The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Caledonian Exchange, 19A Canning Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EG.
Join our membership community
for voluntary organisations in Scotland
Our latest members
Welcome to all the organisations that have joined SCVO recently. You can find out more about them below:
Tony's Safe Place
Joined SCVO on 29 January
<p>We are a suicide prevention charity. We operate a drop in hub where people in the local community can access peer support from A.S.I.S.T qualified volunteers. We also offer a range of wellbeing activities such as cold water therapy, community outings, men's mental health support group, creative writing classes and more.</p>
Angus Business Hub CIC
Joined SCVO on 28 January
<p>Angus Business Hub is a voluntary community organisation that aims to break down barriers in accessing support for businesses across the Angus region of Scotland. We achieve this through our online community, networking and workshop events, social events and we are in the process of building an online resource hub. It is our aim to bolster and bring together the existing business initiatives in the county to the benefit of all whilst offering a safe community space for business owners to connect, access peer-to-peer support and reduce isolation.</p>
Dunterlie Action Group
Joined SCVO on 28 January
<p>We are a coalition of group leaders who have formed an action group in order to involve more local people in our work, strengthen local partnerships, enhance the knowledge and skills of our members while building a deeper understanding of the issues affecting our community. We will work towards community management and/or ownership of the centre. Develop a partnership of organisations who can help us improve the running of the building. Work towards the Community Centre being opened daily including weekends and providing a friendly reliable welcome. We aim to secure long term funding to support and further our aims of community-led activity. We will develop the ability to employ staff and fund volunteer expenses as they will be able to help us demonstrate the continued value of the work we do. This includes increasing the visits to the center from under 100 to over 300 per week, the creation of 15 new groups that help to address social isolation, poverty, mental health, educational outcomes and many other issues. We plan to continue being open, inclusive and transparent in how we work. We will improve our communication, using all relevant methods, to ensure we reach as many people as possible. Continue the momentum and strong sense of community that is felt in the Centre and use this to build connection and cohesion. We want to provide a space where the Community of Dunterlie can explore and test ideas that important to them. We will work to strengthen groups and partnerships so that Dunterlie Action Group continues to be a resilient and sustainable organisation that supports local people to build a community that are proud to live in and feel empowered to participate in.</p>
Greenlaw Primary School Parents and Friends Association
Joined SCVO on 28 January
<p>The Greenlaw Parents and Friends Association are a group of people from the school community who endeavour to support the school with these aims: -To promote close co-operation and communication between parents and teachers. -To promote equality and fairness -To study and discuss matters of mutual interest relating to the education and welfare of pupils -To engage in activities which support and advance the education of pupils attending the school</p> <ul> <li>This parent council, formally known as PTA, now known as Parent and Friends Association (PFA) The PFA also organise fundraising events through the year to provide financial assistance to achieve the aims.</li> </ul>
Prehab2Rehab Scotland
Joined SCVO on 28 January
<p>Prehab2Rehab is a pioneering charity offering a unique and compassionate service to cancer patients across Scotland. Our mission is to transform the way individuals experience cancer care—providing personalised, wraparound support that turns compassion into meaningful action. Originally founded as Appleclinic4U—a private practice and Community Interest Company linked to Professor Susan Moug’s cancer clinic—our work began with colorectal cancer patients. Today, we support individuals facing a wide range of cancer diagnoses, including breast, brain, ovarian, prostate, sarcoma, and lung cancers. Professor Moug, a Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon, has long championed the power of tailored prehabilitation and rehabilitation to improve patient treatment outcomes. At Prehab2Rehab, we offer targeted interventions for patients undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Once referred by their clinician, each patient receives personalised, in-person care, with weekly assessments to monitor physical and mental wellbeing. This approach ensures that every individual is supported holistically throughout their treatment journey. We are in early stages of developing our Rehabilitation Community Project, which supports individuals living with cancer or recovering from treatment. As more people live longer with cancer, the need for ongoing physical and emotional support becomes increasingly urgent. We aim to expand our services to include: ● Nutrition and lifestyle guidance ● Mental health and emotional wellbeing support ● Functional movement and exercise programmes ● Peer support groups and financial wellbeing advice In collaboration with cancer nurse specialists, w have extended our services to support women who carry the BRCA gene—addressing a critical gap in care. Our members benefit from rehabilitation conditioning classes, fitness assessments, psychological support, nutritional advice, and more. Through our partnership with Beatson Cancer Charity, they also have access to free wellbeing services to help navigate the uncertainty of living with cancer. Why Your Support Matters ● The demand for our services continues to grow. Hundreds of individuals face the fear and uncertainty of cancer treatment with little support to help them adapt and regain control of their lives. ● Prehabilitation and rehabilitation are scientifically proven to improve outcomes and accelerate recovery—physically and mentally. Denying patients access to these services is not only unjust, but it also places additional strain on NHS resources.</p>
