Scottish charities receive share of £120,000 festive financial boost

Twelve charities based in Scotland have received a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to the Benefact Group.

The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 by members of the public as part of the Benefact Group’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

Action Against Stalking, a charity that supports and protects people who are affected by stalking, and Specialist Search Dogs, the organisation that trains dogs to the highest national standards to enable professional search dogs to partake in missing person scenarios, are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the area.

Over 52,000 votes for charities were cast by generous residents of Scotland, helping to spread festive cheer for charities this Christmas.

Thanking supporters in Scotland, Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group, said: “We are thrilled to be giving £120,000 to 120 fantastic charitable causes across the country and I’d like to thank every single Scotland resident that took the time to nominate a charity close to their hearts. 

“We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.

“Benefact Group is the third largest corporate donor in the UK and has an ambition to be the biggest. Owned by a charity, Benefact Trust, all of its available profits go to good causes, and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give.”

The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at www.movementforgood.com/12days

The 12 winning charities in Scotland are: 

·       Action Against Stalking

·       St Vincents Hospice Limited

·       Springer Rescue for Scotland

·       The Maggie Fleming Animal Hospice

·       Back Onside

·       Calum’s Cabin

·       Specialist Search Dogs

·       Parklea Association Branching Out Ltd

·       Drummond School Welfare Fund

·       Ardgowan Hospice Ltd

·       Sports Driving

·       Food Train

Scottish charities scoop share of £120,000 festive financial boost

Twelve charities based in Scotland have received a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to the Benefact Group.

The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 by members of the public as part of the Benefact Group’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign. The Edinburgh Remakery was among the winners.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, a nature charity using rewilding projects to help tackle climate crisis, Smalls for All, an organisation providing underwear for those in need, and ME Research UK, which raises funds to tackle ME, are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the area.

Over 17,700 Scotland residents nominated a cause close to their hearts. The 120 winning charities across the UK were picked at random from those nominated.

Thanking supporters in Scotland, Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group, said: “Charitable giving is at the heart of our business at the Benefact Group.

“We are delighted to be giving back to deserving charitable causes once more with our annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign, part of our Movement for Good Awards. In these challenging times, we know that £1,000 can make a real difference and we’re looking forward to seeing how this festive financial boost will changes lives for the better and bring a positive start to 2023.

“Out of some five million companies in the UK, we are the fourth largest corporate donor* and have an ambition to be the largest. As a Group of financial service businesses, uniquely owned by a charity, all available profits go to good causes, and the more our loyal customers support us to grow, the more the Group can give.

“As a company, our purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society and, together, we can help many good causes to continue their support for those who need it most in these difficult times.”

A representative from SCOTLAND: The Big Picture said: “Thank you so much for your support, we will use this award to drive rewilding across Scotland for nature, climate, and people. Thanks again, we’re really grateful”

The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at:

www.movementforgood.com/12days

Charities scoop share of £120,000 festive financial boost

Eight charities based in Scotland have received a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to Ecclesiastical Insurance. The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 by members of the public as part of the specialist insurer’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 by members of the public as part of the specialist insurer’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

Scottish Autism, which helps those diagnosed with autism to lead full and enriched lives and become valuable members of the community, and Health in Mind, an organisation promoting positive mental health and wellbeing through a wide range of services to support people and enable them to make a positive difference in their lives, are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the area.

21,324 Scotland residents nominated a cause close to their hearts, with 1034 charitable causes in the area receiving votes. The 120 winning charities across the UK were picked at random from those nominated.

Thanking supporters in Scotland, Mark Hews, Group CEO at Ecclesiastical, said: “At Ecclesiastical, charitable giving is at the heart of our business. In fact, we are the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK. 

“We are able to give away so much because uniquely, as a financial services group, we are owned by a charity. In these challenging times, we are delighted to be giving back to good courses once more with our annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

“Having supported thousands of charities over the past four years of the campaign, we know that £1,000 can make a real difference to the incredible work that charities do. We’re looking forward to seeing how this festive financial boost will change lives for the better and we hope these donations can bring a positive start to 2022.”

A representative for Health in Mind said: “At Health in Mind, we’ve been promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in Scotland since 1982. The donation will enable us to support people taking part in local groups and activities, provide peer support for people experiencing drug or alcohol problems, pay for counselling for survivors of childhood abuse and much more to help those in need.

Thank you for helping us end the stigma surrounding mental health and telling people about our services. Talking about mental health is invaluable and makes a huge difference!”

The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at:

www.movementforgood.com/12days

Nominate a charity to receive a festive financial boost

Specialist insurer Ecclesiastical is giving £120,000 to good causes as part of its annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

Now into its fifth year, Ecclesiastical is once again inviting Scotland residents to nominate a registered charity close to their hearts to benefit from this festive financial boost.

Ten lucky winners will be announced each weekday from 6 to 21 December.

