Year five and final 2020-25 progress report

This report summarises progress made since the start of the Community Plan 2020-25, as well as that made in its fifth and final year.

Foreword from Lesley McAra, Assistant Principal Community Relations

I’m pleased to introduce this final report on our progress in delivering our Community Plan 2020-25, which includes our final instalment of annual reporting for the year November 2024 to October 2025. Advances have only been made through collaboration with a wide range of local partners, their work going hand in hand with that by our staff and students.

The Plan launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in November 2020, the impacts of which made stark the varied societal injustices the Plan has, in part, sought to address. Our commitments were pinned down before we knew of Covid-19, but the pandemic did not inhibit our progress: it galvanised our commitment to our local communities and directly catalysed some activity.

Professor Lesley McAra CBE, Assistant Principal Community Relations

Our 32 commitments

We’ve made progress on all 32 of our commitments from November 2020, and 26 are where we hoped they would be by October 2025. Milestones have included:

  • The launch of our partnership with IntoUniversity, which includes an education centre in Craigmillar, Edinburgh.
  • Full commitment of £8 million of our funds to social investments.
  • The launch of the Binks Hub, advancing the involvement of local non-professional researchers in research.
  • The launch of Education Beyond Borders, enhancing our support for refugee scholars.
  • Adoption of our Community Access to Rooms scheme, providing free meeting space to almost 200 local community groups.
  • Opening of the Usher and Edinburgh Futures Institute buildings, designed with local partners in mind, and the first fixed location for our veterinary outreach initiative at 127 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh.
  • Our repurposing of Rullion Green Wood in the Pentland Hills Regional Park to enhance its biodiversity, animal habitats and public access.
  • Publication of our wide-scoped Race Review, development of which included robust community engagement.
  • Completion of the Our Edinburgh Neighbourhood project, improving best practice in community planning.

We have also seen significant incremental progress on employee volunteering, procurement community benefits, local political engagement, our approach to estates developments, our involvement with flagship Edinburgh festivals, and inclusive access to our sport and exercise facilities. Functions have been created to make it easier for communities to engage with our art exhibitions, heritage collections and the University at large.

Work in progress

There are still a handful of commitments yet to be fully realised. Like many other UK universities, we are currently facing financial challenges. Covid-19 also impacted our workforce. Some staff roles or the context have evolved, or ambitions have grown.

  • Our processes to share resources with communities are often ad hoc, limiting scale.
  • Realisation of some of our plans for large-scale opportunities for students to get involved with community engagement as part of their studies are, at least for now, paused.
  • Our plans to involve local alumni in our work are still in development.
  • The Scottish University Community Network has not met in several years, but was a useful way to create connections between universities working in this area.
  • Our Race Review has been completed and recommendations made, but our response is still being developed.
  • We have expanded support for youth employment, but this is yet to translate into the growth we would like in opportunities such as apprenticeships.

Continuation of work to progress these commitments is in scope of the Community Plan 2025-30, which is already in motion.

Retirement

In the next few months (spring 2026), I will be retiring from the University and consequently will end my term as Assistant Principal Community Relations. As an academic, I have always had a strong belief in the capacity of the University to be a force for social good. And in all of the many leadership roles I have taken on over my career, I have always sought to further the University’s civic commitments. In the ten years since my colleagues and I obtained approval for the University’s very first Community Plan, I have been delighted to witness so much collaborative progress and I am deeply proud to have worked with so many wonderful colleagues in the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Communications and Marketing, across the three Colleges and beyond. My colleagues will continue to work in partnership to create real change that communities in Edinburgh, Lothians, Fife and Borders want to see: a University in, with and for our local community. 

Lesley McAra CBE, Assistant Principal Community Relations

 


Our progress

1. Support social impact

Including fully committing £8 million in social investments.

2. Share knowledge and experience

We made significant donations to local charities and communities.

3. Build close connections

We’ve played an active role in the political life of our region at various levels.

4. Provide services to our communities

We had a record number of Career Ready volunteer mentors.

5. Open up our estate

We’ve improved local green spaces for communities.

The Community Plan 2025-30 has been shaped by 18 months of conversations with local communities, staff and students. Building on the significant progress we made during our 2016-20 and 2020-25 Plans, the new Plan commits the University to supporting community-driven change that improves the lives of people living in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Scottish Borders. Informed by the University’s strengths, the Plan has three priorities for action:

  1. Partnering for positive social impact
  1. Promoting equalities, now and in the future
  1. Thriving communities

  • University staff: Endorse the Plan to colleagues; invite the Community Team to come and speak about it; use it to inform personal and local planning; tell the Community Team how you’re already delivering on it; join the Edinburgh Community Engagement Forum; use your Day to Make a Difference.
  • University students: Invite the Community Team to come and speak about the Plan at your society’s meetings; volunteer locally via the Students’ Association; join the Edinburgh Community Engagement Forum; tell the Community Team how you’re already delivering on it.
  • Community partners: Consider how the Community Plan could support the strategic objectives of your organisation; contact the Community Team if you think there is an opportunity to collaborate; make use of our resources for communities. 

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