More than 60 charities, public bodies and local organisations came together at Aberdeen Music Hall last week for the third year of Empower Aberdeen, the city’s biggest community support event of its kind, connecting people with free, face-to-face support on a wide range of issues.
Held on Wednesday 7 October as part of Challenge Poverty Week, the event brought together organisations offering support with money, benefits, housing, energy, health, wellbeing, employment and much more.
Organised by Scarf, Empower Aberdeen was created around a simple idea: make it easier for people to find the support available to them, without having to navigate a complex network of services on their own.
Visitors could speak directly with organisations, ask questions and find out what help was available. The event also gave participating organisations the opportunity to build connections and explore how they could work together to better support people across Aberdeen.
Empower Aberdeen 2026
Award-winning presenter and broadcaster Lauren Mitchell officially opened the event and spent the day capturing conversations and stories from organisations and visitors.
Great British Energy supported this year’s event, reflecting a shared interest in working with communities and helping people connect with support that can make a practical difference to their lives.
Dave Sims, Contracts & Commercial Manager at Scarf, said: “It was brilliant to see so many organisations come together and make our third Empower Aberdeen such a success. The event demonstrated just how much support is available across our city and the difference it can make when people have the opportunity to connect directly with the services that can help them.
I’d like to thank everyone who took part, everyone who came along, Lauren Mitchell for hosting the day, and Great British Energy for supporting this year’s event. It’s been a brilliant example of what we can achieve when we work together.”
Dave Sims, Contracts & Commercial Manager at Scarf
Cameron McCready, Chief Executive at Home-Start Aberdeen, said: “We were delighted to join the Empower Aberdeen event. It's a great opportunity to make new connections, reach members of the public and share information about our support for families in Aberdeen. We were so pleased to see the event busy, lively and engaging.”
Empower Aberdeen 2026 builds on the success of the previous year’s event and reflects the strength of Aberdeen’s network of charities, community groups and support services. By opening the doors to the public, the event makes those connections more visible and helps people take the next step towards the support they need.