Tag: messages of hope

Spread joy this season by donating decorations and messages of hope

The Leith Collective launches annual Christmas tree exchange
with an extra personal touch this year

A shocking 14% of people said they would throw away their artificial Christmas tree rather than reuse it next year*. With the planet facing an environmental emergency and people facing a continuing cost of living crisis, one local Community Interest Company is determined to put an end to this mindless waste and send a message of hope to those in need in the process.

Sunday 1st December will see The Leith Collective launch its annual Christmas tree exchange across its four Scottish stores, and this year it’s adding an extra personal touch. Locals are being urged to search their homes for any unwanted Christmas trees and decorations that may be languishing in cupboards and attics. Instead of sending them to landfill, they can drop them off at The Leith Collective stores where they will be passed on to those in need.

The Leith Collective is also calling on Christmas shoppers to take time out of their present hunting to stop and think of others by writing messages of hope on decorations which will be hung on these pre-loved Christmas trees to lift spirits and spread joy this season. 

Last year, The Leith Collective re-homed almost 500 Christmas trees and demand is expected to be just as high this year.

Speaking ahead of the Christmas tree exchange launch, The Leith Collective founder, Sara Thomson, said; “We want people to stop and think of others this Christmas. Passing on trees and Christmas decorations is not only good for the planet, but it’s also a lovely way of adding a little festive joy to the lives of those less fortunate.

!And by taking the time to write a thoughtful message to accompany each tree, we hope it will help people to connect with others. To those receiving these trees and personalised decorations, we hope it offers them comfort to know people are thinking of them this Christmas.” 

Christmas trees and decorations will be available for anyone to collect at Edinburgh’s Fort Kinnaird, Ocean Terminal and Waverley Market stores, as well as Dundee’s Overgate store, during opening hours completely free of charge. No stigma, no judgement, no questions asked. 

*2017 survey, quoted by PHS Wastekit

Freedom Boxes: Ukrainian aid effort gathers pace

A humanitarian mission launched within 24 hours of the conflict breaking out in Ukraine is delivering thousands of boxes of essential items and collecting refugees at the Ukraine/Poland border to bring them to safety in the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland.  

Freedom Boxes was created by Stuart Watkins, who also owns a software company which has offices in Prague and Cambridge. When the conflict began, Stuart, his family, and his team set about to do something to deliver help and provide hope to those affected by the invasion. With Freedom Boxes, the team has created an immediate way to directly help those in need. 

The team is made up of people from the UK and across the Central and Eastern European region, including Russia and Ukraine, who have pulled together to prepare, pack, and deliver Freedom Boxes.  

The Freedom Boxes are delivered across the border directly to those in need – in bunkers and war zones – with the team’s drivers risking their lives on every trip.  

Two of the four people working on the project in Ukraine are Stuart’s team members and they are helping deal with the coordination of getting people to the border and out of the areas under siege. 

Stuart Watkins, founder of Freedom Boxes, said: “During war, it is always the vulnerable who suffer the most. We are dropping off truckloads of Freedom Boxes for distribution to those who need them and bringing Ukrainian refugees to safety. 

“As a private company located in Prague and with colleagues in Ukraine, we had the ability to mobilise our assets, people, and connections very quickly to get up and running and begin helping. Larger organisations are less agile and take longer to mobilise, whereas Freedom Boxes provides a way for people to have a much more immediate and direct impact. 

“In just two weeks since the war began, we have already delivered over 450 Freedom Boxes and transported over 70 refugees to safety. We will continue to do whatever we can to get essential items into Ukraine while getting as many people as we can out and away from danger.” 

“As the humanitarian crisis worsens, bordering countries are filling up with refugees. They are having to travel further afar which can add days onto their journeys. The Freedom Buses are helping solve this problem.” 

With their tech background, Stuart and his team have been able to quickly build solutions to utilise their assets for the greater good, with QR codes to help understand what people need and tracking devices to verify receipt of items. 

Visit www.freedom-boxes.com to purchase a Freedom Bus ticket for someone fleeing Ukraine or choose from a range of Freedom Boxes tailormade for families, children, and the heroes who have taken up arms to defend their country.  

Children who want to let families and children who are victims of war in Ukraine know they are thinking about them are uploading messages of hope at www.messagesofhope.uk – the messages will be delivered directly to Ukrainian families via Freedom Boxes.

Children everywhere are encouraged to upload their messages of hope. 

For further information, please visit: www.freedom-boxes.com