One of our amazing parents Traci Gaven has organised a Swimathon to raise funds for Fetlor to support our exciting summer programme we have planned.
The Swimathon is for young people who attend FetLor and their parents – we will be swimming as many lengths as we can in 2 hours to see how far we can cover.
Young people can swim without their parents.
As this is a Fundraiser, young people taking part will have a Sponsor Sheet which they can collect from FetLor and the parents, we would appreciate you sharing the just giving page created by Traci.
Scottish landmarks illuminated in support of the charity this Christmas
As landmarks across Scotland and the UK are set to light up green on the longest night of the year in support of the NSPCC, the charity is calling on the public to rally friends and family to take part in a Walk for Children.
Buildings and landmarks, including the Falkirk Wheel, Glasgow Science Centre and Edinburgh’s Camera Obscura will be going green on the night of December 22 in support of the children’s charity and the help it provides young people in their darkest hours.
Other sites in Scotland lighting up for the NSPCC include Dalkeith Country Park, West Lothian Civic Centre, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Dundee Science Centre and the Titan Crane in Clydebank.
The NSPCC is calling on families and friends across the country to get together and sign up to walk 5km that night to raise vital funds for the charity and its Childline service, which will have counsellors on hand to answer life-changing calls throughout the festive period, including Christmas Day.
Caroline Renton, NPSCC Scotland Supporter Fundraising Manager, said: “Our Childline service is expecting a child to contact them every 45 seconds this Christmas, and while it’s free for them to contact the service over the phone or internet, every counselling session costs the charity around £4.
“For children facing abuse, the winter nights can be long and lonely, and we want all children to know that Childline is here for them, even on the darkest nights. We rely on public donations for around 90% of our funding, and by joining us on December 22 you can help Childline answer more life-changing calls.
“Whether you’re enjoying mulled wine and mince pies on the way around, wearing reindeer antlers, Santa hats or light-up accessories, or just pulling on your warmest coats and hats and enjoying the view, you’ll be helping Childline be a lifeline for children this Christmas.”
While children are at home for the holidays, they are cut off from other support systems, which means the Childline service is vitally important at Christmas.
Last Christmas, Childline delivered more than 1,000 high-risk counselling sessions, with 64% of high-risk calls and web chats during that period coming in after dark. Childline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Last year, hundreds of people walked 5k on the longest night of the year and raised over £100,000 to help fund vital NSPCC services, like Childline.
It costs £10 to sign up for Walk for Children and participants are asked to try and raise £100 to help fund the charity’s vital work and keep more children safe this Christmas. Everyone who signs up will receive a fundraising pack with everything needed to plan a walk, resources to use on the day, and an NSPCC t-shirt.
To find out more or sign up for this year’s Walk for Children, click here or go to www.nspcc.org.uk and search ‘WALK FOR CHILDREN’ – anyone who uses the promo code WALK25 will get a 25% discount on their registration fee.
The UK’s largest housebuilder has raised £90,244 for hospice and end of life care in the East of Scotland at its recent charity ball.
Barratt Developments, which includes David Wilson Homes and Barratt Homes, welcomed more than 450 guests to the EICC in Edinburgh on Friday 8th September – with attendees enjoying an auction, comedy performance from Larry Dean and live music from Manhattan.
All proceeds from the evening went to St Columba’s Hospice Care which provides world-leading hospice care to those based in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
As this year’s main charity for the housebuilder’s East Scotland division, Barratt Developments has so far raised a total of £157,024 for St Columba’s Hospice Care through fundraising, including a Pentland Hills walk and office events.
The 2023 sum has already exceeded last year’s efforts, which totalled £109,000.
Jon Heggie, Director of Income Generation at St Columba’s Hospice Care, said:“The ball was a fantastic event, and typified the attitude we’ve seen and enjoyed from Barratt over the course of our partnership.
“They’ve really pulled out all the stops to raise as much money as they can for us, as well as spending time here helping with recent ward renovations and volunteering to paint some fences and maintain the grounds.
“The difference they’ve made to the hospice as a charity partner really is tangible and will directly benefit hundreds of patients and their families right across Edinburgh and East Lothian. On behalf of everyone at the hospice, I’d like to say a massive thank you.”
Alison Condie, Managing Director at Barratt Developments East Scotland, said:“Giving back to the communities in which we build has always been a priority across all Barratt Developments’ divisions.
“In the East of Scotland, we’ve formed a strong relationship with St Columba’s Hospice Care over the last few years and have been continuing to raise funds for the essential care its team provides.
“We’ve already surpassed last year’s fundraising total, a feat we could not have achieved without the generous donations from guests and our colleagues who have given up their time to fundraise or take part in a physical challenge.
“The money raised will help support those who need it most in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas, providing them with the very best care.”
Amanda Southey, Hospice Corporate Manager at St Columba’s Hospice Care, said:“First and foremost I’d like to thank the team at Barratt for choosing St Columba’s Hospice Care as their charity partner.
“The partnership has worked really well, and I think both parties have really enjoyed it, and gained a lot from it.
“The fundraising they have done has been absolutely inspirational, and they’ve really jumped at the chance to help in other areas at every opportunity.”
For more information on Barratt Developments in Scotland, please visit:
Join our guest organist Oli Kelly and the church choir tonight Friday 19 May at 7pm for a charity recital and concert in aid of Drake Music Scotland.
The event is free but we would ask for donations to the work of Drake Music Scotland who provide music making opportunities for children and adults with disabilities and special needs.
The concert will last approximately 1 hour 20 mins and will be followed by refreshments. The concert will feature Oli Kelly on the organ and after a short interval Oli will conduct the church choir in a selection of pieces ranging from Palestrina to Howard Goodall.
You can learn more about the work of Drake Music Scotland at:
Annual £5 fundraiser aims to provide over 100,000 meals and gifts for homeless people
As thousands of people face hardship this winter and the demands on charities to provide support increases, Scottish-based business, itison, launches the eighth year of its Social Bite campaign, asking big-hearted Scots to donate £5 at www.itison.com/donate to buy over 100,000 meals and gifts for homeless people this Christmas.
The cost-of-living-crisis, as well as continued impact of the pandemic, has meant this year has been one of the toughest on record for families and individuals, and the £5 fundraiser aims to ensure that the most vulnerable in our society can enjoy a hot meal and a gift this festive season, and meals throughout the year.
Running since 2014, the annual Christmas appeal has raised an incredible £3 million and 700,000 donations to those who need it most, and last year, despite the hardship felt by many following the pandemic, over 100,000 donations were made, with an impressive 63% coming from new contributors across the country, showing just how selfless Scots can be.
In addition to the 100,000 meals and gifts supplied through Social Bite, along with itison they will also be donating the first £20,000 raised to Spirit of Christmas which gives Christmas presents to children living in poverty in around Glasgow, where the business is based.
Oli Norman, CEO at itison said: “This year has been exceptionally tough and the most vulnerable in our society have been hit the hardest.
“More people than ever before are struggling, and Christmas for homeless people and families is an especially challenging time. Every year we are blown away by the generosity of our members, and this year, at a time when support is needed more than ever, our hope is to raise enough through our Social Bite campaign to feed homeless people for the entire year”.
Josh Littlejohn, Co-founder of Social Bite said:“Back in 2014 we started working with itison on our annual fundraiser, with a target of 800 Christmas dinners. We ended up receiving over 32,000 donations meaning we could feed homeless people coming to our cafes for the whole year.
“Our annual itison fundraiser continues to exceed our expectations every year and has dramatically shaped the work we can do at Social Bite.
“We couldn’t do it without you and would love you to join us in sharing kindness this Christmas, please share it with all your friends and help the people who need it the very most this year.”
In Scotland, Social Bite’s Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen cafes will open their doors to the homeless on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at 1100 – 1600 to serve Christmas dinners with all the trimmings, offering food and company at what is one of the loneliest times of the year for many.
