Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust

What Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust does

Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust is a Scottish registered charity (SC042964) and company limited by guarantee (SC366198), founded in 2009 and headquartered at The Crannie, 9 Cranston Street, Edinburgh. The Trust operates a community hub serving residents of Edinburgh's Old Town Conservation Area and the neighbouring Dumbiedykes area, delivering a portfolio of free programmes including the Crannie Pantry food distribution service (in partnership with FareShare and Goodies), Creative Writing, Ukulele Group, Create & Connect, Art Club, Cooking Class, Community Lunch, Ambling Adventures, Digital Support, Music Circle, Book Club, and Knit and Crochet groups.

The organisation has no proprietary technology platform; its core asset is the physical community hub and the social infrastructure of staff, volunteers, board, and partner organisations that surround it. It runs 7 paid staff (including CEO Jackie Cropper and 6 operational roles) supported by a 7-member volunteer board chaired by Andrew Brough, with membership drawn from Old Town residents (Ordinary Members), non-residents and organisations (Associate Members), and ages 12-17 (Junior Members).

Revenue is generated through three streams: grants and donations from public and private funders (City of Edinburgh Council, National Lottery Community Fund, Robertson Trust, Garfield Weston, People's Postcode Lottery, Foundation Scotland, The Women's Fund for Scotland, Awards for All, WHALE Arts Agency); commercial venue hire of The Crannie's Village Hall, Glass Room, Craft Room, and Kitchen to community groups, charities, and businesses on a unit-priced pay-as-you-go basis with discounts for charities and Old Town residents; and donations via JustGiving crowdfunding. The Trust also leads the Local Place Plan, a community-led planning initiative intended to influence Edinburgh's planning policies for the Old Town.

Name

Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust

Legal name

Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust

Website

https://eotdt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust is a Scottish registered charity operating The Crannie, a community hub in Edinburgh's Old Town delivering free activities, food distribution, and venue hire to Old Town and Dumbiedykes residents, funded by grants, donations, and venue hire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO), Multi-Purpose Event Halls & Community Centers (THAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Community development services
• Community hub operations
• Food pantry programs
• Venue hire services
• Local place planning

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Funding: Funding from public and private sources including City of Edinburgh Council, National Lottery Community Fund, Robertson Trust, Garfield Weston, People's Postcode Lottery, Foundation Scotland, The Women's Fund for Scotland, Awards for All, and WHALE Arts Agency.
2. Venue Hire: Rental of The Crannie's venues including Village Hall, Glass Room, Craft Room, and Kitchen to groups, charities, businesses and other organisations. Discounts offered to local charities and Old Town residents.
3. Donations: Accepting donations through crowdfunding campaigns and direct contact for large donations, bequests or partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust operates The Crannie, a community hub in Cranston Street, Edinburgh, offering free community activities, food distribution via the Crannie Pantry, skill-building workshops, digital support, and venue hire. The organisation also coordinates the Local Place Plan, a community-led urban planning initiative for the Old Town area.

Product overview

Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust operates The Crannie as its core community hub, offering a diverse portfolio of free community activities and services to Old Town residents. The portfolio includes both regular programmed activities (Crannie Pantry, Create & Connect, Creative Writing, Ukulele Group, Book Club, Art Club, Cooking Class, Community Lunch, Ambling Adventures, Digital Support, Music Circle, Knit and Crochet) and venue hire services. The Crannie serves as the central venue for all activities and also offers its spaces (Village Hall, Glass Room, Craft Room, Kitchen) for hire to community groups, charities, and businesses. Additionally, the Trust runs the Local Place Plan initiative for community-led urban planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crannie Pantry: Free food distribution program from local supermarkets donated by FareShare and Goodies.
• Crannie

Products and services

• The Crannie (Community Hub)
• Crannie Pantry

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Edinburgh Old Town Community CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner working on local issues affecting the Old Town area.
• University of EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner supporting community initiatives and research.
• Edinburgh World HeritagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage partner supporting the preservation and development of Old Town.
• Canongate YouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth partner supporting younger residents of the Old Town.
• Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspaces TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental partner supporting green space initiatives.
• Dumbiedykes Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal neighbourhood group representing Dumbiedykes area residents.
• Charteris CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity space partner in the Old Town area.
• FareSharecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood charity partner supplying surplus food for the Crannie Pantry programme.
• LGBT Youth ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth partner supporting LGBTQ+ young people in the community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Power to Change: UK charitable trust supporting community businesses and development trusts. Provides funding and capacity-building resources to community-led organizations similar to the Trust.
• Locality: UK-wide membership network supporting community organizations and development trusts. Operates the Community Ownership Fund and provides resources relevant to the Trust's operating model.
• Development Trusts Association Scotland: Scottish membership network for development trusts, of which the Trust is a member. Provides sector-wide support, training, and advocacy for the community development trust model.

Direct peers

• Cyrenians: Edinburgh-based charity supporting people facing homelessness, addiction, and social exclusion. Similar Scottish charity status with community-based service delivery in the same region.
• The Grassmarket Community Project: Edinburgh community project supporting people facing poverty, homelessness, and social isolation in the Old Town area. Direct geographic overlap with the Trust and similar service mix.
• Bethany Christian Trust: Edinburgh charity providing shelter, food, and community support to people facing homelessness and poverty. Comparable charity structure delivering community-based social services in the same city.
• People Know How: Edinburgh-based charity delivering community support, digital inclusion, and food-related services. Closely comparable operating model and demographic to the Trust, including free drop-in style programmes.
• Edinburgh Community Food Initiative: Edinburgh charity promoting healthy, sustainable food access and addressing food poverty. Direct peer in the community food space, sharing the Crannie Pantry's food redistribution mission.
• Canongate Youth: Youth-focused community organization in Edinburgh's Old Town. Active partner of the Trust, serving the same community demographic with complementary programmes for younger residents.
• WHALE Arts Agency: Edinburgh arts and community organization funding creative programmes in disadvantaged communities. Both organizations serve Old Town/West Edinburgh communities with arts, cultural, and community-led activities, and WHALE Arts is a current Trust funder.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheCrannie
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCrannie
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecrannie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eotdt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust