Who we are Art and Spirituality is a creative and healing social enterprise centered around artistic expression and community connection, featuring a dedicated art studio, yoga space and therapy room, all connected to a welcoming cafe. It became a social enterprise in August 2022 to offer creative arts programming, mental and physical wellness activities to the residents of Gorgie-Dalry-Sighthill, Edinburgh. Our creative programming forms the heart of our offerings, including painting and drawing workshops, mixed media art classes, mandala creation, creative writing sessions, storytelling circles, and rotating art exhibitions showcasing local and international artists. These artistic activities are complemented by holistic wellness classes in yoga, meditation, cooking, coaching, stress management, breathwork, somatic and trauma bodywork and more. Led by a volunteer team of three passionate ethnic minority women, we support inclusion and diversity through arts and healing-based community building. Thanks to our proactive engagement with our international community (75%), we have so far welcomed 15,338 participants (90% women) to 2477 classes and therapies, with creative arts workshops consistently among our most popular offerings. Our mission centers on using creative expression as a pathway to improve mental, emotional and physical well-being, while cultivating a non-judgmental community that amplifies underrepresented voices through visual arts, storytelling, and cultural exchange. "Spirituality" implies personal growth and inner development focused on improving individual well-being through creative self-expression and mindful practice, and is not associated with "religion". Who we support We are committed to uplifting and supporting minority and marginalized women in the Gorgie-Dalry-Sighthill area, particularly those facing racial inequity, poverty, anxiety, trauma, isolation and hidden disabilities. Our work doesn’t stop at the door of our studio. We actively engage with the wider community by embracing sustainable practices, such as reducing waste, sourcing eco- conscious materials for our workshops, and encouraging low-carbon living, reaching our studio by bus, bike or on foot. We host inclusive events in local green spaces like Saughton Park, creating opportunities for healing, connection and personal growth. These gatherings also deepen our relationship with nature, raise awareness of environmental responsibility and inspire meaningful action in the face of climate change. Partnerships and funded events To ensure broad outreach and prioritise the participation of local residents, we are partnering to signpost with the Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organization (SCIO) Mwamba, which supports African and ethnic minority women in Edinburgh. Additionally, we collaborate with several other local community-based organisations, including Health All Round, The Welcoming, the members of the Gorgie-Dalry Forum, and Gorgie War Memorial Hall. In the year 2024-25, we have been awarded grants and projects that helped grow our organization and community, including: - Edinburgh 900 Project by Edinburgh Council This project celebrated Edinburgh’s 900 year anniversary by engaging participants from diverse cultural backgrounds through community building hands-on 7 workshops. Through classes in cooking, music, storytelling, language exchange and art, participants connected their personal heritage with Edinburgh’s history. The project particularly targeted international residents who had limited exposure to the city’s rich heritage resources. Post-workshop feedback demonstrated significant increased awareness and connection to Edinburgh’s heritage. Participants used words like “connecting,” “liberating” and “beautiful” to describe the workshops. One participant shared that the project “gifted me a sense of belonging at a much needed time.” Overall, the project has demonstrated strong potential to grow year-round programming with existing partners, multi-cultural festival development, and cross-community workshops. - Art workshops and classes for anxiety sponsored by Bentley Motors, Absent Friends and Thrive. These workshops focused on self-management of anxiety, navigating grief and fostering dreams and growth. The Absent Friends sponsored workshops targeted support to minority ethnic women, who may be grieving loved ones from afar without the possibility of returning home. The Bentley Motors sponsored workshops consisted of wellbeing educational classes of 60 minutes to teach techniques for problem solving, social connection, and self management of anxiety. Finally, the Thrive sponsored workshop saw participants create a vision for their lives as a garden, planting their dreams and goals like seeds in fertile soil. Participants reported feeling more strongly connected to their community and their peers as a result of engaging in each workshop. Additionally, they reported finding the workshops healing and helpful to their daily lives. One participant deemed the workshop sponsored by Thrive to be “creative” and “good for well-being.” A participant in the Absent Friends workshop felt “thankful for the safe creative space” that the Art and Spirituality CIC created. -The Volant Charitable Trust Small Grants Programme, administered by Foundation Scotland. This wellbeing project delivered a programme of 18 holistic and creative workshops that served local women, with 206 total session attendances. The workshops included art, yoga and breathwork classes. Participants represented 36 different nationalities and diverse age demographics. Participants reported coming into workshops with life stress factors, physical health concerns and mental health stressors. They reported leaving with stress reduction, learning satisfaction and wellbeing improvement. Additionally, 96% of participants reported feeling significantly more connected to their community following the workshop. Participants used the words “grounding,” “fantastic” and “joyful” to describe the program. One participant described a workshop as “very insightful and interesting.” She said: “it