It is difficult to watch the events happening in Ukraine on the news without feeling helpless.
The charity GOCC Edinburgh are organising a collection for Ukrainians in need.
If you are able to help, you are welcome to leave donations of UN-OPENED toiletries, packets of nappies/sanitary products at Granton Information Centre’s office (134-138 West Granton Road, EH5 1PE) tomorrow morning between 9.30 – 12 midday and Thursday morning between 9.30 – 12 midday.
We will ensure all donations are safely delivered to GOCC Edinburgh on Thursday afternoon.
PLEASE NOTE we are only able to accept donations of the items listed above (no clothes, medicines, monetary donations, etc will be accepted at our office).
Additional items can be donated directly at the Foodplus stores mentioned in the flyer (below):
‘We need to welcome 3,300 donors per week to ensure blood supplies remain at safe levels‘
Scottish hospitals are currently supplied by the smallest pool of blood donors this century, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has revealed. This festive season, SNBTS are asking people to register as a blood donor, or to return and donate if they have not given for a while.
During the Pandemic (from 2019 to 2020), active blood donors in Scotland fell from over 105,000 to fewer than 92,000. This is a real-time reduction of nearly 13% meaning 13,000 fewer people gave blood in a single year.
Although the donor base has started to rebuild in 2021 and Scotland now has 96,000 active blood donors, SNBTS are asking new donors to come forward over the festive period, or those who have got out of the habit to return and donate.
Dr Sylvia Armstrong-Fisher, SNBTS says, ‘During the pandemic, NHS Scotland relied on commitment from existing donors who gave very regularly. We’d like to thank all of these people who supported us at such an important time.
“However, alongside the natural lifecycle of blood donors retiring every day, this led to the community of active donors shrinking to its lowest level since records began.
“We need to welcome 3,300 donors per week to ensure blood supplies remain at safe levels and, with fewer people donating regularly, we want to welcome 50 new or returning blood donors every single day over the festive and Winter period.
‘During the pandemic we have made many positive changes to blood collection, to make giving blood as easy as possible for donors. We are now offering more weekend sessions in our donor centres, and have opened our flagship donor centre in Livingston, which is now welcoming over 800 donors a month. To book your appointment to donate, you can use our online portal.
‘Maintaining a safe and regular supply of blood to hospitals is our top priority. Thank you to everyone who has supported patients in Scotland over the past two years. We look forward to welcoming you soon. Please join this amazing club today and book an appointment to support Scotland’s patients over the Festive period and into the new year.’
Inverness
Helping publicise the campaign are 29yr old Kate McRae, husband Mike (35), and little daughters Abigail (4 months) and Hollie (2) from Ardersier, near Inverness. Kate, an accounts assistant for Arnold Clark, suffered a massive postpartum haemorrhage after giving birth to Abigail earlier this year.
Her life was saved by 12 transfusions given by 12 different people across Scotland. Mike, who has Colitis, also received a lifesaving transfusion when he was just 18. Without blood donors, there would be no MacRae family.
Kate says, ‘We just want to say thank you to everyone who gives blood, in particular the people who gave blood for Mike, and the twelve people who gave blood and blood products for me. I lost nearly all the blood in my body, there’s no doubt that without those people my children wouldn’t have a mother, and my husband wouldn’t have a wife.
‘It’s the best thing you could give this Christmas’
Mike says, ‘It’s scary to think that if people didn’t take half an hour, 45 minutes out their day to give blood, we could be having a very different conversation.’
Aberdeen
In addition to the MacRaes, Dr Musa Watila (47) is joining the call to arms.
A specialty doctor in Neurology at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Dr Watila lives with sickle cell disease and needs transfusions every eight weeks. He loves being a doctor and helping those in need, because as Dr Watila says, ‘I understand very well what it means to be on the other side of the table as a patient.’
Dundee
Dundonian chip shop owner Martine Curran (40) is supporting the drive, showing her gratitude to the blood donors who saved her life four years ago when her organs neared failure after giving birth to daughter Mara.
Martine says, ‘I would just like to say to everybody thank you, thank you so much for taking the time out your day to come and give blood. You can’t imagine how it feels – I’m just so grateful, every day I’m grateful to you all for giving blood and giving me the chance to be here, and be spending time with the ones I love.
‘You think you’re just going in to have a baby, you’ll go in, go out, it’s all happy experience. I didn’t get to take my baby home, but I eventually got home to her, so thank you. If it wasn’t for you going to give blood I wouldn’t have had that chance.’
Glasgow
Giffnock mum Louise Pennington’s seven year old daughter Freya was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia last November. She spent a month in hospital, needing ten transfusions over this time, before finally being able to go home just before Christmas.
Louise remembers one transfusion in particular. ‘One day Freya really wasn’t well from the side effects of treatment. She was lethargic, very sick, she had lots of mouth ulcers and sores. The doctor could tell, just by looking at her, she would need a blood transfusion that day.
