News

Access to Industry will close at 5pm on Thursday 22 December 2022 and re-open at 9am on Wednesday 4 January 2023. This time of year can be challenging – if you find yourself in need of ideas to ‘keep busy’, or require specific help or support, here’s our useful guide to keeping busy indoors…

Edinburgh has many free indoor options. The National Museum is open 364 days (pictured, closed only Christmas Day). There’s also national galleries a-plenty – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (One and Two); Scottish National Gallery; and Scottish National Portrait Gallery (all free and open throughout, bar Christmas Day and Boxing Day). Your local council library is a also quiet, cosy place to stock up on books, CDs and DVDs to keep you entertained.

For support in a sober- and substance-safe environment, Edinburgh Recovery Activities will have a Recovery Community Café (28 December, St Mary’s Cathedral, 11:30am-3pm) and a film screening of Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (also 28 December, Grassmarket Community Café, 7pm), before hosting their annual New Year’s Party (31 December, Leith St. Andrew’s Church, 8pm-12:30am).

Soul Food offer meals for those affected by homelessness, poverty or loneliness, including Boxing Day (City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, 5:30pm) and New Year’s Day (Life Church, 5:30pm). Social Bite (Rose Street) will provide food for the homeless and vulnerable throughout, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (11am-4pm), as well as distributing gifts and essential items. While Heart of Midlothian’s Big Hearts will open Tynecastle for a Winter Lunch Club for anyone in need (21 December, noon-2pm).

You can find our list of Outdoor options here.
And our Help and Support Contacts here.
You can also see our list of Food Bank opening times 2022.