Tag: fundraising

Hats off to MS Therapy fundraisers!

EVERYTHING STOPS FOR TEA: Louise Liddell gets the party started!
EVERYTHING STOPS FOR TEA: Louise Liddell gets the party started!

The MS Therapy Centre’s latest fundraiser – the Mad Hatters’ Tea Party – has raised nearly £4,500.

The Centre, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, called on locals to host a tea party and wear a crazy hat last month to help raise much needed funds and make a difference to all those in the Lothians living with multiple sclerosis.

Nancy Campbell, Operations Manager at the Centre, said: “Hitting nearly £4,500 is a fantastic sum of money and will make such a difference to those attending the Centre. Nearly 2,500 people in the Lothians live with the debilitating condition and our Centre provides a life line for many. We are there for practical and emotional support and only exist because of the generosity of others.”

Nancy added: “I would like to thank local residents, businesses, community groups and schools who took time out of their busy days to bake and host tea parties.”

Liberal Democrat South Scotland MSP Jim Hume joined in the tea party celebrations. He said: “I was delighted to visit Nancy and her team at the MS Therapy Centre Lothian again and to celebrate their 30th anniversary at the mad hatter tea party. The Centre provides a range of therapeutic and peer support to people living with multiple sclerosis, all the while improving the quality of life for its users.”

The Centre is hoping the tea parties become an annual event and will be looking for tea party hosts again in 2015.

tea party

The MS Therapy Centre is a charity providing help and practical therapies such as physiotherapy, complementary therapies and oxygen therapy as well as emotional support and advice. For further information go to www.mstc-lothian.org.uk or call Louise Liddell at MS Therapy Centre on 0131 554 5384.

Support MYDG as they swim … the Commonwealth!

mydg

Please please support the 24 hour Swimathon which is being held on behalf of MYDG this Thursday (3 April) from 9am. Money raised will support field trips, outdoor activities and MYDG’s commonwealth summer sports programme. The target is to swim the 11,421 miles from Glasgow to all 70 commonwealth countries participating in Glasgow 2014. Please note each length will represent one mile.

You can pick up a sponsor form from MYDG’s office in Craigroyston Community High School or the Community Shop on Pennywell Road.

Alternatively, you can make a donation online at our justgiving site which is

www.justgiving.com/mydg.

Or using your phone by:

Texting SWIM14 followed by the amount: £1, £3, £5, £10 to the number 70070
Your code —- SWIM14
With the amount —- £1
Text this to——— 70070
70070

You can also come along and swim, volunteer with the running of the event!

Please forward this to family, friends and colleagues so we can make this event the success it should and can be!

 

Dean Shanks

Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG)

Tea hee! Mad hatters raise a cup to toast MSTC

MSTC fundraisers Louise and Chris Liddell
MSTC fundraisers Louise and Chris Liddell

The Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Edinburgh celebrates its 30th anniversary today with a city-wide Mad Hatters’ Tea Party. The fundraiser sees friends and supporters of the Centre baking cakes and wearing silly hats all to raise money for a very good cause.

With nearly 2,500 people in the Lothians living with the debilitating condition of multiple sclerosis, the MS Therapy Centre provides a life-line for many. Based in Swanfield in Leith, the Centre provides practical and emotional support and only exists because of the generosity of others.

Nancy Campbell the operations manager at the Centre said: “We want everyone to dig out their hats and teapots and host a mad hatters’ tea party for the MS Therapy Centre. It’s meant to be lots of fun and there’s plenty of opportunity to be creative – from cake decoration through to competitions. We just ask that everyone who attends a tea party makes a donation to our Centre.”

The MS Therapy Centre is a charity providing help and practical therapies such as physiotherapy, complementary therapies and oxygen therapy as well as emotional support and advice.

For further info visit www.mstc-lothian.org.uk

Muirhouse youth group plan to make a splash

MYDG1

Support MYDG’s swimathon!

Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) will be taking part in a 24 hour fundraising Swimathon on Thursday 3 April and they could use your support.

MYDG’s Operational Manager Dean Shanks explained: “Money raised will support field trips, outdoor activities and MYDG’s commonwealth summer sports programme.

“You can pick up a sponsor form from MYDG’s office in Craigroyston Community High School or the Community Shop on Pennywell Road. Alternatively, you can make a donation online at our justgiving site which will be up and running tomorrow and I will forward on a link to everyone then. You can also come along and swim or volunteer to help with the running of the event!”

