The Depute Lord Provost, Joan Griffiths MBE, visited Drylaw Rainbow Club in north Edinburgh this morning to unveil a Plaque to mark their 35th birthday.
The club offers a wide range of services to elderly residents in the city and operates from the Drylaw Parish Church of Groathill Road North.
Since the start of pandemic, the staff have been busy organising food hampers and doing shopping for local people who have been isolating. Now they are sending out around 30 meals each day to those who are most vulnerable
Despite the lockdown they did manage to have a socially distanced gathering in the church gardens to mark the special birthday back in the summer.
Speaking at the plaque unveiling, which the Depute Council Leader, and local councillor, Cllr Cammy Day also attended, the Depute Lord Provost said: “It is really lovely to be here, even more so because we have been unable to go anywhere so I am really delighted to eventually get here to hand over the plaque. On behalf of the Rt Hon Lord Provost and The City of Edinburgh Council I am delighted to be with you all day and present you with a plaque marking your 35th anniversary. This is a tremendous achievement and one which you should be proud of. It has taken continuing effort and great commitment of the management committee, the staff and volunteers, service users and partners all working together to keep such a highly valued service going for such a long time.
“In June this year you celebrated the milestone of three and a half decades of continuous high quality care and support to the local over 65s and their families in North Edinburgh. The last nine months have been very challenging for all of us, and I know that staff and volunteer teams have all continued to undertake sterling work throughout the Covid-19 restrictions, including delivery of food and goody bags, making phone calls and home visits. You have also ensured above all else that service users and their families stayed safe as best you could.
“We now have the prospect of a vaccine and hopefully we can gradually start making plans for the future so that we can again enjoy our city and its wider attractions. Please accept this plaque and the city’s best wishes to keep going in the future.”
Chair Eileen Brash accepted the plaque on behalf of the club and said that they all really appreciated the Depute Lord Provost’s visit. She said: “The Rainbow has been a lifeline to so many of the community. The clients who normally come to the centre have been well looked after by the staff and management. People still feel very connected to the Rainbow.” She led a round of applause for the management and all the staff.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
