Staff at Melville Housing Association have once again stepped up to the plate and topped their fundraising target for the year, raising a fantastic £2,230 for Y2K, the Mayfield-based youth charity.

Y2K has been Melville’s chosen charity for the past 12 months, with staff raising funds through regular monthly events including raffles, quizzes, bake sales and dress down days. On top of this several members of staff were also sponsored to take part in the Edinburgh Christmas 10k run.

“On behalf of all our staff and young people I’d like to say a massive thank you to the team at Melville Housing for their fantastic fundraising effort,” said Y2K project leader, Lyndsey Ritchie. “The money raised was a real lifesaver and helped us through a really difficult period at the back end of last year. Things are looking much brighter now and we look forward to continuing our close working relationship with Melville in the future.”

Morag MacDonald, Melville’s chief operating officer and also a Y2K Board member, said: “We set ourselves a fundraising target of £2,000 for the year so to exceed that has been a great effort by everyone, not just staff but friends and family as well as partner organisations, all of whom contributed throughout the year. We know what a difference Y2K makes to the local community, and the hard work that goes into delivering all their services, so we’re delighted to have been able to help out over the past 12 months.”

Y2K launched in June 2000 after the old church manse on Bogwood Road was donated to the community. They provide drop-in sessions, attracting about 120 people a week, that are open to young people between the ages of 11 and 18 from the surrounding area. Staff pride themselves on providing a safe and supportive environment that is often lacking at home or elsewhere, allowing young people to socialise, get help and support, and try new activities.