Hundreds of days to make a difference

Last academic year, University staff gave more than 2,100 hours of time, energy and enthusiasm to good causes.

What is a day to make a difference?

Staff get one paid day for volunteering a year. They are empowered and encouraged to do good in their communities for the causes they care about.

Staff can spread their day over a longer period of time, in smaller chunks, to give even more flexibility.

The more staff members use their day, the more momentum and visibility they build.

We’re excited to share some incredible stories from volunteers making a difference.

2023-24 volunteering photo gallery

  • Dr Chloe Cutler-Burton, Montane Spine Summer Challenger South. Staff volunteering.
  • Dunbar music festival. Staff volunteering.
  • Karen Scott with Dylan, one of the resident donkeys at the Scottish Borders Donkey Sanctuary. Staff volunteering.
  • Teaching Operations team wading along the Water of Leith. Staff volunteering.
  • Venchie Children and Young People's Project in Craigmillar. Staff volunteering.
  • Fife Active Schools programme ballet. Staff volunteering.
  • Almond Valley Heritage Centre. Staff volunteering.
  • Yoko Matsumoto-Sturt, Alzheimer's Research UK's Walk For A Cure. Staff volunteering.
  • Elisha Lugoloobi, Life Church Edinburgh cleaning tasks. Staff volunteering.
  • Trishaw Cycling Without Age Musselburgh. Staff volunteering.
  • Nicola Finlay, Military Wives Choirs and poppy appeal. Staff volunteering.
  • codebar. Staff volunteering.
  • Estates Department volunteering with Tweed Valley Trail Association. Staff volunteering.
  • Diesel and Reggie, Riding for the Disabled Association. Staff volunteering.
  • Cristina Puntaru in a professional kitchen. Staff volunteering.
  • Big Sort. Staff volunteering.
  • Gardening at Malleny Gardens in Balerno. Staff volunteering.
  • Aaron Kelly and Boys Brigade posing with paddles by a loch. Staff volunteering.
  • Dr. Martha Koerner litter picking for Water of Leith Conservation Trust. Staff volunteering.
  • Carol Gourlay, Lothian Cat Rescue. Staff volunteering.
  • Clearing rain guttering for the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust at Calton Hill staff volunteering

Many paths to making a difference

There has been a huge variety of ways staff have chosen to use their paid day of volunteering this year. Some examples include:

  • Rescuing items from student accommodation at the end of the year with the Big Sort
  • Cleaning tasks at Life Church Edinburgh
  • Organising Dunbar music festival
  • Transcribing for the Pocket Project.

I spent two half days helping other volunteers sort through all the stuff left in halls of residences by students at the end of term. It was physically quite hard work, but it was very rewarding to know that I was helping to keep a lot of things from going into landfill and saving them for future use.

It was also quite astonishing to see the variety of things left behind, from full cans of Irn Bru all the way up to inflatable mattresses! I found it a very satisfying experience and would definitely volunteer to help out again.

Marjorie Drysdale Research Administrator
Wildflower Meadow

Scottish Wildlife Trust training: Nextdoor Nature

Tammy Gilchrist, Research Technician at the Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility, shares how she used her day to make a difference to supplement ongoing volunteering for the benefit of nature and communities.

 

Enhancing outdoor spaces

Staff have used their volunteering day to work on gardens, trails and wild spaces.

Litter picking and clearing overgrowth along the river with the Water of Leith Conservation Trust was particularly popular.

Colleagues from the Estates Department carried out trail maintenance with the Tweed Valley Trail Association.

Volunteers also got to work with the Almond Valley Heritage Centre, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust at Calton Hill, Venchie Children and Young People's Project in Craigmillar and Malleny Gardens in Balerno.

Braving the torrential rain and high river levels, the Teaching Operations team took part in a volunteering day at the Water of Leith.

We were split into two groups – one group were clearing up sections of the river and collecting stones to fill holes, while the other group were clearing over grown paths in the courtyard and along the river.

