Tag: charity

Logan gets on his bike to support Poppyscotland

Young fundraiser’s Forth Road Bridge cycle for war hero uncle

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A young fundraiser has chosen to cycle TWENTY miles for Poppyscotland, after his uncle’s life was transformed by the charity. Logan Thomson, who is 12, will cycle across the Forth Road Bridge fourteen times today. The young Fifer will also have the support of his six year old little sister Abbie, who will attempt to complete one of the laps of the bridge on foot whilst supporting her big brother along the way. 

Logan was inspired to support Poppyscotland after the charity helped his Uncle Stuart get his life back when returning from serving in Iraq. Stuart Proudfoot suffered critical injuries after his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb during a routine patrol in January 2006, and the same incident claimed the life of his friend.

Logan, who has already raised £780 through online donations, said: “Poppyscotland holds a special place in the hearts of my family. My Uncle Stuart was injured in Iraq and Poppyscotland helped him get a house and gave him the support he needed.

“Also, my Uncle Barry is currently serving with the Royal Navy and I am hoping to follow in the military footsteps when I am older too. 

“I’d love to raise £1,000 for the charity – that’s my ultimate goal. I’ve also got my little sister Abbie (below) to help, who will be crossing the bridge too on foot. I’d like to ask the Scottish public to donate what they can, so that Poppyscotland can continue to help more families like ours.” 

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Gordon Michie, Head of Fundraising at Poppyscotland, said: “We’re honoured to have the support of Logan and his little sister Abbie. They’re really going the extra mile for our ex-servicemen, women and their families who are in desperate need of our help.  

“Now more than ever before, the Armed Forces community needs the support of the Scottish public. That’s why we’re calling for the Scottish public to go that extra mile in their support for this year’s Poppy Appeal. Whether it’s peddling 20 miles like Logan, or taking on a walking challenge like his sister Abbie, every penny helps us to offer life-changing support to the Armed Forces community in Scotland.” 

To support Logan’s efforts, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/logans20mile

Darling Award for ‘whirlwind’ Tracy!

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The Sir William Y Darling Bequest for Good Citizenship for 2015/16 has been awarded to Tracy Rendall in recognition for her charity work and volunteering. Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Donald Wilson made the presentation on Tuesday night during a reception held in the City Chambers. Continue reading Darling Award for ‘whirlwind’ Tracy!

Thanks a million – CABs suppport one in 14 adult Scots

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Scotland’s Citizens Advice service gave 1 million pieces of advice last year, helping over 310,000 individuals – equivalent to over 1 in every 14 adults.

The service also put £120m into the pockets of Scottish citizens, though improving their financial health by helping them to access benefits entitlements and manage debt effectively. This helped some to avoid crisis situations like poverty, debt and homelessness.

Continue reading Thanks a million – CABs suppport one in 14 adult Scots

Run the London Marathon and help Scotland’s animals

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Miss out on a ballot space for the London Marathon? Sign up to a charity space and help animals in Scotland! The Scottish SPCA is offering runners the opportunity of a lifetime to experience one of the world’s largest running events while supporting Scotland’s unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals.

With the ballot for the race closed, this could be the final chance for people to take part.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity is inviting local people to take up the challenge of running 26.2 miles while making a real difference to the lives of animals.

Alison Macbeth from Newton Mearns, who recently took part in the Loch Ness Marathon in September, has already signed up to the London Marathon in April to help save animals like her beloved dog Oatis.

Alison (pictured above) said, “Oatis was found as a stray with a badly deformed back leg and was in a terrible state.

“I’m looking forward to running the London marathon for the Scottish SPCA as I’m so grateful to them for saving my dog’s life.

“The Scottish SPCA nursed him back to health although sadly he had to have his back leg amputated.

“Oatis is now incredibly fit and healthy and loves nothing more than swimming at the beach and chasing his ball. We cannot imagine life without him.”

Balerno Centre Manager, Diane Aitchison, said, “We have a huge amount of respect for anyone who sets themselves the goal of training for and running a marathon, as it’s a massive achievement.

“By taking part in fundraising events like this, people are helping us to care for more unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals.

“We don’t receive any government or lottery funding which means we rely on the public to be able to continue our work rescuing and rehoming animals in desperate need of our help.

“Anyone who takes a Scottish SPCA charity place at the London Marathon will be helping save lives.”

For further information on the Virgin London Marathon 2017 please call the Scottish SPCA’s fundraising team on 03000 999 999 (option 4), email fundraising@scottishspca.org or visit the website: https://www.scottishspca.org/events/london-marathon-2016/

 

ENDS

A Bra-lliant night for breast cancer awareness

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Weather Forecaster Kirsty McCabe, Ab Fab star Harriet Thorpe and girl group The Tootsie Rollers were just three big names showing their support for breast cancer charity Walk the Walk on Tuesday. The event, which marked the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as well as celebrating the grant-making charity’s 20th birthday, took place at the Good Housekeeping Institute in Soho.

Around 70 special guests were treated to an exclusive exhibition of bras signed by a host of celebrities, which have been created by world-renowned designers. The collection included a Lorraine Kelly bra by Barbour, a Joey D belt design, a Little Mix bra by Jane Bowler, and an Alan Carr bra by Julien Macdonald. An Ab Fab bra signed by Harriet Thorpe and Jennifer Saunders, created by Victoria Grant added an extra touch of sparkle, and a BAFTA bra by Sandy Powell gave the event some red carpet glamour. A Zandra Rhodes design, an intriguing Nina Saunders sculpture, and a special Good Housekeeping bra completed the collection.

Talking about her bra, TV Presenter Lorraine Kelly said: “It’s good to see the world of fashion helping to raise awareness for breast cancer, so I am thrilled that Barbour have designed this fabulous bra with me in mind for Walk the Walk. The amount raised over the years is incredible and has made a real difference to those affected by breast cancer.”

Nina Barough, Founder and Chief Executive of Walk the Walk added: “As part of our 20 year celebrations, hosted by Good Housekeeping, Walk the Walk held an exhibition of designer bras. It was a fantastic opportunity, to not only raise awareness by displaying some of our wonderful creations, but to also talk about our hopes for the future. Over the past 20 years Walk the Walk has been able to make a significant contribution into the research and knowledge that we now have of primary cancers. Going forward our aim is to do the same to further research into secondary cancers, giving all cancer patients the same hope and opportunities.”

The bra is the trademark of Walk the Walk, and thanks to the thousands of Walkers wearing decorated bras as they take part in the charity’s MoonWalk Scotland, and other events, more than £113 million has been raised in total, with £19 million raised for breast cancer causes in Scotland alone.

Walk the Walk has made £30 million in grants to Breast Cancer Now for research, and in Scotland has made a number of grants to help people living with cancer, including to Maggie’s Cancer Care Centres in Glasgow and Airdrie, while Walk the Walk is also the principle funder of Maggie’s Forth Valley, which is due to open in Larbert later this year.

Additionally, Walk the Walk has its own special project, providing funding to hospitals across Scotland to purchase Scalp Cooling systems, special machines which help many people undergoing chemotherapy to retain their hair

The MoonWalk Scotland takes place on Saturday 10th June 2017. Sign up at walkthewalk.org

Sainsburys cyclists go the extra mile for chosen charity

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Colleagues from Sainsburys Blackhall store recently took part in the BIG BIKE RIDE Challenge, cycling from Nairn to Blackhall and visiting Sainsburys stores on the way. Colleagues from Blackhall were taking part to raise money for our Local Charity of the Year – Health in Mind.

Three local boys from the Davidsons Mains Pipe Band gave their time to pipe the cyclists into store and the 170th Girl Guide company also gave their time to Bag pack for the charity.

Colleagues from Blackhall would like to thank everyone for their support and also the customers who donated.

We have raised a total of £1,700 for our charity, Health in Mind, so far.

Gail, Sainburys Blackhall

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Born To Fail? Barnardo’s to launch ‘Believe in Me’ campaign

Wake up call for parents as 87% of young people in Scotland today say they lack confidence and doubt they will succeed in life.

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That’s the stark findings from the UK’s number one children’s charity, Barnardo’s.  

  • 87% of 11-18 year olds lack confidence.
  • Only 20% feel confident about the future
  • 64% say grown-ups are ‘not very good’ at telling them they believe they can succeed.
  • 45% of parents agree there’s more pressure on young people today than when they were young, while 65% admit their expectations of children range from high to too high.

The new research is a wake-up call for parents and adults about the importance of expressing belief in children and young people. The majority of children asked said that a supportive adult – be that a parent or other family member, carer, teacher or employer – is the most important thing to help them pursue their goals and have a bright future.

64% say grown-ups they know are ‘not very good’ at telling them they believe they can succeed.  And almost two thirds of the parents questioned accepted that their expectations of children are high or too high.

The survey on behalf of Barnardo’s shows that British youngsters feel increasing pressure to perform in all aspects of their lives, but don’t necessarily have the support they crave to help them cope.

Martin Crewe, Scotland Director of Barnardo’s, said: “Barnardo’s has been supporting children for 150 years, and today we help 248,000 young people and families every year.  We know how vital it is our young people believe in themselves, and much of our work across our 996 services hopefully gives them the confidence to believe that anything is possible.”

Four thousand secondary school children and parents were surveyed and the results were announced as Barnardo’s unveils its new Ten Year Strategy to help 300,000 more vulnerable children and their families across the country.  At the heart of the strategy is the Barnardo’s founding ethos that no child that needs help is ever turned away.

Barnardo’s is setting out its ambitious ten year strategy to transform the lives of millions of young people from every background across the country in front of an invited audience at the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood later today. It will also launch a major new marketing campaign, called ‘Believe in Me’, to support the strategy and stress the importance of believing in children.

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