Scottish Friendly colleagues braved the elements during the Boycott Your Bed challenge, raising £11,706 for Action for Children
Fifteen Scottish Friendly colleagues have successfully undertaken the Boycott Your Bed Challenge
Colleagues raised £11,706 for Action for Children
Representatives from Action for Children attended Scottish Friendly’s recent colleague celebration event in order to be handed the cheque
Ashley Robertson, Brogan Boyd, Christine Manson, Danni Moore, Jonathan Timberlake, Kari-Lee Ford, Kate McLean, Kevin Brown, Lauren Berry, Monica Taggart, Nicola Jackson, Scott McVey, Sophie Alexander, Stuart Gilmore and Taylor Bradley successfully undertook the Boycott Your Bed Challenge in Glasgow.
Boycott Your Bed is held annually by Action for Children in various locations across the UK. It is a popular fundraiser, raising over £13.5 million since it first began over 25 years ago. The challenge is to give up your bed for a whole night to raise vital funding for children who face every night without a safe place to sleep.
The team met at the Renfield Centre in Glasgow to meet other teams and to listen to speakers from Action for Children and young people who have benefited from the charity who explained the important work the charity does. Afterwards, they headed off to Blythswood Square to find a place to set up and sleep for the night.
The team raised nearly £6,000 which was matched by Scottish Friendly, raising a total of just under £12,000 for the charity.
Stephen McGee, CEO of Scottish Friendly commented:“We are very proud of our colleagues who took up the Boycott Your Bed challenge for our charity partner, Action for Children. In doing so, they have helped raise vital funding for an important cause to support those children who need it most during these continued difficult times.
“We hope that the funds raised will aid Action for Children in continuing the incredible work they do to support vulnerable young people across Scotland.”
Fiona Steel, Action for Children National Director for Scotland commented:“We are extremely grateful to the support from Scottish Friendly and the colleagues who undertook this challenge, raising a significant amount of money that will go a long way to helping vulnerable children across Scotland.
“The last few years have been incredibly hard on many families across Scotland and, unfortunately, these challenges are set to continue for many.
“We will continue to be there for children, young people and families and this support and donation will aid Action for Children in doing this. The support from Scottish Friendly colleagues is very much appreciated and will allow us to continue to support vulnerable children, young people, and their families through these difficult times.”
ONE IN SIX WORKING PARENTS SURVEYED IN SCOTLAND WORRY THEY WON’T BE ABLE TO AFFORD ANY PRESENTS
New Action for Children research finds one in five children of working parents (22%) surveyed in Scotland will offer to donate their gift or pocket money to help their parents cover costs of festive season.
One sixth (15%) of working parents polled in Scotland worry they won’t be able to afford any Christmas presents.
Almost all (98%) working parents in Scotland said they had worried about money in past six months, more than half (52%) having worried often – resulting in trouble sleeping, worse mental health, getting upset and losing temper with kids.
One mum said: ‘“There are some days we won’t put the fire on and just have blankets around us. I don’t eat much anyway but some days I just have some beans on toast once or twice a day so my kids can have a proper meal.”
New Action for Children research released today uncovers the cost-of-living turmoil facing millions of working families in the run-up to Christmas.
To launch its annual Secret Santa campaign to help the country’s most vulnerable children, the charity commissioned a unique Savanta ComRes poll of 2,700 UK working parents and their children (nearly 5,500 in total), as well as a nationwide survey of its frontline staff. The research shows how the financial burden families are facing is taking an emotional toll on relationships, mental health and Christmas celebrations.
With the highest inflation rate in over 40 years, nearly all (98%) working parents the charity surveyed in Scotland said they have worried about money over the past six months, with more than half (52%) of those having worried often. Of those:
Almost six in 10(59%) have had trouble sleeping
more than two-fifths (44%) have tried to hide their money worries
more than two-fifths (44%) have noticed their mental health worsen
almost a quarter (22%) have become upset or stressed in front of their children, and
Just under a fifth (19%) have lost their temper with their children.
The research also shows one in six (15%) of working parents surveyed in Scotland worry they won’t be able to afford any presents this Christmas. And despite their money worries, more than two in five (41%) said they will put on a brave face and try to act happy, with many children also thinking their mum and dad will be faking their festive cheer (37%).
