John MacMillan reflects on the challenges the Eric Liddell Centre has faced in its 40th year

As the Eric Liddell Centre (ELC) prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary on 26 November via an online Zoom event, it is true to say that our 40th year has been the most challenging so far.  

As a care charity and community hub situated in Edinburgh, our foremost services are day care for people living with dementia and support for their carers who are often isolated by the constant care they provide.

When Covid-19 and lockdown began, we had to close not only our building but all of our normal services and ways of working.  

However, we knew that it was vital to continue support and care for our most vulnerable service users. In such an unprecedented situation as Covid-19, we knew that the ELC has never been more needed.  

The centre’s team worked tirelessly to introduce new innovative support programmes for those within Edinburgh in the “sheltered” group as a result of advanced age, health condition or disability, or in a caring role. These people are often socially disconnected from friends, family and loved ones and as a result are in need of emotional support to respond to loneliness and isolation, financial worry, anxiety and depression, health concerns and, very sadly, bereavements.

We were able to have additional support services within 24 hours, following the closure of the Eric Liddell Centre.  

These services have included a lunch delivery programme for the vulnerable, practical support, help and advice to those living with dementia together with online, digital, health and wellbeing activities.

We have also provided telephone support to carers, individuals and groups and introduced innovative support programmes for those who were initially in the “sheltered group.” Practical assistance has been provided with shopping, prescription and laundry services.

Our main programmes and the innovative support mechanisms that we have put in place to respond to the pandemic, have provided a lifeline to many families in Edinburgh.

One of the most appreciated was the launch of our Lunch Delivery Programme in April, generously funded by the Celtic FC Foundation and the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust.  

This service was delivered in partnership with the restaurant McLarens and ran for 14 weeks until the 10th of July. During this time 5,458 lunches were delivered throughout the city with the help of over 70 volunteers. The feedback from recipients and volunteers has been remarkable, many of them have been in contact to let us know of their delight at being included.  

My team also launched two other initiatives. The Wellbeing Project which provided practical support, help and advice to those living with dementia. The aim of this was to provide our service users with ways to engage with health and wellbeing activities from their own homes.  

Funding for this was obtained from Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Fund, which covered all staffing costs and provided an excellent resource of musical instruments, IT equipment, tablets, music recording software, video editing software, a high-quality video recorder/camera, art materials and MP3’s for use via the Playlist For Life.

We also produced a weekly production of The Isolation Times. The online publication has activity suggestions ranging from creative activities to indoor/seated exercises, to quizzes. Readers regularly contribute photos, creative work and other pieces for the 'zine, which means that it is interactive which helps further foster a much-needed sense of continuing connection.  

Additionally, the ELC team rallied to make weekly wellbeing telephone calls to all carers or family members together with daily wellbeing and day/date orientation telephone calls to all clients living with a diagnosis of dementia and especially those living alone.

On 26 November, we will host our 40th Anniversary celebration online with our main speakers, my brother Sir James MacMillan, Sally Magnusson, our Patron Alexander McCall Smith, Lord David Puttnam and Patricia Liddell, Eric’s daughter. See our website for details of the event.  

What can you do to help the Eric Liddell Centre and other local charities to make a difference in your community?  

Please make contact and get involved – your help and input have never been more needed.

John MacMillan is chief executive of the Eric Liddell Centre