About

We work with families to build resilience, resolve issues and repair relationships, support older people to stay connected in their communities and provide a safe and supportive environment for people on their journey away from addiction. Services offered include:

• Conflict Resolution, Mediation and Support – leaders in family conflict resolution and mediation.
• Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution – a national resource centre providing free training, events, on-line advice and information on mediation and family conflict resolution.
• Cyrenians Befriending Service – befriending isolated older people, helping them make the best of their community.

A commitment to tackling homelessness has been central to Cyrenians mission from the founding of the charity. We continue to build on this commitment, seeking innovative ways to prevent and alleviate homelessness, offering housing advice and providing supported housing for young people. Services offered include:

• Residential Communities – our original projects offering a shared home and new community.
• Outreach Project – supporting those who are homeless and experiencing severe and multiple need.

Cyrenians provides supportive employability services that equip jobseekers to move into work across Scotland. By supporting those jobseekers with barriers to access employment and by offering skills and training, we not only assist our clients into work but we keep them in employment and away from benefits dependency. Services offered include:

• Enterprise to Employment and Market Led Training – changing lives by bring people and employers together.
• Key to Potential – working with pupils in their last 6 months of schooling who are facing barriers on their journey to employment.
• Peer Mentoring and Criminal Justice Employability Programmes – using the lived experience of the criminal justice system to support others in the same place.

We have a range of services and social enterprises that teach people about the health and economic benefits of growing, cooking and eating good food together in our local communities. We also recognise that food can play a significant role in growing local economies, and we aim to empower local communities to take ownership of supply chains and to reduce dependence on global markets.

• NHS Community Gardens – growing lives, building community, sharing food.
• Farm Enterprise – growing good food and new futures since 1972.
• Good Food – sharing what would otherwise go to waste, teaching cooking and budgeting.

A former Convener of Education and Leader of Edinburgh City Council and CoSLA spokesperson on Education, Ewan has over 30 years’ experience in the Public and 3^rd sectors. He founded the National Prison Visitor Centre Steering group, the Ripple Project, the Youth Bus Trust and two Credit Unions. He is a member of Midlothian Integrated Joint Board and a Council member of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, chairing its Inspiring Communities Network.

Ewan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, board member of the Ripple Project, Chair of BBC Children in Need Scotland Grants Committee, an advisor to Social Bite Communities Ltd. and to Circle Scotland and was a member of the CoSLA Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy. He’s Co-chair of the Edges of Care workgroup for the Independent Review of Care , a member of the Scottish Governments Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans Delivery Group and the Regional Council of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Regional Deal.

In 2018 he received the SCVO Charity Awards Leading Light Award.

EwanAitken@cyrenians.scot

An Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Kathryn previously worked with the Roslin Foundation Group of Companies for 15 years. Various roles within the Group included Business and Facilities Management as well as Financial Accountant. She also gained significant experience in the mechanics of Grant Funding during this time.

Before moving to Roslin, Kathryn worked within the textiles and textile engineering sectors as Business Manager, then both Management and Financial Accountant. Kathryn joined Cyrenians in July 2013.

Outside of work, Kathryn volunteers with a local girls' football team, both as Club Treasurer and working directly with the girls in one of the teams.

Having spent 16 years in the corporate sector, working in public relations, marketing, facilities and operational management, Rachael committed to use her experience to develop services that would ensure those people seeking support have access to the best services.

Working for Shelter Scotland, Streetwork and joining Cyrenians in 2009 as Head of Early Intervention where she lead on developing award winning services, such as our Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution and Support & Mediation. Rachael is now Head of Quality and Resilience, working alongside staff to develop tools that will help them do the job we ask them to do. Working to find ways to build sustainable resilience for staff with the intention that this resilience will, in turn, be something that ripples out to our society.

Rachael enjoyed volunteering as a Trustee for Zero Tolerance and currently volunteers for Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce in a mentoring capacity for Chief Executives looking to develop their operational systems in line with their strategic vision.

Neil joined Cyrenians in January 2015 as the Volunteering Coordinator before becoming our Senior Manager for Enterprises.

Initially working in food retail Neil subsequently operated a company in mainland Europe involving retail, wholesale and trading alongside warehousing, distribution and logistics.

Neil is responsible for Social Enterprise within Cyrenians, with diverse businesses including our Enterprise Training offering, the Good Food programme delivering a Care Farm, Food Education services, and our surplus food Fareshare redistribution depot.

Having joined our Leadership Team in 2018 as Head of Enterprise, Neil leads on development of corporate strategy for business development and as a member of the leadership team contribute to the overall corporate direction and planning for Cyrenians; development and nurturing of relationships with potential partners, including those within the third, public and corporate sectors and developing relationships with all key stakeholders are also part of his role.