‘Watching her it hit me, the enormity, that someone had given their blood and Freya would feel a bit better afterwards. I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude that someone had donated this for Freya to feel better. It wasn’t a tablet created in a lab, but a real person who had made her better. I just wanted to say thank you to anyone who had given up their time to donate.’
There are eight different blood groups. SNBTS aim to retain 5-7 days supply of all eight blood groups at all times. At this time, people with the blood groups A and O are particularly asked to come forward. You can see Scotland’s daily blood stock levels on scotblood.co.uk
Book an appointment to give blood by creating your online donor account at scotblood.co.uk, contacting us online, or phoning 0345 90 90 999 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm).
While we were celebrating our 35 Years of Play and planning our Christmas celebrations, we didnt know we had yet another challenge coming our way this year.
On the 7th of December, The Yard Edinburgh was a victim of vandalism. On Tuesday, a fire was deliberately initiated in the boardwalk, damaging the grounds, outdoors electric systems and the door of the Solar Dome.
We are devastated and currently doing our best to have affected areas repaired as soon as possible, which will be a costly process. Luckily, no one was harmed and damage was contained.
Services were suspended on Tuesday, but we reopened the following day. We are still going ahead with our Christmas celebrations as scheduled, but families will not be able to access some areas for a while which will reduce the quality of play experience we pride ourselves for at The Yard.
Despite this heartbreaking news, we are confident that we’ll come out to the other side stronger, as we always have.
Please support us today if you can and donate as much or as little as you can. Every donation will help us rise stronger and continue to be there for the families that use The Yard.
Social Bite lights up major cities encouraging kindness this Christmas
Charity aims to provide 300,000 gifts, meals and essential items to people experiencing homelessness this Christmas
Christmas trees with donation points installed in five cities, Edinburgh London, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee, to emphasise that ‘in a world where you can be anything, be kind.’
Social Bite’s Festival of Kindness has launched in five cities across the UK today, expanding on last year’s campaign, in a bid to spread some much-needed festive goodwill and kindness.
The charity is asking people in Edinburgh, London, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee to donate meals, gifts, essential items and accommodation to those who need it most this Christmas.
Through the campaign, Social Bite has set a target of providing 300,000 meals and essential items of the winter months to those experiencing homelessness this festive period.
Working alongside local partners, Social Bite has installed five 28ft tall Christmas trees across the country and is asking people to buy one extra gift, drop it under the tree and contribute to a movement of kindness.
Festival of Kindness locations include:
· St Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh
· Charing Cross Station, London
· Vinicombe Street, Glasgow
· Outside M&S at the Bon Accord centre, Aberdeen
· City Square, Dundee
The charity has created a gift wish list of the things homeless and vulnerable people need the most – from a warm pair of gloves, a hot water bottle and a torch, to good quality socks and toys for children living in temporary accommodation to open on Christmas morning.
Passers-by can drop their gifts at the trees and take in the Christmas lights, meet Santa in Edinburgh and hear more about Social Bite’s ambitions from volunteers. All gifts will then be distributed by Social Bite’s dedicated team to those who need it most, just in time for Christmas.
Social Bite co-founder and Executive Director, Josh Littlejohn MBE, said: “This Christmas, many of us will be able to reunite with family and friends to celebrate after so many restrictions.
“But for homeless people and families, the pandemic has made their situation particularly desperate. Thousands of people all over the UK will spend Christmas on the streets – cold, hungry and lonely, without a family to go to. Thousands of children will find themselves in temporary emergency accommodation or without food on the table over the festive period.
“That’s why we are building on the success of last year’s campaign to expand our reach even further, going from two to five locations and taking Festival of Kindness to London for the very first time.
“Our Festival of Kindness campaign aims to spread some festive cheer. In a world, where you can be anything, we’re urging people to be kind and buy or donate a little extra to help those who need it most – even the smallest of gifts will make a huge difference.”
Monetary donations can also be made online via the Social Bite website which will then go towards the provision of food, gifts and essential items.
Donations will also help fund accommodation and support for those sleeping rough in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and London.
Social Bite has a track record of successful fundraising campaigns, having previously hosted ‘Sleep Out’ events in all major Scottish cities, then helped to launch The World’s Big Sleep Out for a global campaign attended by Hollywood A-listers including Dame Helen Mirren and Will Smith in 2019.
Last year’s Festival of Kindness held in Edinburgh and Glasgow raised over £1.5m.
All gifts should be new and unwrapped, with a helpful ‘how-to’ guide on their website.
As restrictions lift, getting back to ‘normal’ is simply out of reach for many families and children, who are lacking the funds and resources to reconnect with friends and family, play sport, visit attractions and play outdoors.
At the same time, Oxford Brooks University research has highlighted that lockdown restrictions have had a detrimental impact on children in particular, as reduced play and more sedentary behaviour has the potential to damage their long-term development.
