St Columba's Hospice Care

12/12/2025

It's 5 years since Compassionate Neighbours started and in that time our amazing volunteers have come together over 8000 times with people living with a palliative condition in our communities. From the early days of calls only during the pandemic to heartwarming trips and visits of today, their gift of friendship and companionship has brought joy to so many, some of whom felt so lonely, isolated or on the outside of their community looking in.

A huge thank you to all our Compassionate Neighbours past and present and here’s to the next 5 years and the joys to come.

11/12/2025

Thank you to North Berwick Community Council for choosing the Hospice as their charity for the Christmas Light Switch On this year!

Our amazing volunteers wrapped up and braved the cold, and raised an incredible £893!

Thank you to everyone who gave so generously and to our brilliant volunteers for their support on the night.

Photo credit: Lewis Houghton

11/12/2025

Our CEO, Jackie Stone, was delighted to be invited to chat with Mark McKenzie from BFBS Scotland earlier this week about the phenomenal donation from this year's The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Click below to listen.

10/12/2025

Today we're sharing the results of our recent inspection report.

The unannounced three-day inspection was carried out by The Care Inspectorate on the 6th 9th and 10th October 2025, and focussed on our Care at Home support service. The service was graded ‘Very Good’ for all quality indicators reviewed during the visit with no recommendations made at all, highlighting the services’ capacity to support people’s wellbeing and the quality of the staff team.

Donna Hastings, Head of People and Family Services at St Columba’s Hospice Care, said: “we are delighted with the outcome of this unannounced inspection for our Care at Home service. We are constantly evaluating the best way to meet the needs of the patients in our community, and are incredibly proud of the Care at Home staff team.

“The outcome of this report is testament to the hard work of our staff, who deliver outstanding care to every one of our patients across Edinburgh and East Lothian. I’d like to thank them all for their hard work, adaptability and dedication.”

To view the full report, please visit our website stcolumbashospice.org.uk/news/

09/12/2025

Yesterday we were delighted to welcome lots of our wonderful volunteers to the Hospice for a festive get together to say thank you for all of their hard work in 2025! We shared mince pies, mulled wines, and as always, a lot of laughs!

The Hospice truly wouldn’t be the place it is today without the Volunteers, so thank you once again for all of the coffees made, conversations held, events staffed, and goods sold. You’re all amazing!

08/12/2025

You could help a patient to be more comfortable at home this Christmas by providing an hour of expert nursing care to manage their pain. Donate £50 today and shine a little light into somebody's life.

This Christmas, dedicate a light to help people like Cammy make every moment count

06/12/2025

Our shops are desperately in need of good quality winter clothing!
We are looking for ladies, men's and children's seasonal clothing in good condition.

If you are having a pre-Christmas clear out now or during the holidays, please bear us in mind. We can uplift large amounts or you can simply drop off to any of our high street shops:

St Columba's Hospice Shop OT
St Columbas Hospice Shop (Morningside)
St Columba's Hospice Shop - Haddington
Leith Walk
Portobello
Stockbridge
Bonnington Furniture Centre

For further details or to arrange a collection please contact our Online & Warehouse Manager, Marie Perth on 07920 865 436 or email shops@stcolumbashospice.org.uk.

05/12/2025

Could you be our new Cafe & Shop Manager?

Our St Columba's North Berwick Café and Bookshop plays an important role for the Hospice in generating vital income and raising awareness of our services.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Café and Shop Manager to oversee the daily operations of our café and bookshop. This role combines responsibility for maintaining high standards of customer service, food hygiene and product quality with effective leadership and management of the café and bookshop team. The Manager will ensure smooth operations, staff development, and a welcoming environment for all customers. This position will be 5 days per week, Tuesday to Saturday.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Rosie Hansen on 0131 551 1381.
For more information and to apply please visit our website stcolumbashospice.org.uk/who-we-are/our-people/join-our-team/

04/12/2025

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has raised an incredible £157,161.75 from this year’s Tattoo ticket sales which will support our essential work across Edinburgh and the Lothians!

Huge thanks to the Tattoo team and to everyone who attended, voted and cheered for our wonderful volunteer Liz who was honoured as one of the Spotlight Heroes at the event. Liz's dedication reflects the heart of our hospice community and we couldn't be prouder.

Read more: https://stcolumbashospice.org.uk/news/the-royal-edinburgh-military-tattoo-donates-over-%C2%A3157,000-to-st-columba%E2%80%99s-hospice-care-following-75th-anniversary-show

04/12/2025

Our East Lothian Light Up a Life ceremony takes place tonight at St Mary's Parish Church, Haddington. The doors open at 5pm, and there will be mulled wine and Christmas shopping available before the ceremony gets underway!

03/12/2025

Leitheatre delivered a spectacular production of Calendar Girls at this year’s Fringe, and we were honoured to be their chosen charity partner.

Thanks to their incredible support, the bravery of the cast to make the calendar and the generosity of everyone who bought calendars or donated - we received an amazing total of £3,596. We are so grateful to the cast, crew, and audience for helping make this such a meaningful success.

If you’re planning a show or creative project and would like to support us, we’d love to hear from you - please get in touch at fund@stcolumbashospice.org.uk.

03/12/2025

Capacity for standard entry places in both the Edinburgh Marathon and Half Marathon has now been reached!

Charity places are however, still available, so if you’d like to take part and support us, please do get in touch at fund@stcolumbashospice.org.uk