MYDG is based at Craigroyston Community High School

Telephone: 0131 332 3356

Website: www.mydg.org.uk

MYadventure

Sold! Celebs to help Shelter raise funds in online auction

gavel

TOP celebrities – including Olly Murs, Alan Carr, Chrissie Hynde and Plan B – have raided their wardrobes to donate some of their fashion favourites for an online pop-up shop in aid of charity Shelter Scotland.

Fans of music, fashion and comedy will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bid on signature items including an Olly Murs signed trilby hat and Chrissie Hynde’s Stella McCartney boots.

Other items include an Alexander McQueen jacket worn by comedian Alan Carr, fashionista Louise Roe’s 2013 Emmy’s red carpet dress, and a dress worn by former EastEnders actress Jo Joyner in her role as Tanya Branning.

Pop star and TV presenter, Olly Murs, said: “I’ve donated one of my trilby hats to Shelter Scotland this summer. It’s a great charity so get bidding guys!”

EastEnders actress, Jo Joyner, said: “Taking a bag of pre-loved clothes to a Shelter Scotland shop is a fantastic way to help a great cause. Shelter Scotland has never needed your support more, so I’m proud to donate my dress. Let the bidding commence!”

The online auction will open on Shelter Scotland’s website from 9.00pm on Tuesday 23 July and bidding will end at 9pm on Sunday 28 July.

Shelter Scotland is urging members of the public to take inspiration from its celebrity supporters and donate their own pre-loved clothes, home wares or books to their nearest Shelter Scotland shop, where every penny raised goes towards helping families and individuals facing homelessness and bad housing.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “We’re so grateful to our celebrity friends for their outpouring of support and hope the public will get behind us too and donate any old or unwanted items to their nearest Shelter Scotland shop.

“It costs just £10 for one of our experienced housing advisors to help a family in need through our free national helpline. We can raise that money by selling an unwanted dress, jumper or pair of shoes. No donation is too small and every penny will go towards helping people in housing need.”

Shelter Scotland helps over half a million people a year in Scotland struggling with bad housing and homelessness. The charity’s free national helpline receives over 60 calls per day from desperate families and individuals. Shelter Scotland says this represents a 43% increase over three years, up from 42 calls per day in 2008/09.

Graeme Brown added: “We have never needed the public’s support more, and are relying on their kindness and generosity to ensure that we can continue to offer vital services to people who desperately need our help.

“Unlike our famous friends, your donations don’t have to include a designer label. Whether they’re as good as new or have seen better days – all donations are welcome. There’s no easier way to help people across Scotland who are facing homelessness or living in bad housing.”

Everyone who donates to a Shelter Scotland shop between Monday 15th and Saturday 27th July can enter a free prize draw to win one of five Fujitsu tablet PCs. The charity has also recently launched a new donation loyalty card. Each donation of stock will be rewarded with a stamp, with those collecting five stamps being rewarded with a £5 discount to spend in store.

Shelter Scotland has over 40 shops across Scotland, selling a range of good quality new and second-hand clothes, books, home wares and specialist items.

The online auction can be accessed via www.shelter.org.uk/sheltershops and will be open for bids from 9pm on Tuesday 23 July – 9pm on Sunday 28 July.

scotland-logo[1]

Seven Days and the legend of the Pilton Pieman

Just a week to go until the NEN Walkathon, and walkers may already have selected their chosen routes. You don’t have to stick to the suggested routes, however, the choice is all yours!

How about tackling … THE PIEMAN’S PATH?

Never heard the legend of the Pilton Pieman? Then read  on …

The only known illustration of Patrick 'Pudden' Porter
The only known illustration of Patrick ‘Pudden’ Porter

Patrick ‘Pudden’ Porter – the Pilton Pieman 

Many years ago, the legend of Pudden, the Pilton Pieman was born. This is the story: 

Patrick ‘Pudden’ Porter was of noble birth – his family was landed gentry. Young Paddy enjoyed all the privileges of wealth, but life was to change forever for the young man when he met and fell in love with a Newhaven fishwife. Paddy’s father disowned him when he chose to marry his Newhaven love.

Patrick and his new bride lived in relative poverty, particularly when the fishing was poor, but the young nobleman was a good, hard worker who would tackle any labour – when he could not go off to see on the trawlers he worked with butchers, bakers and yes, possibly even candlestick makers to make money, gain experience and provide for his growing family. It was a tough life, but Paddy never regreatted the path he had chosen.