As well as providing food to those in need and providing gifts, itison members’ donations have previously helped fund the Social Bite Village in Edinburgh, providing housing, support, and a huge range of services to break the cycle of homelessness.
Social Bite is currently working hard and fundraising to build two brand-new villages in two new Scottish cities, their ongoing aim is to continue supporting people experiencing homelessness into employment, and 1 in 4 of its team has a background of homelessness. Your donation is not only providing a meal or gift but also helping Social Bite to break the cycle of homelessness through systemic change.
To donate £5 to buy a Christmas dinner for a homeless person or give a Christmas gift for children, families and vulnerable individuals visit www.itison.com/donate (it makes a great Secret Santa gift or stocking filler too!)
Annual £5 fundraiser aims to provide over 100,000 meals and gifts for homeless people
As thousands of people face hardship this winter and the demands on charities to provide support increases, Scottish-based business, itison, launches the eighth year of its Social Bite campaign, asking big-hearted Scots to donate £5 at www.itison.com/donate to buy over 100,000 meals and gifts for homeless people this Christmas.
The cost-of-living-crisis, as well as continued impact of the pandemic, has meant this year has been one of the toughest on record for families and individuals, and the £5 fundraiser aims to ensure that the most vulnerable in our society can enjoy a hot meal and a gift this festive season, and meals throughout the year.
Running since 2014, the annual Christmas appeal has raised an incredible £3 million and 700,000 donations to those who need it most, and last year, despite the hardship felt by many following the pandemic, over 100,000 donations were made, with an impressive 63% coming from new contributors across the country, showing just how selfless Scots can be.
In addition to the 100,000 meals and gifts supplied through Social Bite, along with itison they will also be donating the first £20,000 raised to Spirit of Christmas which gives Christmas presents to children living in poverty in around Glasgow, where the business is based.
Oli Norman, CEO at itison said:“This year has been exceptionally tough and the most vulnerable in our society have been hit the hardest.
“More people than ever before are struggling, and Christmas for homeless people and families is an especially challenging time. Every year we are blown away by the generosity of our members, and this year, at a time when support is needed more than ever, our hope is to raise enough through our Social Bite campaign to feed homeless people for the entire year”.
Josh Littlejohn, Co-founder of Social Bite said:“Back in 2014 we started working with itison on our annual fundraiser, with a target of 800 Christmas dinners. We ended up receiving over 32,000 donations meaning we could feed homeless people coming to our cafes for the whole year.
“Our annual itison fundraiser continues to exceed our expectations every year and has dramatically shaped the work we can do at Social Bite.
“We couldn’t do it without you and would love you to join us in sharing kindness this Christmas, please share it with all your friends and help the people who need it the very most this year.”
In Scotland, Social Bite’s Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen cafes will open their doors to the homeless on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at 1100 – 1600 to serve Christmas dinners with all the trimmings, offering food and company at what is one of the loneliest times of the year for many.
As well as providing food to those in need and providing gifts, itison members’ donations have previously helped fund the Social Bite Village in Edinburgh, providing housing, support, and a huge range of services to break the cycle of homelessness.
Social Bite is currently working hard and fundraising to build two brand-new villages in two new Scottish cities, their ongoing aim is to continue supporting people experiencing homelessness into employment, and 1 in 4 of its team has a background of homelessness.
Your donation is not only providing a meal or gift but also helping Social Bite to break the cycle of homelessness through systemic change.
To donate £5 to buy a Christmas dinner for a homeless person or give a Christmas gift for children, families and vulnerable individuals visit www.itison.com/donate (it makes a great Secret Santa gift or stocking filler too!)
On Thursday 22nd September, Greenpeace Edinburgh Local Group hosted an evening of live music to raise money for the latest part of Greenpeace’s campaign to stop the industrial fishing frenzy.
The Fundraising Gig took place at The Wee Red Bar at Edinburgh College of Art and featured music from local bands Abolish Golf, Grace and the Flatboys, Isabella Strange, and Scottish blues-rock musician Megan Black.
Over 120 people attended and thanks to the generosity of local people, Edinburgh Greenpeace raised around £630, which will contribute towards the £10,000 cost of dropping each boulder.
