Day: November 30, 2024

The Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour is heading to Edinburgh TODAY

  • The Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour will visit Edinburgh on Saturday 30th November at 12pm
  • With the ambition to make kindness travel, the tour will encourage visitors to embrace their inner Santa and share an act of kindness with others during the festive season.
  • Bringing friends and family together to enjoy a magical moment of festive fun, the loved tour will this year support FareShare, the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and food waste.

Holidays Are Coming! The magic of the holiday season is set to sparkle even brighter this year and to celebrate, the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour, will be parking today at Fort Kinnard, from 12pm to 8pm!

Under a canopy of twinkling lights and festive music, visitors will be able to enjoy fun, festive games, participate in a lucky dip with the chance to win exclusive Coca-Cola merchandise and experience a festive food truck that will serve up delicious seasonal tastes alongside an ice-cold Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, all whilst capturing that perfect seasonal selfie in front of the iconic red truck.

Bringing friends and family together to enjoy a magical moment of festive fun, the loved tour will this year support FareShare, the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and food waste.

Promising to be bigger and better than ever before and set in a magical winter wonderland setting, for every person that attends the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour, the equivalent of a meal will be donated on their behalf. Coca-Cola aims to donate the equivalent of up to a total of 1 million meals* via FareShare this festive season.

FareShare works with the food industry to redistribute surplus food, which might otherwise go to waste, to a network of 8,000 charities and community groups across the UK. These groups include community centres, faith groups, homelessness shelters, refuges, and schools, all working hard to support people in need. Food is used to bring people together, strengthening communities and helping people access vital support services.

Kirsty Ford, Head of Fundraising at FareShare said: “We are so grateful to Coca-Cola for their continued support for FareShare.

“These invaluable donations help us get good-to-eat food to the people who need it rather than going to waste. Every day, the food we redistribute to a network of over 8,000 charities in every region helps to strengthen communities.

“Coca-Cola’s generous support for FareShare is instrumental in helping people affected by the cost-of-living crisis. This support means charities can unite more people through food to form connections and access essential support services. Thank you for helping FareShare make the food go further.”

This year, the Coca-Cola Truck Tour focuses on the ambition to make kindness travel. Echoing the wider Coca-Cola Christmas campaign message, “The World Needs More Santas”, the tour will encourage visitors from Gateshead to embrace their inner Santa and share an act of kindness with others during the festive season.

Florence Wheatley, Marketing Manager for Coca-Cola Great Britain Coca-Cola, said: “Coca-Cola has and remains synonymous with Christmas, with many people eagerly awaiting the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour and Holidays Are Coming advert to create a little festive magic.

“This year, we’re delighted to continue our relationship with FareShare to support its mission to reduce hunger and surplus food waste. We hope that every person that attends the Truck Tour not only experiences the magic of Coca-Cola Christmas, but also supports FareShare, knowing that the equivalent of a meal has been donated on their behalf, acting as a little moment of kindness to ensure that thousands of people across the country enjoy a more meaningful Christmas.”

For those unable to visit the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck in person, from November, a promotion with Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Coca-Cola Original Taste will invite fans to scan on-pack QR codes for the chance to win Christmas shopping vouchers!

With a packed schedule of exciting Truck Tour stops taking place throughout Great Britain in the lead-up to Christmas, eager Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour fans can follow announcements about the schedule which will be made over the coming weeks at @CocaColaGBI (Instagram) and @CocaCola_GB (Twitter).

Unpaid carers from across Scotland seek answers from decision makers at the Carers Parliament

Unpaid carers from across the country sought to address their concerns and questions on caring directly to national and local Government officials at the Carers Parliament, held on Wednesday 27 November. 

Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, and Councillor Paul Kelly, COSLA Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, responded to the unpaid carers about their experiences with caring and issues with the current social care system.

At the event, Social Care Minister Maree Todd outlined her admiration for the work done by carers as she said: “Your words highlight your commitment and dedication to getting the best possible services and support for your loved ones, and they hold us to account to ensure that we are doing everything possible to make sure this happens.

“I truly appreciate your bravery in sharing your personal experiences and stories. I know that this isn’t always easy to do. It is however vital that we hear from carers and understand the challenges that you are facing.

“You have my commitment that I will continue to work tirelessly, alongside the people who really matter – the people of Scotland – to deliver the improvements we all want and need to see through social care reform to bring about fundamental, sustainable change.”

A recent report, ‘Valuing Carers 2022: Scotland’, valued the work of the 627,700 unpaid carers in Scotland at £15.9 billion, highlighting how vital this labour is within our society.

However, unpaid carers at the Carers Parliament expressed how they often do not get the support they need in their caring role, leaving many feeling failed by the system.

Over 100 unpaid carers attended the event from across Scotland. The Carers Parliament 2024 was held as a hybrid event, with carers attending in person at COSLA Conference Centre in Edinburgh, while others were able to join online and ask questions via a video link.

For the afternoon session, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, provided a video address on future improvements in carer benefits in Scotland.

This was followed by officials from the Social Security Policy Division within the Scottish Government, who answered questions and addressed issues on social security and the new Carer Support Payment which is in the process of replacing Carer’s Allowance in Scotland.

Other highlights from the day included films created by young carers at the Scottish Young Carers Festival, discussion groups, which focused on benefits and financial security for unpaid carers, and insights from the event Chair, Professor Ian Welsh OBE. 

The Carers Parliament is an annual event, funded by the Scottish Government and organised by Carers Scotland on behalf of the National Carer Organisations in Scotland – Carers Scotland, Carers Trust Scotland, Coalition of Carers in Scotland, MECOPP, Shared Care Scotland and the Scottish Young Carers Services Alliance.