Wendy Russell, Director of Business Support and Transformation, Hanover Scotland, Angela Currie, CEO Hanover Scotland, Gail Burden, CEO Capella, Christopher McShane, Head of Corporate Services, Capella

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – July 31, 2024 – Capella, the non-profit operating Sleep Action and Teens+ , is pleased to announce plans to open the charity’s new headquarters at 95 McDonald Road, Edinburgh in September 2024. Capella join s Hanover Scotland at McDonald Road.

Due to Capella’s rapid two-year growth, the charity has outgrown its limited office space at its four Teens+ Centres across Edinburgh and Musselburgh, which in addition to supporting students, provide shared spaces for Capella and Sleep Action staff.

“McDonald Road will serve as a central hub for the charity, providing dedicated space for Capella’s operations while creating areas for collaboration and community,” says Gail Burden, CEO of Capella. “The move marks a significant milestone in the charity’s journey and represents another step in the organisation’s continued growth.”

The charity’s new headquarters will be divided across two floors with Sleep Action sharing Capella’s head office on the first floor. The existing Teens+ Edinburgh Centre will relocate to occupy the ground floor at the McDonald Road site.

The new head office will be the first dedicated hub for Sleep Action, the UK’s oldest sleep charity, since 2020 when the team transitioned to delivering an entirely remote service amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Demand for our training and support service has continued to grow because there is no health and wellbeing without sleep,” explains Alyson O’Brien, Head of Sleep Action. “Our new head office will provide us with even greater flexibility to meet the growing demand, including dedicated space for offering in-person training to the education, health, and social care sector staff supporting children facing severe sleep problems.”

“The move to McDonald Road will contribute significantly to our goal of becoming a Net Zero charity by 2029,” commented Christopher McShane, Head of Corporate Services who leads on Capella’s ambitions to become one of Scotland’s first Net Zero charities. “The public transport links, cycling infrastructure, and proximity to other like-minded organisations make it the ideal location to set strong foundations for our ambitious net zero target.” Capella is a proud member of NetZero Nation and recently appointed Dr Adrian de Andres, an executive leader in the renewables industry, to its board of trustees.

Hanover Chief Executive, Angela Currie said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Capella to our Head Office on McDonald Road. As an organisation guided by our core values of respect, accountability, collaboration, and inclusion, it is a pleasure to be sharing the building with a like-minded organisation. For over 40 years, Hanover Scotland has empowered independence by providing safe, secure social housing that allows residents to live fulfilling, independent lives. While Capella’s aim is to help people to “Be the Best You” through life-long learning that creates lasting change, demonstrating a clear synergy in our approach. We are looking forward to exploring the opportunities that sharing the building might bring.”

In 2024, Capella launched an ambitious five-year strategy for Sleep Action to do more and reach more people at a national, local, and community level. Capella is shortlisted as Third Sector’s Large Charity of the Year 2024 in recognition of the impact and success the charity’s services have had helping others to “Be the Best You”.

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