The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the Scottish Charity Awards celebrate the best of Scotland’s voluntary sector each year.
This year’s shortlist includes 42 individuals and organisations from charities and voluntary groups all over Scotland following a record-breaking number of nominations.
Eight groups and individuals from Edinburgh have made it to the shortlist.
These include: Transform Scotland, Project Esperanza SCIO, The Yard’s Gill Thomson, A.R.Ts Afternoon’s Rohan Seilman, Pregnancy Counselling & Care and Gyle Shopping Centre, Urban Uprising’s Julia Jackson, The Green Team, and Health All Round.
While a judging panel will determine the winners under ten distinct categories, members of the public can have their say by voting for their favourite overall entry in the People’s Choice Award – by visiting scvo.scot/vote – before 5pm on Tuesday 20 May 2025.
Anna Fowlie, chief executive of SCVO, said: “This year’s shortlisting was as difficult as ever with the phenomenal work of the voluntary sector really demonstrated in our entries. Our finalists represent the very best of Scottish society, making life-changing impacts every single day in their communities.
“SCVO is delighted that we can again highlight their work at our awards ceremony, which will take place in June. Now it is down to the public. Our People’s Choice vote is open now, giving you an opportunity to get involved and pick your favourite finalist from all of our categories. Don’t miss out!”
A full list of finalists, including their categories, is below:
Campaign of the year
- Music Education Partnership Group – We Make Music Instrument Libraries
- Transform Scotland – A Wee Walk Works Wonders
- Feed – Formula for Change
- Menopause café – Menopause Awareness Ribbon Campaign
Volunteer of the year
- Martin Flynn – EATS Rosyth
- Sumi Bhandari – Fife Nepalese Community FNC
- Dave McTernan – Epilepsy Scotland
- Juliet Blackie – RNLI
Partnership of the Year
- Dundee Contemporary Arts, NHS Tayside, Dundee City Council and University of Dundee (Hello In There Wee One: A new book designed for parents-to-be)
- Scottish Autism (Supporting Fathers of Autistic Children within HMP Barlinnie (Scottish Prison Service))
- Pregnancy Counselling & Care (Scotland) and Gyle Shopping Centre
- Seescape and Fife’s Football Clubs (Making Football Accessible)
- Colonsay Community Development Company (An Faire Mor Housing)
Employee of the Year
- Gillian Smith – Queensferry Churches’ Care in the Community
- Louise Anderson – New Start Highland
- Gill Thomson – The Yard
- Rohan Seilman – A.R.Ts Afternoon
Community Impact
- Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA)
- Tweeddale Youth Action
- Falkirk Foundation
- Project Esperanza SCIO
- Letham4All SCIO
Climate Impact
- Together Reaching Higher CIC
- Eco Drama
- Climate Hebrides
Trustee of the Year
- Julia Jackson – Urban Uprising
- Liz Broumley – Cromarty Courthouse Museum
- Anne Livingstone – Sunny Cycles
- Gordon Armour – The McGlashan Trust
Charity of the Year
- Less than £100k turnover
- Touch of Love Outreach
- Adaptive Riders Collective
- Boleskine Community Care
- Ewen’s Room
- Between £100k and £500k turnover
- The Green Team
- Epilepsy Connections
- Health All Round
- Interfaith Scotland
- Over £500k turnover
- British Red Cross
- Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland (RASASH)
- Perthshire Women’s Aid
- YMCA Tayside
- Blue Triangle
The 2025 Scottish Charity Awards winners will be announced at a celebratory awards ceremony in Glasgow on 19 June 2025.
To view the full list of finalists, visit the SCVO website.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
