Every year 1LET support a local charity and this year we asked Jen McQuistan from FreshStart to come in and tell us about the charity.

Fresh Start is Edinburgh based and helps people who have been homeless to get established in their new homes. Jen explained that for many people who have been homeless, they have no belongings. When they move into a flat they don’t have the basic necessities like dishes, bed linen, pots & pans, cleaning products, electrical items and food. They can only achieve this with the hard work of volunteers and the generosity of the donations they receive.

FreshStart make up 'Starter Packs' of these items at their warehouse in Edinburgh and Ken & Julia from 1LET visited and saw for themselves what a fantastic job they are doing.

Many 1LET tenants leave these basic necessities behind when they leave a property. We discussed with Jen that going forward we could collect and donate these items to them for use in the Starter Packs.

They also deliver a range of services that provide the practical and social support that help people resettle successfully and turn their new tenancy into a real home. Hit squads of volunteers go into flats and help the tenants paint and decorate. They also run cooking courses, and training initiatives like PAT Test training and Jump Start which develops employability skills. These Training Initiatives offer the opportunity to gain skills, experience and qualifications that will help them find a job.

We all found Jen’s presentation very thought provoking and interesting. As well as donating items, we have made a financial donation and are hoping to be able to support them practically in the near future, perhaps as part of a Hit Squad.

For more information about Fresh Start you can visit their website here