Tag: charity support

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

Aldi donates 9,224 meals to Lothians charities over Christmas

Aldi has supported local charities, community groups and food banks in the Lothians by donating 9,224 meals to people in need this Christmas. 

The supermarket paired up its stores with local organisations to make the most of unsold fresh and chilled food after stores closed on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, as part of its pledge to donate 1.8 million meals to families experiencing food poverty during November and December. 

Around 550,000 meals were donated nationwide and more than 700 UK causes benefitted from the initiative over the festive period,  

The initiative is part of Aldi’s successful partnership with Neighbourly, a community giving platform that links businesses to charitable organisations. Thanks to this, all of Aldi’s over 950 UK stores now donate surplus food to good causes seven days a week, all year round. 

This year’s Christmas donations have helped Aldi to meet its pledge to donate 10 million meals to families in need in 2021 through its partnership with Neighbourly. 

Mary Dunn, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “The festive season is always a hard time for people affected by food poverty, so we are incredibly proud to have supported so many amazing causes in the Lothians this Christmas.” 

Since beginning its partnership with Neighbourly in April 2019, Aldi has donated more than 20 million meals across the UK. 

Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “This Christmas was without a doubt one of the busiest on record for the UK’s charities and food banks. The sizeable donations from Aldi would have been a massive lifeline for so many of them.” 

Aldi has been working with Neighbourly since early 2019. As part of the partnership, Aldi introduced community donation points in all stores last year, offering customers the opportunity to donate any food or household products to local causes all year round. 

Edinburgh Rape Crisis charity supported by Amazon

Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, a vital source of support and advocacy for those who have experienced sexual violence, has received a £2,000 donation from Amazon Development Centre Scotland.

The Centre, which was set up in 1978, provides a range of services to support women,  members of the trans community, non-binary people, and young people (aged 12 – 18) who have experienced any kind of sexual violence in their lives. Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre also offers emotional and counselling support, advocacy service and group support. 

This donation will go towards making the centre’s support and information services more accessible for survivors who face barriers accessing support. 

Commenting on the donation, Graeme Smith, Managing Director at Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “The Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre is an incredibly important charity in our community and we’re pleased to support its team with this donation.” 

Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, added: “We work to empower survivors and advocate for change, but we need support and donations from the community to continue our services.

“We appreciate this donation from Amazon – it will help us to continue supporting survivors of sexual violence.”

Amazon Development Centre Scotland has been based in Edinburgh since 2004 and is responsible for devising and growing innovations that bring new levels of choice and convenience to hundreds of millions of customers around the world. 

It houses teams of leading engineers, scientists, designers and product managers who work on everything from interactive user interface design to large-scale distributed systems and machine learning. 

Community donations are one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19. 

Throughout the pandemic Amazon has provided disadvantaged students with online STEM courses and supported virtual classrooms with no-cost resources from AWS and Amazon Future Engineer.

The company has also teamed up with charity partner Magic Breakfast to deliver more than five million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in disadvantaged areas around the UK and helped to tackle holiday hunger by providing free breakfasts to children over the summer holidays.

For more information on how Amazon is supporting the UK during COVID-19, click: 

https://blog.aboutamazon.co.uk/amazons-actions-to-help-employees-communities-and-customers-affected-by-covid-19

YPI students secure £60,000 for charities in Edinburgh

Secondary school students in Edinburgh have been responsible for a vital funding boost of £60,000 to local charities through their involvement in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI).

The 20 schools committed to The Wood Foundation programme which sees young people work in teams to identify social issues impacting their communities and the charities addressing them. They then develop creative presentations in a bid to secure their school’s £3000 grant.

The top three social issues securing YPI funding this year were support for those facing health and ability conditions, services to address mental health and wellbeing, and action to tackle poverty in Scotland’s communities.

Ali MacLachlan, UK Director at The Wood Foundation, said: “Young people raising awareness of social issues and ensuring this vital funding reached communities at a time of acute need is so important.

“We are incredibly proud of the dedication and commitment shown by schools and students to ensure this important learning and funding opportunity continued with such vigour despite all the challenges of the school year from Covid-19.

“Giving young people a platform and a voice to lead their learning and make a difference to the issues they saw first-hand locally took on additional significance in a year when so much autonomy was taken away.

“We have been blown away by many of the presentations and have great hope that our young people are an exciting force for change.”

Nationally, 220 schools took part in the programme this year channelling £660,000 to charities. Since it was launched in Scotland in 2008, the active citizenship programme YPI has been responsible for more than £5m being granted to local charities championed by young people.

It is Scotland’s largest independent initiative being delivered in education, having empowered more than 230,000 young people to advocate for causes they care passionately about while developing vital skills.

