artlink edinburgh and the lothians

What artlink edinburgh and the lothians does

Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians is a Scottish charitable company (Scottish Charity No. SC006845; Company No. 87845) that delivers participatory arts programmes for communities and care settings across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Its portfolio comprises 12+ named programmes spanning four operational domains: learning disability and neurodiversity (Ideas Team, Generate, The Makers, KMAdotcom, The Social Programme, Thursday Live, Cherry Road Learning Centre, Two Trumpets), mental health (Curious Routes in Edinburgh, Leylines in West Lothian), hospital and healthcare arts (Hospital Arts at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital via The Glasshouses creative hub), and community access (Arts Access, Viva Boghall). Programmes are co-produced with artists, NHS partners, Health and Social Care Partnerships, and local councils and are delivered free to beneficiaries.

The organization's 'technology' is its network of trusted institutional relationships and its catalogue of participatory creative practices rather than a software platform. Distribution occurs through direct delivery in hospitals, schools, and community venues plus lightweight digital channels (a WordPress website, program microsites, an Issuu publication channel, and Facebook/Instagram accounts). Monetisation is non-commercial: Artlink is funded by a concentrated mix of public-sector grants (Creative Scotland, Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council), NHS-linked charitable funding (NHS Lothian Charity), and individual donations processed via PayPal. CEO Kara Christine leads a small paid-staff team supplemented by commissioned artists and community participants.

Strategically, Artlink positions itself as an intermediary that converts cultural engagement into measurable public-service outcomes — improved school attendance, mental wellbeing, and social connection — and is publicly advocating for a statutory Culture Act to underpin that role in the next Scottish Parliamentary term.

Name

artlink edinburgh and the lothians

Legal name

Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians

Website

https://artlinkedinburgh.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians is a Scottish charitable company delivering participatory arts programmes for neurodiverse young people, people with learning disabilities, mental health service users, and community members across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Operations are funded through grants, public-sector contracts, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Social Assistance (624), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Accessibility, Accommodations & Assistive Services (EDALAFAN)

Keywords

• Community arts programs
• Participatory arts workshops
• Arts and mental health
• Disability arts access
• Creative health interventions

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, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable donations and grants: As a registered Scottish charity (No. SC006845) and company registered in Scotland (No. 87845), Artlink relies on donations, charitable grants, and public funding to sustain operations and programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians delivers participatory arts programmes and creative activities for communities and care settings across Edinburgh and the Lothians. The organisation runs a portfolio of named programmes including Hospital Arts, Arts Access, Curious Routes, Leylines, Generate, Ideas Team, KMAdotcom, The Makers, The Social Programme, Thursday Live, Cherry Road Learning Centre, and Two Trumpets, serving neurodiverse young people, people with learning disabilities, mental health service users, hospital patients, and the wider community. Services are delivered free of charge through workshops, exhibitions, outreach, and virtual resources in partnership with hospitals, schools, learning centres, and community organisations.

Product overview

Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians is a community arts organization offering a portfolio of participatory arts programs. The organization operates as a collection of distinct programs rather than a unified technology product. Programs include Hospital Arts (creative collaborations in hospital settings), Arts Access (virtual arts outings), Generate (bespoke projects for young people), The Makers and KMAdotcom (art studios for learning disabled artists), Curious Routes and Leylines (mental health and cultural programs), The Social Programme (social meet-ups), Thursday Live (performance), Cherry Road Learning Centre (creative learning), and Ideas Team (arts practices for people with profound learning disabilities). The organization also publishes via Issuu and maintains exhibition spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ideas Team: Unique arts practices shaped by people with profound learning disabilities
• Generate
• Hospital Arts
• Arts Access
• Curious Routes
• The Makers
• KMAdotcom
• The Social Programme
• Leylines
• Cherry Road Learning Centre
• Thursday Live
• Culture Collective

