On Wednesday 5th September, Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council (EVOC) staff, including a very elderly black Labrador called Sally, will deliver ‘thank you cards’ to voluntary organisations across the city. The team will broadcast their journey, in a series of live Twitter video streams and provide information and insights into the charities that will be featured.
This event is part of a yearlong programme of activities and events to mark EVOC’s 150th Anniversary. During this time, EVOC has gone from providing poor relief and improving sanitation in Victorian Edinburgh to supporting charities, community and voluntary organisations to make life fairer for people from all walks of life.
Many of the charities that will form part of the route, have their origins in EVOC and as part of uncovering Edinburgh’s rich heritage of benevolent organisations, the team will be uncovering and explaining these links.
Lucy Ridley, EVOC 150 Programme Manager, said: “EVOC has been supporting Edinburgh’s residents through its work with charities for 150 years. What a lot of people don’t know is that organisations such as Volunteer Edinburgh and the Edinburgh branch of Citizens Advice Bureau were originally projects within EVOC. This journey is a great way to recognise these special relationships, and also to thank the people in these organisations for the work they do.”
The journey will start at the EVOC offices on Ashley Place from 09:30am and the route will cover charities based in Leith, Stockbridge and the New Town.
EVOC invite you to watch our journey by following us on Twitter at @evoc_edinburgh and using the hashtag #EVOC150.
More information about the EVOC 150th Anniversary project can be found at www.evoc150.org.uk