Tag: Age Scotland

Lothian hosts charity football match at Ainslie Park in aid of Age Scotland

On Sunday 27 July, Lothian hosted a Charity Football Match at Ainslie Park (home of Spartans FC), raising £2,052 for our Charity of Choice, Age Scotland.

With two teams taking to the pitch – one with players from our operations team led by Chief Operations Officer Willie Hamilton, the other with colleagues from the ‘Rest of Lothian’ captained by Engineering Director Dylan Dastey – it was a fantastic game played in a great sporting manner. Our Rest of Lothian team ran out 9-2 winners in the end, with great skills on display from players across both sides. The Rest of Lothian’s Jordan Deegan was named Player of the Match after a fine performance.

As well as the action on the pitch, there was plenty for younger spectators to enjoy in the stadium grounds with Bubble Football and face painting. Colleagues from Age Scotland were also on hand throughout the day to raise awareness of the charity and the invaluable services they provide to older people across Scotland.

A huge thank you goes to our event sponsors JB Contracts, Eastern Electric, SPG Fire and Security, Spectrum Service Solutions, Graham and Sibbald, Caledonian Heating, Bidvest Noonan, Simplicity Cuisine and Murray Uniforms for their generosity, helping us to put on a fantastic event for a worthy cause.

We would also like to say a massive thank you to everyone who helped make the event a success, whether by playing, cheering from the sidelines, or volunteering your time. This support will help Age Scotland continue to support older people living in communities across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

We’d also like to thank Spartans FC for hosting our Charity Football Match and for their fantastic hospitality throughout the afternoon.

Lothian Doors Open Day 2025

Our much-loved Doors Open Day event is set to return on Saturday 27 September at our Marine Depot (18 Seafield Road East, Edinburgh) from 11:00 – 15:00, and promises another jam-packed programme of family-friendly activities.

Tap to view the Doors Open Day 2025 map!
Things to see and do

We’re delighted to once again be working with a wide range of partners from across Edinburgh and the Lothians, and would like to take this opportunity to thank them in advance for joining us at our Doors Open Day event. See below for details of what visitors can expect to see and do on the day.

  • Vintage bus display courtesy of Lothian Bus Consortium Trust
  • Edinburgh Zoo
  • Police Scotland
  • Bus Users Scotland
  • Stina Sparkles (face painting and glitter tattoos)
  • ZF Services UK (provider of products and systems for vehicles)
  • Lothian’s Training School Team with driver training buses
  • Armed Forces
  • Hot food and refreshments from Lothian Catering
  • Andy’s Man Club
Important information
What does it cost to enter?

Admittance to our Doors Open Day is free! It’s important to us that our event is as accessible as possible which is why there’s no cost to enter and many of the activities on-site are also free.

While we don’t charge visitors an entry fee, we strongly encourage donations on the day to our Charity of Choice, Age Scotland, who do incredible work across the country to support Scotland’s older people.

Volunteers from Age Scotland will be in attendance with donation buckets and card machines to take contributions – please give what you can!

This event does not have car parking and drop-offs at the depot are strictly prohibited. The depot is a working garage and there will be some bus movement during the event, so it is vital that access is maintained at all times.

We strongly encourage visitors to use public transport to reach the event, with connections available via Services 12, 15 and 45 – all of which terminate within the depot grounds. Alternative services go to nearby King’s Road.

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The event has ramped access and is set on one level with some displays and activities located outside and others inside the depot under cover.

Accessible toilet facilities will be available on-site.

As detailed in the section above, there are no parking facilities at our event and this includes disabled parking. For those with disabilities who are travelling by car, your nearest disabled parking facilities will be located in Portobello High Street.

Due to the nature of the event it is not possible for us to provided a ‘quiet’ or ‘sensory’ hour. Experience from past events has shown that the first couple of hours of the event are usually the busiest and most crowded. Visitors who might need a bit of space to decompress are welcome to leave the venue and return when able.

Entrance is via a queuing system which will run along Seafield Road East. This is a very busy road, so we ask that visitors remain on the pavement at all times and follow any instructions given by event staff/security.

Please note that we cannot provide ‘fast-track’ entry to visitors. There is usually a large queue for the event opening at 11:00, so if you or someone you support finds queuing difficult you may wish to come later in the day. 

Buggy parking facilities will be provided.

Baby-changing facilities will be provided.

Please be aware that this event takes place in a working garage, so children must be accompanied at all times by a responsible adult. Their safety is your responsibility.

Please be aware that there will be bag checks at the entrance of our event carried out by our security partners. Please bear this in mind before attending, and be prepared to open your bag to security personnel for the purposes of a quick inspection.

During the event, if you have any safety concerns please bring them to the attention to a member of the security team or to an event volunteer.

This is for the safety and protection of all staff and visitors to our event and we thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Yes! Dogs are welcome to attend but must be kept on a lead and under control at all times.

Tours of Seafield Coachworks

Following on from the success of last year, we are delighted to announce that we will provide tours of our Seafield Coachworks with a limited number of places available. Please note that places will be given on a first-come, first served basis and that priority will be given to people who did not take a tour in 2024.

