Tag: charity event

Garden Centre hosts Christmas Shopping Night in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust

Dobbies Edinburgh store will mark the start of its festive events season with the return of its late-night Christmas Shopping Night this November, in support of its National Charity Partner, Teenage Cancer Trust.   

Dobbies’ Christmas Shopping Night, taking place on Thursday 21 November from 5pm to 9pm, is offering customers the chance to experience Christmas, in every sense, as it opens its doors for the popular late-night shopping event.

From fragrant tree displays, twinkling lights and eye-catching decorations, to the sounds of Christmas music and jingle bells, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and experience the magic of Christmas at Dobbies, while browsing its 2024 festive collections and taking advantage of special offers.

On arrival, guests will be greeted with a complimentary glass of fizz and invited to browse up until 9pm to experience Christmas, in every sense. Guests can enjoy some festive food treats and live demonstrations throughout the store, as well as enjoy a special two-course Christmas menu in the restaurant for just £17.

Local community groups can also apply to take part in the evening’s festivities by decorating their very own faux Christmas tree to be unveiled on the night. Entries are now open for schools, charities and community groups, with a number of stores selecting up to three groups to decorate their tree in time for Christmas Shopping Night. Selected groups will be invited to put on a special tree-side performance, with carols, readings and songs. The decorated trees will form part of Dobbies’ magical festive displays and remain on show in the store in the run up to Christmas.

Ayesha Nickson, Dobbies’ Events Programme Manager said: “Our annual Christmas Shopping Night is a fantastic way to get into the festive spirit, while contributing to a great cause. We have raised more than £1.39million for Teenage Cancer Trust since the start of our partnership.

“We’re excited to welcome local groups to take part in this year’s celebrations, including the unveiling of the specially decorated Christmas trees. You can also get your Christmas shopping off to a great start with special offers and gift ideas for all your family.”

Donna Bednarek, Senior Relationships Manager for Teenage Cancer Trust, added: “We are incredibly grateful to Dobbies for their ongoing support and dedication to raising vital funds for Teenage Cancer Trust.

“Events like the Christmas Shopping Night help us to continue to provide life-changing care and support to young people with cancer across the UK. We’re thrilled to be part of such a magical evening, and it’s heartwarming to see the community come together to support our cause.”

Tickets are priced at £1, available at www.dobbies.com and in-store, and all proceeds from ticket sales and fundraising on the night will be donated to Teenage Cancer Trust.

For more information on Decorate your Christmas Tree with Dobbies, visit: events.dobbies.com.

Explore Dobbies’ new season ranges and browse festive inspiration at www.dobbies.com.

Music Producer doesn’t miss a beat for Muscular Dystrophy UK

  • Scottish music producer is calling on people across Scotland living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions to join the free in-person event.
  • Sanjeev will share his ‘real-life’ experience of living with muscular dystrophy and why he’s supporting Muscular Dystrophy UK.
  • Join Sanjeev and the charity at the Scottish conference in Stirling on Saturday 23 March 2024.

Sanjeev Mann, a Scottish music producer, promotor and activist is calling on the muscle wasting and weakening community to join him at an upcoming charity event.

Sanjeev, aka Supermann on da beat, 27, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 2003, aged six. Sanjeev is encouraging other people living with a muscle wasting or weakening condition, their families and carers to join a free in-person event open to everyone across Scotland and beyond.

The Muscular Dystrophy UK Scottish Conference, taking place on Saturday 23 March 2024, is organised by the leading charity for more than 110,000 children and adults in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions.

Having worked with artists from all over the world, Sanjeev spreads awareness about making the music scene more accessible, and how others with disabilities can follow their creative passions.

Sanjeev, born in Glasgow but now lives in Ayr, said: “Living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy has its ups and downs, but for me it has definitely had more ups. I’m glad I was given this path.

“I can’t imagine my life without my best friends who I’ve met because I have Duchenne. And I probably wouldn’t have started making music if I hadn’t been shielding during the pandemic. I’m proud to be disabled and a disabled artist who shares my music with the world.”

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Sanjeev Mann calling on people across Scotland living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions to join Muscular Dystrophy UK Scottish Conference on 23 March 2024.

Attendees will hear from the charity about advice and support services on offer and from experts on topics including emotional and mental wellbeing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, education, self-directed support and from Sanjeev about his real-life experiences.

Sanjeev who is looking forward to speaking at the Muscular Dystrophy UK Scottish Conference about how music can help our mental wellbeing continued: “I would like my speech to hopefully give new individuals with muscular dystrophy and their families hope for the future. We can be happy and live our best life. I want people to see that having Duchenne doesn’t mean you can’t have dreams. Anything is possible, and if there’s something you really want to do, go for it. You can always find a way.”

“My biggest inspiration to be a prominent figure in the music scene, is the hope that others with Duchenne will see me and think I could do that too. There is still a huge unconscious bias towards us that means people have low expectations of disabled people. And that can mean we end up having low expectations of ourselves. But I’m challenging that, and I hope others will join me to push change.”

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Photo credit @ Muscular Dystrophy UK

The event will run 9.30am – 5.00pm at Forth Valley College, Stirling Campus, Stirling, FK8 1SE. Spaces are limited, so sign up today: 

musculardystrophyuk.org/ScottishConference. 

Lunch is included and the venue has a Changing Places toilet facility on site.

The information day is part of a series of events happening across the UK. Upcoming events will be happening in Cardiff, Wales, on Thursday 18 April 2024, with previous events taken place in England and Northern Ireland.