created the right atmosphere to connect with yourself.” We have also been awarded an extra Cost of living award from Foundation Scotland -Fair Saturday These workshops focused on reducing stress and pursuing overall wellbeing improvements through learning self care tools. The workshops served diverse ages and nationalities. Participants reported joining the workshops to grow community connection, manage stress relief and cultivate new skills. Following the workshop 90% of participants reported reduced stress, using words like “calming.” “grounding” and “uplifting” to describe their experience. One participant said that access to these affordable workshops “means the world” to them. -Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund by EVOC 2024-25 This project delivered creative workshops, cooking classes and outdoor yoga sessions. From July 2024 to March 2025, the sessions provided a safe and inclusive space for women to connect, learn and improve their well-being through opportunities like art therapy, cultural exchange and mindful activities. The project engaged a total of 73 women of diverse ages and nationalities. Many participants expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to connect with others and find a sense of belonging. Participants used words like “transformational,” "enlightening” and “connecting” to describe the workshops. One participant called a workshop a “beautiful experience.” Another said that attending workshops gained her “insight, strength, and knowledge about where my life is and can go.” -Awards for All, Community Lottery Fund 2025-27(ongoing) This community fund initiative will deliver 80 classes across art, breathwork, yoga, and cooking, specifically focused on teaching self-care and wellbeing self-management techniques. The project combines holistic modalities like yoga, breathwork and creative arts with seasonal Scottish traditions. It has established lasting cultural integration by developing a replicable model for culturally responsive community programming that successfully serves diverse populations of 34 nationalities while building local connection. Internally, it has also fostered resources for stress management in individual participants. The organisation now has proven expertise in delivering self-care education that empowers participants with lifelong skills rather than creating service dependency. -Cash for Clubs unrestricted fund These yoga, Pilates and body sculpt classes addressed women's physical and mental health needs, specifically health and wellbeing, stress management, physical fitness, mental health and life balance. It served women from 22 different nationalities. 94.3% of participants rated the classes as highly effective in self-care empowerment, 88.5% reported developing better self-care tools and practices, and 74.7% felt more connected to their local Gorgie-Dalry-Sighthill community. Participants used words like “powerful,” “empowering” and “positive” to describe the workshop. -Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief The workshop aimed to create an inclusive space for personal reflection and healing, specifically for minority ethnic women, who may be grieving loved ones from afar without the possibility of returning home. During the event, participants meditated, explored the ancient practice of making prayer sticks and created a “memory garden.” Participants reported that these activities had a profound impact on them, fostering a sense of peace, connection, and personal healing. 100% of participants joined to connect with the community and agreed the event met their expectations. One participant expressed gratitude for the chance to reflect meaningfully on her loss attending the special workshop. - Social Enterprise Challenge: Grant to Growth Transition Plan in cooperation with Glasgow University and Queen Margaret University This initiative involved students from the University of Glasgow conducting strategic research to support Art and Spirituality CIC's transition toward financial sustainability. The collaboration produced a comprehensive analysis of the organization's challenges and growth opportunities, resulting in detailed recommendations for revenue diversification, space optimization, and operational capacity building. While the project provided valuable strategic insights and professional development for students at no cost to the CIC, it delivered research outcomes rather than direct financial support, contributing to the organization's long-term planning and strategic development. -IE Employment Fund to support the Project Management work of our main Director. -Free Community tickets: *10 for Christmas at the Botanical Garden *35 for Edinburgh Fringe -Henry Duncan by Corra 2025-27 (awarded in July 2025, starting September 2025) Our Volunteers have included members of our community and students from Edinburgh College. Looking ahead Art and Spirituality CIC is planning to transition from volunteer-led operations to sustainable growth through strategic revenue diversification. Our primary expansion focuses on launching corporate wellbeing services in September 2025, leveraging our team's 20+ years of combined business experience across industries including NHS, Google, L'Oreal, and events sectors. The corporate program offers trauma-informed, culturally sensitive workshops addressing workplace stress, burnout, and mental health challenges. Services include traditional stress relief alongside innovative offerings like Ikigai for business, Shamanic Leadership, and creative thinking workshops. Revenue diversification includes increased venue hire fees, new partnerships for creative and wellbeing subletting, and Fringe venue status. These complementary revenue streams will support rather than replace our community programming, ensuring grants can be strategically focused on expanding social impact rather than covering operational costs. This multi-stream approach ensures revenue stability while maintaining our commitment to community-centered programming, creating sustainable pathways for long-term organizational growth and expanded social impact.

