Edinburgh charity opens community hub supporting young adults with additional needs

A community hub promoting independence and social inclusion for young adults with additional support needs will open at Gorgie Farm.

While the site remains closed to the public, the launch of the Next Steps Hub represents a significant first step in its long-term revival.

“Next Steps helps young people with additional support needs to develop life skills, confidence, and independence,” says Caitlin Nightingale, Next Steps Manager at Teens+. “Opening at Gorgie Community Farm puts our young people in the heart of Edinburgh, creating opportunities to grow, thrive, and pursue passions that lead to greater autonomy and social inclusion.”

As the first tenant of the new charity, Gorgie Community Farm, the Next Steps Hub occupies the site’s former main office building and an adjoining outdoor space. Teens+ has led major renovations to create a safe, welcoming, and accessible facility, which includes a life skills kitchen tailored to a range of physical and sensory needs. Features such as lowered countertops and stoves for wheelchair users, along with high-contrast surfaces for those with visual impairments, make it a space where everyone can participate.

Participants will be involved in tending the farm’s gardens, growing fruit and vegetables to cook in the kitchen, gaining hands-on experience that deepens their understanding of food and the environment.

Brendan O’Brien, Trustee of Gorgie Community Farm, said, “Our ambition for Gorgie Community Farm is a sustainable, inclusive and community-driven facility that enhances the wellbeing of the community through collaboration, education and social inclusion. Partnering with Teens+ was a natural fit to bring this vision to life.”

As Gorgie Community Farm embarks on its journey to return as one of Edinburgh’s most cherished landmarks, the site cannot be fully open to the public, but volunteers are welcome to get in touch, as there is plenty to do. Currently, there are no animals on-site.

The news follows Teens+’ announcement of another Next Steps Hub opening at Fisherrow Community Centre in Musselburgh on September 15. Both hubs aim to provide school leavers who do not require one-to-one care the tools to live more independently, while reducing reliance on paid care services.

“In the face of growing financial pressures on the social care sector, we’re creating flexible, community-based support that helps young people thrive,” added Simon Pearce-Madge, Head of Teens+.

“Next Steps has transformed Lewis’s confidence,” says parent Donna Leitch. “He’s achieved things we never thought possible, including spending his first night away from home on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition.”

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