The Ridge
21 Sept 2026
- South of Scotland
- Impact
The Ridge, based in Dunbar, East Lothian, aims to provide local, effective, personalised and holistic support for local people to help them move beyond dependency towards contribution and fulfilment.
Dunbar and the surrounding villages are 30 miles away from the City of Edinburgh and the cost and frequency of public transport often makes working and training in and around Edinburgh prohibitively expensive.
The problems faced by the more vulnerable members of The Ridge’s community, whether it be substance abuse, mental health issues, or issues arising from poverty, are all exacerbated by a poor public transport system.
Social Investment Scotland provided The Ridge with a £100,000+ investment to support a transition period beyond completion of the capital development project of the Black Bull Close project.
Key outcomes include:
Completion of Black Bull Close, giving The Ridge support team an accessible, purpose-built facility to serve the community from.
Improved cashflow and financial stability, providing a strong foundation to deliver their sustainability plans.
Access to new facilities for local projects including a training kitchen and training room.
Income generating activities to further support financial sustainability and local projects.
Community-ownership of a local asset.
“We cannot realise all the powerfully positive aspects of our vision without input at this stage from a SIS loan, which will be the necessary springboard towards so much more positive impact, both in allowing us to continue delivery of our much-needed current services and in enabling expansion of those services alongside development of the essential income generation strand.”
The Ridge