Barbara Johnstone MBE is Organiser and Trustee of Ravelrig RDA which secured two grants this year. She said: “The successful groups were impressive from the start and had really interesting questions.

“They clearly took on board all I had shared with them in their presentations. YPI is so beneficial for the personal growth of the youngsters and the reward for us is massive.”

Hannah Treagus was one of the students in the successful team. Hannah has volunteered at Ravelrig RDA for more than two years. She knew the incredible role the horses and centre had to play in supporting families dealing with a host of issues.

Hannah said: “Fundraising has been really hard hit by Covid-19 and I really wanted to share the passion I have for Ravelrig RDA through YPI. We worked really hard on our presentation and were really determined to do well. I am so pleased we secured this funding which will go towards a new horse when the centre can reopen properly.”

As an education programme, teachers believe that YPI is improving young people’s skills for learning, life, and work in areas such as teamwork, decision making, research, creativity, communication, problem solving and resilience. They also believe students are becoming more empathetic and engaged in their communities, better able to discuss social issues and committing to be active citizens.

YPI is managed and majority funded by The Wood Foundation and is supported by a network of likeminded funding partners. In Edinburgh it is supported by abrdn. Its Head of External Affairs Jeff Newton said:

“YPI enables young people to make a real difference to their local communities whilst showcasing their commitment, creativity, and innovation. We are proud to be a lead funder of the programme which enables young people to have their voices heard in the Edinburgh community.

“For the past three years colleagues have been involved with mentoring students and judging YPI Showcases, and we have always been incredibly impressed by the maturity and conviction of the presentations.”

The Wood Foundation is a venture philanthropic organisation committed to addressing social inequity and investing in developing young people in Scotland, as well as economic investment in the UK and East Africa. It was established by its Chairman Sir Ian Wood and his family in 2007.

 City of Edinburgh 

Balerno High School Kirknewton Community Development Trust 
Boroughmuir High School Stepping Stones 
Castlebrae High School Thistle Foundation Health & Wellbeing 
Craigmount High School Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity 
Craigroyston Community High School Ferrywell Youth Projects 
Currie Community High School Kids Love Clothes 
Fettes College TalkTime Scotland 
Firrhill High School Lothian Veteran’s Centre 
Forrester High School Conscious Edinburgh 
George Watson’s College Cyrenians 
Gracemount High School St Columbas Hospice 
Holy Rood RC High School Steps to Hope 
James Gillespie’s High School Ravelrig Riding for the Disabled 
Leith Academy Joshua Nolan Foundation 
Liberton High School Edinburgh Women’s Aid 
St Augustine’s High School The Welcoming 
St George’s School  Ravelrig Riding for the Disabled 
Stewart’s Melville College Children 1st 
The Edinburgh Academy U-Evolve 
The Mary Erskine School Alzheimers Scotland 

Raise a glass to the world’s tallest animal for World Giraffe Day 2021

Today, Glenmorangie has launched a charity cocktail to support the protection of the world’s tallest animal, the giraffe, on the longest day of the year.

 To celebrate World Giraffe Day the commemorative drink crafted by makers of tasty liquor Mothership, will raise funds towards the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), as part of the single malt whisky’s ongoing concerted effort to aid the animal in partnership with GCF and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS). 

 The giraffe has long been a beloved symbol of the Highland Distillery. The same height as an adult giraffe, its stills allow more space for taste and aroma, which is why Glenmorangie’s spirit is so wonderfully delicate and fruity.

But the giraffe faces serious threats in the wild, from poaching to habitat loss. Numbers have fallen by almost 30% in just 30 years – and some types are now critically endangered.

Earlier this year, Glenmorangie supported RZSS with the wildlife conservation charity’s creation of a brand new habitat at Edinburgh Zoo, allowing giraffes to return to the capital for the first time in over 15 years.

 Featuring Glenmorangie Original, the ‘Camel Leopard’ cocktail is available online now via Mothership’s website and across its three Edinburgh venues, Bramble, Lucky Liquor and Last Word Saloon.

All proceeds will be donated towards GCF in their efforts to raise awareness of the plight of giraffes. With tropical and fresh notes, the cocktail unfolds with layers of complexity, making it the perfect drink to raise a glass to these magnificent creatures.

 Caspar MacRae, Global Marketing and Business Development Director of The Glenmorangie Company said: “For over 175 years we have created whisky in stills the same height as an adult giraffe, with this wonderful animal becoming a much-loved symbol of our brand.

“It seems only right that we should lend our support to protecting their future through our global conservation partnership with GCF and RZSS.

