Following its success in Barratt Developments’ company-wide virtual 500k challenge for the Prince’s Trust, the Barratt East Scotland team, which walked a combined total of 1,721km, was awarded £5,000 to donate to a charity of its choice.

It selected LifeCare, a renowned local charity that offers registered care, outreach activities and help at home services for older people living across the North of the city. Established in 1941, the organisation supports hundreds of elderly clients a year, including those suffering with dementia, mobility issues, those experiencing isolation and loneliness, food poverty and mental health problems, and offers dedicated support for carers. The charity also runs the successful community café, CafeLife on Cheyne Street.

The donation from Barratt East Scotland will help LifeCare’s ongoing efforts to support those who have shielded during the duration of the pandemic to return to life beyond their own four walls and back to the communities they hold dear.

Alison Condie, managing director at Barratt East Scotland, said: “LifeCare carry out incredible work supporting those vulnerable and in need of care. We’re pleased that our employees nominated the charity and we hope that our donation will help them to continue to provide these crucial and important services.”

Speaking of the donation, Claire Montgomery, Trusts fundraising and communications manager, added: “A huge thanks to everyone at Barratt East Scotland for this terrific award – it’s truly appreciated. As a registered charity, LifeCare is reliant on the generosity of our funders to enable us to deliver quality care that our older population deserve.

“We have supported over 770 local older people through the pandemic, many of whom had no other available support. We have offered safely delivered care in the home, remote support by phone and doorstep visit, shopping and prescription deliveries, and we have set up our brand new meals on wheels service which has already served up over 9,000 hot meals to doorsteps.

“Our continued care has supported isolation issues and enabled people to remain living independently in their own homes. We look forward to fully opening all services again as soon as we are safely able.”

As part of its community benefits programme, the five-star housebuilder works with a wide range of local causes, and has continued to step up its efforts through the Barratt and David Wilson Community Fund. Now in its third year, the Community Fund pledges to donate £1,000 each month to a charity or organisation in the east of Scotland. Charities are nominated by and voted for by employees of Barratt Homes and the focus for the fund continues to be on organisations that improve the quality of life for those living in the area.

The team is also committed to providing assistance to groups that contribute to the communities it serves in many other ways. A recent benefactor was Rosslyn Bowling Club, which Barratt East Scotland supported with the donation of a new notice board.

Jim Hiddleston, Club President of Rosslyn Bowling Club, said: “We’ve been working towards a new noticeboard for quite some time as our location is quite hidden, so we are delighted with our new signage kindly donated by our new neighbours, David Wilson Homes.”