The charity also hosts a network of local groups, known as Muscle Groups, who meet regularly across the UK in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Learn more about Sanjeev’s inspirational story musculardystrophyuk.org/Sanjeevor contact Muscular Dystrophy UK with any information days enquiries on infoday@musculardystrophyuk.org

For more information about Muscular Dystrophy UK visit musculardystrophyuk.org 

or call our free helpline on 0800 652 6352 (open Mon – Thu 10am – 2pm).

Edinburgh Secondary Breast Cancer Charity Ball Raises Over £90,000

Vital research to benefit from Make 2nds Count fundraiser 

Revellers at a glamorous Great Gatsby Ball have raised more than £90,000 to support vital research into a forgotten form of breast cancer.

The gala event, at Edinburgh’s Prestonfield House, was organised by leading UK charity Make 2nds Count which campaigns to raise funds and awareness of secondary breast cancer which kills 1000 woman a month.

The charity, which helps to finance various crucial research projects, also supports patients and families and educates and informs about the little-known disease.

The ball, on March 25, was hosted by STV’s Laura Boyd and brought the Scottish business community together for an evening of fine dining, live entertainment and auction prizes.

The live and online auctions, which included prizes of a three-night city break to Lisbon and an Icelandic Northern Lights adventure for two people, raised a combined £31,664, while ‘Crack the Code’ – where participants were invited to guess the winning combination to win a stunning diamond necklace donated by Rox Edinburgh and the Grimes family – and ‘The Gift Tree’ boosted the cause by another £8,010.

Two incredibly generous anonymous donations of £10,000 each and ticket sales of over £30,000 pushed numbers towards the final sum of £90,274, to the delight of organisers and the sponsors –   headline sponsor Copart UK Ltd and table sponsors Bruce Tait Associates, Saltire Roofing, Erskine Financial, David Rankin, Lamborghini Edinburgh and Sutherland Independent.

Make 2nds Count founder Lisa Fleming of Edinburgh said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the fantastic result we’ve achieved. Every penny raised will be invaluable to boost much-needed research into the disease and offer support to more and more patients and families.

“We not only had an incredible evening, but we come away from the experience with the knowledge that we can and we will continue to raise awareness and that the work we do can make a real difference to people’s lives across the UK.”

The little-known, incurable cancer – also known as metastatic, advanced or stage IV breast cancer – is a cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body. On average there are around 35,000 patients in the UK currently living with this form of the disease.

Lisa set up Make 2nds Count after being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. She had no primary diagnosis, warning signs or lump when she was told the disease had already spread to the majority of her bones. It swiftly spread to her brain and she is living with a life sentence.

For more information about Make 2nds Count and the work they do, please visit: 

https://www.make2ndscount.co.uk

Sreepur Village charity event at Royston Wardieburn

A charity Christmas event took place at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on 16th December to support the Sreepur Village in Bangladesh. The date is an important one as it is also Victory Day of Bangladesh, the national day celebrated by Bengali nations worldwide. Continue reading Sreepur Village charity event at Royston Wardieburn

JFK stage Tough Dugger event

On Sunday 19th August furry friends came together to take part in Hair by JFK’s ‘Tough Dugger’ fun agility course at the Bruntsfield Links, just across the road from their salon on 1 Bruntsfield Place. Hair by JFK is a dog friendly salon and have been huge supporters of the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home charity for over 10 years, supporting the charity in any way they can.

On the day over twenty adorable dogs, all shapes and sizes rounded up and individually ran around Hair by JFK’s agility course with their owners. Every contestant who took part was timed and a prize was given to the dog that was fastest to complete the course, where pups flew over hurdles, whipped around poles, and jumped through hoops.

Tough Dugger rosettes were presented to the top five fastest dogs and rosettes and doggy beer and crisps sets donated by House of Hound were provided to dogs who won the ‘special categories’, which included dog with the waggiest tale, most appealing eyes, most handsome chap, prettiest girl and most well groomed.

All participants were also treated to goodie bags kindly donated by Dofos Pet Shop in Edinburgh, and the final donation amount of around £200 was given to the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home from Hair by JFK.

Director of Hair by JFK, Karen Brown, commented, “This was the second year running of our Tough Dugger event to raise awareness and funds for the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, a charity we regularly work with and that is very close to our hearts at Hair by JFK.

“The event was a great success and we were thrilled that so many dog owners and their dogs from across the city attended to take part in the obstacle course and have some fun whilst raising awareness for the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home charity, whilst also promoting a great way to keep dogs active and healthy!

“We also had some great companies that helped us make our event even bigger than better than last year including Josee’s Happy Hounds and Happy Hound Canine Massage who we can’t thank enough for their support. Dofos also provided us with some incredible goodie bags and House of Hound provided us with some lovely prizes for the day.” 

To make a donation via our event page to the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hair-by-jfk-toughdugger

Stars come out for Michelle Obama

Scots rockers Deacon Blue (above), soul singer Beverly Knight and ‘Would I Lie to You?‘ host comic Rob Brydon are set to play at Scotland’s largest charity gala dinner hosted by The Hunter Foundation (“THF”) on 17 July at the EICC. Five-time Olympic medallist Dame Katherine Grainger will act as moderator of the conversation with former First Lady Michelle Obama. Continue reading Stars come out for Michelle Obama

Charity fundraising event at Festival Village

Residents and business-people from across Edinburgh and beyond are invited to come together for a special evening of food, drink and live music to raise money and awareness for local charities Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, Kindred, and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH). Pop-up venue Festival Village: Waverley, located on the roof of Waverley Mall, is hosting the charity event supported by AIB (GB) on Tuesday 5thSeptember from 5pm. Continue reading Charity fundraising event at Festival Village