£150,000 for city homeless shop

Greyfriars Kirk is one of the partners in the project

A shop selling products made by homeless people is set to open in Edinburgh's Old Town following a Scottish Executive funding boost.

The Greyfriars Community Project has been awarded £150,000 from Communities Scotland to establish the shop and workshops.

It will sell products made in the workshops as well as vegetables from the Edinburgh Cyrenians organic farm.

The target is to create 10 full-time jobs and help 60 people into a job.

The partners in the project are Greyfriars Kirk, the Grassmarket Mission, the Edinburgh Cyrenians and Hillcrest Housing Association.

'Ambitious plans'

Roddy Macdonald, head of the social economy unit at Communities Scotland, said: "The Greyfriars Community Project is working to help vulnerable people in Edinburgh and through its work will help renewal and reinvigoration efforts centred at the heart of Edinburgh's historic Old Town.

"The project's ambitious plans aim to bring support to help people into training and work."

Richard Frazer, Greyfriars Kirk minister and chairman of the Community Project Steering Group added: "This award from Communities Scotland is a real boost for our project and a vote of confidence for the work already being undertaken at Greyfriars.

"The opportunity to give people the skills and confidence to turn a house into a home, to overcome loneliness and destructive lifestyles and to aspire to success in life is what our project is all about."