 “We have been working closely with Jason, Mike and Jon at Mothership for years – having dreamed up many of the delicious Glenmorangie cocktails in the past. Together, we will work to protect giraffes in the wild and shine a light on their predicament before it’s too late.”

 Jason Scott, co-founder of Mothership, added: “We’re pleased to once again collaborate with Glenmorangie, especially on such a special initiative, helping to save giraffes in the wild.

“With a balance of citrus, herbal and tropical flavours, this refreshing cocktail is perfect to raise a glass to the world’s tallest animal and enjoy on a long summer’s day.”

 Available until the 27th of June, Glenmorangie’s charity cocktail, the ‘Camel Leopard’ for World Giraffe Day 2021 is available at: mothershipscotland.com or Mothership’s venues Bramble, Lucky Liquor Co. and Last Word Saloon in Edinburgh.

Two Edinburgh-based charities to receive share of almost £1.2 m. from Scottish Power Foundation

Two Edinburgh-based charities will receive a share of almost £1.2 million funding from the ScottishPower Foundation, which supports incredible projects that make a positive impact on people and communities across the country.

This year’s Foundation-funded projects – which support art and culture, education and empowerment, citizenship and society, and biodiversity and climate change – were selected on the basis of the significant and lasting contributions they will make to society, while enhancing people’s quality of life.

Almost £9.2 million has been awarded to successful charities since the Foundation was established in 2013.

Drake Music Scotland will use the £50,000 it was awarded to help run its ‘Figurenotes: Everyone can play’ programme, which will help transform music education across Scotland and beyond.

The programme will embed a fully inclusive system in the curriculum that gives children access to an easier way to play music.

Active participation in music making has proven benefits for wellbeing and key learning outcomes such as improved communication skills.

Now in its second year, the Dynamic Earth Charitable Trust’s Planetarium will develop a programme of innovative science engagement for underserved groups thanks to the £76,000 it’s received. 

New elements include a ScottishPower Foundation Community Pass, offering free visits and supported learning for disadvantaged people; teacher training; and new learning materials to accompany flagship shows on climate change and marine biodiversity for all visitors.

Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee at the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “Once again, we were overwhelmed by the extraordinary work being delivered in our communities – day in and day out – and we’re very proud to support this year’s charities.

“The ScottishPower Foundation is committed to supporting projects that make a hugely positive impact on people’s lives and that’s what these organisations do in abundance.

“From improving education to promoting environmental protection and enhancing lives, the charities we’re supporting this year are doing truly transformative work.

“We know that throughout these challenging times, people are relying on the support of charities more than ever before, and with the help of the ScottishPower Foundation, this year’s projects can go further and make a difference for more people.”

Thursa Sanderson OBE, Chief Executive, Drake Music Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be chosen to be one of Scottish Power Foundation’s successful charities in 2021.

“This support will help us create web-based software for the inclusive music system Figurenotes which will transform access to music education across Scotland.  Figurenotes is a fun and simple tool which helps people of all abilities play simple tunes within minutes of picking up an instrument for the first time.”

John Simpson, CEO at Dynamic Earth, said: “We feel honoured to be chosen as a charity partner of the ScottishPower Foundation in 2021 amongst some amazing other charities and projects.

“This funding means that Dynamic Earth will be able to undertake a much more in-depth and valuable engagement programme for underserved groups.

“We will be proud to launch a brand new ScottishPower Foundation Planetarium Community Pass in 2021 – to offer free visits and supported science learning to disadvantaged families. This funding will help us to reach new people and inspire them with the wonder of our planet and the environmental challenges we face.”

The ScottishPower Foundation was established in 2013 to make a significant and lasting contribution to society, enhancing the lives of people living in communities throughout the UK.

It provides funding to help support the advancement of education, environmental protection, arts and culture and citizenship. It also supports charities who aim to provide relief from poverty, disability, or other disadvantages.

Find out more at scottishpowerfoundation.com.

Barclays donates £100k to support children and families in Scotland

A LIFELINE charity will continue to support children and families across Scotland through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic thanks to a £100k funding boost.

Children 1st – which works with families across Scotland to protect children from harm and to help them to recover from trauma and abuse – has received £100,000 from the Barclays 100×100 UK COVID-19 Community Relief Programme.

Scotland’s national children’s charity will use the funding to continue to provide practical, emotional and financial ‘whole family’ support and to help families recover from the impact of the pandemic over the coming months and years.

Children 1st chief executive Mary Glasgow said: “We can’t thank Barclays enough for their support.

