Tag: charity

RNLI urges: Respect the Water

Over 200 people die accidentally each year in British and Irish waters – and more than half of those who drowned didn’t even plan to get wet …

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The RNLI has launched a drowning prevention campaign which aims to reduce deaths by 50%. The ‘Respect the Water’ campaign coincides with the release of figures showing that 24 people died in Scotland’s coastal waters last year.

Over the past five years, an average of 35 people have drowned in Scotland and RNLI aims to halve the number of drownings by 2024.

Most of the deaths – almost a quarter – occurred when people slipped and fell into the water while walking and running. Other causes include people at work (14%), diving (13%), swimming and/or deliberately jumping into the sea (9%) and angling (6%).

RNLI lifeboat crews in Scotland saved 51 lives in 2014, and the charity has highlighted dangers which can be more common in Scotland.

After falling in, people can experience cold water shock or the effects of strong currents under the surface. There are also problems with slippery rocks, sudden waves or unstable ground.

RNLI coastal safety manager for Scotland Michael Avril said: “We want people to enjoy the water but to make sure they respect it.
“Around 35 lives are lost around Scotland’s coast each year but many of these losses could be avoided if people acknowledge the dangers and follow some basic safety advice.”

RNLI’s ‘Respect the Water’ campaign includes two films which will be shown in cinemas throughout the UK.

https://www.rnlivideolibrary.org.uk/getvideo.aspx?vid=QhMxynB6

 

 

http://rnli.org/Pages/Video-Details.aspx?VideoItemID=xL1O5RjR

Talk about extra time!

World Record-breaking footballers cross the finish line

gowans world record

The Craig Gowans Memorial Fund World Record Breaking Football Match came to a dramatic close last night. The final whistle blew at 10pm – bringing to an end no less than 105 hours of football!

Friends and family of the late football Craig Gowans took on the longest ever 11-a-side football match between the 4 – 8 July, with the final goal score reaching an astounding 774 – 707.

After four days of football played at Spartans’ Ainslie Park stadium, the online and offline fundraising total for The Sick Kids Friends Foundation, sits at more than £80,000 and Guinness World Records are expected to approve the record itself in the coming days.

Eoghan Molloy, a member of the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund organising committee, said: “The whole experience has been an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. There were a lot of mixed emotions as the final whistle blew – from relief and tiredness to joy, happiness and everything in between. It was amazing to hear that final whistle and to finish what we set to achieve.

“I’d like to extend a huge thank you to all of the supporters and volunteers who came down to support us across the four days. Playing throughout the night was by far the most difficult part of the challenge, but when the sun came up and the crowd returned this completely lifted our spirits. Being able to finish the match is all down to these supporters.”

Roslyn Neely, chief executive of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “All of the participants of the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund have done a tremendous job in completely this outstanding challenge and we feel extremely privileged to be the beneficiary of their efforts.

“The team has smashed its fundraising target in great style and I’d like to congratulate all of them on this wonderful achievement. Not only have they etched Craig’s name into the history books, the money raised will help The Sick Kids Friends Foundation transform the experience of the children and young people who will visit Edinburgh’s new children’s hospital when it opens its doors in 2017.”

Be part of sporting history!

Volunteers needed to aid local world record attempt 

football

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF) and Craig Gowans Memorial Fund are recruiting hundreds of volunteers to get the ball rolling at an upcoming World Record attempt for the longest 11-a-side football match of all time.

Friends, family and teammates of the late Falkirk defender Craig Gowans are hosting the Guinness World Record attempt in memory of the young football star, and require the help of a vast range of volunteers to help make the event a success.

The Memorial Fund was set up by Craig’s family and friends following his tragic death to ensure that his memory is used as a driving force for good.

This four day mega-match will take place at Ainslie Park, Home of Spartans FC, from 4 – 8 July, with all proceeds going to the SKFF.

The participating players aim to complete at least 103 hours of football in order to beat the current World Record which was recently set in Southampton. In order to complete this mammoth football challenge the charity are calling for people of all skills to support the fundraising efforts.

