The Pilton Equalities Project (PEP) has received £5,000 to fund a literacy project in North Edinburgh.

The donation was provided by the Santander Foundation which offers grants to UK registered charities for projects that help disadvantaged people in local communities.

The PEP provides essential services for vulnerable adults in North Edinburgh. The grant will allow an Adult Literacy and Numeracy tutor to work with ESOL learners (English Speakers of Other Languages) to improve their language skills. In addition the project will help to integrate local ethnic minority communities into the wider community of North Edinburgh.

Theodora Hidalgo, Learning and Training Officer at PEP said: "We are really grateful to receive this grant which is a great boost to PEP and to the services we offer the local community."

Laura Robertson, Branch Director at Santander's St. John’s Road branch said: "The Santander Foundation makes hundreds of donations every year to good causes throughout the UK. Our branch is committed to playing a key part in the community and we are delighted to be supporting PEP, and hope the donation makes a real difference to local people."

- Ends -

Note to Editors
In 2015 the Santander Foundation donated £5 million to charities across the UK.

Media Contact
Sarah Webster at Santander      Tel: 020 7756 5533


About Pilton Equalities Project

Pilton Equalites Project work to enhance the quality of life for older and other vulnerable adults in North Edinburgh by continuing to develop services that enable active community participation, which encourage independence and which measurably reduce isolation. They deliver services to over 900 people locally. Their services include: Accessible Transport, Shopping, Clubs, Adult Day care, Weekend Resource, Visiting/Information Service, Neighbourhood Group, Lifelong Learning, Homecare, Gardening and Decorating. For more information please visit: www.pepequalities.co.uk


About Santander

The Santander Foundation provides grants to UK registered charities that help disadvantaged people in communities where Santander has a presence. The Community Plus fund provides donations of up to £5,000 to small, local charities nominated by customers, staff and the charities themselves. Our Central Grants programme has grants of up to £10,000 available for education, training and financial capability projects. In 2014, £5 million was donated by the Santander Foundation to charities across the UK. For more information please visit: www.santanderfoundation.org.uk/

Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. It has brought real competition to the UK, through its 1|2|3 products for retail customers and relationship banking model for UK SMEs. As at 31 December 2015, Santander UK was one of the most switched to banks. The bank serves more than 14 million active customers with c. 20,000 employees and operates through 857 branches and 70 regional Corporate Business Centres. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.