A minimum £5 donation per adult to our dedicated charity, Age Scotland, will be required in lieu of an entry fee and this will be taken prior to the start of each tour. Cash donations and card payments will be gratefully accepted.

FULLY BOOKED

Lothian and Age Scotland provide connection through charity bus design

Representatives from Age Scotland and Lothian Buses standing in front of the new charity bus at the garage in Annandale Street.
Representatives from Age Scotland and Lothian Buses standing in front of the new charity bus at the garage in Annandale Street.
Representatives from Age Scotland and Lothian Buses standing in front of the new charity bus at the garage in Annandale Street.
Service users from North Edinburgh Dementia Care standing smiling at the launch event.
Service users from North Edinburgh Dementia Care with Age Scotland Chief Executive, Katherine Crawford.
The new Age Scotland bus at Lothian's Central Garage in Annandale Street.
The rear of the charity bus which features the helpline information.

Lothian’s new 2025-26 Charity of Choice, Age Scotland, is on a mission to tackle loneliness in Scotland’s older people and Lothian will be helping to spread that message far and wide on a specially designed double deck bus.

The fully wrapped bus design, created in collaboration between Age Scotland and Lothian’s in-house design team, will be a common sight on the streets of the Scottish capital throughout the two-year charity partnership, with Lothian helping to raise awareness of Age Scotland’s mission.

Importantly, the bus design features information about the charity’s free helpline which provides support and advice to older people across the country. In 2024 Age Scotland’s helpline handled 30,000 calls, answering queries on a range of subjects from benefits and income maximisation, access to social care, and housing.

We were particularly delighted to welcome service users and support staff from North Edinburgh Dementia Care in Leith to the launch, giving them the chance to see the bus up close and meet with members from across the Lothian team who will be working hard to help amplify Age Scotland’s message.

Lothian’s Communications Director, Gaynor Marshall, said: “Lothian is proud to be partnering with Age Scotland over the next two years, helping to raise awareness of the vital work they do to improve the lives of older people in Scotland.

“Our buses offer more than a means of getting from A to B. They provide connections between people and communities, enabling inclusion and participation.

“Our Age Scotland bus offers a unique marketing opportunity with messaging which will connect members of the public across Edinburgh and the Lothians with information, advice and friendship.”

Katherine Crawford, Chief Executive of Age Scotland, said:

“We’re delighted to hit the road with Lothian Buses over the next two years and showcase how Age Scotland can help keep older people connected.

“Tens of thousands of older people across the Lothians experience loneliness and our branded bus will raise awareness of the services we offer to help, and support dozens of local groups and clubs which keep older people connected to their communities.

“We hope that our messaging reaches even more people and amplifies that we are here to provide friendship, companionship and support to older people on every street across Scotland.

Learn more about Age Scotland’s Impact.

The new Age Scotland bus at Lothian's Central Garage in Annandale Street.

Snap a photo & share on social!

The Age Scotland bus fleet number is 465 and it’s already hit the streets of the capital today (21 May) on Service 14. 

If you spot it, please snap a photo and share it with us on social media!

Lothian choose Age Scotland as next charity partner

Age Scotland staff stand in front of a Lothian bus holding signs for the charity and Lothian.
Age Scotland and Lothian Buses staff members stand in front of a Lothian bus at the garage, holding logos an signs to mark the launch of the partnership.
Representatives from Age Scotland and Lothian Buses, including the charity's Chief Executive Katherine Crawford and the bus operator's Managing Director Sarah Boyd, came together to mark the official launch of the new two-year partnership.

Lothian Buses is delighted to announce that Age Scotland has been chosen as its new Charity of Choice partner for the next two years following a staff vote of the company’s 2600+ strong workforce.

Age Scotland work to improve the lives of older people in Scotland. They provide a free helpline and information service, support older people’s groups, promote age and dementia-friendly communities, deliver wellbeing programmes, and campaign on behalf of older people.

The partnership, which will run until the start of 2027, will help support Age Scotland’s vision to ensure Scotland is the best place in the world to grow older and will provide the charity with an invaluable opportunity to raise awareness of its work and services across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

There will be unique marketing opportunities including the wrapping of a bus in Age Scotland messaging, and all funds raised from this partnership will contribute to Age Scotland’s community development work across Lothian’s network, including assisting the work of over sixty Age Scotland Member Groups.

Gaynor Marshall, Communications Director for Lothian, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Age Scotland as Lothian’s Charity of Choice 2025-26.

“Lothian is proud to be part of the communities we serve, and we look forward to working with the team at Age Scotland over the course of the next two years to raise awareness of the support they can offer – helping to tackle loneliness, support inclusion, and deliver better lives for older people across our operating area.”

Katherine Crawford, Chief Executive of Age Scotland, said: “Tens of thousands of older people across the Lothians experience loneliness and this wonderful partnership means we can reach many more people with the services we offer to help, and support dozens of local groups and clubs which keep older people connected.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the staff at Lothian who voted for us to be their Charity of Choice over the next two years, and I just know that our work together will have a really positive impact on the communities that Lothian serve so well.”