It was extremely rewarding to see the difference we had made.

Lauren Millson Student Adviser
College of Science and Engineering staff volunteering day at Whim Wood

Leadburn Community Woodland

A group of staff from the College Office at the College of Science and Engineering used their day to make a difference to help local conservation group, ‘Friends of Leadburn Community Woodland’, remove invasive rhododendrons from an area of scientific importance. 

Improving access

There are lots of ways volunteers have been expanding access for communities:

  • Boys Brigade camping trip for seven young boys from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
  • Cycling Without Age – helping older people and those with mobility difficulties enjoy nature and socialise through trishaw rides.
  • Cooking meals for a community kitchen.
  • Teaching ballet through the Fife Active Schools programme to children who might not otherwise be able to attend an extra-curricular dance class.
  • Riding for the Disabled Association – providing therapeutic horse-riding lessons to people with physical and learning disabilities and autism.
  • codebar – working to enable people from minority groups to learn computer programming in a safe and collaborative environment.

I volunteer with a charity called Cycling Without Age, at the Musselburgh chapter. We take people, who have mobility problems or just need some different chat, out on trishaws for a cycle.

We take people from care homes, dementia groups, Autism Scotland, people with their carers and members of the public who fancy a hurl usually with elderly parents or friends.

It’s so great to be part of making someone’s life a wee bit brighter by getting them out of the fresh air, wind in their hair and taking them to places they might not normally be able to visit.

I used my day to make a difference to attend the Cycling Without Age Global Summit in Copenhagen. We have come back from Copenhagen with lots of new ideas and enthusiasm for our charity work!

Lorraine Jackson Research Support Officer
The front entrance of Newington Library in Edinburgh.

Transforming lives through digital literacy volunteering with Edinburgh Libraries

Zohra O'Doherty shares field notes and photos from a day spent visiting three libraries run by the City of Edinburgh Council, where she provided one-on-one support to three learners wanting to improve their digital literacy.

Helping animals

Lothian Cat Rescue and the Scottish Borders Donkey Sanctuary were two animal charities to benefit from the kindness of University staff this year.

I spent two mornings working in the “business end” of animal care, volunteering at Lothian Cat Rescue – the centre from which we adopted our two challenging moggies back in 2019.

I assisted with feeding the cats their breakfast and cleaning out their pens. Physical hard work – I very much admire the staff and volunteers who do such a demanding yet rewarding job.

Each cat had their own personality and yes, there was more than one that I fell in love with.

Carol Gourlay PA to Head of School

Fundraising for important causes

Yoko Matsumoto-Sturt, Head of Japanese Studies, joined Research UK's Walk For A Cure volunteer team for an event at Holyrood Park. Along with around 500 walkers, the collective effort raised around £53,808 for dementia research in Edinburgh alone.

Nicola Finlay, Postgraduate (Taught) Admissions Assistant, collected for Poppy Scotland during their Poppy Appeal in November, and sang with the Military Wives Choirs.

Dr Chloe Cutler-Burton, Student Experience Manager completed an incredible 45-hour long run for charity, raising over £1,105 for Great North Air Ambulance Service.

I ran 111 miles from Edale to Hardraw, taking part in the Montane Spine Summer Challenger South, along part of the Pennine way – described as Britain’s most brutal race. The weather varied dramatically from 18°C temperatures, to gale force winds and torrential rain through the nights.

I also later discovered that only 60% of runners who entered finished the race, due to the volatile conditions this year.

This was a huge mental and physical achievement – but also resulted in £1,105 raised for Great North Air Ambulance Service so far. Most importantly, this charity was chosen as an immediate family member was in a serious car accident last summer and it is because of the Great North Air Ambulance Service arriving so promptly that they are still alive today – so I, along with my family, have endless gratitude for their services and amazing work.

Dr Chloe Cutler-Burton Student Experience Manager
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