Neil is also a Trustee of the Homeless World Cup.

Jane Saren joined Cyrenians in 2011 and became a member of the leadership team in 2013. She spend the first half of her career in local authority social work departments, starting out as a volunteer co-ordinator in Liverpool and finally as Purchasing and Commissioning Manager in the City of Edinburgh Council.

Shortly before devolution she was employed by an international communications company as managing director of their new Scottish public affairs outfit. Over the last decade Jane has pursued her interest in public affairs and social policy in a freelance capacity, including as a Board Member of the Care Commission for 6 years. She is passionate about building on Cyrenians' acclaimed track record and expertise to enable greater numbers of people to benefit from early intervention and prevention and escape the personal and financial costs of crises.

Having joined Cyrenians in 2006, Amy is head of progression services and has responsibility for the strategic management of our residential services, recovery services, criminal justice work, community gardens, and work with people experiencing severe and multiple deprivation

As a member of Cyrenians Leadership Team, Amy has played a lead role in workforce development, quality assurance and capacity building, helping confirm Cyrenians as the provider of high quality services which make a real difference to people's lives. This has included the implementation of an organisational wide practice model, and the development of a monitoring and evaluation framework, both of which have helped make Cyrenians a robust charity which continues to attract support and investment.

Having studied Community Education, Amy is passionate about the ability of the voluntary sector to engage with communities in helping the people and the environment around them; and firmly believes that the flexibility, creativity and tenacity of the voluntary sector will be crucial in tackling the problems emerging as a result of tough economic times.

Originally from the north of Scotland, Amy and her family have settled in sunny Portobello.

Michelle joined Cyrenians in July 2017, not least because she shares their vision of an inclusive society where we respect diversity and all have opportunities to live valued and fulfilled lives.

As a member of the Leadership Team, Michelle has responsibility for the strategic management of our Conflict Resolution services across the Lothians, Advice and Support services in Edinburgh, HMP Addiewell Visitor Centre, Employability services and the national Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution.

In addition to her work with Cyrenians, Michelle is also a Special Advisor to the Women and Equalities Select Committee at Westminster. Prior to joining Cyrenians she worked for MECOPP (Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project) and, amongst other things, initiated the Gypsy/Traveller Carers' Programme, an award-winning programme working in rural and urban areas with one of Scotland’s most marginalised, and discriminated against, communities.

With an educational background in Social Anthropology, Michelle’s employment experience, in Scotland and overseas, has been varied - in the past working for Save the Children, the University of Glasgow and Health in Mind. She enjoys working with people and is particularly interested in issues around equality and wellbeing. She has a strong track record of using the creative arts as research, advocacy and training tools and is passionate about challenging injustices.

Kirsty joined Cyrenians as a Trustee in January 2015 to support the organisation to achieve its aims of serving and journeying further with more people as it grows and took on the role of Chair in March 2019. Kirsty is a professional accredited executive coach and strategic business consultant, working with companies at all stages of growth, having previously built a successful Tourism/Tech business.

Isobel has been a Trustee since 1989 and officiates as Secretary to the Board. She is an advocate, member of the Scottish Bar since 1992. She advises the charity on all legal obligations and issues.

Recruited in 2003, Carolyn was an independent business consultant specialising in organisational development and performance management. Her expertise included strategy implementation and business planning. Enjoying early retirement, volunteering with Cyrenians continues to enthuse and engage.

John Lawrie has been a trustee since 2003. He was an investment manager for Scottish Provident and was for four years an Edinburgh City Councillor. He is Convenor of Volunteer Centre Edinburgh and has previously served as a Trustee and Chair of Edinvar Housing Association, the Samaritans, Telephone Helplines Association, and Penumbra. He was awarded the OBE in 1990 and appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the City of Edinburgh in 2012.

Ciaran McGuigan joined the Board in March 2012 and was appointed Treasurer in Dec 2014. Ciaran is currently Director of the Phoenix Group’s Finance & Actuarial Change Programme. A qualified chartered accountant, he has 20 years' experience of the financial and professional service sectors.  

With a background in communications and public affairs, Elinor joined the board of trustees because she has a firm commitment to social justice. She wants to contribute to the organisation as it seeks to expand and reach more people. Elinor is Head of Influencing for UK charity Sue Ryder.

Pete is a Chartered Accountant and currently CFO of Lomond Capital, a leading housing business across the UK. He has worked in finance for over 20 years in a variety of leadership roles with a particular interest in developing high quality and affordable living space. Pete joined Cyrenians as a Trustee in January 2015.

Luke is Head of Service Design for the IT consultancy Sopra Steria, where he leads the design team responsible for supporting government to design and deliver better services. He joined Cyrenians as a trustee in 2015.