Care and Repair Edinburgh helped 5,000 older and disabled people in the capital last year

An Edinburgh housing charity helped support over 5,000 older and disabled people to remain living in their own homes last year.

Care and Repair Edinburgh, which offers a range of services from small DIY repairs carried out for free to larger domestic improvements and home-from-hospital adaptations, provided services to 5031 people last year, up from 4314 in 2014

The charity’s team of volunteers carried out 1,370 small DIY handyperson jobs.

It organised 1,779 trade referral jobs and 143 people were assisted with advice and referral to a trusted trader list.

Marking our 30th anniversary, 2015 has been Care and Repair Edinburgh’s busiest year so far

Fifty nine people received assistance with a home adaption and 368 people had small joinery work undertaken at reduced rates by the charity’s dedicated joiners.

Services provided were extended to include funded gas repairs and the appointment of a full time dedicated key safe fitter.

A new partnership has also been struck up with NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council where the charity undertakes DIY work at the homes of hospital patients to meet their needs and help speed up discharges.

Graham Harper, chief executive of Care and Repair Edinburgh, was delighted with the charity’s work last year.

He said: “Marking our 30th anniversary, 2015 has been Care and Repair Edinburgh’s busiest year so far.

“Our joinery service and the handyperson volunteers have assisted 17% more older and disabled people in Edinburgh stay safely in their homes.

“Our services have extended to exciting new initiatives such as our pilot discharges programme with NHS Lothian and providing a free Will service through our partnership with one of the UK’s largest legal firms.”