A New Direction After Midnight

Founded on the belief that every young person deserves an opportunity to thrive, Midnight and Beyond is a Granton-based charity turning vulnerable young men away from crime and anti-social behaviour. Through years of hard work and the addition of some recent funding from The Greggs Foundation, Project Manager, James Riordan explains how the team have created a safe haven where young people feel valued and equipped to overcome challenges.

In response to increasing crime rates among youth offenders in North Edinburgh, James Riordan and Katie Grover decided that something needed to be done to help young adult men find an alternative to crime. And so, it was in early 2014 that they began to run a programme of evening recreational activities for males aged 14–26.

As Co-founder James explains,

“Granton was attracting a lot of negative media attention and the local tourism industry was suffering as it developed a reputation for crime. We were essentially approached by the local council to work with a small group of young men who were involved in anti-social activity but lacked any support to get them away from criminal behaviour.”

Applying a Youth Work and Whole Systems Approach, James and Katie began to run a range of diversionary activities running until 3am, including outdoor recreation, fitness programmes, nature-based sessions and residentials.

“Our solution was really to give young men an outlet at a time in the evening when they might otherwise be at a loose end and get up to no good. That’s where the name Midnight and Beyond came from.

“Many of these young lads are from backgrounds where they are disengaged from education, living in a poor economic situation and often experiencing mental health challenges. What we’ve tried to do is support them to build confidence, develop healthy routines and form positive relationships.”

Meeting the growing needs of the community head on

At the end of 2021, following redundancy during Covid-19, James and Katie decided to expand their work with Midnight and Beyond, establishing the charity officially in July 2022 and ramping up their efforts to meet the growing needs of young people and their families in the community.

Having extensive experience in employability services, youth work, social care and the court system, James and Katie were passionate about improving the prospects of young adults. What started out as support for just 6 young men has developed into a vital community organisation that cares for upwards of 60 at any one time.

James comments,

“We knew there was a gap in the support network for this group in the community and the needs of these young men weren’t suited to the council’s adult services provision. We had the backing of our local MP, the housing associations and the police who could all see the difference we were able to make. So, it felt important that we committed to making the charity a success.”

Fast-forward to 2026 and the charity is now comprised of five members of staff, including a fitness and wellbeing specialist, Mark Porter – who runs regular gym, boxing and sports sessions through the evenings – and Calum and Kai, youth workers who have come up themselves through Midnight and Beyond’s programmes.

Beyond these activities, the team delivers “On Track” – a programme aimed at arming young men with valuable employability skills, including help to gain a CSCS Green Card qualifying them to work in the construction industry. Alongside this an alternative school programme is now in place with Craigroyston Community High School – working two days a week with those who have become disengaged from school or are at risk of falling out of education.

James says,

“We’ve built a bit of a reputation for engaging young people who are excluded from other parts of the community, including school, youth clubs and public spaces. We don’t want to let them fall through the net and just see crime as the only route. What we offer is something that’s genuinely going to get their attention, keep them interested, build self-esteem and improve their mental health.

“It also helps that we feed them! Putting on meals always gets these young men to come through the door and engage with us in the first place.”

He continues,

“Working with these lads to develop employability skills and then, ultimately, find work is a game-changer. All of a sudden, kids who thought the only way to make money was to steal or deal drugs can be earning a good daily wage and feeling a genuine sense of self-worth.

“This summer, for example, we have one lad who’s now heading off to do offshore training in Aberdeen for the oil and gas industry. Another will be spending the summer away at Camp America. All of these opportunities are things that men round here would probably never dream about without a bit of support and encouragement.”

Keeping up the good work with the support of a Greggs Foundation Community Action Grant

“Working with the Greggs Foundation has been tremendous for us and it’s become a meaningful partnership,” James says. “Historically, it’s shops like the Greggs store in this area that could have been the victim of anti-social behaviour. But by spreading the word about the support we are getting from the Greggs Foundation – whether it’s food donations, Relief Grants or the Community Action Fund – we explain that the funding is crucial to them and others in the local area.

“We have helped to change behaviours and give some of these young lads a sense that what they do in the community really matters . . . that they have a role to play in looking after the community.

“In fact, where we’ve heard about instances of anti-social behaviour aimed at the Greggs shop or other shops or businesses in the area, we’ve actually taken the boys in to apologise for whatever they’ve done in the past. We see that as an important part of their restorative and rehabilitative work – to get them to take some accountability for themselves.”

Having been awarded £20,000 per year for two years via the Community Action Fund, James says that this substantial funding frees up the team to be able to focus on making Midnight and Beyond the most impactful charity it can be:

“We’re just a small team, so we’re all doing the face-to-face support, the marketing, the finance, the IT, the handyman jobs – everything that makes the charity run smoothly. With this kind of grant as unrestricted funding, it gives us the freedom to do our work and not feel we are tied to paperwork or ticking particular boxes. We’re using it to cover salaries and also deliver some of the activities that work best in the community.

“It’s also a genuine relationship where the Foundation want to keep supporting us. Through Relief Grants we’ve been able to get people who are living in poverty new beds, fridge freezers and things that really improve quality of life. Many of these people would otherwise have to choose between putting food on the table or buying these household items.

“We really can’t speak highly enough about the Greggs Foundation and the help we’ve received from them. We see the difference that this support is making every day and it’s just so important to improving the prospects for the young men in our community.”

You can find out more about the work being done by Midnight and Beyond by visiting their website here.