Mr&MrsOne evening, when he was particularly down on his luck, Paddy cut through Caroline Park House on his way home from a labouring shift, bringing in the harvest on Drylaw Farm.

He was amazed to see hundreds, maybe thousands of rabbits scampering around the grounds – and an idea formed that was to change his life forever.

The following day  he returned to Caroline Park House and spoke to the gamekeeper there. The gamekeeper was only too happy to have someone to help him deal with the rabbit epidemic and soon Paddy was hard at work.

Paddy then used the skills he had learned as a butcher and a baker – and young Paddy’s delicious home made rabbit pies and puddings quickly became the talk of the town.

Paddy ‘Pudden’ Porter became something of a celebrity in Leith and Edinburgh – he mixed with the rich and famous and his pies were served at Royal banquets at Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle.

Pudden's legendary rabbit pie can be seen at the British Museum
Pudden’s legendary rabbit pie can be seen at the British Museum

While ‘Pudden’ Porter’s family flourished, the same could not be said for the family who had disowned him. ‘Pudden’ had been the first of six boys – but each of the others died prematurely, often in suspicious circumstances. Some whispered that the Porters were cursed – a housemaid swore that each of the Porter boys died after eating …. no, contaminated fish!

The Pilton Pieman went from strength to strength – Paddy Porter became Lord Provost of Edinburgh. The Porters also had a large family – by a strange coincidence, also six boys – and each of them in turn became town councillors. It’s thought that this is where the phrase ‘gravy train’ originated.

And while both Edinburgh and Leith have grown and changed so much over the centuries, even to this day the city council still has it’s fair share o’ Puddens!

pie

THE PIEMAN’s PATH

Bayne’s, Drylaw Shops

Groathill Bakery

Gregg’s, Pennywell Road

Gregg’s, Boswall Parkway

Caroline Park House

Granton Home Bakery, West Granton Road

Mason’s Bakery, Newhaven

Walk in the footsteps of a local legend and taste a piece of history! 

Women city councillors unite to walk the Moonwalk

Lesley Hinds Ward 5 Inverleith Ward

This Saturday I will be participating in the MoonWalk. There is a cross party group of women Councillors walking as a team and we have created an online Fundraising Page for The MoonWalk Edinburgh Scotland 2013.

To show your support for this effort and raise funding for breast cancer in Scotland, please donate at

http://www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/strident

This Team Web Page will be active until 29 Oct 13.

Thank you for uniting against breast cancer

With good wishes and good health,

Lesley Hinds

Tesco raises £11.85 million for Cancer Research UK

Tesco staff and customers have raised £11.85 million in one year for Cancer Research UK, its charity of the year. The money was raised by staff, customers and suppliers at more than 3,000 stories, offices and distribution centres across the UK, and according to Tesco this is the largest amount ever raised by a business and charity partnership in one year.

Fundraising activities included:
  • treks by Tesco staff members to Everest base camp and the Sahara, which together raised over £191,000
  • a festive-themed ‘Cycle to Lapland’ static bike ride in Tesco stores which raised more than £1 million over one weekend
  • competitions inspired by TV programmes including ‘Tesco Does Strictly’ and ‘Tesco Distribution’s Got Talent’ which raised more than £68,000

In-store fundraising activities by Tesco included a donation of 0.0125p from Tesco Personal Finance PLC every time a cash machine was used at Tesco until 29 February 2013, and promotions that encouraged Clubcard customers to donate their points to the charity.

The store that raised the most money was Tesco Extra in Dundee, which raised £22,000.

The funds raised are being used for 32 early diagnosis and detection research projects helping to ensure more people receive treatment at a time when it is more likely to be successful.

During the partnership Tesco also helped Cancer Research UK raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of cancer. Eight million health information leaflets were placed at store checkouts.

Richard Taylor, Cancer Research UK Executive Director of Fundraising and Marketing, said: “Tesco staff, customers and suppliers have gone above and beyond to raise a record-breaking amount of money for our lifesaving work over the past year. The dedication they have put into raising vital funds to help improve the early diagnosis and detection of cancer particularly during a time of economic uncertainty has been truly inspiring.”

Since 1988 Tesco has chosen a different charity every year to benefit from staff and customer fundraising. The company’s Charity Trust tops up staff fundrasing by 20% up to a maximum of £500,000.

Last month Tesco announced that Diabetes UK will be it’s next charity of the year.

tesco-charity-of-the-year-heroes[1]