderful £290 so far, and there’ll be more to come. https://gvwhl.com/L7N7N
Mackenzie’s Birthday She simply asked folk to donate, instead of giving her a card or gift. https://gvwhl.com/SOIZK
The Lenfords’ Building Links Lego Building Challenge! Siân, Lennie, and the kids attempted to build a model of St James in Lego, in time for Adventfest! https://gvwhl.com/JVX2Y
If you weren’t already convinced at the coming together of the Leith Community, please find below the collection of the local organisations and community initiatives that share the space.
St James Leith – Meet Our Partners
– The Well: In partnership with ‘Safer by Sound, Edinburgh’ and Inspiring Leith, we host an inclusive, monthly ‘dry’ open mic night.
– Narcotics Anonymous.
– Sacro: St James works in partnership with Sacro to offer monthly evenings of hospitality and support for sex workers in Leith.
– Soul Marks: Led by artist Carol Marples, integrating art, spirituality and liturgy into our church and other churches worldwide.
– Music with Graham: Weekly music sessions and lunches for adults with learning disabilities.
– The Singing Mamas: a singing group to give women confidence and voice.
– Norine mindeyes Culture Connect Incorporated, a Black-led grassroots charity that uses music, culture, creativity, and wellbeing to empower individuals and strengthen communities.
– Phelan School of Dance: a youth dance school in Leith.
– Siloam: A quiet meditative service designed for those in recovery.
– Building Bridges: A charity connecting people from different cultures through food, the arts and intercultural activities.
– Lithuanian Dance Group.
– The Edinburgh Samba School.
– The Kindred Club, a welcoming club for individuals with dementia and their loved ones.
– Baha’i Community.
– Solidarity with Palestine: We work to raise funds and support for Palestine, including through our own group of activists, the Pesky Piskies.