The Foundation, the group’s charitable trust, helps tackle exclusion and poverty in Wheatley communities through providing jobs and training, education bursaries, emergency food supplies and free furniture.

It also helps households with advice and practical support, such as help to get online, financial advice and free books for children under five, and other services.

While the pandemic affected many of the Foundation’s programmes in 2021, it still managed to support 8,800 people in GHA, Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership, Dunedin Canmore, Loretto Housing and West Lothian Housing Partnership communities.

That support included:

• 639 people helped into jobs and training, including 149 apprentices
• 50 education bursaries to support people at university or college
• 580 households provided with upcycled furniture through Home Comforts
• 3160 households helped with emergency food vouchers through Eat Well
• 1618 people helped with financial advice through My Great Start
• 660 customers helped with essential household items through the Barony Support Fund
• 6656 free books for children under-5 through the Foundation’s partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

The Foundation also works with partners on a range of smaller projects, including community arts classes run by Creative Scotland for young people in Maryhill, Ruchill and Milton in Glasgow earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the Foundation also brought some festive cheer to older tenants at Wheatley’s Livingwell complexes this year by providing them with a Christmas hamper, while Wheatley contractors’ donations meant Housing First customers were provided with a supermarket voucher.

Lorraine McLaren, Foundation director, said: “We always want to help our customers lead better lives and help create a positive, lasting impact in Wheatley communities. From jobs and training, help to get online or practical support like emergency food supplies, the Foundation is always here to support Wheatley customers.”