Arbroath 2020
Joined SCVO on 27 January
<p>We create cultural activities for our community to take part in, poetry workshops, printing workshops, storytelling etc. All free, some targeted and some open to the public. Each year we have a theme and work towards sharing with as many of our community as we can.</p>
Borders Forest Trust
Joined SCVO on 27 January
<p>Our vision for Southern Scotland is a place where a rich tapestry of native woodlands and wild places flourish, cared for by volunteers and local communities. Borders Forest Trust is a charity established to restore native woodland habitats to Southern Scotland, an area with the lowest percentage of native woodlands in mainland Scotland. Since 1996, we have been working towards planting trees, restoring peatlands and other natural habitats, enriching the biological diversity of around 31 sq km in the Southern Uplands.</p> <p>We aim to demonstrate large scale ecological restoration in action, and inspire landowners, statutory bodies, local communities and policy makers to embrace this alternative model for land use and conservation. We work in partnership with a wide range of local and national organisations as well as landowners, universities, colleges and schools. We are supported by a committed group of volunteers, supporters and donors.</p>
The Hillington Bridge Club SCIO
Joined SCVO on 27 January
<p>The SCIO will promote, advance and further Charitable purposes by operating to:- organise recreational activities which relate to the promotion, learning, teaching and playing of bridge and to do so in an inclusive manner irrespective of any factors (including age, skill and experience); and to provide educational opportunities for all</p>
The Scottish ADHD Coalition
Joined SCVO on 27 January
<p>Our Coalition has three aims:</p> <ol> <li><p>To raise awareness of ADHD and of the voluntary support groups available to parents and people with ADHD across Scotland. </p> </li> <li><p>To build the capacity of leaders of voluntary ADHD groups to run effective, sustainable support in their local areas by sharing ideas, resources and encouragement between groups</p> </li> <li><p>To represent the views of our member groups and the people they support, and provide a platform for joint campaigning to improve diagnosis and support for people with ADHD and their families across Scottish public services, including the NHS, education, local authorities, police and the criminal justice system. We will do this in partnership with other organisations wherever possible and appropriate.</p> </li> </ol>
Britain Palestine Project
Joined SCVO on 26 January
<p>Britain Palestine Project (BPP) works to advance a just, lawful and sustainable peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Our work is grounded in international law, historical responsibility, and the principle that peace must be built on equality, parity of esteem, human rights and accountability rather than force or indefinite domination. BPP’s distinctive contribution lies in addressing Britain’s unique historical and contemporary role in Palestine. From the legacy of the Mandate period to the UK’s current responsibilities as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and a key diplomatic actor, Britain continues to help shape the political, legal and humanitarian conditions on the ground. BPP exists to ensure that these responsibilities are better understood, publicly debated, and reflected in UK policy.</p> <p>We work across three interconnected strands: public education, policy engagement, and accountability grounded in international law.</p> <p>First, BPP undertakes public education to deepen understanding of the history, law and lived realities of Israel-Palestine. This includes producing research, films, briefings, public events and digital content that challenge misinformation, simplify complex legal and historical issues without distorting them, and centre Palestinian and Israeli voices committed to equality and justice. A core aim of this work is to widen the space for informed, evidence-based discussion in a highly polarised public environment.</p> <p>Second, BPP engages directly with policymakers and political institutions in the UK and internationally. We provide analysis, convene dialogues, and support parliamentarians, officials and civil society actors in the nations and regions of the UK to examine how international law applies in practice to issues such as occupation, annexation, humanitarian access, arms transfers, sanctions, recognition, and post-conflict reconstruction. Our approach is non-partisan but not neutral: we are guided by legal obligations, not political convenience. We seek to shift policy debates from abstract commitments to peace towards concrete questions of compliance, responsibility and enforcement. Third, BPP places accountability at the centre of any credible pathway to peace. We work to clarify the legal frameworks governing the conflict — including international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and the law on state responsibility — and to assess the implications of international judicial processes, including those of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. We believe that accountability is not an obstacle to peace but a precondition for it, and that durable political solutions cannot be built on impunity or selective application of the law.</p> <p>Across all our work, BPP emphasises Palestinian agency and inclusive legitimacy. We reject approaches that treat Palestinians solely as humanitarian subjects or security problems, and we critically examine initiatives that promise “stability” or “reconstruction” while deferring or diluting core rights. Our guiding principle is what we describe as parity of esteem: the insistence that peace requires equal application of law, equal political rights, and equal human dignity. By combining rigorous research, credible policy engagement and public-facing education, Britain Palestine Project seeks to contribute to a future in which UK policy supports—not undermines—a just and lasting peace in Israel-Palestine.</p>