Our stakeholders At Art and Spirituality CIC, we remain dedicated to aligning our activities with the needs and expectations of our stakeholders, particularly the marginalized and minority residents of South West Edinburgh. Our program specifically targets residents experiencing isolation and economic hardship in Gorgie-Dalry-Sighthill, with a focus on: -Women from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, who make up 75 per cent of our current participants and often face multiple barriers to community participation -Single-person households (55 per cent of area residents according to recent data) -Individuals with limited English proficiency -Those experiencing housing deprivation (20 per cent of residents according to SIMD2020) -Individuals with mental health challenges Consultation methods To ensure we continue meeting these needs effectively, we regularly engage in stakeholder consultation through structured feedback mechanisms and ongoing community dialogue. Dual-survey system We use a comprehensive dual-survey system to gather insights from participants both before and after they attend our classes: -Pre-class surveys capture participants' goals, expectations, and current well-being status, helping us customize our offerings to address individual and collective needs of our diverse attendees. -Post-class surveys provide critical feedback on participant satisfaction, perceived benefits, and areas for improvement, allowing us to assess session impact and maintain program responsiveness. -Focus groups with regular participants to explore deeper program impacts -One-to-one conversations with participants who may struggle with written feedback -Informal feedback during sessions and social time Actions taken based on feedback The data and insights collected serve several key purposes and have led to concrete program improvements: -Program evaluation and adaptation: Feedback has led us to introduce trauma-informed approaches to our sessions and adjust session timing to better accommodate participants with caring responsibilities. -Content customization: Based on participant requests, we have expanded our offerings to include art therapy alongside traditional yoga and meditation. -Community-responsive programming: Participant input has shaped our focus on addressing stress, anxiety, dyslexia, ADHD, and isolation through targeted workshops that serve as both therapeutic interventions and community-building spaces. Measuring long-term impact To better understand our sustained community impact, we employ several long-term measurement approaches: Longitudinal Tracking Follow-up surveys with participants to assess lasting changes in well-being, social connection, and coping strategies Annual participants interviews exploring continued use of techniques learned and overall life changes Retention analysis tracking participant engagement over time as an indicator of program value Participant leadership tracking how many participants become peer mentors or community advocates Community feedback from local organizations about changes in community cohesion and individual participant well-being Data from our dual-survey system shows participants maintain benefits beyond program completion: -78 per cent continue using techniques learned 6 plus months post-participation -65 per cent report sustained community connections formed during workshops -82 per cent demonstrate continued engagement through repeat bookings or referrals to friends -Cultural diversity: Programs consistently engaged 22-36 different nationalities per project -Geographic reach: Primary postcodes EH11 (62 per cent), EH12 (28 per cent), EH14 (18 per cent), demonstrating successful South West Edinburgh penetration -Accessibility success: 94 per cent effectiveness rating for participants with chronic conditions, disabilities, and English as additional language -Word-of-mouth growth: 40 per cent of new participants join through existing participant recommendations -Cross-program participation: 35 per cent of participants engage in multiple program types -Volunteer development: 8 community members progressed from participants to peer mentors/volunteers during 2024-25 Impact documentation -Success story collection following participant journeys over 12 months -Wider community benefit analysis assessing how individual transformations contribute to broader community resilience -Our comprehensive consultation and measurement processes provide: -Robust evidence base for funding applications demonstrating both immediate and sustained impact -Accountability framework ensuring our services remain community-led and responsive -Continuous improvement cycle enabling program evolution based on real community needs -Transparency in our operations and genuine commitment to participant voice in service design.

£8500 for Projects Management during 2024-25

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration