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← Community Wellbeing Collective

2025-03-31-accounts

Community Wellbeing Collective TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024-28025

WHO IS COMMUNITY WELLBEING COLLECTIVE?

The Community Wellbeing Collective (CWC) is a durational social art collective of 30 people living in and connected to Wester Hailes. It is a diverse, intergenerational, intercultural, working-class community-led and run organisation - imagining, practising and creating space for collective wellbeing towards change.

Members are local residents of Wester Hailes, which is in the top 5% of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Through our members and long term community embedded engagement, we have well-established, trusted relationships in the community and reach marginalised groups which many services do not reach. We have been running as a Charity for over a year, in our first year we raised £105,885 for our program and overheads, with over 7000 people participating in our space and activities.

It was initiated by social practice artists Jeanne van Heeswijk, Bobby Sayers and Josie Tothill commissioned by Edinburgh Art Festival in partnership with WHALE Arts. They brought people together to discover and grow shared urgencies, forming a group where people can be themselves activating their talents, sparking personal, community and structural transformation. This process resulted in the creation of the Community Wellbeing Space in an abandoned off-licence as part of EAF22.

Together we run our own space in Wester Hailes, by and for the people, offering over 350+ free activities per year, including monthly ‘Anchor Events collaborating closely with artists and relevant organisations around subjects that are barriers to better wellbeing and local change such as housing, racism, social care, addiction, cost of living crisis and others, bringing people together around action needed and in touch with resources to make change.

The Space continues to be a living art-work brought to life each time a human comes to rest, connects and plays within it. Local members host the space and deliver political events and wellbeing activities which suspend the suffocation of intersecting oppressions, creating space to breathe and the possibility to dream together. 

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“The comm spac 2S I peo wou ha els Ou a g chari 3 run ople. Y en you wt oor, you g they stuc things come

We value the work of every member and and are committed to fair pay. We offer a living wage for all scheduled hours and always look for opportunities for training and development.

We have identified these roles as essential for the sustainability of the organisation:

These roles have evolved from our previous structure to better support the organisation’s next phase.

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APRIL 2024-MARCH 2025 4 YEARS 3YEARS RUNNING OUR OWN AS A COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY SPACE 2ND YEAR AS A REGISTERED CHARITY

8 SOCIALLY 5 DAYS ENGAGED ART open per week for COLLABORATIONS activities & drop-in 5220 participants 10 ANCHOR EVENTS 

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Partnerships & Collaborations

University of Edinburgh, Heriot Watt University, Community Yoga, Grass Roots Remedies, Body Remedy, ScoreScotland, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh Printmakers, Rise Up Glasgow, Tasting Change Wester Hailes, Wester Hailes Health Agency, Wester Hailes Community Trust, WhaleArts, With Kids, Support@Work, The Stove, Pan African Workers Association, Unite the Union, MEECOP, Queen Vital Carribean Food, Jenny Ququndah, Build Recovery, Wester Hailes Community Action, The Scheme, I Love Heating, Lynnete Gray, Southside AllClean Coop, Wester Hailes Growing Communities, Nurses United Nurses of Colour, Haven for Artists, Starcatchers, Big Noise, Community Cinema. 

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The RobertsonTrust

%y COMMUNITY FUND Cal CCG €DINBVRGH THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL (Community Grants Fund) Ll LOTTERY FUNDED

PEOPLE'S POSTCODE @ Postcobe SLOTTERYS fi dat Ll

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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The Community Wellbeing Collective is a community led charity group run by majority local residents from Wester Hailes and connecting areas, who work to combat the negative effects of poverty and social isolation, supporting a diversity of ages, sexualities, minorities, disabilities and ethnic backgrounds. We use arts, culture, health and wellbeing activities to connect and engage communities, creating change and implementing strategies for lasting effects in the communities. We use interdisciplinary and reflective approaches with a focus on sustainable and meaningful projects, exploring how communities can shape their own futures.

Aims:

  1. The prevention or relief of poverty

  2. The relief of those in need due to age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.

  3. The advancement of citizenship or community development

  4. The advancement of the arts and culture

WHAT WE DO

1) ‘Wellbeing for the people, by the people’

We deliver a diverse and accessible programme of free wellbeing activities led by local residents, who share their skills with the wider community. This approach both expands access to wellbeing and builds confidence, skills, and leadership among facilitators themselves. The programme includes offerings like meditation, zumba, language exchange, children stay and play, sober dancing, afro hairstyling and ceramics. These activities respond to the varied cultural, physical, and social needs of our community while fostering connection, dignity, and mutual support.

Continued.... 

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2) Exploring Barriers to Better Wellbeing: Anchor Events

Monthly large scale monthly events on themes connected to the wider politics of wellbeing, with workshops, community meals, open mics, and round table discussions. Each event focuses on a specific theme such as ageing, housing, caring for our bodies, or nurturing childhood and education. We invite organisations and practitioners to directly connect the community to resources, networks, and knowledge. Many of these conversations lead to collective actions and advocacy, contributing to broader dialogue and, in some cases, influencing policy.

3) Art as a Tool for Empowerment

We champion socially engaged art as a vital way to build community resilience. This year, we collaborated with creative practitioners and organisations like My Body Remedy, Southside All Clean Coop, and Pupak Hagigui, and commissioned a mural by Fraser Gray. By participating in panel discussions like the Cooper Gallery’s "Who Makes Art Visible?" (Dundee), we ensure our community's creative voice is heard in wider cultural spaces.

4) Healthy Community Meals

CWC members provide healthy community meals twice a week. These meals play a vital role in building social connection, offering practical support during the cost-of-living crisis, and creating welcoming spaces where people can gather.

5) A public space of respite

Our space is open 5 days a week, 2 days publicly and 3 days for closed group activities, our public hours include evenings and weekends when there are no other spaces open in the area. We consider rest and respite integral in the fight for a better world, and together resist the forces creating harsh living conditions.

7) Training and Development for staff & members

We actively seek opportunities for training and professional development to support both staff wellbeing and organisational resilience. This approach strengthens individual capacity while fostering a shared sense of ownership, belonging, and collective responsibility. 

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We worked to bring artistic experiences to a community with historically limited access to the arts by inviting artists to engage with urgent local themes in collaboration with trusted community members. We mantain a strong relationship with Edinburgh Art Festival and we were awarded with the National Lottery Open Fund Creative Scotland with £20.608 for our programme Carving Out Space for Public Imagining.

The themes addressed in this programme included: Connection, radical care, creativity, community, movement, resilient living and, climate crisis. Invited artists/collectives worked with us on each of these themes, developing social practice in a way that is relevant to the current artistic landscape in Scotland while co-producing an exciting programme that directly addressed the needs of the local community. Through each collaboration and event, we broke down barriers around mental health and isolation, making wellbeing more accessible. The support we received enabled us to create an inclusive, dynamic space for creativity and connection, imagining a world where wellbeing is not just an aspiration but a permanent possibility.

Some of the artists we collaborated with include:

As part of artist Suzanne Lacy’s exhibition, CWC was invited to participate in a panel discussion at the Cooper Gallery (Dundee). We hosted the Travelling Gallery as well as an exhibition created by Edinburgh College of Art’s Fine Art students and Sighthill Primary School, and engaged in conversations with Embassy Gallery.

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Wester Hailes & Beyond: Wellbeing W es t er Supportorganisations is a directoryin the Wester of charit Ha i leses and area that local residents use to meet Ha |7les & the needs of their minds, body and B souls. It is not exhaustive and does a y on d a not include the vast number of groups, collectives and organisations working towards a better world centred on P care and fulfilment, but it is a point in Wellbein g the right direction to find support the S Community Wellbeing Collective U p p Oo r t cannot offer and is an introduction to other spaces in which to meet needs A localCommunity& national Wellbeingdirectory, compiledCollectiveby the and find7 abundance, solidarity,. . friendship and more.

info@starcatchers.org.uk emergency service number in the » starcatchers.org.uk UK where you can reach the WesterStarcatchersHailes Youth Agency Housing999 is the official state MuaCrisis & Emergency sginfo@youthagency.net padiiret ion Pellea atsf 032 59668 & 44 Dumbryden Road, EHI4 2AB foodies soecoraaraitertoaree Wester Hailes Library Link Living © westerhalleslibrary@edinburghgov uk Freeeee teWa s a¥l wae Kove Soaaneal ov coher kanes “ | West Side Plaza, EHI4 2ST Street Work Aitsiaaa Gonkn: Mavay bon canna cena eee one he ae ® 0808 178 2323 ( streetteam@streetwork.org.uk ee hth oe ee pba ia Lebeau Loe are worried about someone you think is homeless, Es pipetHcahf a nsrigledCivies Centre.Uw.30 OrgHarvesters Way. EHI4¢ 3JF stra e etwerksaaa wi send a team member to fied them and help them. : ee Lee ee Breathing Space Scotland ®@ 0800 83 85 &4 Wester Hailes Community Trust breathingspace.scot westerhailesct.org.uk ‘Thursday, and Friday 6pm to Monday Gam. B@ O15! 456 3267 Woeterthat hus Hallerbeen establnnedCommunitytoTrustsupportis a collaborativegenuine community-lescommunitydevelopmenterganisation Childline@ 0800 111 “” childline.org.uk WHALE Arts Agency paler info@whalearts.co.uk phone bil. pithegartagThere's alsosta one-to-oneag webchataS pe servicepeinyioeavalabie onlletheir website. whalearts 2 uk Edinburgh Crisis Centre educational classes and clubs. U you are experiencing a mertal health crisis .