The polling also recognises the severity of the situation and emotional pressures felt by the children and teenagers of the parents surveyed with:
Over a quarter (28%) of those who’d seen their parents worry in the last six months had also seen their parents become upset or stressed in front of them due to money worries and under a quarter (24%) experienced their parents losing their temper with them.
Almost a third (32%) thinking their parents will be worried about not having enough money to pay the bills over the festive period, and
One in five (22%) saying they will offer their pocket or gift money to help their parents cover costs this Christmas.
As a charity that delivers children’s services, Action for Children is instead increasingly having to provide emergency relief to families as the cost-of-living crisis deepens.
In a nationwide survey of nearly 200 of its frontline staff during November, it found over two-thirds of those surveyed (69%) are currently supporting a child, young person or family that is experiencing poverty or extreme financial hardship.
Nearly half (45%) reported they were extremely worried about the health and wellbeing of the children, young people and families they support due to their financial situation, and one in ten (10%) had even donated their own household items or clothing to families, such is the urgent need.
Three quarters (75%) of children in poverty are in working families¹ with rates expected to worsen² as the cost-of-living crisis continues.
Some of the issues highlighted by the charity’s frontline workers included:
a family having to pawn all their electricals to buy food for their children
a child who sleeps on a pile of blankets as its parents can’t afford a bed, and
a single parent to several children with additional needs working seven days a week trying to balance support for their children and earning enough money to make ends meet.
One worker asked a young girl if there was anything she would like from Santa this year, to which she replied: ‘I’m not asking for anything and I’m not writing it down on paper (then nodded towards her mum) because she would get too sad.’
“Instead of enjoying a safe and happy time, many children will wake up on Christmas morning to no presents, food or warmth. Every day our frontline workers are helping families keep their heads above water, making sure they have the basics like hot meals and proper winter clothes, as well as offering emergency support to keep homes warm and help families pay the bills.
“In yet another year when children and families have been pushed deeper into crisis, supporting them is more important than ever.
“Poverty is not inevitable, it is about political choices. The Scottish government has made a big step in the journey to end child poverty via their Scottish Child Payment, which we supported and called for, but families now require urgent giant leaps from both the UK and Scottish Government to make child poverty consigned to the past.
“Until every family can keep their child warm and well fed, we’ll be there to help them – that’s why we’re asking people to donate to help us make a life-changing difference to vulnerable children this Christmas and beyond. With your help we can be a vital lifeline for even more children across Scotland.”
Case study:
Tina Buchan, 43, lives in Invernessand has five children with her partner Moni Buchan, 52. Tina works full-time as a Deputy Store Manager B&M store and her husband is a chef. He has struggled to find work near home and is currently working in London, leaving him apart from his family. Like so many families in Scotland, they are struggling to make ends meet this Christmas.
Tina was already struggling to make ends meet before household bills increased and, despite a recent promotion in work, is still being forced to take drastic measures to feed her children.
“There are some days we won’t put the fire on and just have blankets around us,” said Tina. “I don’t eat much anyway but some days I just have some beans on toast once or twice a day so my kids can have a proper meal.
“I’m pay as you go for my electric and I’m paying around £50 more a month just now. For heating, we have a coal fire and the price of coal has gone up a lot. The coal used to be £10 per bag and now it’s gone up to £15 a bag so it’s having a big impact on our budget.
“I’m good at budgeting which is a godsend because if I wasn’t the stress would overwhelm me. I’m on a salary so my pay is the same each month which helps me know what I’m working with. Once I’ve paid my bills and bought some food for the house I’m hardly left with anything.
With five children, Christmas is a particularly difficult period for Tina. Her children are aware of the family’s financial struggles and do not have any expectations for Christmas presents.
“I’m lucky in that my kids don’t expect much and don’t ask for a lot because they know how expensive things can be,” she said. “They’re quite happy to have things like socks, pyjamas, and maybe a couple of wee toys. I speak to them properly about it. The youngest still believes in Santa Clause so he gets a couple of extra things but the others all know roughly what I’ll be giving them.
“I’m not one to ask for help, I’m too proud but last Christmas our support worker from Action for Children, Sarah Sproul, brought food hampers and some presents for all the kids. Having five kids is expensive so that made a big difference.”
The pressure of making ends meet is not only affecting Tina but the children as well. Her 16-year-old son Aiden has suffered from anxiety which led the family to initially coming into contact with Action for Children for support around two years ago.
