This year has been a very different kind of year for all of us. We’ve have to adapt to new ways of working and methods of communicating and keeping in touch, both individually and in our work groups.

Another aspect of keeping in touch is through the communities we work and live in and this is something we’re keen to develop through our Phoenix Story working group. As outlined in Sam’s newsletter, there are three key themes the working group is looking at. In this fundraising challenge we’re looking at how we Connect with our local Communities.

While Christmas is an exciting time for most people it’s an especially challenging time of year for charity organisations. The events of the last year have meant many charities have less income but more requests for help than ever.

As part of our festivities this year, we’ve put some fun quizzes together that we can participate in across the whole of the Heritage Customer area. We thought this was also the ideal opportunity to support the Edinburgh and Wythall communities through a Christmas fundraising challenge. We’ve chosen two local charities. In Edinburgh the focus is on providing essential supplies, and hopefully a few Christmas treats, for people who need some support to feed themselves and their families. In Wythall we’re supporting a charity who offer much needed community space in the form of 37 acres of parkland which is available for a range of recreation activities.

All monies raised will be matched by Phoenix therefore we have a great opportunity here to make a difference to someone’s life at Christmas. Monies raised via the Just Giving page will be donated to North East Edinburgh Food Bank with the matched element being donated to Wythall Community Association and Park.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.