Volunteers needed include referees, stewards, physiotherapists, general helpers, as well as people to assist with the event setup and tidy up.

The Craig Gowans Guinness World Record Football Match is expected to raise more than £37,000 for the Foundation. The money will be used to open a state-of-the-art Snoezelen Room in Craig’s name at the new Sick Kids Hospital in Little France. This calming space will use cutting edge multi-sensory equipment to provide a vital, stimulating area for young patients with sensory impairments.

Jonny Wallace, one of Craig’s closest school friends and an advocate of the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund said: “We have organised many fundraisers in the past in memory of Craig but this epic match will be one of our biggest challenges to date and we need help from lots of volunteers for the event to run smoothly.

“Volunteers make all the difference to the success of our events and we would really appreciate any level of help for our upcoming World Record attempt whether it is for one day or all four.”

Rachel McKenzie, Head of Voluntary Fundraising at the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “We’re extremely grateful that the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund has chosen to raise funds for the Foundation. Their upcoming world record football match looks set to be a very demanding challenge and we urge anyone that can help them during the event to show their support and sign up for a volunteer’s role online.”

To register as a volunteer at the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund World Record Breaking Football Match

visit www.tcggwrm.org/volunteer

or email Jonny Wallace at TCGGWRM37@gmail.com.

MP ‘distressed’ by report on impact of benefits sanctions

‘It is time to make this system fit for purpose – and that should be to help people recover to better mental health.’ – Jo Anderson, SAMH

anxiety

Scotland’s leading mental health charity, SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) welcomed Joanna Cherry MP to their Redhall service to help launch a new report last week.

The ‘Fir for Purpose’ report documents the negative impact the welfare system has had on 15 people participating in SAMH’s therapeutic gardening programme. The report calls for an end to benefit sanctions which put undue stress on people with mental health problems.

Last year, one of the participants highlighted the negative impact this had on their health:

‘Well, last year my psychiatrist was reducing my medication. When I got this letter from the DWP… I had to stop that and increase my medication again… Suicidal thoughts are massively increased. Urges for self-harm massively increased. Basically, when it comes to getting reassessed, every other part of my life kind of shuts down because it just has a really bad effect on me. It’s almost as if they were to design a process to make it as difficult as possible to stay alive, this is exactly how they would do it.’

The key findings of the report are:

  • There was a lack of understanding about mental health throughout the assessment process, with those responsible appearing not to be well trained or experienced in mental health.
  • Those who experienced repeated reassessments or challenging a poor decision found the experience very stressful, which can have an adverse effect of an individual’s recovery.
  • SAMH is calling for the Scottish Government to ensure that when it takes over the Work Choice programme for disabled people in 2017, it also takes the opportunity to incorporate tailored support for individuals in order to help more people into work and stay mentally well.

Joanna Cherry MP was elected to represent Edinburgh South West in May. She is a QC and recently co-authored the textbook “Mental Health and Scots Law in Practice’. The new local MP said: “The findings from SAMH’s Fit for Purpose report are quite distressing and highlight the real need for a review of how Work Capability Assessments are conducted and monitored effectively.

“The Redhall service offers a great environment for people to receive training and learn to cope with challenges while recovering from enduring mental health problems. I have met some very inspirational people who have overcome huge obstacles in their life and it is important that both the UK and Scottish Government work together and ensure nothing stands in the way of each person’s recovery.”

Jo Anderson, Director for External Affairs at SAMH said: “We are very grateful to Joanna Cherry for supporting our calls for a review to the Work Capability Assessment, with many of those interviewed stating that their mental health had deteriorated as a result of these changes.

“The majority of people with mental health problems continue to be placed on the Work Programme as opposed to the more successful Work Choice, which offers specialised employment support to people with disabilities and other health issues.

“It is time to make this system fit for purpose – and that should be to help people recover to better mental health.”