In response, In Kind Direct, the UK charity that distributes large scale donations of products to charitable organisations, has set it’s sights on supporting Save the Children and the #SummerOfPlay initiative aimed at helping children get mentally and physically active this summer. At it’s heart it aims to give children the summer they deserve.
Over 100,000 products have been donated to In Kind Direct so far, which they will be distributing to the 7,000 UK charitable organisations in their network across the summer.
Products include arts and crafts, board games, stationery, lunch boxes, backpacks, jigsaws, books, toys, sports kits, balls and outdoor play equipment – all to support schools, charities and community groups with their holiday activities and aiming to address the startling statistics:
Almost a quarter (23%) of children revealed they’re playing less sport and being less active than they used to be
77% of charities in In Kind Direct’s network are seeing declining health and wellbeing in their areas
76% of respondents from In Kind Direct’s charity network report people they support are feeling increasingly isolated and lonely
In Kind Direct has joined forces with a number of incredible donating organisations and brands such as; Flying Tiger Copenhagen, PZ Cussons, TCC Global, Micro Scooters, Amazon, Mitre Sports and Hasbro – all have generously donated a wide range of products that will have an incredible impact and enable charitable organisations to do so much more across the summer holidays.
Activity specialists Merlin, Junior Adventures and Big Game Hunters, have also donated generously, offering free placements at theme parks, opportunities to attend activity camps and chances to win outdoor play equipment – helping to boost physical and mental wellbeing at a time when it has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Debbie, from Pilton Youth & Children’s Project in North Edinburgh, said: “We work with children living in an area of multiple deprivation, so we try to make summer school holidays as fun as possible.
“We want children to remember their summers and have stories to tell their children when they become adults. By giving them access to toys and fun activities they are very happy and can start to create some happy memories together.”
Rosanne Gray, In Kind Direct CEO, comments: “It’s heart-breaking to see the statistics of how much the pandemic has impacted children’s mental and physical development. Not having access to simple pleasures like a football or puzzles which many families take for granted has stopped many kids from being active and social.
“We cannot let this pandemic continue to impact physical and mental wellbeing for our younger generation, which is why we are encouraging any businesses with products or services to donate and make a difference over these summer months.”
If you are a manufacturer, retailer or supplier and want to donate contact:
Morrisons has announced it will be donating over half a million meals to local pet rescue centres to help feed the nation’s cats and dogs – after demand for pet food has surged during lockdown.
Last year saw an unprecedented rise in pet ownership. With more of us at home than ever before, the desire for a companion reached peak levels with over two million dogs alone bought between March and September.
However, with millions more cats and dogs to feed in households up and down the UK, the need for pet food has dramatically increased.
In response to the increase in demand, Morrisons will set aside half a million meals in an effort to support local animal shelters – and to ensure no four-legged friend is left behind. Its network of ‘’Community Champions’ will work closely with their local shelters to distribute the meals up and down the UK.
Many animal shelters have been struggling through lack of funding and the economic fallout of Covid-19. And as hope for summer and a return to normality grows, animal shelters are facing the risk of more pets needing rehoming as their owners can no longer meet their needs.
Faye Atkins, Pet Food Buyer at Morrisons said: “Throughout the pandemic, our focus has been on feeding the nation, so it only felt right to support those pets who may not have found their forever home just yet as well.
“We hope this donation will go some way to supporting the many shelters doing a fantastic job looking after some of our most vulnerable animals”.
Earlier this week, Morrisons announced it is working closely with its suppliers as they invest in increasing their capacity. Whilst there is not 100% full availability in stores, there remains plenty of stock for all its customers and their new pets.
Morrisons and McVitie’s are joining up with customers to ensure that those who really need it get a treat this Christmas.
For every pack of McVitie’s 600g Victoria Biscuits sold in store, Morrisons & McVities will donate another to a local food bank or community group.
The offer is available until 24th November and forms part of Morrisons drive to restock Britain’s food banks and ensure no one is left behind as many struggle with the economic fallout of COVID-19.
The 600g selection of milk, white and dark chocolate biscuits costs £3.
Rebecca Singleton, Community Director at Morrisons, said: “Many people have had a really difficult year and everybody deserves a treat this Christmas. This Buy One To Give One offer means customers can brighten up somebody else’s day as well as their own.”
Morrisons also offers ‘Pick Up Pack’ parcels in stores that customers can purchase, containing items requested by local food banks.
They are also the first UK supermarket to trial an online donation mechanism that goes straight into the pockets of local food banks. Customers can purchase £10 vouchers on the Morrisons Food Boxes website, which are then sent directly to one of 50 food banks nationwide.
A LEADING children’s hospital charity is trying to get the message out there that kids in hospital don’t need more chocolate at Christmas time – and is offering an alternative this December.Continue reading Kids in hospital don’t need more chocolate