“Right now, families are telling us that they feel at the end of their tether. After so long living with restrictions, they’re exhausted. Many families are struggling to make ends meet and are looking for support to keep the gas running, put food on the table and to manage the emotional toll that the pandemic has taken.

“Families facing the most desperate circumstances need to know they don’t need to go through this alone – we are here for them.”

Over the coming months and years, the charity will focus its efforts on supporting children and families to recover from the impact of the pandemic.

With frontline services delivering direct support in 12 different communities across Scotland, the Children 1st team have seen at first hand the devastating impact the coronavirus has had on vulnerable families already living in very stressful situations.

Thanks to the funding from Barclays, the charity will continue to respond quickly to families’ needs by providing emergency support including food and care parcels, vouchers and digital devices to help with loneliness and isolation.

The financial support package from Barclays will also ensure that families will continue to be supported through Children 1st Parentline – a lifeline service which helps families with emotional, financial and practical support, over the phone and online.

Children 1st Parentline can also put families in touch with Children 1st Money Advisors, who help parents and carers deal with money worries and take control of their finances, while also offering emotional support.

Scott Stewart, Head of Barclays Scotland, said: “This crisis has had an unprecedented impact across Scotland and we know this is an incredibly challenging time for many families and young people.

“By reaching those most in need of support, local charities, such as Children 1st, have played a vital role in this crisis, and continue to do so. With a long and growing presence in Scotland Barclays is doing all it can for customers, clients and colleagues to help them through this pandemic.

“We hope that the donations we are making to charities in Scotland, including Children 1st, will allow them to amplify their vital work as the crisis develops.”

In April, Barclays announced a £100m Community Aid Package to support charities that are helping people and communities most impacted by COVID-19.

As part of that funding package, £10m has been donated through their 100×100 UK COVID-19 Community Relief Programme,

Children 1st Parentline is open seven days a week, from 9am-9pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 12 midday Saturday and Sunday.

If your family are struggling, get in touch by calling free on 08000 28 22 33 or visit children1st.org.uk/parentline to start a webchat.

Homeless charity’s efforts boosted by Amazon in Edinburgh

A charity that provides support for homeless people in Edinburgh has received a £2,000 donation from Amazon Development Centre Scotland. 

Streetwork has been offering care and guidance to those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Edinburgh for almost 30 years. The charity provides expert advice and compassionate support, working to connect people to the services they need. The mission of the charity is to enable a life off the streets, showing dignity and respect to everyone. 

The capacity of Streetwork in Edinburgh is expanded by being part of ​Simon Community Scotland​. Simon Community Scotland works to combat the causes and effects of homelessness, with a vision that everyone should have a safe place to live and access to the support they need. 

Amazon has been a supporter of Streetwork since 2017, having previously donated £1,000 towards the purchase of heavy-duty sleeping bags for those who had nowhere to live. Earlier this year, the team from Amazon Development Centre Scotland hosted an International Food Day event and raised a further £500 for the charity. 

Graeme Smith, Managing Director at Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “It is our pleasure to continue our support of Streetwork in Edinburgh.

“We know that those who are homeless are at greater risk during COVID-19 than ever before and want to ensure any individuals who need help have somewhere to find it. Streetwork is an excellent charity, doing great work, and we can’t thank them enough.” 

Jan Williamson, Assistant Director from Streetwork added: “Like many charities, our resources have been stretched as we respond to COVID-19, so we are very grateful to receive this donation from the Amazon team.

“We strive to show people on the streets that they are cared for and supported, and we cannot do this without the help of the entire community. Thank you, David and the Amazon team, for continuing to support our work.” 

Edinburgh Central MSP, Rt Hon Ruth Davidson commented: “Streetwork does amazing and important work across Edinburgh – work that has never been more important than at this time.

“I welcome this donation from the Amazon Development Centre, which will allow the Streetwork team to help more of our city’s vulnerable and homeless.”

Amazon Development Centre Scotland is responsible for innovations used around the world by the company, including machine learning to power Amazon’s smart features like personalised recommendations. 

Streetwork received the donation as part of the “Amazon in the Community” programme, whereby the company supports the communities around its operating locations across the UK. 

Community donations is one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19. 

Calpol to support children’s charity helpline

  • In 2018/19 the NSPCC Helpline handled nearly 73,000 calls and emails nationally from adults worried about a child – referring almost half on to police and social services
  • The helpline made nearly 2,000 referrals to agencies in Scotland last year
  • Charity announces partnership with CALPOL® that will help the NSPCC to deal with thousands of contacts

Contacts to the NSPCC Helpline from adults worried about the safety of a child across the UK are on the increase (by 12%). Continue reading Calpol to support children’s charity helpline