Zoe, a volunteer from Newington said: ‘The fundraising gig was an incredible success! We got the chance to hear some amazing local music and to talk to people about why protecting our oceans is such a crucial part of preventing climate catastrophe.
“We found that people were really keen to get involved in Greenpeace and hear more about our campaigns.”
Greenpeace UK has placed 18 limestone boulders on the seabed in the South West Deeps (East) Marine Protected Area to block destructive industrial fishing.
On 1st September, campaigners and crew on board Greenpeace’s ship Arctic Sunrise sailed to the western English Channel to make a portion of the South West Deeps off-limits to bottom-trawling.
The boulder action took place days after UK leaders failed to help secure a Global Ocean Treaty during negotiations in New York, threatening the Government’s aim to achieve at least 30% ocean protection by 2030.
Across the entirety of the South West Deeps (East) – more than 4,600 km2 – there is not one metre of protection from destructive industrial fishing. It is one of the most heavily fished so-called Marine Protected Areas in the UK.
In the last 18 months, the South West Deeps experienced almost 19,000 hours of industrial fishing, 3,370 hours of which was bottom-trawling. The majority of industrial fishing vessels in the area were from France (53%) followed by Spain (30%) and Great Britain (9%) [1].
Celebrities Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Simon Pegg, Stephen Fry, and Daniel Lismore are supporting the action, alongside Conservative politicians Henry Smith MP, Sir Peter Bottomley MP and Theresa May’s former Downing Street environment advisor Lord Randall, as well as the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas MP.
Their names were stencilled onto the boulders before being dropped into the ocean.
The 18 boulders are Portland limestone, and each weighs between 500kg and 1,400kg. They make it impossible for bottom-towed fishing gear to be dragged along the seabed.
Artists from the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust created a giant ammonite sculpture out of one of the boulders, which will be placed on the seabed alongside the others. The sculptors took inspiration from the ammonite fossils found in Portland limestone.
Zoe continued: ‘As a coastal city, we know how important our oceans are for fishing communities, tourism and tackling climate change.
“The boulder barrier is a last resort to save the UK’s marine life; we would prefer that the Government just did their job and kept long-standing promises to end destructive fishing in MPAs.’
Edinburgh couple Mark Ballard and Heather Stacey completed a week-long Pennine Way walk for the National Deaf Children’s Society on 6 August.
The couple’s adventure started on 30 July, when Mark and Heather set off on a 95-mile walk along the Pennine Way between Horton in Ribblesdale in Yorkshire and Alston in South Tynedale in Cumbria, staying in youth hostels and B&Bs along the way.
A highlight was scaling Cross Fell, which at 2,930 feet is the highest mountain in England outside the Lake District.
The couple have raised over £500 so far for the National Deaf Children’s Society, which supports the UK’s 50,000 deaf children.
Mark is Head of Policy for the National Deaf Children’s Society in Scotland, so has a special connection with the charity. The couple are both huge lovers of the outdoors and devised their challenge to help the charity provide inspiring experiences for deaf children and young people.
Mark and Heather live in Edinburgh with their two teenage children.
Recounting the story of their trek, Mark said:“It was hard work at times, with some steep hill climbs and squelchy bogs, but also some stunning scenery.
“A big part of what kept me going to complete the walk was the support I got from friends and family, who also helped me raise funds for the vital work of the National Deaf Children’s Society.
“I hope this money will enable the National Deaf Children’s Society to support a deaf young person to have a fantastic outdoor adventure like mine.”
Melissa Jones,who supports fundraisers for the National Deaf Children’s Society, said:“I want to say a huge thank you to Mark and Heather for taking on their Pennine challenge for us. It was a lovely idea and we’re so pleased you smashed it, thank you so much.
“The National Deaf Children’s Society is dedicated to supporting the UK’s 50,000 deaf children and their families. The efforts of selfless fundraisers like Mark and Heather will help us to keep on doing our vital work, now and into the future.”
Those wishing to make a donation can still do so by visiting:
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