Leading Scottish community retailer, Scotmid has launched a festive campaign to help customers get into the Christmas spirit – saving money and helping the environment.
They have set up stations in store so shoppers can ‘Save a Christmas Jumper’, either by donating or taking away free snowy sweatshirts and nativity knitwear.
The initiative will run in more than 50 stores, including those in Edinburgh from today.
An environmental charity reported that a third of young adults purchase a new Christmas jumper every year, with hundreds of thousands of jumpers later ending up in UK waste streams.[1]
Lynne Ogg, a Communities Manager at Scotmid said: “We know how expensive Christmas time can be. We hope this initiative brings some festive fun to local communities as well as a new lease of life for those tinselly tops. We look forward to seeing customers get a merry makeover in store!”
The initiative will be running until mid-December, so shoppers have time to get those holiday knits in for Christmas jumper days. There are posters in the store directing customers to the drop bins.
Scotmid is Scotland’s largest independent co-operative and has been at the heart of Scottish communities since 1859. Our businesses include Scotmid Co-operative, Lakes & Dales Co-operative, Semichem, Funeral Directors, Post Offices and our property division.
The Society employs almost 3,500 people in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North of England. Scotmid is a co-operative society, owned by its members, who each have an equal say in how we are run. Our core purpose is to serve our local communities and improve people’s everyday lives.
Stores across Edinburgh taking part in ‘The Christmas Jumper Swap’ are:
Festive campaign run by Make 2nds Count aims to raise £15,000 for Transformative Retreats to support Patients with Secondary Breast Cancer
Make 2nds Count, a leading non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting individuals living with secondary breast cancer, has today announced the launch of its annual Christmas campaign, “Make Christmas Count” which aims to raise £15,000 for transformative retreats.
The heart-warming initiative invites individuals to join hands in adorning the Tree of Hope with special baubles, symbolising support and solidarity for families and patients facing the challenges of secondary breast cancer.
Every year, Make 2nds Count strives to make a significant impact on the lives of individuals battling secondary breast cancer. This year, the organisation is introducing a new initiative to extend its support, with the sale of specially designed Christmas baubles. All proceeds from these sales will directly contribute towards funding the organisation’s dedicated retreats for patients in 2024.
Make 2nds Count Retreats serve as invaluable sanctuaries for members of the community affected by secondary breast cancer. They offer a respite from the demanding routine of constant treatment, providing a nurturing environment for relaxation and emotional rejuvenation.
In 2023, Make 2nds Count was able to host Retreats for 106 guests in various locations across the UK. The goal for 2024 is to increase this offering, enabling even more individuals to benefit from these transformative experiences.
Recent feedback from the Castle Bromwich retreat, held in September 2023, highlights the importance of these Retreats:
“The Castle Bromwich retreat has been such a wonderful relaxing experience. We’ve met so many women just like us, at all stages of the ‘living with’ journey. We feel lifted and listened to, encouraged and most of all relaxed and happy.
“We’ve had led sessions and time to get to know each other. We are all leaving with a new family and friendships to support us.”
“This has been a wonderful time to relax and take time out. The care and cosseting we have had will not be forgotten and will keep me going for a long time. Thank you so much.”
Make 2nds Count is also proud to collaborate with Spark, a charitable organisation dedicated to combating social isolation within communities to create bespoke baubles.
These Christmas decorations will be crafted by the skilled hands at Spark, further illustrating the power of community-driven initiatives.
For more information on Make 2nds Count and their work, please visit:
Secondary breast cancer charity Make 2nds Count is unwrapping a bumper festive bundle of activities to get its Christmas campaign off to a sparkling start.
Sadly, while others enjoy the season of goodwill, it can be a very lonely time for patients, individuals and families coping with the impacts of secondary breast cancer. A recent YouGov poll revealed that 60% of those impacted by a diagnosis find the festive period especially difficult and isolating.
But the charity is bringing the Christmas spirit to patients and their loved ones with a package of initiatives to show support for people living with this incurable form of the disease which claims the lives of 1,000 women a month in the UK.
Make 2nds Count aims to raise £15,000 through the sale of Tree of Hope baubles, plus further funds from specially commissioned Christmas cards and charity partnerships with Dalkeith Country Park’s festive Spectacle of Light and McLarens on the Corner in Edinburgh.
The Make 2nds Count Tree of Hope initiative gives people the chance to donate by buying a Christmas bauble which is not only a beautiful decoration for the tree but a poignant tribute to a current patient or lost loved one.
Supporters donating to the Tree of Hope pay £25 for a bauble, featuring the name of the person they are honouring, in return for a virtual bauble with a personalised message on the Make 2nds Count website and delivery of their personalised bauble keepsake in January.
There are also standard Make 2nds Count baubles available for £15 that the charity hopes to see in homes across the UK this year, the third year of the Tree of Hope initiative.