Products and services

• Arts Access A resource providing virtual outings to arts and culture, offering accessible arts experiences for people with disabilities who are unable to attend in person.
• Curious Routes A cultural commons for mental health in Edinburgh, providing creative and cultural activities for mental health service users.
• Cherry Road Learning Centre Creative learning opportunities working with others to create innovative and meaningful opportunities, in long-term partnership with Artlink involving people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
• Hospital Arts Creative collaborations between artists, patients, relatives and hospital staff, delivered directly in hospital settings including Royal Edinburgh Hospital through The Glasshouses Creative Hub.
• Ideas Team Unique arts practices shaped by people with profound learning disabilities.
• KMAdotcom Contemporary art making by learning disabled artists, an artist collective supported by Artlink including international exhibitions such as Speaking Volumes at Malmö Konsthall, Sweden.
• Leylines Creative connections for mental health in West Lothian, delivered with West Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership.
• The Makers Creative learning informed by young learning disabled adults, delivered through workshops and bespoke outreach programmes.
• Generate Bespoke projects shaped by unique young people who have untapped talent, working with primary and secondary pupils around interests such as astronomy, music composition, cooking and drone flying.
• The Social Programme Social and creative meet-ups that bring adults with learning disabilities together, supported through partnership with Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership.
• Thursday Live Live performance designed to engage learning disabled audiences.
• Two Trumpets Creative initiative for autism ideas in Midlothian.

Quantifiable outcome

• Improved school attendance, attainment, self-confidence, mental wellbeing, identity and community connection for neurodiverse young people

Named customers4 records

Segments4 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, major and minor.

• Culture CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 26 participatory arts projects funded by Scottish Government emergency COVID-19 funds through Creative Scotland. Artlink's Follow Our Rules project is part of this network, shaped by local communities alongside artists and creative organisations. Projects address disconnection, loneliness and mental health in post-lockdown world.
• Cherry Road Learning CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with Cherry Road Learning Centre in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian exploring ways to involve people with profound and multiple learning disabilities in the creative process. Collaboration resulted in the Human Threads exhibition.
• West Lothian Health and Social Care PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports Artlink's Leylines program providing creative connections for mental health in West Lothian. Co-funder of community projects including Viva Boghall.
• Midlothian Health and Social Care PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Artlink programs in Midlothian including KMAdotcom artist collective and The Social Programme.
• KMAdotcomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist collective of learning disabled artists supported by Artlink, providing contemporary art making opportunities. Residents include Alan Faulds who exhibited at Malmö Konsthall Sweden and Frieze London.
• Tramway GlasgowmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery venue for Human Threads exhibition and Leanne Ross exhibition, providing accessible creative experiences for people with disabilities.
• 5th ExitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup of artists who devised their own ways of keeping in touch during lockdown to share ideas, make work and create positive strategies for wellbeing. Part of Leylines West Lothian program.
• Kendall Koppe GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlasgow gallery that hosted Laura Aldridge and Leanne Ross exhibition 'The Outside Is Inside Everything We Make' as part of Glasgow International 2021.
• Howden Park CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Curious Routes and Leylines programs providing studio space for creative connections for mental health.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Drake Music: UK disability music charity creating music-making opportunities for disabled people. Comparable in the arts/disability intersection and in NHS partnership work.
• Outside In: UK charity providing platforms for artists facing barriers including disability, mental health, and social exclusion. Comparable artist development mission to Artlink's KMAdotcom and the curatorial recognition pathway Artlink has achieved.
• Project Ability: Glasgow-based visual arts charity supporting artists with learning disabilities and mental health support needs. Highly comparable operating model to Artlink's KMAdotcom, Ideas Team, and The Makers programs, with similar Scottish third-sector funding dynamics.
• Impact Arts: Scottish charity using arts and creativity to engage disadvantaged young people and communities. Closely comparable to Artlink's Generate and Curious Routes programs in mission and target population.
• Mind the Gap: UK learning disability performance company producing professional theatre with learning disabled and non-disabled performers. Comparable to Artlink's Thursday Live and broader learning disability arts programming in combining professional artistic output with disability inclusion.
• Heart n Soul: UK charity creating arts and culture opportunities for people with learning disabilities, with a similar portfolio of programs spanning performance, exhibitions, and community engagement.
• Venture Trust: Scottish charity supporting vulnerable people including those with disabilities and mental health needs through structured personal development programs. Comparable in Scottish third-sector funding dynamics and beneficiary populations.
• ARC Stockton: Arts organization working with learning disabled and autistic artists in North East England. Comparable model combining professional artistic development with disability-focused community programs.

Broad incumbents

• National Theatre of Scotland: Scotland's national theatre company producing work across the country. Broader incumbent that intersects with Artlink's programming in some areas but operates at much larger scale and across all art forms.

Regional players

• Engage Scotland: Scottish arm of the UK-wide Engage network connecting people with cultural engagement. Comparable arts access mission and Scottish regional focus, though broader in scope than Artlink's disability/specialist remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ArtlinkEdinburgh
• Instagraminstagram.com/artlinkedin
• Xx.com/ArtlinkEdin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artlink-edinburgh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 artlink edinburgh and the lothians