A Renfrewshire charity is set to benefit from a £5,000 boost this Christmas after being selected in the latest round of Virgin Unite’s Local Legends grants.
Active Communities (Scotland), based in Renfrewshire, is among 34 charities across the UK to receive funding in the fourth round of the programme, which supports community organisations nominated by Virgin employees who volunteer their time locally.
The Local Legends fund, managed by Virgin Unite — the independent, non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group — was launched in 2023 with a £1 million commitment. So far, almost £750,000 has been distributed to 123 charities across four funding rounds, with two further rounds planned for 2026.
To be eligible, charities must be nominated by a Virgin employee in the UK who volunteers with them, recognising both the organisation’s work and the commitment of staff giving up their spare time to support their communities.
Active Communities (Scotland) is an award-winning health and wellbeing charity that runs an inclusive community space and a wide range of programmes aimed at reducing isolation, improving wellbeing and tackling poverty. The £5,000 grant will support the ongoing delivery of its Community Pantry, which provides affordable access to food and essentials.
Amanda Hynd, a practice support assistant at Virgin Money and a volunteer with Active Communities (Scotland), welcomed the news.
“I am so pleased to hear that Active Communities (Scotland) has been selected to receive the £5,000 grant,” she said. “This will allow them to make a real difference within my local community.
“Through Virgin Money Foundation’s Digital Champion volunteering, I’ve seen the impact that volunteers can have just by giving up a little of our time, and for that to be recognised by Local Legends truly means a lot.”
Connie Terris from Active Communities (Scotland) said the funding would have an immediate impact locally.
“We are so grateful for this award from Virgin Unite Local Legends,” she said. “We can now extend our vital community pantry service by funding an additional 10 hours per week for our Community Food Lead. This will enable us to provide a more dignified response to food poverty to even more local people.”
Virgin Unite Local Legends was created to celebrate Virgin employees who go above and beyond by volunteering with charities tackling some of the UK’s most pressing issues, including poverty, health inequality, education and human rights.
Holly Branson, chair of Virgin Unite and chief vision officer at Virgin, said the programme highlights the power of community action.
“It makes me so proud to see how time and again so many Virgin employees step up to support their communities by volunteering with local charities that tackle difficult and heart-breaking issues,” she said. “We passionately believe these people are true legends and should be celebrated.”
Sheetal Vyas, managing director of Virgin Unite, added that the scheme reflects the causes that matter most to Virgin staff.
“I’m delighted that Virgin Unite has been able to support the work of so many charities tackling unacceptable issues in their communities,” she said. “It’s especially rewarding that each charity has been nominated by one of our Virgin colleagues, celebrating their fantastic volunteering work.”