Due to Covid, the Eric Liddell Centre has had a difficult and challenging time

The Eric Liddell Centre, a specialist dementia care charity and community hub, has launched a Christmas appeal to support its recovery from the pandemic.

According to the Alzheimer’s Society, the pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on people living with dementia and it’s estimated that at least a quarter of people who died from Covid-19 in 2020 also had a dementia diagnosis.

Age Scotland reported that 93,282 people in Scotland were living with dementia in 2017 – this number will have risen in the last four years. The number of people with dementia in Scotland is expected to increase to approximately, 164,000 in the next 15 years.

The Eric Liddell Centre is one of the few professional day care providers in Edinburgh supporting elderly vulnerable people, including those living with dementia and their carers.  

Due to the pandemic, the charity has had a difficult and challenging time.

The closure of the centre due to Covid meant a loss of £225,000, or £15,000 a month and the Christmas appeal aims to raise much needed funding to support the vital work and services it provides to the vulnerable in Edinburgh.

John MacMillan, chief executive, said:  “Although our centre reopened in July, we are still experiencing a loss in income due to reduced footfall, with many people still hesitant to return to their normal work patterns and routines. We estimate that full recovery will take three to five years.

“As a small local care charity and community hub, we rely on kind donations. We have launched our Christmas appeal to help reduce our shortfall in funding. The closure of the Centre due to Covid-19 and the slow recovery has resulted in a huge financial loss for any charity.

“I hope that people will support the Eric Liddell Centre this Christmas and in the new year.”

Find out more about the Christmas appeal here.