New England Bio Labs Supports East Lothian Community

 

Recently New England Bio Labs supported 6 projects in the Edinburgh & South East City Region area with contributions towards their activities in the community.  

New England Biolabs was founded in the mid-1970s as a collective of scientists committed to developing innovative products for the life sciences industry. They are proud to be a world leader in the discovery and production of enzymes for molecular biology applications.

As part of their contract with the University of Edinburgh, New England Biolabs is committed to engaging in Community Benefits throughout Edinburgh and South East Scotland.

They are motivated by a set of core, foundational values:

• Being a Responsible Company
• Activism
• Philanthropy and Foundation Support
• Environmental Stewardship

They were keen to support Fa'side Community Kitchen, based in Tranent and the Bridges Project in Musselburgh as this aligns with their University of Edinburgh contract - part of which is to support local community initiatives.

 

 

The Bridges Project They offer Youth Work services for young people aged 12-25 across East and Midlothian.

They aim to  provide a holistic, person-centred service that wraps around young people to meet their needs. The young people that they help are often experiencing family poverty, school attendance issues or struggles with their physical or mental health.
Many of the young people they support are socially isolated, anxious, and vulnerable. They offer group work which allows them to meet peers in a safe, relaxed, and nonjudgmental space while providing them with vital life and social skills.

 

The project are always looking for support with materials and ingredients for various arts and crafts, animal therapy, and cooking groups, as well as money to cover different excursions across the Lothians for our young people.
The financial donation to the Bridges Project will allow the team  enhance the experience of the vulnerable young people that they support.

 

Fa'side Community Kitchen By serving Tranent and its surrounding villages, the ydedicated team at Fa'side seeks to develop a supportive food provision to tackle inequalities and reduce the strain of food insecurity and food poverty in the community,by providing opportunities for people to meet and make friends.
The Community Kitchen supports the wider community including members with learning difficulties, and this provides a great opportunity for their carers to get a hot meal, a chance to socialise and a break. They also have other people who are struggling with drug and alcohol issues and for many their service has become a lifeline for many people in the area.

They team added a request to our site looking for donations towards their teas and coffees as they opreate on very limited funds, and the donation from New England Bio Science helps support Fa'side Community Kitchen to support the community they serve.
In the autumn last year, the team increased their opening times to provide more opportunities for people to socialise. It was also a way of providing a warm space as most of our customers are on low and fixed incomes providing them with a tea/coffee and a snack.  

"Customers tell us that meeting up in a cafe isn't affordable or that they don't have someone to share that with. The popularity of these sessions means that the cost of providing tea and coffee is increasing.
We host a social cafe twice a week where they can enjoy a hot drink, a sweet treat and have the opportunity to meet and make friends. This cafe is helping to tackle social isolation in our community and to promote mental wellbeing. As the weather gets colder, it is also a warm space when many are worried about their energy bills."