More than 2,500 people have benefitted from Big Hearts initiatives in the past year.

A football charity has helped support thousands of people in one of Edinburgh’s most deprived communities.

In its 2019/20 impact report, the Big Hearts Community Trust revealed that 2,569 adults and children in the Gorgie/Sighthill ward engaged in its support programmes, an increase of 12% over the previous 12 months.

Over the course of the year, the Hearts FC charity provided 2,178 free meals to those in need and gave families 10 weeks of extended support during school holidays.

Almost 200 hours of support sessions for men’s mental health were delivered, while young people benefitted from 125 hours of after-school sessions.

In total, the charity’s 236 active volunteers put in 4,200 hours of work over the course of the year.

Craig Wilson, Big Hearts general manager said: “In the past 12 months we have continued to strengthen our organisation and have been able to reach out to even more vulnerable groups in our community through our many family-focused programmes.

“Our close work with local schools, in the Tynecastle High cluster, and the help from a wide variety of Big Hearts supporters has played a significant role in addressing the biggest challenges right on our doorstep.

“With Edinburgh’s child poverty rate at its highest in Gorgie/Sighthill, Big Hearts has been focused on improving outcomes of low-income families living in south west Edinburgh, and will continue to do so in 2020/2021.”