Dundee Museum of Transport, REACH Lanarkshire Autism based in Glasgow, West Regional Scout Council in Paisley and Kirkcaldy Foodbank were some of the local beneficiaries in 2020, following overwhelming public support in the country.

It’s quick and easy to nominate a charity online. Nominations are open until 20 December and you can vote for your favourite charity at:

 www.movementforgood.com/12days.

Winners will be drawn at random – and while it’s not a popularity contest, the more times a charity is nominated the more chance it has of being selected.

Ecclesiastical is encouraging everyone to use their social media channels to ask people to vote for their favourite cause to give them the best possible chance of winning.

Last year saw an amazing 285,000 people around the UK support the 12 days of giving Christmas campaign in total, with a staggering 17,800 charitable causes up and down the country receiving votes.

Mark Hews, Group CEO of Ecclesiastical, said: “As a commercial company with a charitable purpose, giving back is at the heart of our business. In fact, Ecclesiastical is the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK*.

“Our annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign has supported hundreds of charities over the past four years and I’m delighted that we will once again help charities change lives for the better.

“We know that for many charities, £1,000 can make a real difference. We’re encouraging everyone to nominate a cause close to their hearts this Christmas to be in for a chance to win a festive financial boost.”

Charities scoop share of £120,000

Six charities based in Scotland have won a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to nominations from the public.

The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

Simpson’s Memory Box Appeal (SiMBA) based in Dalkeith, which offers support to anyone affected by the loss of a baby, and REACH Lanarkshire Autism, which provides support to families who have a young person with an Autism Spectrum Condition living within the authority of South Lanarkshire, are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the country.

27,648 Scotland residents nominated a cause close to their hearts, with 247 charitable causes in the country receiving votes. The 120 winning charities across the UK were picked at random from those nominated.

The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at www.movementforgood.com/12days

Thanking supporters in Scotland, Mark Hews, Group CEO at Ecclesiastical, said: “Owned by a charity, here at Ecclesiastical our core purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, so charitable giving is at the heart of our business.

“We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do, and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better. We hope these donations can bring a positive end to a difficult year and a promising start to 2021.”

A representative from Simpson’s Memory Box Appeal said: “Ecclesiastical’s donation will allow us to provide all of our core services including donating Memory Boxes to bereaved families allowing them to create memories of their much-wanted baby that will last a lifetime. 

“It will mean we can continue to provide our Safe Space virtual support groups, and when it is safe to do so, our monthly Support Groups. It will also enable us to continue to refurbish our Family Rooms and to install our memorial Trees of Tranquillity offering bereaved families the opportunity to honour their baby in a very special way.

“In short, it will allow us to continue to be here and for that we are so very grateful.”

Last year, Ecclesiastical launched its latest Impact Report to celebrate some of the many good causes it has helped.

76% of Scots intend to donate to a local charity this Christmas

·      85% believe that supporting a local charity is more important than in previous years

·      Community charities top the list of popular causes, while health and animal and wildlife initiatives are also front of mind for residents

76% of Scottish residents intend to donate to a charity close to home this Christmas because of the current climate, a new study has found. 

Data released from Ecclesiastical Insurance’s 12 days of giving campaign shows 10,361 people in the country have so far nominated a local cause to receive a £1,000 donation. 

And an overwhelming number 85% believe it’s more important than ever to support the work of local charities, as a result of the Coronavirus crisis. 

12 days of giving from specialist insurer Ecclesiastical will see 120 different charities receive an early Christmas gift of a £1,000 donation. 

Members of the public are being asked to nominate a charity close to their hearts to receive a festive financial boost with nearly 140,000 people suggesting 3,927 good causes already, in the last two weeks alone. 

247 Scotland based charities have been nominated so far and are in with a chance to win £1,000. 

Community charities are the most popular causes as voted by residents so far. Health organisations and animal and wildlife initiatives are also high priorities. 

Ten lucky charity winners will be announced each weekday from 7 to 22 December. 

It’s quick and easy to nominate a charity online.

Nominations are open until to 21 December and you can vote for your favourite charity at www.movementforgood.com/12days 

Winners will be drawn at random – and while it’s not a popularity contest, the more times a charity is nominated the more chance it has of being selected. Ecclesiastical is encouraging everyone to use their social media channels to ask people to vote for their favourite cause to give them the best possible chance of winning. 

Mark Hews, Group CEO of Ecclesiastical, said: “It’s incredibly humbling to see that Scottish residents are more likely than ever before to make a donation to a local cause this Christmas, despite the difficult year that most of us have faced personally.

“As a commercial company with a charitable purpose, giving back is at the heart of our business. Our annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign will help charities change lives for the better and we know that for many charities, £1,000 can make a real difference. We’re encouraging everyone to nominate a cause close to their hearts this Christmas to be in for a chance to win a festive financial boost.”

Ecclesiastical recently launched its latest Impact Report to celebrate some of the many good causes it has helped.