A new community hub designed to promote independence and social inclusion for young adults with additional support needs is set to open at Gorgie Farm in the coming weeks, the charity Teens+ has announced.
While the much-loved Gorgie Community Farm remains closed to the public, the launch of the Next Steps Hub marks an important milestone in the wider effort to revive the site.
“Next Steps helps young people with additional support needs to develop life skills, confidence, and independence,” explained Caitlin Nightingale, Next Steps Manager at Teens+. “Opening at Gorgie Community Farm puts our young people in the heart of Edinburgh, creating opportunities to grow, thrive, and pursue passions that lead to greater autonomy and social inclusion.”
As the first tenant of the newly established Gorgie Community Farm charity, the Next Steps Hub has taken over the site’s former main office building and its adjoining outdoor space. Teens+ has carried out extensive renovations to create a safe, welcoming, and fully accessible environment. The new facility includes a specially designed life skills kitchen with features such as lowered units and stoves for wheelchair users, alongside high-contrast surfaces to support those with visual impairments.
Participants will also play an active role in maintaining the farm’s gardens, cultivating fruit and vegetables to prepare in the kitchen – providing practical experience in nutrition, sustainability, and food preparation.
Brendan O’Brien, Trustee of Gorgie Community Farm, welcomed the development:
“Our ambition for Gorgie Community Farm is a sustainable, inclusive, and community-driven facility that enhances wellbeing through collaboration, education, and social inclusion. Partnering with Teens+ was a natural fit to bring this vision to life.”
Although the farm cannot yet reopen fully to the public, volunteers are encouraged to get involved as work at the site continues. At present, there are no animals on-site.
The news comes just ahead of another Next Steps Hub opening at Fisherrow Community Centre in Musselburgh on 15 September. Both hubs are aimed at supporting school leavers who do not require one-to-one care, equipping them with the confidence and skills to live more independently, while helping to reduce reliance on formal care services.
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Simon Pearce-Madge, Head of Teens+, highlighted the value of the initiative:
“In the face of growing financial pressures on the social care sector, we’re creating flexible, community-based support that helps young people thrive.”
Families have already reported the positive effects. Donna Leitch, parent of participant Lewis, shared:
“Next Steps has transformed Lewis’s confidence. He’s achieved things we never thought possible, including spending his first night away from home on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition.”
As Gorgie Farm works towards a gradual revival, the arrival of Teens+ on the site underlines a renewed sense of purpose: to create a place where young adults with additional support needs can grow in confidence, independence, and inclusion – right at the heart of the Edinburgh community.
