A £40k boost for life-line to save Edinburgh autistic charity from crisis

A £40,000 cash injection from the Scottish Government will save doomed city autisim charity from closure.

Tailor Ed Foundation project workers.

Campaigning by the Evening News, Kezia Dugdale and family and friends of the charity has helped secure the bail-out as a short-term solution for the Tailor Ed Foundation.

The charity’s future looked bleak after it failed to secure nearly half a million in funding.

But in an eleventh hour turnaround a letter from education secretary John Swinney to Lothian Labour MSP Kezia Degdale he detailed a commitment to a “one-off-grant” of £40,000 to ensure it could continue providing vital services to the Capital’s families.

Tailor Ed project manager Roo Philip said: “It is with great relief that we’re happy to share that Tailor Ed will remain open for the foreseeable future.

“The response from families, friends, local businesses, politicians and funders has been truly incredible and as a result we’ve secured sufficient funding to feel confident about the year ahead and have plans in place to increase our financial security in the longer term.

“On behalf of the Tailor Ed Team and the families we support we need to thank all who contributed to this outcome in so many creative and constructive ways.

“There’s still much work to do and be assured that our work on fundraising remains constant even if our efforts are less visible than during the last few months.

“We’re also very conscious that whilst it’s important Tailor Ed remains open, there are still a great many families we’re yet to reach. Over the coming weeks we’ll be announcing changes to our services to maximise what we can achieve with the resource we have available.

“We know it won’t be enough and again, please be assured that we’re doing all we can to address this. But thank you for ensuring that we’re here and have so much to build from.”

More than 200 families access the charity which provides hyper-practical, life-changing solutions to autistic children and their families.

Ms Dugdale welcomed the Scottish Government’s decision. She said: “The Tailor Ed Foundation has made a life-changing difference to hundreds of families across Edinburgh for nearly a decade, so this cash injection from the government is incredibly welcome.

“I would like to thank John Swinney and ministers for listening to the concerns I raised on behalf of parents.

“Tailor Ed has helped children learn skills that most us of take for granted, such as being able to put on your shoes and brush your teeth, and being able to wait when you are in a queue. Without these skills, daily life can be incredibly difficult, stressful and isolating for children and their families.

“The immediate future of the Tailor Ed Foundation will hopefully now be secure, and I will continue to campaign to ensure its long-term survival.”

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