If you would like to download a copy of SAMH’s Fit for Purpose report, please visit: www.samh.org.uk/our-work/public-affairs/financewelfare

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Care students cash in for cancer charity

Cold juice sells like hot cakes! 

Chque Lo-res

Edinburgh College lecturer Alan Laing set his Access to Care students a fundraising challenge: take this £20 and make a profit for charity. The seven students proved to be well up to the task and earlier this week presented Cancer Research UK with a cheque for £270!

Incredibly, the students raised the money in just four hours! Showing true entrepreneurial spirit, the students bought cakes, snacks and soft drinks at discount prices and sold them on to fellow students at a healthy profit. Lord Sugar himself would surely have been impressed!

The soft drinks in particular were an inspired idea – the day of the sale proved to be one of the hottest of the year so far and the juice ‘flew off the shelves’.

Enterprising students Sophie, Kerry-Anne, Jackie and Niamh are pictured with College Principal Annette Bruton, course lecturer Alan Laing and Cancer Research shop volunteer Elaine Lennon,who accepted the cheque on behalf of the charity.

Fellow fundrasing students Connor, Fraser and Lorraine couldn’t attend the cheque presentation – maybe away pitching an idea or making a few quid on a market stall somewhere!

 

Play time at children’s hospitals

Get Well Gamers donation

Young patients undergoing treatment at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC), the CAHMS Inpatient Unit at the Royal Hospital in Edinburgh and the Children’s Ward at St John’s Hospital in Livingston have received a host of special gifts to help fill the hours spent in hospital.

Get-Well Gamers, a charity dedicated to bringing electronic entertainment to children’s hospitals for the benefit of entertainment and pain relief, has donated a number of gaming consoles and games to the West Lothian ward, including Xbox 360s, PlayStation 3s and Nintendo Wiis.

Originally donated to the charity from Microsoft, the consoles have now been redistributed to children’s hospitals across the UK.

Jordan McDonald, Play Specialist at St John’s, said: “Our brand new Xbox has already been well used. Four boys who were at the ward for theatre used the console to play FIFA together, with one little boy even saying it was the best day of his life! This sort of reaction from children is truly priceless – we can’t thank Get-Well Gamers and the Sick Kids Friends Foundation enough their generosity in making these distractions possible.”

James Stewart, Director of Get-Well Gamers UK, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to donate to St John’s Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Play Specialists do fantastic work and have next to no budget for video games and consoles. 

“Having access to electronic entertainment is of great benefit to children in hospital. It helps them with pain management, encourages socialising with other children and alleviates boredom. We’re very grateful to The Sick Kids Foundation for making this donation possible.”

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF), which is responsible for funding the best facilities, equipment, distractions, emotional support, training and research in the RHSC and its surrounding facilities, has worked closely with gamers over the last six years to raise money for these extra comforts.

The charity’s Sick Kids Save Point – now the biggest video gaming marathon in the UK – has raised £72,000 to date and continues to champion gaming as a welcome distraction for sick kids spending hours on hospital wards.

Rachel McKenzie, head of fundraising at the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “Get-Well Gamers’ donations have already made a fantastic difference to the children’s hospital experience.

“We’re always looking for people to help support the work of the Foundation and make life a little easier for our young patients. I would encourage any gaming fanatics keen to do something different for the cause to sign up to our 24 hour Sick Kids Save Point gaming marathon taking place later this year.”

Sick Kids Save Point event takes place from 9 until 11 October, 2015. For more information visit www.sickkidssavepoint.com.

For more information on Get-Well Gamers visit www.getwellgamers.org.uk.

 

Sainsburys Blackhall charity partner: the voting’s open!

lcp final cheque

Sainsburys Blackhall have just come to the end of their yearlong “Local Charity of the Year Partnership” with Muirhouse Youth Development Group.

Colleagues and customers at our Blackhall store helped to fundraise £7,050 for this good cause and would like to wish MYDG very good luck for the future.

