Harbour Ayrshire is a Scotland-based, trauma-informed organisation that provides support to individuals affected by addiction, mental health challenges, homelessness and violence.

The charity is one of six organisations to be awarded £5,000 from Unity’s Impact Grant programme, which was created as part of the bank’s 40th birthday pledge to make over £40,000 in charitable donations in 2024.

Following its launch in September, the initiative received 146 entries from socially-minded organisations across the UK. Due to the strength of applications, Unity doubled its original promise and awarded grants to six organisations rather than three.

Through a wide range of support programmes, Harbour Ayrshire’s primary focus is on helping vulnerable people regain stability, rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society. The charity runs a number of peer-led support groups and provides vital services to those in need.

These include the operation of a community support vehicle, to help individuals in crisis, and a minibus which provides essential transport services. In the past year, Harbour Ayrshire’s vehicles have supported over 250 one-to-one interventions, transported more than 300 people to weekly group support, and helped 100 individuals move to permanent accommodation.

Unity’s Impact Grant funding will directly support the running costs of the community support vehicle and minibus, enabling Harbour Ayrshire to continue delivering life-changing services to individuals and families across the region.

Eddie Gorman, project manager at Harbour Ayrshire, said: “The Unity Impact Grant is a lifeline for our transport services, which play a crucial role in supporting those most in need. From helping people access group support and one-to-one interventions, to assisting those fleeing violence or experiencing homelessness, these vehicles are essential to delivering our services.”

Ian Murray, community support coordinator at Harbour Ayrshire, added: “This funding ensures we can continue breaking down barriers for vulnerable individuals, especially those in rural or isolated areas. By providing safe and reliable transport, we’re able to offer critical support, help people rebuild their lives, and foster lasting change in our community.”

The five other successful recipients of the Unity Impact Grant are: Bee Wirral, Church of the Martyrs Baby Basics, Compass Disability Services, Cumbria Action for Sustainability, and Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust.

The Unity Impact Grant initiative is part of the bank’s employee-led ‘Unity & Me’ programme, which was established to empower staff to deliver positive outcomes for employees, communities and the planet.

Wider employee-driven fundraising activities this year have raised £20,500 for 24 good causes across the UK, including organisations that have been chosen directly by staff. The Impact Grant programme takes the total amount of charitable donations raised and donated by Unity to more than £50,500 - exceeding its 40th birthday goal.

Scott Hutchinson, deputy regional director (North and Scotland) at Unity Trust Bank, said: “Harbour Ayrshire is providing a life-changing service for some of the most vulnerable members of its community. We are proud to be supporting the charity as it continues to deliver critical work, and hope that this grant will help to ensure even greater impact can be made for those most in need.”

Joshua Meek, chief impact officer at Unity Trust Bank, said: “We were delighted by the overwhelming response to the launch of our Impact Grant scheme and we’d like to thank all those who applied. We were incredibly impressed by the strength and breadth of applications, which is a fitting reflection of the vital community impact being delivered by socially-minded organisations all across the UK.”

Following the success of this year’s inaugural Unity Impact Grant, the bank has pledged to more than double the amount of grant funding available next year, as it establishes the scheme as a permanent annual initiative.

The Scottish Housing News Charity Spotlight feature highlights the vital work of charities across Scotland each Friday. To include your local charity, whether housing-related or not, send your story and images to us at newsdesk@scottishnews.com.