Thankfully Aiden has come a long way since then and has “come out of his shell completely to the point that he’s a completely different person now”, according to his mother.
Unfortunately, Tina is now seeing her 10-year-old son Amir’s mental health impacted by the stress of the cost of living crisis and is arranging for him to receive support from Action for Children.
“I told the school two years ago that he was struggling to deal with his anxiety and I was told by the doctors that there’s nothing they could do at the moment because the children’s mental health waiting lists are so long.
“I’ve spoken to Sarah and she’s going to make sure Amir receives the support he needs through Action for Children. She has been amazing for this family and I can’t possibly thank her enough for everything she’s done to help us all. If it wasn’t for Action for Children, I don’t know where we’d be.”
To become a Secret Santa for Action for Children visit iamsanta.org.uk
SOME of the world’s most talented female drummers have joined forces to release a Christmas single to help raise awareness of mental health issues in young people in music.
‘Little Drummer Girl’ is a unique take on the Christmas classic, ‘Little Drummer Boy’, which features 12 drummers from the UK and US. The single was arranged and coordinated by The Echo Lab Music Studios in Perthshire.
Charlotte Bibby, drummer and director at The Echo Lab, says: ‘The inspiration for this project came from my desire to raise awareness of the mental health issues that affect young musicians, while also raising the profile of female musicians – who generally don’t get the recognition or same spotlight as their male counterparts.
‘The loss of Frightened Rabbit front man, Scott Hutchison, was also a huge catalyst for the project. He was a massive inspiration to me and his death really highlighted the fact that more needed to be done to support the mental health of musicians.’
Money raised through sales of the single will be split between two charities; Tiny Changes, a Scottish mental health charity set up in memory of Scott Hutchison; and Action for Children, which works to support and protect young people across the UK.
Among the sponsors of the initiative was Specsavers Audiology in Edinburgh.
Jonathan Bell, audiology director for Specsavers in Edinburgh, says: ‘We are delighted to support such a fantastic initiative in the lead up to Christmas.
‘The work of both Tiny Changes and Action for Children is a true inspiration – particularly over the festive period. We wish every success for the single and hope the funds raised go a long way towards helping young people in music who are suffering from mental health issues.’
Other sponsors include Natal Drums, Istanbul Mehmet cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Forty-Six Creative Consultancy, Chuck Cumming, Wing Design, Dylan White, and Karl Parsons.
The single, which has just been released, is available on iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify.
Former young offenders acting as ‘peer mentors’ to help children escape from a life of serious organised crime
Edinburgh, Newcastle and Cardiff identified for roll out following successful project in Glasgow
Two thirds of teenagers supported by Glasgow project have significantly improved their offending behaviour
Analysis shows a £½m city council saving by ‘diverting’ high risk young people from secure care
According to UK Government, organised crime – including money laundering and drug trafficking – bigger threat to UK than terrorism
Run by UK charity Action for Children and funded with £4.6m from The National Lottery Community Fund, project will now target ‘high-risk’ 11-18-year-olds across the UK.
A ground-breaking programme diverting young people away from a life of serious organised crime is to be rolled out to a number of cities across the UK.
We are delighted to announce that Action For Children are taking on one of the West Park Improvement Plans as part of their ‘Community Challenge’ employability initiative. This is a fantastic opportunity for local young people to get involved in carrying out improvements to the woodland in their local area at the same time as developing new skills. It’s a great programme with lots of opportunities for progression. Find more information about the programme below and details on how to refer are attached. Please share around your local networks.
Lianne Pipskyj,
Development Worker- Physical Activity, Pilton Community Health Project
** We are now recruiting for our next Challenge programme at – WEST PILTON PARK**
Could you please share this amongst your colleagues and partners within the North Edinburgh area?
Ideally we would be looking to engage with 13 young people in the local area. If we are not able to fill the 13 places from our group then I may need to open the referral process further to ensure we utilise the spaces.
Challenge
October 2016 Intake – Timeline
Closing Date for Referrals
Wednesday 5th October 2016
One to One meetings with successful candidates
6th & 7th October 2016
Programme Commences
Monday 10th October 2016
***CLOSING DATE FOR REFERRALS is: Wednesday, 5th October 2016
Referral forms (please ensure you complete the referral form using the barrier definition for which is attached) to be completed and returned to:
