We want to inspire church and community orchard planting in Scotland. To do this the Church of Scotland, Reformed Church in Hungary are working together with Okogyulekezet (Eco-congregation) Hungary, Eco-Congregation Scotland, and a UK charity The Orchard Project. The project is part funded by the European Christian Environment Network (ECEN) but churches who wish to be involved will have to make a significant commitment of time, effort and in some cases a financial contribution.

Who is eligible?

To take part you must have access to land suitable for an orchard, be prepared to work with a Hungarian church partner, including travel and providing hospitality and make a long term commitment to look after an orchard. Planning, and training and will be provided by The Orchard Project, a charity with staff based in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

We need funding to move beyond a pilot stage and open the project to more churches across Scotland.

Talking about investments sounds quite intimidating, but we are going to create a resource to help you get your head around ethical finance. This resource will take you on a journey of discovery as we explore ideas for exciting new ways to do economics.

To do this we need funding. Funding will go towards the design and production of a resource, and a project worker who will ensure that you are getting the best you can get from the materials.

New Scots Holidays is designed to support the integration of refugees in Scotland as well as to help local churches feel supported and prepared to welcome refugees, so that everyone can feel involved and empowered in sharing hopes and aspirations.

New Scots Holidays creates opportunities to build friendships across cultures and allows refugees to learn more about life in Scotland beyond their home neighbourhood.

The holiday programme also underlines the dignity of refugees who have not only come here to seek safety, but that they also have chances to lead fulfilling lives and enjoy the country they are now a part of.

The benefits of going on holiday are widely understood. Everyone needs a break to recover from a busy period, to re-focus and to enjoy new experiences. Refugees may face barriers to taking holidays due to lack of knowledge, language confidence or financial resources.

We require funding to enable refugees to participate in a respite by financing their transport fares to their hosting church. We would also like to prepare local churches for hosting refugees and offer ongoing training and support which requires funds.

The Church of Scotland is working alongside faith groups such as the Scottish Episcopal Church and Justice and Peace Scotland, as well as third sector organisations such as The Poverty Alliance, Children in Scotland and the Child Poverty Action Group, to lobby the Scottish Government to agree to this benefit top-up.

The campaign is run by groups and charities that care about children and want to meaningfully tackle the increasing problem of child poverty. Lobbying the Scottish Government is done in staff time by those committed to the campaign.

However with some funding it would be possible to run workshops and meetings where the message could be spread across Scotland and individuals and local groups could lobby their local politicians.