The congregation and individual members help many charities, including the following:
Christian Aid Crossreach Dr Neil’s Garden Fairtrade Foundation Fresh Start Jock Tamsons Gairden Richmond’s Hope Samaritan’s Purse Stamp Appeal Tiphereth World Church
Christian Aid
This UK relief and development charity works in over 60 countries helping people, regardless of religion or race. Every year Duddingston Kirk holds a sponsored walk and other fund-raising events. Members are encouraged to ‘Give a Day’s Pay’ on the Sunday nearest to St Andrew’s Day (30 November).
Crossreach
This Church of Scotland charity has many social care projects throughout the country.
Dr Neil’s Garden
In 1963, Drs Andrew and Nancy Neil started work developing a garden in a steep, rocky and overgrown part of the Glebe. They transformed it into an award-winning garden and the work they began has now been taken over by a trust.
FairTrade Foundation
We use fairly traded tea and coffee and regularly have a stall selling FairTrade goods.
Fresh Start
Fresh Start is an Edinburgh-based charity helping people who have been homeless to get established in their new home. In October 2016 we held a Coffee Morning where people ‘paid’ by donating cleaning materials and other household essentials. It was so successful that we keep repeating this fun event.
Jock Tamson’s Gairden
Jock Tamson’s Gairden is an open green space, which is home to community gardens in a beautiful, small parkland setting. The roots of this Gairden are in the diligent labours and enthusiasm of a team of volunteers and groups drawn from the community of Edinburgh. The name comes from that well-loved Scottish saying ‘we’re a’ Jock Tamson’s bairns’ or in English ‘we’re all John Thomson’s children’ and celebrates the egalitarian nature of what we do here: it is a garden for the whole community welcoming everyone regardless of age, ability, sexuality or background.
Richmond’s Hope
This charity, started in 2003 in a neighbouring parish, supports bereaved families. Duddingston Kirk hosts events for them and also raises funds for their work. In January 2018 we hosted a fireworks display with bonfire and a ‘tree of memories’.
Samartian’s Purse
In November we collect gifts in shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. They are sent to children in other countries to share the joy of Christmas with needy children around the world. In 2017 we sent 290 boxes to Eastern Europe.
Stamp Appeal
We collect used postage stamps. Cut them off the envelope, leaving a small margin of paper all round. Leave them in the box in the Kirk vestibule. Recent donations have been used to raise money for the Church of South India’s Othara Eco-Spirituality Centre.
Tiphereth
This group offers places to young adults with special needs. They began in Aberdeen in the late 1940s and their Edinburgh branch is based in Colinton. Tiphereth is cultivating part of the Glebe to grow vegetables and soft fruits.
World Church
Alongside the fundraising activities mentioned above, we have a group which has set up a twinning arrangement with St Mark’s Church in Kabwe, Zambia. In May 2016 we had a visit from two of their members. One of our members visited them in October 2017. In 2018 we bought 191 new Bibles for the congregations at St Marks.
Every November we hold a World Church Craft Fair. The 2017 event raised over £640 to support educational projects in the Third World.
