Bield’s Gordon Court, played host to a Festive Community Information event where guest speakers from Police Scotland, Trading Standards Office, SPCA and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were present.

The event invited members of the local community into the development where experts covered various topics in a bid to help the community of Leith stay safe this Christmas.

Christine Wood, retirement housing manager at Gordon Court, said: “This event offered our tenants a great opportunity to come and meet their neighbours at what can be a particularly vulnerable time of year.

“As everyone gets wrapped up in the festivities, finding time to visit family can sometimes become more difficult. Therefore, any opportunity to get our tenants together is a great way to prevent anyone from feeling lonely.

“It is vital that we keep tenants safe at Christmas time by reminding them of the importance of issues such as healthcare, online scamming and fire safety. Providing them with this knowledge allows them to live freely without feeling dependent on others, which is part of our ‘free to be’ ethos here at Bield.”

Community Police Officer, Callum Clark, said: “Christmas can be a worrying time for older people and it really doesn’t have to be. We hope that by hosting these sorts of events, we can provide reassurance to the community while reminding everyone to look out for one another.

“It is unfortunate that for some the festive period can be stressful. With concerns around things like Christmas-time scams and potential fire hazards in decorations, we are here to help people understand how to best look after themselves and those around them.

“In partnership with Bield, we continually look for ways to ensure Scotland’s older people can live safely while retaining independence. We find community sessions like this are a successful way of providing tenants with all of the necessary information they need.”