News

The Community Legacy Programme: helping Cyrenians expand its impact

Mon, 15th Jun, 2026 Updated: Thu, 9th Jul, 2026

When growing demand meant Cyrenians needed a larger depot to expand its reach, SCAPE Scotland’s Community Legacy Programme brought together partners from across the construction industry to help make the move possible.

Cyrenians is an Edinburgh-based charity tackling the causes and consequences of homelessness. Through their partnership with Felix, formerly known as FareShare, the charity redistributes surplus food to around 20,000 people each week.

From coordinating expertise and design support to enabling the fit-out of new office, training and conference facilities, SCAPE Scotland worked alongside delivery partners AtkinsRéalis, Balfour Beatty Kier Construction, Morgan Sindall Construction and RJ McLeod to help fast-track the charity’s relocation and create a space where they could grow and support more people in need.

In the videos below, find out how partners worked together to deliver the project and what the move means for Cyrenians and the communities the charity supports.

How did SCAPE Scotland get involved?

Through a pre-existing relationship, the Cyrenians team knew that SCAPE Scotland had the right connections and contacts in the construction industry to support their depot move, so reached out for support.

Hear from the team behind the project about how the partnership got started:

How did SCAPE Scotland’s partners support the project?

The SCAPE Community Legacy Programme is a collaboration between SCAPE and our framework delivery partners, designed to maximise the long-lasting impact of SCAPE Scotland projects for clients, their local communities and future generations.

Representatives from our partner organisations come together through the programme to identify and deliver initiatives that add social value, with a focus on skills, training, the environment and sustainability.

For Cyrenians, this collaborative approach meant their move could be delivered quickly and efficiently. Watch this video to see how:

Outcomes: tackling food poverty and supporting communities

Supporting Cyrenians’ move to a larger facility has increased its capacity to distribute food to people in need, improved the working environment for staff and volunteers, and created new opportunities for in-house training and employability support.

Increased capacity: With the new depot housing greater storage, and a new freezer and chiller, Cyrenians are projecting that they will be able to double their food distribution from 2 million to 4 million meals per year – aiding in the fight against food poverty and supporting those experiencing the effects of homelessness.

Improved wellbeing: The new space has improved the working environment for staff and volunteers, with comfortable office facilities, increased natural light, and scenic views of the sea. Externally, there are several paths promoting activity, with walks along the seafront from the doorstep. Improvements in team morale and a noticeable reduction in stress levels have already been reported.

New services: The creation of flexible conference room space and laptop donations made by RJ McLeod have given Cyrenians the tools to deliver in-house forklift training. Achieving their accreditation in May 2025, Cyrenians have been able to offer training to staff, volunteers and employability-course participants to boost their future employment opportunities.

Delivering long-lasting community benefits

Creating meaningful community benefits is embedded in how SCAPE Scotland operates. By combining expertise, resources and shared commitment, SCAPE Scotland and its partners helped create a stronger platform for Cyrenians to continue tackling food poverty, reducing waste and supporting people experiencing homelessness.

“Having the support from SCAPE to access such a wealth of talent and skill across their partnerships was an incredible experience. Thanks to the generosity of each of the organisations we have been able to expand to meet the rising demand in our community for affordable, quality food. The move was not without its challenges, but the support from SCAPE Scotland ensured we were well prepared to meet that challenge and keep delivering the support and access to food we’re known for throughout the transition.”

Michelle Redpath

Senior Manager Depot Community & Enterprise, Cyrenians

“Bringing all our partners together to work collaboratively has meant that we were able to achieve a project on a much larger scale than we would have been able to deliver individually. And SCAPE Scotland would really like to thank our partners for the input they provided to achieve this depot move for Cyrenians.”

Rachel Park

Framework Manager, SCAPE Scotland