Edinburgh EquiLearn
Joined SCVO on 26 January
<p>Edinburgh EquiLearn CIC is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company that runs equine-assisted learning and wellbeing programmes using horses and outdoor activities to help children, young people and adults build confidence, resilience, life skills and emotional wellbeing. They offer 1:1 sessions, group programmes and work with schools and community partners, also promoting connection with nature and sustainability.</p>
Galashiels and Area Foodbank
Joined SCVO on 26 January
<p>Support of those who lack the means to provide for themselves and their household in terms of food and household goods. This includes fresh and dry foodstuffs including fresh fruit and vegetables.</p>
Glasgow Community Concert Band
Joined SCVO on 26 January
<p>Our organisation is an inclusive, non-auditioning community concert band, based in the East end of Glasgow. It originated as a school band and a number of players have been in the band since then. The band provides opportunities for adults of a wide range of ages and abilities to develop their musical skills through playing a full range of concert band music. It provides more expensive instruments on free loan to players whilst they are members. The band puts on two main concerts per year for a nominal entry fee to cover the costs of venue hire etc. It has supported the East Glasgow Music School through combined concerts and donations, enabling the children and young people to benefit from paying alongside adult musicians. In addition, it performs at shopping centres, bandstands and so on, raising money to purchase new instruments as required and for a variety of good causes. Being a member of the band is in itself a social activity and addition we encourage band members to attend social events held in members' homes etc Being a member of the band is not just educational, but recreational and enhances the wellbeing of members.</p>
You Can Cook Community Interest Company
Joined SCVO on 26 January
<p>You Can Cook’s mission is to encourage and empower local communities to make informed choices about their food and health while allowing them to make these changes at their own pace. We enable participants to engage in a social and educational activity through learning basic techniques and skills in cookery. You Can Cook works with a variety of different groups across Scotland. There is a particular interest in working with groups that have been economically or socially disadvantaged to help them regain their health and confidence. You Can Cook have delivered a number of successful programmes and projects since its inception in 2007. Before the 2019 Covid Lockdown, cookery and growing sessions were delivered to around 50 individuals per month on average. This included clients from all age groups and involved working directly with clients for a minimum of 20 hours per week. The organisation has run various programmes from Pick, Cook and Eat, a project working with the disadvantaged and homeless in partnership with Whitmuir Organics in Lamancha, to working with Scottish Borders Housing Association managing a 2-year contract working with under 18s teaching them new skills and how to cook healthy seasonal foods in their new homes. Projects delivered for primary schools have included working with 4 local primary schools on food, health and well-being and food miles, raising awareness around the impact of sourcing foods from across the world as well as a one-year project entitled “Food for Thought” with 3 local primary schools supporting parents and young people in understanding more about the food they eat and all the available options for eating and managing a healthy diet. Other work has included a pilot working with women ex-offenders with work targeting this group to provide support and training in food and health alongside East and North Ayrshire Councils. Another successful project for the organisation was the two year “Youth Can Cook” project that targeted disadvantaged young people. The objective of the project was to work with a range of skills that the young people would bring to the project and to focus on developing their strengths rather than highlighting their weaknesses. The project can be summed up as “culinary mentoring” using food and cooking as a tool to be motivated and build confidence and to channel their energies creatively in the kitchen. We run a professional training programme to help and support individuals regain their confidence, learn transferable skills through cooking, acquire new knowledge about food and health and the discipline required to work in the industry. We train young people in particular to develop life skills and find out if they are suited to a career in the catering industry? Various interactive cooking classes are delivered in various locations. We use seasonal and local produce where possible but focus on local and international menus. We can cater for low budget meals, special diets and vegan/vegetarian meals. Little Cooks (Under 12s) are classes designed for children.</p>
Central Leith After School Provision - Clasp After School Club
Joined SCVO on 23 January
<p>CLASP are a non profit charity organisation based in the Leith area of Edinburgh. We offer after school care Mon-Fri for over 150 children and all day Holiday club care throughout the school holidays. Our aim is to provide children with educational and stimulating play opportunities that they might not have access to at home. We plan daily activities and holiday club programmes based on the likes and interests of the child to enhance their learning experiences. We create a clean and safe environment where children have the freedom and choice to take part in what interests them. We go on regular outings to historic sites, animal centres and sporting facilities as well as many other child friendly venues.</p>