Dalkeith Country Park will showcase its own Tree of Hope as part of its Spectacle of Light event where visitors can add a ribbon to commemorate a loved one, and all donations will come to the charity. They are also providing collection tins for any spare change, at till points in its Fort Douglas and Restoration Yard’s store and eateries, and signage around the park with a QR code.
The limited-edition Christmas cards, designed by Make 2nds Count supporter Nikki Hughes, are available through the charity in packs of eight for a minimum donation of £6. In addition, there is the opportunity to donate online for a virtual card.
McLarens are once again supporting Make 2nds Count this Christmas by hosting a Tree of Hope and by adding a £1 discretionary charge on every Christmas booking and they will match the total at the end of the festive season.
Emma Hall, Head of Operations for Make 2nds Count says: “Christmas is a magical time but we know that it can be quite a challenging period for secondary breast cancer patients and their families.
“However, the fantastic response we always get from the public to our festive campaign gives us all a real boost. We’re confident this year people will be as generous as they can afford to be and every donation, no matter how modest, helps tremendously as we support people not only at Christmas but throughout the year.”
Make 2nds Count supports secondary breast cancer patients and their families and campaigns to raise awareness of, and fund research into the disease – also known as metastatic, advanced or stage IV breast cancer – a form of cancer which has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body. On average there are around 35,000 patients in the UK currently living with this form of cancer.
To find out more about how to support the charity’s Christmas campaign visit:
· Royal Bank of Scotland’s Winter Sparkle festive campaign aims to bring cheer to 10,000 people and families this Christmas
· Bank’s charity partner BaxterStorey is distributing 100,000 meals to the country’s most vulnerable as part of the drive
· Businesses and organisations including The Scottish Book Trust, Tesco and Amazon back the drive
· Social Bite, Cyrenians, The Felix Project and Edinburgh Food Project help take the programme to Scotland’s neediest communities
Royal Bank of Scotland has partnered with hospitality provider BaxterStorey and security company G4S, to distribute more than 10,000 shoeboxes full of toys, books, games, food and items of clothing for vulnerable people and families across Scotland, as part of the bank’s Winter Sparkle initiative.
The shoeboxes – which have been packed in a socially distant setting at the bank’s Gogarburn HQ in Edinburgh – are being given to charity partners Social Bite, Cyrenians, The Felix Project and Edinburgh Food Project, to distribute amongst thousands of individuals and families they support across the country.
Catering company BaxterStorey will also prepare and deliver an additional 100,000 cooked meals for vulnerable families in Scotland, thanks to generous donations of fresh produce from a number of the Royal Bank’s agricultural customers.
Other supporters of the project include the Scottish Book Trust, Tesco and Business in the Community, while employees and customers of the bank have been able to purchase items via a bespoke Amazon wish list.
The shoebox initiative is the latest project from the team behind the foodbank distribution centre at Gogarburn. It was set up in March by bank employee, Sheena Hales, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, to offer charities a space to store large food deliveries. In October, Sheena was awarded a British Empire Medal in recognition of her efforts.
Since opening, the foodbank centre has distributed around 6,000 meals per week, taken in huge donations including 220,000 items of new clothing, and welcomed truckloads of potatoes and carrots – all to be issued by charities to those in need.
Along with donations of food and clothing, the foodbank has also helped furnish a homeless shelter in Glasgow and through a partnership with the Scottish Book Trust, has provided families with learning packs, storybooks and even tablets and Wi-Fi access to support with remote learning.
Sheena Hales, Programme Capability Manager at Royal Bank of Scotland and Manager of the Gogarburn distribution centre, said:“Christmas can always be a challenging time but the events and added pressures of 2020 have undoubtedly created extra stress and anxiety for many families.
“The foodbank has been committed to supporting those in need since the onset of the pandemic and while the food parcels will be essential, it’s also our hope that the little extra treats in the boxes will put a few smiles on faces this festive season.
“Crucially, this has been a team effort and none of it would be possible without the hard work and dedication of our volunteers or the generosity of our staff, customers and strategic partners who have worked tirelessly to make the foodbank what it is”
Caroline Bacigalupo, Operations Manager at BaxterStorey, said: “We are delighted to have been working with local community councils and local charities, supplying a variety of sweet treats and hearty meals.
“This Christmas, we plan to fill over 10,000 boxes for Christmas gifts and food packages to help those in need across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“With the ongoing support of our team at BaxterStorey, G4S and of course Royal Bank of Scotland, we will be out delivering the packages in the run-up to Christmas.”
Malcolm Buchanan, Chair, Scotland Board, Royal Bank of Scotland said: “The work that our foodbank team has delivered throughout 2020 has been truly admirable and the results achieved reflect the unwavering commitment of our staff, customers and partners, who have all gone above and beyond to support those in their local communities.
“Under Sheena’s leadership, the team have been working behind the scenes to coordinate, manage and store huge deliveries and have all been busy packing up the shoeboxes ready for distribution. Our charity partners will then take the wheel, allocating the boxes to the incredibly deserving individuals and families within their support networks.”