Pictured above: Murray Dunnett, Dean Shanks, Amy Patterson and Chris Thomson. Murray and Amy have also been working with MYDG and MYadventure on the Bothy at Towford.

gail voting

It is now time for Sainsburys Blackhall to decide on their next Local charity Partner of the year, and voting is now open for colleagues and customers to decide who they would like to help this year.

The three shortlisted  nominations are:

Stroke Association Scotland

Pilton Youth and Children’s Project (PYCP)

Meningitis Research Foundation

Customers can vote in store at the customer service desk or on line at www.sainsburyslocalcharity.co.uk  until 28 June.

Gail, Sainsbury’s

 

Epic cycle trek honours record breaker

Michael keeps it in the family!

Michael Woods

An Edinburgh man is taking on an epic cycling challenge, from one end of Ireland to the other – 60 years after his aunt became the fastest woman to complete the route!

Michael Woods, who aims to complete the challenge in six days, will be joined by a group of family members during the 386 miles and they will raise funds for cancer charities including Macmillan Cancer Support.

The route will closely mirror the one taken by Michael’s aunt, Isabel Woods, on 26thJune 1955. She cycled from Mizen Head on Ireland’s south coast to Fair Head in Northern Ireland in a record-breaking 23 hours and 3 minutes, a record she held on to until 1 July 2007.

Michael said: “Isabel’s ride of 60 years ago is a mind boggling feat of stamina and endurance and following the route at a more leisurely pace is one way of comprehending just what a feat it was. If our road trip enables us to raise funds for some good causes then all the better.”

Macmillan’s Edinburgh Fundraising Manager Jayne Forbes said: “We are very grateful to Michael, David, Norah, Sheena and Brian and everyone who supports them. They’ve already raised a fantastic amount of money which will help us make a real difference to the lives of people affected by cancer.

“We help people in many ways, from specialist nurses and doctors, to help and advice for people who have financial worries as a result of their cancer diagnosis, none of which would be possible without the support of people in Edinburgh.”

If you would like to support Michael and the team please visit: 

https://www.givey.com/ie2eiw60

Charity begins at Edinburgh College!

Events Management students raise thousands for charity

GROUP PIC

Edinburgh College’s Events Management students have raised more than £20,000 for charity this year by holding events around the city and surrounding areas as part of their coursework.

The students worked in 38 teams to arrange an event each in aid of a range of charities. Events included everything from a mini festival and club nights to speed dating and fashion shows.

Events Management lecturers celebrated their success this week by awarding a trophy to the most successful event team.

The winning team, called Festival Events and based at Sighthill Campus, organised a sell-out mini fringe festival at the Voodoo Rooms, where a variety of acts including a magician, DJ, reggae act and flamenco folk band, entertained the audience. To promote the event, the students worked together with dancers from the University of Edinburgh Modern Dance Society to organise a flash mob outside the Usher Hall. They also worked with students from the college’s audio visual courses, who documented the event by recording it for a video that helped them pass their course.

The team raised £1,100 for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, which was match funded by BP to make £2,200, after students contacted the firm.

Other teams organised events including children’s fun afternoons, club nights, fashion shows and an afternoon tea. A runner-up prize was awarded to a Milton Road Campus team, 505 Events, which organised a sports event around the Scotland vs. England Rugby match in aid of the charity Simpson’s Memory Box Appeal (SiMBA). Another Milton Road team received a highly commended award for its work, which included organising a speed dating event in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

Lecturer Iris Aitchison said: “We are immensely proud of all the fantastic work that our students have put into organising all their events, and we were blown away by the amount raised for charities. This is the first time we have awarded a prize for best event, as we felt that these achievements deserved to be recognised.”

In total, 21 charities benefited from the students’ efforts, including Scottish Autism, the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund and the SickKids Foundation.

Pictured: Students from the winning teams with Events Management lecturers. L-R Caroline Patterson, Katrina Pugh, Javier de la Cruz (from the winning Festival Events team), Alana Laidlaw (from the runner up team, 505 Events), Iris Aitchison, Sarah Thomson.

The college offers events courses at NC, HNC, HND and BA (Hons) level in association with Queen Margaret University.