Looking Back on 2025: A Busy Year for MCA
As we get ready to close the office for the holidays, we’ve been looking back at everything that’s happened this year – and wow, it’s been busy!
We started the year with a bang, officially becoming Midlothian Community Action (MCA) after merging in April. It was a big step, but it means we can combine expertise to even better support Midlothian’s third sector.
We’ve welcomed new faces at the Volunteer Recruitment Fair, and helped young people gain skills through the Volunteer Like a BOSS project. In June, we celebrated amazing volunteers at the Midlothian Volunteer Awards and held our first-ever Midlothian-wide volunteer satisfaction survey as part of research into improving collective evaluation. And our projects like Connect Befriending, Connect Online, and the Conversation Café have kept people connected and supported.
There’s been plenty more training and events too – from PVG information sessions and launching the Governance Wiki, to hosting an interactive AI & Innovation workshop.
It’s hard to summarise everything we’ve been up to but we’ve pulled together some highlights from the past year.
Transform Project
In Transform‘s community garden, several major improvements are underway, including a new stumpery and a beautifully handcrafted bench, potting table, and compost bays, made by inmates at HMP Saughton. Our old benches have been generously repaired by the Dalkeith’s Men Shed, and we’ve had fun creating new bird boxes – thanks to the team at Jewsons, who kindly donated the wood.
Our volunteer-led Mad Hatter’s Tea Party was a huge success, earning young organisers a 25-hour Saltire Award. Speaking of which, one of our young volunteers hit an incredible milestone of 500 hours, receiving a certificate signed by John Swinney!
Transform also launched an after-school board games club at Hawthornden Primary, where young volunteers help run sessions and support younger pupils. And our SQA students continue to excel in Volunteering Skills and have been instrumental in restoring garden pathways and making the space more welcoming.
It’s been a busy and rewarding year and we are so grateful to everyone – volunteers, mentors, partners, and the wider community who have supported Transform in 2025.
Midlothian Financial Inclusion Network (MFIN)
MFIN has had a busy year, organising the Challenge Poverty Week event, promoting and taking part in the Scotland Demands Better march, co-producing leaflets about Climate Change adaptations and Climate Funding advice. We also worked on the Good Food Nation plan and a Midlothian summary of the census.
The Grassy Riggs
The Grassy Riggs have had a very eventful year, from Connect Online sessions, visits from our local Community Police Officers, and Dalkeith Fire Brigade. Their knitting and crochet group supported a range of causes, from local hospitals & schools to knitting for Ukraine. They ended the year with their biggest project to date, putting together 50 care bags for Street Work Edinburgh, a homeless prevention project.
Midlothian Climate Action Network (MCAN)
Our colleagues at the Midlothian Climate Action Hub have been keeping busy too, with the launch of their themed circles focusing on Biodiversity, Energy & Heat, Reuse & Repair, and Food.
They’ve also been out at plenty of events, from conservation learning days to local community meals. And are already hard at work planning activities for 2026!
Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund
Now in it’s fifth year, the Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund supports Midlothian organisations to deliver activities that improve mental health & wellbeing, benefitting an estimated 1 in 25 residents.
This year, MCA is part of the first multi-year pilot, distributing £300k across three grant streams. Two funding panels supported scoring of the 58 applications and resulted in 7 large, 16 small, and 5 micro projects awarded funding. We are very pleased with the commitment of the scoring panel and the improved quality of applications. We wish all the successful recipients all the very best in setting up their activities and provisions.
Third Sector Summit
This year, we also lead on and organised two Third Sector Summits. The Third Sector Summits, established in 2018, were designed to strengthen equal partnership, support collaboration, and improve outcomes for people in Midlothian.
Held twice a year, they bring together third sector practitioners and Midlothian Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) to share practice, build relationships, and explore joint solutions. The use of Mentimeter at our recent Autumn Third Sector Summit, has enabled effective data collection and the creation of an action plan based on the feedback gathered.
Happy Holidays from MCA!
The end-of-year celebrations at MCA have been jam-packed, starting in November with our Conversation Café group going on a trip to Holyrood House in Edinburgh. Our Volunteer Hub had a festive makeover, hosting a cheerful holiday party for all of our volunteers.
So suffice to say, we’ll be taking a much needed break for the holidays – our office closes at 3pm on Thursday 18 December and will re-open on Monday 5 January 2026. Until then, have a wonderful new year and we’ll see you in 2026!
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