Scotmid set a target of raising £150,000 in a year for their chosen charity partner Maggies’s – but the fundraising efforts of big-hearted Scotmid staff has ensured that they are already within sight of their total – in less than half that time!
When Maggie’s Chief Executive Laura Lee heard how charity partner Scotmid have raised an incredible £144,000 in just five months for Maggie’s, she knew she wanted to celebrate the fantastic news at the first ever Maggie’s Centre – at the Western General Hospital here in Edinburgh.
After all, it was at the Western that Laura first met Maggie’s founder Maggie Keswick Jencks. Laura worked at the hospital as a clinical nurse specialist when Maggie was re-diagnosed with breast cancer. Over time Laura, originally from Peterhead, and Maggie became very close and while the idea for a different type of cancer care was Maggie’s, it was Laura who turned that dream into a reality. It seemed fitting, then, for Laura to celebrate Edinburgh-based Scotmid’s incredible fundraising efforts where the Maggie’s story all began.
Laura said: “Since we first opened the doors of Maggie’s Edinburgh, 17 years ago this November, Maggie’s has grown in ways we could never have imagined. We now have 14 Centres across the UK where we offer our unique programme of support to people with cancer, their friends and families.
“We have many more Centres in various stages of planning as well and by the end of 2014 we hope to have full coverage across Scotland. This is something we are incredibly proud of especially considering we rely solely on donations for our funding, which is why the kind of support we receive from companies such as Scotmid is absolutely vital.
“To have raised £144,000 in just five months is quite extraordinary and I applaud the efforts of everyone involved. Scotmid staff have obviously invested a great deal of hard work and creative energy into their fundraising and I would like them to extend a huge thank you to them all.”
Maggie’s and Scotmid launched their partnership on 1 September last year and fundraising to date has included a Ride Across Britain, a dinner dance in Edinburgh, bungee jump, parachute jump, race nights and Christmas raffles in store – so in just five months they have almost reached their target for the year of £150,000!
Staff do not intend to slow down their efforts with more fundraising events planned for the coming six months, however – they even have a team taking part in this year’s Maggie’s Monster Bike & Hike in May.
Malcolm Brown, Head of Corporate Communications for Scotmid Co-operative said: “The innovation and commitment that our teams have shown to raising funds for Maggie’s is truly remarkable and very commendable. We’ve had all sorts of fundraising activities, from an abseil down the Dundee University tower to staff coming to work in their pyjamas to raise money. This amazing half-way result is testament to the wonderful support that Maggie’s provides to people with cancer. We are delighted to have raised this much and we’re looking forward to raising even more in the next six months for this very worthwhile cause.”