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De-escalation° Trainingeh.

The area we work in has a history and present of violence and high rates of drug and alcohol use, it is also a very diverse space and one that is accessed by people who are sometimes in distress. Within this context we create a space of safety and work with principles of compassion, non-judgement and respect.

We have developed our own de-escalation policy and training, which we have refined through the public running of our space. Everyone who works in the space is trained in de-escalation, which raises confidence and the ability to de-escalate, and respond, to a range of situations.

Our trainings are especially relevant for people working within community work and the arts. We recognise each organisation is different and our trainings are designed for an organisation to:

As an added extra we can assist and write a deescalation policy that is unique to the organisation’s context.

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CWC Paid for members to skill up and be trained in:

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POVERTY & TRAUMA

Our work is rooted in the understanding that poverty and trauma are deeply interconnected. We aim to create an accessible, community-led environment where people can build skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging, while offering practical support in response to the challenges they face.

Our space is run by our Collective members—local people from a wide range of backgrounds who bring lived experience of the communities we support. This ensures our work is informed, relevant, and traumainformed. Based in Wester Hailes and serving South West Edinburgh, we work within an area shaped by long-term socioeconomic inequality, social isolation, and structural barriers to opportunity. We respond to this by offering free wellbeing activities open to the public, removing financial barriers to participation. Through regular sessions and largescale Anchor Events, we address interconnected themes such as housing, employment, racism, grief, and poverty.

Practical support is embedded alongside creative and social activity. The Rest Bite Café contributes to addressing food insecurity by offering nutritious meals in a welcoming space that encourages connection and participation. A significant and unexpected outcome of our work has been the development of strong intergenerational connections, with multiple generations of the same families, parents, children, and grandparents, regularly attending activities together.

Through participation, creativity, respite, and agency, we support community-led development. People are not only supported to take part, but actively shape our programme and shared space. 

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CWC reduces social isolation and exclusion by creating space where people can connect through shared lived experiences. At the heart of our mission is fostering social cohesion in a nurturing environment that promotes intercultural dialogue, equality, access, and inclusion.

ANTI-RACIST POLICY

We are committed to fairness, justice and equity, and we see this as an ongoing commitment and learning process. We aim to actively challenge racism and all forms of oppression both within and outside of the CWC. We want everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, to feel safe, valued and like they belong. This year, we worked collectively to develop an AntiRacist Policy, drafted with EDI and anti-racist consultant Jenifer Ba, informed by the collective and a people of colour focus group.

This work was supported by workshops and collective learning. In the coming year, we aim to deepen this work through further training, reflection, and accountability.

CWC members will be actively anti-racist by committing to:

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In July 2024 we were asked to leave our space and secured a 5 year Lease in a detached building on the same Westside Plaza shopping Centre location, meaning we are still central and well connected to many community travel routes. Together with many people from the community we have completely transformed a unusable space into something unique! This process has involved local tradespeople, volunteers, and members of CWC have all contributed their time, skills and creativity to make this space a true reflection of our shared vision.

COMMUNITY INKIND | et: 22.000 COSTS PROV! DED ElectricityPlumbing £8,600 £2,200 Manual Labour £14,600 ° 3G GG00 Other costsKitchen £3,200 saved 9 £2,300

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Type of governing document

As a SCIO, the Community Wellbeing Collective has a constitution which sets out its purpose, structure and describes how it will operate.The Trustees hold responsibility for ensuring that the charity complies with its governing document.

Trustee recruitment and appointment

Trustees work with the Community Wellbeing Collective membership to identify if there are enough trustees with the right knowledge, experience and skills, if the trustees need training or support to do their jobs effectively, and if the board reflects the culture and engaged in inclusive practices of the charity. In March 2024, this year's evaluation, this led us to recruit Holly Knox, currently the Community Development Coordinator for National Galleries of Scotland’s The Art Works. Between 2020 and 2023 she was the Community Engagement Manager at Edinburgh Art Festival, focused on building relationships in Wester Hailes, nurturing community co-production commissions and events. 

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Statement of the charity’s policy on reserves

During any period that our reserves are less than the minimum required, a monthly contribution to the reserves is written into our budget which is allocated from unrestricted funds.

The reserves deemed necessary are reviewed yearly as our costs change.

