Corporate Partnerships, News
Judith the John Lewis Coffee Saint
Meet Judith, the John Lewis Coffee Saint
Edinburgh’s much-loved branch of John Lewis & Partners is our very close neighbour at Coffee Saints, located just alongside on Little King Street. Judith Hunter, the store’s Community Liaison CoOrdinator, is a regular and enthusiastic Coffee Saint customer,
‘I tell everyone to go to Coffee Saints, you won’t be disappointed…’
Coffee Saints ‘the Rolls Royce of food and service’
‘Just because Coffee Saints is a social enterprise supporting a charity doesn’t mean it’s not good food – it really is the Rolls Royce of food and service.
It’s as good as you will get anywhere in the city. You will be contributing to a charity and you will want to keep going back.’
Judith continues,
‘The service is so friendly, I send everyone there, including my husband’s aunt who loves coming monthly with her friends and books a table in advance!
‘Our ‘Thistle Do Nicely Community Choir’ (formerly the John Lewis choir) also meet and rehearse at Coffee Saints every Wednesday evening. They love the space AND central location.
John Lewis and GCP
Judith is a true friend on the Grassmarket Community Project, helping John Lewis & Partners to work closely with GCP for well over a decade.
Initially, the group helped support the development of GCP’s arts and crafts members’ activities, fundraising and corporate volunteering. During lockdown, John Lewis and Waitrose Morningside went on to help our isolated and vulnerable members, supplying mobiles, food and support.
The John Lewis Foundation which receives funding from the sale of their carrier bags helps support GCP’s Wood Workshop social enterprise to develop our pre-apprenticeship scheme, leading to qualifications for our Members and, in many cases, employment.
Judith highlights the importance of this direct connection with their customers,
‘This is a great story for our shopfloor Partners to share with our customers when they are buying a carrier bag.’
In 2023, GCP benefitted from the secondment of Alison Kane, a John Lewis retail expert and Personal Advisor in Fashions, who helped advise our Tartan Team in our wee Tartan Shop of Candlemaker Row.
This year, through its support of GCP’s wood workshop salaries, John Lewis is also a key partner on our brilliant Skiff Boat Building Project.
Why the Grassmarket Community Project
Judith talks more about why she loves GCP,
‘I love the Grassmarket Community Project, it is so people-centred. Everything is about giving people a chance, giving opportunities, education and emotional support for Edinburgh’s most vulnerable. The people who work alongside the members are terrific.’
A BIG thank you
These are just a few highlights of our relationship with John Lewis & Partners Edinburgh. There’s so much more we could share about our friendship and partnership. And we hope to, as we continue to find new and creative ways to build and deepen our connection with each other and the local communities we serve.
THANK YOU Judith and John Lewis for all that you do to support the essential work we do.
Interested in Corporate Partnership opportunities?
Grassmarket Community Project has a fantastic track record, working with like-minded organisations looking to build fulfilling, reciprocal relationships.
We tailor your Corporate Partnership to fit your organisation’s specific goals, whilst fulfilling our requirements as a small and passionate charity.
Whichever way you choose to join us, we will make sure your relationship with us is the best fit for you and your organisation. We’re the good place to be and you will be in very good company!
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A BIG THANK YOU
The Grassmarket Community Project’s Members Programme relies on the generosity of our customers, funders and donors. Our key funders for this area of our work are Nationwide Community Grants, The Robertson Trust and EVOC/Scottish Government Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund. We thank them for their essential continued support.