Flip of the Coin
Joined SCVO on 23 January
<p>Flip of the Coin CIC is a women and lived experience-led organisation that puts community first. We are based in Easter Ross in the beautiful Highlands, and aim to connect people to the land and the people that surround them. We achieve this by reconnecting people with themselves and others through inclusive creative activities. Supported by freelance artists and community organisations we create new opportunities for adults experiencing inequalities to positively engage their creative selves, the natural environment and others with similar lived experiences. FoTC was set up in response to research that we have been doing in this area that showed that there was nowhere for people to go and join a community that enjoyed the arts but were not professional artists. There are no free art sessions anywhere in Easter Ross, nowhere for people to go and make friends and build community with others who enjoy creating. We combine our art sessions with nature and encourage our community to get outdoors and into their green spaces. The FoTC executive director has lived experience in the criminal justice system and addiction. Her recovery process was grounding herself in nature and learning how to express herself through creative methods. The Art of Wellbeing draws together all we have learned over the last few years. From tackling individual isolation during the pandemic, to imaginatively navigating more recent collective challenges of keeping warm and fed as a result of the cost of living crisis. We are part of the University of Edinburgh Scotland wide REALITES Research Project which maps the contribution that creative practice makes to tackling health inequalities. The emerging evidence illustrates that creative practice and bringing people together in nature is essential in developing individual skills that lead to a positive and more sustainable way of living and feeling a greater connection to, and being a part of our rural community.</p>
Forth Children's Theatre SCIO
Joined SCVO on 23 January
<p>Forth Children's Theatre (FCT) began in 1978 to offer a positive, exciting, low-cost space for young people aged 10–18 to discover & explore their love of theatre. There is no membership or participation fee, only a nominal fee of £25 following a successful audition to help cover admin & insurance. Any profit made goes directly back into the running of the organisation, ensuring premises are maintained, licenses paid & productions have that showstopping quality. FCT operates solely on the generosity of grants, people's time & donations. We put on a two shows a year, each with a cast of between 30 - 45 young people. We work with a mix of professional creatives (Directors; Chorographers, Musical Directors) and new creatives looking for experience. We have also had previous FCTers return to work with us in creative roles. Each show requires a minimum of five hours of rehearsal each week over a three-month period. Cast are taught acting, singing and dancing skills, but above this, they learn teamwork and respect. Each show we are blown away by the talent and dedication of the cast and we see the young people's confidence, abilities and support of each other thrive. Many of our productions include a live-band which consists of various musicians who are also volunteers. Our productions receive great reviews and our last three shows saw us perform to more than 2500 audience members. We are very lucky to have an army of around 50 to oversee the day-to-day running, strategy, production management, marketing, wellbeing & safety of the children. What unites every volunteer is their love of theatre and willingness to make a difference for children in Edinburgh. Due to having more young people audition to our shows than we can cast, we have offered more opportunities than ever in 2024/5, including working as part of the tech or front of house teams in show week; musical theatre workshops; a tour and workshop at the Edinburgh Playhouse and an Audition Preparation workshop for those applying to performance schools. We are also looking to engage more with other organisations, such as QMU's Behind the Scenes Theatre Company, a group of 4th year students who provided five weeks of workshops in acting, directing and design to our young people this year. All of these workshops were offered free of charge, or with a minimal cost to ensure they are open to all. We continue to look for ways to grow and welcome more young people for whom joining a theatre group would be impossible due to cost.</p>
Friends of Glenan Wood
Joined SCVO on 23 January
<p>Friends of Glenan Wood are responsible for managing the 146 hectares of temperate rainforest known as Glenan Wood, which is owned by the communities incorporating the parish of Kilfinan in South West Cowal, Scotland.</p>
Peace Out CIC
Joined SCVO on 23 January
<p>Peace Out CIC will offer opportunities to individuals, groups, and organisations seeking access to a variety of creative, engaging, sustainable, and forward-thinking death education programmes and services.</p> <p>Mission: To normalise conversations about death and dying, promote environmentally sustainable funeral choices, and reduce funeral poverty, Vision: A society where everyone can afford a dignified, meaningful, and eco-conscious farewell. Values: Compassion • Transparency • Sustainability • Inclusion • Dignity Core Objectives: 1. Empower communities to discuss death, grief, and planning openly. 2. Encourage sustainable, low-impact funerals through education and partnerships. 3. Make affordable, respectful funeral options accessible to all, regardless of income.</p>
Strings N Things Auchinleck
Joined SCVO on 23 January
<p>We are a group of local amateur musicians who meet to perform and rehearse music which we perform at local care homes and local community events. We hope to improve the quality of life for local people and also improve confidence in the members perfomances</p>