Financial Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

In this period we raised £82,128 and our main income included:

A significant part of our spending went towards renovating our new space. This was not a typical year, the move was unexpected, and while we secured a five-year lease, it also brought financial challenges. The renovation led to a steep rise in costs for materials and expendables needed to make the space safe, welcoming, and ready for community use.

Previously, we occupied a rent-free space via Outer Spaces. Our current lease is £18,000 per year, excluding VAT. We remain committed to the long-term sustainability of our work. Looking ahead, we will work towards a second phase of purchasing the building through The Scottish Land Fund, so the space can continue to support our community for years to come.

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|Income
‘und||Income
‘und|||| |---|---|---|---| |||BankBalance|£52,128.84| |Expenditure
Cor
staff costs|£19,685
e026 ||BankBalance
31/03/25
||24,1040|
£24,184.30| |sndovente“ow
Bills &Overheads
Marketing|z1G oor
£24,295
£1,564|Changeacross
tren
ee|-£27,944.54
[227,044.56 |
ee| |Materials and
expendables
£27,961
Totat_————SS—=idmo7a |||Difference
betwcenIZE
ena Ben||£0.00| |Totalfunds carried
forward|£27,945|||

|

To deepen collective ownership and support long-term sustainability, CWC is transitioning to a sociocratic governance model, organising work into “circles” with clear areas of responsibility and leadership. These circles will remain interconnected through CWC’s shared values. This model will enable more members—both existing and new—to step into leadership, contribute meaningfully, and strengthen collective accountability and efficiency.

As part of organisational renewal, we will strengthen and diversify the Board by inviting CWC members to step into trustee roles. This approach recognises the wisdom within the community, and creates pathways for contribution for those unable to participate as active members in other ways. It will ensure community voices continue to shape CWC’s future direction.

We aim to strengthen CWC asa leading collective in socially engaged art by fostering collaborations with artists, nurturing talent from within, supporting local creative practitioners, and creating exchanges between local and global art scenes.

CWC members have identified future Anchor Event themes that require collaboration with grassroots organisations, artists, and creative practitioners. These events will continue to use creative and participatory methods to address barriers to wellbeing, reduce isolation, and expand public imagination.

To maximise community access and benefit, we will develop partnerships that allow the space to remain active when CWC is not directly delivering programmes, ensuring it continues to support wellbeing through shared and collaborative use.

CWC aims to continue growing its network and strengthening the organisation by learning from peer organisations. We also recognise that CWC members’ experience and methodologies have much to offer others. We therefore plan to share this learning more widely by participating in events, workshops and collaborative projects across the city.

Signed on behalf of the charity trustees:

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—,-

APPENDIX 3

Independent examiner’s report on the accounts

Independent examiner’s report on the accounts’s report on the accountss report on the accounts
Independent examiner’s report on the accounts’s report on the accountss report on the accounts
V2
Report to the
trustees/members of		 Charity name
CommunityWellbeingCollective
Registered charity
number		 SC
052365
On the accounts of the Period start date
Period end date
charity for the period Day
Month
Year
Day
Month
Year
to
01
04
2024
31
03
2025
Set out on pages (remember to include the page
numbers of additional sheets)
1
Respective
responsibilities of
trustees and examiner		 The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance
with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) 2005 Act and the
Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). The charity trustees
consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (d) of the Accounts Regulations
does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section
44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent
examiner’s statement		 My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts
Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the
charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes
consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeks
explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken
do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and, consequently, I do
not express an audit opinion on the viewgiven bythe accounts.
Independent examiner’s In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention [other than that
statement disclosed on the attached page*]
1.
which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the
requirements:
•
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and
Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and
•
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with
Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
have not been met, or
2.
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper
understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:** te:
19/01/2026
Name:
Relevant professional CIPFA
qualification(s) or body
(if any):
Address:

*Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. If the words do apply, set out those matters which have come to your attention on the following page.

**OSCR will accept digital or typed signatures.

APPENDIX 3

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose

Community Wellbeing Collective: Income and Expenditure April 2024 - March 2025

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||| |---|---| |Income|Funds £| |Donations|£1,945| |Grants|£75,456| |Services|£4,728| |Total|£82,128| |Expenditure|Costs £| |Core staff costs|£19,685| |Sessional workers|£20,216| |Programme Activities and events|£16,351| |Bills & Overheads|£24,295| |Materials and expendables|£27,961| |Marketing|£1,564| |Total|£110,073| |Total Surplus/(Deficit) for the year|-£27,945|

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||| |---|---| |Bank Balance 01/04/24|£52,128.84| |Bank Balance 31/03/25|£24,184.30| |Change across the year|-£27,944.54| |Difference between I&E and Bank|£0.00|

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