About Us

Who we are

The seed for An Open Hand was planted one morning in a foodbank in Edinburgh. While a young mother was collecting food for her family, she quietly shared that it was her youngest daughter’s third birthday that day. With no money to buy a gift, the family felt unable to mention or celebrate it at all. They had asked the nursery not to mark the day, or sing happy birthday so that she didn’t find out. She went on to say the hardest part was hearing her daughter ask again and again when it was going to be her turn to have a birthday just like her friends.

That moment revealed something bigger than poverty. It showed the hidden cost of financial hardship – the milestones left unmarked, lost family celebrations, childhood joys quietly put aside.

An Open Hand was established in 2021 and was initially a partnership project between Greenbank Parish Church and Edinburgh City Mission before growing to become its own charity in 2025. We are still based in Greenbank Parish Church and are entirely volunteer run.

When a child feels their family are celebrating their birthday, they feel special and significant. It is a time when families can show how much they love and care for someone.

A birthday is a time to create positive, happy memories and help strengthen family bonds. Buying presents for a birthday can put a strain on many families, can move then into debt, or is not possible and the child goes without a birthday present.

An Open Hand aims to provide parents, with birthday presents they have personally chosen for their child, opening the door to joyful birthday celebrations.

Since our launch in 2021 we have provided hundreds of parents in Edinburgh with birthday gifts for their children.

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Vision

We strive to shine God’s light and hope into children’s birthdays, helping create positive memories, gift by gift, family by family.

Mission

To provide parents in severe hardship with a present for each of their children’s birthdays along with books for each family to enjoy together.

Purpose

To ‘open wide our hands’ and give generously and freely in our community.
To offer parents the opportunity to give their child a birthday gift they know they will love, without the financial burden that it brings.
To offer children the opportunity to celebrate each birthday and receive a gift personal to them. We hope this helps them feel special and loved within their family.
To enable families to create positive family memories of birthdays.
To brighten family time together through the additional games, books and stationery provided.