Explore!

List of organisations providing vital help and services in West Lothian, links to facebook groups that have been formed within West Lothian, and other information for you to access help and support in our area. This guide is compiled and managed by the Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian (VSGWL). It will be updated regularly. If you would like to add your organisation, please complete the form here. The Directory can be found here: If you would like to volunteer locally, c

“Sunday dinner was always a tradition in my family,” says Winchburgh resident Anne Wilson, aka the Sunday Dinner Lady. “I love a Sunday roast. It brings the family together, and a plate of fresh hot food has an energy about it that you don’t get in the same way with dried and canned food. Dad and mum cooked, and we were all together to relax and eat, talk and laugh.” So when she heard about a friend who supplements the excellent work that the food banks do in East Lothian by

Loneliness is one of the most invisible but debilitating issues in society today, but all across West Lothian volunteers are working to ease social isolation among some of our most vulnerable residents – the over 75s. Re-engage, formerly known as Contact the Elderly, and its army of supporters tackle loneliness in this older generation through regular Sunday afternoon tea parties and other activities. The monthly events are usually held in a local host’s home and guests are c

“I’d like people to be able to have essential toiletries and personal hygiene products without having to ask, and without needing to thank anyone” says Isabel Dosser, a Livingston resident who is rather surprised to find herself at the helm of a new charity which is set to grow massively in 2019. Isabel is a lecturer in nursing at Edinburgh Napier University, where she has worked for 15 years after a 30 year career in nursing, specialising in palliative care. She is very well

Shannon Denson is the new manager of the Bridge Community Café at Holy Trinity Wester Hailes, a church that St Mungo’s, Balerno partners. Originally from Michigan, USA, Shannon enjoys cooking and has a heart for community development. She lives in Bonaly with her two teenage children. Shannon Denson came to Scotland in 2001 to help her mum and aunt set up a clinical pharmaceutical trials company. Marrying a Scotsman and starting a family was not part of the plan, but that’s w

If you’ve been living here more than a couple of years, you’ve probably heard of the local charity Team Jak Foundation or seen their collection tins in local shops and organisations. Jak Trueman was the teenager from Mid Calder who touched everyone’s hearts with his sudden and short fight three years ago with the rare cancer T-Cell Lymphoma. In his short time he set up a charity as he wanted other young people touched by cancer – themselves and their siblings – as well as the

It is pretty much what it sounds like : a place where you can borrow a bike if you haven’t got one, or need a specially adapted bike. And it’s much more than that too. “Anyone can hire a bike,” says David Liddell, the project’s co-ordinator. “The library exists to make cycling accessible to all. So that may be people who just want a friendly hand and loan of a bike to get them back on their wheels; people who need a specially adapted bike to accommodate a disability; or, sub

“The idea of a school uniform bank came about after a teacher in Glasgow noticed that some children were writing ‘school uniform’ on their Christmas wish lists,” explains Kirstin Shemilt, Chair of The School Bank West Lothian. Going to school in the “wrong” clothes, children are vulnerable to bullying, social exclusion and low self esteem; the knock-on effects on their education are significant. “The idea was to model it on food banks, where families are referred by professio

Bringing up young children is a tough job. And if over and above the usual hard work of parenting, life is complicated by isolation, mental health issues, or a child with additional needs, it can quickly become overwhelming. Home-Start West Lothian provides friendly support at home for young families. By helping the parents, the children have a better chance at a good start in life, hence the charity’s name. It was originally set up in Leicester, England, in 1973 by a woman

Having a premature baby can be a very frightening and stressful time. Last month I met with West Lothian resident Coady Dorman, whose son was born at 29 weeks, and she described how it was to go through the experience and what she is doing now for other parents of premature babies. “You face so many questions – from practical things like how to care for this tiny, tiny baby, to emotional worry and fear about whether they will be OK. It’s especially frightening when you’re fin