Lothian Centre For Inclusive Living

What Lothian Centre For Inclusive Living does

Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL) is a registered Scottish charity (No SC017954) and Company Limited by Guarantee (No 129392), founded in 1991 and headquartered at Norton Park, 57 Albion Road, Edinburgh. It is a user-led organization that supports disabled people, older people, people with long-term health conditions, and carers across Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and West Lothian. The portfolio comprises six core services: Independent Living Service (Self-Directed Support advice), Disability Advice and Information Service (DAIS), Payroll Service for Personal Assistant employers, Peer Support and Learning workshops, Personal Assistant Recruitment, and the newly launched Energy Advice Service (2026).

LCiL generates revenue through charitable donations, grants (including the National Lottery Community Fund and Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme), government/local authority contracts for Self-Directed Support delivery, and membership fees. All services to disabled people and carers are provided free of charge. Delivery is multi-channel: in-person at the Edinburgh HQ and community venues, online via Zoom (notably Midlothian Community Connections), and by telephone. The technology footprint is limited to standard collaboration and event-management tooling (Zoom, Eventbrite, Google Calendar, Outlook, NearMe) with no proprietary platform.

Operationally, LCiL is small (1–10 employees) and is currently led by CEO Narek Bido (2026), following the departure of Florence Garabedian. The organization is governed by an elected Board and holds Disability Confident, Scottish Living Wage, Eco-Friendly Web Alliance, and Volunteer Scotland accreditations. Strategic direction in 2026 emphasizes cost-of-living support, energy efficiency advice, and policy engagement including the Access to Politics Charter.

Name

Lothian Centre For Inclusive Living

Legal name

Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living

Website

https://lothiancil.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LCiL is a registered Scottish charity and user-led organization that delivers advice, peer support, payroll, and energy-efficiency services to disabled people, older people, people with long-term health conditions, and carers across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Independent Living with Supportive Services (Light ADL/IADL Support) (HLADAAAE)

Keywords

• Disability support services
• Self-directed support
• Personal assistant payroll
• Peer support groups
• Disability welfare advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable/Fundraised Income: As a registered Scottish charity (No SC017954), LCiL receives funding through donations, charitable grants, and fundraising activities. The organization has received awards such as the National Lottery Community Fund.
2. Government/Local Authority Funding: LCiL receives funding from local government bodies and public sector organizations to deliver services such as Self-directed Support, disability advice, and payroll services for disabled people in the Lothians region.
3. Membership Fees: LCiL offers membership options for supporters, with a 'Become a member' pathway on their website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lothian Centre For Inclusive Living is a user-led disability charity that provides free advice, information, peer support, payroll services for personal assistants, and independent living support to disabled people, older people, and unpaid carers across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Its core services include the Independent Living Service, the Disability Advice and Information Service (DAIS), a payroll and employment law service for personal assistants, a Peer Support and Learning programme, and an Energy Advice Service.

Product overview

Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL) is a charity organization that provides a suite of coordinated services supporting disabled people, older people, people with long-term health conditions, and carers in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The portfolio includes Independent Living Service (self-directed support advice and management), Disability Advice and Information Service (DAIS), Payroll Service (wages processing for Personal Assistants), Peer Support and Learning (workshops and peer groups), Energy Advice Service (energy efficiency support), and Personal Assistant recruitment support. These services operate as interconnected offerings under one organization, addressing various aspects of independent living and social care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Independent Living Service Core service helping disabled people, older people, and unpaid carers in the Lothians to access self-directed support, live independently, and navigate social care options.
• Disability Advice and Information Service (DAIS) Free information and advice service for disabled people, older people, and unpaid carers on rights, entitlements, and access to services across the Lothians.
• Payroll Service Payroll and employment law support service for personal assistants and the disabled people who employ them, handling wages, deductions, and HR compliance.
• Peer Support and Learning Programme Peer-led groups and learning opportunities that connect disabled people, older people, and unpaid carers across the Lothians to share experiences and reduce isolation.
• Energy Advice Service Free energy advice and home-visit service helping disabled people, older people, and low-income households in the Lothians reduce fuel costs, switch suppliers, and access grants.
• Membership of Lothian Centre For Inclusive Living Membership scheme open to disabled people, older people, unpaid carers, and supporters, providing a say in the governance of the organization and access to its services.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sense Scotland: UK charity supporting people who are deafblind or have complex disabilities, with services in Scotland. Comparable in providing advice, peer/community support, and independent-living assistance.
• ENABLE Scotland: Scotland's largest disability charity, providing independent living, employment, and self-directed support services. Most directly comparable to LCiL as both deliver user-led, SDS-aligned services in Scotland with overlapping beneficiary populations.
• Capability Scotland: Scottish disability charity providing residential, community, and advice services for disabled people. Comparable to LCiL in mission and beneficiary focus, though broader in service scope (including residential care).
• People First (Scotland): User-led advocacy organisation led by and for people with learning disabilities in Scotland. Comparable to LCiL's user-led service design ethos and community-connections peer-support model.
• Independent Living Fund Scotland: Administers payments to disabled people in Scotland to support independent living with employed PAs — directly comparable to LCiL's PA recruitment and Payroll Service offerings.
• Carers Trust Scotland: National charity supporting unpaid carers in Scotland through local carer centres. Directly comparable to LCiL's secondary 'Carers' customer segment, which receives peer support and information services.
• Inclusion Scotland: A disabled-people-led organisation promoting independent living and rights-based approaches across Scotland. Highly comparable to LCiL's user-led model, with a national remit versus LCiL's Lothians focus.

Broad incumbents

• Leonard Cheshire: Major UK disability charity providing supported living, employment, and inclusion services. Comparable in mission to LCiL but materially larger and broader in geographic and service scope.
• Disability Rights UK: UK-wide umbrella organisation led by and for disabled people, providing advice and rights information. Comparable to LCiL's DAIS and benefits-information offering but operating at national policy/information scale.

Regional players

• Vocal (Voices of Carers Across Lothian): Edinburgh & Lothians-based carers' centre providing information, peer support, and training to unpaid carers. Directly comparable regional peer for LCiL's carers-facing service lines.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LothianCIL
• Facebookfacebook.com/LothianCIL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lothian-centre-for-inclusive-living
• Instagraminstagram.com/lothiancil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lothian Centre For Inclusive Living